“Dachao, Mengyuan, you’re back.”
Mother Cheng came over at just the right moment, pretending not to hear them scolding the three children earlier, and warmly began talking with them about what had happened that morning.
Now that things had progressed this far, Qiu Mengyuan had no way to stop her niece from getting married. She could only ask Mother Cheng to take good care of and be tolerant toward her niece in the future. The two couples exchanged many polite formalities.
Soon after, Cheng Yuanche also came to greet the two elders. After giving them a series of promises and assurances, he invited them to the living room to drink tea with Commander Tan and the others.
“Little Zheng, what did your parents just say?”
As soon as Huang Zheng and his siblings came out, the two Huang elders dragged them into a corner to question them. Huang Zheng lowered his head and quietly repeated the conversation word for word.
The Huang family had never known that the Qiu family had financially supported them, bought them a house, and helped arrange jobs. The moment Old Man Huang heard this, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately turned to scold his wife:
“Are you satisfied now?”
“I only said she was freeloading and living here for free.”
Old Madam Huang still didn’t think she had done anything wrong and stubbornly argued back:
“The money the Qiu family gave us and the two thousand yuan she borrowed are two different things. Asking her to repay the money is perfectly justified.”
“You, you… you pig-brained fool!”
Old Man Huang was far more shrewd than she was. He had already guessed what his son had been planning, but this stupid old woman still hadn’t realized it. He was so angry he wanted to slap her.
“You ruined Dachao’s big plans. You’re such an old fool!”
“What do you mean?” Old Madam Huang still didn’t understand.
“If the Qiu family could give Mengyuan three separate sums of two thousand yuan, do you really think they’re short on two thousand? She didn’t even care about a one-thousand-yuan bride price—she gave it up without hesitation. She’s the only orphan left in the family. Do you really think she has no money in her hands?”
Old Man Huang spoke in a very low voice, only loud enough for the few of them to hear.
Old Madam Huang’s mind went blank for a moment. Her wrinkled face stared at him in shock, her cloudy eyes shifting as if she had finally understood.
“I… I didn’t think of that.”
“You really are long-haired and short-sighted. Idiot.”
Old Man Huang looked utterly disgusted. He sternly warned them:
“From now on, none of you are to speak carelessly or make decisions on your own. If something comes up, discuss it with Dachao and Mengyuan first, so you don’t ruin their plans again.”
“Got it.”
This time, the grandmother and three grandchildren all answered together.
Old Man Huang glared fiercely at his wife once more and warned her:
“That loose mouth of yours—be more careful with what you say in the future. Don’t spread nonsense about the Cheng family. In my opinion, the Cheng family’s bad luck is only temporary. Cheng Yuanche is highly valued by his superiors. Their family will rise again sooner or later. Don’t offend them by gossiping carelessly.”
“I know, I know. I have a sense of propriety.”
Old Madam Huang agreed verbally, but her loose tongue was famous. She could forget her own promises the moment she turned around.
Recently, many people had been gossiping about the Cheng family, and she had been one of the most enthusiastic participants. She had frequently spread rumors about the family being plagued by misfortune or cursed with bad luck.
After warning her, Old Man Huang turned to Huang Zheng and his siblings.
“Later, think of a way to apologize to Qiu Yinong and repair your relationship with her.”
The three siblings were in their rebellious teenage years. To them, apologizing was humiliating. Very unwillingly, they muttered something under their breath before running off.
When the auspicious hour was approaching, Cheng Yuanche came to knock on the door while supporting himself with his crutch.
“Yinong, are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
Earlier, Qiu Yinong had borrowed a mirror from the younger sister. At this moment, she sat before it checking her outfit and makeup one final time. After confirming everything was flawless, she rose to open the door, dressed in the most gorgeous and exquisite Miao ethnic wedding attire.
“The bride is here!”
The moment someone outside shouted loudly, the bedroom’s wooden door opened from within.
The instant the breathtakingly beautiful bride appeared, the noisy commotion outside suddenly vanished. Everyone seemed frozen in place, as though struck by a spell. The entire scene became motionless.
Her festive upper garment was based in bright red, with intricate and luxurious patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects embroidered along the collar and cuffs in multicolored silk threads, vivid and lifelike.
Her slender lower body was wrapped in a handmade pleated skirt. The layers swayed gracefully as she walked, like rippling waves flowing with her movements.
Most stunning of all was the complete set of silver ornaments she wore.
The massive silver crown atop her head was engraved with delicate patterns, with countless tiny silver bells dangling from its edges. Around her neck hung layer upon layer of silver collars, nearly covering her slender neck entirely. Across her chest rested an enormous qilin lock alongside silver butterflies and silver flowers, all glittering brilliantly in the candlelight. As she moved, the ornaments produced crisp, melodious jingling sounds.
This dazzling, mysterious, and magnificently ornate bridal attire made her already exquisite features even more radiant and breathtaking—as though she were a spirit from the mountains or a goddess descended from the heavens.
The people of this remote fishing village had never seen such magnificent and ceremonial attire before. For a moment, everyone was completely stunned.
Standing at the very front, Cheng Yuanche seemed to stop breathing altogether. It was as though someone had cast a freezing spell on him. His pupils visibly widened as his gaze locked tightly onto her. The entire world seemed to blur away until she alone remained in focus.
Seeing everyone staring blankly without making a sound—and Cheng Yuanche standing there motionless—Qiu Yinong smiled softly and broke the silence.
“Deputy Battalion Commander Cheng, I’m ready.”
Still silence. Cheng Yuanche did not react.
“Cheng Yuanche!”
Commander Tan suddenly barked his name loudly.
Like a conditioned reflex, Cheng Yuanche instantly stood at attention and answered loudly:
“Present!”
“Hahaha…”
Battalion Commander Lu and Deputy Company Commander Peng burst into laughter.
Even Commander Tan laughed.
“It’s good that your soul finally came back.”
“Hahaha…”
Everyone present snapped out of their daze and laughed.
Cheng Yuanche’s soul also seemed to return to his body. This was truly the first time in his life he had been so absent-minded and lost. Embarrassed, he rubbed his forehead, while a rare flush of red spread to the tips of his ears.
“The bride is beautiful as a celestial fairy. No wonder you hid her in the room and wouldn’t let her come out for people to see.”
Commander Tan patted Cheng Yuanche on the shoulder and joked with a grin:
“Stop spacing out and hurry up with the ceremony. Once you’ve completed the wedding rites, this fairy-like little wife will officially be yours. Afterward, you can hide in your room and admire her openly all you want.”
“Yinong, let’s go.”
Cheng Yuanche was so nervous that every cell in his body felt taut. Watching her bathed in red light and silver radiance as she slowly walked toward him, he felt utterly dazzled and enchanted. Even the hand gripping his crutch trembled slightly.
The moment she reached him, Cheng Yuanche no longer cared whether others would laugh at him. He immediately reached out and tightly clasped her hand, gripping it firmly as though afraid she would run away the instant he let go.