Gongs and drums clamored, firecrackers crackled in unison.
After a long night, the wedding procession arrived early at the inn’s entrance.
Li Ruoshui’s eyes were listless, and she couldn’t stop yawning. The matchmakers had pulled her around all night for preparations; she was now so tired she could fall asleep sitting up.
The whole wedding thing felt utterly unreal to her. She didn’t care about it personally. Her main thought was to find the Fire Blaze Grass before the middle of the month and detoxify the poison first.
The matchmaker in front of her finished applying her lip color and looked at her, her eyes instantly lighting up.
With almond-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and flawless skin, her most striking feature were her eyes. They seemed to speak with how vibrant and full of life they were, making anyone who saw them feel an involuntary sense of fondness and ease.
“Miss Li, you are truly beautiful! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone with a lively spirit as you.”
Li Ruoshui’s eyelids drooped, unsure how the woman detected “lively spirit” from her current exhaustion. She could only nod in agreement.
Finally, the makeup was done. Propping up her weary body, Li Ruoshui dragged the long wedding dress to the door and retrieved a plain-looking white cane from behind it.
“Lu Zhiyao, catch.”
Lu Zhiyao was sitting on the windowsill, playing with a nine ring puzzle. [1]Hearing Li Ruoshui’s voice, he raised his hand and caught the flying object, feeling it with his fingers.
“What is this?”
“It’s a white cane. I asked Sister Lu and the others to buy it. You’ll need this when you’re moving around on your own later.” Li Ruoshui deliberately emphasized “on your own,” hoping to remind him of her future absence.
Lu Zhiyao brushed aside the hair that had blown across his lips, forming a smile. “Thank you.”
He had completely missed the stressed tone in her voice…
Forget it. Winning someone over isn’t that easy. I need to find an opportunity to use the System’s reward and understand him better.
“Ready to go?”
Beaming, the matchmaker placed the bridal veil over her head, supported her, opened the door, and slowly guided her downstairs to the inn’s entrance.
“The bride is here!”
A crowd of unknown size had gathered, chattering noisily, either seeking red envelopes or just there for the spectacle.
Peeking from under her veil, Li Ruoshui saw blurred figures all around. Occasionally, children peeked and craned their necks, trying to get a look at the bride from below.
Li Ruoshui made eye contact with a little girl sporting pigtails, winked at her with a smile, and the girl covered her mouth and ran away.
The two matchmakers spouted auspicious phrases all the way. Attendants scattered coins for good luck. Li Ruoshui was helped to the wedding sedan.
As she was about to enter, she caught a glimpse of a white robe hem out of the corner of her eye.
“Lift the sedan!”
The wedding procession, with its musicians playing loudly, moved from the inn towards the Zheng residence. Copper coins jingled all along the route, horns and suonas[2] blared in concert, lulling Li Ruoshui into a drowsy state.
Of course, she didn’t fight it. Before long, she was fast asleep, dead to the world, as if trying to recover all the sleep lost from staying up late.
“The auspicious hour has arrived, a perfect match is paired. Groom, please invite the bride out.”
The matchmaker’s loud cry rang out, and the Zheng family’s Second Young Master, Zheng Yanqing, stepped forward.
Even dressed in the bright red wedding robes, he still looked unwell, the color making him appear even paler and more frail.
Zheng Yanqing covered his mouth and coughed a few times before slowly walking towards the wedding sedan.
“The custom is to carry Li Ruoshui on his back. Can this Young Master Zheng manage it?” On a rooftop not far away, Jiang Nian and Lu Feiyue watched. Jiang Nian observed Zheng Yanqing’s unsteady steps with some doubt.
“I don’t know,” Lu Feiyue shook her head. “Have you seen Lu Zhiyao?”
Based on what was said at the ruined temple that day, Li Ruoshui probably had feelings for Lu Zhiyao. Yet now, for their sake, she was marrying into the Zheng residence.
Even if it was pretend, Lu Feiyue didn’t want to harm their relationship because of this.
Jiang Nian pulled Lu Feiyue to his side and pointed near the sedan. “There. He’s been following all along.”
From their previous angle, the wedding sedan had completely blocked Lu Zhiyao. Only after moving here could Lu Feiyue see that flash of white.
She hesitated for a moment, carefully studying Lu Zhiyao’s expression. “He seems… to be enjoying himself.”
Jiang Nian nodded and let out a long sigh. “This is bad. Lu Zhiyao simply doesn’t like her. Li Ruoshui’s one-sided affection is also doomed to come to nothing.”
Speaking of himself, when he first heard that Lu Feiyue’s mission was to marry into the Zheng residence, he had been so jealous he nearly exploded.
Zheng Yanqing had reached the sedan door. He reached out and knocked, signaling for the bride to emerge. But after waiting a moment, there was no movement from inside the sedan.
He waited a bit longer, then raised his hand and knocked again.
The initial cheers and teasing from the crowd slowly died down. Everyone stretched their necks to see what was happening. Some even began speculating that the bride had run away.
Amidst the crowd’s confused faces, only Lu Zhiyao covered his mouth with a light laugh.
He could hear the long, even breathing from inside the sedan and knew Li Ruoshui had fallen asleep.
Just as Zheng Yanqing raised his hand to knock again, Lu Zhiyao picked up a wedding candy from the ground, flicked his wrist, and sent it flying inside. It hit Li Ruoshui’s forehead with a soft thwack.
It wasn’t too hard, but it wasn’t too light either. It was enough to wake Li Ruoshui up.
She opened her eyes, stared blankly at the sea of red before her, then remembered she was in a wedding sedan, about to get married.
The sedan door had been knocked on three times. Recalling the matchmakers’ instructions, she yawned, reached out to lift the sedan curtain, and took the red wedding silk ribbon offered by the person outside.
Only then did the surrounding spectators cease their whispers and start talking openly again.
“You have to admit, Young Master Zheng is quite good-looking—handsome and talented. If not for the fact that he seems to be ‘haunted’, girls would be lining up to marry him, practically wearing down the Zheng family’s doorstep.”
“Absolutely right.”
As the two clicked their tongues in regret, a man in white robes in front of them turned his head and asked with a warm smile, “Is Young Master Zheng very good-looking?”
The two men saw his closed eyes and the white cane in his hand, exchanged a knowing glance, and nodded.
“Among the men of our Cangzhou, Young Master Zheng’s looks are definitely ranked highly.”
Lu Zhiyao’s brow rose slightly, and the curve of his lips flattened a little. “And how does he compare to me?”
It wasn’t uncommon for men to compare their looks, so the two weren’t surprised. Instead, they scrutinized him carefully.
“In terms of appearance alone, sir, you certainly surpass Young Master Zheng by quite a bit.”
Lu Zhiyao’s brow smoothed, and the corners of his lips lifted.
“But determining who is better looking is harder. If we must use an analogy, you are like a flower—soft and exquisite. But Young Master Zheng is like bamboo—straight, upright, and proper. They’re different so it’s hard to compare.”
“Yes, if I were a woman, I’d probably find someone like Young Master Zheng more attractive… Sir, don’t be upset, you are certainly good-looking too.”
“It’s fine.”
Lu Zhiyao’s smile didn’t change. When the Zheng family announced it was time to enter the residence, he tapped his cane and followed the crowd into the Zheng manor.
Apart from the minor incident at the sedan door, the rest of the wedding ceremony proceeded smoothly. Soon, the bows to heaven and earth were completed, and it was time to lift the veil and distribute the wedding candies.
The red veil before her eyes was lifted. After being stifled all morning, Li Ruoshui finally saw the light of day.
The Zheng family relatives in the main hall looked at the new couple and couldn’t help but clap and laugh. “A perfect match of talent and beauty!”
Li Ruoshui put on a professional fake smile. Turning her head, she finally saw what this unlucky Second Young Master Zheng looked like.
He had delicate, harmless features, a thin and weak build, and pale skin. One glance told you he was in poor health.
Meeting Li Ruoshui’s gaze, Young Master Zheng merely nodded in acknowledgment and gave a light smile, giving off a very quiet and gentle feeling.
Then, they were led by maids to sit in the center of the main hall. A plate of paper-wrapped crisp candies was placed beside each of them, piled up like a small mountain, waiting for them to distribute piece by piece.
Li Ruoshui sat there and didn’t move. When someone approached, she would smile at them, give them candy, and casually offer a blessing.
She didn’t feel like a bride. Instead, she felt more like a supermarket promoter handing out free samples of crisp candies, smiling and “selling” whenever someone came for a taste.
A little girl, holding up her skirt, ran up to her and cupped her hands.
Li Ruoshui grabbed a few extra pieces for her and, under the girl’s expectant gaze, uttered the four-character phrase: “Study hard.”
Hearing this, the little girl pouted and ran away.
As the two shared a silent laugh, a figure in white slowly ambled over to them.
Li Ruoshui’s heart jumped. Her gaze at Lu Zhiyao held a trace of expectation.
Say something jealous, say something jealous…
“A wedding requires distributing candies. May I have one too?”
Lu Zhiyao’s eyes curved as he stretched out his palm towards her. The white jade prayer beads on his wrist reflected the surrounding red candles, tinged with a warm reddish hue.
Dammit.
Had all the hardship she endured been completely useless? Was there not even a little bit of attraction?
Lost in her slight disappointment, Li Ruoshui took a deep breath and momentarily forgot about giving him candy.
Seeing this, Zheng Yanqing immediately grabbed a handful of crisp candies and tried to place them in Lu Zhiyao’s hand, but Lu Zhiyao moved his hand away to avoid it.
Zheng Yanqing looked up at the man in white, inexplicably feeling a sliver of fear worm into his body.
Lu Zhiyao acted as if he hadn’t noticed Zheng Yanqing’s action and continued, “Not even one piece?”
Snapping back to reality, Li Ruoshui picked up her plate and poured nearly half of its contents into his hands, then began to ponder her blessing.
“I wish you…”
He didn’t seem interested in academics, career, or love.
“I wish that in the future, you won’t need a cane to walk, that someone will serve you food, and that someone will warm your bed.”
This was based on her observations all this time, and it also served to remind him of one thing—
She had done all these things for him, so he should quickly develop a fondness for her, quickly fall for her, and let her go home sooner!
“Thank you.”
Lu Zhiyao pressed his lips together in a smile, hugged the small pile of candies, and walked out of the main hall.
“…” Once again today, he hadn’t understood her hint.
Li Ruoshui sighed and continued her role as an emotionless candy-distributing machine in the main hall.
Lu Zhiyao carried the small pile of candies back to his seat, completely unaware that Jiang Nian was looking at the candies in his arms with a sympathetic gaze.
A smile lingering on his lips, Lu Zhiyao placed the crisp candies on the table, unwrapped one, and began to eat it.
Sensing Jiang Nian’s stare, he casually picked out one candy. “Brother Jiang, want one?”
Jiang Nian shook his head like a rattle-drum, then hesitantly asked, “About Li Ruoshui getting married… What are your thoughts?”
Lu Zhiyao played with the candy wrapper in his hand, the same unreadable smile still on his face. “Thoughts? It’s just a wedding.”
Jiang Nian leaned closer, putting on a studious expression. “What do you mean by that?”
“A wedding is just two people going through the motions, putting up a facade that they are together while actually living their separate lives.”
“…” Jiang Nian was speechless for a moment. “Who told you that?”
“No one told me. I figured it out myself.”
Jiang Nian shook his head. “That’s only true for people who don’t love each other.”
Lu Zhiyao let out a low laugh. “Perhaps.”
Just like his mother. Just like his master. Marriage only added to the pain, was just mutual torment. What was the point in that?
However, if Li Ruoshui and Zheng Yanqing were to torment each other and come to blows, given Zheng Yanqing’s physique, he’d most likely be the one beaten down by Li Ruoshui. So, no need for him to worry on that front.
Jiang Nian stood up and looked around. “Brother Lu, I’m going to find Feiyue now. We plan to search the Zheng residence today. You… enjoy your candies.”
Lu Zhiyao nodded absently, unconcerned with their plans. He just leaned back in his chair, eating the crisp candies one by one.
“May fortune spread to all households, a harmonious union for a hundred years! The bride enters the bridal chamber!”
The loud declaration came from the main hall. The cacophony of gongs and drums started up again. Li Ruoshui was led away to the bridal chamber.
As he unwrapped another candy, Lu Zhiyao felt strange. He felt… restless.
[1] 九连环 aka jiu lian huan is a type of classical brain teaser or puzzle in China.
[2] Suona is also known as the Chinese Oboe. A really loud instrument.
EDN: Oopsies 👀