Chapter 14
He couldn’t care less about appearances now.
How could they just take one trip around the village?
Chenjiawan and Lujia Village were three miles apart. To get from Chenjiawan to Lizhai, you naturally passed by Lujia Village on the official road. If they took another lap, wouldn’t he just end up back home?
Old Man Chen, however, was beaming with joy, as if he were the one getting married. His smile was so wide you couldn’t see his eyes.
“The more laps, the better! Let everyone know that the tofu-selling Chen family is back. We’ll hurry and make more tofu these days. With the New Year approaching, we can sell frozen tofu.”
Lu Liu was anxious.
“Which way will they go?”
Lu Sanfeng came in with a bowl of lumpy soup, handed it to Lu Liu, and said, “Of course, from Chenjiawan to Lizhai. He’s marrying a Li family spouse; why would they wander through Lujia Village?”
Lu Liu thought about it and felt relieved.
He held the bowl, stirred the soup with a spoon, tested the temperature, and then quickly ate it up. Seizing the moment while Old Man Chen hadn’t left yet, he handed the bowl back to Lu Sanfeng.
“Thanks, Mom. Can I have another bowl?”
Lu Sanfeng: “…”
Knew you were a picky one.
Old Man Chen was in such high spirits that he waved for Lu Sanfeng to go ahead.
“Let Yang eat two bowls if he wants! If he does, someone else will just have one less.”
Lu Liu grinned happily.
He couldn’t imagine what the Li family’s wedding procession would look like. He hadn’t been out of the village much in his life. Even when others held weddings or funerals, he never got to join in the fun. Simply put, he was inexperienced and had no picture of it in his head.
So when he finally saw Li Feng’s wedding procession, he was truly shocked.
Li Feng was well-liked and had a strong network. He had his own mule cart, and with help from family and friends, they assembled a procession of twelve carts in total—four mule carts, four donkey carts, and four ox carts.
Empty carts wouldn’t look good, but they didn’t have enough money for twelve carts of gifts. So, they filled the carts with drums and gongs.
The drivers and drummers were dressed as festively as grooms themselves, each with a bright red paper flower pinned to their chest and a red sash tied around their waists, beating drums and gongs all the way.
Such a spectacle was unmatched for miles around.
Most of Chenjiawan’s villagers came to watch the excitement, while the few who stayed home were drawn out by the sound of the drums.
Winter was a popular season for weddings, but Li Feng’s grand entrance overshadowed every other wedding.
In no time, more people flocked to the Chen family home to offer their congratulations.
As tradition dictated, the groom’s procession had to pass some tests before taking the bride.
But with Li Feng’s stature and the combined wealth of the Chen and Li families, the send-off party didn’t really challenge him—just went through the motions.
At the doorstep, the Chen brothers were more eager to marry off Lu Yang than to create trouble. Still, to keep up appearances, they asked loudly, “Do you want us to carry him out, or will you go in and carry him yourself?”
The crowd erupted with cheers so loud the rooftops seemed ready to fly off.
Lu Liu sat inside, his small fists clenched against his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.
He didn’t need to strain to hear Li Feng’s booming voice: “He’s my husband. I’ll carry him out myself!”
“Good! Good!” the crowd roared in approval, their claps and cheers blending with the drumbeats outside.
Lu Liu sat on the kang bed, releasing his fists and gripping the red wedding veil beside him.
When Li Feng pushed the door open, their eyes met.
In Lu Liu’s eyes, there was nervousness, joy, a bit of fear, and a touch of hope.
Li Feng felt his tension ease at the sight of those eyes, and a genuine smile spread across his face.
He was so tall that he had to duck to enter the room. With his broad build, he blocked most of the curious onlookers from peeking in.
True to his word, he wasn’t about to let anyone else carry his spouse. The moment he entered, he stretched his arms out toward Lu Liu.
Lu Liu’s legs went weak.
But he didn’t hesitate.
This was the marriage he’d wished for.
Li Feng wasn’t entirely domineering. He noticed Lu Liu trembling and waited until Lu Liu took a few steps toward him. Then he closed the gap with one stride, bridging the distance to nothing. He wished he could press their hearts together to promise a life of shared devotion.
But Lu Liu was too delicate. At Li Feng’s gentle nudge, he nearly fell backward, prompting Li Feng to swiftly catch his waist.
The spectators craned their necks and saw the moment. They broke into excited cries of “Kiss him! Kiss him!”
Lu Liu’s face turned crimson. His hands instinctively clutched Li Feng’s arms, while his head dipped toward the man’s chest in embarrassment.
Li Feng’s heart raced at the closeness, but he was a skilled hunter from Lizhai.
He wouldn’t be swayed by teasing or noise. This was a day for proper tradition.
Kissing his spouse before they left his parents’ house would be disrespectful and undignified.
He steadied Lu Liu and was about to leave when Lu Liu handed him the red veil.
“Will you help me put it on?” he asked softly.
Li Feng’s resolve softened.
After placing the veil over Lu Liu’s head, he abandoned his plan to carry him piggyback and instead lifted him into his arms. Amid the clamor of the crowd, he carried his spouse out of the house and settled him onto the mule cart adorned with red decorations, ready to parade through the village.
Li Feng had planned the route carefully: one lap around Chenjiawan, then onto the official road to Lizhai’s new village for another lap, and finally back home to the old village at the foot of the mountain.
Along the bumpy road, Lu Liu asked quietly if they were heading toward Lujia Village. Upon hearing no, he relaxed, his heartbeat syncing with the drums.
The uneven road made the cart jostle, and through the swaying veil, he caught glimpses of Li Feng’s sturdy back.
Tears welled in his eyes. He missed his late fathers and thought of his brother.
He wondered what kind of wedding his brother was having that day.
Meanwhile, in Lujia Village, the entire population was shocked by another impressive wedding procession.
Xie Yan rode a tall horse, clad in vibrant red, looking like a newly appointed scholar. Behind him came a neatly dressed band and a flower-covered sedan chair draped in red silk, adorned with bells and tassels.
The villagers had seen wedding musicians before but never a sedan chair—too extravagant even to rent. A cow cart was usually the peak of sophistication. And a groom on horseback? Unheard of.
The usually quiet Lu family courtyard was swarmed with curious neighbors.
People used to laugh at the idea that the Lu family’s boy would marry into a scholarly household and improve their fortunes. Everyone knew the Xie family was struggling. How could they possibly elevate the Lu family?
Now, they were bewildered. With such a grand display, was the Xie family really down and out?
Lu Yang shared their confusion. His brows furrowed with doubt.
Wang Fengnian and Miao Qing stood beside him, one warning him not to frown on his big day, the other reaching out to smooth the crease on his forehead.
Xie Yan, having carefully groomed himself for the occasion, strode confidently into the Lu courtyard. His sharp features and commanding aura parted the crowd with ease.
He encountered no obstacles along the way—every door opened for him.
Only when he reached the Lu family home did Lu Dahe’s two sons block his path with questions.
Lu Yang had prepared these questions.
“First question: Do you have chicken soup?”
Xie Yan smiled. “I do. It simmered overnight.”
The lively courtyard fell silent.
Lu Erbao whispered to his brother, “Must’ve been the day they met at the market.”
Lu Dahe nodded approvingly, his respect for Xie Yan deepening.
“Second question: Who makes the decisions in your household?”
