Xie Yan’s tone was calm: “If he wants to, he can decide.”
This response made the entire family nervous. Inside, Miao Qing whispered to Lu Yang, “You’re usually soft-hearted. How are you supposed to handle those wolf-like relatives?”
Lu Yang was satisfied with the answer, but the Lu family was not. They thought Xie Yan lacked responsibility.
Lu Yang, however, was happily grinning.
Outside, the third question came.
“Will you help with household chores?”
This question made the two older brothers uneasy; even their voices dropped.
Men in the village rarely did housework. Expecting a scholar to do chores? What could he possibly know?
Scholars were considered precious these days. He probably never even straightened a fallen oil lamp.
Sure enough, the question stumped Xie Yan.
He looked slightly puzzled, then thought for a moment and answered, “If he needs me to.”
Lu Song immediately interjected, “He needs you!”
Lu Yang almost laughed out loud from behind the door curtain.
Big Brother Song really knew what to say.
Xie Yan nodded, “Okay, I’ll help.”
He passed the test.
Lu Song exhaled in relief, raised his hand to pat Xie Yan’s shoulder but hesitated upon seeing the luxurious red robe Xie Yan wore, shimmering with a quality beyond his means. He awkwardly pulled his hand back and rubbed his palms together. “Alright, I’ll go carry Brother Liu out.”
Xie Yan quickly stepped aside.
He wasn’t strong enough to carry him.
Lu Yang didn’t make a fuss. He had his father cover his head with a wedding veil and climbed onto Lu Song’s back.
As they stepped outside, Lu Yang lowered his gaze and immediately spotted Xie Yan’s boots by the wall. His fingers itched to reach out.
Once he was in the sedan chair, he told Lu Song, “Big Brother Song, call him over. I want to say something to him.”
Lu Song agreed, turned back, and called for Xie Yan to approach the sedan chair.
The best thing about Xie Yan? He followed instructions precisely.
Lu Yang called him over just to tease him.
Seated steadily inside the sedan chair with only his pointed chin visible under the veil, Lu Yang stretched out his hand.
Xie Yan hesitated but reached out to grasp it.
Lu Yang quickly pulled his hand away and playfully slapped Xie Yan’s hand.
“You fool,” Lu Yang teased. “All this fanfare, yet such a dull process. Why can’t you show more enthusiasm—like when I forced you to marry me? Do you really not like me at all?”
Xie Yan: “…”
He was genuinely dumbfounded.
“Can’t even say you like me?” Lu Yang prodded. “Haven’t you seen how others act when they get married?”
Honestly, Xie Yan hadn’t.
Even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have paid attention or remembered.
But he understood Lu Yang’s hint.
Xie Yan untied the large red silk flower from his chest. The silk was long; he placed one end in Lu Yang’s hand and held the other himself as he mounted his horse.
The silk wasn’t long enough to maintain distance if he rode ahead, so Xie Yan instead walked beside the sedan chair.
Still not lively enough, but nobody had ever seen a groom walk beside the sedan chair like this.
The crowd, initially skeptical, quickly changed their tune.
“Looks like Scholar Xie wants to keep his husband tied to him forever.”
“He must really love him.”
—
Two wedding processions set out from Lu Family Village and Chenjia Bay, meeting briefly on the official road before parting ways—one east, one west.
Lu Yang lifted the sedan curtain slightly but dared not lift the veil. All he saw were blurry shadows.
Lu Liu did the same, each brother unable to see the other. Tears silently fell.
They instinctively wiped their tears and forced smiles.
Good or bad, this was the path they’d chosen.
The Xie family’s procession didn’t take detours and headed straight back to Shangxi Village.
Just as they entered the village, a group of people swarmed in, shouting, “Pay back the money! Pay back the land!” Others cursed Xie Yan: “Spending our silver to marry a husband—you’re happy now, but what about us? Are we supposed to starve?”
The crowd split into two groups—one yelling and the other pretending to mediate.
“Come on, it’s a wedding! Let them enjoy the day!”
“Who causes trouble during a wedding?”
“You wanna start a fight? Try it!”
Lu Yang heard the commotion and felt relieved.
This was more like it—what’s a wedding without a little chaos?
The sturdy villagers jostled each other, voices loud enough to drown out the musicians.
Soon, they reached the house, surrounded by people with wolf-like grins.
“Fine,” one man said, “It’s a joyous day. The debt can wait—but a wedding needs wedding mischief!”
Lu Yang wasn’t scared.
He tugged the red silk cord. Xie Yan thought he was afraid and gave a reassuring tug in return. Lu Yang yanked the silk, pulling it from Xie Yan’s grip.
Xie Yan blinked, baffled.
Upon arrival, Lu Yang stepped out of the sedan chair himself.
Inside, he removed the veil and the long wedding robe worn over his padded jacket. He folded both neatly and tucked them into his arms, keeping the red silk in hand.
The crowd gave no time to adjust; they pushed Lu Yang and Xie Yan toward the hall.
The main room was packed, with Xie Yan’s mother sitting in a chair, trembling and tearful. An offering table stood before her with incense and tea. Two prayer cushions lay on the ground—kicked aside by troublemakers.
People shoved their knees to make them fall.
Once down, it would be nearly impossible to stand again.
Lu Yang quickly stepped forward, steadied Xie Yan, then poured two cups of tea.
He handed one to Xie Yan’s mother. “Drink this tea, and we’re family.”
It wasn’t traditional for a son-in-law to instruct his mother-in-law like that.
Yet Mrs. Xie strangely felt reassured.
The room buzzed with jeers. The noise agitated Xie Yan, who preferred silence.
Lu Yang, however, was calm, tracking each insult’s source.
Outside, someone shouted, “Forget the debts today! Let’s follow tradition and just have some wedding fun!”
“Wedding fun” turned into people grabbing at Lu Yang—pulling his sleeves, pinching his arms.
Luckily, his padded jacket was thick; all they got were handfuls of cotton.
Xie Yan tried to shield him but was hopelessly outnumbered.
“This isn’t right!” he shouted.
But the mob, laughing and jeering, surged closer.
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