Chapter 58 The autumn day was clear and crisp, the sky...

Chapter 58 The autumn day was clear and crisp, the sky...

On this clear autumn day, the sky was bright and clear, as if it had been washed clean. In this Jiangzuo City, which was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, nearly half of the city was decorated with red and colorful decorations, because today was the auspicious day when the eldest son of the Qin family would marry the daughter of the Xiao family.

This can be described as a powerful alliance between the two wealthiest families in Jiangzuo City. In terms of wealth alone, this wedding is probably the most extravagant in Jiangzuo City.

As the auspicious hour approached, the groom, Qin Ji, rode a magnificent crimson steed toward the Xiao residence. He wore a bright red wedding robe embroidered with gold, a jade belt around his waist, and a golden crown on his head. His posture was upright like a pine tree, and his handsome face was filled with undisguised arrogance and a joyful smile.

His handsome appearance in red and white even made the young wives and old ladies watching on the roadside blush a little, eliciting congratulations and teasing from the crowd.

Qin Ji knew that he was probably laughing a bit stupidly, like the foolish son of a landlord, but he just couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

......

The Xiao family's warm courtyard, adorned with double happiness symbols and red silk ribbons, was filled with joy and happiness today. The maids and servants were busy coming and going, but no matter how hurried their steps were, their faces were all filled with smiles.

"Third Miss, the auspicious time is almost here. Check everything one last time before you leave!" the matchmaker reminded the bride, who was already dressed up, with a smile.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, looking at the lively scene and the festive red decorations, feeling a bit dazed and unreal.

It seems like just yesterday they had a small argument about her dowry, and time has flown by like water; today is already her wedding day.

My gaze shifted slightly, and among the busy crowd in the room, I spotted Xiao Quexian. She was smiling as she helped entertain a female relative of a distant family. Her demeanor was extremely elegant and dignified, and her smile was sincere and endearing.

Xiao Yan Hui could even sense the reluctance and longing in her eyes when she looked at her from time to time. She spoke very gently and kindly, as if they were really sisters with a very good relationship. Even her mother and sister Xiao Luan Miao didn't seem as close to her.

This behavior made Xiao Yan Hui sigh that when Xiao Que Xian was willing to act, her acting skills were quite superb. However, it was better for her to act out a story of sisterly affection than for her to cause trouble at her own wedding.

"The Qin family's wedding procession has arrived at the door!" A young maid's voice drifted from outside.

"Quickly, quickly, get everything ready! The groom is arriving soon, we can't miss the auspicious time!" Everyone in the room, from the matchmaker to the women who came to help, sprang into action.

Xiao Yan Hui felt only a chaotic flurry of activity before her eyes, but many people seemed unaware of what they were actually doing. For example, the plump woman she should call Sixth Aunt had already passed by her three times carrying a red silk ribbon.

A series of noisy sounds came from the doorway, with maids constantly reporting the groom's progress in "breaking through all obstacles."

Xiao Yan felt that although she was still sitting upright, her mind was inexplicably as chaotic as everyone else in the room.

As the groom drew closer, the matchmaker kept urging them on. The First Madam, who was directing everyone's actions, suddenly rushed up and hugged Xiao Yan Hui tightly.

"Yan Hui'er, you must take good care of yourself, live a good life, and don't let yourself suffer..."

The first wife had already repeated the same words of advice countless times over the past few days, and now all she could say was to live a good life and not suffer any injustices. This was a mother's most sincere advice to her daughter who was about to get married.

Feeling the First Madam's tears fall on her neck, Xiao Yan Hui suddenly felt a strong pang of sadness, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry, you'll ruin your makeup." The matchmaker hurriedly pressed down on Xiao Yan Hui's eyes to stop her tears from falling.

The dressing lady quickly touched up Xiao Yan Hui's makeup again, and the sight of the two of them made Xiao Yan Hui so embarrassed that she almost cried.

She hugged the First Madam tightly, and amidst the exclamations of those around her, "Be careful not to wrinkle her clothes," she said firmly to the First Madam, "I will take good care of myself and will not let myself be wronged, Mother, don't worry."

"Please rise, bride!" The matchmaker's voice rang out along with the sound of firecrackers in the courtyard.

Struggling to suppress the turmoil in her heart, Xiao Yan gave the First Madam a big smile, before her vision was blurred by a red haze.

With Green Moth's help, she slowly rose to her feet. The heavy phoenix crown and elaborate wedding dress made her movements somewhat sluggish. However, once she reached the doorway, she no longer needed to walk on her own.

"Third sister, I'll carry you on my back." Her eldest brother Xiao Heyou's voice rang in her ears, and the next second she was already on Xiao Heyou's back.

Although her elder brother was a scholar, he was not at all thin or weak. Xiao Yan could feel that he was carrying her very steadily, as if her weight was no burden to him at all.

As they walked in, amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers, Xiao Heyou's steady voice still reached Xiao Yanhui's ears clearly: "Although my sister is getting married today, the Xiao family will always be her support. If anything happens in the future, or if that brat Qin Ji dares to cause trouble, come back and tell your older brother. I will let him know that I, his brother-in-law, am not someone to be trifled with."

Hearing this, her eyes, which had just stopped crying, became hot again: "Okay, thank you, brother, I'll remember."

Regardless of how sincere Xiao Heyou's words were, as a brother and sister who hadn't spent much time together, Xiao Yanhui was grateful for his kindness and accepted his sentiments when he said such things to his sister on her wedding day.

"Take good care of my sister."

"must."

Without any fancy words, Xiao Yan Hui felt herself fall from Xiao He You's steady back into another equally secure embrace. Then she was immediately placed into the bridal sedan chair.

"Lift the sedan chair—!"

As the emcee's high-pitched and melodious chanting began, another deafening burst of firecrackers exploded in an instant, and the festive suona horns and drums were played even more vigorously, with the joyful melody soaring straight to the sky.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Xiao Yan Hui smelled the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in autumn, along with the smoky scent of sulfur within the sweet aroma—this became the initial taste of her marriage.

As the wedding procession moved slowly along, what first caused a sensation throughout the city was the seemingly endless procession of dowry.

Lacquered and gilded chests and boudoirs wrapped in red silk poured out of the Xiao mansion gate one after another, each one heavy and carried steadily by strong servants.

Beneath the red silk covering, one could vaguely see the exquisitely carved edges of sandalwood and rosewood, and occasionally glimpses of the mother-of-pearl inlay on the chest.

Leading the procession were mud bricks symbolizing "thousands of acres of fertile land," followed by a box of gold ingots representing "mountains of gold and seas of silver," then a set of precious furniture, and then clothing for all four seasons, headdresses and jewelry, ancient books and paintings, antiques and precious objects, jade ornaments... everything was dazzling and overwhelming. The leading dowry procession had already entered the Qin family's residence, while the Xiao family's final batch of grain and beans and the ancestral bucket hadn't even left the house yet.

That was a true ten-mile-long red bridal procession.

......

Qin Ji was being helped forward by Qin Xi, and he staggered forward. He felt that every step he took was weak and he had to try to find the ground under his feet by using his toes.

The world before him was no longer peaceful; it spun and wobbled like a giant spiral, and he was at the center of this spiral.

"My lord, watch your step! Don't go that way! It's dangerous there!" Qin Xi used force to straighten her master, who was leaning against the wall, so that he wouldn't accidentally bump into it.

"I never imagined that our lord would be so drunk one day." Looking at Qin Ji, whose face was flushed and whose expression was dazed, Qin Xi was filled with disbelief and endless emotion.

Let alone Qin Xi, even Qin Ji himself probably never imagined he would get this drunk one day. This moment was probably the lowest point of rationality he had ever experienced.

He was in a dizzying, floating state, his consciousness retaining only the bare minimum of rationality, while the rest of his mind was drifting and wandering. He felt that he was only a hair's breadth away from being completely drunk.

Looking at the vast expanse of vibrant red floating, swaying, and swirling before his eyes, and smelling the rich, intoxicating aroma filling the air, Qin Ji felt as if the whole world had entered a swaying, intoxicating state.

Then, as if in fast forward, they entered the bridal chamber and, amidst the noise and blessings, lifted the bride's red veil.

Yan gave him a very, very beautiful smile.

"Ouch, that hurts!" The dizzy, dazed state of mind finally returned with the pain of being struck on the forehead.

Qin Ji blinked, then blinked again... What's going on now?

He was lying on the bed, and Yan Hui was pressing down on his chest with one hand and slapping him hard on the forehead with the other. Yan Hui was still holding the hand up and hadn't pulled it back, as if he was about to hit him again.

"What just happened?" Qin Ji asked, lying on his back, his voice still slightly slurred with drunkenness. Looking at Xiao Yan Hui, who was staring at him, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Still grinning like an idiot, looks like he's not sober yet." Xiao Yan glanced suspiciously at Qin Ji's face, which was flushed red from the smell of alcohol, and muttered this before slapping Qin Ji with her raised hand again.

"No, no, I remember now." Qin Ji raised both hands to protect his head in a slightly childish manner, and quickly spoke up despite the dizziness.

He feared that if he didn't regain his senses soon, he would become the first groom to suffer a concussion from being hit by his bride.

After a moment of reflection, Qin Ji had to admit that he hadn't been wronged by the two slaps he'd received. After all, he'd been in a daze and had just pressed himself against the other person.

Along with the memory, the soft and elastic feeling when he tackled her also returned. Qin Ji's gaze unconsciously wandered as he looked at Xiao Yan Hui, and his already flushed face turned even redder and spread downwards.

"Hey, what are you thinking?" Seeing his almost radiant appearance, Xiao Yan Hui blushed after just one glance and stopped trying to hold him back.

He withdrew all his previous actions of suppressing Qin Ji, and sat up straight on the edge of the bed, not forgetting to bring up the previous agreement: "Don't forget our promise. I'm still several years away from adulthood, Qin Ji, don't even think about it."

"Uh, I understand!" Qin Ji covered his face and let out a heavy sigh.