I hurried to the window and looked out. Jiang Yan, atop a majestic horse, stood proudly beneath the osmanthus tree. He was dressed in a vibrant red wedding gown, the vibrant crimson accentuating his handsome features and imposing bearing. The jadeite Pisces pendant on the jade belt buckle at his waist gleamed gently in the sunlight. It was the token of love I had given him. As if sensing my gaze, he looked up in my direction, his gaze piercing the falling osmanthus petals, so gentle it seemed as if water could drip from it. His eyes, brimming with love, instantly captivated me.

Seeing this, the young marquis suddenly raised his wooden sword and rushed to the steps, shouting, "Jiang Yan! If you treat my sister badly, I..."

"A Che!" Seeing this, I hurriedly reached out to pull him, but I heard Jiang Yan laughing loudly on horseback: "Young Marquis, don't worry! I will definitely treat Jin Li well, even sweeter than Zhang's sugar paintings!"

The wedding procession stretched like a long red dragon, winding from the Xiangfu to the Jiangfu. Ten miles of red carpets covered Suzaku Street. I sat quietly in the bridal sedan, listening to the constant exclamations of the people outside, and my thoughts drifted back to my past life. Back then, I sat in the Wang family's shabby, worn sedan, accompanied only by the cold rain, a feeling of desolation and helplessness. But now, outside, firecrackers blared, the atmosphere was bustling; inside, red candles shone brightly, warm and bright. Mo Zhu quietly lifted a corner of the sedan curtain, allowing me to see Jiang Yan on his horse. He kept looking back, his eyes full of concern, afraid that the bumpy ride of the sedan would cause me any harm.

Finally, it was time to get married. Jiang Yan's hands were trembling slightly, a subtle tremor betraying his inner nervousness and excitement. As he slowly lifted my veil with the scales, our eyes met, and the light shone startlingly brightly, as if a sea of ​​stars and stars were hidden within them. His Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he murmured softly and deeply, "Jinli, you're so beautiful." I looked at his blushing ears, his shy expression, and suddenly remembered the first time we met, when he squatted on the street like a child, fighting with me for a sugar painting. I couldn't help but curl the corners of my mouth into a happy smile.

During the wedding night, the ladies were very excited and insisted that Jiang Yan say the words of love he had used when proposing to him. Jiang Yan cleared his throat shyly, then pulled out an oil-paper package from his sleeve. He opened the package, revealing a long-melted and deformed sugar dragon. He looked at the sugar dragon with eyes full of affection, and said slowly: "The first time I saw her on Suzaku Street, she was dragging Prince Wang into the dung heap. At that moment, the light in her eyes was brighter than the lanterns in the sugar painting shop. Later, she painted a dragon that looked like an earthworm, but I thought it was the cutest earthworm in the world."

Jiang Yan's words made everyone laugh. Miss Li pointed at my hair and joked, "Sister Su's face is as red as 'Zhuangyuanhong' rouge!" I pretended to be angry and gently hit Jiang Yan, but he took my hand and pressed a gentle kiss on my palm. He said affectionately, "Jinli, thank you for letting me protect you when you get into trouble."

As the night deepened and the noise faded, Jiang Yan gently pulled out a small sandalwood box from beneath his pillow and carefully opened it. Inside lay a sugar-painted phoenix, its wings dusted with gold dust, shimmering dreamily in the candlelight. "I've secretly been learning from Master Zhang for three months, and I'm finally getting pretty good at it." He gently embraced me, resting his chin on the top of my head, and whispered, "From now on, our home will be filled with your 'masterpieces' and my sugar paintings, filling our home with sweetness and warmth."

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the cracks in the window, gently spilling into the room. Jiang Yan and I rose early and headed to the Prime Minister's residence to pay our respects to my father. The young marquis was already waiting in the main hall, clutching a brocade box, his face brimming with excitement and anticipation, as if he were holding some rare treasure.

"Sister, brother-in-law!" The young marquis came forward impatiently, "This is a miniature sword that I asked a skilled craftsman to make. The words 'protect sister' are engraved on the handle!" Jiang Yan took the brocade box with a smile and opened it. He saw two lines of small characters engraved crookedly on the palm-sized gilded scabbard. Although the handwriting was childish, it was clearly the handwriting of the young marquis, revealing a childish persistence and determination.

My father looked at us, coughed twice, then handed me a banknote and gently slipped it into my sleeve, his eyes full of concern. "I heard the Jiang family's old house is in a remote area. Take this money and buy some of your favorite snacks. Don't let yourself get away with it." My eldest sister stepped forward and pressed a glass bottle into my hand. Inside was a newly blended "Twin Lotus" rouge, its color elegant and charming. "This rouge is perfect for your bridal gown today," my eldest sister said, glaring at Jiang Yan and pretending to be fierce. "If you dare to neglect my sister, no rouge shop in the capital will be able to sell your products!"

Leaving the Prime Minister's residence, Jiang Yan held my hand as we strolled along a path carpeted with osmanthus blossoms. A gentle autumn breeze rustled my shawl, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus intertwined with the faint scent of ink on his body, weaving a sweet web. He suddenly stopped and pointed at the small sugar paintings hanging from the branches of the osmanthus trees. They were all crooked dragons I had once scrapped, but he had carefully collected them and hung them here.

"I've collected them all," he said with a smile, his eyes full of fondness. "In the future, we'll hang a 'worm wall' in our study, so that these special paintings can bear witness to every moment of our lives."

I looked up at him, my eyes filled with love and happiness. "Jiang Yan, in this life, we must live like a candy painting, so sweet that it makes you sick."

He lowered his head slightly and kissed me tenderly, his voice like the warmest sunshine in autumn, "Okay, I'll do as you say, my Madam Jiang."

In the distance, I could hear the young marquis's laughter as he chased his maidservant. My eldest sister, laughing from the corridor, called out, "Slow down! Don't drop your rouge!" I leaned in Jiang Yan's arms, watching the eaves of the prime minister's residence loom behind the osmanthus tree, my heart filled with emotion. I knew that this life of happiness had only just begun. The hardships we had endured, like the osmanthus blossoms beneath our feet, had been covered with layers of love and warmth, eventually becoming the sweetest honey in the world, the most precious memories of our happy lives. In the days ahead, no matter the weather, we will walk hand in hand, writing our own sweet chapter together.