97 I'm going to marry Dr. Li

◎ “May your youth remain forever, and may you be the same next year.”◎

The entire Lingnan County was immersed in the joy of the New Year, and the people in the county government were no exception.

The night was as dark as ink, the candlelight flickered, and after three or five cups of wine, Ye Yunzhao was somewhat dazed.

Liu Mazi was unusually energetic. He stood up suddenly, laughed loudly, mumbled a lot, and then ran out.

Ye Yunzhao, with red cheeks, supported his head with one hand and asked with his body tilted: "He...what is he going to do...and there are so many dishes..."

Zhuang Xue was already drunk and hunched over his desk. County Magistrate Han was standing in front of the door, reciting poems to the moon and drinking heavily. Only Xiao Chunhua, who was drinking mint tea, was still sober.

She shook her head at first, but when she saw that Ye Yunzhao was very drunk, she moved closer to her and whispered, "Sister Ye, Uncle Liu has gone to look for that young uncle."

"Young..." Ye Yunzhao didn't know what she said. He just felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and was about to wave his hand.

Suddenly, an unusual noise echoed from the silent county government office, startling the three of them. Zhuang Xue's body trembled violently, and she looked up and asked, "What...what's going on?!"

A loud bang scared off Ye Yunzhao's drunkenness. She hurried out the door. Xiao Chunhua suddenly clapped her hands and jumped after her: "Let's start! Let's start!"

Ye Yunzhao wanted to turn around and ask her, but the inky night sky in front of him suddenly lit up: a scarlet line shot up to the sky, and with a "bang", it turned into thousands of bright yellow stars, scattering all over the sky.

"Wow! So beautiful!" Xiao Chunhua excitedly tugged at Zhuang Xue's sleeve.

The smell of sulfur quickly penetrated his nose, but Ye Yunzhao stood there in a daze, staring blankly at the sky. He couldn't help but say, "Fire trees brush against the clouds, red phoenixes fly, and beautiful flowers cover the ground with falling red petals..."

Fireworks? They were fireworks!

Before she could react, there was a "bang" and the briefly silent winter night became bright again.

This time, Ye Yunzhao saw that there seemed to be someone standing in the corridor.

The man was hidden in the darkness, and only when the fireworks rose could his bright eyes be vaguely seen.

He took two steps forward, looked at the drunk Ye Yunzhao, and whispered:

"County Magistrate Ye, may your youth remain forever, and may you be the same next year."

Ye Yunzhao opened his mouth. He didn't know if it was because he was drunk, but he felt more and more dizzy. It seemed that all the noise had disappeared, and the pounding heart in his chest gradually calmed down.

She stood there, looking at how gorgeous the fireworks were on the opposite side, and everything else disappeared in the dim light.

Only Chen Jingshan is left.

Ye Yunzhao didn't like this feeling of being out of control. She instinctively frowned slightly, holding her head and shaking it. Perhaps she noticed something was wrong with her, but Zhuang Xue suddenly said something like thunder, shattering all the romance:

"County Magistrate Ye, I am going to marry Doctor Li."

*

The next day, a faint smell of sulfur still lingered in the air.

Ye Yunzhao, with a splitting headache, forced herself to sit up. She shook her head a few times before gradually coming to her senses. She vaguely remembered a lot of things that happened last night, but now her mind was a mess.

She had just stood up when she noticed Chunhua lying on the desk. She thought the noise was a little louder. Chunhua, who had just closed her eyes, rubbed her eyes and stood up. She turned around and saw Ye Yunzhao and was shocked:

"ah--"

Before she could speak, Xiao Chunhua hurriedly picked up the ceramic bowl on the table with a smile and said, "Here, Sister Ye, this is the hangover tea my father made."

Still dazed, Ye Yunzhao took it blankly and drank it all in one gulp. The sour taste spread. She grinned and asked, "Your father? When did Huang Sigou come to the county government office?"

"Him?" Xiao Chunhua stopped smiling, curled her lips, and snorted for a long time, "How could he be so kind! Besides, he's not my father!"

Ye Yunzhao was confused by this: "If it's not him? Then it must be..."

Before she finished speaking, Xiao Chunhua answered impatiently, but there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes: "It's Uncle Li. Mother said that he is my father from now on."

Ye Yunzhao then vaguely remembered what happened last night. She realized belatedly that it was because Zhuang Xue had been drinking that she had enough courage to tell them.

She bent down and touched Xiao Chunhua's head: "Doctor Li is a good person, and your mother is also a good person. If you are willing, they are willing too. I think the days to come will get better and better."

Hearing this, Xiao Chunhua's eyes lit up. In her heart, Ye Yunzhao was a very powerful person, so what she said could never be wrong.

She revealed a bit of childish innocence and asked again, "That's what mother said... But, Sister Ye, won't Uncle Li dislike me? If mother has their child in the future, then... will mother..."

"No," Ye Yunzhao answered firmly. She squatted down, their eyes met, and she told her with absolute certainty, "No matter who it is, Xueniang loves you the most. Your uncle Li is upright and selfless, and he will definitely not make things difficult for you. If he treats you or your mother badly, Sister Ye will definitely deal with him! Do you believe me?"

Xiao Chunhua, who had been in a panic for several days, finally felt relieved. When that man beat her mother, it was the person in front of her who saved her. Thinking of this, she nodded firmly and hugged Ye Yunzhao: "Sister Ye, I believe you!"

Ye Yunzhao hugged her back tightly. The hangover tea was indeed effective. His head, which had been in a mess just now, was now clear. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do you know when they are getting married?"

Xiao Chunhua emerged from her arms and blinked, "Tomorrow."

"So fast!?" Ye Yunzhao picked her up and ran towards Zhuang Xue's yard, muttering to herself along the way. As soon as she saw Zhuang Xue making pancakes in the kitchen, she immediately asked:

"Why are you in such a hurry? Have you had your horoscope read? Is tomorrow an auspicious day for marriage? Is the wedding dress embroidered? Has Li Xianjiang sent the betrothal gifts? If he takes advantage of his first marriage to make trouble, I'll be the first to object!"

Zhuang Xue's eyes curved, but she looked behind her. She covered her lips and smiled, "I never thought that County Magistrate Ye, an unmarried girl, knew so much. Could it be that she wants to get married?"

Ye Yunzhao almost forgot that she was still an unmarried girl in ancient times. She touched the tip of her pen awkwardly and said quickly, "Xue Niang, don't tease me. You haven't eaten pork, but you haven't seen pigs run. Marriage is just about these trivial matters. But you and Doctor Li have even kept it a secret from me. Tell me quickly, don't hide anything..."

Unexpectedly, Zhuang Xue did not answer directly. Instead, she asked her, "Were the fireworks beautiful last night?"

Ye Yunzhao was confused by her inexplicable question: "It looks good. Speaking of which, where did the county government get the money to buy fireworks?"

Before Zhuang Xue could speak, Ye Yunzhao's eyes lit up and he winked at her with a gossipy look on his face: "Could it be... that your Doctor Li prepared this?"

"What nonsense are you talking about..." Zhuang Xue's face turned red, the corners of her mouth twitched, and her eyes drifted unnaturally towards the yard. The person who prepared the fireworks last night was standing in a corner of the yard. She glanced at Chen Jingshan from a distance, feeling a little embarrassed.

Zhuang Xue looked at County Magistrate Ye, who sat before her. She had been indebted to her. If it weren't for her efforts, she would still be struggling under the beatings of Huang Sigou. As for Chen Jingshan, she had met him through the crystal cake that County Magistrate Ye had taught her to make. Although not a talkative person, he had often secretly resolved difficulties within the county school. Her current relationship with Xian Jiang was largely due to his help.

Zhuang Xue was an experienced person. Just from what happened last night, she already understood the feelings of Manager Chen towards County Ye. She raised her eyes and looked at the person in front of her. The look between her eyebrows did not seem to show that he was enlightened. She could not help but sigh.

"What nonsense! If this is prepared by Doctor Li for you, then I feel relieved. I didn't expect that such a dull and old-fashioned man like him would care so much about you!" Ye Yunzhao became more and more excited as he spoke.

Zhuang Xue's eyes rolled and she asked, "What if someone prepared these fireworks for you? Does that mean they're attached to you?"

"To me?" Ye Yunzhao was stunned, then laughed out loud, "If it's to me, then they must be from Xixiang, thanking me for helping them make money and cheering me up! Hahahaha!"

Zhuang Xue looked back. He could indeed be considered a Xixiang native.

"By the way..." Zhuang Xue raised the corners of her mouth and pretended to be gossipy. "A few days ago, I heard that Aunt Wang wanted to match you with Manager Chen? How do you treat him..."

Before she could finish her words, Ye Yunzhao jumped up and said, "Oh, Aunt Wang is just randomly matching people up, don't believe it!"

Zhuang Xue could only sense that Chen Jingshan's figure in the distance was becoming increasingly stiff. She asked curiously, "Why are you so certain? There's no chance at all? Could it be that you hate him?"

Ye Yunzhao sighed deeply and let go of Xiao Chunhua's hand. Zhuang Xue winked at her to stop her from talking nonsense and quickly sent her out to play.

"Hate……"

Chen Jingshan, who was standing far away, suddenly tightened his fingers when he heard these two words, and his heart was hanging in the air, neither up nor down.

"It's hard to say..."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhuang Xue hurriedly said, "Since you don't mind, you talented men and beautiful women, I also think Aunt Wang's suggestion is good!"

"Oh..." Ye Yunzhao waved his hand, "What? Are you going to randomly match people up? Chen Jingshan is a person..."

She thought for a moment. If she directly called him a dishonest businessman, she would inevitably be suspected of gossiping behind his back. Ye Yunzhao laughed and said, "You are just making up your mind. I think he is a good person, so what? Maybe Manager Chen has no such intentions at all. You'd better not do anything reckless, or you will make me lose face."

Chen Jingshan was stunned. He never expected this to be the answer. The ending tone of Ye Yunzhao's voice in the distance was filled with laughter, which surprised him a little. The word "swindler" was used. He rescued her from prison and was not loyal and righteous, but he could not be considered a "swindler" in any way.

It suddenly occurred to him that she was not aware of this.

Chen Jingshan disappeared, thinking about his interactions with her: pastry recipes, water chestnuts, quilts... It seemed as if she was really taking advantage of him.

Next time, he must never act like this.

Zhuang Xue had a smile on her face, and she didn't seem to be annoyed by what she said. If the two of them interacted more frequently, there would be no need to worry about this matter failing.

"Tell me about you and Doctor Li." Ye Yunzhao changed the subject gossipingly.

She had no choice but to smile and tell the whole story clearly. By the time she finished, Chen Jingshan had already left the yard.

Ye Yunzhao did not go back and stayed directly in Zhuang Xue's yard. The two talked all night long and slept until noon the next day. After a simple lunch, it was time for the bride to wash and dress up in the afternoon.

When the sky was full of rosy clouds, Li Xianjiang and others came to pick up the bride. Zhuang Xue, who used to be dressed simply, was very beautiful today. Her little face was hidden behind the round fan with a smile on her face, which was very pleasing.

Ye Yunzhao, with tears in his eyes, shook her hand:

"Xue Niang, you must be happy!"

Zhuang Xue and Li Xianjiang's wedding happened to coincide with the Chinese New Year. There hadn't been such a happy event in Lingnan County for a long time. In addition, Li Xianjiang prepared well, so the wedding was lively for several days.

But the good times didn’t last long. Just after the first month of the year, when the second batch of woven mushrooms hadn’t been sold out, Ye Yunzhao heard:

The woven mushroom can no longer be sold at a high price. Now, no one is interested in buying ten pieces for one penny!

【Author’s words】

Fire trees brush against the clouds, red phoenixes fly, and beautiful flowers fall red petals all over the ground - Yongzheng's "Lantern Festival"