Chapter 182 Entering the Bridal Chamber, the Bride Was Not Her

In the new house, paper-cut double happiness symbols were pasted on the windows, and a brand-new bright red quilt was laid on the kang (a heated brick bed), making the whole room red.

She turned around, her eyes flashing with an alarming light as she stared intently at the tall man on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhao Wenchang was so drunk he was unconscious. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. He had ripped two buttons off the collar of his military uniform, revealing his strong, tanned skin underneath.

Jiang Wanxia's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

It's done! Just one last step!

She curled her lips into a smug smile, walked out to the outer room, waved to the few teenagers and their wives who still wanted to join in the fun, and deliberately raised her voice.

"Alright, alright, everyone disperse! My brother-in-law has had too much to drink and needs to rest, and my sister is also tired after a long day and says she needs to rest. She asked me to send everyone away. You can have any fun tomorrow!"

She spoke with such confidence that the few people who were still trying to eavesdrop left feeling embarrassed.

As soon as the others left, she immediately turned around and went back into the inner room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang, even the latch was pulled with extra force.

Only she and Zhao Wenchang remained in the room.

Jiang Wanxia walked step by step to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her breathing becoming rapid.

She climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), her hands trembling slightly, and carefully reached for the row of gleaming brass buttons on Zhao Wenchang's military uniform.

This is the man. Once she becomes his woman, she can stand tall, ruin Jiang Wanqiu, and get her revenge!

As she thought about it, she untied the first one, then the second...

The man's chest was exposed beneath her hands, and the sight of his strong muscles made her cheeks burn and her mouth go dry.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the large wardrobe in the room.

Le Bai lowered his voice, almost whispering, "Sister, won't this annoy people? This is their wedding night..."

"What do you know!" Le Yunyun pinched him, her voice full of excitement. "This is called 'teasing the newlyweds,' it's an old tradition, the more lively the tantrum, the more festive it is! Besides, I've already inquired, Sister Wanqiu is pregnant, what could they possibly do together? We're just joining in the fun, giving her a lucky wish for an early birth of a child!"

As she spoke, she shook the object she was holding. In the dim light filtering through the crack in the cabinet door, one could see a small red bodice about the size of a palm, and a pair of small, jingling silver bracelets.

"See this? I specially dug this out from my mother's most treasured possessions; it's very auspicious!"

"Isn't this something Mom gave you?" Le Bai asked uncertainly, "You just gave it away to someone else like that..."

“I don’t plan to get married, let alone have children, so there’s no point in keeping this thing. I might as well give it away.”

Le Bai still felt uneasy and was about to offer more advice when he heard the door to the outer room close.

Immediately afterwards, a graceful figure walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Through the crack in the door, Le Bai saw that the man had begun to undress the groom. The noise outside had completely disappeared, and the room was eerily quiet.

Le Yunyun's eyes lit up, and she nudged her younger brother: "Now! Get ready!"

In the blink of an eye, Le Yunyun suddenly pushed open the cabinet door, grabbed Le Bai, and jumped out!

Happy marriage, and may you have a baby soon!

She shouted loudly while forcefully pulling on the flower tube in her hand.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, colorful pieces of paper and glittering ribbons rained down like a shower of flowers.

In an instant, everyone in the room froze on the spot.

Neither the expected shyness of the bride nor the helplessness of the groom appeared.

Le Yunyun's smile froze.

She looked at the woman in front of her, whose clothes were half off. The woman's face was contorted with fear. Where was the gentle Jiang Wanqiu?

On the kang (a heated brick bed), Zhao Wenchang's officer's uniform shirt had been torn open, revealing his bare chest and shoulders.

The air was silent for a few seconds, and then Le Yunyun started shouting.

"Who...who are you?" Le Yunyun's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Jiang Wanxia's mind went blank for a second, as if she'd been blown away. She never dreamed that someone was hiding in that closet!

"ah--!"

She let out a terrified scream, frantically pulled up her clothes, and turned to run outside.

"Stop!" Le Yunyun reacted quickly, throwing away the flower tube in her hand and pointing at Le Bai, yelling, "Don't let her get away! Grab her!"

The guests who were chatting in twos and threes in the courtyard outside the house were suddenly startled by the loud noise from inside.

"What's that noise? It sounds like firecrackers going off!"

"I don't know!"

Immediately following was a woman's shrill screams and shouts.

The group looked at each other, sensing something was wrong. A few bolder men took the lead and rushed towards the bridal chamber!

At the base of the wall on the other side of the courtyard.

Jiang Wanqiu looked at Gu Feiyan with a serious and frank expression.

“Gu Feiyan, I don’t know what my sister told you, but I can tell you definitively that Zhao Wenchang has never liked her. Their relationship is completely innocent, and they have no connection whatsoever.”

She paused, met Gu Feiyan's complicated gaze, and continued, "Besides, I'm not that kind of person. I can't say that I like Zhao Wenchang and then try to steal him away when he has a girlfriend. I, Jiang Wanqiu, would never do something like that."

Gu Feiyan listened quietly, her Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He looked into the woman's clear eyes and asked in a low voice, "So, you truly like Zhao Wenchang, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu suddenly smiled.

“If I didn’t like him,” she said, “I could never marry him.”

He laughed along, but his smile carried a hint of bitterness and relief.

“Okay,” he nodded, “then I wish you a long and happy life together.”

"Thanks."

Just then, an older woman carrying an empty plate passed by and suddenly saw Jiang Wanqiu standing by the wall. She exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my!" and stopped in her tracks.

Jiang Wanqiu looked over with some surprise: "Aunt Wang, what's wrong?"

Aunt Wang stared wide-eyed, pointing at her, then at the noisy new house, her face full of disbelief.

"Late Autumn! My bride! Shouldn't you be inside waiting for your groom? Why are you here all alone!"

Jiang Wanqiu explained with a smile, "Aunt Wang, I just came out to say a few words to Staff Officer Gu..."

"That's not right!" Aunt Wang exclaimed, her face full of confusion. "Didn't your sister Wanxia just kick everyone out, saying that you and Battalion Commander Zhao were tired and wanted to go to the bridal chamber to rest? How come you, the bride, are outside? Then... who is the person inside?"

Jiang Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she instantly realized something was wrong.

Before she could think it through, an even bigger commotion suddenly erupted in the new house, with women's screams and men's shouts mixed together, creating complete chaos.

"Something's happened!" Gu Feiyan's face darkened, and she rushed over with Jiang Wanqiu.

After she squeezed through the crowd that surrounded her, the sight before her made her so angry that her blood almost turned to jelly.

Jiang Wanxia was seen being pinned to the ground by two strong men, her clothes disheveled and her hair in a mess.

She was like a madwoman, struggling and twisting wildly in the crowd, cursing and swearing.

"Let me go! What right do you have to arrest me!"

Jiang Wanqiu's gaze passed over her and landed on her sister. In that instant, Jiang Wanxia's eyes darted away, and she guiltily turned her face away, not daring to meet her eyes.

That one glance made Jiang Wanqiu understand everything.

A surge of rage overwhelmed her, consuming all her reason. She rushed forward, raised her hand, and with all her might, slammed it down!

"Slap! Slap!"

The two crisp sounds silenced everyone around for a moment.

Jiang Wanxia's cheeks instantly became red and swollen, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of her mouth.

"Jiang Wanxia," Jiang Wanqiu trembled with rage, her voice filled with barely suppressed hatred, "Have you no shame!"

Jiang Wanxia spat out the blood and foam from her mouth, her guilty conscience replaced by resentment and malice. She suddenly screamed and turned the tables, "It wasn't me! It was him! Zhao Wenchang seduced me! He was drunk and wouldn't let go of me!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Le Yunyun immediately stood up from the crowd to retort, "My brother and I heard everything clearly from inside the closet! Battalion Commander Zhao was drunk as a log, and didn't say a word from beginning to end! But you, sneaking onto the kang (heated brick bed) and trying to unbutton his shirt!"

Jiang Wanqiu's vision went black, and she almost lost her balance, but luckily Gu Feiyan behind her caught her. She pushed Gu Feiyan aside and staggered into the inner room.

On the kang (heated brick bed), Zhao Wenchang was indeed fast asleep, his military uniform jacket unbuttoned most of the way, revealing his muscular chest. He was breathing evenly and showed no reaction to the noise from the outside world.

At this moment, several officers from the military unit also came in, and their faces turned ashen as they looked at the chaotic scene.

"What...what kind of mess is this!" an old cadre exclaimed in anguish. "How could we let someone like this ruin such a joyous occasion!"

“Battalion Commander Zhao can’t get up right now, so we can’t get any answers from him,” another person suggested. “I think we should hand Jiang Wanxia over to the political department for processing first! This is breaking up a military marriage! It’s a huge deal! We’ll make a final decision when Battalion Commander Zhao wakes up tomorrow!”

Disrupting military marriages!

Once the charges are established, she will inevitably face punishment and imprisonment.

But she was not willing to give up!

Just as the two men were about to grab her, she suddenly broke free and gave Jiang Wanqiu a smug and malicious smile.

"Sister, you better remember this!" She pointed at Jiang Wanqiu and laughed loudly, "So what if I'm taken away? Anyway, I'm the first person to enter the bridal chamber with Zhao Wenchang today! You, Jiang Wanqiu, are just the second woman to enter this room! You'll always be the second!"

She wanted to disgust Jiang Wanqiu! She wanted to leave a thorn in this woman's heart forever!

"Shut up!" Jiang Wanqiu rushed forward again and slapped Jiang Wanxia hard across the face with both hands.

The people around her were startled and quickly pulled her away.

"Late Autumn! Calm down! Don't get angry over someone like this on such a joyous occasion!"

Jiang Wanxia was beaten until her mouth bled and she looked utterly disheveled, but instead, she laughed even more wildly and cruelly.