Chapter 76 Preparing for the Wedding

Six days later, in the western border region.

The valley was dyed red.

In a courtyard house nestled against the mountains and beside the water.

Red ribbons intertwined, and bright red "double happiness" characters were pasted in front of the double wooden doors.

Red lanterns hung under the eaves of the four houses in the courtyard.

A mountain breeze blows, the lanterns sway, and the wind chimes hanging from the tassels tinkle melodiously.

"Ah Xuan, move a little to the left."

"No, no, higher."

"Oh dear, I still can't reach it!"

In the courtyard, the girl's silvery voice was even clearer and more melodious than the sound of wind chimes.

Grandma Liu returned from washing clothes by the stream and walked on the vast, green meadow. She could hear the sounds coming from the yard from afar.

From outside the courtyard wall, one could barely see the girl's head, which was tied in two buns, bobbing up and down.

Sure enough, the girl was riding on the young master's shoulders and making a ruckus again.

Three days ago, the three of them arrived at this canyon basin called Peach Blossom Valley.

This place is located at the junction of the three kingdoms of Western Qi, Dayong, etc., with unclear borders and towering mountains, making it an excellent place to hide.

They've settled down for now.

Now that things are settled, it's time to prepare for the wedding.

The young woman has been busy these past few days embroidering her wedding dress, writing invitations, and decorating the courtyard.

Grandma Liu thought the young woman was too weak to handle it.

Unexpectedly, her complexion improved day by day.

Granny Liu walked to the main gate and indeed saw Xue Lanyi, dressed in a pale yellow dress, sitting on Wei Xuan's shoulder.

The two stood in front of the main house, the man with his head up and the girl with her head down, seemingly discussing some wicked idea.

These young people always manage to come up with all sorts of creative ideas when it comes to wedding preparations.

Grandma Liu was a lively and open-minded person, so she quickened her pace, eager to see something new.

Push open the half-open door.

"Miss, are you making candied hawthorn lanterns today, or... oh dear!"

As soon as Granny Liu stepped across the threshold, two strings of small red paper figures hung down from the lintel, resting on Granny Liu's shoulders.

The little paper figure bends down, making a "please" gesture, with a beaming smile.

Granny Liu glanced around hesitantly, then felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly went inside. "Young lady, young master, come and see! Which family's child is so mischievous? On someone's wedding day, he's putting up paper effigies to bring bad luck. He's really asking for trouble..."

He hadn't even uttered the word "beat up" yet.

What comes into view is that the eaves of the four houses in the courtyard are covered with small paper figures.

A mountain breeze blows.

A rustling sound filled the courtyard as tiny paper figures, no bigger than a palm, cast rows of shadows on the wall, trembling slightly.

this……

That's terrifying.

Granny Liu swallowed hard. "What are you doing, young lady?"

"Put up little red figures inside and outside the house!"

Xue Lanyi held a small paper figure in the shape of a man in one hand and a small paper figure in the shape of a woman in the other, with a girl's rosy smiling face in the middle. "Is Grandma pretty?"

The paper figures are exquisite.

Grandma Liu had never seen such a lifelike little paper figure in most of her life.

The paper figure, resembling a man, had a high ponytail, stood with his hands on his hips, tilted his head, and smiled, the ends of his braid fluttering in the wind.

The paper doll, shaped like a girl, has her hair in double buns, her hands behind her back, and she smiles obediently with her head tilted to the side.

The two paper figures tilted their heads to one side, truly a perfect couple.

Granny Liu knew at a glance that the paper figures were cut out in the likeness of the young lady and the eldest son. Such a pair of smiling faces bathed in sunlight were indeed a sight to behold.

However, since ancient times, paper figures have been burned for those who have passed away.

It's definitely a taboo!

Moreover, the rows and rows of small paper figures swaying in the wind are rather eerie if you don't look closely.

"Girl, you are beautiful, but..."

“Ah Xuan, Grandma likes our paper figures too!” Xue Lanyi pointed to the room on the right. “Then let’s put up a pair of paper figures in Grandma’s room first, so that she can share in the joy. Let’s go!”

The girl pointed with her fingertips.

"Hold on tight, let's go!" Wei Xuan carried Xue Lanyi straight to the side room.

It flashed past Granny Liu's eyes before she could finish speaking.

"Oh dear! My young lady and young master!" Granny Liu exclaimed in surprise, and hurriedly followed, panting. "Won't hanging this paper figure on the door block the light?"

"How about we stick it in the house?" Xue Lanyi blinked. "That way, Grandma can see me as soon as she opens her eyes every day, okay?"

"Isn't it inappropriate to stick it inside the house?" Wei Xuan finally spoke up, finally going against the girl's wishes for the first time.

Grandma Liu nodded in agreement, but then Wei Xuan said, "Let's stick it on the window paper. That way, it won't disturb Grandma's rest, and it won't be difficult for her to see us if she wants to."

?

On the window paper?

Who would have thought that every day when I open my eyes, there are two paper figures crawling on the window paper?

These are all absolutely terrifying for her.

Grandma Liu patted her chest. "Young lady, it's not good to paste paper figures on such a joyous occasion. What if it attracts some unclean spirits?"

"Even provoking a black cat or a night owl is not good."

"Grandma, which one do you like?" Xue Lanyi was completely immersed in her art and showed Grandma Liu the thick stack of paper figures in her hands one by one.

"There are people riding horses, swinging on swings, and..."

Grandma Liu then noticed that the paper figures in Xue Lanyi's hands were all different in shape, and none of them were the same.

Paper-cutting of horseback riding and swinging on a swing is fine too.

Why is there a girl dozing off on the table while doing paper cutting?

The eldest son's paper-cutting is even more outrageous. How could someone ride a horse while sitting backwards? Standing up? Standing upside down?

Granny Liu glanced at the tall and burly Wei Xuan, sighed, and said helplessly, "Girl, pasting paper figures will do..."

Grandma Liu couldn't bear to spoil the young people's fun, but, "But shouldn't the eldest son's paper-cutting be revised again?"

"Tomorrow, the young lady's cousin's wife and Young Master Zhou Yu will be attending the wedding. If they happen to see these strangely shaped paper figures, wouldn't they make fun of the young master?"

Although he is the eldest son, he always follows the young lady's lead.

But the eldest son is, after all, the General Who Crossed the Liao River. If he is ridiculed, it won't look good on the young lady, will it?

"How about... we change to some paper-cuts depicting the young master practicing martial arts and archery, showing his extraordinary talent?"

“Sure,” Xue Lanyi readily agreed, glancing at Wei Xuan below. “What kind of paper-cutting does Grandma like? Just tell him and let him cut it.”

Grandma Liu was somewhat bewildered.

Judging from what the girl said, those strange paper-cuts were picked up by the young master himself?

Granny Liu glanced suspiciously at Wei Xuan out of the corner of her eye.

At that time, Wei Xuan was solemnly examining the paper-cuttings.

The young master now looks much more radiant, but the white hair at his temples is irreversible, giving him a mature and steady air.

Moreover, he is usually very attentive to girls and meticulous in everything he does; he seems like a reliable man.

How could such a peculiar paper-cut be made?

Grandma Liu opened her mouth, her mind full of doubts.

Wei Xuan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he handed a paper-cut of two people making funny faces side by side to Granny Liu.

"Does Grandma like this one? It's very cute, and it can even help scare away black cats and stray cats at night."

"Pretty...playful?"

Grandma Liu's lips twitched.

The paper cutouts making funny faces depict two people with four eyes and holes the size of peas.

If I stick it on the windowsill, and the moonlight shines on it, will it scare the cat, or will it scare her?

Granny Liu stared at Wei Xuan in disbelief.

"What's wrong with your mother-in-law?" Wei Xuan frowned slightly.

The two looked at each other and remained silent for a moment.

“If my mother-in-law doesn’t like these paper-cuts, I’ve drawn a whole book of patterns for her. She can choose whichever she likes.”

"Ah Xuan's drawings are the most beautiful!"

Above, Xue Lanyi added at the appropriate time.

Grandma Liu opened her mouth, but was completely speechless.

"Mother-in-law will get used to it. If Xuan-ge didn't have such a unique head, my sister wouldn't even look at him!"

A clear, youthful voice rang out from outside the fence.

Immediately afterwards, the man in blue robes strode in through the hanging flower gate and raised his eyebrows provocatively at Xue Lanyi.

The visitor was none other than Mu Qinghong, the former crown prince of the Dayong dynasty.

After Wei Xuan helped him escape from the western border, he lived in seclusion here ever since.

Almost six years have passed, and he is no longer the delicate and beautiful young boy with a gold necklace and red headband.

She would not obediently follow behind Xue Lanyi, calling her "sister" incessantly.

Now he's eloquent and has developed a rebellious streak.

Xue Lanyi narrowed her eyes, feeling the oppressive aura emanating from her elder sister.

Mu Qinghong is now a head taller than her, so she's no longer afraid of her older sister slapping her on the back of the head.

With her chin raised, she said, "Brother Xuan, next time you ride backwards, remember to bring my sister along so she can blow on the back of your head. My sister will definitely love that sound."

"Mu Qinghong! What do you mean by that?" Xue Lanyi sat on Wei Xuan's shoulder, so anxious she wanted to jump up and down. "Ah Xuan, what... what did he say?"

Wei Xuan calmly looked up and said, "Ah Hong probably just wants you to be happy."

No matter how Xue Lanyi listened, she felt that Mu Qinghong was mocking her for being as stupid as Wei Xuan.

"Mu Qinghong! You just wait!"

As she spoke, Xue Lanyi rolled up her sleeves, jumped off Wei Xuan's shoulder, and stormed toward the door.

This means we must give this brat a good talking-to on behalf of the Emperor's uncle and aunt.

Okay, okay.

At this moment, a woman dressed in plain clothes and wearing a headscarf walked out from behind Mu Qinghong.

The woman glared at Mu Qinghong, then stepped forward and took Xue Lanyi's arm. "Why bother talking to two rough men? The more you talk, the more excited they get."

She handed the red tassels in the bamboo basket to Xue Lanyi, "Isn't Sister Yiyi's veil still missing a tassel? Ah Hong and I finished making it last night. Sister, take a look and see if it suits your taste?"

"We should sew them onto the veil now, so as not to delay tomorrow's wedding because of Ah Hong."

This petite but capable woman was originally an embroiderer in the Eastern Palace, named Qin Yue.

Back then, the Eastern Palace collapsed overnight, engulfed in flames.

When Xue Lanyi was helping Mu Qinghong escape, she happened to encounter this woman being trapped under the plaque of the East Palace.

Mu Qinghong couldn't bear to see someone die right in front of her, so she rescued the person.

Afterwards, Yue Niang said she wanted to repay the kindness, so she followed along as they fled westward.

As they spent more and more time together, they developed feelings for each other and got married last year.

The Moon Goddess is an extremely warm-hearted person. These three days of preparing for the wedding ceremony and the wedding dress would not have gone so smoothly without her help. It would have been impossible for the two rough men to do it so well on their own.

Moreover, her craftsmanship was superb; the tassels she wove were no less exquisite than those made in the palace.

Upon seeing the festive red tassels, Xue Lanyi's anger turned to joy, and she wrinkled her nose and made a face at Mu Qinghong and Wei Xuan.

The two women went together to Xue Lanyi's bedroom.

Then, close the door.

Mu Qinghong's eyes darted around, and she quickly lifted her clothes and jogged to catch up, while giving Wei Xuan a wink, "Brother, hurry up and catch up!"

For the past three days, the two girls have been secretly working on their phoenix coronet and wedding gown in their room, keeping the door closed and forbidding him and Wei Xuan from seeing it.

Poor Wei Xuan, a groom, has never even seen what Xue Lanyi's wedding dress actually looks like.

The more they refused to let her see, the more curious Mu Qinghong became.

Seeing that the door was about to close by the last crack, Mu Qinghong quickly slipped her hand in to cushion it, saying, "Brother, come quick! Aren't you curious?"

"Hey! Isn't it inappropriate to peek?"

Despite this, Wei Xuan's steps became uncontrollable, and he quickly caught up.

How could I not be curious?

He had lost count of how many times he had fantasized about her wearing a wedding dress for him.

Right now, the closer the wedding day gets, the more intense and itchy those conflicting thoughts become.

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, I held my breath and peeked through the crack in the door.

I thought the two girls would be embroidering and arranging their wedding dresses on the daybed, but unexpectedly they went behind the screen.

Inside the room, a screen stood directly in front of them, its white gauze casting a silhouette of Xue Lanyi dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.

With a long neck and a straight back, even a silhouette cannot fully convey her noble bearing.

Wei Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly averted his gaze.

"To be honest, sister, I've also made wedding dresses for empresses, princes, and princesses in the palace, but I've never seen one more beautiful than yours!"

"But beautiful clothes suit beautiful women. In the end, it's still because my sister is so beautiful that her wedding dress looks like a fairy's feather!"

Behind the screen, Yue Niang busied herself around Xue Lanyi, helping her tidy her wedding dress, and seemed even more excited than when she herself got married.

"I'll go get the bronze mirror so my sister can see her back. Even her back looks beautiful."

As he spoke, he went to find the bronze mirror.

Just as I stepped out of the screen, I saw two figures lingering outside the door.

Yue Niang's expression tightened, and she quickly stepped forward to close the door tightly. "You all need to leave quickly. Who's going to peek?"

"Excuse me." Wei Xuan bowed awkwardly and left with Mu Qinghong.

Mu Qinghong felt sorry for her brother who had been tossing and turning all night these past few days, and cast a pleading look at Yue Niang.

He had a round face and bright, sparkling eyes, which made him look rather pitiful.

"Moon Lady, please beg my sister to let my brother see me."

"We're getting married tomorrow, what's the big deal about taking a peek at the wedding dress? Right?" Mu Qinghong winked at Yue Niang through the crack in the door. "I've been thinking about this for eight or nine years, at least take a look."

"That won't do!"

Although she tried to keep her voice down, Xue Lanyi inside the room still heard it.

He peeked out from behind the screen, but his collar and sleeves were not even visible.

"We're getting married tomorrow, so Ah Xuan will naturally see it. What's the point of revealing it beforehand if it's not exciting?"

"sister!"

There has never been a reason why the groom couldn't look at the wedding dress.

Xue Lanyi's evasive behavior aroused curiosity not only in Wei Xuan but also in Mu Qinghong, like insects crawling in and out of their hearts.

"How about this, let me see it, I won't tell my brother, okay?"

As he spoke, he pushed open the door and entered without being invited.

"You...you can't look either!"

Mu Qinghong spends more time with Wei Xuan these days and has long since sided with him.

Xue Lanyi didn't believe he wouldn't tell Wei Xuan what he had seen and heard.

Xue Lanyi hurriedly took half a step back behind the screen, but saw that guy stride across the threshold in a grand manner, casually grabbing a cushion and throwing it at him.

The pillow just barely hit Mu Qinghong's chest.

"Ouch!" Mu Qinghong stumbled backward, gasping for breath.

"Ah Hong, are you alright?" Yue Niang quickly stepped forward to support Mu Qinghong.

When they were fleeing, Mu Qinghong was shot through the heart with an arrow while protecting Yue Niang, and the pain still lingers.

Xue Lanyi was unaware of the situation, but seeing Mu Qinghong sitting pale-faced on the daybed, she nervously wanted to go forward to check on him.

However, because she was wearing a wedding dress, she was unable to appear for a long time.

Moon Lady's eyes reddened with worry. "Ah Hong, has the wound reopened? Where does it hurt?"

"I...cough cough."

Mu Qinghong coughed twice, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. "It seems I'm really bleeding. Yue Niang, come back with me to apply the medicine."

"Alright!" Yue Niang quickly put down the bronze mirror in her hand and helped Mu Qinghong walk outside.

As he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Xue Lanyi with embarrassment.

"It's alright, Ah Hong's injury is more important."

Although Xue Lanyi loved to bicker with Mu Qinghong, she was worried in her heart and craned her neck to watch her younger brother and sister-in-law from afar.

After Yue Niang helped Mu Qinghong out the door, her eyes were red and swollen, and she kept sniffling.

It's not Xue Lanyi's fault.

It's her own fault.

When she was fleeing, if she hadn't insisted on taking an injured cat with her, she wouldn't have been nearly caught by her enemies.

It's not that Mu Qinghong was implicated by taking an arrow for her, becoming like a fragile porcelain doll, untouchable and unable to ride a horse or shoot arrows anymore.

Moon Lady silently wiped away her tears.

"Look, Moon Lady, Little Fatty caught three more mice today! You have such a good eye; we have fewer mice in our yard than in the Eastern Palace!"

On the roof, a plump orange cat, carrying a mouse in its mouth, gracefully walked across the beam.

That was the wild cat that Yue Niang had once protected in her arms.

Yue Niang knew that Mu Qinghong was comforting her.

But she was still very upset, and tears were about to well up in her eyes.

Mu Qinghong stood up straight. "Oh, I'm fine! Look!"

Fearing that Yue Niang wouldn't believe her, Mu Qinghong hopped around in the courtyard a couple more times, "It's really nothing."

He was just trying to create some time alone for Xuan Ge and Jie Jie.

Sister is wearing an elaborate wedding dress now. Since Yue Niang isn't here, only Xuan Ge can help her change out of her phoenix coronet and embroidered robe?

In this way, Xuan-ge will be able to see his sister's wedding dress, right?

Mu Qinghong's eyes lit up with pride.

"You! Your sister is right, are you really siding with outsiders?"

Only then did Yue Niang realize what was happening, and with her eyes still red and swollen, she tried to go back inside.

Mu Qinghong pulled her back and gave her a wink towards the bedroom, "Yueniang, look."

At that time, in the dormitory.

Xue Lanyi was in a difficult position.

The wedding dress had five layers inside and out, pressing down on my body and making it difficult to support me, let alone take it off by myself.

She hid behind the screen, gazing at Wei Xuan from afar.

She remained silent, and Wei Xuan dared not approach, though a hint of expectation inevitably flickered in his eyes.

Xue Lanyi understood his expectations, but she also prepared a surprise for him, which would be more interesting to see on their wedding day tomorrow.

"You...blindfold yourself and come help me change my clothes."

"..." Wei Xuan paused, looked sad for a moment, but still did as he was told, pulling off his belt and covering his eyes.

Xue Lanyi came out from behind the screen, waved her hand in front of his eyes, and seeing that he really couldn't see, she took his hand and led him into the bedroom.

The two stood one in front of the other in front of a bronze mirror that was as tall as a person.

"Help me unbutton the back of my collar, and don't look around!"

Okay~

Wei Xuan readily agreed and reached out to touch her collar.

Calloused hands intermittently touched the back of Xue Lanyi's neck, sending shivers down her spine.

He was blindfolded and couldn't see, so he unbuttoned his clothes even more slowly and gently, as if afraid of tearing her hair.

Xue Lanyi looked at the man standing behind her in the mirror.

Despite his tall and imposing stature, his movements were gentler than those of a woman.

Red silk covered her eyes, revealing only her high nose bridge and slightly upturned lips.

A strand of black hair mixed with white hair fell beside her temple, brushing against Xue Lanyi's cheek.

It's a little itchy.

Xue Lanyi suddenly felt that white hair was quite beautiful.

It's really beautiful!

"Ah Xuan, will you be unhappy if I don't show you my wedding dress?"

How could that be?

Wei Xuan was curious, that's all.

But she refused to show it to him no matter what, which could only mean that a big surprise awaited him on their wedding day.

Wei Xuan was more hopeful.

I wonder what kind of beautiful scene will unfold in another twenty-four hours.

The image of her stepping down from the wedding sedan chair and walking towards him bathed in sunlight—would it be even more beautiful than imagined?

As he pondered this, a smile crept onto Wei Xuan's face.

"What are you laughing at?" Xue Lanyi looked at the smiling face in the mirror and couldn't help but smile as well.

"Then what is Yiyi laughing at?"

"I..." Xue Lanyi tried to hold back her smile, but couldn't, and a smile crept onto her face. "Whatever you're laughing at, I'll laugh at too!"

The two of them lowered their heads slightly and laughed.

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the screen onto the two of them.

The filtered light is very gentle.

The wind is refreshing.

Everything is just right.

And the days to come will get better and better.