After the wedding ceremony in the main hall of the front yard, the bride was taken to the bridal chamber.

The bridal chamber was instantly packed with people. The bride, Zhou Junhong, sat regally on the canopy bed covered with longan, peanuts, chestnuts, and dates. Zhao Siyan had already brought over with servants carrying a scale, asking Zhao Sixing to lift his veil. Zhao Sixing and Zhou Junhong had naturally met many times before, but today was their wedding day. Zhou Junhong had gotten up before dawn to dress up. When the veil was lifted, Zhou Junhong subconsciously glanced at Zhao Sixing. Zhao Sixing felt as if his heart had been struck by a ripe red apple, and he remained stunned for a moment.

Naturally, everyone went to see the bride first. After seeing her, they all felt that although she did not come from a very high social class, she was a person with a dignified appearance. After praising her a few times, they couldn't help but laugh when they saw the groom standing to the side with a red face.

Zhao Sixing was embarrassed by the teasing and wanted to go outside, but he felt it was inappropriate to leave like that. He hesitated, and the expression on his face showed.

Ning and the others came over from the front yard together. Seeing the expression on Zhao Sixing's face, they smiled and said, "Xing-ge'er, your wife is already in your new house. You can go to the front to greet the guests without worry. Your aunt will help you keep watch over things here, okay?"

The crowd around him burst into laughter, and Zhao Sixing's face immediately turned red. He was a somewhat shy person to begin with, and he was worried that his new bride would feel apprehensive in this new house full of strangers after entering the house. He was also afraid that his grandmother and aunts' side would come and embarrass the new bride. After hearing Ning's words, he was both anxious and ashamed, and his face immediately turned red.

Zhao Siyan pushed her brother out, saying, "Brother, go ahead and do your work. Your sister will take care of things here."

When Zhao Siyan saw Zhou Junhong, she felt quite at ease. Surely such a magnanimous person wouldn't do anything petty.

Zhao Sixing left the room, glancing back every few steps. The bridal chamber was filled with very close relatives. Zhao Sixing instructed someone to bring a table of food to the bridal chamber and said to Zhou Junhong, "Sister-in-law, have some to eat first, we'll be drinking the nuptial wine later."

Zhou Junhong looked at all the people in the room and, despite her carefree nature, felt a little embarrassed.

Ning said with a smile, "The banquet has started outside, everyone go and drink the wedding wine."

The women held their banquet in the inner courtyard. Xu Zhi followed Chen Zhaoci and the others to the side hall, where the banquet had already been set out. After the banquet, it was getting late, so everyone said goodbye and went home.

Xu Zhi did not return to the Zheng family; instead, she went back to her parents' home with Chen Zhaoci.

After soaking her feet, Chen Zhaoci lay on the warm kang (heated brick bed) and groaned twice, saying, "I'm getting old, and after a busy day like this, my whole body aches."

Xu Zhi let her hair down and continued to flip through the book on mountains and rivers. However, thanks to the simple map drawn for her by Xu Di, she found it quite interesting.

Xu Di arrived radiating a chill. Chen Zhaoci looked at him, surprised to see it was already past midnight, and asked, "Why are you here at this hour? Is something the matter?"

Xu Di frowned and said, "Mother, hurry up and pack your things. I estimate it will be in the next day or two."

Chen Zhaoci was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Xu Di sighed and said, "I just received a letter that Japanese pirates have landed in Dengzhou to kill and plunder again. His Majesty was furious and dismissed the prefect of Dengzhou. The magistrates of the counties below have also been punished."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci was furious and said, "Damn it, how much damage have the people along the river suffered?"

Xu Di didn't speak, but his face was filled with anger. Chen Zhaoci and Xu Zhi were both people who had experienced the baptism of war, and they could tell from Xu Di's expression that the losses must have been great, otherwise the emperor wouldn't have been so angry.

Xu Di thought for a moment and said, "This time His Majesty wants to appoint new people. The four county magistrates should all be selected from the newly appointed Jinshi. However, we don't know yet. We don't know who will be appointed as the prefect of Dengzhou. In terms of seniority, it's not my turn yet."

Hearing Xu Di's joking words, Chen Zhaoci sighed and said, "Everyone says that the common people suffer. They suffer when the dynasty is prosperous, and they suffer even more when wars are frequent. But now, they have to suffer the humiliation of those Japanese. Just thinking about it makes my heart feel like it's been cooked in hot oil. I really wish I could kill those Japanese with my own hands."

This nation, no matter when, has always been a natural enemy of that island nation across the sea, especially for those whose elders experienced the eight-year War of Resistance against Japan. It's not just history that makes people remember the heinous crimes committed by those beasts on this land of China, but also the experiences recounted by the elders and their children. Only by remembering that history of suffering can we understand how difficult it was for this nation to reach prosperity and strength step by step.

Xu Zhi didn't know why Chen Zhaoci was like this, but Xu Di did. Xu Di nodded and said, "That's what I think too. Later, I need to learn how to fight the Japanese at sea. I also need to establish a complete early warning mechanism so that when those Japanese encounter me at sea, they will never return. If they want to go ashore, I will close the door and let them taste the flavor of a hunting rifle."

Chen Zhaoci thought about what he needed to prepare, and after a moment’s thought, he said, “This time, I will bring more medicinal herbs. Since we really need to clear the coastal defenses, injuries are inevitable in battle, so it’s always good to bring more medicinal herbs. By the way, I also need to train some military doctors. I wrote a booklet about how to treat external injuries on the battlefield. Find it and have someone help me print it.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Di's eyes lit up, and he said, "That's a good idea. Why don't you just set up a field medic training school?"

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