Old Ma and Aunt Ma went back to their room. An Moxue thought she would fall asleep quickly, but for some reason, she couldn't fall asleep.

Looking back on her time with Wu Sicheng, her initial attraction was simply based on his good looks, but her decision to marry him seemed to come from the sense of security he gave her over time. From her naive seventeen-year-old self to her mature twenty-nine-year-old self, they had been together for more than ten years. There's a saying that goes, "It begins with looks and ends with character," and she thought that this saying was very fitting for the two of them.

She lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, thinking about her past and present lives. It seemed that some people and things were really so distant, so far away that they were only in her memory.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally fell asleep without realizing it.

However, it didn't feel like long before Ai Dang's shouts and knocking woke her from her sleep.

She replied sleepily, "Aidang, I'm awake. Wait a minute, let me catch my breath."

In her dazed state, she could still hear the girls whispering and teasing her at the door.

Ai Dang said, "She said she wasn't nervous. Usually she would be up early practicing by now, but I have to wake her up."

Chu Dongmei said, "Stop laughing at her, as if you were so much better off than her when you got married. Let's make this clear: no unlucky words are allowed today, only auspicious ones. Not one of you is allowed."

"Yes, yes, yes, Sister Mei is right." They only called her that when they were teasing her, but judging from their voices, they were clearly in a good mood.

Inside the house, An Moxue had already gotten up. She opened the door, let a few people in, and then said, "I'm going to take a shower. You guys wait here for a moment."

Chu Dongmei, Ai Dang, and Guo Zhijia were also busy. They fetched water, tidied up the house inside and out, and took out the clothes that An Moxue would wear this morning, preparing the toast dress after the wedding ceremony.

Ai Dang said with some envy, "That dress is really beautiful!"

Guo Zhijia chimed in, saying, "You can borrow it after Mo Xue gets married and experience it for yourself."

Chu Dongmei said, "Stop talking nonsense. There's no way she can fit into these clothes. She looks like a little winter melon now."

Ai Dang looked at his chubby arms and said hesitantly, "It can't be that bad!"

Chu Dongmei and Guo Zhijia said in unison, "Only your Jiang Wenhua thinks you're thin!"

After saying that, the two of them looked at her and burst into laughter.

The party member, unconvinced, sneered, "So you're just jealous that I eat well, huh! I'm not arguing with you!"

When An Moxue came out, her friends had already prepared everything she needed for the day.

She sat in front of the vanity mirror and began to do her makeup, while her girlfriends chatted and laughed with her.

An Moxue asked, "What were you laughing about just now? You seemed so happy?"

The three of them exchanged a glance and said in unison, "You're finally getting married!" Then they burst into laughter again.

Chu Dongmei said, "It's really not easy. You and Comrade Wu have known each other for more than ten years and finally got married."

Ai Dang continued, "Yeah, people his age get married a little earlier, and their sons and daughters are probably getting married soon!"

Guo Zhijia also agrees: "Comrade Wu has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."

An Moxue abandoned all pretense, turned around, and asked aggressively, "What country are you from? Why are you siding with outsiders?"

Ai Dang wasn't afraid of her at all, saying, "After today, we're outsiders, and he's your insider." Her words made everyone burst into laughter again.

After laughing enough, Guo Zhijia said disdainfully to Ai Dang, "Can't you be a little more cultured? 'Wife' means woman, not cultured. Keep your mouth shut today, don't embarrass Mo Xue, otherwise people will think Mo Xue is like you! How disgraceful!"

Aunt Ma came in carrying a bowl of noodles, her face beaming. She said, "I've heard laughter coming from inside all morning, that's wonderful! You all go and eat. Come back in a bit."

After the others left, only Aunt Ma and An Moxue remained. She placed the noodles in front of the dressing table and said to An Moxue, "Eat more, because you might not have time to eat during the day."

An Moxue didn't say anything, took the chopsticks, quickly finished the bowl of noodles, and then drank two sips of tea to rinse her mouth.

When Chu Dongmei and the others returned after finishing their meal, An Moxue was applying the last of her blush and lipstick.

Pink blush, bright red lipstick, heavy makeup, glamorous and sophisticated.

This was the first time the group had seen An Moxue like this. On this day, she no longer hid her good looks but displayed them openly.

All three people drew their breath at the same time.

"Wow--"

"it's beautiful!"

"Absolutely gorgeous!"

An Moxue smiled happily when she heard her friend's praise.

"Judging by the time, the wedding procession will be here soon. Mo Xue, many of our uncles and aunts from the compound have arrived, and Brother Wentao and Ai Guo are entertaining them!"

As the group was talking, a chorus of voices broke the silence. Chu Dongmei said, "Jiajia, go and stop them. Let's wait until Moxue has changed her clothes before letting them in. Ai Dang, let's help Moxue put her clothes on."

As they spoke, the three of them each performed their duties.

Ai Dang seized the opportunity to ask, "Mo Xue, who prepared this dress? It's so beautiful!"

"It was made by Aunt Ma. She started making it a few years ago. I only got it out after we set the wedding date."

"Where's the headdress?"

"It's an heirloom." This was something An Moxue found in the An family's heirlooms. It was a wedding crown belonging to an ancestor who married one of the top scholars in the An family at the time, who later became a first-rank official.

"Wow—" Another exclamation of envy arose.

An Moxue said playfully, "It's a secret!"

The two nodded. They vaguely knew that Uncle An's family had some wealth, but they didn't expect them to be so rich!

After changing their clothes, the outer door opened, and a group of people filed in. Zhang Jing and his wife were at the front. There were so many people that the room was packed, and she couldn't see them all. She didn't know who to greet, and it felt like it would take her a while to greet everyone.

Zhang Jing seemed to know her concerns and spoke before she could say anything: "Mo Xue, today you are a bride, so you should be sparing with your words and be a dignified bride so that you can live well and have importance in your husband's family. I wish you a happy marriage!"

An Moxue looked at him, then at her relatives and friends, nodded heavily, and said to everyone in front of her, "Dear uncles and aunts, I will definitely live a very happy life!"

Firecrackers went off outside, and everyone quickly came out of the house.

The outside was bustling with activity. Ai Dang said, "Quick, block the door! The groom will be here soon. If the red envelopes aren't big enough today, I won't open the door."

At this moment, An Moxue's heart, which had been calm all morning, was also stirred by ripples, like a stone being thrown into a calm lake, with ripples spreading outwards, each one bigger than the last.