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The seventh day of the fourth lunar month is auspicious for marriage. Tang Feng had meticulously researched the almanac before deciding on Li Bao'er's wedding. Early that morning, before the roosters crowed, Zhou Ziliang called Cheng Yitian out. "Brother Ziliang, what are you doing so early?" Cheng Yitian rubbed his eyes, clearly still half asleep.

Zhou Ziliang led Hongdou out and adjusted the saddle. "Let's go to the market. Isn't today your wedding day?"

"Yes... yes, we're getting married today, but it doesn't have to be this early! The original plan was to wear our wedding attire to pay respects at our parents' memorial tablets, then go straight to the bridal chamber!" Cheng Yitian was a little confused by Zhou Ziliang, but he was quite cooperative. Zhou Ziliang led Hongdou to him and said, "Don't ask anymore, just come with me! I won't harm you."

When Li Bao'er got up, Tang Feng was already sitting at the courtyard gate waiting for him. "Brother Bao'er, you're awake!" Li Bao'er nodded. "Little brother! Have you seen him all day? He disappeared first thing this morning!"

"He and Ziliang went to the market to prepare a surprise for you," Tang Feng said, drawing some water from the well. "Brother, don't worry, with Zhou Ziliang around, what's there to be afraid of! You're the groom today, hurry up and wash up, then I'll comb your hair."

Li Bao'er nodded, "That's true. I feel at ease with Brother Ziliang following me. You go back to your room and rest first. I'll wash my face now." Tang Feng went into the room and took out the wedding clothes and the bridal veil that had been pressed down in the large box. He placed the mirror in front of the table, and prepared the red ribbon, comb, and jade pendant. Li Bao'er smiled as she entered the room, "Everything is ready! I was in a hurry to come in and tidy up!"

"Hurry up and change your clothes! I'll do your hair after you're done." Tang Feng sat to the side, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. The weather was already warm in May. Today, Tang Feng was wearing a plain white robe with red trim, and a redwood pendant was tied at his waist. Seeing that Li Bao'er had finished dressing, Tang Feng took a comb and walked to his side, letting his hair down and slowly combing it, muttering, "One comb to the end, two combs to turn black hair white, three combs to ensure love and trust." Tang Feng then used a red ribbon to tie up Li Bao'er's hair, then touched his head shyly, "Alright! This is my first time doing someone else's hair, my skills aren't very good, please don't blame me, brother."

Li Bao'er looked at himself in the bronze mirror. "Who said that? I'm perfectly satisfied!" He then hung the white jade dice that Tang Feng had given him a few days ago on his waist. "You always say you want to thank me for letting you stay and recover, but haven't I also been thanking you all?"

Seeing Li Bao'er dressed in her wedding gown, with a white jade dice hanging from her waist, Tang Feng held up a red handkerchief and said softly, "Brother, the sedan chair should be here soon. Let me put the veil on your head first." Li Bao'er blushed and nodded. Outside, Cheng Yitian's wedding procession, carrying the sedan chair and playing celebratory music, was gradually approaching. Tang Feng, who had been devoted to heterosexual relationships for most of his life, felt for the first time that this kind of love wasn't so bad after all. As long as there was love, gender didn't matter.

Li Bao'er gripped Tang Feng's hand tightly. "Brother, I'm a little nervous, I..."

Tang Feng patted his back. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Just keep going. Your 'Yitian' is waiting for you at the door on a tall horse!" Tang Feng slowly covered Li Bao'er's head with his red wedding veil and helped him up. "Come on, slow down, there's a threshold ahead. Lift your leg." Li Bao'er stepped out of the house, and the joyous music was deafening. His eyes welled up with tears. This was music his 'Yitian' had specially played for him, more beautiful than any he had ever heard before. Tang Feng helped Li Bao'er into the bridal sedan chair. As soon as he sat down, Tang Feng stuffed an apple into his hand. "Brother, this apple is for good luck. Don't eat it, and don't lift the veil. I'll be right outside the sedan chair. Don't be afraid."

"Pfft!" Li Bao'er couldn't help but laugh as she listened to Tang Feng's rambling. "Brother, no need for so many instructions. I may not have eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run!" Tang Feng smiled as well, lowered the sedan curtain, and called out, "Lift the sedan!" The bridal sedan was slowly lifted and headed east.

Tang Feng followed behind, when Zhou Ziliang caught up. "Looks pretty good, right? Cheng Yitian cried a lot the way, thanking me while he cried." Tang Feng covered his mouth and smiled. "Well, you've worked hard! It must have taken a lot of effort to make it so good. I still want to thank you." Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziliang suddenly stopped. Tang Feng took a few steps and turned back to see Zhou Ziliang still standing there, so he asked, "Why aren't you moving? We're about to fall behind the sedan chair." Zhou Ziliang looked at Tang Feng, walked up to him, and lifted Tang Feng's chin. "Xiao Feng, I did all this for you because I like you, so could you please stop thanking me?"

Tang Feng looked at Zhou Ziliang with some alarm. It wasn't that he hadn't sensed Zhou Ziliang's feelings for him; it was just that neither of them had said anything, and the two of them remained silent, like there was only a thin veil separating them. But now that Zhou Ziliang had broken through that veil, Tang Feng could no longer avoid this issue.

Tang Feng stared into Zhou Ziliang's eyes and said, "You like me, so are you willing to wait for me? Wait for what I consider a perfect answer." Zhou Ziliang's hand, which had been holding Tang Feng's chin, slowly lowered. Just when Tang Feng thought he was about to give up, Zhou Ziliang hugged him tightly, his breath warm against Tang Feng's neck, and whispered, "I will always wait for you. No matter where you go, as long as you turn around, I will be right behind you."

Tang Feng blushed upon hearing this and quickly pushed Zhou Ziliang away, saying, "Just wait! Why add so many suffixes? What are you standing there for! Let's go, Bao'er's sedan chair has almost gone a mile already!"

Li Bao'er and Cheng Yitian went to the Cheng family ancestral graves to pay their respects. Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang stood at a distance, watching the newlyweds. Tang Feng said, "They're so good together. Bao'er has suffered for most of his life, washing clothes, cooking, and farming to earn money, all so that Yitian could read a few more books. Now Yitian is marrying him on a tall horse; it's a true testament to their mutual love and happiness."

"A beautiful day, fine wine, and lovely ladies—even penniless, there's no regret." Seeing Li Bao'er and Cheng Yitian finish their prayers, Zhou Ziliang stepped forward, took the reins, and helped Cheng Yitian mount his horse. The ancestral graves weren't far from home; Xile arrived home before even finishing two songs. Inside the house, Cheng Yitian's ancestral tablet sat on the table, with offerings of fruit laid out below. Cheng Yitian and Li Bao'er walked in, holding a red ribbon, while Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang stood on either side.

"First bow to heaven and earth, second bow to the parents, husband and wife bow to each other." Taking advantage of the bowing moment, Cheng Yitian leaned forward, glanced up at Li Bao'er, who was covered by her bridal veil, and smiled slightly. "Brother, I've finally married you."

Li Bao'er blushed, pulled at her bridal veil, and scolded, "My brothers are all here, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Tang Feng, standing to the side, nudged Cheng Yitian, "What are you standing there for after the wedding ceremony? Hurry up and go to the bridal chamber!" Cheng Yitian grinned at Tang Feng, "Oh dear, look at my memory! Brother, let's go to the bridal chamber!"

Watching the two newlyweds leave the room, Tang Feng instantly relaxed, walked to the bed, and lay back down. "Ouch, finally finished. My legs hurt from standing for so long."

Zhou Ziliang sat on the edge of the bed and pressed Tang Feng's injured ankle. "Is it your leg that hurts or your ankle? If it's your ankle, we'll have to see a doctor." Tang Feng moved his leg and shook off Zhou Ziliang's hand. "My leg hurts, my leg hurts, my ankle is all better now." Tang Feng had been drinking Chinese medicine under Zhou Ziliang's watchful eye for a month, without missing a single bowl. By the end, Tang Feng even thought Li Bao'er's bitter melon salad was quite delicious. So now, hearing that Zhou Ziliang wanted to take him to see a doctor terrified him. Seeing Tang Feng like this, Zhou Ziliang patted Tang Feng's hand. "So afraid of seeing a doctor? It's alright, it's alright, I'll massage your leg if it hurts." Tang Feng didn't refuse. Zhou Ziliang's massage was comfortable, and Tang Feng soon fell asleep. As his breathing became deeper, Zhou Ziliang slowly lowered Tang Feng's leg, covered him with a blanket, and then stayed by his side.

Strangely enough, whether Tang Feng got up too early or was too tired from working so hard early in the morning, he didn't wake up until the next morning. Tang Feng rubbed his head, which was heavy from sleeping too much, and asked, "Awake?"

"Hmm," Tang Feng replied perfunctorily, still half-awake. After resting on the bed for a while, he said, "Let's head back to the academy today!" Zhou Ziliang didn't care about this and nodded, saying, "You get dressed first, I'll go tell Bao'er and the others." Before leaving, Zhou Ziliang placed Tang Feng's clothes by the bedside.

Zhou Ziliang, calling him "Brother Bao'er," knocked on Li Bao'er's door. The door opened shortly after, and Li Bao'er, wearing a robe and just awake, said, "Brother Bao'er, we've been bothering you for over a month. Seeing you get married yesterday put Xiao Feng's mind at ease. We should go home today, otherwise our families will be worried."

Li Bao'er had originally intended to keep them a few more days, but seeing that things had come to this point, she said, "I was going to ask you to stay a little longer, but I was worried your parents would be anxious. Okay, you pack your things, I'll see you off. Don't refuse, Xiao Feng is my good brother, it's only right that I see you off." Zhou Ziliang nodded, "Then I'll go see Xiao Feng first, I'll wait for you at the door in a bit."

Tang Feng packed up quickly, and by the time Zhou Ziliang returned, Tang Feng was already sitting on a stool with his bundle, waiting for him. "What did Brother Bao say?"

"He insisted on seeing you off, so I agreed," Zhou Ziliang said, taking the bundle from Tang Feng's hands and helping him up. "Let's go! I'll go get Hongdou." Outside, Li Bao'er was already waiting, pulling Tang Feng's hand and stuffing a basket of eggs into his arms. "Little brother! Look at you, you didn't even say goodbye before leaving! I could have made you some dumplings! There's nothing valuable at home, you must take this basket of eggs with you."

Tang Feng, holding the eggs, looked at Zhou Ziliang. Zhou Ziliang smiled and said, "Since it's Bao'er's thoughtfulness, don't refuse." The three of them went out. Li Bao'er said that Cheng Yitian was still sleeping and couldn't be woken up. She also told Tang Feng to live a good life with Zhou Ziliang. When they reached the village entrance, Li Bao'er stopped and called out to Zhou Ziliang, telling him to wait ahead because she had something to say to Tang Feng.

Tang Feng was pulled aside, somewhat confused. "Brother, what are you trying to ask me?"

Li Bao'er held Tang Feng's hand and said, "I know you two aren't a couple, and I also know that Brother Ziliang likes you."

Tang Feng's eyes widened. "You knew all that?!"

"I may not be well-educated, but I'm not blind. What couple doesn't sleep in the same bed? I shouldn't be nosy, but I can't just keep watching you two like this. Listen to your brother, I've been there, and I've never seen love at first sight. It's all about growing feelings over time. You'll never know if you two are right for each other until you try being with him."

Tang Feng looked at Li Bao'er, unsure what to say. Li Bao'er patted his shoulder, "Alright, I won't recognize the way once we leave the village, so I won't see you off. Take care." She turned to leave, adding, "If you two have any happy events, don't forget to write to us." Tang Feng watched Li Bao'er leave, then turned to see Zhou Ziliang still waiting for him, leading his horse. Tang Feng understood Li Bao'er's words. Before, he disliked Zhou Ziliang, and later couldn't overcome that hurdle. But now, Tang Feng suddenly wanted to try. Although he didn't know the outcome, he knew Zhou Ziliang wouldn't disappoint him. Tang Feng took a few deep breaths, walked towards Zhou Ziliang, and gently took his hand. Zhou Ziliang, with his back to Tang Feng, trembled, his shock turning to a wide smile. He knew this was the answer Tang Feng had made him wait for. Zhou Ziliang didn't turn around, knowing Tang Feng would be shy, so he simply held Tang Feng's hand tightly, unwilling to let go, as if this holding would last a lifetime. Zhou Ziliang smiled and asked, "What did Brother Bao say to you?"

He said, "Treat me well, or I'll come and chop you up with a machete."