Chapter 6 "Yes, my husband will watch it with Yuanyuan..."
"Yes, I came back yesterday..."
As soon as Hong Shao finished speaking, Meng Yuanxiao immediately turned to leave.
Hongshao was startled and quickly pressed the person back down with the matchmaker. "Miss, you can't see the Second Young Master now!"
Meng Yuanxiao was annoyed. "Why didn't anyone tell me that my second brother was coming back?"
Hong Shao said, "It was Madam who instructed us not to tell you beforehand, precisely because she was afraid you would make a fuss and insist on seeing the Second Young Master. Madam is doing this for your own good; a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so it must be handled carefully."
"I heard that the Second Young Master has applied for a transfer to the capital this time, to serve in the Palace Guard, and will no longer return to the Fengzhou military camp. From now on, you can see the Second Young Master whenever you wish, so why rush?"
Outside the courtyard, the Meng brothers, Meng Xu and Meng Zheng, stood waiting at the gate. Neither of them spoke. After a short while, Li Keying, having finished making arrangements, came to see Meng Yuanxiao.
Seeing her approach, Meng Xu naturally took two steps forward to greet her and asked gently, "Is everything settled?"
"Mm," Li Keying replied succinctly.
Meng Xu took the opportunity to squeeze her hand, his voice low and suggestive, "You've worked hard."
Meng Zheng, who had been silent all along, looked at the two men's hands and suddenly chuckled.
Li Keying froze for a moment, a look of disgust flashing across her pretty face. She quickly shook off Meng Xu's hand and stepped into the courtyard.
After watching the person enter the courtyard, Meng Xu coldly looked at Meng Zheng.
Since returning yesterday, Meng Zheng has not visited his elder brother. When he went to see him, his brother was fast asleep in bed, not even glancing at him, let alone calling him "elder brother."
Meng Xu's expression was not pleasant. "Today is my younger sister's wedding, so let's not cause any trouble."
"Don't worry," Meng Zheng said with a cold smile, giving him a mocking look, "I love my little sister more than you do."
The two brothers remained silent again. A little over fifteen minutes later, the Cui family's wedding procession arrived.
Lord Meng was transferred to Fengzhou, which is located in the northernmost part of Daliang. The imperial court has decreed that border officials are not allowed to leave their posts easily.
Therefore, when Meng Yuanxiao got married, Lord Meng was unable to return. Only Madam Feng, the brothers Meng Xu and Meng Zheng, and other relatives from the Meng and Feng families were present at the Meng residence.
Amidst the lively chatter, in the main courtyard, Cui Xintang, dressed in a red wedding gown, stood tall and elegant among the bridesmaids, watching Meng Yuanxiao, her head draped in a bridal veil, being escorted by the wedding attendants.
His gaze remained fixed on Meng Yuanxiao, ignoring the unfriendly stare beside him. When she came close, he stepped forward and entered the hall with her. After bidding farewell to Madam Feng, they held the same red silk ribbon and slowly walked to the front of the courtyard.
Meng Xu stepped forward, "Little sister, let your big brother carry you."
Just as Meng Xu was about to squat down, Meng Zheng strode forward and pushed him away.
"With your frail appearance, how can you carry my little sister? Get out of the way, I'll do it!"
Cui Xintang instinctively reached out to support Meng Yuanxiao, pulling her slightly away.
Meng Yuanxiao paid him no heed. Hearing her second brother's voice, she flung his hand away, stepped forward, and her voice, hidden beneath her bridal veil, was full of joy, "Second brother?"
Cui Xintang: "..."
Meng Yuanxiao's head was covered with a bridal veil, so she couldn't see where she was standing. Meng Zheng supported her and said, "Yes, your second brother will carry you."
Meng Xu frowned, somewhat displeased, but refrained from arguing with him because of the presence of outsiders.
“Okay!” Meng Yuanxiao replied happily, stretching out her arms for her second brother to carry her on his back.
Meng Zheng squatted down in front of Meng Yuanxiao and steadily carried her on his back.
Meng Yuanxiao lay on her second brother's back, her face covered by a bridal veil, so she couldn't see his face, but she could tell that he was stronger than before.
He seems to have grown taller; he should be taller than his older brother now.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she buried her head in Meng Zheng's shoulder, whispering, "Second Brother, I miss you, I miss you every day. I wanted to go to Fengzhou to see you before, but Mother and Eldest Brother wouldn't allow it."
Meng Zheng remained silent for a moment before finally humming in agreement.
Meng Yuanxiao's tears fell with a "plop," "Second Brother..."
She felt she had wronged her second brother before, and she should have apologized, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it.
Meng Zheng chuckled and said, "You're married now, why are you still crying?"
Meng Yuanxiao sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "I thought you wouldn't come back after I got married, Second Brother!"
Meng Zheng: "Your second brother loves you, how could he not come back?"
Meng Yuanxiao nuzzled his cheek through the bridal veil, like a kitten, just like when they were little.
Meng Zheng's voice was also a little hoarse, "From now on, your second brother will stay in the capital. If that Cui fellow dares to bully you, just tell your second brother. Your second brother has plenty of strength to teach him a lesson and make sure he never dares to bully you again."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuanxiao burst into laughter through her tears, "I'll remember that! I knew it! Second Brother loves me the most!"
Next, after getting into the bridal sedan chair and going through the wedding ceremony, Meng Yuanxiao was so exhausted by the time she was finally led to the bridal chamber that she felt like she was about to fall apart.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she peeked out from under the bridal veil and saw Cui Xintang holding a scale bar wrapped in red silk. As she was about to lift the veil, her heart leaped into her throat.
The veil was quickly lifted, revealing a familiar face. Meng Yuanxiao blinked, couldn't help but smile, and gave him a warm laugh.
Cui Xintang raised an eyebrow and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What are you laughing at?"
Meng Yuanxiao whispered back, "Brother Tang is handsome."
Indeed! Since their engagement, the two of them had not seen each other. When she suddenly saw his handsome and refined face against the backdrop of his bright red wedding dress, she was immediately dazzled.
If I could see Brother Tang's face every day when I wake up from now on, that would be nice.
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
The bridal chamber was bustling with activity as the couple whispered secrets to each other. Suddenly, a slightly high-pitched voice rang out from the side.
"Wow, the ones you choose yourself are just different!"
The voice was quite loud, as if afraid that others wouldn't hear it. Meng Yuanxiao immediately stopped talking and turned to look.
The one who spoke was a woman in her thirties, with a plump and well-off figure. Her eyes darted around, and she seemed to have a lot of tricks up her sleeve, but she wasn't very smart.
Meng Yuanxiao blinked, then looked at Cui Xintang again.
Cui Xintang remained expressionless and said to her, "It's Second Aunt."
So this was Madam Qin. Meng Yuanxiao smiled at Madam Qin and obediently called her "Aunt."
Qin responded, looked her up and down, said a few flattering words with a smile, and then left with the women in the room.
The bridal chamber finally quieted down, and Meng Yuanxiao breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Tang, you should go to the front hall to entertain the guests. Don't worry about me."
Cui Xintang looked at her and asked, "Are you scared?"
Meng Yuanxiao shook his head and said, "I'm not afraid."
"oh?"
Meng Yuanxiao smiled and said, "Because I know that Brother Tang wouldn't let me suffer!"
Cui Xintang chuckled and pinched her cheek. "I've sent everyone away. You can rest now. Someone will bring you some food later. If you're tired, take a nap."
Meng Yuanxiao nodded vigorously, "I understand, Brother Tang, go quickly."
After watching Cui Xintang leave, Meng Yuanxiao finally breathed a long sigh of relief, took off her elaborate wedding dress, and soaked in the bathtub for a good half an hour.
After they had eaten, she seemed to remember something. Her dark pupils darted around, and she sent Hongshao and several maids out. She closed the door, opened a mahogany box from her dowry, and began rummaging through it.
When Cui Xintang returned reeking of alcohol, he went behind the screen and saw Meng Yuanxiao in a red nightgown, sitting on the bed reading a storybook.
The bed curtains were not yet drawn, and she was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice him returning.
The dragon and phoenix red candles by the bedside were burning brightly, and Meng Yuanxiao's fair face was slightly flushed, making her look as beautiful as a peach blossom in the candlelight.
Cui Xintang's Adam's apple bobbed. "What are you looking at?"
Meng Yuanxiao was startled and quickly sat up straighter. "Brother Tang."
After saying that, he subconsciously hid the storybook behind his back.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes flickered, and she dared not look at him. Cui Xintang glanced behind her without leaving a trace, and then reached out his hand to her.
"You're looking at it so intently, let me see it too."
Meng Yuanxiao hesitated and reluctantly handed over the storybook.
Cui Xintang took the storybook and flipped through it casually.
However, the popular stories among young ladies, about the love and hate of scholars and young women, were not enough to make her feel so guilty.
But seeing her flushed cheeks and obvious guilty expression, it was rather strange.
Cui Xintang flipped through the storybook again and handed it back to her. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a faint trace of dried blood under Meng Yuanxiao's nose.
His heart tightened, and he immediately leaned forward, wiping the blood from under her nose with his index finger. "What happened?"
The moment his hand touched her, Meng Yuanxiao instinctively pulled away.
Cui Xintang frowned. "Are you feeling unwell?"
“No,” Meng Yuanxiao hurriedly shook his head.
Her eyes darted away as she stammered, "It's just that the water was too hot when I was taking a bath, and I got a sore throat."
Cui Xintang: "..."
He naturally didn't believe it. He stared at Meng Yuanxiao for a while, until Meng Yuanxiao became increasingly nervous, before he raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Aren't you coming over?"
Meng Yuanxiao blinked. "What are you doing?"
Cui Xintang: "...Didn't the nanny teach you?"
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned for a moment, then her face turned bright red.
Her gaze drifted to the jade belt around Cui Xintang's waist, and her fingers involuntarily clenched the bedding beneath her.
Cui Xintang just smiled at her and didn't urge her.
Meng Yuanxiao bit her lower lip, her cheeks flushed red as if they were about to bleed.
After hesitating for a moment, she quickly glanced at Cui Xintang, then reached her hand under the pillow.
As Cui Xintang followed her movements, he saw her pull a storybook out from under her pillow.
It doesn't look like an ordinary storybook, and you can see that it has just been read.
He paused for a moment, then looked into Meng Yuanxiao's eyes, his smile deepening.
Meng Yuanxiao swallowed hard, her large, almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she looked at him in the candlelight.
"Brother Tang, I've already taught you."
What was taught is self-evident.
Cui Xintang remained silent for a moment, then took the storybook from her hand. He only turned one page before pausing.
The colorful storybook, with its meticulous and lifelike strokes, is perfect for those in their prime, and just one glance is enough to make your blood boil.
He felt a sudden heat in his lower abdomen and hurriedly closed the storybook.
Thinking of something, he couldn't help but lift his eyelids to glance at the person on the bed.
Cui Xintang fell silent as his gaze fell on the bloodstain under Meng Yuanxiao's nose.
Meng Yuanxiao was looking on with shy anticipation, only realizing what he was looking at a beat too late.
Her heart pounded a few times, and in her panic and embarrassment, she quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose without thinking.
Cui Xintang: "..."
Meng Yuanxiao shook his head, "I didn't see it!"
This statement is clearly a case of trying to cover something up, and the more you try to explain, the worse it gets.
Cui Xintang's eyes darkened. He had already taken a bath and didn't wait for Meng Yuanxiao to help him undress. He took off his outer robe and got into bed on his own.
"Yes, then my husband will watch it with Yuanyuan."
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