3. Stinging
Su Wanting's face instantly became hot, and then turned cold. She knew that Xiao Cixiao did it on purpose.
In this way, he expressed his dissatisfaction and disgust, and told everyone that he had never been willing to enter into this marriage.
The bridesmaid quickly tried to smooth things over: "Mr. Xiao might be too nervous. Let's do it again, again."
As she spoke, she secretly pulled Xiao Cixiao's sleeve.
Xiao Cixiao then bent down reluctantly, but the timing of his bending down was half a beat slower than Su Wanting.
The two did not bow at the same time, and their posture was awkward and awkward, just like this marriage that was in name only.
"Second bow to my parents," Xiao Cixiao's mother was seriously ill and could not be present, so this bow was to the elders of the Su family.
Su Wanting's father, Su Cheng'an, sat in the main seat with a serious expression. He looked at the scene in front of him with a frown on his face.
Xiao Cixiao still bent down perfunctorily, without any respect in his eyes.
"Husband and wife bow to each other," this is the most crucial bow in the wedding ceremony, symbolizing the unity of husband and wife.
Su Wanting took a deep breath and prepared to bow. But the moment she bent down, Xiao Cixiao suddenly took a step back.
Her forehead missed his, not even the edge of his clothes.
The entire auditorium fell silent in an instant, and everyone's eyes were focused on them.
Su Wanting froze in place, her face drained of color beneath her red veil. She could feel the cold aura emanating from Xiao Cixiao, hear the guests gasping for air, and sense her father's stern gaze.
At this moment, all her pride and expectations were completely shattered.
The wedding ceremony ended hastily, and Su Wanting was sent to the bridal chamber. The matchmaker and the maids said a few auspicious words, then tactfully withdrew, leaving Qingdai alone to accompany her.
The red candles were burning, the flames flickering, lighting up the entire room red, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the air.
Su Wanting sat on the edge of the bed, without taking off her red veil. She just sat there quietly, listening to the noise of the guests outside gradually fade away, and the footsteps coming from far away and then from near to far.
She knew that Xiao Cixiao did not come in.
After an unknown amount of time, the door was finally opened. Su Wanting's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously straightened up.
She heard footsteps approach her and stop.
"Su Wanting." Xiao Cixiao's voice sounded, icy cold, without a trace of the tenderness of the wedding night.
Su Wanting didn't move or speak.
Xiao Cixiao took a step forward and reached out to lift her red veil.
The moment his fingers touched the veil, Su Wanting felt a chill that spread along the veil to her face.
She raised her head and met his cold eyes.
There was no trace of drunkenness on his face, and his eyes were clear and indifferent, as if he was looking at a stranger.
"You used the power of the Su family to force me to marry you. Are you satisfied?" Xiao Cixiao's tone was full of sarcasm.
"You think I'll be attracted to you just like this? You think this can make up for the fact that you forcibly tied me up?"
Su Wanting moved her lips and wanted to say something, but found that her throat seemed to be blocked and she couldn't utter a word.
She knew she was wrong, but she didn't expect Xiao Cixiao to say such hurtful words so bluntly.
"I'm telling you," Xiao Cixiao leaned over and leaned close to her ear, his voice low and cold.
"In this life, I will never recognize you as my wife. You have taken the title of Madam Xiao, but you will never get my heart."
After saying this, he stood up, turned around and walked out. When he reached the door, he paused for a moment, without looking back, and only said, "This bridal chamber is for you to live in."
The door was closed, leaving Su Wanting sitting alone in the room full of red candles.
The candle wax flowed down the candle, as if crying for her. She looked at the empty room, at the pair of neatly placed wine glasses on the table, and finally couldn't help but shed tears.
The first rays of sunlight in the morning filtered through the window lattice and shone into the main room of the Xiao Mansion. Su Wanting sat in front of the dressing table, looking at the dark circles under her eyes in the mirror and sighed softly.
She didn't sleep last night. She sat all night until the red candle burned out its last bit of light.
It was almost dawn when she reluctantly lay down, but she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was full of the words Xiao Cixiao said last night, like needles piercing her heart, making her feel painful.
"Miss, it's time to get up. Breakfast is ready in the kitchen. Do you want to eat now?"
Qingdai walked in with a basin of warm water, looked at Su Wanting's pale face, and said with heartache.
Su Wanting nodded, stood up and walked to the table. On the table was a bowl of millet porridge, a plate of pickles, and a white flour bun.
This is the breakfast at the Xiao Mansion, it couldn’t be simpler.
Ever since she married Xiao Cixiao, she had completely shed the pampered image of a daughter of a marquis.
When she was in the Marquis' Mansion, her breakfast consisted of seven or eight kinds of snacks and three or four kinds of porridge. But when she came to the Xiao Mansion, because of her poor family background, her daily meals were extremely simple.
She did not complain, but felt that this was a good thing. At least it allowed her to be closer to Xiao Cixiao and take care of him slowly in her own way.
She quickly finished her breakfast, then walked into the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for Xiao Cixiao.
Xiao Cixiao now works in the Hanlin Academy and needs to get up early to attend court every day. She wants him to have a hot meal before going out.
She tied an apron, washed the rice skillfully, cooked porridge, took out an egg from the lunch box, and carefully cooked it in the porridge.
She brought these eggs from the Marquis' Mansion. Given the financial situation of the Xiao family, they couldn't afford to eat eggs every day.
She thought that Xiao Cixiao worked hard in court every day and needed nutrition. An egg might give him more energy.
After the porridge was cooked, she poured it into an insulated food box, and then took out a white flour bun and a plate of pickles she made by herself and put them into the food box.
Then, she carried the lunch box and walked to the door of Xiao Cixiao's study.
Xiao Cixiao has been living in the study since his wedding night and has never set foot in the main room.
In the past five years, he went out early every day and came back late, and the two met only a few times.
Even if we occasionally met in the yard, he would just nod coldly, then turn and leave without saying a single word.
Su Wanting stood at the door of the study, hesitated for a long time, and then knocked on the door gently: "Xiao Cixiao, it's time to get up. I prepared breakfast for you."
There was no response from inside.
She knocked on the door again, her voice raised a little: "Xiao Cixiao, if you don't get up, you'll be late."
After a while, the door of the study was opened. Xiao Cixiao was wearing a green court robe, and his hair was neatly combed, but his face was still cold, and there was no warmth in his eyes.
"Put it down." He said lightly, without looking at her or inviting her in.
Su Wanting handed him the lunch box and said softly, "The porridge is still hot, eat it while it's hot. There's also an egg in it, remember to eat it."
Xiao Cixiao took the lunch box, turned around and walked into the study without saying a word, then closed the door with a bang.
Su Wanting stood at the door, looking at the closed door, her heart felt like a bucket of cold water was poured on her.
Su Wanting spent the next five years like this every day.
In the early morning, she got up early to prepare breakfast for Xiao Cixiao; at noon, she would go to the teahouse near the Hanlin Academy to bring him lunch; in the evening, she would wait for him outside the study and cook a bowl of ginger soup for him to drive away the cold and warm his body.
She used the dowry she brought from the Marquis' Mansion to subsidize the Xiao family's household expenses.
Xiao Cixiao's mother was seriously ill and needed long-term medication, so she went to the pharmacy to get the medicine in person, and then carefully decocted the medicine according to the prescription and delivered it to the old lady's room on time every day.
The old lady was a little alienated from her at first, but over time, she was moved by her attentiveness and filial piety, and gradually treated her better. Occasionally, she would persuade Xiao Cixiao to be nicer to her.
But Xiao Cixiao remained unmoved. He never accepted her subsidies, and every time she gave money to the housekeeper, he would ask the housekeeper to return it to her intact.
He also never ate the food she sent him. Every time she sent the food box to the study, he would either ask the butler to pass it to the servants, or put it aside and have someone throw it away after she left.
He never drank a single sip of the ginger soup she cooked. Every time she sent the ginger soup to the study, he would ask her to take it back, saying that he didn't need it.
She did not give up and persisted.
She thought, maybe she hadn't done well enough, or maybe Xiao Cixiao hadn't let go of his grudge against her.
She began to learn how to cook his favorite dishes. He loved reading the "Records of the Grand Historian," so she asked someone to get all the different editions of the "Records of the Grand Historian" from the library in the mansion and send them to his study.
He liked calligraphy, so she bought the best rice paper and ink sticks and placed them on his desk.
Once, Xiao Cixiao was ostracized by his colleagues and falsely accused in the court of accepting bribes.
After he returned home, he was in an extremely depressed mood. He locked himself in the study and did not come out for the whole day.
Su Wanting was very anxious when she learned about it. She knew Xiao Cixiao's character, he was honest and upright and would never accept bribes.
She wanted to help him, but she was just a woman and could not go to court to defend him. After much thought, she finally came up with a solution: to use the Su family's connections and ask her father for help.
She rushed back to the Marquis' Mansion overnight and knelt outside her father's study, begging her father to come forward and help Xiao Cixiao clear up the injustice.
Her father was reluctant at first, saying that Xiao Cixiao was so indifferent to her and there was no need for her to do this for him.
But she did not give up and kept kneeling outside the study until her father softened his heart and agreed to help.
With the help of his father, Xiao Cixiao's grievances were finally cleared up, and those colleagues who framed him received the punishment they deserved.
Xiao Cixiao's reputation was restored, and because of this incident, he was even appreciated by the emperor and promoted to the position of censor.
Su Wanting was happier than anyone else when she heard the news. She thought Xiao Cixiao would change his mind about her this time and would say thank you.
But she didn't expect that after Xiao Cixiao came back, he just said to her lightly: "Don't use your Su family's power to interfere in my affairs in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
