Chapter 124 The Wedding
Lu Zhao went out of the city to suppress the bandits, and the Qiao family was on tenterhooks.
With the wedding date fast approaching, Madam Lin was filled with anxiety and made a special trip to the Lu family.
Old Mrs. Lu had just finished her Buddhist prayers and had a faint scent of sandalwood on her body. "Before Zhao'er left, she specifically instructed that if no one was sent to deliver the message, the wedding would proceed as scheduled, so the in-laws need not worry."
"I'm quite anxious, thinking that suppressing bandits isn't something that can be done in a day or two. But you, sir, are so calm," said Madam Lin.
"He who eats the king's food should bear the king's worries. Since Zhao'er is working in the City God's Office, he should assume the corresponding responsibilities. I believe in his abilities, so you don't need to worry too much. He will return safely." Old Madam Lu was more knowledgeable and had a broader perspective.
Mrs. Lin nodded in agreement. That made sense, but she was just an ordinary citizen and couldn't be as calm as Mrs. Lu had described.
After seeing Lin off, Old Madam Lu stared blankly at the teacup on the table. It took several calls from Granny Kong before she snapped out of her daze. "I originally wanted Zhao'er to spare Lu Xingzhou's life."
Granny Kong didn't know what the eldest young master had done, but she could guess. "Some people are just asking for it. You can't blame the eldest young master. He has already given Lu Xingzhou a chance."
"Yes, if it weren't for me, Zhao'er would have killed Lu Xingzhou and his mother long ago. Lu Xingzhou came to Lin'an this time to ruin Zhao'er's marriage. How could Zhao'er tolerate this?"
Grandma Lu also knew that her son was involved in this. She often couldn't understand how she could have raised such a stupid and lecherous son. Zhao'er had even avoided them and gone to live in Lin'an. Couldn't they just live peacefully on their own?
Why did they have to cause this?!
After the marriage, Old Madam Lu will have to hurry back to Bianjing to keep things under control. Lu Xingzhou was Meng Wanying's only son, and now that Lu Xingzhou is dead, who knows what Meng Wanying might do.
"Have someone suppress the news and prevent it from spreading to Bianjing. Anyone who dares to utter a word knows what I'm capable of." Old Madam Lu was skilled in managing the household and had a knack for controlling her subordinates. "Zhao'er is right. It's better to stay away from Bianjing to avoid all this trouble and gossip."
"Don't think too much about it. It was the bandits who robbed Lu Xingzhou of his money, and it was the bandits who killed him and ran away with the body. No matter what, it has nothing to do with the eldest young master. In addition, the eldest young master can get a merit for suppressing the bandits. Just consider it a congratulatory gift from Lu Xingzhou to the eldest young master." Granny Kong poured tea for her mistress. In her opinion, Lu Xingzhou's death was not unjust. The eldest young master had already let Lu Xingzhou live, but Lu Xingzhou brought death upon himself. He can't blame anyone else.
Grandma Lu didn't care whether Lu Xingzhou lived or died; she just felt that since someone had died, she should chant sutras to accumulate good fortune for her grandson.
She sat for a while, then took Granny Kong to chant scriptures.
In fact, Lu Zhao quickly captured the bandits, and despite their desperate resistance, he killed them all.
When Lu Zhao returned in triumph with his troops, the people of the city cheered and spontaneously praised "Lord Lu's bravery" on the roadside.
Upon learning that Lu Zhao had returned safely, the Qiao family breathed a sigh of relief and happily prepared for the wedding banquet the next day.
For Qiao Mianmian's wedding, the Lin family arrived a day early. Lu Zhao moved to the new house, leaving his room available for the Lin family.
The third branch of the Qiao family also brought good news: Qiao Jiasheng's marriage was arranged with the village chief's daughter.
Qiao Manhua and her husband only have one son, and they hope that Qiao Jiasheng will get married soon so they can have a grandson. The wedding date is set for September, after the autumn harvest.
Lin was busy preparing things for the wedding banquet. The second and third wives were helping in the courtyard. Qiao Manhua went to see her second brother. "Jiasheng's marriage has been arranged. Is it Jiasheng's?"
Speaking of which, Qiao Jiacheng is a month older than Qiao Jiasheng; he's nineteen this year.
Qiao Manyu said there was no rush, "Jiacheng will only be twenty next year, it's not too late to find him a wife after he comes of age."
What he was thinking was that Xia He's husband was participating in the autumn hunt this year, and Mianmian was about to marry into the Lu family; these were all good relatives. If Xia He's husband could achieve some success in the imperial examinations, and he could further cultivate a good relationship with the Lu family, it would be beneficial when his son was getting married.
He has two sons and is not in a hurry for them to get married early; choosing a good one is the right thing to do.
Zhou, however, was envious. "It will be too late to look next year. By then, my third brother will be holding his grandson, and you won't have a daughter-in-law yet. I don't care. In a few days, I will find an official matchmaker to find a wife for Jiacheng."
It wouldn't do to let my son fall behind others; that wouldn't do.
"What do you know, you woman?" Qiao Manyu still said there was no rush. "There are plenty of good girls in Lin'an City. We can take our time to choose. Jiacheng is now a worker and earning his own money. Are you worried that he won't find a wife?"
"I just want to hold my grandson as soon as possible," Zhou said.
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Qiao Manhua tried to smooth things over, saying, "We should take our time and find a family we know well. Jiasheng was settled quickly because the two children grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and our two families know each other very well. If it's just what the official matchmaker says, they can exaggerate someone's merits to an even higher level. Take it slow, there's no rush."
“Yes, Third Brother is right.” Qiao Manyu finished shaving the pig’s feet and stood up, supporting her back. “For Mianmian’s wedding, Big Brother is going to empty the family’s coffers. There are ten dishes on the table, supposedly for the auspicious meaning of perfection.”
Zhou said that her eldest brother's family doted on Qiao Mianmian the most. She looked around and said in a low voice, "Mother does too. Everyone knows she dotes on Mianmian."
Mrs. He said with a smile, "Mianmian is sweet-talking and capable. We like her too. Otherwise, who would be working here?"
As she spoke, she saw the Lin family members carrying rice back, and quickly gave her husband a wink.
Qiao Manhua got up to help, but the Lin brothers said no, "Uncle, let us brothers do these physical tasks."
Lin Yongnian also came in, smiling and saying, "Jinshan and the others are young, we older folks can just sit here and do the washing and cleaning."
Qiao Manhua smiled and said yes, and brought a stool for Lin Yongnian so that everyone could sit down and pluck pig bristles together.
In preparation for tomorrow's wedding banquet, the Qiao family specially bought a whole pig, which was slaughtered today and stewed later so that it can be eaten tomorrow.
The banquets for the bride and groom were held separately. The Qiao family set up tables in the alley, while the Lu family had no relatives and only Lu Zhao's colleagues and friends. Therefore, they invited the chef from Chunxi Restaurant to come and prepare a few tables of food.
Qiao Jiaxing was in charge of the Qiao family's banquet. He came out with a spoon and asked if the meat was washed. "It's getting dark, Second Uncle and Third Uncle. Once it's ready, carry it to the backyard. Stop chatting for now."
"I know, you little rascal, you're getting more and more capable." Qiao Manyu said with a smile, then checked the pork and carried it to the kitchen with Qiao Manhua and the others.
After the pork broth is cooked, the rest can be done tomorrow. The rice cakes have already been made today, and the glutinous rice cakes will be made tomorrow.
Ciba (glutinous rice cake) tastes best when served hot, and when coated with sesame and peanut powder, it's incredibly fragrant.
The next day, before dawn, Qiao Manhua got up to steam glutinous rice, while others prepared dishes and moved tables.
Lin and Qiao Mancang had already arranged these tasks. Fortunately, there were many people in both the Qiao and Lin families, so everyone worked together and things were done quickly.
"Don't set up the tables and chairs yet. Leave them along the street. We'll set them up after the wedding procession leaves," Hu Qianqian said loudly. Her mother-in-law was busy greeting guests, so she took over arranging the tables and chairs.
Turning around and seeing the elderly couple from the Lin family, she quickly ran over with a smile, "My mother-in-law instructed me early this morning that when she saw you two, she would ask you to sit in the main hall and have some tea. It's not appropriate for you to take care of things here."
Lin Rong and his wife were happy to see their granddaughter getting married. Lin Rong waved his hand and said, "We are also Mianmian's family, so it's only right that we help out. Old woman, go and see Mianmian, I'll help out here."
Mrs. He smiled as she went to find her granddaughter. The silver ring for the dowry had already been given, and she was going to check on her now.
Qiao Mianmian was woken up early to wash her face and get dressed. The Lu family had sent over gold headdresses, which she then put on her head. Looking at her glittering reflection in the bronze mirror, Qiao Mianmian hesitated and said, "Grandmother, do I need to wear so many?"
"It's best to wear them all, so people can see how much the Lu family values you." Zhang wasn't satisfied yet. "Oh my, my dear in-laws are here! Look at Mianmian, doesn't she look especially beautiful today?"
"Yes, our Mianmian is the most beautiful." Madam He stood in front of the dressing table, looking her granddaughter up and down. "Girls change a lot as they grow up. You were chubby when you were little, but now you've grown into a beautiful young woman. Mianmian, if you suffer any grievances after you get married, you must tell your family. We have plenty of brothers and sisters in our family, remember that?"
She looked at her granddaughter with affection, as if she were seeing her daughter on her wedding day, with the same radiant face. So many years have passed; fine lines have appeared at the corners of her daughter's eyes, and her granddaughter has grown up.
As past memories flashed by, Mrs. He suddenly shed a tear.
"Grandma, please don't cry." Qiao Mianmian raised her hand to help wipe away the tears.
Zhang wanted to speak up to comfort her, but as soon as she opened her mouth, tears fell from her eyes, and she covered her mouth, afraid to make a sound.
Zheng Sanhua, standing to the side, was also teary-eyed, which made Qiao Mianmian's own eyes redden.
“You can’t cry,” Mrs. He reminded her. “We finally got your makeup done, and if you cry, we’ll have to redo it for you.”
Qiao Mianmian looked up as her grandmother gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. When she opened her mouth, tears still slid down her cheeks. "So what if they're flowers? I'm good-looking anyway."
These words amused everyone in the room. Zhang wiped away her tears with her sleeve and came over to touch up her granddaughter's makeup, saying, "I know you're beautiful, but today is different."
As she spoke, she asked Zheng Sanhua to go to the door and take a look. "The wedding procession is almost here. Go and see if you see anyone. Run back and tell us, and we'll put the red veil over Mianmian's head again."
Zheng Sanhua ran very fast, and soon Zhou brought her daughter in. "Mother, let Huanhuan stay here. She's a troublemaker, always running around with those boys!"
Mrs. Zhang agreed and gave her granddaughter some sesame candy, saying, "You sit here obediently."
Qiao Huanhuan had no appetite for candy. Looking at her cousin's carefully dressed appearance, she exclaimed in amazement, "Sister Mianmian, when my brother-in-law sees you later, he will definitely be amazed by your beauty!"
Qiao Mianmian said with certainty, "Our Huanhuan is pretty too."
The two sisters praised each other, noting that Qiao Huanhuan, now two years older, was more talkative. Just then, Zheng Sanhua ran back. Before she could even speak, Zhang and the others heard the sound of gongs and drums and quickly covered Qiao Mianmian's head with a red veil.
The light dimmed, leaving only a reddish glow. Qiao Mianmian could only see a tiny bit of her instep, and her heart pounded faster.
"Don't be nervous, the matchmaker is here," Zhang whispered to her granddaughter.
The matchmaker was plump and had a very auspicious smile. She led Qiao Mianmian to the front hall, and after completing the formalities, it was time to leave.
Qiao Mianmian couldn't see the expressions on her family's faces, but at this moment, she felt a strange sadness, along with nervousness and anticipation.
As she prepared to step over the threshold, a warm, large hand supported her elbow, making her feel at ease and gradually relax.
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