Chapter 60 [VIP]
"Mr. Liang, are you really not going?"
"No, no, I'm not going. Once you're all gone, I'll have a few days of peace and quiet by myself."
"Then please be careful at home alone."
"Hurry up, hurry up." Liang Boqing waved his hand, picked up his fishing rod and bucket, and went out to fish.
Although she is alone, she actually has attendants from Laizhou at home. Chen Xi has also instructed them to help take care of her during this period. The only concern is that the elderly person may not be eating well.
With Lin Qiu's wedding in seven days, Wang Ying and the others planned to return to town early to prepare.
Cao Kun and Lin Qiucheng's wedding banquet had to be held in the county town, which made the wedding procession a major problem.
The county seat is three days' journey from Qingshui Town. Even at top speed, it would take two days, so it's impossible to make the newlyweds travel back and forth on the wedding day.
So after discussing it, both sides decided to let them settle in the county town first, and then pick up the bride directly in the county.
When they returned to town, Li and Chen Rong had already packed up everything.
Besides the dowry, there were also wedding items, filling three horse-drawn carriages. And that was after all the selection; otherwise, there would have been even more.
The vehicles were arranged by Cao Kun's side. He was very thoughtful, preparing four horse-drawn carriages and three flatbed carts in advance, enough for the whole family to travel comfortably.
The men who came to pick them up were porters. Before they came, the second-in-command had repeatedly warned them not to embarrass themselves when they arrived. He said that if anyone embarrasses himself, he shouldn't blame him for being disrespectful when they returned.
As a result, these young men were all extremely cautious, afraid that they might say the wrong thing and ruin the second-in-command's marriage.
After resting overnight, everyone boarded the horse-drawn carriage with their luggage early the next morning and headed to the county town to attend the wedding.
Many people went this time, including all my family members, as well as several relatives from the same clan. Only the doorman, Linzi, was left to look after the house.
Chen Rong and Li Shi took Lin Qiu and Wang Ying in one car. On the way, they could take care of Wang Ying and also teach Lin Qiu about what it's like to be married.
Chen Qingyan took her younger siblings in the second car, while the remaining relatives rode in two separate carriages.
Throughout the journey, Li was worried about Wang Ying's health, so she laid out thick cotton cushions where he would sit, fearing that he would get tired or be jostled.
Chen Rong held Wang Ying's hand and said, "It's been more than four months, right? Do you still feel nauseous when you eat?"
"I don't feel nauseous anymore, but I have a good appetite. I eat more in one meal than I used to eat in two meals, and my belly has gotten bigger."
"You're pregnant now, so you're eating for two, you can't eat more."
Ms. Li: "The baby will be born in a little over five months. We don't know if it will be a boy or a girl. Have you two named the baby yet?"
Wang Ying shook her head, "It hasn't been named yet. Qingyan said he wants to wait for Elder Liang to help him choose a name." He is the most talented man in Jiangnan. With such a cultured person around, it would be a waste not to use him.
Li asked, "Did you feel the baby move?"
"It even moved last night! It was so cute, like holding a kitten."
"Oh my, hahahahaha..." The two women couldn't help but laugh.
Sitting next to Wang Ying, Lin Qiu stared at her stomach with curiosity, wondering what it felt like.
After finishing her conversation, Wang Ying started talking about Lin Qiu, "You're getting married soon, and your mother has a few words of advice for you."
"Okay." Lin Qiu sat obediently and listened to his mother and aunt talking.
"After you marry into the Cao family, you must prioritize your husband's family in everything you do, especially Cao Kun's mother. You must treat her well."
Chen Rong paused for a moment and said, "It wasn't easy for her to raise Cao Kun all by herself. She must be a woman with her own opinions. In the future, discuss things with her and don't upset her."
"Yes, I saved it."
Li, worried, grabbed Lin Qiu's hand and said, "You can't listen to your mother all the time. If it's torturous, we won't allow it! Our sons and daughters, no matter where they marry, can't be bullied. If anything happens, just let us know, and your cousin and his wife will definitely come to help!"
Wang Ying chimed in, "That's right, if Cao Kun dares to bully you, Qingyan and I will definitely settle the score with him!"
Lin Qiu's nose tingled, and she nodded with red eyes, feeling an indescribable warmth in her heart.
After saying all that, she started teaching him about sex. Although Wang Ying had already experienced it, it was still incredibly embarrassing to hear it from her elders.
Lin Qiu was also embarrassed, her ears turning red with shame. "Mother... please stop talking..."
Chen Rong slapped him, "Everything I told you is useful, what are you shy about?"
Wang Ying turned to look out of the car. No one had told him about this when he got married. He and Chen Qingyan had to figure it out on their own and learn it by instinct.
*
After a bumpy three-day journey, the group finally arrived in the county town. When they lined up to enter the town, they saw Cao Kun waiting for them.
He had a good relationship with the soldiers guarding the city, and after a quick check, he let everyone pass.
Cao Kun first had his men drive the cart to the inn to settle the guests in. After the guests were settled, he gave the men a reward.
"Thank you all for your hard work!"
"What are you saying, Second Boss? It takes us several days to run a trip, so what's a little bit of hardship?"
"That's right, we brothers are happy to be able to help the second-in-command!"
"Haha, everyone come to the wedding banquet, let's have a good time!"
The men drove away, and Cao Kun hurried to see Lin Qiu and his mother-in-law. He planned to take them to the old courtyard on the east side to stay, and then pick them up from there on their wedding day.
"Thank you all for your hard work along the way."
Chen Rong said, "It's alright. You've been busy preparing for so long all by yourself, it's really tiring."
Cao Kun chuckled and scratched his head. "This is what I'm supposed to do. You only get married once in your life, so I can't be careless about anything."
Lin Qiu looked up at him, their eyes met, and she immediately turned her head away, a blush rising on her cheeks, making Cao Kun's heart itch.
"Let's go over there first and see if we're missing anything. I'll go and get it ready right away."
The Cao family's old courtyard wasn't very big, with only three main rooms and two side rooms. It was enough for him and his mother, but it would be a bit too small for a wedding.
A few years ago, Cao Kun bought a new courtyard house in the south of the city. The two-courtyard house had five main rooms, plus side rooms and a rear building, enough for three generations to live in. It was perfect to use as a wedding room.
When they arrived, Cao's mother was also there. She was very tall, with gray hair, and was wearing a gray-blue coarse cloth dress.
Seeing Chen Rong and the others approach, he didn't smile much, and only said indifferently, "This must be my in-laws' wife. I have a bad memory, we've only met once and I can hardly remember."
Chen Rong took the initiative to step forward and grab her arm, "My dear sister-in-law, have you forgotten about me?"
Cao's mother subtly pulled her arm away. "You must be tired from the journey. It must have been hard traveling so far. Come inside and rest."
"That's alright. The two children are willing, and it's fine for the adults to suffer a little."
Cao Kun, who was standing to the side, quickly said, "I've had someone prepare a simple meal to tide us over, and we'll go to a restaurant for dinner tonight."
Chen Rong quickly replied, "No need for that. Just have a bite at home."
"No trouble at all, I've already booked a table. Come on in."
Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan walked at the back. He was not sure if it was just his sensitivity, but he felt that Cao's mother seemed to be less than satisfied with the marriage.
He nudged the person next to him with his elbow, and Chen Qingyan understood, lowered his head and leaned closer, "Brother, what's wrong?"
Wang Ying lowered her voice and said, "Don't you think Cao Kun's mother seems a little unhappy?"
No, you're overthinking it.
"I hope so." They hadn't returned from the estate when the deal was made, and this was the first time they had met Cao Kun's mother. Perhaps that's just her personality.
Upon entering the house, it was very clean. The east and west rooms were bedrooms, and the central room was a living room furnished with tables, chairs, and benches.
Li and Chen Rong stayed in the east room with Lin Qiu, while Chen Qingyan and Wang Ying stayed in the west room. The rest of them stayed at the inn to rest and would come over on the wedding day.
Cao Kun busied himself boiling water and making tea, washing fruit to serve them, and soon brought over steaming hot soup dumplings.
Chen Rong said, "Don't bother, sit down and have something to eat."
Cao Kun chuckled and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's alright, I'm not tired." He works much harder outside all year round, and besides, he's not entertaining strangers, but his own husband and mother-in-law. Even if he's tired, he's happy.
Chen Qingyan beckoned to him, "Sit down and eat with us. We'll discuss the wedding arrangements later."
"Why."
When his brother-in-law spoke, he quickly moved a stool over and sat down. The Chen family had few men, and his fourth uncle was far away in Shanzhou and couldn't come back, so Chen Qingyan was the only man who could take care of things.
Before coming here, he specifically asked the elders in the clan about marriage matters, since he was seriously ill in bed when he got married and it was all over in a daze, and he didn't understand the steps at all.
"According to the customs of Qingshui Town, the wedding must begin at 3:00 AM. The wedding procession must pass through three gates: the main gate, the room gate, and the house gate. At each gate, copper coins must be scattered for good luck."
The amount of copper coins is fine, it's entirely up to the host.
"I plan to give out 100 coins for each door, which is neither too much nor too stingy."
Cao Kun had no objection; he was willing to spend this amount of money.
Next was the tea ceremony and the formal address ceremony. The third aunt prepared a ten-tael silver ingot sealed in a red bag. Giving so much silver was not for any other reason than to hope that Cao Kun would treat Qiu'er well and that the two of them would live a good life.
The Cao family also needs to prepare money for Lin Qiu to change his address; the amount depends on their goodwill.
Cao Kun said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely discuss it with my mother."
Chen Qingyan said, "The process after the wedding will follow the customs of this county town. We need to prepare something in advance."
"It's the custom in our county that on the wedding day, everyone comes to the groom's house for a meal and drinks to celebrate. I'll have someone pick you up on the day, you must come."
Chen Qingyan smiled and nodded, "Okay, we'll definitely go."
After chatting for a few minutes, Cao Kun noticed that they all looked tired, so he quickly stood up and said, "You guys rest first, I'm going to the porter's shop, I'll come back later."
"Go on your way." Everyone got up and saw him off.
Li said, "Cao Kun is a really good kid. He's excellent at everything he does."
"Yes, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to remarry Qiu'er back to the county town."
The thought of possibly running into Lin Changbin at her wedding made Chen Rong feel uneasy.
Lin Qiu had also thought of this, and pulled her along, saying, "Mother, don't worry, even if I see him, I won't recognize him. I'll just have someone throw him out!"
"Alas...my poor son."
*
On the other side, Cao Kun came out of the old house and went straight to the new house. Several good brothers were helping him decorate the house. Red silk was hung in the yard and red festive decorations were pasted on the doors and windows, making it look very festive.
"Brother Cao is back! Did your wife pick him up?"
"Here you go, take him back to rest. I've booked a few tables at Changshunlou Restaurant tonight, come over for dinner!"
"Okay!" Everyone agreed with laughter and finished pasting the last few "double happiness" characters before going home.
Cao Kun walked to the east room and knocked on the door. "Mother, are you in there?"
"exist."
He pushed open the door and went inside, and saw his mother sitting on the bed wiping away tears.
"What are you doing now? Your son is getting married, aren't you happy?"
"I'll only be happy if you marry Caixia. How can I be happy if you marry some shabby guy!"
Cao Kun's face darkened. "What are you saying!"
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com