Chapter 5-Part 2

Granny Wan looked down on them, and she looked down on Granny Wan as well. Despite being a woman herself, she always belittled other women, not treating them as equals yet envying their beauty and better lives, all while maintaining a righteous facade.

She had confronted Granny Wan several times, keeping her at a distance, and now that she was about to be married off, she wanted to create a rift between Lu Junyu and herself, making her feel uncomfortable. Since Granny Wan had been so “kind” to her, she couldn’t let it go without giving her a big gift.

Lu Junyu nodded and began to carry her forward. Just as they reached the bridal sedan door, she heard the old village chief cough lightly.

She smiled faintly.

The old village chief was a typical patriarch and hadn’t been well recently, rarely coming out. But someone must have informed him of Lu Junyu’s words just now, so he was definitely coming.

This was her chance.

She spoke to Granny Wan from behind her red veil, saying, “Granny Wan, I suddenly remembered; didn’t you say you lost an earring last time? I found it a few days ago in the low-lying area behind the mountain and left it in the crevice of a nearby rock. You can go take a look.”

After speaking, she didn’t care about the reactions of those around her and signaled for Lu Junyu to put her in the sedan.

This Granny Wan was secretly involved with her sweetheart and hiding it from the old village chief, usually keeping it very discreet, but she had accidentally discovered it.

This was karma; plot against her; haha… she will make her lose her skin.

The Lu family shouted, “Lift the sedan!”

Then firecrackers crackled, and Lu Junyu, sitting high on the horse, cracked the whip, and the wedding procession began its journey.

Hearing Mrs. Wang’s crying from behind, Hehua’s hand tightened. She thought to herself, “Mother, just wait a few more days, and I’ll come to get you.”

The Li family was a household of a widowed mother and daughter, with only two sets of dowry, which were only filled to the brim because Mrs. Wang stuffed four quilts inside. The Lu family was also in decline, and Lu Junyu had just become a scholar, so their financial situation wasn’t affluent.

Therefore, there weren’t many people in the welcoming procession, but at least they had a sedan chair and a white horse to maintain appearances. The procession was passable. It is currently the best wedding ceremony in the Li family village.

As they traversed mountains and hills, by the time they passed through Liuhe Town, it was already getting late.

Lu Junyu allowed everyone to rest for a while and distributed wine and dry rations, smiling and saying, “Thank you all for your help. It’s getting late, so let’s continue on our way, and we’ll be home soon. I bow to you all for your hard work.”

The people ate and drank, naturally happy, and shouted loudly, “Mr. Lu, rest assured, we promise not to stop until we reach the Lu family’s gate, and you’ll be able to enter the bridal chamber on time. Haha.”

Taking the opportunity, Hehua shifted her numb body.

Although the sedan chair had a thicker cushion, sitting for four or five hours was still unbearable.

Fortunately, when they passed Shi Mountain earlier, she had relieved herself with the accompaniment of the Lu family’s matchmaker; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

She didn’t know what time it was now.

In Great Qi, the bride usually left early, but the wedding ceremony was held in the evening.

From their conversation, she guessed they weren’t far from the Lu family village, finally feeling a sense of relief.

Just as she stamped her feet, she heard a deep voice outside the window: “Miss Li, would you like to eat something to fill your stomach?”

Hehua thought for a moment, then said, “Mr.Lu, forget it; we’ll be there soon. I can hold on.”

If she ate now, it would be troublesome if she had to go to the toilet again later, and it would be even more uncomfortable to hold it in.

As soon as she finished speaking, a beautiful hand reached in through the sedan window, holding a paper-wrapped snack. The person outside persisted, saying, “It’s okay, Miss Li; just eat a little. It’ll be a while.”

The snack wasn’t greasy but had a fragrance of tea.

Hehua had no choice but to accept it and said, “Thank you, Lord Lu.”

It was only a small piece, so it should be fine. Her stomach was indeed hungry.

The voice outside the window was full of laughter: “Miss Li, we’re on our way. Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon.”

Hehua couldn’t help but detect a hint of teasing in his words and raise her eyebrows: had this guy received some marital education these past few days? Or had he just gotten bold?

As Lu Junyu had said, about an hour later, she heard the sound of firecrackers, indicating they had reached the boundary of the Lu family’s land, and the Lu family had begun to welcome them.

From here on out, she just needed to follow the instructions of the matchmaker like a puppet. After getting out of the sedan chair, performing the rites, and following the shouts as she was led into the bridal chamber, it signaled that she had officially become part of the Lu family.

In the future, she might rarely hear her old name, Hehua, which she had previously despised so much.

Thinking about this, she felt a bit lost.

She was no longer the independent and carefree woman of modern times. However, she immediately cheered herself up: no matter what, she would live her life well and embody her spirit.

Not everyone has the chance to live again; she wouldn’t waste the opportunity given to her by fate.

As she was led into the bridal chamber by the matchmaker and sat on the edge of the bed, many people rushed in to tease the newlyweds.

The laughter was a bit grating, but she covered herself with the red veil, feeling shy as a bride should.

At this time, as long as no one deliberately caused trouble, most people wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

At that moment, a sharp female voice rang out: “Oh, didn’t the bride say she’s from the exile village? How come the fabric of this wedding gown looks quite good? Where did it come from?”

Hearing this, Hehua’s smile faded.

It seemed that the Lu family had its own problems.

On their big wedding day, someone was openly embarrassing the Lu family. However, since she had come to the Lu family for her, if she didn’t retaliate, she would be underestimated, and things might escalate.

Just as she was about to speak, Lu Junyu’s voice sounded: “Auntie Wu, are you trying to make the Lu family look bad? His Majesty has never decreed that the Li family village is an exile village.”

The person called Auntie Wu panicked. “I was just speaking nonsense; please don’t mind. My younger siblings are calling me, so I’ll leave first.”

The matchmaker finally spoke up: “Alright, alright, the newlyweds are about to drink the bridal cup. Everyone, please leave for now. You can come back later to tease them in the bridal chamber.”

After hearing the sound of the door closing, Hehua felt Lu Junyu come to her side. Before she could mentally prepare herself, a bright light filled her vision as the red veil was lifted.

She couldn’t help but lift her head and see a handsome face, prompting her to reflexively give him a big smile.

Lu Junyu’s eyes shimmered.

He had always known his wife was beautiful, but he hadn’t expected her to be this beautiful, especially those curved willow leaf eyebrows, even prettier than the ones he painted.

Hmm, would his painting skills come in handy in the future?

The matchmaker also exclaimed, “In all my years as a matchmaker, this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful bride. The groom is fortunate.”

Hehua blushed and blinked her eyes, shyly lowering her head.

The matchmaker became even happier, feeling better just by looking at attractive people. Next came the sitting-for-luck, eating the dumplings for descendants, and the unity wine.

Then they waited for the teasing in the bridal chamber.

Putting down his wine cup, Lu Junyu suppressed the urge to touch the fair face across from him and whispered, “Wife, I’ll step out for a moment. If you’re hungry, there’s food on the table that you can eat.”

Hehua blushed and nodded, watching as the matchmaker sensibly stood far away.

Then she whispered softly, “Husband, if the people teasing us later are like Auntie Wu just now…” Should she grab a kitchen knife or not if someone causes trouble?

Looking into her wide-eyed, watery eyes, Lu Junyu’s heart warmed, almost not wanting to leave.

However, his wife was still waiting for his answer.

He concealed his fondness and whispered, “Don’t worry, they won’t dare.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “But if someone still acts inappropriately, wife, don’t hesitate. However, could you please refrain from wielding a kitchen knife today?”

Hehua was caught off guard by his insight and felt a bit embarrassed. Remembering that today was her wedding day after all, she nodded and coquettishly said, “Yes, I’ll listen to my husband.”

Originally, she should have called herself a concubine to express her respect for her husband, but she was just a crude village girl now; others wouldn’t understand! Hehe.

Lu Junyu didn’t mind her title and quietly touched her small hand before leaving the new room.

The matchmaker chuckled, “The bride and groom are as good-looking as a painting. Naturally, they’ll grow old together and be deeply in love.”

Then she shouted outside, “You can start teasing them in the bridal chamber now. The bride still has a red envelope!”