Chapter 160: Long-Cherished Wish
The 3rd day of the month.
Auspicious: Weddings, travel, buying property, starting a business.
Inauspicious: Sulking, repairing graves, erecting tombstones.
On this day, Commander Jiang married off his daughter.
It was a bit rushed.
Gong Qichi brought Young Master Zi and Zi Ganjiang to attend the wedding.
Zi Ganjiang had also been granted a title.
Following his foster Father to rebel meant living the good life.
He was now, at the very least, a proper military officer.
When he first saw Jiang Wan, he had thoughts of taking her as a wife.
Later, he realized his thoughts at that time had been clouded by arrogance; he wasn’t worthy.
The Eldest Miss was clearly a young lady from a prestigious family; what right did someone like him, who lived life on the edge, have to pursue her?
Just because he had a thick face?
He had been more interested in The Eldest Miss of Commander Jiang’s family.
Zi Ganjiang spent a lot of time with Jiang Feng and considered them friends.
He had quite a good impression of Jiang Feng’s sister.
However, Zi Ganjiang believed that a real man should prioritize establishing his career before settling down.
Now that he had been granted a title, he had originally intended to propose marriage.
Last time at the jewelry shop, Jiang Feng’s sister had smiled at him—her teeth were white, she had dimples on her cheeks, and her smile was warm.
But he hadn’t expected that upon returning, he would be drinking at her wedding.
It turns out that if you like a good girl, you must confess and take action early.
If you wait, someone else will beat you to it.
He never expected that the young General Meng, who came to the capital to receive his title, would actually ask to marry Jiang Yu.
And he was even willing to stay at the Jiang residence for three years.
The former was already unthinkable, but the latter—that three-year commitment—was even more unbelievable.
Zi Ganjiang felt he couldn’t do that, so he didn’t bother putting on an act of undying love; he simply presented his gift enthusiastically.
A man should build his career while he is young; he couldn’t afford to delay for three years. Three years after three years, life is short, and there aren’t that many three years to spare.
Gong Qichi was purely happy for his good friend.
As for the men of the Meng Family, apart from the pressure to produce heirs, there was nothing to criticize, even from the perspective of the Rebels.
Although they were Rebels, they were only rebelling against the Imperial Court, not against humanity.
They happily brought Commander Zi’s gifts to the house.
Regarding the title, Gong Qichi did not accept an official rank; he remained Commander Zi’s tutor and advisor.
He brought the quiet Young Master Zi to the house.
When Jiang Mianmian saw Young Master Zi, she was very happy.
Aside from the Ant, he was practically the first little friend she had in this world.
The two of them even had the shared experience of wearing floral-patterned padded jackets. They were natural comrades.
It had been a long time, and the child now had little baby fat on his face, making him even cuter.
However, what was Young Master Zi’s name again? Jiang Mianmian tilted her head and thought for a long while, but she couldn’t remember.
Oh no.
Jiang Mianmian grinned foolishly at him. Since she really couldn’t recall his name, she simply reached out to be held.
Young Master Zi was surprised by the little girl’s enthusiasm, but he still blushed and picked her up.
She felt like a fleshy little child. Her chin rested on his shoulder.
Jiang Mianmian rested her head on Young Master Zi’s shoulder. Without needing to look him in the eye, she thought slowly, and she should be able to remember what he was called.
Sure enough, she glanced at the ground not far away, where a group of Ants were dragging a Little Bug, and she remembered. Right, Little Bug, Zi Congheng.
This name was really hard to remember, and difficult to write too; ancient characters had so many strokes.
“Brother Chong, I missed you so much,” Jiang Mianmian said with a sweet smile, showing all her teeth.
Zi Congheng kept a serious face, even with his baby fat. But the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up.
It was summer, and since he wasn’t wearing such thick clothes, it was revealed that aside from his chubby, round face, he wasn’t actually fat—he was a thin, tall boy.
Zi Congheng held the little one, reached out to gently touch her face, and then patted her head.
“You have more hair now.”
Jiang Mianmian was very happy to hear this and wanted to jump around. “If you can talk, say more of that!”
Gong Qichi came over to help host the wedding, leaving the Young Master to the Jiang Family’s youngest daughter.
Seeing a man who looked like a eunuch serving him was quite thorough.
Eunuch Duan had originally stayed to witness the wedding.
As it turned out, he found that taking care of the little master seemed to have more prospects.
He had been inexplicably left behind by the Great-Aunt to take care of the little master.
And so, he ended up taking care of one more child—the only son of the Rebel, Commander Zi.
He inexplicably felt a heavy sense of responsibility.
Taking advantage of Eunuch Duan’s distraction, Jiang Mianmian took Little Bug and climbed up a tree.
Last time she climbed a tree, she got a spanking.
Later, Father had someone build a small house for her in the tree and installed a ladder so she could climb up.
While Eunuch Duan was busy making tea and getting snacks, the two little ones had already climbed up to the treehouse.
It was very simple inside, laid with woven grass mats, a small blanket, and two rows of seats around it.
Jiang Mianmian knelt on the seat and could look down from the small window.
Zi Congheng was slightly afraid of heights and felt uncomfortable.
He thought that after such a long time, Little Turtle would have forgotten him.
But he hadn’t expected that, as young as she was, she had actually remembered him all this time.
The moment she saw him, she wanted a hug.
Zi Congheng’s mouth curled slightly.
With a round face feigning seriousness, he followed her gaze downwards.
In the afternoon, the sun was bright, the leaves were dense, and one could hear the cicadas chirping in the trees.
The creaking sound seemed to be right in his ears.
Beside him was a soft, fleshy child.
Below the tree, people were coming and going.
He saw many heads.
Jiang Yu was wearing a beautiful bright red wedding dress, sitting in the room.
The Great-Aunt was watching her.
She had to watch her; this girl, on the day of her wedding, was smelling the aroma outside and thinking about sneaking out to eat something…
The Great-Aunt really had a hard time.
Jiang Yu was dressed gorgeously, sitting on the bed, playing with the strings of silver tassels on her forehead; it was quite fun.
She had applied lip tint, her mouth was red and plump, her face was puffed out, and she was shaking her head while her legs dangled, wearing red embroidered shoes inlaid with Eastern pearls.
When The Eldest Miss acted so childishly, Aunt Yin felt that it was fortunate she was born into such a family; if it were any more complicated, she would have died eight hundred times over.
“I don’t ask for anything else, just that you learn to pretend. Keep your mouth shut. If you don’t understand, keep your mouth shut. If you want to say something inappropriate, keep your mouth shut first. Before marriage, your Great-Aunt teaches you; after marriage, let your husband teach you. Learn from your Father—you must know how to show weakness.”
Aunt Yin repeated her instructions.
Jiang Yu nodded earnestly. As she nodded, the tassels on her forehead swayed, and her attention was diverted again.
The Great-Aunt sighed.
She also understood why the master wanted the son-in-law to stay at their home for three years; like this, he couldn’t rest easy.
In three years, when she was pregnant with a child, even if this marriage wasn’t ideal, it couldn’t be annulled.
Today.
Meng Shaoxia was wearing a bright red groom’s outfit.
He had come from the county office to welcome the bride.
After the wedding, he would live at the Jiang residence, where he had a separate suite.
It was a fully functional unit with a bedroom, tea room, dining room, study, bathroom, small kitchen, and a living room.
The martial arts training ground was right outside, which was very convenient.
Although he was required to stay at the Jiang residence, in reality, there was a martial arts training ground separating them, so it could be considered somewhat separate.
Meng Shaoxia had his grandfather’s personal guards with him to welcome the bride.
The two tigresses at home, his mother and grandmother, had complained, but they were efficient in their actions.
The betrothal gifts arrived in time.
The betrothal gifts were given in a low-key manner.
They included shops in the capital, courtyards, and property deeds.
They also specifically exchanged them for property deeds in the Jingzhou Prefecture City, including a villa and a mountain.
There were also gold, jade, pearls, gemstones, and silver notes; they were small in volume but all valuable items.
They did not reduce the weight of the betrothal gifts just because the girl’s location was remote.
Of course, it didn’t look like much—there were no large pieces of furniture, as sending them such a long distance wasn’t realistic—but what was given was practical and truly generous.
Putting on the red groom’s outfit and the official cap, Meng Shaoxia mounted a large horse and headed toward the Jiang residence.
The weather was truly beautiful today.
He took a deep breath and felt very happy.
It was as if he had fulfilled a long-cherished wish from two lifetimes.
Today, he was getting married.
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