Chapter 129: Getting Married! — Part 2
Gu Tingxiao had certainly kept this well-hidden. This new bride of his was a absolute fairy; who wouldn’t be captivated by her?
What a shame. No matter how stunning she was, Gu Tingxiao had claimed her first, and a man can’t covet his brother’s wife. The groomsmen would just have to satisfy themselves with a glance.
“Wanyan… I’m here to take you home,” Gu Tingxiao said softly.
“Mhm.”
“Hurry up, groom! Find the shoes so we can escort the bride out,” the matchmaker urged.
Gu Tingxiao found the shoes in no time. Pan Yue had tucked the leather heels away in the wardrobe, and he spotted them the moment he opened the cabinet door.
As he knelt down in front of the bed, Wanyan blushed and extended her feet. It was the first time Gu Tingxiao had seen them; her skin was pale, and her nails were a delicate pink, smooth and flawless as jade.
He picked up the socks left out for her, his movements incredibly gentle, as if terrified his calloused hands might rough up her skin. It took him several minutes just to pull the socks on, and then he carefully slipped on her shoes.
Wanyan noticed that his forehead was slick with sweat, his hands trembling slightly from pure nerves. After a bit of clumsy fumbling, he finally secured her shoes.
When it was time to step outside, Sheng Wanze, as her brother, stepped forward to carry her. Before reaching her groom’s home, the bride’s feet were strictly forbidden from touching the ground.
The matchmaker began to loudly read out Wanyan’s dowry list. Seeing how generously this family was sending off their daughter, she was filled with envy.
“A cash dowry of 666 yuan, a brand-new bicycle, plus all the gifts provided by the groom’s family—carry it all out!”
The brothers standing behind Gu Tingxiao exchanged surprised looks. It appeared this city bride wasn’t nearly as plain or unsupported as the compound gossips had assumed. While her family background couldn’t match the elite military clans, her parents were incredibly generous. Even after she relocated to the Capital, she would clearly have a reliable safety net backing her up.
“The bride is departing!”
Hearing the shout, Father and Mother Sheng felt a heavy pang in their chests. Once their daughter crossed that threshold, she would officially belong to another family.
They hurried out after the couple, with Grandpa and Grandma Sheng following closely behind. The moment they reached the yard, they clasped Wanyan’s hands. They desperately wanted to speak, but the words caught in their throats, refusing to come out.
Grandma and Mother Sheng’s eyes brimmed with tears, their faces full of a deep, aching reluctance to let her go. Once the wedding concluded, the elders would have to return to Chengdu. Wanyan would be joining the regiment up north, and it would likely be a very long time before they could gather like this again.
“Live a good life with Xiao Gu,” Mother Sheng choked out, squeezing her hand. “Be happy… and stay healthy.”
That was all she truly wanted for her daughter. As long as Wanyan was healthy and happy in her marriage, she would have no worries left in the world.
“I will, Mom.”
“Your dad will always have your back,” Father Sheng added, a thick sigh escaping him. “If you’re ever unhappy, just come straight home!”
He had cherished his daughter for twenty years, never once raising his hand or his voice against her since she was a toddler. Now, she was suddenly someone else’s wife.
“Thank you, Dad.”
Turning to her grandmother, Wanyan managed a tearful smile. “Grandma, you have to take good care of your medicine, okay? Keep it safe.”
“Grandchild…” Wanyan threw her arms around Grandma Sheng, who clung to her tightly, utterly unwilling to break the embrace.
Wanyan then looked at Grandpa Sheng, who was standing in silent reserve behind the women. Though his expression was stoic, his slightly trembling hands betrayed his true feelings.
“Grandpa,” she whispered.
Hearing her call, the old patriarch looked deep into her eyes. Finally, he managed just one sentence: “If you are ever wronged, come home.”
Wanyan nodded heavily as Grandma Sheng’s tears finally spilled over.
“We must move out now, or we’ll miss the auspicious hour,” the matchmaker gently interjected.
Grandma Sheng patted Wanyan’s back one last time, reluctantly letting her go. “Go on, then…”
With red eyes, Grandma Sheng closed the vehicle door behind her, and Gu Tingxiao immediately snapped a crisp, solemn salute to the elders.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad—I will cherish and protect Wanyan for the rest of my life. Please trust her to me!”
Father Sheng stepped forward, clapping a heavy hand onto the young officer’s shoulder. “I am placing my daughter in your hands today. If you ever let her suffer a single drop of injustice, I will never forgive you!”
He might be just an ordinary industrial worker, but if his child was mistreated, he would gladly risk his life to demand justice.
“Xiao Gu, my daughter is yours to care for now,” Mother Sheng added tearfully. “If she ever misbehaves, just let me know and I will correct her.” Please… just never raise a hand against my girl, she pleaded silently.
“Mom,” Gu Tingxiao replied, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. “Whether Wanyan is flawless or flawed, the exact moment I chose her, I accepted every single consequence. As long as it is her… nothing will ever be an issue.”
Mother Sheng nodded, wanting to say more, but time had run out. She could only watch them drive away. As the convoy rolled out of the alley, the reality that their daughter had truly left hit them, and both Mother and Grandma Sheng broke down, weeping openly. Father and Grandpa Sheng stepped in to comfort their wives, while Wanze and Pan Yue gently wiped the tears from their eyes.
Inside the lead car, Wanyan kept her eyes glued to the rear window, watching her family fade into the distance. Gu Tingxiao sat closely beside her, locking his hand tightly with hers. He knew his little bride had to be feeling miserable leaving her home behind; all he could do was anchor himself by her side and do his absolute best to bring a smile back to her face.
“We’ll make it a point to visit Chengdu often in the future,” he promised softly.
“Alright,” Wanyan murmured, her eyes softening. She knew that in a few years, once her parents reached retirement age, the entire family could formally relocate to live near the military base anyway.
The six military vehicles swept grandly into the elite compound. Wanyan stepped out of the car, walking side-by-side with Gu Tingxiao into the ancestral Gu estate.
The entire Gu clan was waiting to receive them. Out on the lane near the compound gates, more than twenty banqueting tables had been formally layout, while an army of neighbors bustled about the backyard washing and prepping ingredients.
Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao took their positions in the center of the main living room, standing before a large, framed portrait of the Great Leader to deliver their vows. The local compound residents crowded into the space to watch the ceremony, and the moment they laid eyes on the spectacular bride, a flurry of astonished whispers rippled through the crowd.
Each holding one side of a large, festive red silk flower, Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao turned to face one another. Standing tall beneath the portrait, they began to recite their marital oaths in unison:
“We swear before the Great Leader that we will support one another, strive for ideological progress together, live in absolute harmony, and dedicate our lives to the advancement of our great motherland.”
Grandpa, Grandma, Father, and Mother Gu sat proudly on their designated stools, watching the young couple complete their vows. Under normal circumstances, the formal tea ceremony to alter her form of address would follow immediately, but given the massive crowd of onlookers, conducting it now would only spark unnecessary compound gossip. The family tacitly agreed to defer the private ritual until the following morning.
“The ceremony is concluded!” the matchmaker announced.
Weddings in this disciplined era were wonderfully straightforward. With the vows completed, Wanyan was promptly escorted back to the privacy of the bridal suite to wait out the reception. Knowing Gu Tingxiao would be tied up entertaining the guests outside, he had thoughtfully arranged a variety of refreshments inside the room to ensure she wouldn’t be bored or hungry.
Wanyan took the opportunity to survey her new quarters. The room was perfectly square, measuring roughly twenty square meters. A large, 1.8-meter bed was pushed against the far wall, balanced by a brand-new wooden wardrobe and a sleek writing desk along the opposite side.
Most surprisingly, her eyes landed on an elegant dressing table complete with a polished mirror. She knew instantly that Gu Tingxiao had specifically sourced this piece for her. Her intuition was entirely correct; he had personally sketched out the custom design blueprints and commissioned a master carpenter to build it. In his mind, his beautiful bride deserved to keep pampering herself, so he had gone to great lengths to secure a proper vanity.
Wanyan walked over to the vanity, discovering two brand-new jars of premium vanishing cream waiting on the surface—undoubtedly another thoughtful detail procured by her groom. On the adjacent writing desk, he had layout a generous spread of traditional pastries, including sweet mung bean cakes and crisp water chestnut biscuits, flanked by a dozen White Rabbit creamy milk candies.
