No one could disregard the importance of divination in marriage. If a fortune-teller declared that a specific day was the most auspicious for the wedding, with all other dates being unfavorable, Madam Cen would undoubtedly choose what was best for her daughter. Compared to this, whether He Zhizhong and others were present became secondary. Jiang Changyang must have taken advantage of Madam Cen’s desire for her daughter’s lifelong happiness to achieve his wish.
Jiang Changyang longed to marry her soon, and her family wanted her to be happy. Mudan had nothing to say, but she still felt a bit sad. Jiang Changyang couldn’t understand her feelings. In her previous life, she had lost her mother early, then her father, and lost her life before experiencing love and marriage, dying alone without family by her side. The girlhood fantasy of her father personally giving her away to another man had only been a dream. Now, when she had the chance to fulfill this dream completely, he had ruined it. Mudan’s nose tingled with emotion as she silently stared at her shoetips.
Lü Fang’s unexpected visit to curry favor, the audacious troublemaker at their door, her mother’s irritable outbursts at home before the wedding, and a fiancée who didn’t want to marry him soon – Jiang Changyang was initially full of anger and wanted to say more. However, seeing Mudan’s dejected state, with her reddened nose and downcast eyes, his heart softened. He sighed softly, sat down beside her, and put his arm around her shoulders, saying gently, “Why do you always think negatively? Why not believe they’ll surely return in time?”
“It’s not that I’m always negative. This is reality. I’ve said before that without any news by now, they definitely won’t make it back in time. You’re only thinking of yourself. Don’t think I can’t guess what you’ve done behind my back. You’ve already decided everything, so why bother telling me? In the future, just decide things on your own. No need to inform me in advance, as my opinion doesn’t matter anyway.” Mudan shrugged off his hand.
He only cared about himself? This was unreasonable. How could setting a wedding date be twisted into disrespecting her opinion and only caring about himself? So this was how his mother and adoptive father often argued. Jiang Changyang frowned at Mudan. She was frowning deeply, her mouth turned up high, not even looking at him, clearly displeased. He thought, why turn such a joyous occasion into this? He decided to apologize first, then reconcile. Patiently, he said, “Alright, I was wrong. Don’t be angry. I’ve already arranged for someone to wait at the Guangzhou dock. As soon as they see them, they’ll tell them to hurry back.”
Mudan ignored him. Jiang Changyang’s habit of acting first and reporting later, which once seemed like a virtue, wasn’t so appealing when it affected her directly.
With his apology failing, he decided to remain silent. “Overcome action with inaction,” he thought, repeating it twice to himself. He sat beside her without speaking, focusing intently on eating. They remained in a standoff, neither speaking.
Yuhe and Shuer came to bring food, noticing from afar the strange atmosphere between the two. Mudan stared blankly outside while Jiang Changyang ate with his head down, a pile of empty bowls and plates in front of him. It looked like they were upset with each other. Shuer whispered, “Could it be because of Young Master Lü? Is Young Master Jiang unhappy?”
It seemed likely. Yuhe thought for a moment, then coughed. The two in the pavilion stirred, both looking up at them, their facial expressions softening as they tried to save face. Yuhe approached, pretending not to notice anything amiss, and said cheerfully, “Young Master Lü has returned, saying he forgot to tell Miss Mudan something. He’s waiting outside now.”
Jiang Changyang quickly said, “Hurry and invite him in!”
Mudan said flatly, “I’ll go see.” She stood up and quickly headed to the front.
Jiang Changyang felt a surge of anger, putting down his chopsticks heavily. Seeing Shuer and Yuhe look at him, he quickly picked up his chopsticks again and casually said, “No need to attend to me here. Go with Miss Mudan.”
Yuhe and Shuer exchanged glances, suppressing their laughter, and formally bowed before leaving. They caught up with Mudan and explained what had happened, bursting into laughter. Mudan, both angry and amused, chased after them, playfully scolding, “You little rascals, are you asking for a beating? How dare you tease me!”
As the three were laughing and playing, they suddenly heard Jiang Changyang clear his throat nearby. They stopped and turned to look. Jiang Changyang stood in the shade, hands behind his back, saying seriously, “Has Lü Shilang left? I just remembered I had something unfinished to discuss with him.”
Mudan kept a straight face and said nothing, but Yuhe and Shuer couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Young Master Lü suddenly remembered he had an urgent matter at home and couldn’t wait. He left again.”
It was obvious that the three of them had joined forces to tease him. Jiang Changyang suddenly turned angry, his face darkening as he turned to leave, calling loudly for Wu San and Shun Hou’er, his voice filled with rage. They had never seen him so angry before. Yuhe and Shuer panicked, wanting to chase after him to apologize but feeling afraid. They pushed Mudan forward, their voices on the verge of tears.
How petty, Mudan thought, furrowing her brow. She told the two to stay back and went after Jiang Changyang herself. He walked so quickly that she almost thought she couldn’t catch up, but she finally caught him behind a rocker. She panted heavily, grabbing his sleeve, and after catching her breath, she asked while patting her chest, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Changyang looked at her coldly, his lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing.
Mudan caught her breath again and said quietly, “It was just the maids being playful and joking around. Is it worth getting so angry? Do you want me to punish them to satisfy you?”
Jiang Changyang angrily replied, “So what if I’m angry? It’s because you don’t take me seriously, and neither do they!”
This was too severe. Mudan was stunned. Perhaps he felt his dignity was hurt by being teased by servants. Regardless, it was Yuhe and Shuer who were mischievous and at fault first. She took Jiang Changyang’s hand sincerely and said, “That’s not true. They just think you’re usually kind and generous. Seeing us quarrel, they were just being playful. There was no ill intent. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t dare act like this. They really wouldn’t. Please don’t be angry. I’ll apologize on their behalf, okay?”
Although Jiang Changyang’s face was still stern, his tone was noticeably softer: “Kind and generous? Is that me? I’m someone who only cares about himself, doesn’t consider others, and is both domineering and scheming.”
What could she say when her own words were thrown back at her? Mudan said dejectedly, “No, the domineering and petty one is me.”
Jiang Changyang snorted, “You want me to stop being angry?”
Let bygones be bygones, don’t hold it against him. Mudan nodded glumly.
Ha! Turning the tables successfully, the effect of playing the bad guy was not bad. A glint of satisfaction flashed in Jiang Changyang’s eyes. He looked around, seeing that they were alone in the quiet surroundings. He stood up straight, puffing out his chest, and pointed to his lips, saying calmly, “A verbal apology has no real meaning.”
Mudan sighed, stood on tiptoe, and leaned in to kiss his lips. Just as she got close, he suddenly embraced her tightly, pressing her against the rockery. He roughly captured her lips, kissing her deeply and passionately. Mudan’s lips and tongue began to ache and go numb from his fervor. She could barely breathe and had to pound on his shoulders, mumbling, “You fool, you’re hurting me.”
Finally, Jiang Changyang released her. Mudan pouted with her slightly swollen lips and complained softly, “How dare you! In broad daylight, what if someone sees us?”
Before she could finish complaining, she suddenly found herself lifted into the air, her entire body pressed tightly against his, their bodies closely intertwined.
“No one will see,” Jiang Changyang said, his eyes bright as he stared at Mudan, breathing rapidly as he called softly, “Danniang… I miss you, I miss you so much…” As he spoke, his arms tightened even more, his lips pressing against Mudan’s neck. He wished he could meld her into his body; she didn’t know how much he yearned for her, how much he wanted to give her everything of himself.
Mudan felt her heart might leap out of her chest from his tight embrace. Her face burned with a heat that didn’t feel like her own. Through the thin spring clothing, she could feel his heart beating strongly against her chest, his blood pulsing vigorously through his powerful muscles, singing a moving song of joy. This was the taste of love, this was the man she would spend her life with. She leaned against him, feeling slightly dizzy, her heart as sweet as if she had eaten two hundred catties of honey.
Suddenly, along with his scorching breath on her neck, she felt a slight stinging sensation. With such a large collar on her dress, if he left a mark, she wouldn’t be able to hide it. How could she face anyone? Mudan was greatly alarmed and raised her hands to push his head away desperately, scolding in a low voice, “You’re asking for trouble! Quick, let go!”
He hadn’t yet released her when she sensitively noticed another change in him. This time, however, he didn’t seem to know how to be shy. Unlike before, when he would bashfully turn away and only face her again after calming down, he remained as he was, showing no intention of letting go. Although he made no inappropriate moves, he didn’t hide his body’s reaction, which was tantamount to taking another step forward. Mudan felt both embarrassed and annoyed. She pinched his earlobe and bit his shoulder, saying, “Shameless! Let me go quickly. If you don’t let go, I’ll get angry.”
Jiang Changyang frowned and let out a weak, painful groan: “Are you deliberately provoking me?”
“Pah! Who’s provoking you? Don’t flatter yourself,” Mudan said, hating him intensely. Taking advantage of his loosened grip, she quickly slipped away and turned to leave. Jiang Changyang grabbed her hand, looking at her with a red face and a smile. Mudan glared at him, her face also red, and then smiled too. They both grinned foolishly for a moment before Jiang Changyang said softly, “Danniang, don’t be angry with me anymore. I’ll find a way to locate them and bring them back early.”
“Mm.” Mudan responded barely audibly, tilting her head to show him her neck, worriedly asking, “Did you leave any marks?”
“No, I was careful. I won’t let anyone laugh at you,” Jiang Changyang said, glancing at Mudan’s neck only briefly before his gaze traveled down along her collar. Mudan noticed and lightly stomped on his foot.