Early the next morning, before the roosters had even crowed, Yan Qing was already roused by Murong.

Murong had returned from the hospital and spent two months recuperating. Fortunately, no lasting damage had been done, and with Yan Qing consistently providing her with medicinal treatments, and given Murong’s own strong constitution, she had recovered well. Now, aside from a few scars that could not be removed, she looked just as she always had.

Yan Qing had not slept much either. The thought of getting married the very next day had kept her heart racing and turbulent the whole night through.

Before long, Er Yitai Guo Yanrong arrived with a group of people. Among them were two wedding attendants responsible for managing the wedding ceremonies — experienced women who had overseen countless such occasions.

The wedding attendants and several maids worked together to help Yan Qing into her wedding dress.

Yan Qing usually dressed simply — either a top with a skirt, or the Western-style dresses that the Master brought back for her. This wedding gown was considerably simpler than those of ancient times, still following the style of a top with a skirt and a coin-shaped collar, though the fabric was far more sumptuous, with embroidery and trim that spoke of splendor and luxury.

Yan Qing had a fair complexion, and set against this vibrant red, her skin appeared like flawless porcelain — elegant and dignified.

The onlookers couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. A wedding attendant smiled and said: “Sixth Miss truly lives up to the praise of being Shun Cheng’s foremost beauty. People always say that clothes make the person, but I’d say it’s the clothes that are borrowing the grace of Sixth Miss.”

The wedding attendant had a way with words, and everyone present laughed and agreed.

Yan Qing also pressed her lips into a smile, and in the corner of her eye, a bright spring radiance flashed — vivid and dazzling.

The wedding attendant took up the headdress from the side. It was crafted from pure gold and was inevitably somewhat heavy. Yet whoever had made it had employed some technique that made it weigh only a fraction of what it appeared — though it looked to be four or five catties, when it was actually placed on one’s head, it felt no more than a single catty.

From the front of the headdress hung long strands of white pendant pearls. The beads were small and delicate, and several strands cascaded down just far enough to partially conceal the face — though with a gap between each strand, they could not truly cover it entirely, creating only the effect of something half-hidden, like a lute held before the face.

“Isn’t this thing quite heavy?” Qiao Yiran asked curiously.

“It’s manageable — it only looks heavy,” Yan Qing said, giving her head a gentle sway and winking at her.

“Sixth Sister, you’re so beautiful today.” Yan Yan rested her chin in her hands and stared at her with the unblinking admiration of an ardent fan. “I wish I were even half as pretty as you.”

Yan Qing laughed. “Who said our Yan Yan isn’t beautiful? Yan Yan is even prettier than Sixth Sister.”

Yan Yan giggled. “Sixth Sister is always so good with words.”

Seeing the warm affection between the two sisters, Yan Ling, who was standing to one side, felt somewhat awkward. Since today was a joyous occasion for the Yan Family, Yan Ling had come out from the South Courtyard as well. Though Yan Qing had said nothing, after what had happened before, Yan Ling could not help feeling ill at ease — and so she wisely chose to watch the proceedings without speaking.

“Sixth Sister, when the groom arrives later, how are we going to give him a hard time? He’s so clever — ordinary questions surely won’t do.” Yan Yan, the self-appointed champion door-blocker, had already begun making plans.

Yan Qing laughed. “How about I give you a few questions, and you make him answer them?”

“Yes, yes!” Yan Yan’s eyes lit up at once, and she eagerly leaned in.

Wen Yan said: “Then I’ll go hide the bride’s shoes.”

Once Yan Qing had finished giving her instructions, a burst of bright firecrackers suddenly went off outside, and everyone exclaimed joyfully: “The auspicious hour has arrived — the groom is here!”

After Yan Qing was seated properly at the head of the bed, the two wedding attendants stood guard on either side, while the young women immediately ran to the front door and closed it with gleeful excitement.

After the groom entered, there were still several elaborate rituals to perform, so by the time things outside truly grew noisy, another ten-some minutes had passed. During those ten-some minutes, Yan Yan and the others had already taken up firm positions at the door.

“The groom has arrived,” a wedding attendant announced with a smile.

But the groom would not find it easy to enter. A group of young women stood blocking the door, posing riddles to stump him and demanding red envelopes.

The riddles they posed were of the strangest and most unexpected variety, enough to make anyone’s jaw drop.

For instance, Yan Yan asked: “Something you can do, I can do, and everyone can do; something one person can do, but two people cannot do together — what is it?”

After a moment, a voice came from outside — somewhat lazy and unhurried — and answered: “Dreaming.”

Yan Yan was instantly irritated. She hadn’t expected her riddle to be answered so quickly. She peeked out through a crack in the door — outside, besides Shi Ting, there were several young men, and she couldn’t tell which one had answered.

“Me, let me try.” Qiao Yiran immediately volunteered, cleared her throat, and asked: “Which month has twenty-eight days?”

The words had barely left her mouth when the same unhurried voice came from outside: “Every month has twenty-eight days.”

Qiao Yiran was at a loss for words.

Round after round, the young women tried their best to stump the people outside — yet not a single question managed to confound them. And the one answering, from beginning to end, was always the same person.

Yan Qing found herself curious about who this person was. But it was no great surprise — Shi Ting had no shortage of talented and capable people around him, people of every kind of skill imaginable.

The young women failed to hold the door, but they all gleefully collected generous red envelopes in compensation.

With a sudden swing, the large door was pushed open. In the midst of the clamor, the groom stood at the head of the group, the light behind him — his features finely sculpted, his figure tall and commanding, as though a celestial being had descended from the heavens.

Shi Ting wore a top hat and was dressed in a deep black long robe, over which he wore a mandarin jacket embroidered with red dark-patterned designs. Shed of his uniform, Director Shi appeared clean and sharp, restored to the elegant bearing of a refined and distinguished young gentleman.

Yan Qing couldn’t help but glance up — and her gaze met his in a gentle collision. Meeting his ardent look, she lowered her head and pressed her lips together in a quiet smile.

Shi Ting walked forward through the gazes of everyone present with long, steady strides toward the bed. Watching him step toward her through the light, wearing the warm smile she knew so well, Yan Qing’s heart quietly skipped half a beat.

A wedding attendant hurried forward and brought out a plate of dumplings that had been prepared in advance. According to custom, the groom and bride were each to feed the other one dumpling.

Shi Ting and Yan Qing picked up their chopsticks, each lifting a small dumpling, and gently placed it into the other’s mouth. The dumplings were small — only half the size of ordinary ones — so eating them would not appear ungainly.

After eating the dumplings, the groom was to carry the bride to the sedan chair. But before that, the groom had to find the bride’s shoes.

Wen Yan, who had hidden the shoes, retreated to one side with a barely concealed smile. But that smile had not even lasted ten seconds before Shi Ting’s hand already held a pair of red bridal shoes — small and delicate, made of leather.

“That fast?” Wen Yan said with a deflated look. “I hid them so well.”

As a devoted admirer of the Military and Police Commissioner, Qiao Yiran puffed out her chest. “But of course — this is Director Shi. Even the most cunning criminals leave traces before his eyes, let alone a pair of shoes.”

As they spoke, Shi Ting had already crouched down before Yan Qing, one hand cradling her foot as he carefully helped her put her shoes on.

Yan Qing looked down at him, the smile at the corner of her lips deepening.

After he had put her shoes on, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. The group of young men he had brought immediately broke into a chorus of boisterous cheers. Someone scattered a shower of colorful confetti, and in the brilliant, shimmering cascade of light and color, Shi Ting carried Yan Qing in his arms and walked out of her boudoir with long, steady strides.

Yan Qing lay against his chest and couldn’t resist glancing back. She had a fondness for this small courtyard, and the thought that she would no longer live here left a faint regret in her heart. But that regret did not last long — her feelings were quickly filled by the new chapter that was about to unfold.

Shi Ting carried her with steady, unhurried steps the whole way, passing along the great red-carpeted path through the Yan Family’s home.

Outside, firecrackers rang out once more, accompanied by the sound of celebratory music.

After Shi Ting helped Yan Qing into the carriage, the Master and Yan Furen stood outside beside it. Yan Qing looked at the Master, and her eyes grew warm with a sting of feeling. Marriage was a joyous thing — but the thought of no longer being able to stay by his side and care for him immediately weighed on her heart, and tears slipped down her face.

The Master’s eyes were red. He stepped forward and said: “Qingqing, take care of yourself. No matter what happens, the doors of the Yan Family will always be open to you.”

The Master said nothing about being a dutiful wife or honoring her in-laws — in his eyes, his daughter’s happiness and well-being were what mattered most. Everything else was of no consequence.

“Father-in-law, rest assured — as long as I am here, no one will dare bully Yan Qing.” Shi Ting clasped his hands in a respectful bow toward the Master.

“Then I entrust Qingqing to you. Take good care of her.”

The Master let out a soft sigh and watched as the wedding procession slowly drove away.

The road in front of the Yan Family’s gate was wide and spacious, and the wedding procession filled the entire street from side to side. On both sides of the road, crowds of onlookers pressed in, dark and dense.

In less than a year, the Yan Family had seen two daughters married off — both with great ceremony and splendor. This had become a matter known to every household in Shun Cheng.

Only after the wedding procession had disappeared from sight did the Master let out a long, heavy sigh. Though he had begun planning a marriage for Yan Qing since she was small, now that his daughter was truly wed and gone, he felt a hollow emptiness in his chest, his reluctance to part with her rising above all else.

“Master, you needn’t feel too sorrowful,” Er Yitai said from beside him, offering comfort. “In just three days, Sixth Miss will come back to visit — and besides, the Shi Mansion isn’t far from here. As long as Miss has the time, she can come home whenever she likes.”

This was not the old society, after all. A woman returning to visit her family required no seeking of permission. With the will to do it, coming home to visit regularly was no difficult matter.

Hearing this, the Master’s brow did indeed relax considerably. Yan Furen, standing to the side, caught sight of it and shot Er Yitai a glare. Er Yitai immediately fell silent, not daring to make another sound.

“All right, let’s go in.” Just as the Master turned to leave, the steward suddenly came running out of the main gate in a flustered panic. “Master, Sixth Miss’s wheelchair was forgotten and not sent with her.”

The Master was startled. “What happened? Didn’t I specifically remind everyone not to forget that?”

Without the wheelchair, it would be impossible for Shi Ting to carry Yan Qing through the entire wedding — that would invite ridicule.

“Have the driver take the car by another route. The wedding procession will circle around this area for some time and won’t reach the Shi Mansion so soon. If you send it now, there’s still time.”

The steward then produced a letter. “This letter was placed on the wheelchair with the Master’s name on it — might it be something Sixth Miss intended to give to you?”

The Master quickly took the letter, tore it open, and read through it rapidly. First came shock, then a quiet acceptance, and finally — a smile.

The steward asked: “Master, shall we still send the wheelchair?”

“No need.” The Master waved his hand. “Some people are waiting to see a joke. Let them watch as long as they like.”

—