Chapter 554 - 569: Wedding

"A traitor? You’d better watch out, Second Brother. I’m the Door God now."

"If I don’t open this door, you’re not getting in today."

Outside the door, An Guoming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He desperately missed the obedient little sister she used to be.

He even shot a glance at Jiang Xia. ’This kid is taking way too long!’

"Fine—you’re right. So, what do we do now?"

An Guoming surrendered instantly. Fetching the bride was the priority.

Behind the door, An Ning winked at the people behind her. She and a few of Yin Xuemei’s friends huddled together, whispering conspiratorially.

"Ahem—if you want us to open the door, you must meet three conditions."

"First, we want to see a demonstration of your strength."

"How about one of you does ten squats while carrying another?"

How about it? Of course, that was fine.

In the north, no one ever dared to harass the bridesmaids; it was always the bridesmaids who came up with challenges to stump the groomsmen.

After some deliberation, the party outside decided that An Guoqing would carry An Guoping. He then performed ten squats.

And with that, they passed the first challenge.

From inside, An Ning and her crew announced the second challenge: the groom had to sing a song to express his love for the bride.

An Guoming wore an exasperated expression, but he didn’t try to bargain. He simply opened his mouth and began to sing.

After he finished a well-known love song, An Ning remarked pointedly, "Second Brother, I bet you never sang for Xuemei when you were courting her."

Finally, after An Guoming and his groomsmen passed over some red envelopes, the main door was at last opened.

"Wait, what’s this?"

"There’s more?"

The people in the courtyard had already retreated to the front of the house, all of them watching the group at the gate with smiles, ready for the show.

An Ning pointed to an intricate web of red strings stretched across the middle of the courtyard. The strings were covered in little bells, resembling the laser security system of a museum.

"This is the final challenge. All you have to do is get across without touching any of the bells."

"No limit on the number of people or attempts. You just need one person to succeed once."

An Guoming looked at his smug little sister across the way, utterly exasperated. ’What else can I do? Let’s get this over with!’

He turned to his crew. "Alright, who thinks they can make it through?"

An Guoming turned to ask, but An Guoqing was the first to back away, reluctance written all over his face.

"Not me, not me. I bump my head on branches just trying to pick fruit on the mountain."

"I’ve got steady hands, Second Brother, but there’s no way I can do this."

An Guoping also beat a hasty retreat, and finally, An Guoming’s gaze landed on Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia was about to refuse when he heard An Guoming say, "Once I’m married, a lot of things will be easier to arrange... Besides, it’s easier for girls to talk to other girls, if you know what I mean."

’I get it!’

’I definitely get it!’

Jiang Xia moved forward, ready to roll up his sleeves, only to realize his shirt didn’t have any.

"I’ll do it!"

After a moment of reconnaissance, Jiang Xia took a stride with his long, elegant legs and—charged!

"JINGLE—"

Failure.

The second time, he tried a different route and failed again.

On the third attempt, Jiang Xia gave An Guoming a hand signal. An Guoming, getting the message, stepped back and whispered something in An Guoqing’s ear.

Just as Jiang Xia started again, An Guoqing suddenly bellowed, "Lao San, why’d you push me?!"

An Guoqing then stumbled forward, crashing uncontrollably into the web of red strings. Jiang Xia had just lifted one leg, and before he could put it down, a cacophony of ringing bells erupted as An Guoqing plowed through and broke all the lines.

An Ning, on the other side, obviously saw them cheating, but she and her friends didn’t mind. The main point was for everyone to have a good time.

After forking over a few more red envelopes, An Guoming was finally allowed to stand before Yin Xuemei.

Yin Xuemei was wearing a simplified red wedding dress with light makeup, and she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

On her wedding day, the bride is always the most beautiful person in the room.

An Guoming gazed at Yin Xuemei with deep affection and said softly, "Xuemei, I’ve come to marry you."

"Mm."

Her soft, shy "mm" made An Guoming break into a goofy grin. If the people behind them hadn’t urged him along, he could have stood there staring at her all day.

With the bride successfully retrieved, the procession set off amidst the thunderous sound of gongs and drums, the crackle of firecrackers, and a cascade of fireworks clearing the path.

They took a different route on the way back, with music and celebration the entire way. Children ran ahead, shouting, "The bride is here!" and the path was lined with people offering blessings or simply enjoying the spectacle.

The lively procession returned to the An family’s home.

A stage had already been set up in the An family’s courtyard. The host, or rather, the officiant, stepped onto the stage and formally pronounced them husband and wife in front of all the guests.

After the wedding ceremony, the grand feast began.

An opera troupe then began to perform on the stage.

An Guoming had specially hired the troupe to ensure the wedding day was a lively, bustling affair.

He and Yin Xuemei made their way between the tables to toast their guests. Following them were An Guoping, who carried the alcohol, An Guoqing, who drank on the groom’s behalf, Jiang Xia, and the others.

As for An Ning, she didn’t have to drink. She just found a good seat and started eating.

None of An Guoming’s business partners were at the banquet today; the An family didn’t need such guests to put on a show.

An Guoming only wanted to have a wedding ceremony with Yin Xuemei in the village. He could always treat his other acquaintances to a meal after they returned to the city.

However, Liu Yiyi, the manager of Green Land in the county town, had come with her daughter, Tangtang.

The mother and daughter were dressed smartly. They offered their congratulations and then sat down to eat at the same table as An Ning.

Tangtang sat beside An Ning.

Tangtang was now in her teens. Her skin was a little tanner than most, but her eyes were exceptionally bright, and she had a completely different aura about her.

"You’re very impressive."

"Do you like combat sports?" An Ning asked Tangtang.

Tangtang’s eyes lit up as she nodded. She loved it.

She adored the feeling of being in control, of being able to defeat others through her own strength.

An Ning understood where these feelings came from. When Tangtang was little, she couldn’t protect her mother. Now, she could.

"Tangtang, if you’re serious about it, you can train with me."

"Really?"

"Of course. I’ll be staying home for a while."

"Okay!"

Tangtang was ecstatic. Beside her, Liu Yiyi’s heart swelled with both pride and a touch of sorrow.

For nearly six years, through wind and rain, Tangtang had never once stopped the training regimen An Ning had set for her: running and exercising.

There were times Liu Yiyi tried to persuade her to rest, but Tangtang always refused.

"Tangtang, you—"

Before Liu Yiyi could finish, Tangtang said, "Mom, I’m doing this for you, and for myself. I truly love it."

"Alright. Mom supports you. I’ll make you some chicken soup when we get home."

The mother and daughter exchanged a smile, everything left unsaid but perfectly understood.

After the wedding feast, the guests dispersed, leaving only those who were helping clean up and the caterers who hadn’t left yet.

An Ning was helping clear away the tables and stools when a hand suddenly appeared in front of her, snatching a stool away.

"Master Tang, what are you doing?"

An Ning asked because Master Tang rarely did anything unrelated to cooking.

"Heh heh, just helping out, helping out. We can’t have a young lady like you getting tired."

An Ning stopped what she was doing and stared at Master Tang. "Master Tang, being so solicitous for no reason doesn’t suit you. Besides, you’re showing concern for the wrong person. Me? Getting tired? Is that even possible?"