The Lucky Farmgirl

Manbao stared into his eyes, which were like stars, and felt her heart sweet and tingly, her cheeks unknowingly turning a shade of red even deeper than the rouge she wore.

The two of them stood there silently gazing at each other. Junior Ms. Qian, who was supporting Manbao, stopped and waited for a bit. Seeing her sister-in-law unresponsive, she reached out and tugged her. The matchmaker beside them clapped her hands and laughed heartily, "Here it comes, here it comes, the bride and groom can’t take their eyes off each other. What will they do once they reach the wedding chamber?"

Manbao and Bai Shan snapped back to reality at the same time, both with flushed faces. Zhao Liulang and the others, seeing this, started cheering excitedly with "yo, yo" calls.

The tears in Junior Ms. Qian’s eyes vanished, leaving only a smile, as she led Manbao toward Bai Shan.

Bai Shan, with laughter in his eyes, looked down at her. The matchmaker, seeing that only the bride was in his eyes, pushed him with a chuckle, "The bride and groom are deeply in love, come and pay your respects to the in-laws, the lord and lady of the family."

The matchmaker pulled the two together, loudly calling for someone to bring tea, then pressed them down to kneel on the prayer mats.

Blushing deeply, Manbao and Bai Shan knelt down. Bai Shan first addressed Old Zhou, "Dear Father-in-law."

Old Zhou was watching Manbao, feeling a bittersweet emotion but remaining composed, mainly because he knew Manbao would be back in just three days even if she was married off.

Hearing Bai Shan call him, he turned to look at him, seeing his happy face tinged with red. Though not good with words of praise, he thought the boy looked handsome, and the sight made him feel better. After all, not just anyone could marry their Manbao.

Seeing the tea presented to him, Old Zhou took a sip and said to Bai Shan, "You must treat our Manbao well. Though her brothers aren’t as accomplished as you, she has six brothers indeed."

Bai Shan replied, "...Yes, I will heed your guidance, Father-in-law."

The onlookers burst into laughter. If this were another family, such words from the father-in-law might irritate a son-in-law enough to cause a family dispute.

But here, everyone laughed freely, and someone teased, "Bai Shan, which of Lord Zhou’s six brothers can you beat?"

Bai Shan thought to himself, of course, he could beat all of them. Apart from learning martial arts from Daji since childhood, the skills he acquired from asking Jiechen about martial arts over the past half-year made him confident he could best most people in this world, at least those who hadn’t learned martial arts.

While Bai Shan internally laughed, he still wore an innocent expression on his face and glanced a bit nervously at Old Zhou.

Old Zhou, seeing this, waved at the instigators, "Shoo, shoo, his brothers don’t go hitting him for nothing."

"So if there is a reason, they can hit, remember that brothers, when you’re going to Spring Breeze Pavilion, make sure to bring Bai Shan along."

The matchmaker waved her handkerchief and gave them a playful glare, seeing they weren’t much older, she laughed and asked, "Have you young masters married yet? If not, come find me later. I might just bring Lord Bai to help you propose."

The instigators instantly refrained from making any more noise, doing their best to hold back laughter and jokes. If Bai Shan were to take revenge later, it would be disastrous.

Bai Shan offered the next cup of tea to Ms. Qian.

Ms. Qian took it, drank the tea, and said with a smile, "Good child, the two of you have grown up together and know each other well. You also know our Manbao. Sometimes she’s a bit willful; in the future, let her have her way. If she makes you angry, come tell us, and we’ll deal with her for you."

My goodness, the Zhou Family spoils Zhou Man too much, don’t they? Which family doesn’t instruct their daughters to be filial to their in-laws, be friendly with sisters-in-law, and look after young sisters?

Ms. Qian wasn’t finished. After speaking to Bai Shan, she addressed Manbao, "Your mother-in-law and grandmother are both easy to get along with. When you get over there, listen to your grandmother, take care of your mother-in-law, and also get along well with your husband, understand?"

Manbao nodded and said shyly, "I understand, Mother."

Seeing her little daughter with no trace of reluctance, Ms. Qian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, feeling that the child was too careless. Marriage is different; even if the two families live together, it’s not the same. Yet the child seems not to realize this.

However, Ms. Qian didn’t point it out and, after saying a few more words, let Zhou Dalang come and carry his sister out the door.

The Zhou Residence was so large that, though the main hall wasn’t far from the main gate, it was still quite a distance. Luckily, Manbao wasn’t particularly heavy. She wrapped her arms around Zhou Dalang’s neck and watched with interest as everyone excitedly escorted them out.

Someone up front set off firecrackers, and amidst the crackling sounds, Zhou Dalang carried Zhou Man out. Bai Erlang watched from the side. Seeing Zhou Dalang’s eyes turn red while Zhou Man’s face was blushing with a shy smile, he couldn’t help but sneak up to her and whisper, "You should cry. See how many guests are here today, including people from the Xia Family of Shangzhou. If the bride doesn’t cry, people might think the Zhou Family hasn’t treated you well."

Hearing this, Manbao immediately took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed her eyes, making them redden instantly as tears welled up.

Bai Erlang nodded in satisfaction.

Having just finished setting off firecrackers, Zhou SiLang turned to see his sister’s eyes red and couldn’t help but feel a bit sorrowful. Just like Xiang Mingxue said, time flies by like a wild horse, the kind that doesn’t look back. His little sister, who once only reached his waist, was now getting married.

Sorrowful!

Zhou SiLang’s sorrow only lasted a moment before he was pushed toward the front by the crowd; the area ahead was filled with heads, and he couldn’t see a thing.

Zhou Dalang placed Manbao in the bridal sedan chair, stepped back, and turned to find Zhou SiLang to give instructions, only to find most around him were Bai Shan and Manbao’s classmates and friends, with no sign of Zhou SiLang at all.

Using her rich experience, the matchmaker followed closely, and seeing the bride get into the sedan chair, she immediately waved her handkerchief and shouted loudly, "The groom mounts the horse, the bride enters the sedan chair, let’s go——"

Bai Erlang and others, having already gone through a wedding with his brother, quickly mounted their horses. As the sedan chair lifted, they straightened their backs and moved forward.

Zhou SiLang and others, who underestimated the commotion, fell a few steps behind before they could catch up.

With the sound of joyous music, dowry after dowry was carried out of the Zhou Residence and then paraded through Chongyuan Courtyard, making a detour through the inner city.

Of course, they were not directly returning to Changqing Alley; they needed to circle through the inner city, showcasing the dowry and their happiness. On the way, passing out sweets and cakes to children joining the fun, they then returned to Changqing Alley.

The people on the streets, hearing the joyful music, knew a wedding was taking place and made way. Watching the dowry being paraded past, they began to discuss, "Whose family is having a wedding? So much dowry."

"Early this morning, Chongyuan Courtyard was lively. It must be someone important from there, right?"

"You don’t know, do you? It’s Imperial Doctor Zhou of the Imperial Hospital. I just got some wedding sweets up front."