Forty, The Wedding

Strange. At the moment when the lights flickered on just now, the shadow of his adoptive father suddenly vanished. This had never happened before. It seemed, ever since Su Wan appeared, the symptoms of his madness had gradually eased.

The wedding arrived swiftly.

That day, Su Wan wore a rented wedding gown, her hair simply tied up, a lily pinned atop her head. She was radiant and elegant, a beauty beyond compare. There were no wedding cars back then; the groom would ride a bicycle to fetch his bride home. The old patriarch had arranged in advance—a bridal party of sixteen, each bicycle adorned with a large red flower and each rider carrying a bag of sweets.

The procession swept through the village, tossing candies whenever they met someone. To make the occasion grand, they purposely circled the village once. As fate would have it, they passed right by Wang Luo’s door.

At that very moment, Wang Luo’s household was also hosting a wedding. Chen Wanqian wore a very old brocade dress, the same one left over from Cui Juan’s own wedding years ago. She had never been willing to throw it away, and as soon as Wang Luo’s wedding was planned, she insisted that Chen Wanqian wear it.

The house was cold and quiet, attended only by a handful of Wang family relatives. On such a joyful day, Chen Wanqian could not muster any happiness. Thankfully, Wang Luo kept teasing her, coaxing her to smile, so she didn’t remain sullen.

She held Wang Luo’s hand and kept telling herself that even without a grand wedding, she would still be happy, because she was marrying the one she loved.

Suddenly, a burst of cheerful commotion sounded outside the fence. Chen Wanqian turned her head in surprise, seeing a group of people riding bicycles towards them, exuberant and scattering wedding candies along the roadside.

At the front was a tall, handsome man, and behind him sat a beautiful woman in a wedding dress. The woman wrapped her arms around his waist, both of their faces beaming with happiness.

As the bicycle drew near, those in the courtyard gasped.

“Isn’t that Su Wan? She’s so stunning now that she’s slimmed down!”

“The groom—is that Jiang Mochen?”

“What are they doing here? Showing off?”

“...”

The few in the courtyard chattered away, but Chen Wanqian was stunned.

She had believed that by taking Wang Luo, she was the victor, and Su Wan the loser. Yet now, the so-called loser was basking in a glory far greater than her own. That radiant smile of happiness was the greatest provocation—a declaration that she, Chen Wanqian, was the truly pitiable loser.

She looked down at her ridiculous old dress and, for the first time, doubted her own choices.

As the Su family’s bridal party passed by, they didn’t forget to throw a handful of candies into their courtyard. The Wang family’s faces flushed red in anger.

Cui Juan glared fiercely at the dowry strapped onto the bicycle, her eyes reddening. When they were only engaged, so many gifts had been given; now that Su Wan was truly marrying, what would it be like? Thinking of the pile of clothes Wanqian had brought back—none fit to wear outside—Cui Juan’s eyes turned even redder.

Damn, just those worthless things! She’d merely taken a few pieces she liked to give away, and Wanqian had run to her son, stirring up trouble between mother and child.

If only she hadn’t broken off the engagement back then! Now, Su Wan seemed far more attractive than this so-called heiress.

Cui Juan was filled with regret, her tone sharp as she spoke, “Why are you standing there? Hurry up and serve the tea!”

“What are you staring at? Even if you keep looking, your parents won’t give you such a grand send-off for your wedding.”

Chen Wanqian clenched her fists at the words, and Wang Luo quickly squeezed her hand to comfort her.

Seeing this, Cui Juan’s fury grew. Damn fox, always meddling in her relationship with her son.

Meanwhile, Su Wan and Jiang Mochen completed the wedding rites and began the banquet. The chefs brought from the city were skilled, and the villagers ate heartily.

The newlyweds walked side by side, offering toasts to each guest.

Su Wan could not handle her liquor; after a single glass, she was tipsy. Jiang Mochen hurried her inside.

Her cheeks flushed, she gazed drowsily at Jiang Mochen, reaching out to touch his face. “Hehe, handsome boy, I’ve finally got you.”

Jiang Mochen blushed, pressing her onto the bed. “Stop it, there are guests outside.”

Su Wan clung to his neck, refusing to let go. “So what? We’re married now, we’ve completed the ceremony, and tomorrow we’ll register for our marriage certificate.”

Outside the transparent window, some guests caught sight of the scene inside and couldn’t help but widen their eyes in secret curiosity.

Jiang Mochen, shy by nature, kept trying to pull Su Wan down, his face burning red.

In their struggle, their bodies met again and again, and Jiang Mochen realized, shamefully, that he was reacting. Terrified, he no longer cared for gentleness, and forcefully pulled Su Wan down, tossing her onto the bed.

Su Wan angrily kicked off her high heels. “Hmph, you just don’t want to marry me.”

She grumbled, hugging the quilt, muttering nonsense.

“I’m the heiress of the Su Group, if you dare defy me, I’ll make you bankrupt!”

“Mom, Dad, I’m married now. Why won’t you come see me? Do you truly not love me?”

...

Jiang Mochen shook his head helplessly, bent down to pick up her high heels from the floor, and placed them neatly at the foot of the bed.

Su Wan seemed to dream of something sad, tears streaming down her face.

Jiang Mochen leaned in, gently wiping her tears with his fingertips, softly comforting her, “There, there, don’t cry.”

She didn’t hear him. In her dreams, her parents gathered around her brother, ignoring her completely.

They said, “Wanwan, you must be obedient. Your brother will inherit the company, and if you can marry the Zhao family's son, it will make things easier for him.”

“You’ll rely on your brother in the future. If you’re mistreated, he’ll support you.”

Su Wan sobbed and shook her head, “But my brother doesn’t like me at all. He only likes our cousin. They grew up together—they’re the real siblings.”

As soon as she spoke, she was slapped.

“You child, so young and already so dark-minded?”

“Your cousin is your sister too. How can you fight over things with her? Can’t you fulfill your duties as the elder sister?”

Tears blurred her vision.

Su Wan cried, burying her head under the quilt.

Soon, the guests dispersed. Only Jiang Mochen and Su Wan remained at home.

The courtyard was a mess.

Jiang Mochen slowly tidied the bowls and chopsticks, fetched a broom, and swept up all the bones and sunflower seed shells. Then he went to wash the dishes.

By the time he finished, night had fallen.

His hands began to tremble uncontrollably once more.

He looked around, but the empty yard held no sign of his adoptive father.

His illness—it truly could be cured by Su Wan.

He was overwhelmed with joy, struggling to walk into the house.

Su Wan was sleeping soundly.

He turned on the light; warm yellow light spilled across her serene sleeping face.

Jiang Mochen, still trembling, walked over and lay beside her fully dressed.

A faint fragrance wafted from Su Wan.

He felt the warmth of her presence and could not resist wrapping his arms around her.