Chapter 14

There are quite a few photo studios in the capital, but Aunt Wu had insisted on taking Lu Nong to an old studio for their photos.

After walking halfway across the city, they finally found the studio Aunt Wu had mentioned: “Yun Zhao Photo Studio.” The exterior of the studio looked worn and shabby, with the name “Yun Zhao Photo Studio” faded and peeling. The only sign of life was a few trendy black-and-white photos displayed in the glass window, indicating that the place was still in business.

Aunt Wu explained that this studio was established during the Republic of China era and that the photographer was known for his exceptional skills. As a result, the studio had remained open all these years, with the craft passed down from father to son, and now even the son’s son was helping out in the studio.

Back when the Li family had not yet moved overseas, they would hire the Yun Zhao photographer to take family portraits during every holiday, and the servants were also given the chance to have a few individual photos taken.

The photographer’s surname was Zhang. Upon seeing Aunt Wu and Lu Nong, he looked surprised. His memory was sharp, even though he hadn’t seen Aunt Wu in many years, he quickly recognized her.

As for Lu Nong, she had made quite an impression on him during a visit to Li Garden a few years ago when he had taken a solo photo of her.

As a photographer, Master Zhang had encountered countless people throughout his life, capturing images of many different faces—some beautiful, some not, and some utterly ordinary. With time, he had seen so many people that beauty had become commonplace.

But the beauty of this young lady is something you can treasure in your memory. Every time you recall it, you marvel at the exquisite creations of nature and appreciate the passage of time that allowed you to witness her in her most beautiful years.

“It’s been years since we last met, and your grace has only increased. Is this your husband? He truly is a fine gentleman, and you make such a beautiful couple together,” the master photographer remarked, inadvertently reverting to old titles as he addressed Lu Nong as “young lady” and Pei Zheng as “gentleman.”

Pei Zheng and Lu Nong were not far apart in age, they were genuine peers. At that moment, Pei Zheng dutifully held the suitcase behind Lu Nong while she cradled Xiao Huai in her arms, making it look like a family of three out for an outing.

The old master misunderstood their relationship.

“No,” Lu Nong quickly denied, “he is my younger brother.”

Pei Zheng felt a bit embarrassed and stepped aside, distancing himself from Lu Nong.

Upon hearing Lu Nong refer to him as her brother, Pei Zheng let out a silent sigh of relief. Being the stepson was more awkward than being a husband. If Lu Nong had told the photographer that he was her stepson, he would have dropped the suitcase and run away immediately.

“My apologies for the misunderstanding,” the old master said, realizing his mistake and quickly apologizing. He then asked Lu Nong what kind of photos she wanted, clearly recognizing who was in charge among the group.

At this time, photography studios offered limited styles, and taking pictures was still considered a luxury. Most ordinary people only took photos a few times a year, usually for significant events like weddings, graduations, or family births, which led to fixed styles for these occasions.

Lu Nong was not interested in the styles the old master suggested. Instead, she shared her idea of taking artistic photos.

Having come from the Republic of China era, the old master had seen fashionable gentlemen and ladies in beautiful clothes during his apprenticeship with his father. He was receptive to Lu Nong’s ideas.

When he learned that Lu Nong had brought a qipao, he sent his son to fetch an old armchair from storage.

Following the plan, they first took photos of Lu Nong and Xiao Huai in their green military outfits. Lu Nong squatted down next to Xiao Huai, half-hugging him, and they both smiled at the camera, eyes squinting in joy.

They then took individual photos while wearing the green military uniforms.

Xiao Huai looked especially adorable in his pictures. Lu Nong had him salute towards the camera and pose in various cute and funny ways. Xiao Huai cooperated perfectly, being both obedient and charming, prompting Lu Nong to give him a big kiss.

Later, they decided to change Xiao Huai into two different outfits for a personal photo shoot.

As Xiao Huai grew a bit tired, Lu Nong went to the changing room to put on her qipao. The old master had Aunt Wu and Pei Zheng take turns posing for individual photos.

In the dressing room, Lu Nong let down her braid, styled her hair into a bun, and secured it with a decorative hairpin adorned with tassels. She put on pearl earrings and changed into a pair of white low-heeled shoes. Once ready, she slowly walked out from the changing room.

Xiao Zhang, the photographer’s son, was polishing the armchair when he looked up and saw Lu Nong. He was momentarily captivated.

It took a sharp tap on the head from the old master to snap him back to reality, but he continued to steal glances at Lu Nong from time to time.

Pei Zheng, leaning lazily against the wall after finishing his own photos, straightened up involuntarily when he saw Lu Nong come out. He couldn’t help but think that his stepmother always managed to reach new heights of beauty.

The most composed one was Aunt Wu. She held Xiao Huai and asked, “Is Mommy pretty?”

Xiao Huai nodded vigorously, saying in his baby voice, “Mommy, pretty.”

Lu Nong winked at him and sat gracefully under the spotlight. The armchair was much wider than her slender frame, causing her to lean slightly. She rested her hand on the armrest, extended one leg to the side, and tilted her head toward the camera, showcasing her elegant neck. The tassel from her hairpin gently swayed, complementing the pearls dangling from her ears.

The old master barely had time to speak, quickly rushing to capture this precious moment.

After taking that photo, Lu Nong embraced Xiao Huai, who looked adorable in his little suit. He stood next to her, holding her leg with a naive and innocent expression, while Lu Nong sat regally on the armchair, portraying a classic mother-son duo from the Republic era.

Next, Aunt Wu sat on the armchair with Xiao Huai in her arms, while Lu Nong stood behind, resting her hand on Aunt Wu’s shoulder for a shot.

Finally, Lu Nong changed into her wedding dress. Her favorite part was actually the veil, which was adorned with evenly sized pearls arranged into a crown, decorated with delicate gemstones, and flowed into a long veil trailing behind her.

The lace gown was not overly puffy. The qipao-inspired design fit snugly, accentuating her curves, and the hem was just long enough to cover the tops of her shoes.

Matching lace gloves extended up to her elbows.

As she turned to face the camera, everyone in the studio instinctively held their breath.

Then, the sound of the door opening shattered the silence.

“Old Zhang, are you in here? We’re short on pocket money, come out…”

A few rough-looking young men stared at Lu Nong with wide eyes. She felt uncomfortable under their gaze, which gradually turned lewd.

Xiao Zhang quickly reacted, approaching the group and quietly pleading, “Brothers, we have a customer in here. Let’s step outside to talk, and I’ll get you your money.”

The leader of the group glanced at Xiao Zhang and shoved him aside, saying, “What do you think you are? Get out of my way.”

As he spoke, he approached Lu Nong. “Hey there, today is your lucky day; you’ve encountered a real gem. Little girl, how about having some fun with the brothers? Who needs a pretty boy? Stick with us, and we’ll treat you right.”

Seeing Lu Nong in a wedding dress, and with only Pei Zheng dressed decently among them, he assumed they were a couple of naïve newlyweds with money to spare.

Lu Nong scoffed, “You can come over and try.”

As soon as she said this, the group of thugs laughed, “Oh, the little girl is getting angry.”

Aunt Wu wanted to step in to stop these ruffians from harassing her young lady, but she was holding Xiao Huai and didn’t want to risk hurting him. So she looked pleadingly at Pei Zheng for help.

Pei Zheng calmly approached Lu Nong, standing in a protective stance in front of the gangsters.

“Get out of the way,” the gang leader said, his impatience evident. “If you don’t move, I’ll make you lie on the ground and not get back up.”

With a smile, Pei Zheng replied, “Hey there, since the space inside is too small, why don’t we step outside and settle this? If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me, how does that sound?”

The gang leader looked down at Pei Zheng dismissively, especially since Pei Zheng was dressed rather neatly that day. “You’ve got guts. Alright, brothers, let’s give him a chance to walk out on his own but lie down when he comes back in.”

“Let’s go!” The gang leader shoved Pei Zheng out of the photo studio.

As soon as they were outside, the people inside immediately crouched down by the door to peek out.

Lu Nong felt a surge of anxiety. Although she knew from the story that the male lead was skilled at fighting, she still worried that Pei Zheng might get hurt.

At three-thirty in the afternoon, after handling military affairs and taking leave, Pei Ji’an called Xiao Zhou to arrange a car to go to the Yun Zhao Photo Studio.

Xiao Zhou was taken aback when he received the call. Where was the Yun Zhao Photo Studio? And it wasn’t even off-duty time yet!

Left with no choice, Xiao Zhou quickly searched for the location of the Yun Zhao Photo Studio, taking a good amount of time to find it on the map.

Once the car started, Xiao Zhou cautiously glanced at his superior in the rearview mirror, noticing he was resting his eyes. He swallowed his words, not wanting to disturb him.

While he was looking at the map earlier, he suddenly remembered that Aunt Wu had mentioned going to take photos with Comrade Lu in the afternoon, so the Yun Zhao Photo Studio was likely where they were headed.

The car drove along until it stopped by an old street, right across from the Yun Zhao Photo Studio.

As Xiao Zhou pulled out the car key and was about to get out to open the door for his superior, his gaze froze. “Chief, isn’t that Xiao Zheng?”

At the entrance of the photo studio, a lively scene unfolded. A crowd had gathered, including several uniformed police officers. Pei Zheng, Lu Nong, and Aunt Wu were holding Gu Huai. The whole family, except Pei Ji’an, stood neatly in the middle of the crowd. The police were escorting a few young men with bruised faces and noses and were talking to them.

Not waiting for his leader to say anything, Xiao Zhou quickly inserted the key and drove the car toward the crowd.

Getting closer, Xiao Zhou noticed Lu Nong wearing a beautiful long wedding dress, catching the eyes of many onlookers.

Pei Ji’an was also watching Lu Nong amidst the crowd.

Nearby, the police expressed their gratitude to Pei Zheng for subduing the gangsters. These delinquents were local orphans who hadn’t learned their lesson since childhood, getting into trouble before the liberation and engaging in all kinds of wrongdoing. After their boss was captured, they started committing minor offenses.

This time, they foolishly attempted to commit a serious crime by bullying a woman but didn’t expect to encounter someone tough like her. Pei Zheng took down all five of them without sustaining any injuries.

The police, impressed by the young man’s skills, asked, “Have you trained before? Taking on five at once is impressive, but don’t be so impulsive. This time, they weren’t as tough as you. Next time you might run into someone stronger, and it could be you who ends up on the ground.”

“Five is nothing, my dad is even tougher,” Pei Zheng casually wiped his sweat and pointed at Lu Nong. “I told those gangsters that if they couldn’t handle it, they could take her instead. That wouldn’t work, right?”

The police burst into laughter.

Lu Nong jokingly punched Pei Zheng, and their playful banter drew them closer together.

After laughing, the police asked seriously, “Young man, would you be interested in becoming a police officer?”

Pei Zheng finally found the right way to boast. He pointed to the emblem on his clothing and replied, “I’m going to college this year. I still have four years to graduate.”

“Good lad, you have a bright future!” The police officer didn’t say anything further. After all, he was a college student and wouldn’t be looking to become a beat cop.

In the car, Pei Ji’an observed Pei Zheng and Lu Nong happily teasing each other, and he hesitantly asked Xiao Zhou, “When did they get so close?”

Xiao Zhou: “…” Help, is this a death question?

“Forget it,” Pei Ji’an said before Xiao Zhou could answer. “You should go to the police station with them to handle those gangsters.”

Xiao Zhou’s expression became serious. “Yes, sir.”

After getting out of the car, Xiao Zhou approached the police, saluted, and introduced himself as Pei Zheng’s guardian, requesting to accompany him to the police station for follow-up matters. The police officer was taken aback; no wonder this young man was so capable—his family must have a military background.

Pei Zheng was surprised to see him. “Xiao Zhou, what are you doing here?”

Lu Nong was equally astonished. How did Xiao Zhou know they were here?

Just two seconds later, she spotted Pei Ji’an, dressed in military attire, walking over as well.

Aunt Wu was overjoyed to see Pei Ji’an and quickly pulled the old master aside. “Old Zhang, this is my son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law, would you like to take a picture with the young lady?”

Pei Ji’an lowered his gaze to look at Lu Nong.

Lu Nong was puzzled, thinking, Why are you looking at me?

In the end, it seemed that Lu Nong caught a glimpse of Pei Ji’an letting out a barely perceptible sigh as he said, “Alright.”

Inside the studio, the bride in the wedding dress and the soldier in uniform sat in two armchairs. Both had somewhat stiff expressions. The old master, seeing this, expressed his dissatisfaction. “You two should get closer. Young lady, you took great photos earlier. Why can’t you do it now?”

Lu Nong: “…”

She gritted her teeth and extended a hand toward Pei Ji’an.

Pei Ji’an hesitated for a moment but then took Lu Nong’s hand, slightly lowering his head to look at her.

At that moment, the old master clicked the shutter. After the photo was taken, he provided feedback, praising Lu Nong’s performance as always, while specifically complimenting Pei Ji’an for his final touch by lowering his head, which added a perfect finishing touch.

Lu Nong: “…” Thank you very much.

On the way home, Lu Nong stared blankly at the family portrait. It was only today that she began to feel a bit of reality about her marriage. But how would a woman who only dated without taking responsibility know what marriage really meant?

After thinking for a long time without coming to a conclusion, she decided to let it go and not dwell on it anymore. Whatever will be, will be. I’ll just be myself.

At the doorstep, Lu Nong got out of the car without a care in the world. However, when she looked up, she saw a woman standing at the entrance with a dark, menacing expression.

The woman glared at Lu Nong fiercely, as if she wanted to eat her alive.

Lu Nong: “…”? ? Big sister, who are you?

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