Chapter 13: The Little Curly Hair

The village wedding feast lasted through two meals. Once the evening celebration ended, the young men and women ushered the newlyweds, Liu Shuan and Xiao Yan, to their bridal room.

Zhao Yu was quick to grab Dai Ning, “Miss, let’s head back.”

But this time, Dai Ning ignored him, looking excited. “I want to see the fun in the bridal room!”

Zhao Yu disagreed. He thought Dai Ning was anything but calm, and if she got carried away, things could spiral out of control.

Dai Ning disliked his strict attitude. “I’m just watching the festivities, not the actual… ceremony. Who do you think you are, Xiao Yan’s husband?”

Zhao Yu nearly clamped his hand over her mouth, glancing around to make sure no one overheard her reckless words. “Watch your mouth!”

“Doesn’t matter—I’m going, and you’re coming with me.”

Zhao Yu had no choice. She’d been cooperative enough all day, and forcing her back now would likely mean she’d take his roof off when they got home.

He mumbled reluctantly, “Just don’t go running off.”

“Got it.”

Dai Ning grabbed his hand and pulled him along with the crowd into the bridal room.

Nearby, Du Tian noticed and quickly stood up, saying, “Mom, I’m going over to take a look.”

The bridal room was simple. To prepare for Xiao Yan’s arrival, Liu Shuan’s family had renovated the room in spring. They had added new roof tiles and replaced the bed, now covered with festive red bedding. The room was decorated with lucky symbols.

The bride, Xiao Yan, only seventeen and Dai Ning’s age, sat on the bed scattered with peanuts and red dates, her cheeks blushing as bright as morning clouds.

Though it was called “wedding night prank” it was really just the men and women gathering in separate groups to chat.

Xiao Yan shyly glanced at Dai Ning, knowing she was a refined young lady from the city, prettier than any girl in the village. Now, Dai Ning was tilting her head, studying her.

“Miss Ji, would you like to sit here with me?” Xiao Yan asked bashfully.

Dai Ning’s eyes lit up. “Sure!”

Zhao Yu tried to pull her back, but she slipped away and sat next to the bride.

Dai Ning touched the red flower in Xiao Yan’s hair, finding it to be made of cloth. Suddenly, she was poked by a peanut under her and quickly scooted away.

Xiao Yan chuckled. “Don’t mind it—it’s tradition.”

In the village, peanuts symbolized prosperity, good fortune, and a blessed lineage.

Dai Ning, unimpressed, muttered, “So this is your idea of wedding-night prank? How boring.” She’d been looking forward to it since lunch.

Blushing, Xiao Yan asked humbly, “How do they do it in the city?”

Looking around the room, Dai Ning spotted an apple and had an idea. She waved at Liu Shuan. “Come over here.”

Liu Shuan, in the midst of his friends’ teasing, turned and pointed to himself. “Me?”

“Yes, your wife wants to know about city bridal games. Come, help her out.”

Liu Shuan looked confused but came over anyway.

Zhao Yu felt a sense of impending doom, as though he knew exactly how this would go wrong. He tried to intervene, “Don’t listen to her nonsense.”

Liu Shuan chuckled, “It’s fine.”

The young people around them were curious, watching intently.

Dai Ning instructed Liu Shuan and Xiao Yan to sit facing each other, placing the apple between them.

“Both of you bite the apple at the same time, and when you do, the game ends. Go on.”

Liu Shuan and Xiao Yan, both straightforward people, leaned in as instructed, each trying to bite the apple. But Dai Ning yanked it away at the last second.

Instead of a gentle nudge toward a kiss, the couple collided, knocking their teeth together.

Xiao Yan clutched her mouth, almost crying from the pain, while Liu Shuan ignored his own pain and immediately checked on her.

Dai Ning, equally surprised, thought the collision sounded painful even to her.

Zhao Yu quickly pulled Dai Ning back, apologizing, “Sorry, Liu Shuan, the young lady didn’t mean to. Are you both alright?”

Liu Shuan mumbled that he was fine, while Xiao Yan, although frowning, shook her head with a good-natured smile.

Zhao Yu signaled Dai Ning to apologize, but she peeked her head out and said cheerfully, “If you don’t like that game, I’ve got others! Let’s try another one!”

Liu Shuan and Xiao Yan frantically shook their heads.

Du Tian, watching from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow, amused. With Ji Dai Ning so unlikable, she didn’t have to worry—side characters would always be side characters. She glanced at Zhao Yu, who looked utterly exasperated.

Zhao Yu apologized profusely before ushering Dai Ning out of the bridal room.

The moon shone brightly as they stepped outside.

Zhao Yu, thoroughly annoyed, muttered, “You should seriously reflect on what you’ve done!”

Dai Ning looked at him quizzically. “What did I do?”

Seeing her clueless attitude, Zhao Yu raised his voice. “It was their wedding night, and you nearly knocked their teeth out!”

Dai Ning climbed onto a stone next to the vegetable patch, towering over him. She shouted back even louder, “It was their own fault for being so foolish. How can you blame me? If they’d do whatever I told them, then why don’t I tell them to eat mud!”

Zhao Yu was beyond frustrated. Despite all his precautions, she’d managed to make trouble anyway.

“So you think you’re in the right, huh, Ji Dai Ning?”

“I’m not messing with anyone, you rigid old stick-in-the-mud.” She puffed out her chest. “Xiao Yan wanted to know how it’s done, so I let her experience it. Besides, I didn’t even get to the real fun.”

Zhao Yu gave her a cold look. “Oh, and what ‘real fun’ did you have in mind?”

“Well, since you asked, you could place a cherry here,” she gestured to her chest, “and let the groom pick it up with his mouth.”

Dai Ning considered this for a moment. “Though, now that I think about it, Xiao Yan’s too skinny to hold it up. That’s okay; I have other ideas…”

Zhao Yu clenched his teeth. “Ji Dai Ning!”

He thought, Really? You think you could pull that off?

Dai Ning wasn’t pleased by his reaction. “What’s your problem? You asked, and I answered, but now you’re mad. Are you planning to hit me?”

Her expression turned wary. She’d known better than to trust him, and without her fourteen-man security team, she felt a bit vulnerable.

Zhao Yu wanted to shake some sense into her. He didn’t mind the trouble, but her total lack of remorse afterward, as if she were in the right, drove him up the wall.

“Get down here.”

Dai Ning glanced at him, realized she couldn’t beat him, and bolted.

Zhao Yu watched in disbelief as she leapt into the vegetable patch!

The newly planted hollow greens stood no chance; the frail seedlings were mercilessly trampled by the young lady.

Zhao Yu didn’t even hope that the young lady could tell the difference between vegetables and weeds; she probably didn’t even know where she was. He said, “Get out of there, now.”

Dai Ning turned around, surprised. “You’re not going to hit me?”

Zhao Yu replied, almost through gritted teeth, “No, I’m not. But you’re standing in someone’s vegetable patch—look how many plants you’ve trampled!”

“You should have said so earlier.”

Running over here in heels was painful enough for her.

Dai Ning looked around dismissively. “How would I know these are vegetables?”

In any case, as far as she was concerned, she wasn’t in the wrong.

“Come over here,” Zhao Yu said.

But Dai Ning insisted, “I don’t trust you. Call my bodyguard team over here first; if I come closer, what if you go back on your word and hit me?”

Zhao Yu’s face darkened, his tone cold. “Then stay there. There’s no telling when a garden snake might slither out of the vegetable patch. You’re on your own.”

Dai Ning froze.

Now that he mentioned it, she suddenly felt something moving along her calf.

As Zhao Yu turned to leave, she called out, panicked, “Zhao Yu! Zhao Yu!”

She was desperate. “There’s something in here—something’s on my leg!”

Zhao Yu didn’t turn around.

Dai Ning, terrified of creepy crawlies, didn’t care about her pride anymore. She didn’t dare to look and see what it was. Her tone softened as she admitted defeat, her voice sweet and pleading, “I was wrong, Zhao Yu, please come back. I’ll apologize! Just help me!”

Zhao Yu paused, frowning.

“I promise! Really, really.”

He walked back, saying, “Come here.”

Dai Ning, looking miserable, said, “I can’t move. I’m afraid it’ll bite me—please get rid of it.”

Zhao Yu carefully avoided the young plants and walked over to her.

As if she’d just been saved, the young lady leapt onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. “Get it off, get it off!”

Curious to see what had scared her so much, Zhao Yu glanced down and saw a cricket hopping off her leg.

Zhao Yu: …

Instinctively, he placed a hand on her waist.

He didn’t know what to say. She was fierce and unreasonable with people but terrified of the smallest insect.

Classic—tough on the inside, fearful on the outside.

“It’s gone,” Zhao Yu said.

Dai Ning asked, muffled, “What was it?”

After a pause, Zhao Yu replied, “A green caterpillar, soft and wiggly, plump, and green.”

Dai Ning: … Ugh!

She tightened her grip, almost crying. “You jerk. I hate you.”

If he hadn’t scared her, she wouldn’t have jumped into this muddy patch or met that caterpillar.

Zhao Yu couldn’t hold back a laugh.

The young lady was heartbroken, and the more she thought about it, the more queasy she felt. She could barely handle a simple snake game, and this was a lot worse.

He picked her up, carrying her out of the garden. “Alright, get down now.”

But Dai Ning clung tightly. “No, no. What if I run into another bug?”

“This is a road; there won’t be any bugs.”

But she buried her face against his neck. “No way; there’s grass everywhere.”

Grass meant bugs.

No, she couldn’t think about it anymore, or she’d feel queasy all over again.

She urged, “Let’s hurry home. I need a bath.”

Zhao Yu didn’t realize just how much this had bothered her. When he released his hold on her waist, she tightened her legs around his waist, afraid he might drop her.

It was summer, and her softest parts pressed against his chest. For some reason, Zhao Yu thought about the silly game she’d suggested earlier. If it were her, she could probably hold that cherry in place.

He pressed his lips together. “Ji Dai Ning, get down.”

She replied with a nasal tone, “Pretend I’m dead, okay?”

Zhao Yu had never seen anyone so willing to curse themselves like that; he was almost impressed.

“Zhao Yu, you’re the best. Let’s go home.”

He patted her curly hair and, without another word, supported her around the waist and took her home.