Chapter 53

Early in the morning, Lu Yun got up and began to fuss about. She was already beautiful, but after some grooming, Li Ling was left mesmerized by her. If one were to describe Li Ling’s expression in an idiom, “astounded beyond belief” would be quite fitting.

With her delicate and fair skin, the satin wedding dress made her look radiant. When Lu Yun stood up, it revealed her slim waist that one could grasp with a hand. Holding a bouquet, she asked Li Ling, “Does it look good?”

Li Ling swallowed hard in response. Both his mother and Han Jiangang had remarked that Lu Yun was fortunate to have met a man like He Cheng’an, who treated her so well. However, at that moment, Li Ling thought it was He Cheng’an who was lucky. He could only nod at Lu Yun, unable to articulate his thoughts.

Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers echoed outside. Lu Yun thought it was He Cheng’an arriving, but Li Ling, being more experienced, informed her that these were firecrackers set off by the bride’s family in the morning. They would set off more when He Cheng’an came to pick her up.

The Lu family was busy, and in the midst of the chaos, they forgot whether Lu Yun had eaten breakfast. Luckily, she had filled her stomach herself, and Li Ling brought her some food.

Outside the courtyard, congratulations filled the air, and the chatter created a lively atmosphere, all until someone announced that the groom had arrived. Lu Yun, still adjusting her makeup, quickly set down her eyebrow pencil.

After a short wait, when He Cheng’an entered, Lu Yun was sitting there waiting for him. Their eyes met, and both revealed the brightest and most sincere smiles. He Cheng’an’s eyes sparkled with admiration that he couldn’t hide.

Around them, cheers and teasing voices erupted.

He Cheng’an walked over, and when he held Lu Yun’s hand, his restless heart found peace with her. Lu Yun felt a sense of buoyancy from the morning’s hustle and bustle, but at that moment, that feeling settled within her.

Weddings in the late 1980s were certainly not as romantic as those in the future, lacking floating veils and falling petals.

However, Lu Yun believed that the concept of marriage represented countless romantic moments. What she perceived as a rather simple wedding filled her heart with joy.

Lu Yun and He Cheng’an’s wedding was held at a hotel in the county town. By the end of the ceremony, Lu Yun felt so tired she could hardly stand. Throughout the process, He Cheng’an had been supporting her arm. Once they finished toasting, he hurriedly took Lu Yun back to their seat.

As Lu Yun sat down, He Cheng’an quickly knelt beside her to help her take off her high heels. Lu Yun felt an immense relief; she had always preferred flat shoes. When He Cheng’an brought out a pair of flats for her, she was genuinely surprised, feeling as if her fatigue had vanished.

When Zhang Meili came to see Lu Yun, she was positively beaming with joy, and even Lu Xiang’an, who had come along, was equally thrilled.

Noticing Lu Dong was absent, Lu Yun asked, “Where’s my dad?”

Zhang Meili replied, “He drank too much in his excitement and is still sobering up. I didn’t let him come over. You can just go back with He Cheng’an later. And don’t forget to return to your family three days from now. I figured He Cheng’an must know all this, but I thought I’d remind you anyway. Also, have you prepared the red envelope?”

It was then that Lu Yun remembered the red envelope. Although she and He Cheng’an were no longer struggling financially—even renovations were manageable—who would ever complain about having extra money? Lu Yun nodded in agreement to Zhang Meili.

Zhang Meili hadn’t planned to mention it, but seeing Lu Yun, she couldn’t help herself: “Aunt Li from our courtyard came by. Although things were a bit awkward before, we had given them gifts previously. If Aunt Li didn’t come, it would have been quite embarrassing, especially since she’s still living in that courtyard. It’s just too much to bear.”

At this, she chuckled again. “You have no idea how her face looked the entire time; it was quite a sight. Also, He Cheng’an did a great job with this banquet.

The table was full of fresh prawns, sweet and sour ribs, and braised pork knuckles. I can only imagine how much it all cost. And when she heard that you and He Cheng’an bought a house in the provincial city, she was absolutely envious.”

Lu Yun pictured Aunt Li’s expression and quickly asked, “What about her nephew? Didn’t you say his new wife was leaving him?”

Lu Xiang’an responded, “They divorced. I heard Aunt Li plans to bring her nephew to the county town. She really thinks her nephew should be pampered by his family just like everyone else. I find him annoying. If he moves into Aunt Li’s place, I’ll have to see him often.”

Thinking about Lu Yun’s wedding, Lu Xiang’an shook his head and didn’t continue. He stepped forward and handed Lu Yun a red envelope. “Here, take this.”

Lu Yun didn’t hold back, and when she opened the envelope, she was taken aback to find three hundred yuan inside. Considering that Zhang Meili and Lu Dong had prepared six hundred yuan for her dowry, she looked up at Lu Xiang’an, who appeared unfazed about spending money—after all, he only had this one sister.

“Alright, we’ll head back now. You should eat something. You haven’t had lunch yet, and you still need to toast later,” Lu Xiang’an said.

Hearing Lu Xiang’an, Lu Yun felt a bit embarrassed. He Cheng’an was genuinely toasting with real liquor, while Lu Yun was toasting with cooled boiled water from a white liquor bottle.

Before the wedding, Lu Yun had worried about this situation. She wasn’t one to drink much, but there were quite a few people she needed to toast. She had asked Li Ling for advice, and Li Ling told her that some people drank liquor while others just had water. Lu Yun wanted to do the same, but He Cheng’an wouldn’t let her drink at all. Lu Yun felt uncomfortable about it, but He Cheng’an reassured her that he would drink more on her behalf.

Fortunately, He Cheng’an had a good tolerance for alcohol; he wasn’t blushing or drunk at all, even though he usually drank very little.

When He Cheng’an returned, Zhang Meili and Lu Xiang’an were still there. Zhang Meili chatted with He Cheng’an for a few moments before preparing to leave. Lu Xiang’an, watching He Cheng’an, smiled and called out, “Brother-in-law, I’m heading back now.”

He Cheng’an was three years older than Lu Yun, and so was Lu Xiang’an, meaning they were the same age. Depending on their birthdays, He Cheng’an might even be slightly older than Lu Xiang’an.

Hearing the term “brother-in-law” made He Cheng’an quite happy. He called back, “Brother, see you again when you come to visit!”

“Lu Xiang’an!” Lu Yun interjected.

“Okay, okay, I’m going now,” Lu Xiang’an replied.

He Cheng’an returned with some food for Lu Yun. Although it wasn’t as plentiful as the banquet dishes, most of it consisted of Lu Yun’s favorites. He placed the dishes on the table and said, “I asked the hotel to set these aside just for you. No one else has touched them; they’re clean.” After that, he peeled a shrimp and handed it to Lu Yun, asking, “Is it good?”

Lu Yun nodded, “Delicious.”

While Lu Yun was eating, He Cheng’an sat beside her, helping to peel shrimp. Although he hadn’t drunk to the point of inebriation, there was still a hint of alcohol on his breath. When He Cheng’an noticed Lu Yun subtly sniffing, he looked down at himself and quickly removed his suit jacket. He had already rinsed his mouth and washed his face before coming inside.

Seeing his actions, Lu Yun reached out, signaling He Cheng’an to sit back down.

“I’m not bothered by it,” Lu Yun reassured him.

After saying that, she added, “I’m done eating; you should have your meal.”

He Cheng’an nodded, “Alright.”

Although He Cheng’an sat next to Lu Yun and ate with her, there were still peeled shrimp from him appearing in her bowl from time to time.

—o—o—o—

Lu Yun didn’t visit He Cheng’an’s home in the county town often, but she didn’t feel unfamiliar with it. After they returned, she looked at the bed adorned with auspicious items like red dates, peanuts, longan, and lotus seeds, and couldn’t help but blush.

She touched her slightly heated cheeks and decided to count the money first.

All the money He Cheng’an earned was with Lu Yun, and she had organized everything.

As she took the money out, she began counting it.

By the time He Cheng’an came out of the shower, she told him how much she had counted and left the rest for him to tally. Then she slipped on her slippers and went to take a shower.

He Cheng’an wanted to say something, but he felt his ears turning a bit red; he had just come out of a warm shower.

Lu Yun took her time in the shower, which was quite different from He Cheng’an’s approach. Even when He Cheng’an took his time, it still felt quick compared to Lu Yun.

She was meticulous; although she didn’t have many toiletries at the moment, just using some conditioner could keep her in the bathroom for more than ten minutes. When Lu Yun finally emerged, it was after thirty or forty minutes.

Inside, He Cheng’an had finished counting the money and even noted it down in the ledger for Lu Yun.

He Cheng’an said, “Dad and Mom, plus what my brother gave, and then there’s a substantial amount from Zhang Hao’s dad, and Li Ling’s family also gave quite a bit. Altogether, that’s around six hundred and thirty yuan. We haven’t even counted the other red envelopes yet.”

Lu Yun was delighted. “So there’s over six hundred? Even if we have enough money, I still want to go for a minimalist style.” When she said this, she glanced at He Cheng’an, who nodded in agreement without any objections.

“Pink?” Lu Yun asked.

“Sounds good,” He Cheng’an replied.

“How about we convert the three-bedroom into a two-bedroom?” Lu Yun suggested.

“I think that’s fine too,” He Cheng’an agreed.

Seeing that everything she proposed was met with affirmation from He Cheng’an, Lu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle. She felt that even though they now had money for the renovations and many choices, it wasn’t like before when they had to settle for the cheapest minimalist option. They also wouldn’t argue over the matter of decorating.

“Don’t you have a style you like?” Lu Yun asked.

He Cheng’an paused for a moment, then ruffled Lu Yun’s hair. “As long as it’s with Ah Yun, I like it all.”

After a while, Lu Yun smiled and said, “He Cheng’an, we’re going to have a child soon, right?”