Chapter 9: Marrying the Big Shot

By now, Zhao Ruhua had already followed Yun Shiyue back to his home.

The new house was neat and orderly. The bed and wardrobe were all newly bought.

Although not made of rare wood, the furniture was of excellent quality.

A fresh, bright-red quilt covered the bed, and a large red “Double Happiness” character was pasted on the wall at the head of the bed.

The mosquito net was also new, giving the room a cozy feeling.

Zhao Ruhua entered and sat on the bed with her red bridal veil covering her head.

She couldn’t see the room’s decorations, only sense that a man was standing before her.

Outside the door, people lingered to watch the fun.

After waiting a while without feeling Yun Shiyue lift her veil, Zhao Ruhua teased, “On the day you came to propose, weren’t you so bold? Why are you cowering now? Don’t even dare lift the veil?”

Laughter rose outside, amused by her words.

Yun Shiyue remained silent. He paced the room twice, then turned to close the door, cutting off the onlookers’ view.

The laughter from outside filtered through the walls.

The room fell quiet.

Zhao Ruhua sat on the bed for a long while before Yun Shiyue finally came to lift the veil.

The red fabric was raised, and Zhao Ruhua saw both the room and Yun Shiyue’s face clearly.

The man before her wore a crimson wedding robe with a large red flower pinned to his chest.

His face was the same as always, but the bright-red long robe elongated his figure, highlighting his tall and slender build.

A white sash embroidered with golden patterns cinched his waist, making it look even narrower.

Zhao Ruhua’s eyes dropped to his waist. She compared it to her own and couldn’t help but sigh—his waist was actually slimmer than hers.

She then glanced at Yun Shiyue’s face and sighed again.

What a pity.

If only that face were more handsome, he would have been perfect.

Her open, unrestrained gaze made the muscles on Yun Shiyue’s face twitch.

This woman was the same as before—staring at his figure without blinking.

Yun Shiyue asked, “See anything worth noting?”

Zhao Ruhua said with utter seriousness, “Your waist is slimmer than mine, and your legs are longer than mine.”

Yun Shiyue snorted lightly and ignored her.

Zhao Ruhua noticed the expression in his eyes.

They were clean, pure, and utterly calm.

Outside was lively and noisy. Zhao Ruhua’s voice reached Yun Shiyue’s ears again. “Shall we sleep in the same bed tonight?”

Her tone was natural, as if asking whether they should have dinner together later.

“This bed looks big and sturdy. Even if we roll around on it, it should hold up just fine.”

Yun Shiyue’s lips twitched. “What kind of nonsense are you saying?”

When he spoke, his earlobes reddened.

Zhao Ruhua grinned, her eyes sparkling. “I was just asking your opinion. After all, we’re supposed to divorce in the future. If a little one suddenly appears, wouldn’t that make things… complicated?”

Her tone was slow and unhurried, without a trace of nervousness.

“You’re overthinking,” Yun Shiyue replied.

Outside, the banquet was ready.

There was no ancestral hall or elders on Yun Shiyue’s side, and the usual wedding customs were absent here.

After he lifted the veil, they simply went out together for the meal.

The dishes were already on the tables.

When the guests and relatives saw ten dishes laid out, no one could accuse the Zhao family of boasting anymore.

Chicken, duck, fish, pork—platters of delicious food filled the tables.

The guests sat down, eyes widening at the abundance of meat.

“In all my years attending banquets, I’ve never seen a family go this lavish.”

“So much meat! This must have cost a fortune.”

“They really went all out for Zhao Ruhua’s sake.”

“I heard Yun Shiyue paid for everything.”

“Yun Shiyue has that much money? Where did he even get so much silver?”

The guests gossiped while eating.

Zhao Ruhua and Yun Shiyue sat at the same table as her natal family.

Seeing the table piled high with food, Zhao Ruhua was stunned.

In this era, having so much meat on the table was something only prosperous families could afford.

She and Yun Shiyue were merely living together in a practical arrangement, yet he spent so much silver to host this banquet. Clearly, he had taken the matter seriously.

The Li family members were shocked as well, though their hearts began to sink.

Li Hongyun had boasted that when he married Shen, his wedding banquet would outshine Zhao Ruhua’s.

But seeing this feast now, he regretted his words.

How much silver would it take to match this?

Meanwhile, the Zhao family was all smiles, sitting together with flushed faces and hearty laughter.

After the lively meal, the neighbors who had come to help cleaned up the tables, chairs, and dishes before heading home one by one.

Once her natal family had left, Zhao Ruhua began organizing her dowry.

Zhao Father and Madam Hu loved her dearly. They had prepared pots, bowls, food, and daily necessities for her.

While sorting through the dowry, Zhao Ruhua discovered twenty taels of silver.

This was part of her dowry.

Her father and mother worried that she might suffer without silver in her husband’s home, so they had sent her off with some money.

Twenty taels would last her quite a while here.

After all, she would be living permanently at Yun Shiyue’s house after marriage—having no silver would be unthinkable.

That night, Zhao Ruhua lay on the new bed.

True to his word, Yun Shiyue did not touch her.

The two slept side by side, fully clothed, proper and without overstepping.

After Zhao Ruhua’s wedding concluded, the Li family began preparing for Li Hongyun’s marriage.

The very next day, as Yun Shiyue’s new bride, Zhao Ruhua started planning her future life.

She could not accept spending her whole life farming in the countryside, worrying about each meal after the last. That was not the life she wanted.

She had to change her circumstances, relying on her own ability to bring her natal family a better life.

Yun Shiyue had already gone out, leaving Zhao Ruhua sitting on a stone under the eaves, gazing at the distant mountains in deep thought.

The village was surrounded by mountains, and life for the locals was harsh.

What kind of small business could she start that the villagers would accept?

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Ruhua thought of her one true hobby from her previous life: handicrafts.

She could crochet many things—

Clothes, shoes, hats, bags, little baskets…

In her past life, she had made enough crochet items to fill an entire room.

If that society hadn’t been so advanced, with machines replacing handmade goods, she would have opened a shop.

Now that she was here, with twenty taels of silver in hand, why not make small items to sell?

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