Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Wedding

Zhao Nuanyue and Yang Guanghui stopped discussing the big exam and quickened their pace toward the village.

Many people had come to Li Guihua’s home to help with the wedding. Not only were there chefs from the village, but also young people helping serve food, wash vegetables, and clean dishes.

Now that the bride had been brought home, Li Guihua was beaming, grinning from ear to ear as she listened to everyone’s compliments.

After being all dressed up, Li Qiong was indeed radiant—at least in the eyes of these village women.

Li Guihua felt incredibly proud. At the same time, she was grateful for Zhao Nuanyue’s help in making sure her daughter-in-law’s wedding was perfect, with no regrets.

For Li Jianjun’s wedding, Miao Cunzheng had put in a great deal of effort. Not only did he bustle about planning everything, but he also served as the witness and officiant, overseeing the entire ceremony.

The first bow, traditionally to Heaven and Earth, was instead directed at a portrait of Dai Weiren. Next was the bow to the parents. Seeing her son getting married and kowtowing to her, Li Guihua couldn’t hold back her tears. Her eyes reddened. All the years of hardship had been worth it.

After the couple bowed to each other, Li Qiong was escorted into the bridal chamber. The wedding was complete; Li Qiong and Li Jianjun were now a legally married couple.

Even after Li Qiong had entered the bridal chamber, the people outside didn’t stop talking about her, discussing her from head to toe.

Her makeup, her elegant updo, and her dress were all topics of enthusiastic conversation.

Li Guihua led her two sons around to toast the villagers.

The Li family was well-off, and with the things Li Jianbin had brought back, the wedding banquet was a very respectable affair.

Zhao Nuan Yang, Zhao Nuanyue, Yang Guanghui, and Little Red Carp were seated at the head table as honored guests representing the bride’s side. The first table Li Guihua and her sons came to for toasts was theirs.

"Thank you, Nuanyue. It touches me deeply that you came all this way for Jianjun and Li Qiong’s wedding. I toast to you." Li Guihua raised her glass and downed it in one go, as bold and forthright as a hero among women.

"Li Qiong is a good friend of mine, and I have a deep friendship with Jianjun as well. Of course I had to come for their wedding. Besides, I wanted to see Nianqiao Village again. After all, this is the place where my little brother got better and where I gained a little sister. Nianqiao Village is a blessed place for me, Zhao Nuanyue. No matter where I go, I will always think of this as my other home," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. Then, under everyone’s gaze, she also raised her glass and downed it in one go.

Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s words, the villagers of Nianqiao Village were overjoyed. They thought she was a wonderful young woman. No wonder Miao Cunzheng and Li Guihua had treated her so well before. Who wouldn’t like such a cheerful and forthright woman!

The villagers were also grateful to Zhao Nuanyue for teaching them how to make decorative woven baskets. Now, they earned a considerable income from this work every year, which was one of the main reasons life in Nianqiao Village was more prosperous than in other villages.

Even though the village was rather remote, their good financial standing and prosperous lives made it easier for the young men to find wives, and their daughters could be more selective when it came time for them to marry.

After that, Li Jianjun and Li Jianbin took turns toasting and drinking with Zhao Nuan Yang and Yang Guanghui.

Then, Li Guihua led her sons to toast the other guests, leaving Zhao Nuanyue’s table to sit down and enjoy the grand eight-course banquet.

As the groom’s younger sister, Li Minglan wasn’t outside greeting guests. Instead, she stayed in her brother and sister-in-law’s new room to keep the bride company. When some of the bolder women came in to tease the bride, she could help deflect their jokes.

As it was getting late, Li Minglan secretly brought in some simple food and whispered, "Sister-in-law, you must be hungry, right? Have something to eat first!"

Li Qiong had been too excited to feel hungry before, but hearing Li Minglan’s words and seeing the bowl of small wontons in her hands, she suddenly felt famished. She didn’t stand on ceremony with Minglan and said gratefully, "Thank you, Minglan. I really am hungry. You know I have a big appetite; I always want to eat right when it’s mealtime."

"Then hurry and eat, Sister-in-law. I’ve closed the door so no one from outside will come in," Li Minglan said with a cheerful grin. "We’re family now, Sister-in-law. You don’t have to be so formal with me."

"Alright, then I won’t be," Li Qiong said with a smile. Seeing how friendly her new in-laws were, the nervousness in her heart dissipated.

’This is my home now,’ she thought. ’I must live a good life here.’

’In the future, I might have children and face different life experiences, but with my beloved, like-minded husband by my side, I won’t feel any hardship, no matter how tough life gets.’

After everyone had finished the banquet, some of the young men from the village came to liven up the bridal chamber, but Li Guihua sent them off by giving each of them a pack of cigarettes. As for the women and children who came in, a few pieces of candy were enough to make them leave.

And so, the bustling, noisy day came to an end.

After the banquet, Zhao Nuanyue went to the bridal chamber to keep Li Qiong company and ease her nerves.

Outside, the helpers began to clean up, washing and scrubbing everything.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Nuanyue prepared to leave, but Li Guihua stopped them, insisting they stay for dinner. Because she had been worried about not having enough for the banquet, Li Guihua had bought extra ingredients, and a lot was left over.

So, Zhao Nuanyue and her group had another eight-course meal at Li Guihua’s home before finally bidding farewell to Li Qiong and Li Jianjun.

Li Qiong felt a pang of regret that her parents and relatives hadn’t come.

’In life, for every gain, there is a loss, and for every loss, a gain,’ she mused. ’I’ve gained so much already, so I can’t be too greedy and want everything.’

’Or maybe,’ she thought, trying to console herself, ’it’s because my parents are struggling, and that’s why they couldn’t be here.’

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