Ger, So Proud

Chapter 98

Through the smoke, He Ze and Lin Yu locked eyes.

The surrounding clamor seemed to vanish, and the world became tranquil.

The warm sunlight shone on Lin Yu, making him look even more radiant, with a face as beautiful as a peach blossom and a graceful figure like jade. The light around him made him seem otherworldly.

“Hey, groom! Snap out of it! Don’t miss the auspicious time!” teased one of the people in the wedding procession, lightly tapping a gong near He Ze’s ear.

“You can’t just take Yu-ge away so easily! I haven’t seen the groom’s sincerity yet!”

“That’s right, you can’t take Yu-ge without showing sincerity!”

A group of five or six unmarried gers from the village gathered in front of Lin Yu, blocking He Ze’s path. They used to avoid Lin Yu, but now they crowded around him like he was a hot commodity, which was quite amusing.

“The sincerity is right here!” How could they let anyone delay his brother from marrying Lin Yu!

He An untied a sack carried by two people in the procession, revealing it to be filled with colorful paper-wrapped candies. He scooped them out handful by handful, throwing them like a rain of sweets.

The crowd quickly dispersed, rushing to pick up the candies.

“Brother, hurry!”

He Ze seized the opportunity and effortlessly reached Lin Yu. He clasped Lin Yu’s hands and called Zhang Su “Dad.”

“Ah! Good, good! Good child!”

When they were bidding farewell to Zhang Su, Lin Yu couldn’t hold back his tears and ended up sobbing in his arms.

He An saw this and scattered more candies.

“Dad, rest assured and entrust Xiao Yu to me. If I ever wrong him, may I be struck by lightning and lose my descendants!”

“You silly child! Don’t make such harsh vows! I know you’re a good child. I’m confident entrusting Xiao Yu to you! You two must be happy and love each other until old age.”

Zhang Su held He Ze’s and Lin Yu’s hands together, his voice choked with emotion.

According to tradition, He Ze should carry Lin Yu to the bridal sedan chair. But before they reached the sedan, He Ze put Lin Yu down, mounted his horse, and extended his hand to Lin Yu. “Let’s ride. Are you afraid?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

Lin Yu raised his eyebrows and nimbly mounted the horse, sitting in front of He Ze. The wedding procession erupted in cheers and everyone looked at each other in confusion. Before anyone could remind them to use the sedan chair, He Ze had already nudged the horse into a slow walk.

At the critical moment, He An reacted quickly. “Don’t worry about it, just follow! Follow!”

And so, there was another round of firecrackers and noise.

“Afraid I’ll drop you?” He Ze tightened the reins and whispered in Lin Yu’s ear, “I specially bought this horse from the county and trained it for half a month to make sure it wouldn’t throw you off.”

Although he had driven a horse-drawn carriage before, riding a horse was entirely different. Luckily, his abilities allowed him to calm the horse when necessary.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to ride with Lin Yu on such an important occasion.

“I’m not afraid.”

Just as He Ze was about to praise his wife’s confidence in him, Lin Yu added, “If I fall, you can cushion me.”

He Ze: “…”

Alright, I can’t argue with you.

The wedding procession paraded through the village, with gongs and drums sounding, firecrackers crackling, and He An scattering candies along the way, followed by a long trail of children. Just as He Ze was about to head home, He An led the horse out of the lane.

“What are you doing? Where are we going now?”

“Brother, Brother Lin, just sit tight. Father specifically told me to take you around all the neighboring villages. Otherwise, why would we have prepared so many candies!” There’s still another sack at the back, hmph!

“All around?”

“Go ahead, He family boy. Today is your and Yu-ge’s big day. Let everyone share in the joy, right?”

“Exactly, let’s make it lively! Don’t worry, He Youcai already told us we won’t miss the auspicious time.”

“Shall we?” He Ze looked down at Lin Yu.

“If Father wants it, let’s go.”

Lin Yu leaned back, listening to He Ze’s thumping heartbeat, feeling his heart melt like cotton.

Since the newlyweds didn’t object, the procession continued with gongs and drums. By the time they reached Li Family Village, the tail of the procession had grown even longer.

“They’re here, they’re here! Do you see? That one at the back is Li Houtian’s grandson. I hear he’s really promising! The one at the front must be his new bride. Isn’t he beautiful!”

“This pair really matches well. Today, Li Houtian’s whole family has gone to He Family Village. His family was already well-off, and now with such a promising grandson, their future looks bright!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Li Houtian used to look down on He Youcai. Now look at him. In just one year… people’s fates are really unpredictable!”

Amidst the chattering crowd, a few remarks reached He Ze and Lin Yu’s ears, but they took them as amusing comments. Though there were many gossipers, there were also straightforward people, such as—

“Hurry, Dabao, Erbao, call your father and dad out! Grab some candies! Do you still want to eat or not? If you don’t hurry, there won’t be any left!”

“You fool, why are you standing there! Go grab them!”

“They’re mine, all mine! You can’t have any, waah—”

…

In the field a few dozen meters away, He Bao’er straightened up, holding a sickle in one hand and wheat in the other, squinting at the road ahead. He was much tanner, with large beads of sweat dripping down his deeply furrowed forehead.

“What are you looking at? All that noise, who’s getting married?” Li Dali took a break, his poor eyesight making it hard for him to see clearly.

A man carrying a hoe passed by on the path, heading home from work, and casually replied, “Li Houtian’s grandson, He Youcai’s son, is getting married today. I’d better hurry. Given my relationship with Houtian, I might get to join the feast later. I haven’t had a drink in ages! Dali, do you want to come too?”

“He Youcai’s son… He Ze?” Li Dali muttered, then turned and said, “I won’t go. I need to finish harvesting the wheat in the field. This lazy guy at home doesn’t work efficiently and I need to keep an eye on him!”

Li Dali took the opportunity to scold He Bao’er for a while. The man who had invited him couldn’t persuade him anymore and quickened his pace to leave.

“What are you looking at? What’s so interesting? You’re carrying my child and still thinking about other men?”

“I… I’m not…” He Bao’er snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly lowered his head, mumbling.

“Not, huh? Even if you were, it’s too late. You lowly creature, do you think anyone would still want you?” Li Dali, getting angry, threw down the sickle in his hand with a clang. “Have I ever starved you or left you unclothed? You keep thinking about putting a green hat on me, huh? Weren’t you the one who despised poverty and favored wealth? Now, looking all miserable, who are you trying to disgust? You’re disgusting me! Marrying a jinx wasn’t enough; who knows how many men you’ve thought about in your heart!”

“I didn’t, I’m not thinking about him.” He truly wasn’t thinking about him. He was just wondering, if back when the He family was in trouble, he hadn’t listened to his dad and had stayed by He Ze’s side, would he now be the one on that high horse, getting a grand wedding? Would he be the one cherished by his husband, worry-free about money, living a smooth life?

Yes, he despised poverty and favored wealth, but people always strive for better, just as water flows downward. His actions were only human nature. It was just bad luck! As He Bao’er thought about this, a tinge of resentment grew in his heart, but he finally gave a bleak smile. “Dali, don’t be angry. The baby…”

“The baby, the baby. If it weren’t for the fact that my baby is in your belly, I would’ve divorced you today!”

“Oh.”

He Bao’er stopped talking. He knew how much Li Dali valued the child in his belly. As long as he was pregnant, no matter how angry Li Dali got, it would only end in angry words.

…

The wedding procession returned to the He family halfway through the hour of the rooster (5-7 PM). Fortunately, they didn’t miss the auspicious time. The guests didn’t react strongly to seeing He Ze and Lin Yu return on the same horse, as it wasn’t considered too outrageous.

He Ze dismounted first, then helped Lin Yu down. He An promptly handed them the ceremonial red ribbon. Each holding one end, the couple walked in together.

Matchmaker Wang was officiating the wedding. With experience and as a senior, he was the perfect choice for this occasion. He wore a festive red vest and, upon seeing He Ze and Lin Yu enter, shouted, “The groom is entering!”

His voice was loud and long, drowning out all other noise in the courtyard. The guests stood to the sides, creating a path for the newlyweds. He Youcai and his wife, who had been anxiously waiting at the entrance, were ushered to their seats by Matchmaker Wang.

Next came the ceremonial bows.

First, to heaven and earth. Second, to the parents. Third, the couple bowed to each other.

After completing the ritual, Lin Yu’s cheeks were flushed, and his ears were burning red. Yet, his eyes were bright and shimmering, making him look exceptionally beautiful. Many guests were staring in admiration, making He Ze a bit jealous.

A veil would’ve been better!

He An was grinning nearby, slightly tipsy from a couple of sips of wine, with a dazed look. Luo Zhanming squeezed next to him and, seeing no one was watching, ruffled his hair and coaxed, “Look, your Brother Yu looks so happy getting married. Don’t you want to get married too?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Luo Zhanming asked, puzzled.

“Brother Lin looks beautiful because he’s happy. He’s happy because he married my brother. He’s happy marrying my brother because he loves my brother. So, Brother Lin’s beauty and happiness have nothing to do with marriage itself but everything to do with marrying the one he loves.”

He An spoke slowly, pressing down one finger with each sentence, but his logic was clear and he didn’t confuse himself.

Different, truly different.

Luo Zhanming was momentarily stunned, then he could clearly hear his own rapid heartbeat. After a moment, he looked at the side profile of the person next to him and laughed softly, “I’ve really found a gem.”

After the wedding ceremony, the banquet began. He Ze and Lin Yu, following tradition, went table to table offering toasts to the guests, starting with the elders and then moving on to friends and relatives. Neither of them could hold their liquor well, but fortunately, Dad Li had prepared by diluting their wine with at least half water.

“He Ze, don’t go yet. We have something to tell you.”

Towards the end of the toasting, two young men at one table stopped He Ze. He recognized them as the two classmates from the academy who had come. It took him a moment to recall their names: the taller one was Fang Hong, and the other was Shi Chunsheng.

The original He Ze had not been close with them at the academy, barely having any impression of them.

“You go ahead; I’ll join you later,” He Ze said to Lin Yu.

The three of them walked to a quieter spot by the steps. Fang Hong and Shi Chunsheng exchanged glances before Fang Hong finally spoke. He downed his cup of wine in one gulp, “We’ve been classmates for years. Brother, on this joyous day of yours, I first want to congratulate you on marrying such a beautiful spouse. May you have a long and happy marriage and many children!”

“I appreciate your coming; your presence means a lot to me. So, what do you need to say? You’re making me anxious.”

He Ze also downed his cup of wine, genuinely curious about what these two had to say.