Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 529: Chapter 276: Qingmu’s Wedding (Part 2)

Once Zhang Huai had led a troop of boys away to welcome the bride, driving a decorated ox-cart and beating the gongs and drums thunderously, the Zheng family home burst into a flurry of activity, focused mainly on preparing the wedding feast.

The rhythmic THUMP of chopping echoed from the cutting boards, and the SIZZLE of hot oil filled the kitchen with fragrant smoke. The aroma drifted out, enticing the dogs, cats, and even the chickens to linger in the courtyard. The men conferred periodically to arrange various tasks, while the women washed dishes, cleaned vegetables, and set out the tableware, their laughter ringing out. Meanwhile, Laishou and Zhao Qing ran about the dry courtyard, searching through piles of paper scraps for unexploded firecracker duds.

In the midst of all this activity, an individual’s contribution was hardly noticeable. Juhua could only help with odd jobs and keep an eye on Laicai and the other children. Finding the crowd and chaos a bit much, she had specifically asked Liu Xiaomei to keep her company. It was a shame Meizi had to look after her baby, otherwise she could have lent a hand.

Everyone was busy, yet Qingmu, the groom himself, was surprisingly idle. After making small talk with a few elders, he slipped away to the study. He pulled out a history book and flipped through a few pages, but found he couldn’t take in a single word. A smile touched his lips as he set the book down and simply sat in quiet contemplation for a moment.

’Life after the wedding...’ It filled him with both anticipation and a hint of trepidation. ’There will be another person in the house, someone so intimately connected to me. From now on, she and I will be living together in this courtyard. I wonder what that will be like?’

The thought of Liu Yunlan’s clear, bright eyes filled his heart with warmth and sweetness, and his mind gradually settled. ’Yunlan is a sensible person, and besides, I’m confident in myself now.’ He was certain he could guide his wife to live in harmony with his family, ensuring their days remained as warm and pleasant as ever. He would never allow petty suspicions and arguments to disrupt his home.

’And another thing...’ Although his parents had told him it would be best to split the household after he married, and he had agreed at the time, he had since changed his mind. ’I’m sure Yunlan will agree with me.’

After pondering for a while longer, he calmly stood up, closed and locked the study door, and went out to greet his guests and welcome his new life as a married man.

By noon, the temperature had risen considerably under the sun. The most obvious sign was the icicles under the eaves, which had begun to drip incessantly as large patches of snow on the roof melted. Finally, with its base weakened, one of the icicles could hold on no longer. With a sharp CRACK, it fell from the eaves and shattered on the ground, startling an unsuspecting grey dog nearby.

Most of the guests had arrived. Even Manager Song from the Fang family’s farm tool workshop had sent someone to deliver a wedding gift: a carriage pulled by two horses.

Looking at the plain-looking carriage and its equally ordinary horses—they weren’t particularly tall or magnificent—Juhua thought to herself that Manager Song had chosen the gift with great care. ’He didn’t send some useless luxury item impractical for a farming family, nor did he just flash his wealth by giving money. Instead, he gave them a very practical carriage.’

’The Zheng Family has a shop in Xiatang Market now, so they’re traveling more often. An ox-cart is a bit slow. This carriage is both timely and perfectly suitable.’

Opening the carriage door revealed a well-appointed interior. Unlike the plain exterior, it was furnished nicely, befitting the Fang family’s status as the givers, yet it wasn’t so luxurious as to be gaudy.

However, what the Fang family considered ordinary, the village guests found to be a rare marvel. They crowded around the carriage, commenting on it at length, their envy plain to see.

Qingmu quickly ushered the man who had delivered the gift inside and sat down to chat with him.

While they waited for the bride’s arrival, the wives and mothers-in-law gathered in Qingmu’s new room. Hosted by members of the Yang family, Juhua’s maternal grandmother, and her aunt, they admired the new furnishings and gossiped about daily life. The men, all farmers, gathered in the main room on the east side, accompanied by Zheng Changhe and Li Gengtian, their boisterous laughter and conversation filling the house. Even Juhua was pulled aside to entertain the daughters of a few great-uncles she didn’t recognize.

She and Liu Xiaomei made idle small talk with these young girls, but Juhua was privately wondering about something. ’Why would relatives who aren’t even that close to our family bring their daughters to a wedding banquet like this?’

Then their mothers called them over, introducing them one by one to the various aunties and older women. As those women took the girls’ hands and looked them over from head to toe, their critical, appraising gazes reminded Juhua of the way her father inspected a calf before buying it. Suddenly, it dawned on her. ’Ah, so it’s a rural social event.’ This wedding banquet might very well lead to a few more matches being made.

Watching them exchange endless pleasantries, she chuckled and whispered to Liu Xiaomei, ”The boys in our village are quite the catch! Your family has so many older brothers, your mom is going to have her hands full.”