Wedding Chamber Candles, Double Joy at the Door

Time flew by; spring gave way to autumn.

Ever since Jiang Tu and Big Household Zhou had made their marriage agreement, the wedding preparations had begun in earnest. Big Household Zhou repeatedly urged Jiang Tu to move into the Zhou Household estate, saying that the two families would become one in the future and it would save trouble.

But Jiang Tu refused every time, insisting that the wedding be held at the Jiang Family Courtyard and that not a single item of the agreed betrothal gifts could be missing.

"I, Jiang Tu, am taking a wife, not marrying into her family."

That made quite a few people who envied and resented him look at him in a new light.

When the news reached the Zhou Household, a sheltered young lady who had not once met her future husband during their engagement could not help but feel a little more curious and admiring toward this man she had never seen.

In these times, marriage had always been decided by one's parents and arranged by matchmakers. Daughters had no room to put in a word.

Zhou Ning'e was no exception.

But Jiang Tu's story... she had heard it from her father too many times over the years. An orphan who had grown up on food from a hundred households, he had built himself up from nothing, worked diligently, and minded his own business. Throughout the villages for ten miles around, not a single person had anything bad to say about him.

She knew that she had been born unable to bear children, that this was considered a flaw. Yet she did not think herself inferior to others. Her husband did not need to be dazzling, nor did he need heaven-reaching abilities. So long as he was dependable, that was enough.

And Jiang Tu's refusal to marry into her family, his insistence that she marry into the Jiang Family Courtyard, had brought an extra measure of peace to her heart.

She had two personal maids by her side, one named Xianggua and the other Xueli. They had grown up with her since childhood. When they learned that their young lady was getting married, they had initially been unwilling and indignant on her behalf. They heard that the groom was merely a farming man in his thirties, utterly unworthy of their young lady.

But curiosity got the better of them. They secretly went wandering near the Jiang Family Courtyard several times and asked the nearby farmers about him.

After returning several times, their attitudes took a sharp turn!

"Young Lady, Young Lady, our master is really quite good!"

"Auntie Wang next door said... he gives rice and meat to the village elders every holiday!"

"That boy from the Qian family said that when he worked for our master, he never withheld a single coin of wages!"

"And, and! Back then, he kept urging Master not to go to Dajiang County. So many people went to Dajiang County and lost their lives, but he alone kept his head..."

Surrounded by the two little maids' chirping, Zhou Ning'e could neither laugh nor cry. "Which side are you two on, exactly? Don't tell me the master fed you some love potion?"

"Young Lady will know once she marries over!"

In the twenty-ninth year of the Jingtai Era, autumn, White Dew.

It was another season of abundant harvests. The skies stretched clear for miles, blue as if freshly washed.

The almanac said that this day was auspicious for marriage.

Early that morning, the Jiang Family Courtyard had already become lively. Red silk ribbons hung everywhere, wrapping even around the courtyard walls. Firecrackers boomed from the village entrance all the way to the courtyard gate, and shredded red paper carpeted the ground.

Nearly every prominent household in Xiaopei County had come. The county magistrate personally sent wedding gifts, and three Daoist masters stationed in the county had even arrived to lend their presence, seated at the head table.

The courtyard overflowed with guests; worthy friends gathered like clouds, honored visitors filled every seat.

In the distance, the wedding procession gradually drew nearer, a bright-red bridal sedan borne by sixteen men.

Jiang Tu wore a great-red wedding robe, with a large red flower pinned to his chest. Mounted atop a tall horse, his face glowed red with happiness. He looked nothing like a rough farmer in his thirties. As they said, happy occasions lifted one's spirits, clothes made the man and saddle made the horse. Coupled with his naturally handsome features, he looked like the red-lipped, white-toothed youth he had once been.

"Brother Tu has finally suffered enough in this life!"

"Indeed! Who could have imagined that the child who once lived on food from a hundred households would now have such a day?"

"The bride is Ning E of Big Household Zhou's family. That girl is the finest beauty in all of Xiaopei County!"

"Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought Big Household Zhou would marry his pearl in the palm of his hand to him?"

"Heh, Brother Tu has skills, doesn't he!"

Amid the crowd, several hooligans who had always been jealous gathered together and muttered sourly.

"This Jiang Tu really knows how to play his hand. He went unmarried all those years because he had his sights set on Ning E of the Zhou Household from the start."

"Exactly. He's in his thirties, matched with a maiden of sixteen, and he isn't ashamed in the slightest."

"He makes it sound nice, saying he won't marry into their family and will have her come to this shabby little courtyard. Obviously, he's after the Zhou Household's property. This move is called retreating in order to advance."

"Tsk. Shameless..."

Before the words had even faded, two petite figures sprang out from nowhere and fixed the hooligans in their sights from either side.

"Who are you calling shameless?!"

"You think you're worthy of insulting our master?"

Xianggua raised the broom in her hand and smashed it toward one hooligan's head, while Xueli was even more direct, lifting her foot and kicking.

"Get lost! Don't stand here and taint our young lady's wedding joy!"

Others also stepped forward to drive them away. The hooligans fled in a miserable state, clutching their heads, not even daring to leave behind a harsh word.

"Well beaten! Trash with no virtue in their mouths should be thrown out!"

The auspicious hour had arrived!

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

A burst of firecrackers exploded as the wedding procession reached the courtyard gate.

Jiang Tu swung down from his horse, walked to the bridal sedan, and lifted its curtain.

The bride wore a crimson wedding dress and a phoenix crown with ceremonial robes. Supported by two matrons of honor, she stepped out. Her petite body was wrapped in the broad wedding dress, yet it only highlighted her proud figure. A stretch of snow-white wrist showed from her sleeve, tender as jade against the red silk.

She stepped over the brazier, crossed the saddle, and made her way straight into the main hall.

Big Household Zhou sat in the seat of honor in the main hall, dressed in a brand-new brocade robe, his smile bright as a flower... But Jiang Tu's seat of honor stood empty.

His parents had died early. There was no elder to sit there.

Jiang Tu looked around, then pulled a dark-skinned, somewhat timid man from the crowd. It was Uncle Tao.

"Uncle Tao, please sit here."

Uncle Tao froze. "Brother Tu, this..."

"My fate, Jiang Tu's fate, has been poor. I am an orphan, and my parents passed away long ago." Jiang Tu swept his gaze over the guests filling the hall. "But my fate has also been good! I have countless fathers and mothers. Every villager of Locust Tree Village is like an honored parent to me!"

"Uncle Tao merely represents everyone! I believe that every villager who once gave me a bite of food or a piece of clothing would be willing to sit here and witness this great day of mine."

At those words, many villagers seated in the front rows immediately reddened around the eyes.

Several aunties took out handkerchiefs to wipe away tears. Even Uncle Tao, a sturdy man seven feet tall, could not help rubbing his eyes.

"This child... this child..."

The entire hall burst into praise.

The auspicious hour had come, and the officiant shouted—

"First bow to Heaven and Earth!"

"Second bow to the honored elders!"

"Husband and wife bow to each other!"

"The ceremony is complete—send them into the wedding chamber!"

At the entrance to the wedding chamber, Xianggua and Xueli stood guard like two door gods, blocking the young men who wanted to tease the newlyweds outside.

"No, no! Our young lady is shy around strangers!"

"Don't go in! You can make trouble another day!"

"Whoever takes one more step forward, I'm calling someone!"

The crowd could only laugh and curse as they dispersed, turning instead to feast and drink.

Jiang Tu went around offering toasts again and again in the courtyard. It was not until the latter half of the night that he sent the final guest—Big Household Zhou, who was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching Jiang Tu's hand and endlessly giving him advice—onto his carriage.

Creak—

He pushed open the door to the bridal chamber. Red candles burned high within, and the bed curtains hung low.

The bride sat properly at the edge of the bed. Her veil draped down to conceal her pretty face, revealing only a stretch of fair neck and half a collarbone. Her small hands rested obediently on her knees, the tips of her fingers pale. She was clearly nervous.

Xianggua poked her head through the crack in the door and blinked mischievously. "Master, do you want us to stay and keep you company?"

"Pah!" An embarrassed, irritated rebuke came from beneath the veil. "You little sluts, I haven't even taken the master's first prize yet, and you two already want to cause trouble? Go, go, go! Get out!"

The two little maids giggled as they shut the door, their footsteps gradually fading away.

Jiang Tu could not help smiling. He had not expected this pretty young lady from a wealthy household to have such a fierce and spirited side.

He walked to the bedside and sat down, picking up the jade ruyi.

"My wife, it is time to lift the veil."

"...Mm."

Her voice was very soft. After a nervous breath, her earlier fierceness had vanished, and she spoke as quietly as a mosquito's hum.

Swish.

Jiang Tu used the jade ruyi to lift the red veil. Candlelight fell upon a face whose brows and eyes were like a painting, whose skin outshone snow.

Zhou Ning'e's features were delicate and youthful, her facial features only just beginning to blossom with a young girl's tenderness. Yet her figure was already exceptionally striking. Her red wedding dress cinched her waist, while her full breasts swelled beneath it, making her whole form graceful and curvaceous. The strings of pearls hanging from her phoenix crown swayed gently, making her eyes sparkle brilliantly.

She lifted her eyes to study Jiang Tu, then pressed her lips together and smiled.

When a beauty smiled, a hundred charms came to life.

Her husband was much as she had imagined, even better than she had imagined in many ways. His face looked younger than his actual age, his features upright and clear. He lacked the coarse vulgarity of an ordinary farming man; instead, he gave off a steady, dependable feeling.

"Husband."

She called softly, her voice sweet and soft.

Jiang Tu looked at her and found this little girl rather endearing.

He had originally only intended to put on an act, but after lifting her veil, his heart had truly given a fierce leap... Man was not grass or wood, and he was neither sage nor saint. As a vigorous young man who had been single since birth, how could he be without feeling?

He took the young girl's slender, soft hand. Hand in hand, they whispered private words for a while, then drank their nuptial wine.

Zhou Ning'e took out a square of white cloth from the bedside, blushing as she spread it over the bed. Then she bit her lip, leaned close to Jiang Tu's ear, and whispered, "Husband... later, can I be on top?"

Jiang Tu was stunned. "Hm? My wife has such skills? Have you been secretly practicing?"

"Pah!" Zhou Ning'e's little face instantly reddened to the tips of her ears. "What filthy skill is that? I've never practiced it...! I heard Father say that after entering a husband's household, one must listen to one's husband in all matters outside... Then, for the pleasures of the bedchamber within, can they... listen to your wife?"

Looking at the little girl before him, who was clearly embarrassed beyond measure yet still insisted on putting up a brave front, the amusement in Jiang Tu's heart grew stronger.

He reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, so delicate it could be held in one hand, and said softly, "We'll listen to my wife in everything."

Swish.

The bed curtains fell, and the lamplight swayed.

All night, wind and rain swept fiercely; pipes and flutes never ceased, zithers and lutes sang in harmony, dragon and phoenix joined in bliss, yin and yang reconciled, the Dao's methods ran deep. Then the clouds scattered and rain cleared, and brilliant colors filled the sky. There was no need to say more.

Late at night, scarlet spots dotted the white cloth.

Many scratch marks had appeared across Jiang Tu's back, and sweat streamed down him. Ning E in his arms was also limp and drenched in fragrant sweat, lying atop him and breathing softly. Even in sleep, her brows and eyes carried the rosy, seductive flush of a newlywed.

He gently stroked her smooth back, her skin fine and delicate like fatty jade.

Just as he was about to fall asleep with her, the Sequence Golden Codex deep within his consciousness suddenly shook violently—

"Event triggered"

"(New) Qin Xian of Qingshan Lakeside safely gave birth to a daughter after eighteen months of pregnancy, naming her Qin Tuo Yun, meaning that her daughter would remember her three benefactors (Karma Value +60)"

"(New) Eighth Grade 'Field Steward' Qin Tuo Yun was born (Karma Value +120)"

"(New) A strange phenomenon arose at Qingshan Lakeside. Harvests flourished, Favorable Weather prevailed, agriculture prospered (Karma Value +150) (Agricultural Dao Fortune +1) (Dao Foundation +1)"

Jiang Tu's pupils contracted sharply.

Holy shit! Tonight had truly brought double joy to the door!

Qin Niangzi had given birth! A daughter! Was this a demon pill or a spirit pearl? Eighteen months... no wonder there had been no movement for so long!

The rise in Agricultural Dao Fortune was understandable. It probably symbolized that the Agricultural Path would no longer remain the small-time affair it had been before.

What concerned him most was—

Dao Foundation +1.

Dao Foundation?

What exactly was that?