Bind twin ribbons for the life to come, write a vow of no parting in this life!
-Anonymous
As more candles lit up Raozhou City in the gathering dusk, the wedding procession reached the entrance to Willow Lane, where the Ji Residence stood.
At the mouth of the lane, Xing Yan could see everything clearly from his seat on the tall horse. Great red lanterns hung all along the narrow length of Willow Lane. Colored lanterns shone not only before every household; countless glowing red globes were tied to the willow branches lining the street as well. Narrowing his eyes, he gazed through that sea of red light toward
the end of the lane, where the imposing residence stood festooned with lanterns and colored streamers, figures moving to and fro in a blaze of light.
Over the past several days, Xing Yan had personally arranged all the countless details of the wedding. Amid all that bustle, he had almost fallen under the illusion that he was working on something unrelated to himself. Even as he rode the tall horse toward Raozhou, surrounded by the procession, he had thought only of whether every arrangement had been properly made. Now, at last, that calm composure broke. Upon reaching Willow Lane and seeing the figures moving in the brilliantly lit distance, he suddenly grew excited. His heartbeat quickened, his face burned, and his heart pounded as though it might leap out of his chest. He had just instinctively pressed a hand over it when a drawn-out shout came from inside the lane: "The groom has arrived-!"
In an instant, firecrackers were lit all along the street. Fireworks and crackers leaped into the air and exploded with a roar. Within moments, the entire lane was immersed in deafening blasts, the sharp, scorched scent of