Dressed as a daughter to meet her in-laws
As the night deepened and the moon rose, a question had been weighing on my mind for days. After much thought, I decided to ask my master about it.
When my master saw that I looked so gloomy, he quickly asked, "Xiao Mo, why are you so unhappy? We are people of the martial world, we don't follow the folk custom of crying before a wedding!"
I'm truly not happy. A man fears choosing the wrong career, a woman fears marrying the wrong man. I know my personality requires a steady and responsible man, but I simply can't handle Jiang Chen's temperament. The thought of marrying him fills me with a sense of uncertainty and uncertainty about the future. And the thought of Yunzhou only makes me feel worse.
"Master, is it really necessary for Jiang Chen and me to get married?"
The master frowned and asked, "What, you don't want to marry him?"
I lowered my head and hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I... I don't like him. Can't this marriage be canceled?"
A hint of regret and melancholy crept onto the master's handsome face, as if he were helpless and the die was cast. After a long while, he sighed and said, "Xiao Mo, your master thinks he is a perfect match for you. You know, the day I went to propose marriage to Yunzhou, everyone thought you were marrying above your station, except for Jiang Chen, who said you were better than Yunzhou. It's clear that he sees you as a gem in his heart."
Ignoring my embarrassment, I mustered my courage and said, "But what I like is Yunzhou."
Master sighed again and said, "Yunzhou told me that he couldn't make his own marriage. Although he was willing to be with you, he needed his father's consent and had to write a letter home to report to his father first. Several days later, he stopped mentioning it and didn't reply to me. I suppose his father doesn't agree. His father is in a high position and has great power. Official families value matching social status the most. Your background is unknown and you have no connections. It will be very difficult for you to enter the Yun family. Jiang Chen's father is my senior brother, and his mother also respects me quite a bit. If you marry into the family, his mother will definitely treat you well because of me and the Xiaoyao Sect. Xiao Mo, Master is letting you marry Jiang Chen for two reasons: first, to protect your reputation; and second, because I believe you will not suffer any grievances if you marry into the Jiang family."
I finally understood why Yunzhou was drinking in the room that day. Although he had feelings for me, he knew it wouldn't be easy. Getting past his father was a problem. It must be that his father disapproved, and he kept misunderstanding that Jiang Chen and I were in love, which is why he hesitated and left.
I emerged from my master's room and stood on the moonlit corridor, lost in thought. The moon remained the same, but everything else had changed. Were Yunzhou and I destined to miss each other like this? I felt I had involuntarily stepped into a predicament, where each move would determine life or death. But could this final move turn the tide?
I want to give it a try.
Seeing that I had recovered, my master decided that we should set off on the first day of the fifth lunar month, just in time to return to the Jiang family for the Dragon Boat Festival. He even went down the mountain to the city to buy some gifts as a greeting to Jiang Chen's mother. Although I was sad, seeing my master's expression of being half happy and half melancholy as he prepared to marry off his daughter, I could only suppress my feelings for now. But I kept thinking about how to make Jiang's mother disapprove of me when we got to Guiyun Manor and cancel the marriage. That way, I wouldn't hurt Jiang Chen. I still hoped that one day I would see Yunzhou and clear up all the misunderstandings. Even if by then I would be no longer destined to be with him, even if I didn't know when that day would come.
The Xiaoyao Sect hadn't had a happy occasion in a very long time. Jiang Chen and I were the first couple among our fellow disciples to get married, so we naturally became the target of everyone's gossip. During our leisure time, the senior disciples and uncles finally found common ground. They shared what they had seen and heard, inquired about various clues from the past, and ultimately determined that our secret affair had a long history, probably dating back to when Jiang Chen first roasted a pheasant for me, after which we secretly pledged our lives to each other.
Therefore, Seventh Uncle solemnly warned all his fellow disciples that if any of them married down the mountain and had daughters, they must never let them develop a love for food, and absolutely must never go out for barbecues alone with their sons. Otherwise, they would definitely be kidnapped; I am a prime example of this.
I am speechless.
On the first day of May, I went down the mountain with the gifts prepared by my master. To avoid the awkwardness of being alone with Jiang Chen all the way, I made sure to bring the small purse with me as well.
Jiang Chen chartered a boat at the ferry crossing outside the city and traveled by water to the capital. The magnificent city of Nanjing, the splendor of six dynasties, was a place I had never visited. If I weren't going to meet my mother-in-law as the daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, I would surely be overjoyed.
It was the first time for both Xiao Hebao and me to ride a boat. The difference was that Xiao Hebao could excitedly run from the bow to the stern, while I unfortunately got seasick from the bow to the stern.
The boatmen on the boat moved with ease, and even the pregnant boatwoman was as light as a swallow as she busied herself. I felt ashamed of my "weakness" and secretly took the sword from my waist and put it under my pillow. I was too embarrassed to let anyone know that I had also practiced martial arts. Sigh.
Jiang Chen looked at him with concern and said softly, "My wife, it's really worrying that you get dizzy over such a small thing."
The word "wife" made me vomit.
Just then, the boatwoman brought in tea. Seeing me gagging with a frown and Jiang Chen gently patting my back, she immediately looked like she had found a kindred spirit and asked, "Could it be that Madam is also pregnant?"
She's pregnant! I was so shocked I almost choked on my own saliva.
Jiang Chen chuckled a few times and said to the boatwoman, "Well, we'll have to ask a doctor to take a look before we can know."
He doesn't even know if I'm pregnant or not? How dare he spout such nonsense in front of others! I was filled with shame and indignation, and disregarding the fact that the boatman's wife was right in front of me, I pinched him hard with all my might.
He exclaimed "Ouch!" but continued to laugh in a way that was neither quite a smile nor a smile.
The boatwoman chuckled and said, "When I found out I was pregnant, I was furious with his father for days because of what he had done."
Jiang Chen laughed even more heartily.
I reckon my face was half red and half pale. I leaned against the window and looked at the river. It was a vast expanse of water, nothing much to see, just endless river water. But it was still much better than seeing Jiang Chen's smirking face.
"My lady, you've been looking at this for almost half an hour, why don't we change the scenery?" he said, moving closer. I didn't turn around, but I could sense that he was only about half a foot away from me. For some reason, I immediately stiffened as soon as he got close.
Other scenery? I stiffened and looked around carefully, but all I saw was the river, with the occasional small boat drifting by. I couldn't help but ask, "Is there any other scenery?"
"Isn't that me, your husband?" he said tenderly and affectionately from behind me. I immediately got goosebumps all over and choked on my sour water.
He chuckled and poured me a glass of water, handing it to me. I looked down and touched my chest, reaching out to take it without thinking. I accidentally touched his fingers, and my heart skipped a beat. I hurriedly took the glass, and saw that he was using the bamboo cup I had given him.
"Xiao Mo, every time I use this cup, the water tastes sweet. What do you think?"
I didn't find the water sweet, but his words were incredibly sweet, like they were mixed with honey. The thought of having to hear these honey-pickled words from time to time in the future, and then seeing the inscription on the cup, "Wine enters the sorrowful heart, turning into tears of longing," filled me with a myriad of emotions.
Xiao Hebao was constantly on the move, running around at the bow and stern of the boat. Inside the cabin, it was mostly just Jiang Chen and me, staring at each other. He would occasionally look at me with tender affection, his eyes practically sparkling with fire, making me feel as if I were being slowly roasted by tiny flames. Perhaps it was because I'd eaten too much grilled fish; now I was experiencing the feeling of being roasted myself.
I was used to his playful, teasing, and arrogant expressions when we were together, and I really wasn't used to his tenderness and gentle warmth, to this dreamlike moment. I felt itchy all over and my face was burning. I put my hand to my forehead, trying to block out the little sparks of passion.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Chen lifted his robe and moved to sit directly opposite me. The little sparks transformed into a rain of pear blossom needles, densely and densely covering me, swirling over and completely enveloping me.
He asked with a smile, "Xiao Mo, why aren't you wearing that green dress?"
I recalled that sudden, exposed side kick, and my face flushed. I coughed lightly, pretending not to hear.
He leaned closer and tugged at my sleeve.
My heart pounded, and I quickly asked, "What are you going to do?"
He chuckled and said, "Xiao Mo, are you planning to wear this to see my mother?"
"Won't that work?"
"You're wearing such loose clothing, I'm afraid it might frighten her, making her think..."
"What did you think?"
"I thought you were really pregnant."
I was so frightened that I immediately stood up, stammering with shame and anger, "Don't talk nonsense."