Qi Jinlan stared blankly at the heavy gold ingot in her hand. Master Qi the Second was thrifty all his life. Her pocket money was at most just a few taels of scattered silver. When had she ever held such a large lump of gold? Moreover, since childhood, her mother had taught her that she must not accept valuable gifts from others.
Qi Jinlan looked at Wei Dongling behind the screen in a flurry. Seeing that she didn't come out to make a decision, she had to muster up her courage and decline, "I... I can't accept this."
What did Pin Hao mean by giving her such a large gold ingot? Could it be that he had taken a fancy to her and intended to use it as a betrothal deposit? She was still young, not even fifteen years old! Moreover, her marriage would naturally be decided by Wei Dongling in the future. How could she have private exchanges with a man?
Wei Dongling was getting extremely impatient behind the screen. Jinlan, hurry up and accept it! He made you suffer humiliation. What's wrong with giving you a gold ingot as compensation? Why are you declining it?
Qi Jinlan had no idea what was on Wei Dongling's mind. Seeing that Pin Hao insisted on giving it to her and wouldn't take it back, Qi Jinlan was so anxious that she was on the verge of tears. She suddenly knelt down in front of him, tears welling up in her eyes. "I... I can't accept it! Please take it back quickly!"
Pin Hao was completely bewildered. He was so scared that he quickly knelt down in front of Qi Jinlan too.
What was going on? Didn't this woman, like her cousin, become happy when she saw gold and silver after feeling sad? Oh my goodness! Why did she kneel down to him?
The two of them knelt shivering, one inside and the other outside the door, neither daring to get up first.
"Yo, on this joyous wedding day, you two are performing the wedding bows here?" Seeing the two of them in a stalemate, Ruan Niang raised her eyebrows and smiled as she dragged Wei Dongling out.
Pin Hao and Qi Jinlan quickly got up and took a few steps back. Both of them were blushing with embarrassment. Qi Jinlan looked at Wei Dongling timidly, holding the gold ingot in her hands, feeling at a loss.
Wei Dongling waved her hand and said, "You suffered so much humiliation in front of everyone today. Pin Hao is just compensating you a little. Just take it." Hearing this, Qi Jinlan carefully tucked the gold ingot into her lapel. Blushing, she lowered her head and curtsied to Pin Hao to express her gratitude.
Pin Hao bowed to the women and was about to leave when Wei Dongling called out to him, "How is she?"
This "she" naturally referred to Qi Jinxuan.
Pin Hao lowered his head uncomfortably and said awkwardly, "I heard from Jing Zhe that she has been crying and making a fuss in the villa. The maids and wet nurses have all gone there to serve her closely. I think she should be fine."
Pin Hao never expected that Miss Qi would be so shameless as to attack someone in public. She had completely ruined the happy wedding. Pin Hao regretted bringing her to the Su Mansion so much that he could have bitten his own intestines.
Wei Dongling sighed helplessly and instructed Pin Hao, "Go back to the prince's mansion and bring the pear-wood guqin of Prince Yun to her for her to play with for a while." Otherwise, if she kept crying and making a scene like this, it would only be harmful to the fetus in her womb.
Pin Hao nodded in agreement and got up to leave.
A Cheng lit up the fireworks in the courtyard, making the dark night sky over the capital city brilliant. It made the people in the neighboring houses open their windows and crane their necks to watch.
Wei Dongling quickly grabbed Ruan Niang's hand and exclaimed, "Oh! All the guests have left. It's time for Uncle Luo and his bride to have their wedding night! How could we miss such a thing? We have to hurry up and go watch!" With that, she dragged Ruan Niang and turned to leave.
Qi Jinlan, who had just put away the gold ingot in the room, quickly stepped forward and called out, "Cousin, where are you going? Take me with you!"
Wei Dongling rolled her eyes and whispered, "You're still a minor. What are you going to watch? Go wash up and go to bed early!" With that, she and Ruan Niang climbed onto the eaves and quickly headed towards the north courtyard.
As soon as Wei Dongling climbed onto the eaves of the north courtyard, she took a look in the intermittent light of the fireworks. Goodness! The roof of Luo Xunlong's wedding room was densely packed with people eavesdropping! Even A Cheng, who had just finished setting off the fireworks, tiptoed up onto the roof!
Cheng Hao stuck his butt out and carefully lifted a roof tile, peeping inside with a lecherous smile on his face. Jing Zhe, Yu Haiming, and Old Brother Qin were all concentrating and holding their breaths, afraid of being detected by the newlyweds below.
Wei Dongling tiptoed forward and tugged at Cheng Hao, hoping that he would make room for her and Ruan Niang to watch. Cheng Hao turned around and glared at Wei Dongling impatiently, waving his hand for her and Ruan Niang to leave quickly.
Wei Dongling had no choice but to stomp away angrily with Ruan Niang and go eavesdrop under the window.
The red dragon-and-phoenix candles on the table illuminated the room brightly. Cui Huan was sitting upright on the bedside, her head lowered, not daring to lift the red veil.
Luo Xunlong was obviously drunk by the guests. His steps were unsteady, and his hands were trembling as he held the weighing rod. It was hard to tell whether he was overly excited or just drunk. With great difficulty, he lifted Cui Huan's red veil with the weighing rod. All the men on the roof gasped in admiration. Cui Huan in her red wedding dress was so stunningly beautiful that it was hard to look away!
Cheng Hao was almost burning with jealousy. Luo Xunlong was really lucky!
Wei Dongling thought to herself, "Hey! Cui Huan has always been the most beautiful girl in our Listening-to-the-Wind Pavilion, okay?"
Seeing the intense love in Luo Xunlong's eyes as he looked at her and reaching out to hug her, Cui Huan blushed deeply. She quickly got up and dodged, stomping her foot and saying shyly, "Brother Long, we haven't drunk the nuptial wine yet! And... there are so many people watching..." Cui Huan was so shy that she could hardly speak.
"We've already performed the wedding ceremony. Why do you still call me Brother Long?" Luo Xunlong's tone was extremely gentle when he spoke to Cui Huan. He looked up at the roof and roared pretendiously, "Get out of here! Don't scare my wife!"
"Got it!" Cheng Hao and the others replied, but they didn't move at all. They had no intention of leaving.
Cui Huan stamped her feet in frustration. Luo Xunlong's eyes were bloodshot. He took her hand and walked to the table, whispering, "Huanhuan, do you know how long I've been waiting for this day..."
These words made Cui Huan's eyes turn red.
Luo Xunlong picked up the wine pot to pour the wine. Cui Huan quickly said, "Husband... I'm not good at drinking. How about I use tea instead of wine for my cup..."
Luo Xunlong hugged Cui Huan's soft body and murmured, "On this happy day, you don't have to be so formal. When you're alone with me, you never have to worry about losing your composure. I'll always protect you. If you really don't like drinking, just take a small sip."
Cui Huan blushed and had no choice but to lower her head and obey him.
Wei Dongling exclaimed in her heart, "I never thought Uncle Luo was such a super warm guy! He's so considerate!"
The newlyweds held hands and drank the nuptial wine in one gulp. Cui Huan choked and her eyes turned red. She coughed continuously. Luo Xunlong picked Cui Huan up horizontally and walked towards the red wedding bed.
Wei Dongling couldn't see what was going on inside. She was so anxious that she reached out to poke at the window paper, which made Ruan Niang cover her mouth and laugh at her.
Wei Dongling thought to herself, "I finally got a chance to see a live show. Why can't I watch it to my heart's content?"
Suddenly, they heard Cui Huan let out a soft cry. The people eavesdropping outside got excited and rushed over to take a look. They saw Cui Huan reach into the quilt and ask in confusion, "What's this?"