With every word Xiao He uttered, Li Wanming's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. By the time she heard the words "let Sister Xiaohuan be the main wife and I'll be the concubine", Li Wanming was frowning tightly, her expression strange and tinged with a hint of indescribable lividness.
Wanmo was so shocked that her mouth hung open. She tremblingly pointed at Li Wanming with one finger and asked, "Do... do you know who she is?"
"Sister Li," the little girl replied blankly. "She was the one who saved us from the Black Wind Bandit Stronghold back then..."
Jiang Xiaohuan looked at Li Wanming and then at Xiao Jingnan. Finally, she noticed an unusual atmosphere between them.
"Oh, look at my thick skull!" She slapped her forehead, tore off the red silk sash around her waist, and tied it around Li Wanming. "Of course, I should offer the handsome gentleman to my sister first! What's mine is yours. We're sisters. Why should we be so particular?"
"Ah?" Li Wanming was startled and instinctively tried to decline. "I'm not..."
But Xiao Jingnan grabbed her wrist and said with a smile, "Not what? Does my wife think I'm not handsome enough?"
Jiang Xiaohuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"You're quite sensible, this gentleman! You know my sister is famous. You're willing to be with her... Don't worry. As long as you serve my sister well, you'll never lack for good food and drink in the future!"
Xiao Jingnan stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Leader Jiang! I'll surely do my best to serve Leader Li comfortably in the future..."
Seeing this, everyone swarmed forward and immediately escorted them out.
"Right, right! Of course, the best should go to my sister first!"
"Anyway, the wedding hall and the feast outside are all ready..."
"That's right. It's a happy occasion for our Tiger Head Stronghold in any case!"
Li Wanming still wanted to struggle when suddenly she felt a warm breath near her ear. Xiao Jingnan's lowered voice came with a smile, "It's not suitable for my identity to be exposed. We might as well go along with their wishes for now and have the wedding ceremony. We'll find an excuse to leave tomorrow."
Before his words faded, a red wedding veil was placed over her head.
Suddenly, her vision was filled with a sea of crimson, and the air was filled with cheers. Li Wanming's mind was in a complete mess. She felt dizzy and could only allow him to lead her out like a puppet.
It wasn't until she heard the somewhat familiar, off - key, and sporadic wedding music from the main hall that she came to her senses. She tugged at the red silk in her hand and said, "Xiao Jingnan! I feel like you've been deliberately wanting to have the wedding ceremony!"
Under the veil, one could vaguely see the man raise his eyebrows. His peach - blossom eyes sparkled brightly in the candlelight. "What can I do? I'm just so used to it."
...
Indeed, he was quite used to it.
They had had the wedding ceremony three times already.
Xiao Jingnan didn't even need the master of ceremonies to guide them. He led Li Wanming striding into the hall and shouted, "Bow to Heaven and Earth!" Then he pressed Li Wanming's head down to bow.
The whole set of actions was so smooth that it was truly astonishing.
Moreover, before Li Wanmo even realized that she was the only "elder" here, he had already helped her to the high - backed chair in the middle of the main seat to act as the "elder"...
Wanmo touched the armrest of the high - backed chair, feeling both curious and excited. "What should I do?"
"Do nothing," Xiao Jingnan said with a smile, holding the red silk in his hand. "Just wait for us to perform the ceremony."
After saying that, he once again pressed Li Wanming's shoulders down to bow without hesitation.
Wanmo, sitting above, was both curious and excited. She slapped the chair and exclaimed, "Oh my! When fate comes, you just can't stop it! You two are truly a match made in heaven... Hey, you two are just like a perfect match! You deserve each other!"
Li Wanming's face turned green under the veil.
What nonsense...
The phrase "a perfect match" was specifically used to describe Fang Zhi and Feng Xiao. She didn't want to be associated with it!
But then, she couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness. She had gotten married three times, yet none of the weddings had followed the traditional, sweet and tender route. Each one was more absurd than the last...
However, Wanmo's words resonated greatly with the girls in the stronghold.
They hadn't received much education and didn't have much knowledge. Now that they heard what Wanmo said was so interesting, they burst into laughter and started chattering away:
"That's right! You two are just like a perfect match! You've taken a fancy to each other!"
"In my opinion, it's like a blind cat catching a dead mouse. It's just a coincidence!"
"Sister Li should give birth to seven or eight big, healthy boys for him in the future. Then our Tiger Head Stronghold will have more people!"
...
Under the red wedding veil, Li Wanming was completely speechless.
She was wrong. She was really wrong...
She shouldn't have captured Xiao Jingnan in the first place!
Now?
It was retribution...!
After the couple bowed three times to Wanmo, they finally finished bowing to the elder. Xiao Jingnan shouted in a booming voice, "Bow to each other as husband and wife. Send the bride to the bridal chamber!"
— Then, he led Li Wanming straight to the back wing - room.
He Muhao was stunned. "Wow, it's so smooth?"
But Chuntao was beaming with joy on one side. "Great! My young lady is getting married again!"
...
The red silk was hanging high, filling the room with a red glow.
— This was their third wedding night.
Xiao Jingnan gently lifted her veil and said with a smile, "Even after getting married three times, my wife is still as beautiful as ever."
Li Wanming turned her head and looked past him at the shabby room behind him. She let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. There's no hair - tying ceremony, sharing of the wedding cup, or eating of raw dumplings this time. I don't have to go through so much trouble..."
"Oh?" Xiao Jingnan's eyes were burning with a certain intensity. "So, my wife is saving her energy for what?"
Li Wanming's heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed.
She quickly stood up and walked to the table. Stammering, she shouted, "I... I didn't mean that... Don't think wrongly!"
Xiao Jingnan leaned casually against the bedpost. The red silk sash was tied around his waist over his dark - blue robe, making his broad shoulders and slender waist even more prominent, and his legs looked long.
"Which meaning?" The smile in the man's eyes deepened. "What is my wife talking about? I don't understand."
Li Wanming felt like she was on fire under his intense gaze. When she was at a loss for words and her mind was in a complete mess, she suddenly blurted out, "How did you get injured?"
Right!
She hadn't even asked about such an important matter.
This was the real issue!
When Xiao Jingnan heard her question, he put away the floating smile in his eyes. His pupils became dark and calm again, and his voice also lowered.
"This time, I served as the military advisor to collect border defense information and draw maps. So that when General Feng's army arrives, we can launch a surprise attack and deal a thunderous blow to the Anluo Kingdom..."
He walked to the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
"I spent most of my time traveling through the mountains to draw the maps. But in the few days before I fell off the cliff, I stayed in Shou'an Prefecture in Lingxi County and never left the city."
"I don't know how, but I was somehow targeted by several spies from the Anluo Kingdom."