Xiao Jingcheng knew that what he had said at the Spring Banquet back then was truly inappropriate. He had completely pushed a woman into an abyss of despair.
Although the social mores in the Sheng Kingdom were much more liberal than in the previous dynasty, with men and women being able to talk to each other in public without much restraint, and women being allowed to engage in business or farming outside, a girl branded with the stigma of "climbing the social ladder," especially to a much higher - ranked person, would surely be ridiculed and might never be able to hold her head up high again.
Back in Dongli Town, they had already reconciled over what had happened years ago. The night before, when they had shared a room, she had also discussed the matter of marriage with him.
When she brought it up again this time, was she worried that he would marry someone of equal social status?
No.
What she cared about was Jiang Zhiqing's high - profile marriage to Li Zhao as a former maid.
Xiao Jingcheng took a deep breath and his mind raced as he tried to come up with a response.
He thought he had to choose his words carefully. If he answered carelessly and made her unhappy, all his efforts in the carriage earlier would be in vain!
Jiang Mian, of course, had no idea what was going through his mind in that instant. She only saw him fall silent for a moment before he replied:
"The most important thing in a marriage is, of course, social status."
Jiang Mian lowered her eyes and looked at her hands. Inevitably, a tinge of disappointment welled up in her heart.
But the next moment, she heard him say, "This is a principle that has been ingrained in people's minds for thousands of years. It's not something that I can change just because I don't care about social status."
Jiang Mian was taken aback. After thinking it over carefully, she found that there was indeed some truth in his words.
"Powerful and wealthy families emphasize social status mainly because they hope to achieve certain cooperation through marriage, such as in the political or business arenas. Only by combining their strengths can they continue to maintain the glory of their families."
"Do you think that now that he has regained his status as a member of the Li clan, your father would casually betroth you to a peddler on the street or an ordinary servant in the mansion?"
Jiang Mian moved her lips. She knew the answer in her heart.
Father wouldn't.
As the legitimate daughter of the Li Mansion, her father would only carefully select a suitable husband for her. She couldn't just marry whoever she wanted.
"What's the second most important thing?" Jiang Mian couldn't help but ask.
"The second most important thing is, of course, mutual attraction and shared interests." Xiao Jingcheng smiled. "Even if there is a social gap between two people, if they are attracted to each other, can always find common ground, and have a special bond of sharing weal and woe, and have feelings for each other, they can always break through the boundaries of social status and achieve a happy ending."
Jiang Mian's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes looking at him became moist.
"I remember you once said that you had a dream where your parents not only lived in the Li Mansion but also had another daughter?" Xiao Jingcheng asked.
Jiang Mian nodded.
He couldn't help but reach out and gently ruffle her hair. "That's it. Although there was a social gap between your father and mother, because they had feelings for each other and your mother was as intelligent as your father, in that dream, they finally overcame the boundary of social status and became a perfect couple."
"If it can happen in a dream, it can happen in reality. When lovers finally get married, who would really care about social status?"
It was the first time Jiang Mian had seen him speak so tenderly and at such length. His words about social status finally dispelled the last bit of unease in her heart.
"You're right," she said.
At that moment, the shopkeeper handed over the wrapped wedding gift. Jiang Mian took it on behalf of Xiao Jingcheng and said with a smile, "Big brother is still weak. Let little sister do this for you."
Looking at her bright smile, Xiao Jingcheng knew that he had passed this test and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
As she supported him out of the curio shop, he couldn't help but laugh at himself in his heart.
When had he ever thought that he would one day care so much about someone?
He was so afraid of saying the wrong thing and making her unhappy and ignoring him again.
Trying to figure out a woman's mind was truly an art, no less difficult than deploying troops on the battlefield.
But... this feeling wasn't bad.
After getting the wedding gift, they got back into the carriage. This time, they didn't delay any longer, and the carriage took them to the villa.
Sure enough, red lanterns and red silk had already been hung up in the villa, and a pair of red double - happiness characters were pasted on the main gate.
Jiang Mian was helped out of the carriage by Suyu, while Xiao Jingcheng still sat inside, leaning against the carriage wall, quietly listening to her instructing the coachman.
She was just instructing the coachman to make sure to take the person back to the Li Mansion and help him into his room, so as not to let him fall or get hurt.
"Miss, I'll remember everything," the coachman replied respectfully.
When the girl's gaze turned towards him, Xiao Jingcheng smiled. "It's okay. Don't worry about me. Go in quickly. See you tomorrow."
Jiang Mian wanted to say something else, but hearing him say that, she could only nod. "See you tomorrow."
She and Suyu entered the gate, and the carriage outside drove further and further away.
Shaking her head to suppress the inexplicable sense of reluctance in her heart, Jiang Mian stepped into the house.
The villa was a two - courtyard mansion. When Jiang Mian arrived, Jiang Zhiqing was trying on the wedding dress sent by Huacai Workshop.
The wedding dress sent by Huacai Workshop to Jiang Zhiqing was in a novel style, with a bright and fiery color. It was embroidered with acacia flowers, dragons, and phoenixes that looked so lifelike. The perfect tailoring outlined the woman's graceful figure.
Even without makeup, she was so beautiful that people couldn't help but hold their breath.
Jiang Mian was stunned.
Beside her, Suyu also let out a gasp. "How beautiful..."
Yes, her mother was so beautiful.
She couldn't help but think of Li Zhao.
Was her father also trying on the wedding clothes tailored for him, just like her mother?
Wouldn't her father look elegant and heroic in the wedding clothes?
Her father and mother were going to get married!
Jiang Zhiqing was busy trying on the clothes and the headdress and didn't notice Jiang Mian at all. It was not until she and the maids and grannies beside her had seen off the people from Huacai Workshop that she noticed Jiang Mian sitting in the room, smiling at her with her chin propped up on her hands.
Meeting her daughter's smiling eyes, Jiang Zhiqing felt inexplicably shy and scolded gently, "You child. When did you come back? Why didn't you say hello to mother?"
Jiang Mian ran forward and hugged Jiang Zhiqing's waist, coquettishly saying, "It's because I was afraid that if I said hello, the fairy in the room would be startled and fly back to heaven."
"Nonsense," Jiang Zhiqing pinched her nose, and the blush on her face still hadn't faded.
Turning her head and seeing the wedding dress still on the table that hadn't been put away in time, Jiang Zhiqing's breathing quickened.
After nearly twenty years, she...
Finally, she was going to wear a wedding dress and marry her beloved.