Qi Jiao was tightly held in Pei Xia's arms. He even gave up riding the horse and just walked step by step towards home.
In front of the Pei family's gate, people were crowded together, and the lively noise was deafening.
It was only when they reached the gate that Pei Xia put Qi Jiao down.
He took her hand and walked inside.
Tang Guiniang was sitting in the main hall with a beaming face.
Qi Jiao held a round fan to cover her face as she walked along.
Apart from the neighbors, close relatives, Qi Jiao also saw the Zhu family from the town. Zhu Dalang and Xiang Wen were also there.
There were also the scholar Fan, Ding Zhu, and the stewardess of the Guo Mansion...
Everyone was looking at her and Pei Xia with blessings on their faces.
Although Qi Jiao had met most of the people present, she still couldn't help feeling a bit nervous and a bit shy at this moment.
Fortunately, her hand was firmly held by Pei Xia, and the wedding ceremony was not completely unfamiliar to her.
She just kept smiling and bowing throughout the process until her face was stiff from smiling.
When she turned around, Qi Jiao saw a middle - aged woman sitting below Tang Guiniang. Presumably, this was Aunt Zheng from the Zheng family.
There was also a fifteen - or sixteen - year - old young lady standing behind her.
When the young lady saw Qi Jiao looking at her, she smiled with curved eyebrows.
Qi Jiao returned a gentle smile and quickly shifted her gaze.
After the long and cumbersome ceremony, Qi Jiao was sent into the bridal chamber.
Outside the Pei family's courtyard, Qi Jiao's dowries were lined up. Apart from those provided by the Ye family, there were also those prepared by Qi Jiao herself, a total of eighteen palanquins.
Each palanquin was fully filled with either practical or rare items.
There was even a box of books.
For a rural family, this box of books was more valuable than any treasure.
She had been crazy about time - management in the previous days. After that, she went shopping in the county town.
She not only bought a lot of things for herself but also many practical items for Pei Xia and the Pei family: cloth, copperware, porcelain, stationery, tea, and wine... Every penny was well - spent.
After seeing Qi Jiao's dowries, everyone couldn't help sighing.
"The dowry of the daughter of an eighth - rank county registrar is only twenty palanquins, and it doesn't seem as substantial and valuable as Jiao Niang's."
"I heard that apart from those from the Ye family, the rest were all prepared by Jiao Niang herself."
"She's really amazing! Pei Xia must have accumulated good fortune for eight generations to marry such a wonderful wife..."
Everyone's discussions reached Aunt Zheng's ears.
Her face showed a bit of uneasiness. Seeing a large group of people rushing into the bridal chamber to see the bride, and everyone was praising Qi Jiao for her good looks and saying that she and Pei Xia were a perfect match.
She was also greatly shocked when she first saw Qi Jiao.
The bridal chamber was crowded with people. Some who couldn't get in were admiring Qi Jiao's generous dowries in the yard.
Aunt Zheng sighed in her heart. Well, there were some good things about others that she and Hui'er could never envy.
So she went back to her room, replaced the silver - inlaid jade ring with a golden bracelet made of thin gold wires, and prepared to give it to the bride as a greeting gift.
The main banquet began.
Everyone knew that no one in the surrounding villages was better at cooking than Qi Jiao.
But today was her wedding day. How could they let the bride cook?
Pei Xia had invited the master chef from the Zhenxuan Restaurant in the county and several well - known cooks from the town long ago.
He bought fresh ingredients and ordered meat without sparing money, only hoping to make the banquet delicious, fragrant, and visually appealing.
The cooks and chefs also did their best.
Even if it wasn't for Pei Dalang's money, they had to make it perfect for Jiao Niang.
They all lived in the same area and were in the same profession.
Jiao Niang was a young and outstanding cook. Even a little bit of her skills would be enough for them to benefit for a lifetime.
For a moment, delicious dishes were lined up on the banquet, and the cups were filled with fine wine.
As expected, Pei Xia was urged to drink.
Pei Li was a smart one. He was afraid that Pei Xia would get drunk and mess things up, so he quietly replaced the strong liquor in his cup with plain water. It tasted completely without any kick.
Qu Si and the three young masters of the Ye family were desperately urging Pei Xia to drink. Pei Xia took the wine cup handed by Pei Li, took a sip, and immediately understood. He thought that he would give Pei Li a thicker red envelope tomorrow.
The group was making a lot of noise. Pei Xia kept begging for mercy. It was not until the twilight fell and the guests left contentedly that Pei Xia returned to the room.
Inside the room, Pei Jin, Jiang Yuniang, and Zheng Huier were accompanying Qi Jiao and chatting and laughing.
The female guests had also drunk quite a lot of light wine with Qi Jiao. Qi Jiao's cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were full of moisture. She glanced at Pei Xia.
Pei Xia felt his heart fluttering. It was more intoxicating than being drunk.
As soon as he came in, Pei Jin and the others left tactfully.
Zheng Huier took out a pair of concentric knots she had woven herself and gave them to Qi Jiao and Pei Xia. Then she also left with a smile.
Pei Xia closed the door. The dragon - and - phoenix wedding candles on both sides of the bed were burning brightly. Qi Jiao got up, picked up a wine cup, and poured a glass of wine.
The so - called nuptial wine was made by splitting a gourd into two ladles and connecting the handles with a thread. The bride and groom each took a ladle and drank from it, which symbolized that the husband and wife were united as one.
"A cup of green wine and a song. I bow twice and make three wishes: May my husband live a thousand years. May I always be healthy. May we be like the swallows on the beam, seeing each other year after year."
Qi Jiao's voice was soft and charming, like broken jade, half - chanting and half - singing.
She handed the wine to Pei Xia, with a gentle look in her eyes, "My husband."
Pei Xia took it. His palm wrapped around Qi Jiao's boneless and delicate hand. His Adam's apple rolled.
The red gauze bed curtain was light and semi - transparent, unable to hide the boundless spring scenery inside that made one blush.
The quilt was tossed and turned like red waves, and the incense was burning.
Pei Xia looked at the beautiful woman sweating profusely beneath him and felt that his full - hearted tenderness was so thick that it could not be melted.
This was his wife, and he would treat her well for a lifetime.
He gently kissed her face, reluctant to get up.
After this intimacy, Qi Jiao was exhausted. Her voice was a bit hoarse. "I want to take a bath."
Pei Xia said, "I'll go and fetch some hot water."
Qi Jiao nodded and lay on the bed, watching him get up and put on a single - layer robe.
Once Pei Xia was dedicated, he even considered the most trivial things.
It was cool at night, and it was not convenient for Jiao Niang to go to the bathhouse.
He had specially set up a brazier in the east wing, and there was always hot water on it, which could be used at any time.
Pei Xia took a big, shiny copper basin, mixed some hot water, wrung out a towel, and wiped her body.
Qi Jiao originally intended to do it herself.
Unexpectedly, Pei Xia directly took the warm towel and wiped her body. His eyes were full of affection, and his hands were extremely gentle.
Qi Jiao blushed.
Pei Xia wiped very carefully. Finally, he took out a small jar of ointment from somewhere.
He applied it carefully on the swollen area. It was cool and refreshing.
Qi Jiao felt comfortable. She was sleepy and exhausted and soon fell asleep.
The next day, the dragon - and - phoenix wedding candles by the bed were covered with red wax tears. The bright sunlight shone into the room.
Qi Jiao was nestled in Pei Xia's arms. His long hand held her soft breast, and he kissed her snow - white neck.
Qi Jiao bit her lip and gasped softly. Her fingertips moved down.
Then she got up, brushed her hair, and quickly got out of bed to get dressed.
Pei Xia was both angry and amused. "You start the fire and then run away. You're really a charming and tantalizing girl."
Qi Jiao looked back, smiling sweetly. "I'd like to sleep, but it's getting late. If I sleep any longer, it won't look good."
She pointed to the west wing over there. "There are still guests at home. We can't neglect them."
Pei Xia leaned back, showing his strong and fair chest muscles. He sneered. "This is your home. You can sleep until the sun sets in the west, and no one would dare to say anything. Aunt Zheng hasn't had much contact with our family for a long time. You don't have to worry so much."
Qi Jiao handed him the new clothes on the clothes rack. "Even so, we should always think about mother. Today is the day for the bride to offer tea. Hurry up!"
Pei Xia grabbed Qi Jiao's jade wrist and took a fascinated bite.
Qi Jiao quickly withdrew her hand and blushed as she scolded, "I don't know where you learned these embarrassing tricks!"
Pei Xia laughed loudly. "When I see Jiao Niang, I learn everything without a teacher. Why do I need to learn these tricks specifically?"
He put on his clothes, sat in front of the dressing table, and hugged Qi Jiao. He insisted on drawing her eyebrows.
Qi Jiao couldn't stand his pestering, so she just let him do it, only hoping that it would end quickly.
Finally, it ended with Pei Xia eating up all of Qi Jiao's lip balm.