"Sister, what are you talking about! I won't get married. The current situation in the capital is so unstable. I'll stay with you!"
A Man didn't even care about the bubble shrimp in her hand. She quickly wiped the oil off her fingertips and then tugged at Li Ying's sleeve.
Li Ying smiled and said, "Silly girl, I appreciate your kindness, but it's precisely because the situation in the capital is unstable that I want you to get married as soon as possible."
Today's incident happened because A Man had become well - known, and that Young Master Yang had lusted after her.
Fortunately, Hu Qinzhu was there today. She arrived in time, and the Princess Yongning showed up halfway. Only then did this playboy give up.
But there's no guarantee that A Man will be able to get out of such a situation unscathed next time.
She and Shi Hu were deeply in love with each other. If they got married earlier, Li Ying would finally feel more at ease.
A few days ago, she had privately discussed this matter with Lu Xunguang and also sent a letter to A Man's father.
Although Shi Hu was a few years older than A Man, he had been traveling back and forth between the capital and the tribe. He was a down - to - earth, hard - working young man with an honest character. There was no one else in his eyes but A Man.
Since he had followed Lu Xunguang, he had gained a lot of experience and broadened his horizons. He seemed to be the second - in - command of the Lu family. Naturally, A Man's father had no objections. He only said that if A Man liked him, he would approve of the marriage.
A Man was careless and didn't take the "marriage" seriously at all. It was up to Li Ying, as the elder sister, to take more care.
Fortunately, with Granny Sun's help, the wedding clothes, wedding handkerchiefs and other things were well - prepared.
Li Ying had planned to choose a good day to talk to A Man about getting married, and today was the right time.
Seeing A Man blushing, Lu Xunguang left tactfully, leaving only the girls in the room to talk intimately.
"A Man, tell me honestly. Do you want to marry Shi Hu?"
A Man rarely hung her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito. All she could see in front of her eyes was Shi Hu's sun - tanned face grinning at her stupidly. The blush spread all the way to her neck.
After a long time, she finally whispered, "I... of course I do... I'll follow your arrangement..."
Li Ying finally felt relieved, and there was a hint of relaxed smile on her face.
A Man was innocent and carefree. Li Ying really didn't want to see such a spiritual girl lose her true nature in the capital, a big dyeing vat full of intrigue.
She opened the trunk in the corner and took out all the bright red and glittering pearls and jade neatly stacked inside in front of A Man as if they were precious treasures.
"These dragon and phoenix wedding candles were made by me for you. On the wedding night, light these two candles all night long. It symbolizes that you and Shi Hu will be together for a long time and grow old hand in hand."
Each scale of the dragon and feather of the phoenix on the candles was carefully carved by her. They were lifelike and extremely delicate.
She then took out a phoenix coronet. This time, it was Hu Qinzhu who explained with a gentle smile.
"Miss A Man, this phoenix coronet and wedding robe were originally my dowry. On your wedding day with Brother Shi Hu, I'll give this phoenix coronet to you as an additional gift. I hope you won't mind."
The phoenix coronet was made of pure gold. Round pearls were strung together to form pomegranate fruits, inlaid with crystal - clear rubies, just like the bright red pomegranate seeds. It was truly an auspicious omen of having many children and blessings. Even Li Ying couldn't help but secretly admire it.
The Hu family had fallen from grace. Although the nobles in the capital still treated Hu Qinzhu politely on the surface, they actually regarded her as a poisonous woman who had harmed her brother. No one was willing to marry her.
Li Ying felt a little sorry for her at first, but Hu Qinzhu didn't seem to care at all. She only said that she had never been interested in relationships anyway. Now that few people came to visit, it just saved her the trouble and allowed her to follow Li Ying whole - heartedly and make a name for herself.
Although they knew that Shi Hu would never treat A Man badly, Li Ying and Hu Qinzhu still prepared quite a generous dowry for A Man. They showed her each item one by one, and finally carefully took out a bright red wedding dress.
"A Man, your wedding clothes with Shi Hu were originally prepared by the Lu family's silk shop. We must make you the most beautiful bride in the capital."
"But Mother said that a bride's clothes should be embroidered stitch by stitch by her own family. Since you're not good at needlework, she made one for you."
There were already tears in A Man's eyes. She trembled her little hands and gently unfolded the bright wedding dress. There were patterns of mandarin ducks playing in the water and the God of Harmony embroidered on it. The stitches were uneven, obviously not done by the same person.
Li Ying said softly, "Mother and some familiar aunts in the fishing village started preparing this dress when we were still there. Some of the embroidery pieces were done by Mother, and some were done by Aunt Li and Aunt Zhang."
The fishing girls had been making a living by fishing for decades. The most delicate needlework they had ever done was mending the torn fishing nets. The embroidery on this wedding dress was not very beautiful.
A Man gently stroked the stitches on it.
She knew that it carried the love and blessings of the whole village for her.
Seeing her touched, Li Ying said softly, "Don't worry, A Man. No matter where you are in the future, the fishing village and I will always be your strongest backing."
After getting married, A Man would soon go back to the tribe with Shi Hu to supervise the well - built green peacock protection base.
The two sisters would probably see each other less often in the future.
A Man nodded heavily and threw herself into Li Ying's arms, her voice muffled.
"Don't worry, sister. I know you value those green peacocks very much. After I go back, I'll take good care of them and make sure nothing goes wrong!"
She took the dowry and went back to her room. Seeing that it was getting late, Hu Qinzhu also said goodbye and left. In this large mansion, only Li Ying and Lu Xunguang, who had returned, were left.
He looked at her delicate face with a slight frown and asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong? Can't you bear to part with A Man?"
Li Ying shook her head.
Since Old Zheng had regained control of the caravan, he had already expanded the trade routes. With good horses that could travel thousands of miles a day, it wouldn't be difficult for her to see A Man if she wanted to.
The difficult part was that A Man could now soar freely like a bird in the sky and swim freely like a fish in the sea, but she didn't know when she could return like a tired bird.
If she was trapped in the capital for the rest of her life, competing with a princess like Yongning for a man's favor...
Such a life would be too boring.
She kept silent, not wanting to make Lu Xunguang embarrassed, but how could he not be concerned when he saw her dejected look?
After a long time, Lu Xunguang finally spoke, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "A Ying, don't worry. On our wedding day, I'll make sure everything goes as you wish."
Li Ying thought he was just trying to change the subject and didn't take his promise seriously. She cheered up and got up to get the baking soda that had just been made.