Zeng Haomiao felt heavy - hearted. He had quite a few younger sisters, but it was the first time he carried his younger sister on his back for the wedding.
"Ning'an, no matter what the future holds, the Zeng family will always be your home, and I will always be your elder brother. Do you understand?"
Shi Ning'an's eyes were hot. Cousin Zeng had been a taciturn person since childhood, devoting himself whole - heartedly to medical skills. He was always a bit slow in other matters. She and Zeng Ruoyun, being closer to his age, always liked to come up with all kinds of ways to tease him.
But he never got angry, saying that as an elder brother, he should give way to his younger sisters.
Zeng Haomiao caught sight of two drops of tears dripping from under the red bridal veil from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile. "It's a joyous occasion. How can you shed tears?"
Shi Ning'an whispered, "Elder brother, if I could go back to childhood, I would never be so naughty and tease you like that."
Zeng Haomiao laughed. "Silly sister, what are you talking about? Children are always naughty. In fact, my days were so dull when I was a child. Only when I was with you could I feel a bit of joy and relaxation."
Shi Ning'an stopped crying and burst into laughter.
The wedding procession stretched for miles. The betrothal gifts were sent on a lucky day long ago, while the dowry would be taken by the bride to her husband's family today. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace, seeing that Shi Ning'an had no strong maternal family support and only relied on the ordinary Zeng family, bestowed a large number of rewards and even ordered the Inner Treasury to prepare nearly half of the dowry. Thus, Shi Ning'an's dowry was comparable to that of a princess in the palace.
Uncle Zeng the Fourth led Zeng Haomiao and Zeng Ruoyun to accompany the bride. Uncle Zeng the Second and other members of the Zeng family stayed in the estate to entertain the guests who came from Nanling to congratulate them.
Amid the hustle and bustle of going out, Shi Ning'an heard a distant scolding, which was soon drowned out by the noisy celebration.
"Where did this stinky beggar come from? Get out! Today is a joyous occasion for the Rong and Zeng families. If you want to beg for food, go over there. Is this a place you can come to?"
It was too far away to hear clearly.
Shi Ning'an subconsciously looked up in that direction, but the bridal veil blocked her view and she couldn't see anything.
Luer, with a big red festive silk flower on her head, came to support her. "Miss?"
Shi Ning'an gently shook her head and got into the sedan chair.
The procession, accompanied by the sound of drums and flutes, took a full two hours to travel from the estate to the Duke's Mansion. The wedding party was lively for the whole two hours.
After entering the mansion, Shi Ning'an couldn't see anything. She was supported by the wedding maid to perform the ceremony and then sent into the bridal chamber. Then, waiting until nightfall, Rong Sui came in to lift the bridal veil and was soon surrounded and went out to drink.
Shi Ning'an felt dizzy. She didn't feel the joy of a new marriage, nor the uneasiness of coming to her husband's family.
Normally, the bride should be alone in the room, waiting for the groom to return on the wedding night. However, Rong Sui had given instructions early on for Luer, Yingtao and Nanny Liang to serve Shi Ning'an to rest first. He didn't know when he would be back.
Luer took off Shi Ning'an's phoenix coronet and said cheerfully, "Miss, this is not like getting married. It's more like going back to your own home."
Yingtao nodded and asked, "Naturally. Everyone knows that the Rong family dotes on Miss the most. If the two young mistresses give birth to daughters in the future, they may be comparable to Miss. If they give birth to sons, they still can't surpass Miss."
Nanny Liang quickly scolded, "Yingtao, don't talk nonsense. The fetuses in the two young mistresses' bellies must be the daughters of the Duke's Mansion."
Yingtao stuck out her tongue. Afraid of making Nanny Liang angry again, she quickly changed the subject. "Miss, you don't know. That Miss Su from the Su Mansion was so ignorant today. She disturbed Miss's peace and said some dirty things. It's said that the whole Su family was driven out by the Duke."
Rong Jian wanted to build up momentum for his granddaughter. Among the noble families in the capital, half went to the Duke's Mansion to congratulate and the other half went to the estate. That Miss Su went to the estate with her mother to offer congratulations.
Now that Miss Su had said in public that Shi Ning'an was from a down - and - out family without any scruples, how could the Rong family tolerate it? Naturally, they showed no mercy.
Shi Ning'an sighed slightly. The Su family had been suppressed for decades and finally managed to turn things around. But because of a moment of verbal pleasure from their daughter, they were about to decline. It was really pitiful.
It wasn't that she thought the Rong family was so petty and would immediately bring down the Su family. It was just that there were many people in the capital who were sycophantic. Since the Emperor valued the Rong family, even if the Rong family didn't take action against the Su family, there would be many people who wanted to pull the Su family down.
Seeing Shi Ning'an frowning, Luer quickly poured a cup of tea. "Miss, you haven't eaten or drunk anything all day. Have some tea first to calm down. Then have something to eat later to fill your stomach."
After Shi Ning'an had some tea, a maid came in with a food box, saying that the Duke was afraid she was hungry and had instructed the kitchen to prepare some good dishes for her.
Luer's eyes curved into a smile. "I said the Duke dotes on our Miss the most. Look, it's not even long, and the food is already sent."
Just as Nanny Liang opened the food box, another maid came in.
"Third Master was afraid that the Third Young Mistress was hungry, so he asked the kitchen to keep some dishes. I'm here to deliver them to the Young Mistress..."
Luer was stunned. Looking around for a while, she said, "This... Even if Miss and we servants eat together, we can't finish all this."
Before she finished speaking, another maid came in with a food box. After looking at each other for a long time, she still said, "The Princess was afraid that the Third Young Mistress was hungry, so she asked me to..."
Luer took the food box, nodded with a smile and said, "Got it. Thank you, Nanny."
The maid and the one sent by Rong Sui looked at each other. Seeing Luer close the door, they went back to report to their masters.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Shi Ning'an couldn't help laughing out loud.
At night, after washing off the makeup on her face and cleansing herself, Shi Ning'an sat in front of the dressing table and slowly combed her long hair. There was a big red "Xi" character pasted on the bronze mirror, covering half of it. She had to tilt her head to see her face clearly.
Shi Ning'an stroked her face. When she was young, her face was smooth and beautiful.
She knew she was extremely beautiful, and perhaps Rong Sui liked her too. But what about when she got old and no longer good - looking?
She thought that every time she saw Rong Sui's peerless appearance, her heart would flutter. Perhaps, even if he got old and no longer so handsome in the future, she would still like him.
When Rong Sui came into the bridal chamber, Shi Ning'an was the only one there. She was sitting in front of the dressing table rummaging through the drawer.
When he saw her sitting there in a daze with a small cloth bag in her hand, Rong Sui walked over and called out, "Ning'an."
Shi Ning'an was startled. She quickly tried to stuff the cloth bag back into the drawer. But she couldn't do it in a hurry. With a forceful push, the cloth bag fell to the ground.
Rong Sui frowned, bent down to pick up the cloth bag and opened it. It was a set of acupuncture needles.
"What... is this?"
Shi Ning'an's face turned pale. "This... this this this..."
Rong Sui gave a soft "hmm" and carefully examined the needles. He didn't find anything special. "What are they for?"
Shi Ning'an bit her lip and explained in a low voice, "It... was a gift from my cousin."
"Zeng Ruoyun?" Rong Sui raised his eyebrows. "She did well today."
He was referring to the fact that she had defended Shi Ning'an and confronted Miss Su.
"However..." Rong Sui continued, "Why did she give you a set of acupuncture needles for no reason?"
Shi Ning'an's face was pale. "It... was a wedding gift..."
Rong Sui held the needles in his hand. "A wedding gift? Why put it in your dressing box instead of in the trunk?"
Shi Ning'an quickly explained, "No. Maybe Luer... or Yingtao put it in the wrong place..."
"Really?" Seeing his little wife's face turn pale and then red, Rong Sui had the urge to tease her. "The maids are so careless. It seems they are not suitable. Then I'll replace them..."
Seeing the cold look in his eyes, Shi Ning'an was afraid that he would really replace her personal maids. She shook her head and said, "No no no. It's just a small matter. It's not worth it..."
Rong Sui smiled faintly. "Okay. Then I'll call Yingtao in and ask her why she put this here."
Shi Ning'an reached out and grabbed him. Seeing that he was insistent, she turned around and sat down on one side sulkily. "Go go go. You can go. But once you go out, don't come back."
Rong Sui smiled slightly, picked her up horizontally and walked towards the bed.
Shi Ning'an pushed him hard. "Aren't you going to ask? Hurry up and go!"
Rong Sui kissed her on the face. "Ning'an, I've waited for so long. You don't know how annoying those guests outside are. I've been longing to drive them all away and come back earlier..."
He put her on the bed and then got on the bed himself.
Shi Ning'an turned her face away. "You smell of alcohol. It's so disgusting..."
Rong Sui hugged her and kissed her. He seemed to be unable to get enough of her kisses, like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
After a while, he got up, not looking at her loose hair and clothes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
Shi Ning'an was lost in thought. Why did he suddenly stop? Was it because of the words "so disgusting" or something else?
Suddenly, she remembered a conversation with a friendly lady in her previous life. That lady was bold and would say anything. She once said that some men were not real men in that aspect and could only last for a short while.
She and Rong Sui had only been intimate on the day when Rong Sui was poisoned. But at that time, Rong Sui was weak and poisoned, acting rudely unlike himself.
Her cousin said that Rong Sui was not interested in women. Could it be that he was not good in that aspect? They had only kissed and touched for a short while. Could it be that he...
Shi Ning'an's eyes shifted uneasily. If that was really the case, wouldn't she be like a widow in the future?
It might not be the case. Maybe it was because he had drunk alcohol and was physically unable.
Her cousin said that if a man was not good, just a single acupuncture treatment would do the trick.
Shi Ning'an got out of bed, went to the dressing table and picked up the acupuncture needles. She twirled them with her fingers and tried hard to recall her cousin's gestures. Was it like this or like that?
If she accidentally used the wrong acupuncture technique and made Rong Sui infertile, wouldn't it be a disaster?
Should she catch her cousin tomorrow and ask her in detail?
No no no. If she asked, wouldn't her cousin know that Rong Sui was not good in that aspect?
Shi Ning'an was a bit anxious. Why was she so shy in the room before and didn't watch carefully how her cousin demonstrated? Now she couldn't even remember the gestures and acupuncture points.
When Rong Sui came out after taking a bath, he saw his little wife holding the acupuncture needles, moving them around and looking worried.
His eyes narrowed. He walked over and asked, "What on earth are these acupuncture needles for?"
Shi Ning'an stammered, "You... why did you come out so soon..."
Rong Sui looked at her in confusion.
Shi Ning'an put the needles on the dressing table and stood up nervously. "It's... too late. We have to pay respects to the elders tomorrow. Let's... go to bed quickly."
Rong Sui pulled her into his arms. "You won't tell the truth?"
Shi Ning'an's face was bright red. She was really too shy to say.
Rong Sui hugged her tighter. "Do I really have to ask Yingtao? Or should I ask your cousin directly tomorrow?"
Shi Ning'an quickly shook her head. "No... The needles... are for treating diseases."
"What disease?"
"... If a man is not good in that aspect, it can..."
Shi Ning'an had a hard time saying it. After she finally said it, she felt relieved and continued, "Third Master, don't be afraid of seeking medical treatment. I heard from my cousin that this kind of thing is quite common. Just one acupuncture treatment can cure it and then..."
Rong Sui asked, "Does the Lady think I'm not good?"
"Ah?" Shi Ning'an looked a bit dazed.
...
Rong Sui's demonstration made Shi Ning'an wake up only when the sun was high in the sky.