The wedding of Yu Chi and Gui Su was the first happy event held in the Bai Mansion after Ji Shisu and Zhao Luoning moved in.
Zhao Luoning gave Gui Su a wedding dress made of Yun brocade. The style of the dress was personally designed by Zhao Luoning, and one such dress was worth a house in the county.
Of course, knowing Gui Su's temper well, she didn't forget to give her ten big boxes of snacks.
Spicy, salty, sweet, sour - there was every kind imaginable. Knowing that Gui Su loved to eat, Zhao Luoning even bought out all the most famous snack shops in the city and gave the land deeds to Gui Su as well.
"Gui Su, from now on, you can have as many snacks as you want."
Gui Su held the land deeds like treasures. "You still understand me best, madam."
What Ji Shisu gave Yu Chi was the small courtyard on the mountainside of the Bai Mansion. It was within the scope of the Bai Mansion but also independent, free from disturbances.
On the wedding day, the Bai Mansion was decorated with lanterns and streamers everywhere, a sea of red. The bride, Gui Su, was carried down the mountain from Zhao Luoning's courtyard on the hill and sent to the vegetable garden on the mountainside.
Yes, the vegetable garden.
When Ji Shisu left this courtyard for the young couple, he asked them to name it themselves. Gui Su didn't even think and casually replied, "What kind of garden? I've only heard of a vegetable garden. Let's just call it the vegetable garden."
As for Yu Chi's opinion, sorry, in front of Madam Gui Su, his opinion didn't matter.
The mountain road was bumpy, and the sedan chair would occasionally jolt. Then all kinds of snacks like peanuts, melon seeds, and plums would fall out of it. Along the way the sedan chair passed, quite a few snacks were dropped.
This sight made Zhao Luoning laugh so hard that she couldn't straighten up.
"Other people scatter candy at their weddings, but she, well, she scatters snacks all the way."
When they arrived at the gate of the vegetable garden, Yu Chi, wearing a bright red wedding robe, took the red silk ribbon from the maid's hand and looked at Gui Su with a beaming smile as she climbed out of the sedan chair.
Other brides hold apples on their wedding day, but she, well, she was holding a big snack gift package, and she had scattered quite a few along the way.
Now that it was time to take the silk ribbon, she had no choice but to temporarily hand over the snack gift package she was so reluctant to let go of to someone else for safekeeping.
Jing Su stepped forward and said to Gui Su, "You can give me the bag in your hand first."
"No, I don't trust you. What if you steal some to eat?"
Jing Su: "..."
In the end, it was Zhao Luoning who came over and promised to help her keep it that made Gui Su feel at ease.
Yu Chi was so tired: It seemed that in this life, he would never be able to defeat snacks in his wife's heart.
Gui Su and Yu Chi's life was simple and happy.
In the year when Jun Zhaoshu was born, Gui Su and Yu Chi's son was also born.
He took Yu Chi's surname and his name was Gou Dan.
Yu Chi once tried to struggle, but it was in vain.
Yes, as always, in front of Madam Gui Su, Yu Chi's opinion didn't matter.
Because Gui Su had helped Zhao Luoning take care of Zhaomo and Zhaoyan, she gained experience in taking care of children. Gou Dan liked to follow Gui Su around since he was a child. Gradually, Gui Su realized the disadvantage of having many children - more children meant they would share her snacks.
It was okay for the young masters and young ladies born to Zhao Luoning, but for her own little Gou Dan to also grab her snacks, Gui Su wasn't happy.
Gui Su sternly warned, "I'm your mother. You have to leave the delicious food for me to eat."
Gou Dan's little face was full of grievance. "Mother, don't you love Gou Dan anymore?"
"That's a different matter. Even your father knows that in mother's place, snacks are more important than anything else."
Gou Dan was very aggrieved, but he had nowhere to vent his grievance because every time he went to his father to complain, there was only one result: getting a spanking.
After all, in this family, mother was the most important. Whatever mother said was right, and father also unconditionally supported mother.
Although Gou Dan was aggrieved in his heart, he would be okay after a good sleep. The next day, he would still follow his mother around.
As Zhao Luoning had expected, Gui Su was very popular among the children. She had endless stories, and each day's story was different. The children listened with great interest.
Even when Zhaomo and Zhaoyan grew up and went out to face the world on their own, the first thing they did when they got home was to pester Aunt Gui Su to tell stories.
Gui Su later gave birth to a daughter and named her Cui Hua. After that, she didn't have any more children.
Mainly because Zhao Luoning was so fertile that she simply couldn't take care of all the children.
After seeing Zhaomo and Zhaoyan off, Zhaoji and Zhaoshu came. Just when these two little ones were finally taken away by their elder brothers, Zhao Luoning got pregnant again.
When she was almost due, Zhao Luoning's belly was so big that she couldn't even walk.
Madam Zhao, being an experienced woman, was very worried.
"It seems there are three in this pregnancy."
And Gui Su was also worried. "No way, three little devils?"
That meant there would be five people competing with her for snacks at the same time?
This life was just too hard.
Zhao Luoning gave birth to triplets on the Winter Solstice.
Because this birth was extremely dangerous, Zhao Luochun, Zhao Luoyu, the children, and even Zhao Luojing and Caixue who were far away in Buda rushed over.
Zhao Luoning labored for a whole day and night before finally giving birth to these three troublesome little ones.
When the midwife carried the babies out, everyone was stunned.
Two girls and one boy.
Looking at these three little babies with rosy cheeks, Madam Zhao's eyes turned red.
She remembered that year when she gave birth to the three siblings. It was a rainy day. When the midwife told her that all three children were safe, she, exhausted as she was, still opened her eyes to take a look at the three children.
Rosy - just like these three little babies now.
However, the three sisters Zhao Luoning and the others were not as lucky as these three children.
When Madam Zhao gave birth to them, Master Zhao was in the other courtyard accompanying his concubine. She walked through the gate of death alone. In the end, Master Zhao even refused to name the three siblings. It was Madam Zhao who flipped through ancient books and randomly chose a few characters for their names.
Now it was all good. Looking at these three children, Madam Zhao was truly happy from the bottom of her heart.
The children were all well, and so were the grandchildren.
Luoning didn't repeat her mistakes.
In this life, she was content.
The way the children were named was still as simple and straightforward as ever - drawing lots.
The eldest daughter of the three little babies was named Jun Zhaoyun, the youngest daughter was named Jun Zhaoyin, and the little son drew out the character "Jing" when drawing lots.
Everything seemed to be predestined.
Of course, Gui Su's status as the king of children was also predestined and couldn't be changed.
The moment she heard that Madam had really given birth to three, Gui Su looked up to the sky and let out a long howl. "Oh my god, is there any way for a person to live?"
On New Year's Eve of this year, while keeping the New Year's vigil, Gui Su took Gou Dan, Cui Hua, as well as Zhaomo, Zhaoyan, Zhaoji, and Zhaoshu. She was holding Zhaojing in her arms. Jing Su and Caixue helped her and were respectively holding Zhaoyun and Zhaoyin. Three big kids and a group of little kids sat in a row around the stove, listening to Gui Su tell stories.
Gui Su looked at the blazing fire in the stove and slowly said, "Today, I'm going to tell you the story of a substitute bride who, through her own efforts, changed her fate, managed the household well, and quelled disasters outside. In the end, she became a noble lady."
Bai Zhaomo curled his lips and said, "Isn't this just the story of my mother?"
Gui Su gave a sly smile. The firelight reflected on her face, making her look radiant.
She replied, "This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental."
— The End —