Chapter 21: Wedding Day

The high noon sun hung in the sky.

At the entrance of Wealthy Wang’s estate in the west end of town, large red lanterns were hung along the eaves. The newly pasted, gold-lettered wedding couplets on the door frame dazzled under the sun.

Servants hurried in and out, each wearing the bustling expression one only sees when a master is holding a major event.

A portly man stood on the stone steps at the entrance, waving his arms and directing others with a booming voice.

“Hey, hey, pull the red silk to the left a bit more! That’s right, keep going… too far, too far! Come back a bit!”

“Take this fresh pork into the kitchen! Don’t you dare lollygag! If you’re late, I’m docking your pay!”

In the yard, temporary stoves set up by the cooks were billowing with steam. Kitchen maids were busy sorting vegetables and washing bowls.

The sounds of shouting, laughter, and the clashing of pots and pans blended into a chaotic symphony.

Today was the wedding day for the daughter of the Wealthy Wang household.

“Oh, Wealthy Wang! Busy, are you? Congratulations, congratulations!”

Li Zhengping emerged from the alleyway with his brothers, cupping his hands and calling out from a distance.

Wealthy Wang turned his head, his face lighting up. He hurried down the steps two at a time and greeted him with open arms.

“Oh, Leader Li! You finally arrived! This whole affair has really been a bother for you these past few days!”

“Hahaha, what are you saying, Wealthy Wang!” Li Zhengping laughed and cupped his hands in return, then turned to signal his brothers to bring up the carriages behind them.

Several flatbed carts rattled over the blue stone tiles and came to a stop. They were piled high and covered with red silk, beneath which the gleaming paint of dowry trunks was faintly visible.

Li Zhengping patted the front cart and looked at Wealthy Wang with a smile.

“Wealthy Wang, this batch of dowry you entrusted us to escort has arrived. Not a single piece is missing, all accounted for. Don’t you want to count them?”

“Eh! Count what? I couldn’t possibly mistrust anything guarded personally by Leader Li!” Wealthy Wang waved his hands, though as he looked at the dowry before him, his expression turned complex.

However, Wealthy Wang quickly adjusted himself, returning to his beaming, cheerful demeanor.

“Your father and I were old friends. With him gone, how could I not trust you?”

Hearing this, Li Zhengping’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately cupped his hands. “Uncle Wang, you flatter me. Then, where should we unload the goods?”

“Bah! Men!” Wealthy Wang gestured behind him, and several servants immediately rushed over. “Move all of this into the storage room in the back yard. Be careful, don’t let it get bumped or scratched!”

Li Zhengping nodded to his brothers behind him. “Go on, give them a hand.”

His brothers responded one after another, rolled up their sleeves, and joined the Wang family servants in the work. The shouting and footsteps of the unloading process filled the air.

The previously bustling entrance gradually grew quieter.

Wealthy Wang stepped aside and motioned for Li Zhengping to join him under the shade of the eaves. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a bulging gold silk pouch, and stuffed it into Li Zhengping’s hand.

“Here, this is for your hard work. Remember to count it.”

Li Zhengping took the pouch and weighed it in his hand. Without opening it, he tucked it directly into his robe and smiled.

“You are too kind, Uncle.”

Wealthy Wang waved his hand and glanced around. Seeing that everyone was too busy to notice them, he lowered his voice.

“Zhengping… let me speak to you from the heart.” Wealthy Wang looked distressed, his brows knitted so tightly a fly could have been crushed between them.

“This wedding, I hadn’t originally intended for it to be held so early.”

Li Zhengping raised an eyebrow, not replying, but turned slightly to show he was listening intently.

Wealthy Wang sighed and rubbed his hands together as if he did not know how to start. After a long silence, he finally squeezed out a sentence.

“Bah… it’s just… the young people are impatient.”

Hearing this, the corner of Li Zhengping’s mouth twitched. He suppressed a laugh.

“Well, they are young. It’s normal.”

Wealthy Wang glanced at him, and seeing his ‘I understand, I understand’ expression, felt even more frustrated. ‘You don’t understand a thing! That’s not what I’m worried about!’

But he couldn’t explain it clearly and had to keep it bottled up.

Li Zhengping saw that Wealthy Wang had more to say but was hesitating. He knew full well what was going on, but played the part of someone who knew nothing.

“Come to think of it, Uncle, I haven’t seen your daughter many times, but the whole town speaks highly of her. They say she manages your accounts room so perfectly that you were even considering handing the business over to her?”

“You are truly blessed, Uncle!”

Mentioning his daughter, the gloom on Wealthy Wang’s face finally dissipated, replaced by a touch of pride.

“That’s for sure! My daughter has been clever since she was small. She remembers an account book after one glance and handles the abacus better than the accountant.”

As he spoke, Wealthy Wang excitedly patted Li Zhengping’s shoulder. “I had this child late in life; she is my only treasure. I originally planned for her to inherit the family business…”

He sighed again when he reached this point.

“But after all, she is a woman. She must marry one day. As a father, I cannot hold her back forever.”

After he finished speaking, the back that had just straightened slowly slumped once more.

“And who is the groom? Since you think highly of him, he must be quite the man, right?”

“What man of status? It’s just the boy from the Zhou family.” Wealthy Wang waved his hand. “Your father should remember Zhou Dafu, the one I swore a brotherhood oath with back in the day. It’s his son.”

Hearing the name Zhou Dafu, Li Zhengping was visibly startled.

Zhou Dafu?

Wait… could it be the family where everyone died of sickness except for that one child?

Li Zhengping thought for a moment and nodded. “I have some impression of that. Whatever happened to the Zhou family after that…”

“They fell on hard times.” Wealthy Wang took over, his tone lacking pity but instead filled with rare warmth.

“Now it’s just that one child left. I’ve taken care of him over the years as if he were my own half-son. Letting them marry now is like adding family to family.”

He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice and leaned into Li Zhengping’s ear.

“If I say this, don’t laugh at me. The boy moved into my house about half a year ago. My daughter manages the accounts, and he helps out with chores. They have spent time together… and they get along quite well.”

He stood up straight, sighed heavily, and his gaze landed on the busy servants in the yard, his expression complex.

“Sigh…”

Li Zhengping looked down, remaining silent.

‘Is Uncle truly unaware, or is he feigning ignorance?’

‘If the boy has been living here for so long and they actually get along that well, why the rush for the wedding?’

‘There was never a word about it before, and now it’s all of a sudden…’

Eh, whatever. I should stay out of other people’s family business.

Wealthy Wang stood there for a moment, then suddenly uttered a “Bah” and clapped his hands.

“Alright, alright, why am I talking to a younger generation about this? You sit and have some tea, I have to go attend to other guests.”

He turned and shouted toward the courtyard.

“Hongfang! Come here!”

A short while later, a young man walked quickly from the courtyard.

He was in his early twenties, thin and slight, wearing a half-worn green long robe that had been washed white but was perfectly clean.

There was a scholarly air about his features, but his eyes were lowered, and his steps were light as if he were afraid of disturbing someone.

The young man walked up to them, bowed to Wealthy Wang first, and then turned to Li Zhengping and gave a slight bow.

“Leader Li, please come this way.”