Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 30

If given the choice, Zheng Xiyun wouldn’t have chosen to live with Mu Qing, because her sleeping habits were far too restless. In the early hours of the morning, Zheng Xiyun got up to use the bathroom, only to return and find no space left for her on the bed. Mu Qing was sprawled diagonally across the entire mattress, leaving Zheng Xiyun to contemplate the possibility of moving to the guest room for the rest of the night.

She knew that if she ended up in the guest room by morning, she’d have to explain herself to the Mu family and there was no guarantee they’d understand. After all, Taoist Master Li had said that the closer she and Mu Qing were, the deeper their fortunes would intertwine.

With that in mind, Zheng Xiyun grabbed Mu Qing’s ankles, lifted her legs, and tossed them aside, shoving her to one side of the bed. Mu Qing frowned groggily before rolling over, finally freeing up a large portion of the bed.

Zheng Xiyun quickly climbed back in, pulled the covers over herself, and settled down.

As expected, she was jolted awake in the morning by the weight of Mu Qing clinging to her. Mu Qing had wrapped herself tightly around Zheng Xiyun’s waist, her head resting heavily on Zheng Xiyun’s shoulder, leaving her right side numb.

Zheng Xiyun pushed Mu Qing away, finally feeling some relief—only for a sharp, needle-like pain to shoot through her right shoulder, followed by a dull, tingling numbness that made her curl up in the corner of the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Qing, now awake from being shoved, saw Zheng Xiyun huddled in pain. After a moment’s thought, she reached out and placed a hand on Zheng Xiyun’s shoulder, asking with concern, “Is it menstrual cramps?”

Zheng Xiyun turned and glared at her furiously, gritting her teeth. “Get your hand off me!”

Mu Qing immediately withdrew her hand, but seeing Zheng Xiyun in such pain left her heart aching.

A few minutes later, Zheng Xiyun finally recovered. Weakly, she said to the worried Mu Qing, “We need to talk.”

“Mm, go ahead,” Mu Qing replied cooperatively.

“I’m moving to the guest room,” Zheng Xiyun declared.

“Absolutely not!” Mu Qing protested vehemently, as if she could list hundreds of reasons on the spot. “Taoist Master Li said we have to stay close! And we’re about to get married. Why would you make me sleep alone?”

Furious, Zheng Xiyun sat up, grabbed a pillow, and hurled it at Mu Qing. “Because you’re impossible to sleep with! The whole bed isn’t enough for you! You spin around like a top in your sleep! You could win a gold medal in Olympic sleeping!”

Mu Qing dodged the pillow for a while before finally catching it, her hair now even messier from the scuffle. “So, that pain earlier was because…”

“Because you were crushing my shoulder! Who knows how long your head was there! It was numb and painful. Do you have any idea how awful that feels?” Zheng Xiyun glared at her, the memory of the pain still fresh.

Mu Qing looked at her guiltily and mumbled, “Sorry! I forgot I’m a restless sleeper.”

Zheng Xiyun’s frustration didn’t dissipate with the apology. Still fuming, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, muttering, “I’m not sleeping with you anymore. I never get any rest!”

Watching Zheng Xiyun disappear behind the bathroom door, Mu Qing let out a slight sigh. The image of Zheng Xiyun angry floated in her mind while Mu Qing felt guilty, she also found her utterly adorable. The anger brought a liveliness to her face that was usually so cold and indifferent. However, the sleeping issue really needed to be resolved. If her sleeping habits remained this bad, what would she do if A-Yun refused to sleep with her in the future?

After freshening up, the frustration in Zheng Xiyun’s heart gradually faded, but she still wore a sour expression toward Mu Qing all day. Mu Qing pitifully shared her troubles with her family. Upon hearing this, Chen Mingya shot her a glare. “I’ve told you before that you’re a restless sleeper, yet you insisted on us getting you a bigger bed so you could toss and turn. Now you regret it? You should’ve been tied to the bed years ago to correct your sleeping posture.”

But back then, who could bear to do such a thing? Everyone assumed that once Mu Qing got married, her husband would simply hold her while she slept. After all, men were stronger and could restrain her. Who would’ve guessed that Mu Qing would end up with a woman? Zheng Xiyun certainly didn’t have the strength to keep Mu Qing in check.

The Mu family took this issue to heart, but there was no immediate solution. Moreover, they had no time to discuss it today because an extremely important guest was arriving.

Taoist Li said to them, “To ensure the ceremony proceeds without any issues, I’ve specially invited my senior sister to preside over it.”

“Senior sister?” Mu Qing asked, puzzled. “There are women in the Taoist temple too?”

Taoist Li chuckled. “Our temple isn’t bound by so many rules. We accept both men and women. My senior sister is an orphan and has been following our master since childhood.”

After Taoist Li spent some time introducing his senior sister to the Mu family, the butler announced that a car had arrived at the gate. The Mu family quickly instructed the butler to open the door, and soon after, Taoist Li’s senior sister drove in.

When a young woman in her twenties stepped out of the car, everyone’s perception of Taoist practitioners was once again refreshed. Taoist Li’s senior sister was strikingly beautiful and fashionable. She wore a khaki trench coat over a knit sweater and jeans, her slightly curled long hair cascading over her shoulders, her makeup understated yet elegant.

Taoist Li bowed respectfully to the woman. “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

The woman gave a slight nod before turning her gaze to the Mu family. Taoist Li proceeded to introduce them to each other. His senior sister’s name was Lin Weiwei—a gentle-sounding name that starkly contrasted with her appearance. Though dressed fashionably, her demeanor was distant and cool, almost frosty. Her style seemed similar to Zheng Xiyun’s, yet more severe, with an added air of lethality.

Lin Weiwei arrived a day early to inspect the preparations the Mu family had made, then retreated to her room, only emerging briefly for meals.

When bedtime arrived, Zheng Xiyun, still haunted by the morning’s ordeal, felt a growing aversion to sleep. Upon returning to the room, she was shocked to find a strange object on the bed—it looked like a…

“It’s a sleeping bag!” Mu Qing, freshly washed, explained to Zheng Xiyun. “I asked my brother to bring it back. I’ll sleep inside it, and these two straps will be tied under the bed so I won’t disturb you.”

In an instant, Zheng Xiyun’s day-long resentment melted into guilt. To her, sleeping in a sleeping bag in one’s own home, on one’s own bed, was simply too pitiful.

“Is there really no other way?” She looked at Mu Qing, her heart aching with reluctance.

Mu Qing couldn’t possibly miss the look in her eyes. She walked up to Zheng Xiyun, smiled, and said, “I don’t know. After the wedding, I’ll think about whether there’s another solution. At the very least, I won’t let you lose sleep anymore.”

Zheng Xiyun considered it rationally—this was actually the best option. If she and Mu Qing were going to live together long-term, Mu Qing’s restless sleeping habits would inevitably affect both their sleep quality, which wouldn’t be good for either of them.

“Then, I’ll trouble you.” Zheng Xiyun murmured.

Mu Qing shook her head, her gaze tender. “It’s you who’s been troubled. No wonder you always preferred the guest room before. I had no idea I was such a restless sleeper. You should’ve told me sooner. If you had, I could’ve worked on fixing it while you slept in the guest room. But it’s not too late now. Go freshen up and rest early. We have to wake up at dawn tomorrow.”

That night, Zheng Xiyun finally slept soundly. But Mu Qing kept waking up intermittently. The sleeping bag was too restrictive, and with it tied down, she couldn’t toss and turn, leaving her thoroughly unaccustomed. As a result, she had faint dark circles the next morning. However, since today was such an important occasion, her high spirits masked them well.

The two changed into the qipao dresses they had tried on earlier. Taoist Master Lin personally styled Zheng Xiyun’s hair, securing it at the back with a wooden hairpin, while Mu Qing’s hair was pinned up with wooden clips. At the Taoist master’s request, neither wore makeup. Once their appearances were set, they followed him to the living room, where the Mu family and Zheng Jiangling were already waiting.

The living room had been transformed. A ceremonial altar stood at the front, bearing the ancestral tablets of several direct-line elders from the Mu family. Since Zheng Jiangling and Zheng Xiyun’s grandparents on the Zheng side were still alive, Zheng Xiyun had chosen tablets for her mother and maternal grandparents instead.

The Mu and Zheng families stood on opposite sides. Under Taoist Master Lin’s guidance, Mu Qing and Zheng Xiyun knelt on prayer cushions, bowing and offering incense before their ancestors’ tablets.

After placing the incense, Taoist Master Lin approached them with a yellow talisman paper and said, “Extend your right hands.” They complied, and he lightly pricked their middle fingers with a small knife, then used their blood to inscribe indecipherable symbols on the paper.

As he wrote, he explained, “This is a covenant written with your fingertip blood—ten fingers connect to the heart, so fingertip blood is heart’s blood. The covenant bears your birth dates and times. From now on, your fates will be intertwined, influencing and protecting one another.”

The moment Taoist Master Lin finished writing, an ineffable sensation arose in both their hearts. They glanced at each other, and the feeling grew even stronger—as if the person before them had already become an inseparable part of their lives.

Taoist Master Lin lifted the talisman and held it over the incense. Soon, the paper began to burn, though no flame was visible. It slowly turned to ash from one corner, dispersing into the air before fading into transparency.

“The rite is complete.” As Taoist Master Lin’s voice rang out, everyone present exhaled in relief. He looked at Zheng Xiyun and Mu Qing and said, “These qipao dresses bear certain totems. Though you won’t wear them often, do not lose them. Keep them safe.”

The two nodded solemnly.

Lin Weiwei turned to look at Mu Yu and said, “The ceremony is over. You can proceed with any family rituals afterward, but remember—they must wear that qipao and no other clothing. Once the incense burns out, return the ancestral tablet to its original place. Store the other items in the storage room and burn them only after both of them have passed away.”

Mu Yu nodded gratefully. “Thank you so much, Priestess Lin.”

Lin Weiwei gave a curt nod and said coolly, “Time to settle the payment.”

Mu Yu froze for a brief moment before reaching into his clothes and pulling out a red envelope containing a pre-prepared check, which he handed to Lin Weiwei. She took the envelope, opened it, and glanced at the amount on the check. Satisfied, she nodded and said to them, “Feel free to contact me if you need anything else in the future.”

With that, Lin Weiwei and Priest Li left together. Faintly, one could still hear Priest Li grumbling about Lin Weiwei stealing his clients.