My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 44

“Mmm. This soup is quite good, nothing like the unpleasant taste I imagined.” Cheng Yi leaned against the bathtub, savoring the flavor in her mouth.

Guo’er also scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth. “I heard from Miss Cui’er that this hangover soup is a recipe she learned from her mother. Indeed, family recipes are much tastier than the ones we learn ourselves.”

On the other side, Lu Jiahe was personally roused from bed early in the morning by her grandmother. Since Guo’er was accompanying Cheng Yi in the other courtyard, today her wedding attire was dressed by Old Lady Lu herself.

“Our Jiahe is starting a family too!” Old Lady Lu placed the wedding cap on Lu Jiahe’s head, her face filled with joy and contentment.

With fair skin and red lips, dressed in a red wedding robe lined with gold thread, Lu Jiahe completely shed her usual obedient appearance. Her hair was entirely tucked under the wedding cap, and her slightly furrowed brows made her thick, arched eyebrows appear somewhat sharp. Yet her bright eyes sparkled like stars, evoking even more affection.

The sound of hurried footsteps passed by as Jiang Huai, Tan Siyuan, and a few others brought their brothers into Lu Jiahe’s courtyard.

Although they all came from prominent families in Bianjing, today was their younger brother’s joyous occasion. Without hesitation, they donned coarse red hemp wedding robes, waiting together to accompany the groom to fetch the bride.

“Wow! Younger brother looks exceptionally impressive today!” Tan Siyuan couldn’t help but praise upon seeing Lu Jiahe’s appearance.

Jiang Huai and the others who entered later also chimed in with their compliments.

Lu Jiahe grew somewhat embarrassed by the praise, a faint blush unconsciously coloring the tips of her ears.

“I’ll have to trouble you all today. This is a small token of my appreciation. I’ll make sure Jiahe properly thanks you all in the future.” With that, Old Lady Lu had the old maidservant bring over a stack of red envelopes and personally handed them to Jiang Huai and the others.

“Thank you, Old Ancestor.”

Since they were acting as palanquin bearers to help Lu Jiahe fetch Cheng Yi today, they accepted the red envelopes from Old Lady Lu without much ado. After all, on such a special day, this was the host’s gesture of goodwill.

Noticing that the sky outside the window had brightened considerably, the old maidservant reminded Old Lady Lu softly to avoid missing the auspicious time for fetching the bride: “Old Ancestor, the hour is growing late. The young master should set off now.”

Hearing the old maidservant’s words, everyone around turned to look outside the door and promptly urged Lu Jiahe to depart and fetch the bride.

Lu Jiahe took a deep breath as she stepped over the threshold. After today, she and Cheng Yi would be husband and wife. From now on, she would have to consider not only herself but also the small family she and Cheng Yi would build. At this thought, Lu Jiahe felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.

With horsemen leading the way and the wedding sedan following behind, the procession set off from the Lu residence. After parading through Bianjing with music and drums, the bridal party finally arrived at the courtyard Old Lady Lu had arranged for Cheng Yi.

Seated inside the room, Cheng Yi, who had been waiting all along, grew tense upon hearing the distant sound of music. She had thought her relationship with Lu Jiahe was merely a marriage of convenience, but when this day actually arrived, she couldn’t suppress the excitement in her heart.

Her body stiff and straight, she sat on the bed waiting for the person who would come for her. When she heard the voice of the wedding celebrant outside the door, Cheng Yi clenched her hands even tighter, her nervousness intensifying.

Ever since joining the transmigration program and arriving here, Cheng Yi had long prepared herself for a life of solitude until old age. With no parents or family to speak of, she held little expectation for the days ahead.

But ever since she met Lu Jiahe that day, her life began to change. The fact that a scion of a noble family was actually a woman made Cheng Yi feel both curious and sympathetic toward Lu Jiahe from the bottom of her heart.

Initially intending to take good care of her, Cheng Yi never expected things to take such an unexpected turn. Later, in a moment of impulsiveness, she agreed to marry Lu Jiahe. However, after moving into the Lu residence and spending each day with her, Cheng Yi came to understand that Lu Jiahe’s resistance to the marriage was to protect her true identity from being discovered by those with ill intentions.

A few days earlier, when Cheng Yi had been angry, Lu Jiahe, in an effort to seek forgiveness, had voluntarily revealed her identity as a woman. It was then that Cheng Yi realized her own feelings seemed to be shifting in an unexpected way.

With a nervous heart, Lu Jiahe pushed open the door and quietly gazed at the woman sitting by the bed, her head covered with a red bridal veil. Her heart raced uncontrollably.

“Young master, the bride is waiting for you! Hurry and bring her home,” the wedding attendant urged, noticing the groom standing frozen at the doorway, staring into the room without moving.

Snapping back to reality at the sound, Lu Jiahe nervously rubbed her wedding robes with her hands hanging at her sides, then strode into the room. She walked up to Cheng Yi and gently picked up the red silk ribbon tied with a wedding ball that lay beside the bed.

Seeing this, the wedding attendant quickly called out, “The groom is taking the bride home!”

“Let’s go, it’s time to go home,” Lu Jiahe whispered softly from beside the bed.

Hearing this, Cheng Yi picked up the other end of the red silk ribbon attached to the wedding ball and stood up, following Lu Jiahe out.

Afraid that Cheng Yi, with her vision obscured by the red veil, might struggle to walk, Lu Jiahe cautioned, “Take your time, don’t trip.”

“Mm,” Cheng Yi replied softly, feeling shy in Lu Jiahe’s presence for the first time. She lowered her head, focusing on her steps as she followed the other out.

Guo’er, standing by the wedding sedan, immediately lifted the curtain as soon as she saw her young master and the young mistress emerge.

Once the bride was seated in the sedan and the groom had mounted his horse, the wedding attendant loudly announced, “Lift the sedan!”

Jiang Huai and the others had been training their strength ever since they learned of Lu Jiahe’s impending marriage, so Cheng Yi felt no jostling during the journey. The wedding procession took a long detour through Bianjing, announcing the joyous occasion to every household in the city before finally returning to the Lu family mansion.

Lu Zhengliang, Diao Yuqing, and the Lu matriarch had been waiting there. Upon the procession’s return, they went back inside to take their seats of honor.

Due to the circumstances surrounding Lu Jiahe’s mother, only Lu Zhengliang and the Lu matriarch occupied the main seats.

Diao Yuqing had originally intended to use this opportunity to diminish Cheng Yi’s standing, but to her surprise, the Lu matriarch personally approached Lu Zhengliang to discuss the wedding ceremony. In the end, no matter how much Diao Yuqing whispered persuasions by his pillow, Lu Zhengliang refused to let her sit in the seat of honor to receive the newlyweds’ bows.

“Lower the sedan!”

Lu Jiahe dismounted and, holding the red silk ribbon, led Cheng Yi inside. The two walked to the main hall, under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, and stopped before Lu Zhengliang and the Lu matriarch.

“First bow to heaven and earth!”

The couple turned and bowed to the heavens and the earth, giving thanks for their serendipitous meeting.

“Second bow to the parents!”

The two bowed toward Lu Zhenliang and the elderly Lady Lu seated in their chairs, expressing gratitude for their role in arranging the marriage.

“Bow to each other!”

Turning to face one another, they pledged to support and accompany each other from that day forward.

“Present the tea!”

As the wedding attendant’s loud call rang out, Guo’er and Lu An placed kneeling cushions before the couple. Other servants of the Lu family brought two cups of tea and stood on either side of them.

“Father, please drink tea. Grandmother, please drink tea.”

“Grandmother, please drink tea. Father-in-law, please drink tea.”

Lu Zhenliang accepted the tea and took a small sip, then discreetly wiped away two tears from the corners of his eyes.

How many years had it been since Lu Jiahe had ever served him tea like this?

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lu Zhenliang immediately summoned a servant to place the large red envelopes he had prepared into the couple’s hands.

The wedding guests gasped in astonishment at the sight of the thick red packets. In Bianjing, it was widely known that Lu Jiahe was the least favored in the Lu family, yet today Lu Zhenliang’s actions left everyone stunned, not only had he shed tears, but he had also given red envelopes many times thicker than those presented at the weddings of Lu Jiazheng and Lu Jiahao.

This gesture swiftly shifted the rumors about the Lu family in Bianjing. From that day onward, people began to say that Lu Jiahe was the future successor of the Lu family.

Seeing that the ceremony was nearly complete, the wedding attendant called out loudly, “Escort the couple to the bridal chamber!”

Lu Jiahe stood up, took Cheng Yi’s hand, and followed the wedding attendant back to the room in his own courtyard.

“I asked Lu An to prepare some pastries. Guo’er has gone to fetch them. If you’re hungry, have a bite,” Lu Jiahe said, guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Mm,” Cheng Yi replied, knowing that Lu Jiahe still had to attend to the guests in the front hall. She added softly, “You don’t handle alcohol well, so drink sparingly.”

“Mm, I know. Once the wedding attendant leaves, if you find the veil inconvenient, you can take it off. Besides Guo’er and Cui’er, there’s no one else in the room, so don’t worry about being seen. If you need anything, just let them know,” Lu Jiahe reassured her, having arranged for Guo’er and Cui’er to stay and attend to her.

Seeing the bride comfortably seated on the bed, the wedding attendant urged, “Young master groom, we must go to the front courtyard to attend to the guests.”

“I know, you should go ahead,” Cheng Yi said, gently nudging him twice, worried that he might neglect the guests if he lingered.

Lu Jiahe waited in the room a little longer until Guo’er and Cui’er returned with the pastries. After giving them a few more instructions, he followed the wedding attendant back to the front courtyard.

Jiang Huai, Tan Siyuan, and others, having changed into casual clothes, stayed by Lu Jiahe’s side to help ward off toasts. Yet, in the end, Lu Jiahe couldn’t entirely avoid the guests’ urging and ended up drinking a few extra cups.

A few hours later, not wanting to miss the auspicious time for starting a family, Lu Zhenliang personally instructed the slightly unsteady Lu Jiahe to return to the bridal chamber.

“Come, Young Master groom, use the ceremonial rod to lift the bride’s veil,” the wedding attendant said, holding out the rod beside Lu Jiahe.

Lu Jiahe’s throat tightened as he looked at Cheng Yi seated on the bed. He took the rod from the attendant, gripping it firmly, and slowly extended it toward the veil, lifting it gradually.

As the veil fell, Cheng Yi blinked, her eyes adjusting to the candlelight in the room.

Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, and her exquisite makeup was fully revealed to Lu Jiahe’s gaze.

The figure before her was as enchanting as a peach blossom in spring, captivating her heart and soul. Her flawless, snow-white skin was adorned with a light blush, swaying gently in her heart like the tender willows of early spring.

In a daze, the unruly little deer in Lu Jiahe’s heart suddenly burst through the gates, dancing wildly within her chest. Slowly, that bashful flush crept up to color her cheeks.