Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Daughter Goes to Her New Home

The courtyard was abuzz with noise and excitement, everyone's faces alight with joy as they gazed up at the sky. As the procession neared Shifei Garden, the four people standing on paper boats began tossing handfuls of colorful candies and bits of cut paper from their bamboo baskets. The older children and little ones in the courtyard squealed with delight, crouching down to gather up the sweets.

Some of the children, unable to resist, unwrapped the candies and popped them into their mouths on the spot, their faces showing utter bliss—so sweet...

"These candies are from Guyue House! I've tasted them before!"

Guyue House's candies?

At that, it wasn’t just the children scrambling for the treats; even a few young ladies couldn’t help but quietly crouch down to pick up candies and try them.

Gu Weiyu also unwrapped a candy and placed it in her mouth. It was sweet but not cloying, melting instantly on her tongue—a truly unique flavor, worthy of Guyue House's reputation.

Soon, candies and colored paper were scattered all over the ground as the carriage circled above Shifei Garden once before finally stopping outside the courtyard.

Lu Xingyun alighted from the carriage with graceful ease and, exuding elegance, led four young men to the entrance. At that moment, the members of the Lu family who had come to escort the bride also arrived, crowding around him as they stood outside the gate.

The courtyard gate had already been shut before Lu Xingyun's arrival, and the younger members of the Gu family had gathered en masse to block the entrance, someone even placing a long bench across the inside of the gate.

"Cousin Xingyun, if you want to come in and fetch our Tenth Aunt, you'll have to get past us first!" Gu Qingyun declared loudly, sitting atop the bench with a group of lads.

"Heh," Lu Xingyun replied with a light chuckle, his clear voice carrying in from outside. "Very well—whatever tricks you have, bring them on!"

"I'll go first!" Gu Qinghu was the first to leap forward. "Use your object-manipulation technique to control a writing brush and compose a verse for our Tenth Aunt!"

Hearing this, Gu Weiyu privately gave her eighth brother a silent thumbs-up—what a brilliant idea! Unless Lu Xingyun's object-manipulation skills were truly outstanding, this challenge might just trip him up.

Lu Xingyun walked to a long zitan wood table that had been set up outside the gate. With a flick of his sleeve, a pink peach-blossom letter fluttered to the center of the table, and at the same moment, the brush lying on the table rose upright of its own accord.

"Look! The groom is about to start writing!"

Gu Weiyu, itching with curiosity, took out a paper crane and sent it flying up to the top of the wall, so she could watch from above.

Guided by Lu Xingyun’s technique, the brush moved unhurriedly to the inkstone, soaked up the ink until the tip was full and round, and then, with a flourish, wrote a graceful, flowing line of poetry on the peach-blossom paper:

"If but one true heart is won, may we never part till white-haired and old."

"What a fine verse!" someone in the crowd shouted. Laughter and cheers broke out outside the courtyard.

Gu Qinghu, recognizing that this challenge had been bested, stepped down from the bench. Meanwhile, a mischievous young wife quietly snatched up the peach-blossom letter and hurried back inside, reciting Lu Xingyun's poem with theatrical flourish for Gu Qing to hear.

Gu Qing sat upright on the bed, her veil in place, listening intently; a sweet smile bloomed on her face.

"My turn! My turn!" Gu Qingyun climbed onto the bench and, in a loud voice, rattled off a tongue-twister:

"A copper ladle scoops hot oil, an iron ladle scoops cool oil, the copper ladle scoops the hot oil, then the cool oil... Oil boils in the ladle, in the pot all is equally hot, whether copper or iron matters not. Cousin Xingyun, if you can repeat my tongue-twister word for word without a single mistake, you pass this round!"

Lu Xingyun stood outside the gate, half amused, half exasperated. If they were testing him on magic, there’d be no problem—but this tongue-twister was quite the challenge.

He shot a glance at the brightly dressed youth behind him. Instantly, the young man stepped forward with a grin, pulled out a stack of delicate sachets from his bamboo basket, and slipped them through the crack in the door.

"Oh—sachets!"

The boys sitting guard on the bench swarmed to the gate to snatch up the sachets.

A sly smile played on Lu Xingyun’s lips. He beckoned to his people behind him, and the members of the Lu family, who had come to escort the bride, rushed up to help. "Heave—!"

With a great shout, the courtyard gate swung wide open. Gu Qingyun and his group, caught off guard, stared in shock—they hadn’t finished their games yet!

"Cousin Xingyun, you cheated!" Gu Qinghao and the others protested indignantly.

"All’s fair in love and war," Lu Xingyun replied with a mild smile. He was about to step inside when Gu Hui, who had been standing on the sidelines watching the fun, stepped forward and barred the way.

"Hold on, everyone. As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. I have a third challenge for our new brother-in-law!"

Lu Xingyun glanced at him coolly, then nodded serenely from where he stood.

Gu Hui cleared his throat, hands clasped behind his back as he announced, "Compose an acrostic poem using the phrase 'A hundred years of harmony' as the first characters of each line."

Lu Xingyun paused in contemplation, then stood at the threshold and recited in a clear voice:

"A hundred times the phoenix calls for its mate,
Years long I vow to taste this fate.
Of perfect dreams, a round beginning,
Harmony as mandarin ducks in pairing."

Gu Hui nodded appreciatively. "Excellent! A fine poem indeed!"

With that, he stepped aside, making way at the gate and gesturing for Lu Xingyun to enter. "Please, come in!"

Lu Xingyun smiled faintly and, leading his entourage, surged into Shifei Garden.

In Qin County, it was the custom for the bride to be carried by the groom to the bridal sedan chair on the day of the wedding.

Thus, the next step for Lu Xingyun was to carry Gu Qing to the bridal chair.

Inside Shifei Garden, Gu Qing sat upright on the edge of the bed, her hands tightly clasped together, listening as the noise outside grew nearer and nearer, until a pair of black cloud-embroidered boots appeared beneath the hem of her bridal veil.

Her heart gave a tremble—she recognized those boots at once, for she had sewn every stitch herself, even taking lessons in needlework for the purpose.

"Miss," the matron of honor’s voice sounded at her ear. Gu Qing returned to herself to find that Lu Xingyun had already turned and crouched in front of her.

She took a deep breath, then gently leaned forward, draping herself over his back.

"Hold on tight," Lu Xingyun murmured softly. He stood up steadily, advancing step by unhurried step toward the courtyard gate.

Gu Qing’s heart pounded wildly—at last, the long-awaited moment had arrived! Today she would leave this familiar courtyard for a new home, one she did not yet know. Nervousness fluttered in her chest, but greater still was her joy and anticipation...

From among the crowd, Gu Weiyu watched the newlyweds board the carriage, silently wishing them a lifetime of happiness.

"Come on, let’s hurry to Hehuan Residence!" Gu Weihuan grabbed her arm, and as most of the people had already left Shifei Garden, everyone followed the bridal carriage to Hehuan Residence.

Inside the spacious main hall of Hehuan Residence, Gu Jun, as the head of the family, sat in the central seat. The elders of the family were seated to his right, while Gu Qing’s close kin took their places to his left.

Such a grand event was rare for the Lu family, and even Gu Qingzhou, who usually avoided crowds, had made an appearance as a show of respect.

Gu Weiyu and her companion arrived at Hehuan Residence just in time to see Lu Xingyun, hand in hand with Gu Qing by a red silk ribbon, leading her slowly into the hall.

The great hall was crowded with members of the Gu clan and those from the Lu family who had come to escort the bride. The master of ceremonies, dressed in festive attire, called out in a clear voice:

"The day is auspicious, the hall is filled with honored guests, the marriage is blessed, and the house shines with joy.

Now, may the bride and groom come forward and bow to heaven and earth!"

Lu Xingyun and Gu Qing took their places at the center of the hall, ready to kneel upon the prepared cushions, when suddenly a delicate feminine voice rang out:

"Wait!"