Chapter 558 - 558: Sharing the Joy
Chu Lanner came to the entrance of the Chu family’s courtyard, eagerly waiting to receive the money from the sale of her handkerchiefs so she could buy food, as their house had run out of provisions.
Chu Qingyue did not forget Chu Lanner. After discussing the matters at home, she carried the basket out and planned to look for Chu Lanner.
“Sister Qingyue,” Chu Lanner ran over to Chu Qingyue with hope in her eyes.
Chu Qingyue handed the basket to Chu Lanner, “Your handkerchiefs sold well. I sold each of the ten handkerchiefs at the highest price I could get, earning a total of five hundred copper coins. Please count it.”
Chu Lanner was overjoyed, “Sister Qingyue, you’re amazing. I wouldn’t have been able to sell them myself.”
Chu Qingyue ruffled Chu Lanner’s hair affectionately, “If you have more handkerchiefs to sell in the future, bring them to my shop. I’ve already informed the manager there.”
Touched by Chu Qingyue’s kindness, Chu Lanner’s eyes welled up with tears. “Thank you, Sister Qingyue.”
Poor little girl. Chu Qingyue took out a handkerchief and handed it to Chu
Lanner to wipe her tears. “Don’t cry, things will get better.”
Chu Lanner nodded vigorously, “Yes.”
Ning Yuting approached, wearing the blue and white robe made by Chu Qingyue, looking handsome and dignified. Chu Lanner was stunned by his appearance, having never seen such a good-looking man who matched so well with Sister Qingyue.
Ning Yuting noticed Chu Lanner, then looked at Chu Qingyue. “Who is she? I haven’t seen her in the village before.”
“She just returned to the village. 1 helped her sell some handkerchiefs.”
Ning Yuting did not say anything else. He raised his head and looked at the mountains that were dyed golden by the sunlight in the distance. “Qingyue, let’s take a walk.”
“I’d like that.”
The two walked side by side into the distance.
Chu Lanner watched them go, thinking how lucky Chu Qingyue was to have such a wonderful husband.
At the Chu Family’s old house, the family gathered around a fragrant camphor tree.
In the local tradition, when a girl was born, a camphor tree was planted in front of the house. When she married, the tree would be cut down to make her dowry chests.
The camphor tree for Chu Qingyue had been planted by Chu Rong and Li Qingyu when she was born and was now fashioned into her dowry chests. Four other camphor trees stood nearby, one for each daughter.
Underneath the camphor tree, a jar of ‘Daughter’s Red’ wine, buried when Chu Qingyue was born, was now being unearthed for her wedding.
Chu Rong took the hoe and gently dug up the soil on the ground. He didn’t dare to dig too hard, afraid that he would break the wine jar.
When the villagers saw the Chu family gathered there, they were very curious and came over to take a look.
“Qingyu, you’re the one with the foresight to keep your daughter at home a little longer before marrying her off. Qingyue is envied by all the unmarried girls in the village for having such an outstanding husband.”
In the eyes of the villagers, if a girl from the village married into the capital, her life would be fulfilled.
However, the villagers did not know how rich Ning Yuting’s family was. They only knew that the Ning family was very rich. Otherwise, they would definitely be even more envious.
Li Qingyu felt a mix of bitterness and relief, grateful that her daughter didn’t end up with Li Shengfeng but instead with someone as outstanding as Ning Yuting.
In her heart, Yuting was superior to Li Shengfeng in every aspect. Moreover, he was more handsome than Li Shengfeng and exuded a noble aura. Li Shengfeng would never be able to catch up to him in ten lifetimes.
With this thought in mind, the smile on Li Qingyu’s face slowly condensed. “This is all their fate.”
“That’s true. Back then, Qingzhi saved Yuting. Who knew the one she saved would end up becoming her Brother-in-law?”
They all laughed.
Daughter’s Red was successfully dug out by Chu Rong. Chu Xuhua went forward and picked it up from the ground. “Xujin, come and help fetch water.”
“Coming.”
Chu Xuhua carried the wine jar to the well. There was a lot of mud on the wine jar that needed to be washed. This would be used as a dowry for Chu Qingyue to drink on her wedding night.
Chu Qingyue watched the jar being carried away, her cheeks flushing slightly at the thought.
Li Qingyu had already explained to her about the matters of a woman’s wedding night, and the sight of the wine jar made her think of the upcoming intimate moments with Ning Yuting, causing her to blush and retreat shyly to her room.
Ning Yuting, looking at the wine jar, also couldn’t help but feel anticipation for their wedding night and the life they were about to start together.
The next morning, on the tenth day of the ninth lunar month, the Chu family began preparing for the journey to the capital for Chu Qingyue’s wedding.
Ning Yuting had brought everything needed for the trip. After breakfast, Chu Rong, Chu Xuhua, and Chu Xujin started loading the dowry onto the carriages.
Many villagers came to help, turning the occasion into a lively event. Even the village elder made an appearance, and eventually, the whole village gathered to witness the procession.
Li Qingyu waved at Tang Jinghong and Wen Shaoyuan. “Come here for a while.”
The two of them walked towards Li Qingyu.
In the storage room, Li Qingyu pointed at the two chests and said, “Jinghong, Shaoyuan, carry these two chests outside the courtyard.”
“Okay.”
After all the preparations were completed, Li Qingyu invited everyone to the courtyard entrance. “Qingyue grew up with all of you watching over her. Now that she’s getting married, I want to thank everyone for your help. I’ve prepared some wedding candies for you all to share.”
She opened two large chests filled with a variety of fine candies from the county town.
“Please, don’t be shy. Help yourselves.”
She offered a handful of candies to the village elder. “Thank you for coming to see her off.”
The village elder took the wedding candy with a smile. “Good, good, good. You’re all good children. Qingyue, you can always come back to the village to visit when you’re free.”
Chu Qingyue nodded shyly, “I will, Elder.”
The village elder said to Ning Yuting, “Yuting, Qingyue is a good child. You have to take good care of her in the future. Don’t let her suffer.”
Ning Yuting looked at Chu Qingyue and smiled, “I will, Elder.”
The village chief and some of the elders in the village also said some blessings. They were filled with joy.
It was time to depart.
Grandpa Chu said excitedly, “Everyone, get on the carriage. It’s time for us to set off.”
According to the agreement, Tang Jinghong, Ning Yuting, and Chu Xujin rode horses. The others sat in the carriage. After bidding farewell to the villagers, they got on the horses and the carriages…
The villagers escorted them to the village entrance before returning to their daily lives.
The village chief’s wife said enviously, “Who would have thought Qingyue would marry so well, after all the talk of her not marrying?”
Fang Cuiyun added, “If my daughter could marry someone like Yuting, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams.”
Auntie Zhang remarked, “Marriage is all about fate. Not everyone is that lucky.”
The village chief’s wife smiled and said, “That’s true, but we watched Qingyue grow up. If she marries well, we should all be happy.”
“Right,” Fang Cuiyun said, waving her hand. “Let’s not dwell on it. Let’s enjoy the wedding candies and share the happiness..”