Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 216 - 7: The Wedding (Part 2)

The wedding procession was making its way towards Hong Sheng’s residence with the sound of gongs and drums. Sitting in the sedan chair, Susu felt a bit dizzy, as it was much more shaky than a carriage, though not too bumpy. Thankfully, Ning Cui had the foresight to pack some peppermint tablets, and after Susu took a couple, she felt a little better.

Fortunately, the Third Ring Road wasn’t too far from the Fourth Ring Road. Susu’s house was near the border of the Fourth and Third Ring Roads, and Hong Sheng’s house was near the border of the Third and Fourth Ring Roads, making it even closer. If one took a shortcut, it would only take half an hour on foot.

With eight men carrying the sedan chair, even on the main road, they moved quite fast. With the beating of gongs and drums slowing them down a bit, it still took no more than half an hour.

As Susu’s sedan chair just entered the gate of Ankang Square where the Hong Mansion was located, the loud sound of fireworks had already begun. This was despite the fact that the Hong Mansion was at least two miles away from the gate!

Even though Susu knew that Hong Sheng did this to show his regard for her, she still clutched her chest, feeling the pang. How much silver would that cost!

People often say, "The environment changes one’s temperament." Since Susu had traveled here, she spent several years in the Song Family following the Old Madam and managing the storeroom, which broadened her outlook. Some habits rooted deeply in her were forcibly corrected.

In reality, she was still the same Ruan Susu who, after her father struck it rich, was kicked out of her home, struggled to find food, worked hard to fund her education, and supported herself through part-time jobs.

She knew the feeling of "a penny pinching a hero," she understood the feeling of how even stretching a box of instant noodles couldn’t last until the end of the month, and she knew the feeling of hunger.

So after traveling, when she learned of the future outcome, even though she was scared to death, Susu still dared to hide those silver and jewels at the risk of being searched. Even though they couldn’t be spent, those things were like a lifeline, clutching them gave her a sense of security!

Now that she spent money freely, it certainly wasn’t for showing off wealth or being arrogant for unworthy reasons.

First, Susu was never stingy; loving money didn’t mean she was miserly. Secondly, Susu believed good steel should be used on the blade, spending when necessary.

Anything that money could solve wasn’t a real problem; what mattered was whether one had money. Fortunately, she could now consider herself to have a small fortune, but having money didn’t mean wasting it recklessly.

The Song Family’s weakness was their nouveau riche background; the family had only just reached the stage of paying attention to food and clothing, with no strict rules or etiquette. They had indulged excessively before, but luckily the future family head married a girl from a genuine noble family—Wenchang Marquis Mansion.

With a future Ancestral Lady from a prestigious background, her vision and knowledge were naturally extraordinary, which made up for the Song Family’s shortcoming. Susu learned a lot from this; before, she was just a "country bumpkin," very vulgar.

Now, seeing Hong Sheng’s actions stirred her emotions, although ultimately, Hong Sheng did it for her dignity. She had to suppress this feeling in her heart and talk about it later. However, it seemed best that a man’s secret savings shouldn’t exceed fifty taels of silver.

Hong Sheng, at this moment, just wanted to look up and laugh three hundred times. He finally brought his little bride home, oblivious that his secret savings were in jeopardy due to the long fireworks display.

Of course, "being blinded by love," even if Hong Sheng knew, with his current mentality, he would probably wish to offer his secret savings with both hands to please his fair lady Tao Meijiao!

The wedding ceremony seemed lively, but it was essentially the same process of "bowing to heaven and earth, bowing to the parents, bowing to each other as husband and wife, and being sent into the bridal chamber," which won’t be elaborated here.

But Hong Sheng had lost both parents, with no relatives to attend, even the bowing to the parents was directed to their memorial tablets.

It’s heard that he brought the village head’s couple from Hongshan Village along with several elders to witness, showing Hong Sheng’s regard for the village people. Before leaving, they wouldn’t be poorly treated!

Today’s wedding attendees besides villagers from Hongshan Village included Hong Sheng’s closest friends. Among them were the escort masters from the Yangwei Escort Agency and several soldiers from the Northwest, but Hong Sheng, despite being young and having attained the fourth rank, still had the hard background of a poor family.

His relationship with Prince Ke couldn’t be made known to everyone; even Nanny Wei didn’t come.

Besides knowing Susu’s identity and having the cousin and the mother of the family requesting, it was the two young masters from the third branch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion who were present because they felt an affinity with Hong Sheng at first meeting. There were also several young masters from the Su Family, acting as Susu’s family and adding to Hong Sheng’s popularity!

After all, Hong Sheng was the Old Madam’s savior and was also acquainted with several young masters from childhood.