Chapter 178: Joys and Sorrows
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Have you been eating Windchaser’s dog food again?” Madam Xu gritted her teeth as she asked.
Lu Chao Chao’s eyes darted around nervously, her two chubby little hands hidden behind her back. Stammering, she replied, “It’s my dog’s food… How’s that stealing?”
Madam Xu stared at her for a long moment, rendered utterly speechless. Her frustration boiled over. [How infuriating!]
“Are you still going to give me the chicken leg?” Lu Chao Chao cautiously tried to persuade her.
Madam Xu’s vision darkened. She regretted it deeply. If she had known this glutton would eat so much, she wouldn’t have offered the chicken leg in the first place!
[If Mother won’t give it, I’ll find Uncle Rong!]
Finally, Madam Xu sighed and waved her hand in resignation. “Take her to the courtyard to work up an appetite. Give her the smallest chicken leg.”
[When I grow up, I’m going to raise chickens across the whole world!] Lu Chao Chao pouted, looking utterly wronged as she walked off.
That night before bed, Lu Chao Chao finally got her chicken leg.
“Windchaser, here’s the chicken bone for you.”
“I’m good to you, right?” Lu Chao Chao gently patted the dog’s head.
“Next time, you have to share your meat with me too, okay?”
Windchaser responded with an eye roll.
Once Lu Chao Chao was asleep, Deng Zhi quietly added extra food to Windchaser’s bowl. “Being her pet must be tough.”
Poor dog, having an owner who steals its food. What a hard life.
Early the next morning, Lu Chao Chao was woken up by the sound of hammering and clattering.
“What’s going on outside?” she asked curiously, her hair in a messy nest.
“The Marquis’s Manor is having a wedding. Oh, wait, it’s not a Marquis’s Manor anymore,” Yu Shu said, her face glowing with delight as if it was a day of celebration.
“The Marquis Zhongyong’s hereditary title has been revoked. They say the Old Madam borrowed your birth date for some lifeblood ritual, angering His Majesty. That’s why the title was stripped.”
“The Old Madam cried herself unconscious just yesterday.”
“Gu Ling was sent to prison, and Lu Wan Yi’s body was brought back to her family’s home. Her body is still lying in the hall.”
“And today, Jiang Yun Jin and Lu Jing Huai are getting married. What an unlucky time.”
“So, are they hanging red silk or white mourning banners?” Yu Qin asked.
“Who knows?”
“Hurry up! I need to see this!” Lu Chao Chao was practically bouncing with excitement. How could she miss out on such juicy gossip?
After a quick breakfast, Lu Chao Chao held Windchaser’s leash and headed out.
Windchaser had a chain around his neck, held by Lu Chao Chao.
“Come on, I’ll take you for a walk.” She grinned brightly.
At some point, the leash slipped off. Windchaser had no choice but to hold it in his mouth, determined not to lose his little master.
The festive clamor grew louder, with red paper scraps scattered everywhere.
The bridal procession was circling the city as part of tradition. Lu Jing Huai, having just completed the ritual of fetching the bride, was now escorting the flower-laden sedan chair through the streets.
The matron of honor tossed sweets to the onlookers, delighting the children who scrambled to pick them up and cheered gleefully.
Not even the thick makeup could conceal Lu Jing Huai’s pale complexion. Sitting on his horse, he was drenched in cold sweat. His brows furrowed involuntarily, and his grip on the reins turned knuckle-white.
“The groom’s posture on the horse looks odd,” someone joked. “It’s like he’s sitting on needles.”
Indeed, he seemed unable to exert any force, his expression one of visible pain.
Inside the sedan chair, Jiang Yun Jin was growing increasingly irritable.
In recent days, relations between the Jiang family and the Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor had become exceedingly strained.
Because of Lu Jing Huai, the Jiang family had lost a fortune in failed wagers. To make matters worse, Lu Yan Shu had secured the title of provincial top scorer, leaving the Jiang elders full of regret. As for Lu Jing Huai, he had grown noticeably colder toward Jiang Yun Jin.
A gentle breeze lifted the curtain, revealing a slender man in white standing by the roadside, his figure as upright as a green bamboo.
His face was as flawless as jade, his brows serene and warm, exuding a calm detachment. Surrounded by admirers seeking his counsel, he maintained an unpretentious demeanor.
Jiang Yun Jin froze in her seat.
Lu Yan Shu raised his gaze, meeting Jiang Yun Jin’s through the thin veil of red fabric as she lifted her bridal cover. Their eyes locked for an instant before Jiang Yun Jin quickly looked away, as if burned by the encounter.
Lu Yan Shu’s expression remained placid, his tone light. “Perhaps it was true love.”
“If it’s true love, they should stay together for life,” he said, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.
His classmates burst into laughter. “When you achieve the Triple Crown of Excellence, Marquis Lu’s intestines will turn green with regret. And Jiang Yun Jin…”
Meanwhile, Jiang Yun Jin was consumed by turmoil. She couldn’t help but recall the boy Lu Yan Shu had been, always composed and reliable, with a maturity far beyond his years. Despite his youth, he had always stood out, earning constant praise from her father.
And then there was the promise he had made when they were betrothed: “Since you’re engaged to me, I’ll treat you well. Don’t be afraid.”
For her sake, he had ended up in a wheelchair for ten years. Yet now, he stood tall and more dazzling than ever. His success only magnified her sense of loss.
“Lower the sedan chair,” called the matron of honor, and the procession came to a halt.
After waiting for a long while, Jiang Yun Jin realized Lu Jing Huai still hadn’t come to lift her sedan chair.
“Why isn’t the groom getting off his horse?” a maid asked anxiously.
Lu Jing Huai’s face was ashen, his breath shallow and labored.
“Would the groom please dismount?” the matron of honor called three times. Still, there was no response.
Finally, Lu Jing Huai gestured for a servant to help him down. As he swung his leg over the saddle, a hiss escaped him.
The servant’s eyes widened. “Young Master, you’re bleeding!”
Lu Jing Huai glanced down, noticing the crimson spots staining the horse’s back. His face flushed red with panic.
Looking down at his bright red wedding robes, he forced himself to relax. “Take the horse away. Don’t alarm anyone,” he ordered softly.
The servant complied quietly.
With trembling fingers, Lu Jing Huai lifted the sedan’s curtain and helped Jiang Yun Jin out.
“Step over the fire basin,” the matron instructed. “Cross the flames for good fortune and fertility!”
Jiang Yun Jin followed the instructions, holding one end of a red silk ribbon while Lu Jing Huai held the other, leading her step by step toward the manor.
Suddenly, Jiang Yun Jin’s maid let out a low cry of alarm. Turning pale, she whispered in Jiang Yun Jin’s ear, “Miss… I just saw… They’ve placed Lu Wan Yi’s coffin in the adjacent room.”
“The deceased younger sister-in-law has been brought back to the family!”
“Today’s your wedding day, but there’s a dead body in the house! How outrageous!”
Jiang Yun Jin’s heart sank. The audacity of holding a wedding next to a coffin unnerved her. As doubts clouded her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder: Had she truly made the right choice in forsaking Lu Yan Shu for Lu Jing Huai?