Chapter 39 – Wedding (Part 2)
After the firecrackers died down and the smoke cleared, Uncle Wang smiled and gave each of them a red envelope. Meng Wanzi, on the other hand, dug into his coat and dramatically pulled out two shriveled onions, handing them over with great flair.
“Here.”
In a moment that left everyone stunned, he boldly offered the couple two dehydrated onions, which looked like they had been stored for ages. Despite their condition, Meng Wanzi handed them over with the confidence of someone gifting seaside villas.
Though Xia Yi was momentarily dumbfounded, the custom dictated that they must accept the elder’s gift. So, both he and Gu Wenzhu respectfully accepted the onions with surprising speed, making sure no one else saw.
As Xia Yi turned around, his eyes landed on Qi Zhou, who was staring intently at the bit of onion peeking out from his hand, his gaze fixated.
What kind of look is that? Could it be envy? Xia Yi mused. You want them? I’ll gladly give you both—go stir-fry some meat.
The banquet was a flowing feast with eight tables. Plates of wild game and various dishes were brought out one after the other.
Uncle Wang and Meng Wanzi sat at the head of the main table. Though Qi Zhou sat down with a sour expression and was visibly displeased to be sitting with the villagers, he eventually settled at the seat below Meng Wanzi.
Er Niu followed closely behind him, first pulling a clean cloth from his pocket to repeatedly wipe the spot in front of Qi Zhou. Then, he unwrapped a bundle to reveal a pristine porcelain bowl, placing it in front of him with practiced ease.
After only a few bites, Qi Zhou put down his chopsticks, and Er Niu quickly finished his own meal. He then carefully took Qi Zhou’s bowl, brought it to the kitchen, and thoroughly cleaned it, wiping it down three times before packing it back in its cloth.
When he returned, he saw Qi Zhou standing under a tree in the courtyard, so he went to stand beside him, subtly shielding him from the passing villagers.
Qi Zhou leaned in close, covering his mouth as he whispered mysteriously into Er Niu’s ear, “I noticed the people here don’t seem surprised at all by two men getting married.”
Then, as if a sudden thought struck him, he glanced at Er Niu with suspicion, “Gu Beicheng, you don’t plan on marrying a man, do you?”
There was something strange about Gu Beicheng. Especially now, seeing how this place was so accepting of men marrying each other, Qi Zhou’s unease only grew.
Er Niu often stared at him with a dazed, hungry look—like a wolf that hadn’t eaten in a long time.
Creepy.
The other day, when he asked Er Niu to help him bathe, he had acted strangely, breathing heavily and leaving the room three times in quick succession. One time, he returned with cloth stuffed in his nose, claiming the dry weather had given him a nosebleed.
Qi Zhou’s breath lightly grazed Er Niu’s neck as his cold, distant eyes glanced over at him. Er Niu felt a shiver down his spine, his soul nearly floating away.
“I’m asking you—what are you spacing out for?” Qi Zhou furrowed his brows in irritation.
Snapping back to attention, Er Niu hastily replied, “No, no, I’m not marrying a man.”
I’ll only marry a *ge’er*.
He finished with a simple, sincere smile, flashing his white teeth.
Qi Zhou, satisfied with his answer, nodded in approval. Then he looked Er Niu up and down as if examining him.
Noticing Qi Zhou’s critical gaze, Er Niu stiffened in panic.
Did I say something wrong? Has he figured me out?
He discreetly straightened his clothes and wiped his face. There’s no dirt, is there?
Qi Zhou turned away, thinking, Hmph, on second glance, Gu Beicheng isn’t so bad-looking after all.
Village weddings were all-day affairs. Not long after lunch, as soon as the sky darkened, everyone gathered around the tables again.
A group of young men surrounded Gu Wenzhu, urging him to drink. Gu Wenzhu didn’t refuse anyone, happily accepting and downing every cup offered, which made Xia Yi a little worried.
As Gu Wenzhu’s face began to redden, and his eyes grew unfocused, Xia Yi couldn’t stand it anymore. He stepped forward, taking the cup from Gu Wenzhu’s hand.
He smiled at the villagers and said, “Brother Chen, I’ll drink this one for Wenzhu. He hasn’t been feeling well lately, and I’m afraid too much alcohol will harm his health.”
Gu Wenzhu, already a bit tipsy, looked unhappy when he heard Xia Yi say he wasn’t in good health.
With his usual composure gone, he immediately blurted out, “What do you mean I’m not healthy? Don’t you know how healthy I am every night?”
Xia Yi hurriedly covered his mouth tightly with one hand, stopping him from speaking further, while with the other hand, he quickly gulped down the bowl of wine.
After drinking, he repeatedly explained to Brother Chen, “He’s had too much, too much.”
Brother Chen smiled knowingly, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I understand.”
Fortunately, the alcohol wasn’t too strong, similar to the rice wine of the original world. With Xia Yi’s tolerance for a few bottles of beer, drinking a bowl of this was no problem.
Gu Wenzhu, whose mouth was still covered, made a muffled noise of discontent and wanted to continue talking. But after Xia Yi shot him a fierce glare, he reluctantly closed his mouth with a look of grievance.
Then, he even stuck out his tongue and licked Xia Yi’s palm.
Xia Yi was still in the middle of talking to Brother Chen when he suddenly felt a warm, wet sensation on his palm. His body instantly froze, and he turned his head slowly, in disbelief.
Seeing Xia Yi turn to look at him, Gu Wenzhu immediately gave a dazed yet charming smile. With his mouth still covered, only his misty, bright black eyes were visible.
“Ugh, I hate it when drunk people act all seductive,” 179 snorted dismissively.
“He’s not seducing you, so why are you mad?” Xia Yi retorted without hesitation.
After the banquet and all the wedding pranks, and after seeing off the tipsy guests, Xia Yi finally returned to the room.
Gu Wenzhu had already been helped back and was lying quietly on the bed, covered with a brand-new, bright red silk wedding quilt.
Xia Yi carefully carried a bowl of hangover soup and sat by the bed. Seeing that Gu Wenzhu was breathing steadily and sound asleep, he gently placed the bowl on the table beside him.
Then, leaning over, Xia Yi hovered above Gu Wenzhu, using the flickering light of the dragon-and-phoenix candles to trace his features with his gaze.
The hard lines of Gu Wenzhu’s face softened in the warm, red glow. His breath, still faintly scented with alcohol, was warm as it brushed against Xia Yi’s neck. His long eyelashes drooped down, covering the deep black eyes that were so piercing when open.
Xia Yi couldn’t resist reaching out to lightly touch those lashes.
Just as his fingers neared, Gu Wenzhu’s eyes suddenly snapped open, filled with amusement as he gazed at Xia Yi. His eyes were clear—there was no trace of drunkenness left.
Xia Yi hadn’t expected him to open his eyes, and in his surprise, he let out a short gasp. Immediately, his outstretched fingers were caught, and in a swift motion, he was flipped onto the pillow, lying on his back.
“So, you were pretending to sleep,” Xia Yi said, unable to suppress his laughter.
“Yes, I just wanted to see what you were going to do,” Gu Wenzhu smiled as he bent down to plant a soft kiss on the dimple on Xia Yi’s cheek.
Xia Yi was just about to say something when they suddenly heard the sound of Kirin scratching urgently at the door, accompanied by pitiful whimpering.
They had been so busy with the wedding that they hadn’t paid much attention to Kirin lately. It probably sensed the busyness was over and was coming to seek attention.
Xia Yi nudged Gu Wenzhu’s shoulder, “Quick, let our son in. If he doesn’t see us soon, we’ll be distant with each other.”
Gu Wenzhu remained leaning over, his hands on either side of Xia Yi’s head, holding himself up. He buried his face in Xia Yi’s neck, pretending not to hear.
Kirin started scratching the door even more anxiously, making squeaky sounds.
Xia Yi turned his head and bit Gu Wenzhu’s ear, pretending to be fierce as he said, “Hurry up.”
Gu Wenzhu sighed and rolled over, lying on top of Xia Yi before reluctantly saying, “One day, I’m going to stew that dog.”
Then he got up, put on his shoes, and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a black shadow quickly darted in. Kirin began licking Gu Wenzhu’s hand while whining softly, as if feeling wronged.
Xia Yi sat up and hugged Kirin, apologetically patting its head. “Sorry, son, your daddy was busy marrying your mom these past few days, so we didn’t have time for you.”
Kirin’s “mom,” who was folding the clothes scattered on the chair, smiled faintly at those words.
Kirin whimpered softly as it cuddled closer to Xia Yi’s leg. Xia Yi scratched under its chin, causing Kirin to close its eyes in contentment.
Gu Wenzhu, after folding the clothes and placing them in the wardrobe, looked at Xia Yi, who was smiling brightly. His eyes were brimming with tenderness.
Under the dragon-and-phoenix candlelight, Xia Yi’s eyes were filled with deep affection, like a pool of autumn water. Gu Wenzhu stepped forward, gently cupping Xia Yi’s face in his hands.
His small face was easily cradled in Gu Wenzhu’s palms. His fingers gently brushed across the smooth skin, sending a shiver through Xia Yi’s body.
At their feet, Kirin also stopped moving, looking up curiously at the two of them.
Gu Wenzhu, his face tilted downward, was caught by Xia Yi, who lightly kissed his calloused palms.
It was as if two small fish had brushed against his heart, stirring the water with their silver tails.
Xia Yi looked up at Gu Wenzhu, seeing the dazed look in his eyes, and couldn’t help but smile, revealing a shallow dimple on one side of his cheek.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed something was off. The air around them began to ripple and distort.
Damn it, not now!
…Could this really be happening on his wedding night?
Would he really disappear right in front of his spouse, like some runaway groom?
He watched as Gu Wenzhu’s eyes widened in shock, and his hand reached out to grab him, only to grasp at empty air.
Kirin also barked desperately at his side.
Xia Yi knew that, in Gu Wenzhu’s eyes, he was slowly dissolving into points of light.
With all his remaining strength, Xia Yi shook his head at Gu Wenzhu and mouthed, “Don’t panic.”
In an instant, the world spun, and he was once again sucked into the time tunnel.
