Chapter 56: Chapter 56: I Want to Give Su Tang a Wedding

The farce with Jinbao, though disgusting, had paradoxically served to tear down the hazy paper-thin wall between Lu Xiao and Su Tang.

Their two hearts had unexpectedly drawn closer, as if they were a real married couple now.

That said, Lu Xiao felt he had wronged Su Tang.

She had married him, a pure and innocent young woman, yet there had been no wedding, no formal ceremony. She had just been living with him all this time, their status ambiguous.

To have her name dragged through the mud by someone like Jinbao on top of it all… the injustice was too great.

He felt a simmering determination within him; he absolutely had to make up for what he owed Su Tang.

As it happened, Mr. and Mrs. Lu were crestfallen with shame over the incident with Jinbao. Feeling they had lost too much face to stay any longer, they were preparing to pack their bags and return to their hometown.

Lu Xiao stopped them both. “Dad, Mom, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Since you’re already here, stay a few more days. As it happens, there’s something important I absolutely need your help with.”

Mr. and Mrs. Lu were utterly bewildered, but seeing the firm, earnest look in their son’s eyes, they decided to stay.

Su Tang had a vague feeling that Lu Xiao was being a bit mysterious the last couple of days. When she asked him about it, he just gave a vague answer about being busy with military affairs.

He was a man of few words, and Su Tang couldn’t pry the answer out of him, so she stopped trying.

She went to and from work as usual, and sometimes Mrs. Lu would even make a special trip to the hospital to bring her a meal.

Her colleagues at the hospital saw how good Su Tang had it, and many of them couldn’t help but look at her with envy.

They had originally assumed that someone in Su Tang’s position would have to be subservient, constantly trying to please her husband.

Little did they know, her husband and his family absolutely doted on her.

Su Tang wasn’t stingy either. She often made tasty treats at home to share with everyone.

As the old saying goes, once you’ve accepted someone’s gifts, you can’t very well speak ill of them.

After accepting Su Tang’s gifts, no matter what grievances they held against her, they could no longer voice them.

This afternoon, just as Su Tang was about to get off work, she saw Zhang Cui waiting for her at the hospital entrance.

Beaming, she grabbed Su Tang’s hand and started pulling her toward her home.

“Hey? Sister-in-law, where are we going?”

Su Tang stumbled as she was pulled along, completely baffled.

’It should be dinnertime. What is Zhang Cui doing here?’

“Great news! The best news! Let’s go, let’s go! Just come on and don’t ask questions!”

Sister-in-law Zhang Cui was surprisingly strong. A whirlwind of energy, she dragged Su Tang home without giving her a chance to protest.

They walked so fast that Su Tang couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

When they arrived at her home, Zhang Cui pushed Su Tang into her small room and closed the door.

The light in the room was a bit dim. Without a word, Zhang Cui shook something open and threw it over Su Tang’s head.

In a flurry, Su Tang pulled it off. When she saw what it was, she froze.

What she held in her hands was none other than a brand-new, bright red wedding dress.

It wasn’t a rustic red jacket, but a proper qipao made of fine fabric, with exquisite frog closures.

The red was vibrant and dazzling, the color of fire, of perfectly ripe pomegranate seeds.

’But bringing something like this out… isn’t that asking for trouble?’

“This… Sister-in-law?”

Su Tang was stunned, her mind completely blank.

’Yesterday, Lu Xiao had held her and murmured, “I’ve wronged you”… Could it be?’

“Come on, don’t just stand there gawking! Change into it, quickly! Everyone’s getting anxious waiting!”

Sister-in-law Zhang Cui deftly started to unbutton Su Tang’s coat. “Sister Wang and the others are so skilled. They tailored it to fit you perfectly. Brother Lu specifically had someone bring this fabric all the way from Shanghai.”

“Don’t be afraid. Everyone coming today is one of us. No one else will see. After all, it’s a wedding. You should wear something festive.”

Sensing Su Tang’s apprehension, Zhang Cui added reassuringly.

They had wanted to throw a big celebration before, but Lu Xiao didn’t approve of any of the wedding attire available locally for brides.

After much thought, he decided to put Su Tang’s preferences first.

She had lived comfortably for the first twenty-odd years of her life; how could Lu Xiao let her feel slighted on such an important day?

Besides, the only guests invited today were the people dearest to Su Tang and Lu Xiao.

It wasn’t a large crowd, but every person there had come with the sincerest of well-wishes.

“Lu Xiao?”

Su Tang’s heart skipped a beat, then began to pound erratically, like a startled deer’s.

In a daze, she let Sister-in-law Zhang Cui maneuver her, shedding her old clothes and slipping into the cool, smooth silk of the red wedding dress.

The fit was indeed perfect. The waist was snugly tailored, accentuating her delicate figure.

’No wonder city women love these kinds of clothes.’

’What woman doesn’t want to look her best?’

After getting Su Tang changed, Zhang Cui, as if by magic, produced a flower for her hair made of red silk and pinned it to her coiled bun.

The blurry reflection in the mirror revealed a radiant bride, her cheeks flushed like peach blossoms.

But her beautiful eyes were still swimming with a mixture of dazed disbelief and joyful surprise.

Su Tang had never imagined what she would look like in a wedding dress, but the image of this red qipao was now seared into her heart.

“Perfect! You look gorgeous! Let’s go, let’s go!”

Zhang Cui clapped her hands in satisfaction, grabbed the still-dazed Su Tang, and rushed out the door in a whirlwind.

Before they left, Zhang Cui draped a military overcoat over Su Tang so that people outside couldn’t see what she was wearing.

Just as she reached the gate to her own courtyard, Su Tang’s steps halted.

’Is… is this still my home?’

The low courtyard walls were covered in bright red silk fabric.

In the afternoon sun of the Northwest, the red was dazzlingly, joyously bright.

On the courtyard gate inside, a large, brand-new, and intricately cut red “double happiness” character was pasted.

Peeking further inside, she could see the house was bustling with people.

But they were all people Su Tang knew: Mr. and Mrs. Lu, Aunt Wang, Sister Li, Lin Qian, and the child she held in her arms.

Chang Jia and a few of Lu Xiao’s close comrades-in-arms had also come.

“Oh! The bride is here!”

A cheerful greeting rang out. It was Aunt Wang, who, along with Sister Li, was busy cutting more “happiness” characters and other festive paper designs from red paper.

Piles of them were stacked beside the two women, and Chang Jia was leading a few others in pasting them onto the cabinets.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Su Tang, and Lin Qian hurried over with a grin.

Lin Qian was holding a tin box bearing the logo of a time-honored Shanghai brand.

“Sister Su Tang, you’re finally here! Here, Camp Commander Lu specifically asked me to have a friend bring these. He said you love Shanghai butterfly pastries. He really went to a lot of trouble for this.”

Lin Qian pressed the box into Su Tang’s hands. The familiar, sweet fragrance instantly evoked a pang of homesickness in Su Tang, while also filling her heart with an overwhelming warmth.

“Thank you.”

At her words, Lin Qian stepped aside.

Su Tang’s gaze passed over the crowd and landed on the tall, upright figure in the center of the courtyard.

Lu Xiao had changed into a brand-new military uniform. The crisp green uniform made him look even more dashing and heroic.

He seemed a little nervous. The camp commander, usually so calm and decisive, now looked a little awkward, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.

When he turned and saw Su Tang, made all the more exquisitely beautiful by the red wedding dress, his breath caught in his throat.

Lu Xiao’s eyes seemed to be glued to her. They were shockingly bright, swirling with a tenderness so thick it was almost tangible.

He took a deep breath and strode over, carefully holding a larger, more exquisite red silk flower in his hand.

Su Tang could smell the clean scent of soap and sun on him.

She watched as Lu Xiao clumsily reached out, trying to pin the red flower next to her hair bun.

But his fingers were stiff with tension, even trembling slightly.

After two failed attempts, he was so flustered that beads of sweat appeared on his temples.

“Don’t… don’t move, Tangtang.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep