Chapter 57: Chapter 57: I Give Myself to You

Hearing Lu Xiao’s words, Su Tang felt the nervousness in her heart ease considerably.

She hadn’t moved; it was his hand that trembled with nerves.

However, Su Tang didn’t call him out on it, deciding it was best to let him save some face.

Lu Xiao could feel Su Tang smiling, and he grew even more nervous.

Finally, the red flower was securely pinned in her jet-black hair. The contrast of red against black was breathtakingly beautiful.

Lu Xiao let out a sigh of relief. He gazed at his lavishly dressed wife, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement and satisfaction.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice wasn’t loud, but it landed with exceptional clarity in everyone’s ears, and landed heavily on Su Tang’s heart.

“Tangtang, everything I owed you in the past, I’ll make it all up to you today.”

The words were simple and unadorned, yet they held more power than any flowery vow.

Just then, Mr. Lu, who had been standing to the side, seemed to have made a firm decision.

He took a few steps forward, cleared his throat, and announced in a booming voice,

“Everyone, listen up! I, Lu Zhenfeng, am making a declaration today!”

Mr. Lu scanned the crowd and declared resolutely, “Su Tang is the proper, formally wed, and wonderful daughter-in-law of the Lu family! If this brat Lu Xiao dares to mistreat Tangtang, I’ll break his legs!”

“I also ask all you neighbors to please look out for them. A distant relative is no match for a close neighbor. Thank you all.”

Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu knew that Lu Xiao would never be coming home to live again.

The Northwest was his home now; he was going to put down roots here from this day forward.

Mr. Lu felt he wasn’t a man of great means and couldn’t help Lu Xiao and Su Tang much.

All he could do was put on a smile and offer these supportive words.

After a moment of silence, the courtyard erupted in good-natured laughter and enthusiastic applause.

It seemed the incident with Jinbao had truly served as a stark wake-up call for Mr. Lu.

At this moment, he was using the most direct and forceful method to declare his acceptance and protection of his daughter-in-law.

Su Tang looked at her husband clumsily pinning a flower for her, listened to her father-in-law’s resolute defense, and gazed at the festive red decorations filling the courtyard and the familiar smiling faces. Her eyes instantly reddened.

She tightly gripped Lu Xiao’s large hand, which was still slightly damp with nervous sweat, and a smile bloomed on her face, brighter than the wedding dress she wore.

The crowd boisterously teased them, making Lu Xiao and Su Tang blush as red as apples.

However, Lu Xiao used the commotion of a traditional apple-snatching game to steal several kisses from Su Tang.

When everyone had finished eating, the sober helped the drunk find their way home.

The clamor finally faded. Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu said a few words to Lu Xiao and then left as well.

In the courtyard, red silk ribbons still fluttered gently in the night wind, reflecting the warm yellow light from the window like the flickering tails of a flame.

Before she left, Zhang Cui made a point of shutting the courtyard gate firmly. The mischievous smile on her face made the tips of Su Tang’s ears burn.

Only the two of them were left in the room.

The air seemed to thicken instantly, and an indescribable tension that made one’s heart race began to spread.

The dazzling red wedding dress from the daytime had been taken off, and Su Tang had carefully placed it at the very bottom of a camphor wood chest.

Su Tang was now wearing a simple, moon-white blouse of fine cotton. Her hair was loosely pinned up at the back of her head, revealing her slender, fair neck.

She sat on the edge of the bed, which was covered with a brand-new red quilt embroidered with a dragon and phoenix. It was scattered with longans, peanuts, lotus seeds, and red dates.

Some of them dug into her uncomfortably. Su Tang subconsciously twisted the hem of her blouse, her gaze darting about, not daring to move from her spot.

On a nearby table, two thick red candles burned brightly.

The candlelight danced, casting their long shadows onto the wall, where they swayed and overlapped.

Lu Xiao stood in the middle of the room. He had taken off his jacket and was wearing only a military-green shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his sturdy forearms.

He didn’t speak either, just stood with his back to Su Tang, seemingly focused on tidying the scattered melon seed shells and candy wrappers on the table.

His movements were slow, almost deliberately so. He was even more nervous than Su Tang.

The room was so quiet you could hear the soft CRACKLE of the candlewicks and each other’s slightly ragged breaths.

Su Tang quietly raised her eyes to look at him.

The dim yellow candlelight cast a soft, warm golden glow on the sharp contours of his side profile, seeming to soften his usually stern features.

She could see his Adam’s apple bob occasionally, and the lines of his broad shoulders were a little tense.

Lu Xiao had an excellent physique—a lean waist and broad back. The veins on his arms stood out, a sign of youth and vigor, making him look full of energy.

Su Tang realized what she was thinking and quickly averted her gaze.

The blush on her face spread all the way down her fair neck.

“Ahem…”

Lu Xiao finally cleared his throat and turned around.

The moment his gaze met Su Tang’s, he flinched as if burned and quickly looked away, his eyes landing on the pair of mandarin duck pillows placed side-by-side on the bed.

“Um… are you tired?”

The man’s voice was much deeper than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.

“I’m… I’m all right.”

Su Tang’s voice was also tiny; if you didn’t listen closely, you might think it had been carried away by a gust of wind.

She could feel her cheeks burning. She didn’t need to look to know they were beet red.

’Tonight is different. We’re about to become a real husband and wife.’

Lu Xiao seemed to want to step closer, but he shifted his feet and then stopped.

He scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat at a loss.

His gaze lingered on Su Tang for a few seconds, moving from her lowered eyelashes to the small, delicate section of collarbone revealed by her slightly open collar…

Lu Xiao’s eyes darkened, as if a flame were flickering in their depths.

“Things were a bit rushed, so it might not have been perfect. I hope you don’t feel slighted.”

He took two steps forward, stopping about a pace from the bed.

The man’s tall figure blocked most of the candlelight, enveloping Su Tang in a shadow that seemed to carry his warmth.

He was asking about the wedding, but his proximity and tone suggested he was asking about more than just that.

Su Tang’s heart beat even faster. She shook her head and raised her eyes to look at him.

The candlelight reflected in her clear eyes, like tiny fallen stars.

“It was wonderful, really.”

Lu Xiao looked at her face, which the candlelight made appear exceptionally gentle, holding both grace and a touch of a new bride’s shyness.

He remembered the cool, soft touch of her hair against his fingertips when he had clumsily pinned the flower for her during the day.

He remembered the firmness and trust in her grip when she had squeezed his hand back tightly in front of everyone.

A powerful urge surged through him.

He wanted to get closer, to touch her face, to confirm the reality that made his heart burn.

Lu Xiao sat down beside Su Tang and slowly reached out his hand, his movement filled with a cautious, probing desire.

His calloused fingertips brushed aside a stray lock of hair from her cheek, his touch as gentle as if he were afraid of shattering a priceless treasure.

The warmth and texture of his fingertips sent a faint electric current through Su Tang’s skin, making her tremble involuntarily and hold her breath.

Lu Xiao’s hand paused, stopping by her ear.

The man’s gaze locked onto hers, deep as a dark pool, churning with an intensity Su Tang had never seen before.

The candlelight danced in his eyes, the glow so hot it felt like it could pull a person in.

“Tangtang, I give myself to you. From this day forward, we will never be apart again.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep