Chapter 1: Marrying Mr Right (1)
There was a red bridal veil covering her eyes. She could see the stitches behind the embroidery: a pair of mandarin ducks, representing love and devotion. The tiny pearls attached to the veil’s tassels swayed with her every move, tracing beautiful arcs.
A delicate watery fragrance was drifting in the air, creating a calming atmosphere within the room.
Chu Lian lifted the veil slightly and cast a measuring gaze over the arrangements of the bridal chamber.
There was a pair of red wedding candles as thick as a child’s arm burning on the table, and a basket of red eggs in front of them. A decorative screen made of agarwood with a carving of the four seasons stood next to the table. There were even square pieces of Lantian jade, each about the same size, inlaid on the screen.
This scene was exactly the same as the one described in the novel!
A wave of joy burst forth in Chu Lian’s heart. She had really transmigrated into the novel she had been reading, and she had even taken the place of the female lead!
What she was experiencing now was the beginning of the novel.
Chu Lian was filled with expectation. Now that she was the female lead, she could marry the perfect man described in the novel!
She was not going to violate her marriage vows like the novel’s female lead, ‘Chu Lian’, had. She was going to be a virtuous wife, pass carefree days with her husband, and properly manage her own household in order to make up for the previous regrets that she had had in the modern world.
It was a pity that she had only read halfway through the book before she had been transmigrated.
While she was lost in her thoughts, the sound of footsteps and voices came from outside the room. Chu Lian hurriedly lowered her veil and corrected her posture.
A flustered maidservant, Fuyan, came in to remind her, “Sixth Miss, the bridal attendants and Young Master are here.”
Another maidservant, Xiyan, quickly adjusted Chu Lian’s bridal dress before standing respectfully with Fuyan to one side.
Chu Lian made a sound of acknowledgement. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she was unbelievably nervous inside. She felt like her heart was about to leap out of her throat.
The bridal attendants’ congratulations rang out, followed by the candid and teasing voices of some men. In an instant, the peace in the room was broken by the noise outside, and the atmosphere turned boisterous and joyful.
“Sanlang 1, quick, take off the veil and let us see what kind of beauty our sister-in-law is!”
“That’s right, He Sanlang, we can’t wait any longer!”
One of the bridal attendants echoed the teasing and happily picked up a golden rod from a nearby maidservant’s serving tray, passing it over to the third son of the He Family. “Third Young Master, please pull aside the veil. May all your wishes come true!”
Their gazes shifted to the bride sitting in proper posture on the bed. Everyone wanted to see what the He Family’s newest daughter-in-law looked like.
Thus, no one noticed the trace of mocking contempt that flashed through the groom’s eyes.
From behind the cover of the bridal veil, Chu Lian could only see a pair of black and red wedding boots in front of her. They were embroidered with a complicated pattern of flowing clouds and looked quite pretty.
The golden rod appeared under her veil. In the next second, the red that had filled her vision transformed into a bright world. The sudden light was overwhelming; Chu Lian couldn’t help but squint.
The bride’s beautiful features were revealed when the veil was lifted: curved brows, red lips, almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks. Like a newly blossomed lotus, she looked bashful and lovely.
Chu Lian only raised her head and glanced once at her future husband, He Changdi 2, before lowering her head again, not daring to look any longer.
However, it was this unbearable bashfulness that added a touch of colour to the beautiful bride before them. Instantly, one of He Changdi’s ‘good’ friends started to tease him.
“Sanlang, you lucky little brat!”
Even Second Young Master patted his little brother’s broad and sturdy shoulders in satisfaction, giving his approval of his new sister-in-law.
He Changdi was quickly dragged out by his good friends for drinks. The bridal attendants left some instructions before leaving as well, allowing the bridal chamber to settle back into tranquility. Chu Lian’s heart was still beating crazily. Thinking back to that one quick glance, she was still in disbelief that such a handsome and perfect man would soon become her husband!
So immersed in her joy, Chu Lian had completely overlooked the strange look in her new husband’s eyes when she had met his gaze just now.
Meanwhile, Senior Servant Gui 3 frowned as she tidied up some things at the side. She was already over thirty years old, and had already seen countless people. Just now, when everyone had been focused on the bride’s face, she had been looking at the new young master’s expression.
You could tell whether a man was satisfied with his bride from the look on his face.
Senior Servant Gui had absolute confidence in Chu Lian’s appearance. However, after seeing such a beautiful young girl, the new young master hadn’t shown any signs of being taken aback. Instead, his eyes were like a deep lake or an old well, calm and still, without any signs of a ripple.
The thought gnawed at Senior Servant Gui until she could not help but turn to look at Sixth Miss, who was still sitting by the bed with her lips curled up. A knot of anxiety sat heavy in her chest, and she could only hope that her old eyes had seen wrongly.
Unless their hearts were made of steel, what kind of man wouldn’t treasure such a beautiful flower?
1. ‘Sanlang’ literally means ‘third son’. When used with a surname, it means ‘third son of xxx Family’. This is used by both outsiders and family. When used by outsiders, it becomes a title, like ‘Third Son of the He Family’. When used by family, it becomes more of a nickname, like ‘Number Three’. It’s used interchangeably with the real name of our male lead, so treat it like a second name for him!
2. He Changdi is the real name of our male lead. He’s also referred to by his nickname: He Sanlang.
3. A senior servant, or momo, is an older (usually married) female servant, different from the younger and unmarried maidservants. They are referred to by their surname, followed by -momo. Eg: Gui-momo. You’ll see this occasionally in the story, as using ‘Senior Servant’ didn’t quite fit into dialogue. >w<