An Accidental Military Marriage

"Moli, wake up."

After some time, Jiang Moli was patted awake by Li Hongying.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was her own face in the mirror.

A face like a hibiscus flower, brows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn pools, and lips a vibrant crimson.

Her drowsiness vanished in an instant. She had been woken up by her own beauty.

In reality, all she’d had done was a simple updo, her eyebrows filled in, and some lipstick applied. Her natural features did all the heavy lifting.

Li Hongying and a group of relatives gathered around Jiang Moli, unable to look away:

"Tsk tsk, just gorgeous."

"I’ve lived a long life, and I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride than our Moli."

"That little face of hers, so fair and smooth, like a freshly peeled egg."

"No wonder a high-ranking official took a liking to her. With looks like these, what man wouldn’t be smitten?"

Amidst the chorus of compliments, Jiang Moli gave a big stretch. Upon learning that the Lu Family’s procession was still an hour away, she unceremoniously shooed everyone out of her room and lay back down on the bed to catch up on her sleep.

At 8:30, the wedding procession arrived at the Jiang family’s home with the banging of gongs and drums.

Not only had An Hui, her mother-in-law, come, but even Lu Deyao, who had not made an appearance before, had come along as well. Dressed in his military uniform, he looked heroic and formidable, much to Jiang Dahai’s pleasant surprise.

The traditional door games and shoe-finding ceremony were canceled due to the groom, Lu Cheng’s, absence. They proceeded directly to the tea ceremony and farewell.

The house was too small, so the tea ceremony was set up in the courtyard.

Jiang Dahai sat in the seat of honor. A photograph of Ruan Rou was placed on the seat next to him, with Li Hongying standing beside the photo.

The moment Jiang Moli appeared in her wedding dress, the entire crowd fell silent.

The young woman’s skin was fairer than snow, her features as if painted, and her red dress pooled at the floor. Her waist was so slender one could encircle it with a single hand.

Just standing there, she looked like a classical lady who had stepped right out of a painting.

A series of gasps and murmurs of amazement rose from the crowd:

"So beautiful."

"Yes, yes."

The courtyard was surrounded by neighbors. Although they all looked down on and disdained Jiang Moli for various reasons, they had to admit, there was nothing to criticize about her face.

Lu Deyao whispered to his wife, "That stinky brat of a third son... he’s got good taste, picking such a beautiful wife."

An Hui felt a pang of sadness.

As his mother, she had seen and kept in her heart just how much her third son adored this girl.

Today was the most beautiful day of this girl’s life, but unfortunately, her third son, the groom, wasn’t here to see it.

"Hey, why are you crying? It’s a joyous day. Don’t let people see you, or they’ll think we’re not happy with this marriage."

Seeing An Hui’s eyes turning red, Lu Deyao hurriedly comforted her.

An Hui lowered her head and dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, her voice muffled. "I miss our third son. I wonder where he is now."

"He’s probably reached Emei Mountain by now."

At the mention of his youngest son, Lu Deyao also felt a bitter pang in his heart.

The wedding night is one of the four great joys in life, yet his son was missing it because of a mission. It would be a lifelong regret.

He gestured to Jiang Xiaoguang, who was holding a camera nearby. "Hurry up and take a picture."

"Sir, I’ve already taken some."

"I told you to take pictures, so take them! Stop with the nonsense and take a few more!"

"Yes, sir!"

Jiang Xiaoguang raised the Nikon camera hanging on his chest and furiously pressed the shutter, capturing Jiang Moli as she served tea to Jiang Dahai.

Jiang Moli took the tea from the bridesmaid and presented it to Jiang Dahai with both hands.

"Dad, please have some tea."

"Ah, good!"

Jiang Dahai’s face was all smiles, but the rims of his eyes instantly reddened.

He used to wish every day for his daughter to get married, worrying so much he couldn’t eat or sleep properly. Now that the day had truly come, he felt an unbearable reluctance, as if a piece of his own heart were being carved out.

Watching Jiang Dahai cry, Jiang Moli also felt a sting in her nose.

After finishing the tea, Jiang Dahai handed a red envelope to Jiang Moli, which contained the gift money for the newlyweds, including Lu Cheng’s portion.

"From now on, you must live a good life with Xiao Lu, fulfill your duties as a wife, be filial to your parents-in-law..."

After Jiang Dahai finished his admonishments, An Hui, on behalf of Lu Cheng, made a promise to Jiang Dahai to take care of Jiang Moli. With that, the tea ceremony was complete.

Next was the carrying of the bride.

Jiang Peng hoisted Jiang Moli onto his back and walked out with his head down, tears splashing onto the ground. PLOP. PLOP.

"Sis, listen to Dad. Live a good life with brother-in-law. Don’t fight with him anymore."

"If brother-in-law bullies you in the future, you come back and tell me."

Jiang Moli asked, "And what would you do if I told you?"

The moment she spoke, Jiang Moli realized she was choking up too.

’It’s all because of this father and son.’

To her, today’s wedding was just a formality. After all, she was just a transient in this world. But infected by the father and son’s sorrowful emotions, her eyes reddened before she knew it.

Jiang Peng said, "Even if he is my brother-in-law, if he dares to bully you, I’ll fight him to the death."

Jiang Moli said, "Can you even win against him?"

"I’ll fight him even if I can’t win."

The siblings’ desultory chat helped to dissipate some of the sorrowful atmosphere.

Many neighbors lined both sides of the alleyway to watch the spectacle.

Twenty young men in military uniforms each pushed a classic rod-brake bicycle, and on the back rack of every bike was a heavy load of dowry goods.

It was the first time they had ever seen such a grand and ceremonious wedding procession.

"That troublemaker is finally married off. Things will be a bit quieter in our residential complex from now on." The words were said, but the tone was dripping with sour grapes.

How could they not be jealous? The person they disliked the most was marrying the best.

It was too much to bear.

Someone noticed that Lu Cheng was missing from the magnificent procession. "Hiss... How come I don’t see the groom?"

"The groom didn’t come for the procession. His parents came in his place."

"He didn’t even come for his own bride pickup. He must have found out about Jiang Moli’s rotten character and regretted it. He doesn’t want to marry her anymore."

This speculation was met with agreement from many.

In the neighbors’ eyes, Jiang Moli didn’t deserve a good life; she deserved to be despised by her husband’s family.

...

According to the original plan, Lu Cheng was supposed to ride a bicycle with Jiang Moli through the streets in a grand display.

But Lu Cheng wasn’t here, and having someone else carry Jiang Moli on a bike in his place wouldn’t be right. So, they simply used Lu Deyao’s military jeep as the lead wedding vehicle.

Jiang Xiaoguang drove, Lu Deyao sat in the front passenger seat, and Jiang Moli and An Hui sat in the back.

To allow the bicycle procession to keep up, the jeep moved at a snail’s pace.

Jiang Moli was so sleepy her eyelids were fighting to stay open. She leaned against the seatback and, in no time, was dead to the world.

Lu Deyao occasionally turned his head to glance at her, exchanging looks with his wife.

’This girl is certainly carefree.’

Any other girl, alone with her in-laws for the first time, would probably be on her best behavior, not daring to move a muscle.

An Hui turned to look at Jiang Moli, who was sleeping like a log, and thought that being carefree was actually a good thing. It was certainly better than being a whimpering, resentful little wife.

The jeep suddenly jolted.

Jiang Moli’s body tilted, and her head fell right onto An Hui’s shoulder.

Seemingly finding this position more comfortable, she unconsciously adjusted herself and continued to sleep soundly.

Jiang Moli really was exhausted.

After bringing up divorce with Lu Cheng last night, she had felt uneasy. She’d tossed and turned until the wee hours, and had only just closed her eyes when she was woken up.

The impact made An Hui’s shoulder ache a little. She raised a hand to push Jiang Moli away, but when she looked at the girl’s soft, innocently sweet face, a trace of tenderness bloomed in her heart.

She didn’t have a daughter of her own. Although her eldest and second sons’ wives were filial and sensible, they were always proper and polite around her, lacking the intimacy of a mother and daughter.

Having Jiang Moli lean on her like this unexpectedly gave her a taste of the satisfaction of having a daughter.

Jiang Moli slept the entire way, only to be woken up just as they were about to arrive at the Lu Family’s home.