TFS – Chapter 67 The Marriage

The Third Uncle treated Tang Chunming with indifference, but his gaze toward the child in Wang Ying’s arms was more complicated. From his perspective, this was a child of the Zhao family —Zhao Dahu’s only son, someone who would rely on their family for support in the future. He should have gone to see the child at birth, as he had always been satisfied with Zhao Dahu. However, the mere thought of Dahu’s mother filled the Third Uncle with anger. There was no way he would lower his head to a ger.

For now, he decided to leave it at that. Once the child was added to the family genealogy, he would give him proper care and ensure that he carried on Zhao Dahu’s branch of the family. The Third Uncle shifted his gaze away from the child. As for Ah Lin, the little ger, he was destined to marry out eventually and wouldn’t count as part of the Zhao family anymore.

Zhao Pingchuan’s gaze toward Tang Chunming was the most complicated of all. He hadn’t seen Tang Chunming for a long time, and when he looked up for the first time, he almost felt as if he didn’t recognize where he was.

At this moment, Tang Chunming was even more eye-catching than when he had first married Zhao Dahu. His bright eyes and gleaming teeth, paired with a faint smile, gave him an aura of grace as he spoke to Zhao Pingchuan’s stepmother. Sunlight streamed across his face, making it seem as though tiny specks of light danced on his long, curled eyelashes.

His lively brows, delicate features, and now a touch of carefree charm set him apart from before. Yet, despite his new aura, he didn’t come across as overbearing. With a child in his arms, he radiated a softness that was almost overwhelming.

How could he live better than before? How could he be happier than in the past?

Zhao Pingchuan’s heart was filled with intense discontent. He had always avoided hearing news from the village and was still unaware of all that Tang Chunming had achieved in the past six months. If he knew, his dissatisfaction would likely deepen even further.

Zhao Laomao and Wang Chunhua wanted to rush over and slap Tang Chunming’s face, using the most vicious words to curse him, but before they could make a move, the Third Uncle gave them a cold glance and spoke, “Leave, don’t delay the time.”

After the group passed by, Tang Chunming and the others continued on their way back. Tang Chunming, confused, said, “I don’t think I saw Zhao Daniu. How come he hasn’t shown up today?”

Wang Ying shook his head. “I heard from Zhang Xiu and the others that Zhao Daniu didn’t come back with Zhao Laosan. What kind of family is this? His younger brother is mourning, and he didn’t even show up.”

Having lived here for some time, he had occasionally gossiped with Zhang Xiu and the others about village affairs.

He glanced at Tang Chunming again. That damned head of the household had found this family for his precious son. His judgment was completely off the mark. Fortunately, this time the stepson had a good eye, finding a man whose character and other qualities were exceptional, something you couldn’t find even with a lantern. Now, it was their turn—him and Ah Rong—to benefit from the stepson’s good fortune. The way things were going, it was unimaginable just half a year ago.

“Mother, do you think they brought all those things just to show off?” Tang Chunming raised the corners of his mouth in a sarcastic smile. Compared to the offerings he had prepared, their offerings were extremely simple.

Wang Ying twitched his mouth. Logically speaking, Zhao Dahu was a member of the Zhao family, so this event should have been handled grandly by the Zhao family. Of course, they didn’t have to make a huge fuss, but when compared to the things Tang Chunming had arranged, the Zhao family’s actions seemed really cold and disappointing. However, the more this happened, the better the stepson’s mood must be.

Tang Chunming didn’t wait for a response from his stepmother. He lowered his head to look at Ah Lin, who was obediently snuggling up to him. Tang Chunming kissed Ah Lin’s forehead contentedly. Ah Lin, no longer the timid child who shrank away at the sight of Zhao Laomao and the others, had just courageously glared at Wang Chunhua.

“Mother, I miss Uncle Feng.”

“Okay, we’ll be home soon.”

Many people in the village were waiting to see Zhao family’s drama. After Tang Chunming and the others emerged, some villagers stopped Tang Chunming to talk, subtly criticizing the Zhao family for their behavior. They said that even though Zhao Dahu had been contributing a large sum of money to the family after he split off, the Zhao family had handled the mourning rites in such a cold and shabby manner after his mourning period ended.

In families that valued reputation, not only would the offerings be prepared decently, but some even invited monks for a ceremonial ritual. Afterward, they would slaughter pigs and sheep and invite friends, family, and neighbors for a big feast. But up to now, there hadn’t been any news from the Zhao family. It seemed as if they were trying to quietly get the ritual over with, without making any noise.

As for Tang Chunming, no one criticized him. He had done everything he was supposed to, and his offerings were well-prepared. Plus, he was about to become a member of the Li family, so no one would criticize him anymore. Li Feng was an unmarried man, and even after a hundred years, Tang Chunming would be buried in the Li family’s cemetery, completely severing any connection to Zhao Dahu. Some couldn’t help but think that Zhao Dahu’s fate was tragically pitiful.

Tang Chunming simply smiled and said nothing in response to the comments. The more he acted graciously and refrained from arguing with the Zhao family, the more others viewed him as magnanimous, and the more it highlighted how cold and indifferent the Zhao family members were.

Truth be told, this situation was not entirely the fault of the Third Uncle or Zhao Pingchuan. Although they hadn’t prepared a grand event, they still intended to provide a good offering for the ritual, because they couldn’t allow the villagers to gossip. This was the face of the Zhao family. The problem, however, lay with Wang Chunhua. Zhao Laomao had handed over the responsibility to Wang Chunhua and given him the money, but since Wang Chunhua had no other way of getting money, he started cutting corners with the offerings. He kept downgrading their quality. Additionally, with the constant arguing at home over Zhao Daniu’s matters, he hadn’t even thought to check the offerings before they set off. It wasn’t until just before they left today that he took out the items. The Third Uncle was so angry that he almost struck Zhao Laomao and Wang Chunhua on the spot.

But there was no time to redo everything. They had no choice but to come to the tomb with what they had. When they arrived at the tomb and saw the leftover offerings at Zhao Dahu’s grave, the Third Uncle and Zhao Pingchuan’s faces grew even darker. No wonder the villagers had looked at them in such a way as they passed by and had even pointed fingers at them.

As soon as the mourning period ended, bright red double happiness characters were pasted all over the doors and windows of the Tang family home, creating an exceptionally festive atmosphere.

Everyone in the village knew that Li Feng had been waiting for this day. When they saw him, they congratulated him, and Li Feng, who had previously seemed distant and cold, now showed a rare smile. Some even dared to joke with him, and Li Feng didn’t give them a cold shoulder, which made it clear that he truly cherished Ming Ge’er in his heart.

“Clop, clop, clop…” The sound of horse hooves echoed down the small path outside the village again. This time, the people who saw it weren’t panicking. From the looks of it, they knew that Li Feng’s friends from the military were arriving to attend his wedding. Their arrival reassured the villagers even more, as it was clear that Yu Mu’s soldiers had a strong relationship with Li Feng. With Li Feng around, no one from the local government would dare to bully Ping Shan Village.

“Ha ha…” Even before they entered the courtyard, loud laughter could already be heard from afar. Li Feng, who had been busy inside the courtyard, stopped and exchanged a smile with Tang Chunming. He stood up and walked outside to greet the visitors.

“Big Brother, oh, Big Brother, congratulations, congratulations! Big Brother, you’ve finally waited for this day, ha ha…” Yu Mu rode up on horseback, stopping the horse right in front of Li Feng. He leaped off the horse and walked forward, punching Li Feng a few times with his clenched fist.

Li Feng’s face darkened for a moment, but he stood still without moving. Yu Mu was stunned and stopped laughing, disbelievingly punching Li Feng a few more times, but still couldn’t budge him. He muttered in dissatisfaction, “How is this possible? I practice martial arts every day. There’s no way you, who’s returned to the countryside to farm, can be stronger than me.” He had innate strength, and aside from those with internal martial arts, no one could match him in terms of raw power. The reason he respected Li Feng and considered him his superior was because Li Feng was also a martial arts genius. In just a few short years, his internal strength had surpassed that of others who had practiced for more than ten years.

This time, more than a dozen people had arrived, even more than last time. The military men who had come before knew the way and tied their horses before entering the courtyard. They greeted the people inside, many of whom they had already met during the previous visit. This time, even Elder He was present, and naturally, the arrival of these people caused quite a stir.

Li Feng greeted the soldiers who hadn’t come last time. Two of them were of the same rank as Yu Mu and had worked with Li Feng before. They admired Li Feng for his character and martial arts skills. Hearing that he was getting married, they had come to see what kind of man had captured Li Feng’s heart.

In addition to the soldiers, two carriages had come, filled with various gifts and offerings.

“Ah Feng, are you marrying, or are you going to become a son-in-law?” someone jokingly asked. The new house seemed to still be in the Tang family’s residence. Li Feng’s own house had been renovated when he and Yu Mu returned, and it was going to be decorated more festively when they were married. As for the house in the meantime, it had remained empty, so once they married, the new house would be even more vacant.

“Of course, I’m getting married. It’s just that we’ll be living together with the child. What’s the difference?” Li Feng answered casually, without the slightest discomfort. There was an undeniable joy in his expression; he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Hearing this, it was clear that he was completely infatuated. One person put his arm around Li Feng’s shoulder and whispered, “Do you know what happened to General Wen’s son? After he left our area for the capital, we thought we’d never hear from him again. But later, we heard that he fell in love with a man in the capital. He cried and begged to marry him, but the man already had a legitimate wife. In the end, he became a concubine. This is the latest gossip. You don’t know how ugly General Wen’s face looked. When your marriage news spread, ha ha, I bet he almost wanted to strangle his own son.”

Ever since Li Feng left the military camp, those of them who had risen through merit were all extremely dissatisfied with General Wen’s actions. In their eyes, instead of repaying a life-saving favor, it was a humiliation. In the end, he had driven Li Feng away, probably because he feared Li Feng would one day threaten his position. Privately, they felt sympathy for Li Feng, though they still showed respect outwardly to General Wen.

Li Feng smiled, having long forgotten about the matter. In fact, when he was humiliated back then, it didn’t really bother him. He hadn’t been interested in that kind of man anyway. If it weren’t for how his family had acted, he probably wouldn’t have had the idea of leaving and returning home so soon. If that had happened, he would have missed out on Ming Ge’er.

“All those things are in the past. I don’t hold them against anyone. I’m living a good life now. I’m really happy to have you here, and today, let’s drink and have a good time.”

Seeing that Li Feng truly didn’t care, the person let it go. The brothers had come to congratulate him, so of course, they wouldn’t leave without drinking.

Meanwhile, Yu Mu, who couldn’t compare to Li Feng in terms of composure, just grumbled a little and then turned to enter the courtyard to find Tang Chunming. After all, it was he who had introduced Ming Ge’er to Li Feng, and he believed that his relationship with Ming Ge’er wasn’t shallow.

“Uncle Yu Mu, Uncle Yu Mu…” Da Mao and Er Mao were both very happy to see Yu Mu. Yu Mu immediately picked up Ah Lin, the little boy, and tossed him high into the air, making Ah Lin giggle.

Teng Yu and Manager Qi had also arrived early and had brought a few chefs from their restaurant to help. Since they were hosting the wedding banquet themselves, they couldn’t do without enough staff in the kitchen. Although it was cold outside, the Tang family’s courtyard was bustling with activity, with people coming and going.

After Tang Chunming met with Yu Mu and the others, he was pulled inside by Shen Fulang and Zhang Xiu. As the new husband, he couldn’t be like the men who were out hosting guests. Although they hadn’t followed the complicated rituals of other families, they still believed that the new husband should maintain some decorum.

Now, the entire responsibility for Ah Sen was left to Wang Ying, not allowing Tang Chunming to lift a finger. The previous night, Ah Lin and Ah Sen had gone to the new house to “press the new bed.” Those who had visited the new house earlier all said it was good.

_{Is it just me or you all feel it too? The long awaited marrige, done just like that? His mourning has more content than the marrige. 🙁}