Dongting Immortal Clan

Chen Dajiang's wedding date is set for August 15th.

Half a month earlier than Chen Changhe, he married a girl from the Wang family in the same village named Guifang, who was a relative of Wang Laizi.

Ever since that incident, Wang Laizi has been acting crazy, talking nonsense in the village all day long.

However, his brother Wang Kaifu was an honest farmer with several acres of paddy fields, making him a bit more well-off than the Chen family.

Wang Guifang has a sturdy, round face, bright eyes, and a loud voice; her laughter can be heard through the walls.

The two had met a few times at the well at the village entrance. They didn't say much, but they would always exchange a glance each time they met.

Chen Dajiang found the girl pleasing to the eye, and Wang Guifang also thought the young man was reliable. With the betrothal gifts from Old Zhang, the marriage was settled.

The Chen family didn't have the money for a lavish celebration, but they didn't skimp on the proper etiquette.

Chen Chuansheng rummaged through his house and found a few decent things.

A pair of jade bracelets of unknown material, which were part of his wife's dowry.

The piece of blue cloth that I kept but never used was saved from selling fish last year.

There were also two jars of yellow wine with the character for "happiness" on them, which Old Zhang carried back from town.

……

The first day of the eighth lunar month.

The Chen family started getting busy.

Chen Chuansheng swept the yard again and again, removed the spider webs in the corners of the walls with a bamboo pole, and replaced all the leaky thatch on the roof.

Chen Dajiang went to town to buy red paper, red candles, and firecrackers, and borrowed seven or eight square tables and benches from the surrounding villages.

Since they started practicing martial arts, their family has never lacked meat.

Initially, it was Old Zhang who provided the financial support.

As Chen Changhe's archery skills became increasingly proficient, he would often catch something while hunting in the mountains, which he could then sell at the market for money.

This time he hunted several rabbits and pheasants, as well as a roe deer.

Finally, at my elder brother's wedding banquet, there were a few decent-looking dishes.

……

August 10th.

Wang Guifang's family sent her dowry.

However, it consisted of two new cotton quilts, a pair of pillows, a camphor wood chest, and a few new clothes.

Chen Chuansheng looked at the dowry, his eyes reddening, and muttered to himself:

"Okay, okay, okay..."

……

August 14th.

Zhang Xiulan's dowry has also arrived.

She had one more loom, a set of woodworking tools, and several bolts of new cloth than Wang Guifang.

Zhang Xiulan's father was an honest man. He knew the Chen family was poor and that his daughter's life wouldn't be easy after marrying into the family, so he gave her a larger dowry as a way of supporting her.

Old Zhang looked at the loom and nodded:

"Her mother was a skilled weaver, and Xiulan learned from her since she was a child. Her skills are quite good. With this machine, the family will never lack cloth again."

……

It was the fifteenth of August, before dawn.

Chen Dajiang put on his new cotton robe.

It was a bit big, the sleeves were a bit too long, but he didn't care.

I felt that this was the most decent outfit I had ever worn in my life.

He combed his hair, secured it with a new wooden hairpin, stood in front of the water vat and looked at himself again and again. Feeling that something was still missing, he borrowed a blue cloth belt from Chen Changhe and tied it on before he was satisfied.

Chen Changhe was wearing a gray-white robe, similar in style to the one Shen Congyun had worn before, only the material was of lower quality.

It was something he had asked Shen Congyun to bring from the city some time ago.

Shen Congyun would come to Baiyukou every few days.

One reason was to patrol the lake on Zhou Yan's behalf and check on the situation.

Secondly, it was to strengthen ties with the Chen family.

Now that Chen Xiaohu has entered the inner sect of Zilu Mountain, the Chen family has gained some influence in the Yunmeng area because of this connection.

Chen Changhe tied his hair up with a bamboo hairpin, and a blue silk ribbon was tied around his waist. He looked neat and tidy, completely different from the boy who usually wore patched clothes.

Old Zhang glanced at him, nodded, but couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

Over the past six months, the Chen family has treated him extremely well.

The two brothers practiced their skills diligently and earn his approval.

……

The wedding procession was very simple.

Chen Dajiang rode on a borrowed donkey, wearing a red silk ribbon around his neck.

Chen Changhe followed behind.

Chen Chuansheng and Old Zhang, as elders, waited at home to greet them.

Along the way, there was no bridal sedan chair, no suona horn, and no grand wedding procession; only a few children from the village relatives followed along, picking up candy to eat.

Wang Guifang's home is south of Baiyukou, separated from the Chen family's home by only a small earthen slope; it's just a short walk away.

Upon reaching the door, Chen Changhe tied up the donkey and followed his elder brother inside.

"Father-in-law and mother-in-law, your son-in-law kowtows to you."

Chen Dajiang was also a bit sweeter today, and he bowed deeply in front of the door.

Wang Guifang's parents, being honest people, immediately helped him up, their eyes reddening.

Wang Kaifu patted him on the shoulder and gave only one instruction:

"Take good care of my Guifang."

After saying that, the middle-aged man was speechless.

However, Wang Guifang's mother, a simple village woman, talked to Chen Dajiang for a long time.

Chen Dajiang agreed to everything respectfully.

Then came the welcoming of Wang Guifang.

When the bride came out of her room, Chen Dajiang was stunned.

Wang Guifang was dressed in red, with silk flowers in her hair and a light layer of powder on her face. She was completely different from the girl I had seen by the well before.

She lowered her head, not looking at Chen Dajiang, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, making her very attractive.

Chen Dajiang handed over one end of the red silk, while he held the other end tightly.

The two left the courtyard one after the other.

Wang Guifang sat on the back of a donkey, while Chen Dajiang led the donkey ahead.

A string of copper bells hung from the donkey's neck, jingling and making a clear, melodious sound.

……

The wedding banquet was held in the Chen family's courtyard.

The tables were pushed together and were covered with dishes.

Braised carp, stewed bamboo rat, stir-fried wild rabbit with chili, garlic greens, pickled radish, brown rice, and two jars of wine.

The dishes weren't lavish, but the portions were generous, and every dish was substantial.

There weren't many people at the banquet; they were mostly relatives and a few close neighbors.

Chen Chuansheng toasted everyone in turn. His leg injury hadn't fully healed, and he walked with a limp, but his smile never stopped.

Old Zhang sat in the main seat, having drunk quite a bit of wine; his face was as red as Guan Yu's, and he was talking much more than usual.

He talked to Chen Dajiang and Chen Changhe for a long time, repeating the same sentence over and over again.

"Live a good life and start producing offspring for your Chen family as soon as possible."

Chen Dajiang drank several bowls of wine, his face flushed and his neck thick, and sat there grinning foolishly.

Wang Guifang sat next to him, serving him food and pouring him wine, her movements as natural as if she were at home.

Chen Dajiang glanced at her and reached out to take her hand, which was resting on her knee.

She didn't earn it.

The two of them held hands in front of everyone in the courtyard.

Chen Changhe did not drink alcohol.

He sat in a corner, holding a teacup, looking at the people filling the courtyard.

Looking at his father, godfather, elder brother, and sister-in-law, and at those familiar and unfamiliar faces, Chen Changhe suddenly felt a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

Neither happy nor sad, just vague and indistinct.

Like the morning mist on an autumn lake, it cannot be grasped or driven away.

"You don't drink?"

A clear voice suddenly spoke up beside Chen Changhe.

She was his betrothed, Zhang Xiulan.

Their wedding is on August 28th, and they came here today specifically to attend their elder brother and sister-in-law's wedding.

"I don't drink much."

Chen Changhe shook his head.

Zhang Xiulan had delicate features. She rested her chin on her hand and sized up Chen Changhe for a long time, feeling that this man had a peculiar aura about him.

It smells wonderful, and she's obsessed with it.

The two didn't speak again, just sat there leaning on each other, listening to the noise in the courtyard, the sound of the wind on Dongting Lake in the distance, and the sound of each other's heartbeats.

As night deepened, the guests gradually left.

Chen Chuansheng tidied up the yard, asked Chen Changhe to return the borrowed tables and benches, and put the remaining vegetables into the kitchen.

Old Zhang was drunk and lay on the bench snoring loudly.

Chen Dajiang and Wang Guifang went back inside. The light stayed on for a while and then went out, as if something important had happened.

Chen Changhe stood in the courtyard, looking at the moon in the sky.

The moon on the fifteenth of August was round and bright, hanging above Dongting Lake like a silvery-white mirror.

"My elder brother is now married, and everything is fine at home."

"Lake".

"Are you safe and sound in the immortal sect?"

With a long sigh, Chen Changhe silently went out.

I went to Old Zhang's courtyard and began to meditate and cultivate myself while facing the moon.

Four months have passed, and he has refined all the Qi-Nourishing Pills left by Chen Xiaohu.

Now, he has cultivated twenty-four strands of magical power in his dantian, and his heart fire is as big as a pigeon egg.

"I wonder how much longer it will take before I can shed my wooden form..."