Chapter 48: First Update

Chapter 48: First Update

Qin Yao and Gu Cheng's wedding in the capital was set for the twelfth lunar month, just before the New Year. There was a saying that marrying in the twelfth month would bring prosperity to both family and fortune. Although people don’t talk about it much these days, it’s still nice to have a good omen.

The two families first met at a large hotel to discuss the wedding arrangements. They agreed that the wedding should be kept simple, but Liu Shuqin didn’t want her daughter-in-law to suffer any inconvenience. Everything that should be there would be taken care of, making it a splendid and lively event for relatives and friends.

Qin Chuanrong and Shen Guixiang were both easy-going people. With Liu Shuqin managing everything meticulously, there was nothing for them to complain about. Qin Chuanrong had just one request: he wanted to personally oversee the wedding banquet and show off his culinary skills.

The Gu family agreed.

There were no further disagreements, and the date was set. The wedding would be held at the largest hotel, and many people from both families attended. Dozens of tables were arranged for the guests.

Qin Yao was simply dressed, wearing a red cotton jacket with no makeup, her fair skin making her look like a lotus rising from clear water. In her red dress, she looked as beautiful as a red plum blossom in the snow.

Shen Guixiang stood beside her, wiping her tears, her heart aching with emotion.

No matter how happy or prepared she thought she was, a flood of emotions surged as the day arrived. Memories of her child growing up floated before her eyes. Everything she saw stirred her emotions.

"Daughters are their parents' pride and joy," Liu Shuqin, standing nearby, felt her pain.

Thinking about the child marrying and having her own family in the future, possibly far away, made her feel sad.

Children, like young eagles, must eventually leave the nest. This was the hardship of being a mother.

Liu Shuqin comforted Shen Guixiang, who felt much better afterward. Shen Guixiang felt that her daughter had married into a good family.

Shen Guixiang said with some embarrassment, "Our Yao Yao has been spoiled since childhood. If there's anything she does wrong in the future, please forgive her."

"Yao Yao is a good child," Liu Shuqin said with a smile. "Our Xiao Cheng is also a good child, though he's had a bad temper since he was young and isn't as understanding as most men. If he ever treats Yao Yao poorly, I’ll definitely give him a talking to and set him straight."

Shen Guixiang felt embarrassed, thinking how understanding the in-laws were being.

She wiped her tears, feeling a bit ashamed, thinking how her lazy daughter was marrying into such a good family.

"Dear in-law, I..." Shen Guixiang opened her mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated.

Liu Shuqin was puzzled. She could deeply feel Shen Guixiang's concern for her daughter, but why did she see "guilt" in her eyes?

Liu Shuqin guessed that Yao Yao had taken a liking to Xiao Cheng when they first met at the port and had asked the head nurse to set up a meeting, leading to their gradual relationship.

Privately, she had heard Yao Yao say to Xiao Cheng, "Captain Gu, I'll be obedient. Please don't be angry."

Calling her husband "Captain Gu" so formally, and her son's cold demeanor, not being a gentleman who understood romance, actually needed the girl's coaxing.

And that hickey on her neck was too obvious.

In Liu Shuqin's eyes, Yao Yao's qualities weren’t the best, but they were certainly not bad. With her background and looks, many in the city would vie for her.

Her Xiao Cheng wasn’t that great.

Yao Yao, a little naive, had her eyes blinded by her son's looks. Liu Shuqin could see that Yao Yao truly liked Xiao Cheng; her eyes would light up when looking at old photos of him.

"Dear in-law, I..." Liu Shuqin paused and said earnestly, "I'll treat Yao Yao as my own daughter."

With that, a hint of guilt also appeared in her eyes.

Shen Guixiang felt even more ashamed and quickly said, "I'll treat my son-in-law as my own son."

——"Good in-laws, don't say anymore, or I'll be too shy!"

Shen Guixiang found herself unable to cry anymore.

Qin Yao sat nearby, an apple in her hand, listening to the conversation without interrupting.

They were only planning to stay here for a month or so. Qin Yao didn’t want to stir up any drama. She planned to keep her head down and be a dutiful, well-behaved daughter-in-law while at the Gu family.

Her mother-in-law, Liu Shuqin, treated her well and always had her back. It made her feel comfortable.

Qin Chuanrong had been working hard in the kitchen all morning. The sweat dripping from his forehead was the sweat of happiness. His daughter was getting married, and this year, his elder son finally received a much-awaited housing allocation. If someone had cut in line again, he would’ve raised hell.

The future was looking brighter with each passing day.

Qin Chuanrong changed his clothes and, together with Shen Guixiang, went to see their daughter and son-in-law. Their daughter was beautiful, and their son-in-law was exceptionally handsome and stood out from the crowd. He handled guests flawlessly, and listening to the people around them discussing Gu Cheng’s past achievements, awards, and first-place honors, they couldn’t help but feel proud.

The couple didn’t understand everything, but they figured their son-in-law must’ve been blind to fall for their daughter.

Probably just because she’s pretty.

The second daughter-in-law whispered to her in-laws, "We should tell Yaoyao to eat less and keep things as they are."

Qin Chuanrong and Shen Guixiang looked at each other, saying nothing. They both thought Qin Yao was a bit too thin.

They should try to fatten up their son-in-law instead.

After the wedding, when they returned to their room that night and took off their jackets, Qin Yao finally felt relieved. Getting married was as tiring as a day of hard labor.

Gu Cheng had downed a lot of alcohol. When he returned to the compound and met his childhood friends, they tried to get him to drink more upon seeing his extraordinary “beautiful wife.”

Standing next to him, the fair-skinned and delicate Qin Yao was adored by everyone, and some even suggested she should be in a movie.

Gu Cheng toasted while secretly competing, feeling like everyone was checking out his wife.

Dream on, she's his wife!

When Gu Cheng came in, Qin Yao went to support him, smelling the alcohol on him, thinking he should be drunk. She found it amusing that, on their wedding night, the groom had been drunk.

But it was okay. Recently, they had been spending their nights together, so a break was good.

Qin Yao wasn’t sure how much affection she had for Gu Cheng, but she guessed it wasn’t low. Maybe her affection had a nurturing effect on him.

They couldn’t continue like this; otherwise, he’d really start thinking he was too “capable.”

“Yaoyao.” Gu Cheng smiled, hugging her. He looked up with clear, bright eyes, showing no sign of drunkenness.

Qin Yao patted his face regretfully. What a fake-drinking actor.

Although he wasn’t really drunk, Gu Cheng had still consumed a lot of alcohol. He didn’t show it on his face but remained cold and aloof. However, upon seeing Qin Yao, he couldn’t stop grinning foolishly.

Qin Yao regretted that there were no smartphones in this era; otherwise, she would’ve taken a video to tease him for a lifetime.

Gu Cheng drank some hot water. He had cut out some double happiness characters and even wrote love poems behind them, sticking them on the wardrobe.

After that, he was inspired and wrote a dozen love poems, an extraordinary performance.

Qin Yao’s face flushed slightly as she read his poems. Even though she had been “tortured” by them for a long time and thought she was immune, under his gaze, she still blushed intensely, the heat reaching her ears.

She discovered that men could indeed be shameless and incredibly confident.

Qin Yao pushed Gu Cheng's face away and sat on his lap. She picked up a fountain pen and seriously wrote a line of poetry, without showing off:

"We became husband and wife, loving each other without doubt."

After writing, she picked up the scissors Gu Cheng had used and cut a lock of her long hair, looking at him. Gu Cheng touched his head as Qin Yao eagerly prepared to cut her hair. She hesitated, trying to decide where to cut so it wouldn’t look strange.

In the end, she snipped a small strand from the back, near her ear.

She used her hair to wrap the strand and tied it with a red string, placing it inside a small red pouch she had prepared earlier. The pouch was embroidered with two cross-stitched ducks.

She had tried her best but couldn’t embroider mandarin ducks.

Gu Cheng chuckled as he held the pouch. He planned to embroider a larger pouch with a mandarin ducks design later to hold these two little ducks.

The two of them put the pouch on the bedside table.

Gu Cheng held the woman he loved, leaned down, and kissed her. His heart was beating so fast he thought it might jump out. Her face grew larger in his eyes, and the person in his arms felt heavier. At that moment, holding her felt like he held the entire world.

They had known each other for less than a year, but she had stormed into his life like an unstoppable force, taking over all his defenses, leaving him disarmed and transformed, forcibly occupying every aspect of his life.

All his recent joy came from her. Her every smile and frown captivated his thoughts. He was willingly submitting to her, eager to follow her lead for life.

Talking about forever might seem premature, but he had already made up his mind.

For more than a decade, his military life had been monotonous, filled with endless training. Since she had come into his life, the idea of protecting the country had become real.

Gu Cheng thought that women were the greatest beings in the world. Whether it was Yaoyao, his mother, or his mother-in-law, they were the cornerstones of a family.

Without them, there would be no home.

He had left home early and had been flying alone on the sea for a long time. Now, the woman beside him had given him a home again. In the future, she would create life like Nuwa. To his world, she was a deity who had descended from the sky.

He had been an atheist, but if she were a goddess, he would be willing to believe.

He would treat her well for the rest of his life. Yaoyao, thank you for coming into my life.

The winter sunrise always came late, like a habitually tardy child who dawdled in winter. When Qin Yao opened her eyes, the warm sunlight had already streamed into the room. She was delighted because nothing was more precious than the sunlight in winter.

Except for the hot guy lying next to her.

"Good morning, Yaoyao."

Qin Yao smiled. Now that she had such a warm stove, the sunlight was no longer that important.