Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The villagers watching from beyond the fence faintly heard the commotion but paid it no mind.

Soon after, they saw Lu Yuan and Old Lady He emerge from the house in a hurry, rushing towards the neighboring room. Surprised, they didn't immediately react.

Someone suddenly remarked, "That room seems to be Qi Cheng's. The noise just now came from there. Besides him, there shouldn't be anyone else in that room now, right?"

Hearing this, everyone quickly caught on.

Had Qi Cheng woken up?!

Had the wedding truly brought him back to life?!

Lu Yuan was the first to rush into the room, her eyes immediately falling upon Qi Cheng, who had fallen beside the bed.

He was gripping the bed frame, attempting to stand. She hurried to support him. "You really were brought back by the wedding?!"

Could it truly be so miraculous?

Amidst her astonishment, Lu Yuan couldn't help but ponder her future standing within the Qi family and in Old Lady He's estimation.

Wouldn't she be revered now?

Hearing the voice beside him, Qi Cheng knew it was Lu Yuan—the very Lu Yuan who had often tried to trick him while he lay unconscious.

No sooner had Lu Yuan helped him up and settled him than Old Lady He entered.

Seeing her awakened grandson, she paused, her eyes quickly welling up as tears streamed down her face.

"My grandson, you've finally woken up…"

Old Lady He's voice choked with emotion as she stumbled, step by step, towards her grandson.

Reaching him, she tremblingly clasped his hands.

Qi Cheng's eyes also reddened as he uttered, with profound emotion, "Grandmother."

"Your grandson has been unfilial, causing you such worry, Grandmother."

Having not spoken for a long time, Qi Cheng's voice was particularly hoarse upon waking.

Old Lady He shook her head. "It's enough that you've woken up, it's enough."

Her choked voice was tinged with relief.

Perhaps because he had just woken, Qi Cheng's breathing hadn't yet steadied, and he had to gasp for air as he spoke.

After taking a few breaths, he suddenly asked weakly, "Has the wedding ceremony been completed?"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan thought to herself, *as expected*—what affected him most was still the wedding.

The Village Head, the old man, and the wedding officiant who had followed them in were both astonished and delighted to see Qi Cheng awake.

Hearing Qi Cheng ask about the wedding ceremony only added to their surprise.

Did he truly remain conscious even while comatose?!

Amid their astonishment and delight, they also realized that his sudden inquiry about the wedding might mean he intended to cancel it.

They glanced at Qi Cheng. Though he had been unconscious for nearly three months and had grown thinner, there was no denying his good looks.

Then they looked at Lu Yuan beside him—she truly wasn't a good match for him. It was only human nature to regret the match, though doing so would be somewhat unkind.

Old Lady He was stunned, her tears seemingly stopping as she wiped them away and said, "There are still two bows left… No matter what, the ceremony must continue."

Lu Yuan knew that Old Lady He was already convinced that the wedding had brought her grandson back and wouldn't give up halfway.

She looked at Qi Cheng beside her.

Whether the ceremony would continue or not, she didn't want to be the bad guy, so it was up to him to convince Old Lady He.

Qi Cheng caught his breath and, after a moment, said, "I didn't say we shouldn't continue."

The other three: …

Couldn't you say it without pausing for breath like that?!

Lu Yuan was stunned.

In that brief moment, she had already thought of a reason to stay with the Qi family.

—*After all, since the wedding hadn't been completed, she could boldly stay for now, recognize the old lady as her godmother, and have Qi Cheng call her aunt.*

But instead, he said, "I didn't say we shouldn't continue?"

Did that mean he wanted to continue?

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and tentatively suggested, "How about postponing it?"

Hearing this, Qi Cheng turned to look at her and said hoarsely, "If you are willing to go through with this marriage, we can continue today. But if you are unwilling, the marriage will be void."

Old Lady He anxiously said, "It can't be void!"

"Grandmother, cough cough…" Qi Cheng coughed a few times, then turned to his grandmother and said, "Marriage should be a mutual willingness, or it could easily turn into a resentful union."

Lu Yuan glanced at the anxious Old Lady He, then looked at Qi Cheng.

To be honest, she couldn't figure him out.

She didn't know if he was trying to free himself by using her unwillingness as an excuse to call off the marriage or if he truly meant to leave it up to her.

But at this moment, she couldn't be the villain and make Old Lady He resent her, so she said, "I have no objections."

Qi Cheng turned to look in her direction, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.

"You're willing?"

Lu Yuan nodded in agreement. "Of course I'm willing. It depends on whether you are willing, sir."

Qi Cheng fell silent.

Earlier that morning, he had heard her talk about separation and leaving—she clearly wasn't very willing.

But since Lu Yuan had said so, he naturally couldn't go back on his word. He said, "Then let's continue the ceremony."

After a pause, he added, "But first, light the lamp in this room."

His words left everyone turning to glance at the not-yet-fully-dark sky, then at the two burning red candles on the table, before finally settling on Qi Cheng's dull, unfocused eyes. Silence fell.

Old Lady He stiffened, waving a trembling hand in front of him, but her grandson showed no reaction.

Lu Yuan had sensed something amiss earlier.

When Qi Cheng looked in her direction, his gaze was hollow, completely unfocused.

Without a word, she stood up, walked to the table to retrieve a red candle, returned, and held it before his eyes. "Can you see the light?" she asked.

Qi Cheng seemed to process her words, hesitating for a moment before asking, "The lights in the room are already lit, aren't they?"

Lu Yuan murmured "yes." "Don't worry yet. It might take a moment for your senses to readjust." She pressed further, "Do you perceive any light?"

Qi Cheng seemed disoriented for a beat before concentrating intently ahead.

He replied, "I sense a faint light."

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "It can be treated."

Hearing her confident tone, Qi Cheng's curiosity about her—which hadn't faded since waking—only grew stronger.

His curiosity had nothing to do with her appearance.

He noticed that her mannerisms and way of speaking seemed experienced, entirely unlike those of an ordinary village woman.

Old Lady He also released the breath she’d been holding, too relieved to question why Lu Yuan knew such things, and said gratefully, "It can be treated, that’s good, that’s good!"

Lu Yuan returned the red candle to its place and, seeing Qi Cheng's condition, asked once more, "Shall we continue with the ceremony?"

Old Lady He stared firmly at her grandson's eyes, her tone leaving no room for argument as she said firmly, "Continue, we must continue!"

She was convinced that the interruption in the wedding ritual had caused this—his loss of sight—so they absolutely had to complete the ritual to counteract the bad luck.

Lu Yuan fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting from Qi Cheng to the rooster Da Hua, held in the arms of the wedding officiant, then back to Qi Cheng. She asked tentatively, "Then who should I continue the ceremony with?"

As soon as she spoke, she noticed Qi Cheng's expression seemed to stiffen for a moment.

Was it her imagination?

Qi Cheng's voice was hoarse as he said, "Since I’m awake, naturally it should be with me. There’s no reason to let something else take my place."

Otherwise, what was the point of him waking up now?

Lu Yuan looked at his pale face and the frail frame beneath his clothes. He was so weak—could he even endure the wedding ceremony?

The village chief seemed to recognize Qi Cheng's physical state as well. He stepped out of the room and addressed the onlookers outside: "A Cheng is awake and wants to resume the wedding ceremony. Junsheng, Dachuan, come in and lend a hand."

At his words, everyone gasped in surprise.

Chen Dachuan—Chen Dashan's older brother—and the village chief’s son, Liu Junsheng, both entered the courtyard from outside where they had been watching.

Others, eager to witness the spectacle, followed into the courtyard but stopped outside the house, crowding by the windows and door to peer inside.

Catching sight of Qi Cheng sitting on the bed, they marveled.

The wedding ritual had truly worked miracles—it had actually revived the comatose man.

The village chief instructed, "You two, help A Cheng to the next room for the ceremony."

Though Qi Cheng couldn’t see, he recognized the voices and called out, "Village Chief, Brother Dachuan, Junsheng."

Dachuan blurted out, "Was it really the wedding ritual that woke you?!"

Qi Cheng didn’t respond to how he had awoken.

The wedding officiant, having worked in weddings for over a decade, had never seen such an immediate effect from a ritual to counteract bad luck. Shaking off his shock, he hurriedly said, "Right, the auspicious time hasn’t passed yet. Let’s hurry and finish the ceremony so we don’t miss it!"

Once word of today’s events spread, his reputation as a wedding officiant would soar—he might even be invited to officiate for the county magistrate!

This wedding had to be seen through to the end!

Old Lady He wiped away her tears and stood up. "Wait a moment, I’ll get Sheng Geer his shoes."

She returned to her room and brought back the shoes she had made for her grandson after he fell into a coma, hoping he would wake up and wear them one day.

After Qi Cheng put on the shoes, Chen Dachuan and Liu Junsheng helped him up from the bed and supported him out of the room.

Lu Yuan followed behind them. Only after stepping outside did she notice the two children crouching by themselves on the ground, seeming out of place amid the commotion.

Lu Yuan turned and walked over, taking both their hands to help them up.

Chun Hua looked up at her, eyes red and tearful, and whimpered, "Mom."

Even though they were still together, young Chun Hua couldn’t understand why she felt so sad.

Lu Yuan patted her head and smiled. "Come, let’s go inside."

Once inside and standing beside Qi Cheng, Lu Yuan realized just how tall he was.

Lying down, she had only noticed his lanky frame, but now she saw she only reached up to his neck.

She looked at Qi Cheng.

At the same time, Qi Cheng was thinking about her.

The two people about to be married were lost in their own thoughts.

Lu Yuan was thinking about how marriage would bring stability—no more wandering, a chance to settle down, get residency, and no longer be without official status.

Besides, Qi Cheng was handsome; she wasn’t losing out.

Since he had just woken up, he would need a long time to recover. They certainly wouldn’t be intimate anytime soon, which meant they would have time to get to know each other.

By any measure, she still wasn’t losing out.

Satisfied with her reasoning, Lu Yuan gave a slight, content nod.

Given Qi Cheng’s physical condition, the ceremony began directly with bowing to heaven and earth.

By the time "Now escort the couple to the bridal chamber" was announced, Lu Yuan could sense that he was nearly out of strength.

For someone who had been unconscious for so long, waking up and moving around—let alone standing for extended periods—was already strenuous.

The kneeling and bowing during the ceremony had surely drained his energy.

As soon as they returned to the room, Qi Cheng sat on the edge of the bed, eyes closed, catching his breath.

Old Lady He watched her grandson, afraid he might be a figment of her imagination or that he would fall unconscious again, so she couldn’t bring herself to look away.