Chapter 209: Extra: Celebrating the New Marriage 1

Chapter 209: Extra — Celebrating the Newlyweds 1

A curtain of scattered shadows, moonlight perched on the flower tips.

The evening breeze stirred the blossoms beneath the eaves, and the cold, clear moonlight slipped in uninvited, casting a hazy, intimate glow across the bed curtains within the room.

"Mmm, Sixth Brother..."

The young master let out a faint, low moan, his hands tightening of their own accord.

Xie Nai's brows furrowed slightly. He didn't answer, just kept kissing the man beneath him.

Among the bed curtains, brocade quilts and robes lay tangled in disarray. Xie Nai's ink-black hair spread across Qin Jiao's lower abdomen, the tender white and deep black bleeding into each other—a striking contrast.

"Hold me."

Even though it was late autumn, a thin layer of sweat had formed on both their bodies. Xie Nai's deep, calm eyes fixed intently on his beloved: "Qin Jiao."

Xie Nai called Qin Jiao's name again in a hoarse voice, his tone laced with amusement.

"No." Qin Jiao's voice was breathless. Annoyed and embarrassed in equal measure, he turned his face away, refusing to look at Xie Nai.

"What's wrong? Does Xiao Jiu not like it?" Xie Nai's lips were crimson, and the sight made Qin Jiao recall what they'd just been up to.

The mole at the corner of the man's left eye was so dazzling—when it caught the light against the young master's thigh, it was like a red plum fallen on snow, stunningly beautiful.

To be honest, Qin Jiao did like it, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. He could only glare at Xie Nai and say, "Stop talking."

With that, the young master gently pressed himself against Xie Nai. The fragmented blossoms beneath the eaves drifted up with the wind, and under the gentle candlelight, the two gazed at each other. The look of love can't be hidden, and before long, their breaths grew heavy and mingled once more.

Xie Nai wrapped his arm around Qin Jiao's waist, his hand stroking softly. Having spent years on military campaigns, Xie Nai's hands were callused. "It tickles." Qin Jiao couldn't bear the tickling, laughing as he wriggled out of Xie Nai's embrace, then straddled Xie Nai's lap. "Sixth Brother, kiss."

Qin Jiao's eyes curved like crescent moons as he smiled and kissed Xie Nai's collarbone. Xie Nai, in turn, laughed and pulled Qin Jiao into his arms, kissing him deeply.

The bed curtains and light gauze drifted, scattering the moonlight into fragments and gradually veiling the room's lingering heat...

The next day.

Crowds flowed endlessly, and the streets hummed with activity.

This was Qin Jiao and Xie Nai's third day in Nanzhou City.

After leaving Mengqin, they had returned to the capital, where they'd spent about a month before receiving letters from He Zhao and Xiao Baiyu.

He Zhao's letter was addressed to Qin Jiao, and it read: "Little Qin Jiao! A grasshopper tied to a string can't hop away, spilled water can't be scooped up, and a promised wedding can't be called off. My senior brother and I are getting married soon. Come on, come on—see you at Apricot Grove Manor, waiting for you to drink the wedding wine! Oh, and before you two come, remember to stop by Nanzhou City and buy a few crispy fried chickens!"

When Qin Jiao finished reading the letter, he was caught between laughter and tears. He thought to himself that He Zhao's "obsession" with Nanzhou's crispy fried chicken was truly something to behold. He still remembered their first meeting in Nanzhou—He Zhao had been on his way to buy the chicken when he stumbled onto Xue Lin's murder case and got himself arrested by Xie Nai.

Who would have thought that after all this time, he would still be obsessed with that crispy chicken.

In contrast to He Zhao's "flighty" style, Xiao Baiyu had sent formal, carefully worded invitations to the two of them, inviting them to Apricot Grove Manor to witness the ceremony.

Walking side by side with Xie Nai through the crowd, revisiting the old place brought back mixed emotions in Qin Jiao.

"What are you thinking about?"

Inside Luxiu Restaurant in the eastern part of the city, Luo Yue had already bought the crispy fried chicken, and Luo Bei was helping load the food box with ice. Hearing Xie Nai's voice, Qin Jiao paused for a second, then smiled: "Sixth Brother, I want a cotton rose branch."

Qin Jiao's gaze led to an elderly woman outside Luxiu Restaurant, sitting beside a basket of fresh double-petal cotton roses. The emerald leaves clustered like green clouds, making the blossoms appear even softer and more radiant.

"Young master, I'll go buy it at once."

Luo Bei was about to pack up the food box and head out to find the old woman when Luo Yue immediately grabbed him, looking utterly exasperated. "Stop right there!" Luo Yue said with pain in his voice. "Why are you so eager at a time like this? Do you want to wreck our bright future?"

Luo Bei: ?

Seeing that he still didn't get it, Luo Yue could only gesture for him to look left.

Luo Bei followed the advice and turned. There, he saw a handsome young man holding a cotton rose branch, about to offer it to the elegant, shy young woman before him.

Luo Bei's heart jolted. He remembered now.

In Nanzhou, during the annual Cotton Rose Winter Festival, the young men and women of the city would stroll the streets holding cotton roses. If they encountered someone they fancied, they'd offer the flower to them.

Although the Cotton Rose Winter Festival hadn't arrived yet, they were set to depart for Apricot Grove Manor in the afternoon, so Qin Jiao asking Xie Nai to give him a cotton rose at this moment was clearly a gesture of affection.

So Luo Bei yanked his foot back mid-step, and Luo Yue breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Good—their future was still bright!

Having witnessed the entire exchange between Luo Bei and Luo Yue, Qin Jiao found it amusing but said nothing, just watching Xie Nai in silence.

Xie Nai naturally understood his young master's meaning, and a moment later, he held out a fresh pink cotton rose still bearing dewdrops to Qin Jiao.

Behind him, the old flower seller kept bowing and thanking the nobleman—Xie Nai had paid her five taels of silver for that single flower.

"This bloom for you, with all my heart."

Today, Xie Nai wore a frost-white cloud-patterned silk robe, his ink-black hair tied high, cutting an elegant figure. The young man's brows curved with a smile as he gazed at his beloved as if looking at the most precious thing in his life.

"Xiao Jiu accepts your gift."

Qin Jiao took the flower gracefully. The pink cotton rose made his features look even softer and more refined. Sunlight fell softly on him, and with flower and man in such harmony, it was hard to say whether the flower made the man more beautiful, or the man made the flower more tender.

Feeling a little shy under Xie Nai's gaze, Qin Jiao carefully tucked the flower into his arms and said, "Let's hurry and buy the chestnut cakes. We don't want to delay our journey."

For this trip, Cong Shuang couldn't join them because she wasn't feeling well, but before they left, she had asked Qin Jiao to bring her plenty of chestnut cakes from the pastry shops in Nanzhou. Such a simple request—Qin Jiao was happy to oblige.

So the group went on to buy the chestnut cakes, and on the way, they also bought a pair of rare two-colored koi as a wedding gift for He Zhao and Xiao Baiyu—in the Tianyuan Dynasty, there was a custom of gifting a pair of koi to newlyweds. Placed in the family pond, they would bless the couple with abundance year after year and keep quarrels at bay.

---

The carriage rumbled along the road, and just as the ice in the food box was nearly melted, Qin Jiao and Xie Nai finally arrived at Apricot Grove Manor.

Distant mountains layered like indigo ink, a clear stream winding down from the valley—Apricot Grove Manor was hidden deep among a thousand apricot trees. Though no blossoms were visible at this season, every tree was draped in red silk and double-happiness characters. Layers of crimson fabric wrapped around the gnarled branches, and when the wind passed, countless red banners rippled like sunset clouds, trailing all the way to the vermilion manor gates.

Qin Jiao had a keen sense of smell, and before he'd even entered Apricot Grove Manor, he caught a faint scent of medicinal herbs. He Zhao and Xiao Baiyu had already heard that Qin Jiao and Xie Nai had arrived. Originally, He Zhao had wanted to come out ten li to greet his friends, but Qin Jiao, knowing how busy he was with wedding preparations, had told him not to bother.

The golden sun hung low over the fields, and sunset clouds filled the sky as Qin Jiao spotted He Zhao and Xiao Baiyu standing at the manor gates in the distance.

He Zhao wore a bright red brocade robe woven with flowing golden threads, a jade crown binding his hair, and a long strand of tassels, agate, and jadeite draped across his chest. He looked around anxiously, and with every movement, his finery clinked and shimmered—a scene of grand, showy festivity.

Beside him, Xiao Baiyu was far more understated. He wore the same bright red brocade wedding robe and jade crown, but without all the flashy ornaments. Xiao Baiyu's face carried a gentle smile, his features clear and warm, yet radiating joy all around—the very picture of a groom.