Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 680: Getting Married (1)

The two brothers, upon hearing this long-missed voice, stiffened sharply, and when they saw the ink-black hair now tinged with streaks of gray, a sour bitterness surged in their hearts.

"Dad, look who’s back," Xiao Jiazhen said, not at all seeming like she was about to be married off but entirely in the posture of a young daughter. Seeing her father, she rushed over, pointing excitedly at the two extra people in the room like she was showing off a treasure.

Although the Prime Minister was over fifty, he was far from being blind or deaf and had naturally noticed the two of them. A flash of surprise crossed his face, followed by a displeased glare, a swell of anger rising in his heart. He opened his mouth to scold them, yet the words that came out were unexpected, "You’ve come back?"

"Dad, we’re back," both Xiao Zhiqi and Xiao Zhiwen said in unison, their voices tinted with a hint of excitement and longing, but more so with remorse.

The Prime Minister nodded with tears filling his eyes, choking up, "It’s good you’re back, it’s good."

Before the father and sons could reunite, a matchmaker hurried in with a smile, "Prime Minister, the auspicious hour has arrived. Which brother is going to carry the bride out?"

"I will," the eldest, Xiao Zhiqi, declared boldly, glancing back at his little sister with a wink and a smile.

Xiao Jiazhen shyly lowered her head, assisted by her maidservant. She sat on the bed and donned the phoenix crown, and when the bright red bridal veil came down, it obscured the view outside. Yet inside, her heart genuinely smiled, for with her brothers returned, she could marry without worrying about her elderly parents at home.

Lou Qiyu, in his festive red wedding attire, stopped on his red rabbit steed in front of the Prime Minister Residence, with the bridal palanquin setting down behind him. At that moment, firecrackers sounded and drums rolled, his face beaming with pride and delight.

The Prime Minister, upon hearing such a pleasant noise, gave a deep look at his daughter on the bridal bed and then turned and walked out.

Xiao Jiazhen, atop the bridal bed, felt an inexplicable bitterness, perhaps from leaving the home she had lived in for eighteen years, her heart unwilling to part, or perhaps seeing the silver white in her father’s hair, her heart filled with worry. Seeing her mother’s worry lines as she worked hard for her brothers’ weddings, her heart ached even more, and thinking of her brothers, her heart slowly filled with love, and unwittingly, tears streamed down.

At the auspicious hour, the eldest brother carried his sister on his back, step by step, leaving the small courtyard. Sensing his sister’s low spirits, Xiao Zhiqi whispered comforting words, "You can marry with peace of mind. With your big brother and second brother here, and with Dad and Mom, you don’t have to worry. Just write home when you have the chance."

"Okay," she said, nodding with a thick nasal sound and a sob.

It was not a long road, but it felt like it took a long time to walk. Even though Xiao Zhiqi was reluctant, his sister still had to be given away. As she was marrying into a foreign nation, he didn’t carry her to the bridal palanquin as per custom but took her to the main hall instead.

Nearing the main hall, the place was exceptionally lively. Lou Qianyu glanced at the door and was dazzled to see a bride in a fiery red bridal gown being carried out by a man and brought before the Prime Minister before being set down.

Lou Qianyu gave Xiao Zhiqi a deep look, while Xiao Zhiqi also gaze penetratingly at his brother-in-law-to-be, Lou Qianyu, huffing in displeasure, then turned to stand beside the Prime Minister and his brother, Xiao Zhiwen, in accordance with tradition.

Lou Qianyu stepped forward, taking Xiao Jiazhen’s cold hand, and walked together to the Prime Minister. Lou Qianyu bowed deeply, once again promising his father-in-law, while Xiao Jiazhen, with tears, bid farewell to her parents. The Prime Minister felt reluctant deep down, but he still forced a stiff smile and mechanically preached to his kneeling daughter about being married and the importance of supporting her husband and teaching her children, among other things.