Chapter 557: 557: Getting Married

The following day was Qiao Xiaomai’s big day of joy.

At the crack of dawn, the master chef from Jíwèijū arrived, and the Tong Family’s house was adorned with red silk cloth. The banquet wasn’t set up in the new house this time, due to the fewer guests invited, it was instead arranged in the old house.

After breakfast, Qiao Xiaomai started to pack her “dowry”.

The common clothes she wore were put in, and two sets of her own sheets and quilt covers were added to the pack. But after filling up half of two boxes, the remaining half-box was still empty.

Qiao Changshun, rubbing his large hands, was in a dilemma, “How about putting some fabric in?”

The thing they had the most at home was fabric. The Taishang Emperor had gifted Qiao Xiaomai some when he left, all of which were kept in Qiao Xiaomai’s room. Now that the dowry box wasn’t full, the fabric could be used to fill up the box.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No need, leave it at home for you and Dami to use. Once mother returns, she can decide what to do with it.” Qiao Xiaomai waved her hand and, looking down, she saw Qiao Dami clutching Qiao Changshun’s sleeve. She chuckled, “How about using Dami to fill up the box?”

At this remark, Qiao Dami burst into laughter. However, his chuckle was fleeting, quickly receding into melancholy.

He didn’t want his sister to get married…

Qiao Xiaomai bent over, pinched his chubby, cheeky face and said with a smile, “I’m just going to stay at Brother Tong’s house. You can visit me anytime you feel like it. We’re still in the same village.”

On hearing this, Qiao Dami pouted reluctantly, nodding his head in agreement.

Even though they were in the same village, their home was inevitably short of one person. First, Zhuang Luhe wasn’t at home, and now another member was leaving, which was upsetting…

“Alright, why don’t you come with me and stay at your Brother Tong’s house for a few days?” Qiao Xiaomai ruffled his hair.

“No need, I will keep dad company. Otherwise, there would only be dad left at home.” Qiao Dami shook his head, tightening his grip on Qiao Changshun’s sleeve.

This provoked a tear in Qiao Changshun’s eyes, this was what family truly meant.

“What a good little boy.” Qiao Xiaomai was touched as well. She pinched his chubby cheek again, “Let’s go out and play.”

“What about this box?” Qiao Changshun hurriedly asked as they were leaving.

“No need to worry about it. Just carry an empty box when the time comes.” Qiao Xiaomai dismissed the concern casually with a wave of her hand.

When they reached the courtyard, she let Qiao Dami play under the tree, while she went into the kitchen to prepare Yang Ye’s meal.

This man was not only her friend but also her future pillar of support. She had to take good care of him.

Soon, Hua Xiaofeng and Zhuang Jia arrived. This time, it wasn’t just the mother and son, but also Zhuang Jia’s wife, who was Qiao Xiaomai’s aunt and her cousins.

Zhu Cuiying and Wu Yinfeng also eagerly volunteered to help, and Qiao Qinghe paid a visit too.

While Qiao Xiaomai’s relatives were quite simple, the Tong Family’s were a bit more complicated.

As the Tong Family had no relatives other than Tong Liu, the in-laws of the women in the Tong Family became their closest kin. Given the four women present in the Tong Family, a great deal of relatives showed up.

Even though the Tong Family had fallen into decline, they were still better off than many of these relatives.

Furthermore, Tong Sanlang’s wife-to-be, Qiao Xiaomai, was a girl who had cooked for the Taishang Emperor, and also had a good relationship with the prince. Therefore, these relationships had to be maintained as usual despite their fall from grace.

At noon, someone from the Tong Family arrived.

The Tong Family had arranged a drum troupe, beating and pounding all the way, causing quite the commotion. Tong Sanlang, dressed in new clothes, sat atop a high horse, a bright red flower pinned on his chest. The corners of his mouth and the arch of his brows brimming with an irrepressible joy.

He had come to fetch his bride!