The Daily Life Of Mei Furen Doting On Her Husband - Chapter 89

Mei Zhuyu wasn’t very familiar with these customs and etiquette. When he married Wu Zhen, his emotions had fluctuated so much that he forgot almost everything. He only remembered Wu Zhen’s smile. Hearing her, he carefully observed the tent, trying to recall his own experience. The last thing he remembered was Wu Zhen in her wedding dress, smiling suddenly in the candlelight. He couldn’t recall the tent at all, but he still nodded, confirming Wu Zhen’s words.

“Let’s go find Cui Jiu. This guy’s been nervous for two days, and now I don’t know where he’s hiding. What a loser!” Wu Zhen’s tone sounded eager, with a hint of mischief.

Mei Si, Master Zhao, and others also arrived at the house at that time. Upon seeing Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu, they ran over and joked, “Where’s Cui Jiu? Today is his big day. We should congratulate him, haha~” Their tone was as playful as Wu Zhen’s.

“I don’t know where he went,” Wu Zhen smiled, revealing her white teeth that sparkled in the sun. She waved her hand and said, “Go find him and drag him out!”

The group cheered and laughed, and after a while, they pulled Cui Jiu out from under a bush in a corner of the courtyard, carrying him to Wu Zhen. Cui Jiu smiled bitterly, surrounded by the group. Everyone patted his shoulders, saying, “Cui Jiu, remember our agreement—you can’t back out now!”

Cui Jiu’s face became even more bitter. He bowed to the crowd with a helpless expression, saying, “Brothers, please let me go.”

Everyone burst into laughter. Master Zhao patted him sympathetically and said, “We’d love to let you go, but unfortunately, your wife won’t allow it. So, just accept your fate.”

Once again, everyone burst into laughter, enjoying the spectacle.

Cui Jiu’s bitter expression had a reason behind it. The woman Cui Jiu was marrying was Lady Sun, one of the two ladies who often played with Wu Zhen’s group, and the one skilled at making perfume. Cui Jiu and Lady Sun had been childhood sweethearts, and since they were of equal status, they got engaged early. They had a close relationship and had been playing together since they were young.

Two years ago in autumn, Wu Zhen and her group went hunting in Xishan. Cui Jiu made a bet with his fiancée, Sun Niangzi, on who could catch more and better prey. The wager was that if Cui Jiu won, they would marry in the winter of that year; if Sun Niangzi won, the wedding would be postponed for a year, and Cui Jiu would wear the bride’s green dress at their wedding—meaning the two newlyweds would exchange outfits.

Cui Jiu’s riding and archery skills were good, only inferior to Wu Zhen’s within their group. Before the bet, he was full of confidence, thinking he would win and marry his wife soon. However, trouble awaited him. After Wu Zhen learned about the bet, she secretly led her group to help Lady Sun hunt a large tiger, thoroughly outshining Cui Jiu.

So, Cui Jiu had to accept the loss and wear the bride’s dress. When he was still struggling, Wu Zhen waved her hand again, “Push him down and change his clothes!”

At the command, Cui Jiu, who looked like he had lost all hope in life, was carried down by his friends to change clothes. Wu Zhen, in a good mood, took Mei Zhuyu to the Sun family’s residence to see Lady Sun.

The Sun family’s residence was right next to Cui’s. After passing the long wall, they saw the door and entered. There was constant laughter in Lady Sun’s room. When Wu Zhen entered, she saw Lady Sun standing there gracefully, surrounded by young ladies teasing her.

Lady Sun, wearing a man’s wedding gown, looked even more beautiful and elegant. She was usually generous, but the blush on her face was extremely rare. When she saw Wu Zhen, her eyes lit up, and she asked with a smile, “Sister Zhen, how was it?”

Wu Zhen tapped her palm with the whip and said, “Don’t worry, he will wear it obediently.”

Lady Sun chuckled and lowered her head. Her face showed expectation but also a deeper shyness. However, she tried her best to appear calm and did not ask about Cui Jiu’s condition.

After chatting with her for a while, Wu Zhen went out again. She and Mei Zhuyu stood in the garden, watching the servants come and go. There seemed to be a strong atmosphere of joy in the hot summer air.

Wu Zhen pulled Mei Zhuyu to a wall and suddenly smiled, pointing at the wall and saying, “The other side of this wall is the Cui family’s house. When Cui Jiu and Sun Niangzi were young, they often climbed this wall to play at each other’s house. Cui Jiu was timid when he was young. He would cry if he fell or got yelled at. He didn’t dare to climb such a high wall, so most of the time, it was Sun Niangzi who climbed the wall to see him. Sun Niangzi was fearless when she was young, quite like me back then.”

Mei Zhuyu responded, “That’s really amazing.”

Wu Zhen laughed and sighed, her voice a little emotional, “I don’t know when they grew up. Now it’s the opposite of when they were little. Cui Jiu always stands before Lady Sun in everything.”

It was amusing to think about the two falling in love. When Lady Sun climbed over the wall with her little butt sticking out to see the crying little Cui Jiu, Wu Zhen would be squatting on top of the wall to encourage her. After all, who did Lady Sun learn to climb the wall from?

After a while, Wu Zhen looked at Mei Zhuyu. 

He stared at her for a long time before saying, “When they were young, you weren’t that old either.”

Wu Zhen laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I’m five years older than them. What’s wrong with watching them grow up?”

Mei Zhuyu thought: Although Wu Zhen was older than them by a few years, she was still a willful girl at heart.

As he thought about it, he suddenly reached out and touched a strand of hair on Wu Zhen’s cheek, saying slowly, “There’s nothing wrong.”

Wu Zhen looked at his calm eyes and suddenly sighed, suspiciously, “Why do I feel that you seem to be trying to coax me recently, my dear?”

Mei Zhuyu: “…” He keenly sensed that telling the truth was not wise, so he remained silent.

On that day, everyone celebrated the wedding with great enthusiasm. Finally, thanks to Wu Zhen’s kindness, she let the two lovers be alone together.

Afterward, everyone drank together. Mei Si suddenly put down his glass and sighed, “Cui Jiu got married. I heard that his family has made arrangements for him. After the marriage, he will work in the Honglu Temple and no longer play with us in the future.”

“Yes, Sister Zhen hasn’t been with us often since she got married, and now Cui Jiu is leaving too. I feel like life will be even more boring in the future.” Master Zhao felt a little melancholic and tilted his head back to take a big gulp of wine.

The group of young men who were so excited just now were filled with sorrow. Only Wu Zhen put down her wine glass and said nonchalantly, “What’s the big deal? When you are at this age, you should get married and then serve as officials in the court and do some serious work.”

These young men all had excellent family backgrounds, with generations of their families serving as officials. They had received good education since birth and were destined to follow the same path as their elders. Even if they were young and carefree, when they reached a certain age, they would have to become responsible and take on their duties.