Still Frame Chapter 63
byChapter 63 A Wedding in a Dream
Zhang Liuxin and Wen Jin told Tu Huisha the time of their return trip and also mentioned Brother Qiuyue’s wedding. Tu Huisha looked very happy and said, “That’s perfect. You can attend the wedding before you go back. Our weddings here are very special—fun, lively, and meaningful.”
It wasn’t until the day of the wedding that Zhang Liuxin understood what Tu Huisha meant by “special.”
Because the town was small, a joyous occasion for one family was a major event for the entire town. Early that morning, even Duofei woke up especially early. When Zhang Liuxin and Wen Jin went downstairs, they saw the little girl already dressed in a floral skirt, with two cute little braids, looking full of energy and very endearing.
“Feifei looks so pretty today!” Zhang Liuxin said.
Duofei smiled and clung to his side. “Because I’m going to be the flower girl today.”
Zhang Liuxin raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really? Then we’ll look forward to seeing the little flower girl later.”
“Mhm!”
Qiuyue’s family had ordered a large cake and a dessert tower from Tu Huisha’s shop. The three adults had spent the entire day yesterday preparing the ingredients. Now, all that was left was for Tu Huisha to finish the large cake, and then they could leave.
Duofei swung her little legs, eating breakfast and saying, “I love weddings the most! They are always so much fun!”
Zhang Liuxin nodded. Wen Jin was peeling a peach beside him, which was astonishing. Young Master Wen had finally learned how to peel a complete, beautiful piece of fruit.
Unexpectedly, despite her young age, Duofei was very curious. Her round eyes looked at Zhang Liuxin, then at Wen Jin, and finally, she asked Zhang Liuxin, “Liuxin, have you and Uncle Yue also been married for a very, very long time? What was your wedding like?”
Zhang Liuxin hadn’t expected the child to suddenly ask this and was momentarily unsure how to answer. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It was on a small island.”
Wen Jin might have heard a familiar word and asked him, “What are you talking about?”
They had fallen asleep in each other’s arms last night. When he woke up today, he found their bodies pressed tightly together without any gap, which made his ears feel hot. So, when Wen Jin spoke to him now, he vaguely shifted his gaze away.
“Duofei is asking about our wedding.”
Duofei asked, “An island? Was it on the sea?”
Seeing her bright, sparkling eyes, Zhang Liuxin felt his heart soften even more. “Yes, it was on the vast ocean.”
He glanced at Wen Jin and silently added in his heart, it was because Wen Jin liked the sea.
“I’ve never seen the sea. What is the sea like? Is it big? Is it bigger than our town?”
Zhang Liuxin nodded. “Yes, it’s very big, much, much bigger than the town. You can’t see the end of it.”
Duofei was naturally more interested and said longingly, “I really want to see the sea too.”
Just then, Wen Jin divided the peach into small slices and handed them over. Zhang Liuxin asked him, “If we have the chance, can we take Feifei to the island to play?”
The island where they held their wedding belonged to Wen Jin. Zhang Liuxin had heard Duan Chengzhi mention once that the island was constantly maintained, and Wen Jin’s relatives and friends would occasionally go there for vacation, but he and Wen Jin had never gone back.
Wen Jin nodded. “We can. When we return, I’ll have someone tidy it up again. We can go for a vacation then.”
Zhang Liuxin smiled. “Doesn’t this count as a vacation? It’s longer than my annual leave.”
The time they had spent living here had been extremely leisurely. Zhang Liuxin was even starting to enjoy it so much he forgot about returning, but he knew very well that he wouldn’t stay here forever.
“No, it doesn’t count,” Wen Jin said lightly, taking a bite of peach. As for why it didn’t count, he didn’t explain the reason.
Just then, Tu Huisha finished the cake, packaged it, and came out carrying a very large cake box. She said to them, “Let’s grab the things and get going.”
Duofei exclaimed, “Such a big and fragrant cake! Mom, what flavor is this?”
Tu Huisha gently scratched her daughter’s nose. “It’s strawberry and blueberry. Let’s go, little glutton.”
Tu Yier also arrived and drove the car. They were responsible for helping load the food into the car, and then they would walk to Qiuyue’s house for the wedding.
On the way, Tu Huisha gave them some background. “Our weddings here last all day. Noon is the ceremony, the afternoon is the tea party and dance, and the evening is the wine party. Yueyue’s father is especially good at brewing wine. Every time there’s a happy event in their family, they take some out of the cellar. We’re in for a treat today.”
He hadn’t expected the wedding in this small town to be so elaborate, with celebrations in the morning, noon, and evening. No wonder everyone had put down their work and fully immersed themselves in the event.
Before they even reached Qiuyue’s house, they saw the streetlights along the road decorated with exquisite colored flowers and scenery. In the sunlight, they looked like dancing rainbows. Whenever the wind blew, the wind chimes made a crisp sound, not noisy, but uniquely charming.
“Did their family make these wind chimes themselves?”
Tu Huisha nodded. “Yes, the colored flowers were made by the bride’s family, and the wind chimes were made by the groom’s family. These are old traditions that have been preserved. The elders say this can attract good fortune and also inform the deceased relatives in the family to come home and attend the wedding of their loved ones.”
Zhang Liuxin found it very interesting. He stared at a blue wind chime for a while and then thought of his mother, whose face had long become blurred.
“Let’s go, Liuxin.”
Seeing him pause, Wen Jin also stopped briefly, waiting for him. His deep, ink-black phoenix eyes finally looked like glazed beads under the overly bright sunlight, shimmering with beautiful radiance.
“I’m coming,” Zhang Liuxin walked side-by-side with him again, following Tu Huisha and her daughter. “The wedding in Bernlin is so interesting.”
He relayed what Tu Huisha had just said to Wen Jin, who listened and nodded in agreement.
When they arrived at Qiuyue’s house, the atmosphere was even more festive and lively. The entrance was decorated with large, brightly colored roses, not stiffly placed in baskets, but flourishing in potted plants, arranged in a staggered manner. The walls were covered with climbing magenta roses. A gentle breeze brought a scent wrapped in flower nectar.
A local Bernlin band was playing under a gazebo. The instruments were unfamiliar to them, but the music was very pleasant, the melodies overflowing with romance and passion.
The guests coming and going were dressed in local Bernlin attire, mostly in bright colors. Everyone greeted each other and chatted happily.
Qiuyue was also dressed beautifully today, in a long dress with contrasting sapphire blue and crimson purple, her beautiful long hair styled into a dignified updo, paired with a lily-shaped hairpin, making her look very youthful and moving.
The young woman saw them approaching and waved happily. She first thanked Tu Huisha for her hard work, then complimented Duofei on being pretty and cute today, and finally told Zhang Liuxin not to be reserved and to enjoy themselves freely today.
Zhang Liuxin curved his eyes and also complimented her on her beauty today. “I apologize, we didn’t prepare a wedding gift.”
“It’s alright. A wedding isn’t held for gifts; it’s for celebration.”
Tu Yier also finished unloading and walked over. There were several rugged-looking men nearby, who appeared to be his friends. They were laughing and talking. Someone asked Tu Yier who these two people from out of state were, and Tu Yier warmly said they were his and his sister’s friends.
This word “friends” touched Zhang Liuxin’s heart. He proactively greeted them. Both he and Wen Jin were wearing rings today, so he introduced Wen Jin as his husband. The others didn’t show any surprise but warmly and generously wished them a hundred years of harmony.
Zhang Liuxin’s brows relaxed, looking pleased. He translated the phrase “a hundred years of harmony” to Wen Jin word for word. Wen Jin learned quickly, nodded, and a similar smile appeared in his eyes. He repeated, “Good, a hundred years of harmony.”
Tu Huisha said, “Chen, Yue, why don’t you look around? I see a few friends, I’m going to say hello to them.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Liuxin felt an annoying gaze, making him feel sick, like he was targeted prey. He frowned. Just as he was about to look for the source of the gaze, he saw Wen Jin had already locked onto a direction. Following his gaze, it was indeed Feng Xi.
Ever since he felt the man resembled Zhang Qiannan, Zhang Liuxin felt unusually annoyed whenever he saw him. Wanting to keep him out of sight and out of mind, he pulled Wen Jin to walk in another direction. Unexpectedly, Feng Xi was persistent and shamelessly followed them.
This time, the man didn’t look at Wen Jin with infatuation but arrogantly and contemptuously scrutinized Zhang Liuxin from bottom to top. “So you really are a cripple. I’m very curious why your husband chose to be with you.”
For some reason, Feng Xi was much more direct today, openly radiating malice towards him. Zhang Liuxin merely glanced at him indifferently. “I’m also curious why you are so interested in someone else’s husband.”
Feng Xi’s expression slightly changed.
“It’s such a festive day today, don’t say such malicious things,” Zhang Liuxin lowered his voice, his calm green eyes looking at Feng Xi, appearing unfazed. “I may be a cripple, but you are the same—mentally disabled and lacking in manners.”
“You!” Feng Xi’s face turned ashen, and he angrily stepped forward, but Wen Jin quickly blocked Zhang Liuxin, looking at him with an impatient and cold gaze. The moment Feng Xi met that look, his scalp instantly tingled, and he sheepishly withdrew his hand.
“You are people from Yinzhou, the ones the city inspection team was looking for the other day,” Feng Xi sneered. “I’ve already reported it to the town. Just wait to be arrested.”
Zhang Liuxin was a little surprised, not expecting Feng Xi to try to trip them up here. However, he wasn’t worried. Duan Chengzhi had already set the return time, which meant he had coordinated with Bernlin. They wouldn’t have any trouble.
But there was no need to tell Feng Xi this. Zhang Liuxin genuinely didn’t want to talk to someone similar to Zhang Qiannan. He hooked Wen Jin’s hand and said, “Let’s go, ignore him.”
“He was very disrespectful to you. In a few days, I will find someone to talk to.”
“Don’t bother. We’re leaving anyway, and we won’t see him again,” Zhang Liuxin consoled him.
Wen Jin was not entirely satisfied with his yielding attitude, but seeing that his expression was genuinely peaceful, he said no more.
The two walked through the backyard and discovered a large lawn there, which was currently decorated as the wedding venue. Wooden chairs were casually placed, and there was a huge archway adorned with various colorful flowers. Because the flowers were fragrant and brightly colored, they attracted many butterflies. Behind it were blue skies, white clouds, and a tranquil, clear lake. The scene was incredibly dreamy.
“The wedding here is even more beautiful than I imagined,” he thought. In a setting like this, when the couple declared “I love you,” they would surely be happy forever. “I’m really looking forward to the ceremony later.”
“It is indeed beautiful.” Wen Jin lowered his eyes to look at him.
He and Wen Jin walked along the lake. A gentle breeze swept by, causing ripples to spread across the water, reflecting both of their shadows.
Wen Jin said, “Are you happy today?”
Zhang Liuxin found a spot and sat down on the ground. Unexpectedly, Wen Jin followed suit and sat beside him, holding his hand and gazing at the diamond ring, as if he couldn’t look at it enough.
“Yes, I’ve been infected by the atmosphere here. Don’t you think so? When everyone is purely happy about one thing, it’s hard not to be happy.”
“I agree. A wedding is a day worth commemorating.”
Wen Jin’s expression was unexpectedly solemn. Zhang Liuxin rarely saw him look so serious. He was surprised for a moment, opened his mouth, and was about to ask something, but he was interrupted by a familiar Yinzhou dialect: “Excuse me… are you Mr. Zhang?”