Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 143: Getting Married

The side gate of the Lu family was not closed; it was half-open. Liu Yu was carrying a lantern and walking in front, she gave it a push, and it opened.

Lu Xun saw his youngest son returning and asked if he was delayed by business. Feeling relieved, Lu Xun finally felt at ease, knowing that the wedding was in six days. He was thinking about discussing urgent matters with his son. When he was in the main hall, he saw the Liu siblings arriving and hurried to greet them.

Liu Yanping was carrying two bowls of noodles and smiled, “My mother made these, and she asked me to bring them to Chengxiao. I haven’t seen Uncle for a long time, so I thought I’d bring my own portion here to eat as well.”

Not seeing Lu Chengxiao, he asked curiously, “Where is he?”

Lu Xun, knowing that Lu Chengxiao had gone to the Liu family, smiled and said, “He went to take a bath. He’s quite particular, saying he felt dirty.”

Liu Yanping couldn’t help but laugh. He glanced at Liu Yu and teased, “Only someone who cares about their appearance would be so particular. For me, my stomach is the most important thing.”

Liu Yu, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, called out to her brother, making him stop teasing her and Lu Chengxiao.

Lu Xun chuckled and said, “Go ahead and eat, don’t wait for Chengxiao.”

Liu Yanping was very close to Lu Chengxiao so he didn’t stand on ceremony. He picked up his bowl and started eating. Lu Xun was familiar with him, didn’t adhere to the rule of not talking while eating. He seized the chance to ask Liu Yanping about the journey that he hadn’t had time to inquire about from Lu Chengxiao.

Liu Yanping was very talkative, and Liu Yu enjoyed hearing about business matters. They were chatting happily when Lu Chengxiao, hearing Liu Yu’s voice, hurriedly changed his clothes and came out, still damp.

He must have been planning to go to the Liu family, as his hair was still tied up.

He quickly sat down next to Liu Yu and asked, “Why did you come here?”

Liu Yu pushed the bowl of noodles towards him and smiled, “I didn’t want the noodles to get soggy, so I brought them over. Eat quickly.”

Her voice was soft and gentle. Even before the noodles reached his mouth, Lu Chengxiao felt sweetness in his heart.

“Alright.” He smiled, took the chopsticks Liu Yu handed him, took a bite, and looked at her. The sweetness between them made Liu Yanping, sitting opposite, feel overwhelmed.

Lu Xun was very pleased and remembered something. He said, “The house has been decided. Your mother and I, along with Yu’er, went to see it and thought it was good. Now that you’re back, we can go see it together in the morning. If everything’s fine, we can pay the balance and get the deed.”

“So quickly?”

Lu Xun nodded, “It was good luck, we found it just in time.”

He explained why the house was for sale and the price.

This was a pleasant surprise. Lu Chengxiao looked at Liu Yu and asked, “Do you like it?”

Liu Yu smiled, “I think it’s good. It’s a two-courtyard house with a garden and a stable at the back.”

Lu Chengxiao’s face lit up with a smile, “Alright, I’ll finalize it in the morning. As for the deed, we might need to ask big brother to help expedite it.”

He wanted Liu Yu to go see the house with him but knew he had returned too late and still had many things to handle. The house had already been seen by his parents and Liu Yu. His visit would be brief, and the real time-consuming tasks were paying the balance and processing the deed. Liu Yu barely slept that night so she shouldn’t worry about it anymore.

Liu Yu didn’t know what Lu Chengxiao’s thoughts were. She agreed to inform her brother to help with the deed, “I’ll talk to him.”

Liu Yanping, on the other hand, was surprised. He asked, “When did you buy a house?”

“Before I went to Liangzhe, I found an agent.”

“You’re quick with things.”

Liu Yanping wanted to go see it, but he had to return to Xifeng Town by morning to deliver goods back to Yangshan Village and settle accounts with the villagers, as it was already mid-September.

Both were hungry and quickly finished their noodles.

Having met and chatted a bit, Liu Yu didn’t stay long, as it wasn’t proper for an unmarried woman to be out late.

Lu Chengxiao escorted her to the Liu family’s side gate, reluctantly urging her to sleep.

Liu Yu nodded but gave Lu Chengxiao a look.

Seeing this, Liu Yanping wanted to give them some space but was held back by Liu Yu, “Brother, wait.”

With the wedding so close, she didn’t want her brother teasing her afterward. Besides, her aunt and elder brother were still around.

Liu Yu turned to Lu Chengxiao and said, “The wedding clothes your mother ordered, I finished them. I had them brought back to Changfeng Town a few days ago. If you return to Changfeng Town during the day, remember to try them on. There’s extra fabric, so if the size is not right, ask your mother to make some adjustments.”

It turned out to be this matter, and Lu Chengxiao smiled, “Okay.”

Liu Yu told Lu Chengxiao to rest early, and then she and Liu Yanping entered the courtyard.

~

As for Lu Chengxiao, rest was out of the question. As the groom-to-be, there was no way he could avoid all responsibilities.

Returning home, he found Lu Xun waiting, busy writing invitations.

For the family relatives in Changfeng Town, Chen Shi had arranged to write and send the invitations. However, for his classmates in Anyi County and Yuanzhou, Lu Chengxiao had to handle it himself.

There weren’t many people to invite, but his classmates were in Yuanzhou, leaving him only seven days, which was quite tight.

Lu Xun had prepared the invitations early in the morning, just waiting for Lu Chengxiao to return and fill them out.

In Anyi County, besides the Zhou family, who were relatives, they needed to invite the Wang family. In Yuanzhou, there were the Li and Yang families.

Speaking of the Li family, Lu Xun finally had the chance to tell Lu Chengxiao about severing ties with them.

Lu Chengxiao was stunned after hearing it. He couldn’t believe things had taken such a turn. How did Mrs. Qian get upset with him and cause so many complications?

After hearing how his family had dealt with the situation, he could only sigh and said, “I’ll send an invitation to Zhongjue separately.”

Lu Xun nodded, “Your mother also thinks so. Write a separate invitation for Zhongjue. Time is tight, so include a letter with the invitations for your classmates. I’ll have a worker deliver the invitations to Yuanzhou. You should personally deliver the invitation to the Wang family in the morning and return to Changfeng Town in the afternoon. You should also visit your uncle and aunt’s villages to settle the accounts for the fabric quickly.”

Lu Chengxiao nodded. The payment for that batch of fabric had already been settled on the boat by Liu Yanping, and the money had been given to him. In the afternoon, he just needed to take the account book and the money back.

The urgent task was delivering the invitations to Yuanzhou. After some thought, Lu Chengxiao picked up a pen to write letters to Yang Cunxu, Li Zhongjue, and Wang Mingyun.

For Yang Cunxu, it was simple. He enclosed a letter with the invitation, inviting him to the wedding banquet and explaining that due to returning late from a business trip, he couldn’t deliver the invitation personally and had to send a worker instead, asking for his understanding.

For Wang Mingyun, this year was the year of the provincial exam, held in August. Lu Chengxiao wasn’t sure if Wang Mingyun had returned or was still in the provincial capital. He asked Yang Cunxu to help pass the letter to Wang Mingyun.

The letter to Li Zhongjue was the one Lu Chengxiao spent the most time deliberating over. Firstly, he expressed his regret about the current situation between their families, emphasizing that the bond forged over three years as classmates would remain unchanged. He then extended his greetings and comfort to Li Zhongyi. Finally, he invited Li Zhongjue to attend his wedding banquet on September 28th, mentioning that he had also invited Yang Cunxu and Wang Mingyun, suggesting they could come together if they were all in Yuanzhou City.

After completing these tasks, Lu Chengxiao only had a brief rest before dawn broke.

Lu Chengxiao and Lu Xun, along with the agent Zhu, went to the new house in the eastern part of the city to pay the remaining balance. They then went to the county government with the seller and the agent. With Liu Yanqing’s assistance, all the procedures were completed quickly. After paying the property tax, they obtained the property deed.

Next, they delivered the invitation to the Wang family and inquired about Wang Mingyun.

Old Master Wang smiled, “Mingyun wrote to us at the end of August, saying he felt confident about the exam and stayed in the provincial capital waiting for the results. But we haven’t heard anything yet, and we’re a bit worried.”

Hearing that Wang Mingyun was confident in his letter, Lu Chengxiao reassured him, “Don’t worry, Uncle. Mingyun is very talented and highly regarded by his teachers. He was well-prepared for this provincial exam and will surely succeed.”

Old Master Wang was delighted to hear this, smiling broadly, “Thank you for your kind words!”

Lu Chengxiao’s words turned out to be prophetic. Just as they were talking, a messenger arrived at the Wang household with good news—Wang Mingyun had ranked 75th in the provincial exam.

With this success, Wang Mingyun was now officially a Juren, recognized by the imperial court. Lu Chengxiao immediately addressed Old Master Wang as “Elder Master.”

Overjoyed, Elder Master Wang held Lu Chengxiao’s hand and said, “When Mingyun returns and we host a banquet, you and your father must come. I will have Mingyun personally deliver the invitation to your house.”

Lu Chengxiao was more than happy to oblige.

Many local gentry and relatives came to congratulate the Wang family. After parting from Elder Master Wang, Lu Chengxiao returned home and informed Lu Xun of the news. Lu Xun immediately started preparing gifts.

~

On September 19th, Lu Chengxiao returned to Changfeng Town.

On September 20th, Wei Shi and Liu Yu arranged matters at the embroidery workshop, entrusting it to Madam Zhang. They then returned to Yangshan Village to prepare for the wedding. All the dowry items that Liu Yu had made with the help of the embroiderers were packed and transported to Yangshan Village.

Meanwhile, at the Lu Feng Cloth Shop, Lu Xun and Lu Chengzong handed over the business to the shop workers. In Xifeng Town, as the new shop had no employees and no trusted staff yet, Lu Chengzhang and Zhou Qiongying, who had just opened the shop, also returned to Changfeng Town to prepare for Lu Chengxiao’s wedding.

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