Chapter 303

Chapter 303: 296: Xie Shang Changling Post-Wedding Extra 1 Chapter 303: 296: Xie Shang Changling Post-Wedding Extra 1 The first night of our marriage was spent at the Su Family home, because Wen Changling had proposed so capriciously and hastily that Madam Zhai Wenjin simply didn’t have time to prepare; she hastily arranged a pair of red candles, a pair of double happiness characters, and a new quilt.

After dinner, Madam Zhai pulled Xie Shang aside, “You’re being too casual, at the very least you should have picked an auspicious date, so I could have prepared in advance.”

“The marriage registration was Changling’s idea, and it was a bit rushed, but I wanted to settle things down quickly too.”

Xie Shang didn’t drink any alcohol that evening, but his ears were red for a long time, and everyone could tell how happy he was.

Today wasn’t selected through careful choice; it was an ordinary day, and no one knew if it was an auspicious day for marriage or not. But none of that was important because, no matter how long after, this day would become special because it was to be commemorated with Wen Changling.

Red candles flickered gently in the room.

Wen Changling felt a bit hot, so she took off her clothes and tossed them onto the carpet beside the bed. The newly-laid quilt was soft and fluffy, and she pushed Xie Shang down onto it.

Now that she had a certificate, she felt different from before.

“Can we do it without a condom?”

Xie Shang hadn’t completely lost his mind, “No.”

Wen Changling was still on the pill, and she didn’t plan on having children at the moment.

“You’re such a killjoy.”

She sat on top of Xie Shang to kiss him.

Xie Shang turned off the bedside light, leaving only the candlelight. One hand supported Wen Changling’s waist, the other propped up his body, leaning back slightly, letting her tease and play with him. It wouldn’t be long. When it came to intimacy, Wen Changling always liked to initiate but didn’t like to exert too much effort. After she’d had enough fun and left marks all over, grinding him to almost insufferable heights, she would rub her instep against Xie Shang’s leg—a habit of hers—signifying that it was his turn to take the initiative.

Xie Shang held her and changed positions, his fingertips touching only the fragile and tender softness beneath them.

The flickering candlelight cast an unreal shadow of the double happiness character on the window. After having his desires fulfilled, Xie Shang’s biggest sensation was that of unreality. Upon leaving the civil affairs bureau, he even felt that the ground he walked on was soft and that no matter how he held the person in his arms, it wasn’t tight enough—so he used a lot of strength.

Afterward, Wen Changling complained to him.

“You were so rough just now.”

Xie Shang asked if he had hurt her.

Actually, it did.

Standing on the step between the glass partitions of the bathroom, she said it didn’t hurt, said she liked it, and tipped her toes to kiss Xie Shang again. The bathroom glass quickly fogged up with steam, and when they came out, the red candles were burnt down to half their size.

Worried about Wen Changling catching a cold, Xie Shang dried her hair for her then placed her on the sofa in the bedroom, covering her with a blanket.

“Tired?”

Wen Changling curled up into a ball on the sofa, “Mhm.”

Xie Shang didn’t seem tired.

He was full of energy, unlike Wen Changling, whose eyelids started to droop.

“I’ll go change the quilt.”

They had both sweated and the quilt was a mess.

Wen Changling held on to Xie Shang, softly speaking, “If we change it, others will know.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Xie Shang poured a cup of tea onto the quilt they took off.

On the first Saturday in July, Xie Shang and Wen Changling held their wedding at the Su Family’s private castle, where blue wind chimes, symbolizing ardent love and sincerity, climbed all over the high walls of the entire castle.

Blue wind chimes were another name for the flowers; when they bloomed, the branches hung down, with the blue petals loosely falling upon them, and when the wind blew, it swayed the “wind chimes” throughout the world.

The wedding only invited close friends and family, but with the Su and Xie families celebrating the great occasion, reporters came upon hearing the news, though they were all kept outside the ancient castle. The only photo that circulated was not clear—

a vast spread of blue wind chimes, a red carpet, a white wedding dress, the veil blown into mid-air by the wind, and Xie Shang kissing the bride.

Outside the castle—

An old man with white hair stretched his neck to peek inside the gate.

Uncle Zhong was genuinely worried about his cervical spine, “Shall we go in and look?”

Xie Jingxian pulled back his neck, his mouth as hard as concrete, “What’s there to see?”

Uncle Zhong sighed. A grandson’s wedding and Grandpa wasn’t attending; what kind of situation was that?

The wedding invitation had been delivered to the Xie Family a month ago, but Xie Jingxian had thrown it away. He had declared that the Xie Family no longer had a grandson named Xie Shang, and once such words were out there, there was no taking them back.

Xie Jingxian touched his neck, which was quite sore, then stretched it forward to exercise it.

Uncle Zhong advised, “Since you’re already here, why not—”

“I’m not here for the wedding,” Xie Jingxian angrily tapped the floor tiles with his cane. “Where’s the tour guide? How does the tour guide lead the way, bringing me here?”

Yesterday, Xie Jingxian had come over unexpectedly to travel, insisting on having his second son Xie Jiwen act as his escort and tour guide.

The tour guide Xie Jiwen had already entered the castle with his wife and child.

At this moment, a journalist spotted something newsworthy, and cameras began to sweep in their direction—

Xie Jingxian took off his hat to shield his face and huffily got into the car. He couldn’t let himself be photographed, otherwise, there was no telling what slander could be spread about that unworthy grandson.

*****

On August 8th, the Guan Family’s little great-grandson was born, and Guan Musheng named him Jingxian. “As fast as a galloping horse, the bowstring shocks like thunder—Guan Jingxian.”

Jhiang Youyou was a genius at naming, claiming a humble name was better for raising a child. Thus, Jingxian was also given the nickname: “Little by Little.” Little by Little resembled Guan Sixing more, not only in appearance but also in temperament—he hardly cried and was too lazy to even grunt.

Guan Sixing was the first in their circle of friends to become a father.

Gu Yihuan teased him, “Guan Sixing has always been like that, quietly making big moves.”

As for parenthood, Xie Shang had discussed it with Wen Changling. Wen Changling was still under psychological treatment, on medication, and not in a position to have children. When Xie Shang asked if she was childfree by choice, she said she wasn’t sure, because one day she might be annoyed with kids and change her mind the next.

Let’s see.

That’s how Wen Changling put it.

Wen Changling’s psychological treatment had continued for two years, and a lot had happened during that time.

For instance, the launch of Bao Deng No. 4 had been successful.

For instance, Guan Sixing had been awarded the Koceline Prize in Physics, becoming the only physicist in the empire to receive such an honor.

For instance, Miss Little Scar from the He Dongzhou family had undergone two surgeries within a year due to transplant rejection. He Dongzhou himself had a minor surgery, a vasectomy. He claimed it was because he didn’t like children, but Miss Little Scar was well aware that her body wasn’t fit for pregnancy.

For instance, Fu Ying’s business empire had expanded overseas.

For instance, Wen Changling received a postcard every year from Yan Cong, mailing from a small town in a foreign country, saying he was living well and had seen many new sights, so he was not yet ready to return home. Wen Changling kept the postcards carefully; she had already received three of them, one every June.

She knew where Yan Cong’s grave was, and she also knew that these postcards were prepared by Yan Cong long ago. She often visited Grandpa Yan’s grave but had never revealed the truth, preferring to imagine that the new medicine had worked, and that Yan Cong was really living in a small town in a foreign country.

Also, for instance, the day after the singer Gu Yihuan’s romance was exposed, he officially announced his marriage, with the date on the certificate being four months prior.

Eight months later, the Gu Yihuan family welcomed a little tiger, born in the Year of the Tiger. Gu Yihuan named him Bu Qun.

How martial arts-like, right? When Little Tiger was born, Gu Yihuan had just taken on a martial arts drama in which he played the female lead—the white moonlight who gets killed by the male lead. In that drama, the male lead’s father was named Bu Qun.

To have the male lead as his grandson—only Gu Yihuan would do something like that. And as to why he played the deceased white moonlight instead of the male lead, it was because Gu Yihuan’s acting was simply too atrocious. He could get by on his looks as a side character, but as for being the leading man, not a chance.

Little Tiger’s nickname was Huzi.

By the time Huzi was two, he could speak quite articulately. His mother took him to Ruyi Pawnshop to play, and he asked what a pawnshop was. She told him it’s a place where you can exchange things for other things.

Huzi climbed onto the counter, perching on a stool.

“Auntie.”

Zhang Xiaoming was off appraising pawns, Qian Zhouzhou was on leave, so Wen Changling was watching the shop: “Hello there, Little Tiger.”

Miss Pang San, Huzi’s mother, was on a work call, guarding her son with one hand to prevent any accidents.

His shiny, dark eyes stared at Wen Changling, and he extended a chubby little hand, still slick with saliva, placing down a cheese stick: “Pawn.”

He was bold for his age, just like his dad.

His cheeks, plump and white, looked so pinchable that Wen Changling couldn’t resist giving them a gentle squeeze. “How about Auntie buys you some candy instead?”

“I don’t want candy, I want a sister.”

Wen Changling had heard that the Pang Family was pressuring Pang Zijin to have a second child. There had been recent turmoil in the Pang Family; the patriarch had brought back an “unexpected treasure,” already of age, from outside, intending to reclaim Pang Zijin’s management rights over Pang’s business. It must have been the Pang Family who had spoken in Little Tiger’s presence about wanting a sister, using the child’s innocent talk to pressure Pang Zijin into returning to the family fold.

But they had underestimated Pang Zijin. Give up her position? How could that be possible? Pang Zijin, who was fiercely devoted to pampering her husband, had already had Pang’s rebranded under the name Gu.