The night grew deeper, but the Xiao Family Estate remained brightly lit and brimming with activity.
At the command of Xiao Fu and Xiao Mu, the entire household sprang into motion.
Maids and servants hurried back and forth from the storeroom carrying bolts of red silk, while several hired hands were dispatched to the streets to buy wedding candles and red paper.
With such a tight schedule, they had no choice but to begin preparations that very night.
Xiao Fu sat in the main hall, a red-paper guest list clutched in his hand, his brows furrowed in deep thought as he discussed with his eldest son, Xiao Yun, exactly who should be invited.
“We must invite Uncle’s family, of course, and Aunt’s side can’t be left out either.”
Xiao Fu made a few marks on the list with his brush, then paused.
“Given the way the third one is now, there’s no need to invite too many people.”
“As for those distant relatives, let’s just skip them.”
Xiao Yun nodded and took the list for a look.
“Just these few close families, then.”
“For the rest, a simple greeting will suffice.”
Xiao Fu let out a sigh, set down his brush, and gazed out the window at the bustling servants, his expression momentarily distant.
“In all my years, this is the first time I’ve married off a son.”
“It’s truly unheard of.”
Xiao Yun couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Father, that’s not quite right.”
“The third one is bringing a bride in, not being married off.”
“Right, right, I misspoke.”
Xiao Fu nodded repeatedly and lowered his gaze to the list again.
“He’s bringing a bride in, bringing a bride in.”
Despite saying so, his mind still couldn’t quite wrap around the idea.
In Xiao Xue’s quarters, he sat on the edge of the bed, taking in the room he had lived in for sixteen years.
The room had been tidied spotlessly, everything just as it had always been.
Mother must have come by often to clean these past two years.
“Your room is pretty spacious, huh?”
Ye Qingshuang’s voice came from behind him.
She stood by the window, idly poking at the potted orchid on the sill that had already withered more than halfway.
She tilted her head to study it for a moment, then turned to sweep her gaze across the room’s furnishings, her bright eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Xiao Xue smiled at her words.
“I’ve been convalescing in this room since I was little.”
“It’s only ever been this size, so where’s the space?”
“It’s much bigger than the room I had back at the Sect.”
Ye Qingshuang turned and took a few steps to the bed, plopping down on it.
No sooner had she sat than she leaned her head against his shoulder, her tone brimming with barely contained excitement.
“Just now, our mother pulled me aside and chatted with me for a long time.”
At the words “our mother,” Xiao Xue felt a faint stir in his heart and turned his head to look at her.
“What did you talk about?”
“So many things.”
Ye Qingshuang’s face lit up with enthusiasm.
“She said when you were little, you refused to take your medicine and had to be coaxed for ages before you’d open your mouth.”
“She said one winter when you were eight, it snowed heavily and you insisted on going out to build a snowman, but that night you ran a fever so high you were unconscious, and she cried the whole night from fright.”
“She also said your Second Brother used to sneak bites of your medicinal meals when he was young, and your mother chased him through three streets with a stick…”
As Xiao Xue listened, his face flushed red.
“Mother, how could she tell you all these things?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It just means she treats me like family.”
Ye Qingshuang looked up with a grin, her eyes shining brightly at him.
“Our mother told me so many stories about you when you were little, things I’d never heard before.”
“It’s all so new.”
She paused, tilted her head in thought, then added.
“Oh, and she also told me what to do on the wedding day.”
“She said during the day we have to bow to Heaven and Earth first, then at night we drink the Crossed Cups, and there’s also the Wedding Night and all that…”
Ye Qingshuang’s eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation, like a child about to receive a new toy, practically buzzing with eagerness.
“The wedding night?”
“What’s that?”
“Is it fun?”
Xiao Xue felt his scalp tingle at her innocent question.
He opened his mouth to explain but found himself at a loss for how to put it appropriately.
In the end, he could only clear his throat and hedge vaguely.
“It’s just a formality between husband and wife.”
“You’ll know when the day comes.”
“Oh.”
Ye Qingshuang nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation without pressing further.
She leaned back against his shoulder and murmured softly.
“I just told mother that once we’re wed and return to the Sect, I’ll take good care of you, so she can rest easy.”
Xiao Xue hummed in response, a warmth spreading through his chest.
He was about to say something grateful when the thought of his Second Brother’s earlier shameless antics surfaced, and he couldn’t help but sigh, muttering under his breath.
“You may be happy, Senior Sister, but my Second Brother has been giving me a hard time.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingshuang lifted her head to look at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“What did Second Brother say?”
“Him…”
Xiao Xue shook his head, looking exasperated.
“He just never takes anything seriously.”
“He said no matter what I become, I’m still his little brother in his eyes, and then he went on about the little bird still being there and other nonsense.”
“I don’t ever want to hear him talk again.”
Ye Qingshuang blinked, seemingly recalling the phrase “the little bird is still there.”
She smiled but didn’t press further about what it meant.
Instead, she patted the back of Xiao Xue’s hand reassuringly.
“Second Brother only talks like that because he’s close to you.”
“Look how steady your eldest brother is, while your Second Brother loves to tease.”
“Isn’t that perfect?”
“One keeps you in line, and the other keeps you company in the fun.”
Her words did lighten Xiao Xue’s mood.
He was just about to smile and respond when Ye Qingshuang’s smile suddenly faded, her voice growing softer.
“Honestly, Junior Brother, I envy you so much.”
Xiao Xue was taken aback.
Ye Qingshuang’s gaze drifted to the candle stand not far away.
“You have a father and a mother, two older brothers.”
“Even if one likes to nag and the other loves to cause a ruckus, they all genuinely care for you.”
As she spoke, a smile still lingered at the corner of her mouth, but it carried an inexplicable sadness.
“When mother held my hand and talked to me just now, her hand was so warm.”
“No one has ever held my hand like that.”
Xiao Xue’s heart clenched.
It hit him then that this lively, cheerful Senior Sister had been picked up by her Master and brought to the Divine Moon Pavilion since she was an infant.
“Senior Sister, you…”
“I was found by Master.”
Ye Qingshuang’s tone was casual, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.
“Master said I was left by the roadside, wrapped in a tattered cloth, my lips purple from the cold.”
“If Master hadn’t happened to pass by that day, I might not have survived.”
“So I have no idea who my parents were, or why they abandoned me.”
After hearing this, Xiao Xue suddenly felt that he really was fortunate in comparison.
He opened his mouth, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but when the words reached his lips, he felt he had no right to console her.
So he said nothing.
Instead, he reached out, wrapped an arm around Ye Qingshuang’s waist from the side, and pulled her close, drawing her into his embrace.
Caught off guard by the sudden gesture, Ye Qingshuang stiffened for a moment, then turned her head to look at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Senior Sister.”
Xiao Xue rested his chin on her shoulder.
“From now on, you have a home.”
He paused, then added another line.
“My father is your father, my mother is your mother, and my brothers are your brothers too.”
“This is your home now.”
“If you’re willing, we’ll stay together for the rest of our lives.”
“And if you ever want to come back and see them, I’ll come with you anytime.”
Ye Qingshuang froze.
She stared at Xiao Xue for a long moment, and then she suddenly smiled.
It was just as bright as her usual carefree grin, but there was something more behind it.
“Alright, then I’ll remember that.”
She raised a hand and gently patted the back of Xiao Xue’s hand around her waist.
Her voice was thick with emotion, but her smile couldn’t be hidden.
“You’d better not go back on your word.”
“Never.”