Chapter 286
Chapter 286
Qin Nan’s group numbered eleven. With Brother Zhao and his wife and daughter, that made fourteen people in total.
There were only about ten seats at the table. There was no way all of them could fit.
Brother Zhao sighed when he saw this, but he did not try to force it. After showing Qin Nan’s group to a table, he took his wife and daughter to the neighboring one.
Everyone attending the banquet was a local, so they naturally knew one another. Brother Zhao and his family soon struck up a conversation with the others.
Since they were seated right beside Qin Nan’s group and made no effort to lower their voices, Qin Nan and the others overheard some of what they said.
“Not bad, Old Zhao. The quality of this batch is pretty good. I spotted them at the entrance earlier. Squire Xie will probably be pleased. Looks like your good days are finally coming,” the man next to Brother Zhao said with a laugh, clapping him on the shoulder. Then he added, “Don’t forget your friends once you make it big.”
Brother Zhao hurriedly replied, “It’s still too early to say. Nothing’s certain yet. But if I’m really lucky enough, I definitely won’t forget any of you.”
“That’s what I like to hear. We’ll have to share a proper drink later.”
“…”
The more Qin Nan listened, the darker his expression became.
Why did it sound as though Brother Zhao had brought their group here for Squire Xie to choose from? And if Squire Xie took a liking to one of them, Brother Zhao would receive some money in return?
This…
Qin Nan was not the only one who had reached that conclusion. The others had figured it out as well.
After all, these people were not even trying to be discreet.
“What do we do now? I’m almost certain that Squire Xie took a fancy to Lin Junruo earlier,” Yellow Hair whispered.
Lin Junruo’s face went blank.
“I don’t have that many Points, do I? Why am I the first one being targeted?” Lin Junruo asked aggrievedly.
Yellow Hair gave her a sympathetic look. “This really has nothing to do with Points. Blame your face.”
Lin Junruo was speechless.
So it was her fault for being pretty?
“We’ll wait and see,” Jian Fan said.
If Squire Xie really tried to detain Lin Junruo by force, they still had Lu Jing and Yang Zhen. They were not without the strength to fight back.
Lin Junruo had clearly thought of that as well.
She glanced at Yang Zhen, who was sitting beside her, and immediately flashed her a dazzling smile. “Sister Yang, I’m putting my life in your hands.”
Lin Junruo was already a great beauty. When she deliberately added a touch of flattery to that smile, it was devastatingly effective. Yang Zhen had seemed like the cold and ruthless type, yet the moment Lin Junruo smiled at her, a faint blush appeared on her face.
She cleared her throat and said, “It’s no trouble. Stay close to me later. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
Lin Junruo’s eyes lit up. “Sister Yang, you’re amazing.”
That was not all. Mu Xin had originally been sitting on one side of Yang Zhen, with Zhou Jingying on the other. Now, Lin Junruo even went out of her way to switch seats with Mu Xin, clearly intending to stick as close to Yang Zhen as possible from then on.
“Hey, where do you think Fang Kang ran into trouble?” Qin Nan suddenly asked, remembering that crucial person.
So far, the things they had encountered were certainly bizarre, but none of them had been life-threatening. What exactly had Fang Kang done, and what situation had he encountered, to meet with an accident?
They did not even know whether he was still alive or had already been eliminated.
Although no one could be certain, they already had a vague answer in their hearts.
Things might have been different during the day, but given what was happening tonight, if Fang Kang were still alive, one of the other townspeople would surely have brought him to the Xie Family wedding as well. Since he was nowhere to be seen, he was most likely already gone.
No one answered Qin Nan’s question. Instead, Jian Fan suddenly said, “It’s starting.”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone instinctively looked up.
A commotion broke out outside. The townsfolk nearby rose to their feet and crowded around the manor’s entrance.
Jian Fan was the first to stand, and the others naturally followed.
Lin Junruo instinctively stayed beside Mu Xin. After walking a few steps, however, she caught herself and paused before moving over to Yang Zhen’s side. She even linked arms with Yang Zhen, afraid they might get separated.
Yang Zhen’s face flushed again at the sudden contact.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, and everyone else’s attention was focused elsewhere. No one noticed her embarrassment.
Jian Fan followed the crowd to the entrance.
Squire Xie was already standing there, gazing expectantly down the road.
A servant was keeping watch outside. He seemed to spot something and shouted to the people at the gate, “They’re here! The bridal sedan is here! The Groom is here!”
At once, Squire Xie hurriedly called to the servants by the gate.
Moments later, strings of firecrackers began exploding one after another, instantly sending the festivities into full swing.
Qin Nan took in the scene and remarked, “This doesn’t look much like a ghost marriage.”
Ghost marriages were never this lively, nor were they celebrated with such fanfare.
Yet the less it resembled one, the more uneasy Qin Nan felt. What exactly was going on here?
Once the firecrackers died down, a procession arrived at the entrance.
A band of musicians beating gongs and drums led the way. Behind them rode a young woman in red bridal robes, mounted on a horse adorned with a huge red flower.
Wait…
The Bride was riding the horse?
Dressed in red, her hair arranged in an elaborate style and adorned with exquisite ornaments, the young woman exchanged a few cordial greetings with the townsfolk as she rode past, clasping her hands in salute. Behind her came a bridal sedan, followed by servants carrying red chests.
Qin Nan stared at the scene in shock.
“The Bride is on horseback, so is the Groom riding in the bridal sedan?” Qin Nan blurted out.
In truth, the others were just as stunned.
None of them had ever seen anything like this.
Men had married into their wives’ families since ancient times, but no one had ever heard of the Bride riding openly through the streets while the Groom traveled in a carriage.
While Qin Nan was still reeling, the Bride swung down from her horse with practiced ease.
Under the matchmaker’s guidance, she walked over to the bridal sedan.
The matchmaker recited a string of auspicious phrases, after which the Bride lightly kicked the sedan door. A maid then stepped forward and helped the person inside emerge.
The person in the sedan was also dressed in red. Unlike the Bride’s magnificent gown, however, he wore a matching red robe cut in a masculine style. Judging by his build, he was unquestionably a man.
The crowd was not particularly surprised to see a man emerge from the bridal sedan.
But…
Could someone please explain why the Groom was wearing a red bridal veil?
This made absolutely no sense.
The matchmakers launched into another stream of auspicious phrases. The Bride then led the Groom into the manor as another round of firecrackers erupted at the gate.
The newlyweds crossed the courtyard and entered the main hall.
Squire Xie was already seated in the place of honor, smiling broadly at the couple below.
Qin Nan and the others followed the crowd into the main hall.
The wedding bows were about to begin.
Nothing else that followed was particularly strange. The Bride and Groom had merely swapped their traditional roles, so Qin Nan and the others simply watched the spectacle unfold.
Normally, once the wedding bows were complete, the Bride would be escorted to the bridal chamber. Since the roles were reversed here, it should have been the Groom instead. But once again, things took an unexpected turn.
The Bride was actually going to lift the Groom’s veil right there in the hall.