"Wonderful, wonderful. A fine son-in-law truly puts his heart into things," Madam Cheng said with a smile as she took Han Zhi's hand.
Su Xun had Han Zhi sit nearby and asked, "Good son-in-law, when do you and Banniang plan to set off for The Capital?"
Han Zhi paused, exchanged a glance with Su Zhen, and replied, "With all due respect to Father, Banniang and I plan to leave on the fourteenth of the ninth month."
Su Xun and Madam Cheng both frowned at this. Madam Cheng asked, "Isn't that terribly rushed? On the fourth of the tenth month, we're holding a grand one-month celebration feast to pray for blessings for the two of you."
"The journey from Meishan to The Capital is over a thousand miles, and the trip alone will take a full month. There's no telling if we might be delayed by something along the way, so the sooner, the better," Han Zhi explained.
Seeing this, Madam Cheng pressed no further. She pulled Su Zhen to sit beside her, reached out, and gently stroked her daughter's face. Su Zhen patiently allowed her mother to do as she pleased.
When her fingers brushed the corners of Su Zhen's eyes, Madam Cheng's brows suddenly twitched. She stroked her twice more, looked closely, and felt that her daughter had taken on a more mature air, with a hint of allure lingering at the corners of her eyes and brows.
"Our little girl is a proper Madam now," she murmured, gently petting her daughter.
At that moment, Su Xun pulled Han Zhi close and asked, "Good son-in-law, once you reach The Capital, will you have a place to stay, or will you need to purchase a residence of your own?"
Han Zhi stroked his chin in thought before replying, "My father once served in The Capital and was granted a residence by Guanjia. We should be staying there."
Just then, Su Zhen walked over, sat down beside Han Zhi, gently tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Husband, you're forgetting something."
"What is it?"
"Between you and Sir, aren't things somewhat..." Su Zhen trailed off, leaving the second half unsaid.
Han Zhi understood immediately. The relationship between himself and his father, Han Zhuo, was not particularly good. Even without asking, anyone could easily guess most of it just by observing the father and son's usual demeanor. Han Zhuo treated Su Zhen well as a daughter-in-law, but treating Su Zhen well did not mean he treated Han Zhi well.
"In that case, Sir might not necessarily let us stay there, so you'd better start preparing to buy a house," Su Zhen said.
A look of difficulty crossed Han Zhi's face. It seemed he really needed to start considering this issue. He then asked, "So, Banniang, do you think houses in The Capital are expensive?"
Su Zhen shook her head. "This concubine wouldn't know. I was born and raised in Meishan, and the furthest place I've ever been is from home to the bookstore."
Seeing the grave expressions on Han Zhi and Su Zhen's faces, Su Xun called out, "Good son-in-law? Good son-in-law, has something happened?"
Han Zhi let out a breath and said, "Nothing at all."
Su Xun looked at the newlyweds and simply assumed they were sharing some private whispers, while Su Shi and Little Su Zhe looked on in confusion. But just as things were going smoothly, a disruption was bound to happen. A voice shattered the silence of the main hall:
"Good brother-in-law! Are we holding the Huilang Ceremony today?"
The people in the hall all looked over. It was none other than Cheng Jun, Cheng Xu, and Cheng Zhicai.
"Cousin." Cheng Zhicai bowed to Su Zhen at that moment, completely and neatly bypassing Han Zhi.
"The one sitting beside Banniang... must be the husband you found, brother-in-law?" Cheng Jun glanced at Han Zhi, sneering, "And here I thought he'd be some handsome young lord or talented scholar, but he looks entirely ordinary."
Su Zhen frowned, sensing that something was off about him. Han Zhi looked down at his clothes for the day; they were quite ordinary garments, in his usual light blue color.
He touched his hair to see if it was untied, but everything seemed normal.
"Banniang," Han Zhi leaned in close to Su Zhen's ear and whispered, "did I not dress properly today?"
Su Zhen stepped back slightly and looked Han Zhi up and down. She had dressed him herself that morning; although she wasn't very practiced at it, he still looked much better than when he fumbled with his clothes on his own.
"You look fine."
At that moment, however, Su Zhen noticed a stray lock of hair hanging by Han Zhi's ear, so she reached out and tucked it behind his ear.
While this was a perfectly normal interaction for the two of them, in the eyes of others, it carried an entirely different meaning—Su Xun and Madam Cheng saw such intimacy as proof of deep devotion.
To Cheng Jun, however, it felt like deliberate showmanship and mockery directed at him.
"Husband, there's nothing wrong with your appearance now," Banniang said after carefully inspecting Han Zhi's face once more, nodding in satisfaction.
Only then did Han Zhi set his mind at ease. He stood up and bowed to Cheng Jun and Cheng Xu, saying, "I have met..."
Suddenly realizing he didn't yet know who they were, he lowered his head and asked Su Zhen, "Who are these two?"
"These two are my mother's people, and also my uncles. Husband, you may address them as I do," Su Zhen prompted.
Han Zhi nodded and bowed to the two men again. "I have met my two uncles."
Cheng Jun's face twitched. With no intention of returning the bow, he flicked his sleeve and sat down opposite them. Seeing this, Han Zhi sensibly returned to sit beside Su Zhen, but just as he was about to lower himself into his chair, he suddenly froze.
Su Zhen looked at his half-seated, half-standing posture in bewilderment. Fortunately, he quickly sat down, leaned in close to her, and whispered, "Banniang, did you say those two are your uncles? Cheng Jun?"
Su Zhen was baffled. Just a moment ago, he didn't even know them and had to ask her; how did he know the man's name now? Could it be that this uncle of hers was so wealthy that his reputation preceded him?
That seemed unlikely, though. Her husband was terribly lazy; for the past two days, he had simply holed up in his room reading books with her.
She nodded in confirmation. And right then, she witnessed a rate of emotional shift that rivaled the face-changing art of Sichuan opera. The harmless, lazy demeanor he usually wore vanished completely.
In its place was a chilling expression dark enough to drip water. He casually reached out, picked up the teacup beside him, and took a sip.
Then he reached out, took Su Zhen's hand, and raised an eyebrow slightly. Cheng Jun clenched his back teeth, while Cheng Xu spoke up:
"Banniang certainly found herself a fine husband. Married for barely three days, and already acting like glue and lacquer."
Su Zhen opened her mouth to reply, but Han Zhi cut her off:
"If we weren't as close as glue and lacquer, how would the world know we respect each other like honored guests and share a deep affection?"
Su Zhen instantly blushed, gave Han Zhi a gentle pinch, and whispered, "You wretch, you dear husband—Sir and Mother are right up there, how can you be so shameless?"
Han Zhi smiled slightly, then turned to Su Shi and Little Su Zhe and said, "Little brothers, go outside and look for my maidservant. I've prepared gifts for you two as well."
"Hooray! Thank you, brother-in-law!"
The two younger brothers scampered outside, and those words immediately gave Cheng Jun and his companions their opening...