Translator: Fan Translation Studio

  “But…… Little Ye……” Xiao Tieshu wanted to stop Ye Xiaoxian.

  But Wong Mudan said, “Tieshu, just let Little Ye do what she wants to do. You can go with her the whole way and protect her!”


  Showing no reaction, Ye Xiaoxian turned around silently and went back to her bedroom……

  Xiao Tieshu and Wong Mudan went to the public yurt to have dinner. Seeing only the two of them, the others asked what was up with Ye Xiaoxian.

  Xiao Tieshu hemmed and hawed again. Finally, Wong Mudan said, “Tieshu said he saw a man who looked like Baoshan and asked me whether he should tell Little Ye about it. Little Ye overheard this and said she would go to town to find him tomorrow.”


  Li Hongmei asked in surprise, “Really? If he’s really Baoshan, why doesn’t he come back?”


  “He may have lost his memory and be going to marry the owner of Longmen Inn. But it’s just a guess. We can confirm it only after we find him. Tieshu will go with Little Ye tomorrow.”


  Squire Liu asked, “What if we can’t find him?”


  Wong Mudan replied, “Then go to Longmen Inn. Little Ye said so just now.”


  This was completely unexpected. They thought Xiao Baoshan had sacrificed himself, but now he had not only turned up alive but was going to marry the innkeeper! Some still couldn’t believe it and asked Xiao Tieshu whether he had mistaken another man for Xiao Baoshan.

  Xiao Tieshu said with absolute certainty, “Both his appearance and voice are exactly the same as Baoshan’s. How could I mistake him? He’s my nephew!”


  The others fell silent.

  Squire Liu said, “If so, what about sending Wong Wu as well? The camel team hasn’t set off anyway. He can protect her.”


  Jia Zhenbo agreed, “Yes, that innkeeper is a powerful figure. If they fight, Wong Wu can at least protect Little Ye.”


  Xiao Baozhu also offered, “I want to go with Sister Ye, too. I can take care of her.”


  But Liu Qianqian said, “I think I’m more suitable because I’m a better talker. If they curse at Little Ye, I can curse them back.”


  Xiao Baozhu argued, “We’re going to find people, not to curse.”


  “If Baoshan really forgets Little Ye, I must scold him awake!”


  “.……”
……

  The next day, Ye Xiaoxian had packed up her luggage early. Wong Wu and Xiao Tieshu had also prepared a carriage for her. She didn’t think she needed the company of so many people, only Xiao Tieshu. But everyone was very enthusiastic after hearing what had happened. Liu Qianqian was particularly determined to go with Ye Xiaoxian. As such, Ye Xiaoxian could only accept.

  They set off in the morning and arrived in town in the evening. Following Xiao Tieshu, they went to an inn but were told the two people had checked out in the daytime. According to the innkeeper’s description, Ye Xiaoxian believed the two were indeed Xiao Baoshan and Jin Xiaoyu, because the man was said to be tall and taciturn and the woman beautiful and coquettish with an exceptionally sweet voice.

  Ye Xiaoxian wanted to catch up to them straight away, but it was late at night and it was dangerous to go into the desert. Therefore, they could only stay in town for a night. Ye Xiaoxian wasn’t in the mood for dinner. Tossing and turning, she couldn’t fall asleep until it was almost dawn……

  Longmen Inn.

  Jin Xiaoyu couldn’t wait to get married after she got back. She asked Xiao Baoshan, “Dumb, you said you would marry me as soon as you got everything ready. Now, we have everything we need for our wedding. Isn’t it time for us to hold a wedding ceremony?”


  They had wedding clothes, red candles, peanuts, red dates, longan fruit and many other things. Since they lived in the inn, they didn’t need a sedan chair which was a waste of money for them.

  Xiao Baoshan also thought it time to fulfill his promise. In the Central Plains, people usually picked an auspicious day to hold a wedding. But neither Xiao Baoshan nor Jin Xiaoyu had parents, and no special guests would attend their wedding, so they decided to get married the next day.

  The following morning, Jin Xiaoyu got up early and ordered the employees to decorate the inn with red paper cuttings, red ribbons and also red candles in the center. In short, it should be like a house for a new couple. She wanted to make Xiao Baoshan feel that it was a complete wedding.

  Seeing the decorations, the customers who lived in the inn asked her curiously, “Miss Jin, are you going to marry today?”


  “Yes! Today is my big day, so all the food is free and accommodation half the price!” she declaimed cheerfully.

  Some regular customers said, “It’s said that the owner of Longmen Inn would remain unmarried her entire life and treat men as her toys. What made you change your mind?”


  She laughed heartily. “I’d love to do so. Who could stop me?”


  Someone asked, “Which man is so lucky?”


  Jin Xiaoyu suddenly became very shy. “You’ll find out tonight.”
……

  Xiao Baoshan didn’t sleep the entire night. The nearer it became to the wedding, the emptier he felt in his heart.

  Early in the morning, he went to the sand dune again and sat there for a long time until Jin Xiaoyu also came. She walked up to him quietly and asked, “Dumb, why are you here again?”


  He rose, looked at her, and said faintly, “I’m used to sitting here for a while every day.”


  She then asked, “It’s our big day today. Are you unhappy?”


  “No.” He looked up at the sun to see what time it was and said, “Let’s go back now. We need to get changed.”


  “And also to put on makeup.” She snuggled close up to him and said expectantly, “Dumb, you’ll see a beautiful bride today.”


  He stroked her hair and nodded. When he looked up at the sky again, he found a cloud that came from not far away and blocked the sun……

  At twilight, the inn had been well-decorated. It was jubilant with lanterns and festoons everywhere. The customers and employees were gathered in the hall. Xiao Baoshan had also put on his wedding suit with a red-cloth flower ball over his neck.

  Quietly, he was waiting downstairs. After a while, JIn Xiaoyu appeared at the turn of the stairway. She was wearing a red wedding dress with a gold phoenix crown on her head. The delicate makeup even flattered her beauty and brilliance.

  Lips pouted, she said in a sweet voice, “Dumb, why don’t you carry me in your arms? You want the bride to walk down?” After saying that, she covered her face with a red bridal veil.

  Getting her meaning, Xiao Baoshan walked up the stairs amid the whistles. Then, he held her in his arms and walked downstairs. The cheers became louder.

  Someone even cried, “Take her to the bridal chamber!”


  “Go through the rituals first! There’s no hurry!”


  “.……”


  Just then, several people arrived at the inn. It was Ye Xiaoxian and her companions. They rushed inside without saying a word.

  Silly was responsible for guarding the door. He asked, “Do you want accommodation? You’re very lucky. It’s our boss’s wedding tonight, so the food is free and accommodation half the price.”


  Ye Xiaoxian ignored Silly and squeezed through to the front through the crowd. Amid the complaints from the people around her, she suddenly saw the man she missed.

  He was tall, strong, quiet and steady. Who else could it be if not Xiao Baoshan? How long had it been since she last saw him? Seeing him again after such a long separation, she felt like she might be dreaming. At this moment, he seemed like a total stranger to her.

  Opening her mouth, she wanted to call him but failed, because he was holding another woman.

  Just then, Liu Qianqian shouted, “Xiao Baoshan, it’s really you! You’re an asshole, a jackass, a two-timer!”


  Hearing her sharp voice, all the people present craned to look at her, including Xiao Baoshan. She was the second person who had called him “Xiao Baoshan”. The last person said he was a traitor and this one cursed him as a two-timer. How notorious had he been in the past?

  Liu Qianqian took Ye Xiaoxian’s arm and strode up to him in a huff. “Xiao Baoshan, look at the woman beside me. She’s called Little Ye and she’s your wife! But you pretended to be dead didn’t come back. Do you know how much she’s suffered all these years? She helps to take care of your mother, brother, sister and other relatives. But you’ve put them all behind you and even married another woman! For a coquette, you abandon such a good wife! What an asshole you are!”


  Everybody was astonished. Jin Xiaoyu pulled off her veil and jumped down from Xiao Baoshan’s arms. She saw Ye Xiaoxian who was gazing at Xiao Baoshan.

  Xiao Baoshan was also looking at Ye Xiaoxian. Her eyes were glinting with hatred, sorrow, grievance and more mixed emotions. Her expression was the best evidence for the relationship between them. Subconsciously, he took a step away from Jin Xiaoyu.

  After taking a deep breath, Ye Xiaoxian said in a trembling voice, “Xiao Baoshan, I thought you were dead! I’d rather you were dead!”


  Xiao Tieshu also said, “Baoshan, it’s really wrong for you to do this. Little Ye has done so much for this family. Without her, we might have starved to death on our escape. Although you wrote a divorce letter to her, we believed you just wanted to protect her. We didn’t expect that you would really abandon her. Even if you’re my nephew, I’ll stand by Little Ye this time.”


  Liu Qianqian dragged Ye Xiaoxian over her. “Little Ye, don’t bother talking to such a jackass! Let’s go! Just let him stay here with that evil seductress for the rest of his life!”


  But Ye Xiaoxian waved Liu Qianqian’s hand off, her eyes still locked on Xiao Baoshan. “Isn’t it free to dine and half the price to stay here tonight? Now that we’ve come, why don’t we stay and have a free meal?”


  “Little Ye, why bother……” Liu Qianqian knew such a feeling and didn’t want Ye Xiaoxian, who had suffered much enough, to experience the pain.

  But Ye Xiaoxian simply sat down at a table and poured a cup of wine for herself. Then, she gulped it down.