Memories blurred, Su An'an let out a deep sigh.
Living another life, how could she not see that her father beating Su Pingping so harshly, making her cries echo far and wide, was meant as a warning to her.
He was warning her to obediently marry, to abandon all thoughts, otherwise the pain Su Pingping suffered today is what you might experience tomorrow.
After all, the Su Family has no shortage of daughters; she had plenty of younger half-sisters.
As the auspicious time arrived, Su An'an collected her thoughts and performed the farewell ceremony.
Su Sheng gave some parting words about taking good care of Young Master Shen and then sent her off.
Su An'an bowed her head in agreement, maintaining her obedient demeanor from start to finish.
Su Sheng nodded in satisfaction.
The bridegroom was not personally here for the wedding, but his attendant, Chao Sheng, was.
The Su Family understood the groom's health and showed empathy, so Su An'an entered the bridal sedan amidst the jubilant sound of suona and the excited chatter of onlookers.
The bridal sedan set off with musical accompaniment and soon left the bustling district of Luocheng.
Su An'an lifted the curtain to glance at the stretching greenery, then lowered it, covered her head, and thought about the rumors of the eldest son of the Shen Family.
She had never met him, only knew that the eldest son of the Shen Family was named Shen Juncheng, who lost his parents at eight years old and later unfortunately suffered from an eye disease. Because it wasn't treated in time, he couldn't see, and his health weakened over time. At nine, he voluntarily requested to go to the countryside to recuperate, which lasted ten years.
The Shen Family seemingly forgot about him for ten years.
Until he became gravely ill, and possibly negative news spread, the second house's Madam Liu, his aunt, hastily arranged his marriage to show that they had always cared for him, nominally as a cheerful celebration.
And Su An'an was the one chosen by Madam Liu.
In her previous life, she was proud and didn't want to be manipulated by fate, which led to such an end for her. She hoped that in this life...
Cough, cough, cough...
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a faint cough, bringing Su An'an back to reality, realizing that she had already left the bridal sedan and was approaching the front hall.
She gathered her thoughts, placed her hands together, and walked gracefully.
As the distance closed, the sound of coughing grew more pronounced.
One cough followed another, with faint sounds of anxious maids asking, "Young Master, are you alright?"
After a while, the young master covered his lips with a handkerchief and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."
The voice was weak and sickly but unexpectedly carried a youthful clarity.
Su An'an was surprised and peeked through a gap under her veil to look at the person ahead.
The red silk trousers tucked tightly into the boot shafts, the red robe on either side slightly parted as he moved, revealing a pair of long legs.
Looking upward to his waist, the waist sash had no complex patterns, just a solid red color with a name tag hanging on it, which did not appear austere but, instead, surprisingly neat and simple.
Further upward, she was restricted by the veil and couldn't see anything.
Nevertheless, she felt that he must be quite tall.
Su An'an withdrew her gaze and stood obediently.
With the couple in place, the master of ceremonies immediately stepped forward, and the happy mother handed a red silk ribbon, one end to Su An'an and the other to the groom, preparing for the wedding ceremony. The groom started to cough lowly again.
The Madam dressed in splendid attire sitting on the high hall expressed concern, "Cheng'er, are you alright? Should we pause the ceremony and let you rest for a while?"
The groom responded gently, "I'm really fine, Aunt, don't worry, let's proceed with the ceremony, so we don't miss the auspicious time."
The Madam said, "Alright, then as soon as the ceremony is done, you should go and rest immediately. Don't worry about the outside matters, Mama Li will take care of them for you."
The groom agreed, his tone gentle and warm.
The master of ceremonies promptly hosted the ceremony, exclaiming, "Bow to Heaven and Earth..."
"Bow to your seniors..."
"Cough, cough, cough."
Suddenly, the groom covered his chest and began to cough violently, this time more ferociously, unlike the previously suppressed coughs, alarming the surrounding crowd.
"Not good, the Young Master has an episode, quickly, bring the Young Master's medicine."
"And bring some pear juice, hurry."
The maids were in a flurry, while the Madam on the high hall cried out, "Cheng'er, Cheng'er, what's wrong with you? Don't scare your aunt."
"Someone, quickly call for the doctor."
"No need, no need for a doctor," the groom struggled to say, "it's an old ailment, after taking medicine... cough, cough... it will be fine... cough, cough..."
The Madam rolled her eyes in worry, "No, Cheng'er, you've been coughing for so long without getting better. Aunt is really worried. It's better to call a doctor just to be safe."
She turned to reprimand the maid beside her, "Are you all blind? Can't you see the Young Master is so uncomfortable? Quickly go and get the doctor I trust the most, Doctor Lu."
She gave a signal, and the maid took the order and disappeared in a flash.
The groom seemed to want to stop her, but he was powerless and barely moved a step before coughing violently again.
The maids were once again in a flurry, bringing water, patting his back, while guests came to express concern, back and forth, creating a chaotic scene like a boiling pot of porridge.
Su An'an was accidentally bumped by a guest and staggered, causing her veil to sway. She quickly steadied it and took the opportunity to glance towards the groom.
The groom was tightly surrounded; she saw nothing other than the sound of his labored coughs.
"The doctor is here, the doctor is here." The maid shouted while running.
As the doctor arrived, the maid exclaimed, "Oh no, oh no, the Young Master has fainted."
Upon hearing this, the Madam immediately ordered people to carefully carry the Young Master back to the quiet room to rest, and the doctor hurriedly followed, with a crowd leaving along with the Young Master, finally bringing some silence.
It seems the ceremony couldn't proceed, the attendant who previously went to fetch the bride ordered a maid to take the bride directly to the bridal chamber.
In the quiet room, Doctor Lu claimed that medical treatment required peace, dispersing the room full of maids, servants, and some insignificant relatives, leaving only the Madam who was previously on the high hall.
That Madam was Liu, the groom's aunt.
With a concerned tone, Madam Liu said, "Doctor Lu, Cheng'er has been coughing for so long, the country doctor couldn't make him better. I am really worried. This time, you must thoroughly examine Cheng'er to find out what's wrong. Otherwise, I can't be at ease."
Doctor Lu acknowledged and immediately started to take the pulse.
Moments later, Doctor Lu withdrew his hand from the pulse, sighed, and said, "The pulse is weak and slightly tight, indicating short breath; Young Master's body is very frail."
"Such constitution makes him prone to colds, taking as little as a month to recover, maybe several months without improving, recurring frequently; you cannot rush it, only careful nourishment will help."
Madam Liu frowned, is he really that unwell?
Coughing for ages without dying.
She muttered to herself, but didn't show anything on the surface, maintaining an expression of concern, she said, "Then why was his cough so severe today? Could it be the cold getting worse?"
Actually, she wanted to ask if it could turn into tuberculosis?