偷窥闺房

The weather was very good on the day they registered their marriage. They had made an appointment in advance and went early in the morning. Who knew what Huo Zheng was worried about, but he held their identity cards tightly in his hands.

When Lin Xiaowan saw this, she teased him about it.

Both of them were dressed in white today. When they took a photo, Huo Zheng held Lin Xiaowan’s waist. He could not hide his good mood at all.

When they left the Civil Affairs Bureau, Lin Xiaowan took a photo of the marriage certificate and sent it to the family’s group chat, showing it to Qiao You’an and Huo Cheng. Then, she sent it to Gu Yuwu. However, not long after that, Huo Zheng quickly took the marriage certificate away from her.

“What are you doing? They gave us two certificates. It’s not like you don’t have one,” Lin Xiaowan said.

“I’m afraid that you’ll lose it. I’ll keep it for you,” Huo Zheng said calmly.

Lin Xiaowan only rolled her eyes in response and did not say anything else.

As soon as they got their marriage certificate, Huo Zheng was very enthusiastic and asked Lin Xiaowan where she wanted to hold their wedding. He also asked about what kind of wedding she liked, saying that he would get a designer to design the dress for her.

Lin Xiaowan had never thought about these matters until now. She said, “We’re not in a rush, right? Will there be a lot of people in attendance?”

“If you don’t want a lot of people, then we won’t invite a lot of people. This is not an issue at all so let’s just do it according to your preference,” Huo Zheng said.

During the weekend, Huo Zheng, Lin Xiaowan, Qiao You’an, and Huo Cheng brought Huo Dabao and Huo Erbao out for dinner. At some point, the adults began to discuss the wedding, agreeing that it was better to start planning.

Qiao You’an said, “There are many things to consider when planning a wedding. It’s already September. Both of you should start planning now. If you don’t want to hold the wedding this year, then you can consider holding the wedding spring of next year. I’ll help you look for auspicious dates…”

Huo Zheng urged Lin Xiaowan to eat her vegetables before he replied, “We don’t plan to invite a lot of people. Qingqing doesn’t want a big wedding.”

Qiao You’an asked Lin Xiaowan about her plans, but Lin Xiaowan had no plans at all. Lin Xiaowan had not given this matter many thoughts.

In the end, Qiao You’an said, “In any case, the wedding is between the two of you. It’s all up to you. You can do whatever you want. However, don’t forget to inform us once you’ve made up your mind.”

Then, Qiao You’an said to Huo Zheng, “You don’t have to be polite with me and your brother. Let us know if you need help. Remember to ask for Xiaowan’s opinion before you make a decision.”

In Qiao You’an’s eyes, Lin Xiaowan had a soft personality and did not have any opinions of her own. However, Huo Zheng was different. He was decisive and could be opinionated at times, meddling in Lin Xiaowan’s affairs. She was worried that Lin Xiaowan would accommodate Huo Zheng too much and that Lin Xiaowan would keep quiet even if she had any opinions or if she was dissatisfied. At that time, Lin Xiaowan could only be silently unhappy. In any case, in her opinion, they were only getting married once in their lives. No matter what, it was important for both of them to be happy. They had to be considerate of each other.

“I know,” Huo Zheng said with a smile.

With the support of her sister-in-law, Lin Xiaowan straightened her back and raised her chin, looking very pleased with herself.

Huo Cheng said, “Remember to give me a list once you’ve finalized the guests. Those old fellows keep asking me about this. I’m annoyed just listening to them…”

When Huo Cheng and Qiao You’an got married, it was a very grand event. After all, both of them were from prominent families. Even the media was invited to their wedding. As such, they asked if the couple planned to invite the media to the wedding.

Lin Xiaowan did not want this so Huo Zheng said, “No. There’s no need to invite the media. I’ve already planned to hire a photographer and videographer for the wedding…”

Lin Xiaowan nodded.

“Alright,” Qiao You’an said with a nod.

The designer who was selected to design Lin Xiaowan’s wedding attire was an old friend of Qiao You’an. He was an elderly gentleman. When Qiao You’an got married, he was also the one who designed her wedding dress. He rarely worked now, and his most recent piece came out two years ago.

Qiao You’an brought Huo Zheng and Lin Xiaowan to the old man’s studio so Lin Xiaowan could have her measurements taken before they discussed the design.

The old man was in his sixties. He had salt and pepper hair, and his body was very fit. He was dressed very well, and he looked refined. As he took Lin Xiaowan’s measurements, his granddaughter stood at the side and took notes seriously.

“Have you thought about what kind of design you want? What kind of embellishments do you want? What about color and length?”

There were many photos of celebrities and models wearing the old man’s designs on the wall. They were all wearing gorgeous gowns. Some of the photos looked old, and some were new.

There was also an old photo of the old man holding a trophy when he was young, smiling brightly after winning an award. His other hand held the hand of a young woman who was dressed in a beautiful gown. Based on how the photo was hung alone, it was clear that the photo was special.

Lin Xiaowan was very interested in the photo. After getting her measurements taken, she looked at the photo.

When the old man saw her looking at the photo, he said with a smile, “That was the first time I won an international award. My wife accompanied me at that time, and it was also the first time we took a photo together. It’s been nearly fifty years since then…”

Lin Xiaowan took a closer look at the young woman in the photo. She had short hair and was petite. One of her hands was held by the old man, and her other hand was resting on his arm. She looked shy as she smiled.

Since Lin Xiaowan had arrived at the studio, she had only seen the old man and his granddaughter. She could not help but ask tentatively, “Why isn’t your wife here?”

“She passed the year before last,” the old man said. He paused and sighed softly before he said again, “I was planning to retire and spend time with her after one final show. Because it was my last show, I was particularly focused on my work so I neglected her. I didn’t even know that she was feeling unwell. One night, she was home by herself, and she fainted in the shower. She had a cerebral hemorrhage and never woke up again after that…”

Lin Xiaowan was not good at comforting people. She could only say clumsily, “At least she didn’t suffer too much.”

The old man nodded.

Huo Zheng saw that Lin Xiaowan seemed slightly down when speaking to the old man. He was naturally worried so he quickly walked over and asked, “What’s wrong? What are you guys talking about?”

Lin Xiaowan hesitated for a few seconds, not knowing if she should bring up the matter again in the old man’s presence.

Before she could make up her mind, the old man said with a smile, “Xiaowan saw my wife’s photo so we were just talking about it. Let’s go over there and sit down. We can look at the material first.”

The few of them sat down and discussed the design of the wedding attire for a long time. It was only when the sun was about to set that they finally agreed on a preliminary design.

On the way back, Qiao You’an also mentioned the old man’s wife. She had known the old man for many years so she knew a thing or two about him. She said, “He and his wife came from poor families. You should know how expensive it is to study fashion design. His wife gave up on her studies and worked very hard to earn money to support him during those years. Later on, he became famous, and their lives improved. Their relationship had always been very good and loving..”