The guests came over one after the other and toasted An Hei and his new bride. An Hei talked with them, a faint smile on his lips all the time. Ling Ling didn’t say a word and just quietly smiled and nodded when somebody spoke to her. Otherwise, she stood still beside him and made use of the opportunity now that his attention was diverted and gazed at him.
They might officially be a married couple now but that didn’t mean that anything had magically changed for her. This was the man she loved. Looking at him, her heart was still beating faster than normal. Maybe it was even beating faster than it had usually done in front of An Hei. After all, right now was a special moment.
From this day forth I’ll spend every day with him, she thought and looked at the strong hand that still held hers. It was as if a dream had come true. No, a dream had indeed come true. This wish of ten years that she had almost given up hope of ever reaching had finally been fulfilled. And now started a new chapter in their lives. She knew she wouldn’t ever regret this and inside, she promised herself that she would make sure to be him a good wife so that he would never have to regret this choice either.
An Hei seemed to feel her gaze and turned to look at her, his smile brightening. He didn’t know for sure what she was thinking but from the little he could see through her veil, she had the expression of a woman in love and that made his own heart flutter.
Contrary to Ling Ling who had waited ten years for him, it had only been a short ten days of waiting for him. And while she had longed to be with him each and every day, his own anticipation had only slowly grown. In any case, hadn’t she still been a little girl when they met? When he thought of her, she had still looked like this in his mind and he had only been able to guess just how she had come to look in the meantime. So what he thought of in those days had been more of a figment of his imagination than the actual person.
Things had only changed for real when he came to the mortal realm and saw her again. Knowing how she looked like, seeing that her behavior hadn’t changed much and she was still that slightly air-headed girl that jumped a mile with one thought and seeing the emotions she had poured in her longing for him had changed everything for An Hei. He wouldn’t have called himself a man that easily fell in love but at that moment, there had for sure been a change in his heart. If there had been the slightest bit of doubt before, it had been extinguished at that time.
Now, he was just looking forward to their time as a married couple. There were so many things he wanted to do. Going to see this city of Sandin with her, maybe traveling to the human’s capital city, bringing her to his realm and introducing her to the people there, letting her know everything about him and the snake tribe … his heart throbbed in excitement at those thoughts. He couldn’t wait to begin that kind of life with her. Although, actually, no matter what they did, he would be happy.
Congratulating the couple and celebrating for a bit was customary after the wedding ceremony but people also didn’t want to impose on a newly-wedded couple. Thus, after just a little past the two-hour mark, even the last guest had congratulated them and the first guests started to bid the couple farewell. Finally, only Ling Ling’s family remained.
Madam Yang and Jin Jin stepped forward, nodding at the young couple and Madam Yang spoke up to say a few final words now that everyone had left before they would head home as well.
"Today is your wedding day so we should not impose for too long. I just want to say a few quick words."
An Hei smiled faintly. "You are thinking too much. Going forward, we are one family. Even if you had prepared an hour-long speech, we would still listen patiently."
Madam Yang chuckled. This son-in-law of hers was really too polite. "I am glad that you can see it this way. In any case, I wanted to thank you sincerely. Most men would have turned their back if it had turned out that the woman they promised to marry had become destitute. But not only did you follow through on your promise to Ling Ling, you even helped Jin Jin by giving her a chance to be seen by a select handful of the eligible bachelors. There is no way our family would ever be able to repay you for this."
An Hei faintly shook his head. "As I said: You are thinking too much. If a word has been given, it can’t be taken back casually. Since I promised I would marry Ling Ling, I will certainly do so. As for your other daughter, I know how important she is for Ling Ling. I hope that she will be able to find a good suitor soon." He turned to glance at Jin Jin and faintly inclined his head before he faced her mother again. "If you need any help with preparing for her wedding later on, just say the word. Even if you can’t see me as family, we are at least in-laws. That should be close enough to lend a helping hand in some matters at least."
Madam Yang was slightly hesitant but still nodded in the end. "I will thank you in advance then. Although I hope that we will be able to figure things out on our own."
Jin Jin nodded at that. But in any case, that was not something she would dwell on for the moment. Right now, it was her sister’s day. Her own wedding day might still be far off. She glanced at Ling Ling and her expression turned complicated. "I hope I am not too forthright but … for how long will you stay in Sandin?" She knew that Ling Ling would have to follow her husband just like she would have to do when she married. But she still couldn’t help but feel sad when she thought of how she might see her for the last time soon.
An Hei looked at Ling Ling as well. They hadn’t spoken yet but he had his own thoughts for the matter. "I am not in a hurry to leave. She has her family here and albeit the fact that she came of age already, she is still young. I would deem it best to stay at least for a few more years." He knew he couldn’t stay forever if he did not want to be exposed as part of the demon race but at least for a few years, he should be able to pretend to be human just like everyone else.
Jin Jin and Madam Yang’s eyes widened. A few years? They certainly had not expected that! Well, it was a welcome surprise.
Madam Yang heaved a sigh of relief. "That’s good. That’s good." In that case, they wouldn’t have to bid Ling Ling goodbye too soon.
She turned to her daughter and reached out to take her other hand, patting it like she had always done. "Well then, you just got married. Your sister and I will go home so you have more time with your husband." She smiled and then nodded at An Hei, turning around.
An Hei tugged at Ling Ling’s hand and the two of them accompanied her mother and sister to the door, seeing them off. When the carriage disappeared down the street and silence reigned around them, they couldn’t help but feel a little lost.
By now, even the servants that An Hei had gotten for the estate had withdrawn as they had been instructed by Yuan Hao so the young couple was completely alone. Presumably, it didn’t need much imagination to figure out what they were thinking.
Ling Ling turned to look up at her husband. She was still wearing the veil that would only be taken off by him later on when they had retired to their chamber. She felt as if she should say something but now that she was alone with him, she didn’t know what. This was the first time, after all. Before this, whenever they had seen each other, there had always been at least one other person close by with the only exception being their very first meeting when she had still been a child. To think that everything was different now made her feel anxious inside.
On the other hand, An Hei’s gaze slid to the red ribbon that connected their hands. From what Xu Fu had told him, the people of Kishin told tales of a god who chose mortals that were meant for each other and blessed them with this ribbon, meaning that whatever happened in their lives, they would still come together no matter the circumstances because that was their fate. The humans wanted to illustrate this fated connection by tying this red ribbon around the couple’s joined hands at the wedding.
It was a beautiful custom, promising that there was a lifetime of happiness ahead of them. But An Hei couldn’t help and think again of how his status as a demon might impact that. After all, this custom was meant for humans. The god who connected them wasn’t concerned with the relationships of the gods and demons and even if he was, he would never help a demon. Of that, An Hei was sure.
It made him afraid of the future but inside of him, there was also a voice telling him that no matter what the gods thought, it shouldn’t matter. He had found Ling Ling and he had married her according to the human customs. He would hold another wedding at the snake tribe in some years.
Since the gods didn’t want to have anything to do with the demons, they shouldn’t interfere. If they tried to, he would fight again and this time, he wouldn’t lose deliberately. No, he would fight until the end for the future he should have with Ling Ling. Determination entered An Hei’s eyes before he pushed the thought of the gods away. This was another matter for the future. Right now, only his wife was important.
An Hei turned to her and his lips curved up in a smile. "The ceremony is done, the guests have gone home. Let’s return inside as well. I’ll lift the veil for you and then we can eat some more. It must have been difficult to do so with the veil."
Ling Ling shook her head but followed him inside when An Hei turned. "It wasn’t difficult." She had been too excited to eat anyway so she had hardly tried.
An Hei gave a faint hum but didn’t say more. He knew she was nervous. Since their hands were tied together, it was hardly possible not to realize. Thus, he wanted to help her to calm down. And he felt like the easiest way to do so would be to spend more time with her and show her that she could just treat him like she treated all her family. After all, since they were married now, that was what they were: family. The one she had chosen.
