Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 42.2

Chapter 42.2

The bridal chamber was located at the end of the corridor on the second floor of the east wing. It was originally He Yunqin’s room. The bridesmaid and the chief steward led the way, followed by a group of female relatives.

He Zhujun turned around and said with a smile, “Second sister-in-law, you and my second brother’s bridal chamber is so beautifully decorated.”

The wedding was a combination of Chinese and Western styles. And Yu Hongdou was still wearing a Western-style, white, hollow-gauze wedding dress. When the door opened, she gently grasped the hem of her skirt and peered inside from the doorway. It turned out that the living room was outside and the bedroom was inside.

In preparation for the wedding, Mrs. He had the house repainted and a set of new furniture shipped from France, making the interior and exterior look brand new. Pan Yuqi and the others couldn’t wait to see the new house, so they smiled and pushed Yu Hongdou inside.

After entering, Yu Hongdou looked up and saw the bright red quilt covering the wide Atlantic-high bed in the bedroom. Because the bright red colour was so dazzling, her heart jumped without warning. She quickly looked away and silently looked at the other furnishings in the room.

Facing the bed were two Western lattice floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Outside was a terrace with a jade-green lawn below.

Gu Yun looked at some small things on the dressing table and said with a smile, “I usually follow my father and have seen the world a little bit, but this time I really feel ashamed of my ignorance. I don’t recognise more than half of the things in this room.”

He Zhujun replied with a smile, “Some of them were bought by my mother, some were given by others, and some were originally placed by my second brother.”

‘Is this where I and He Yunqin will live in the future?‘

As she looked at the thing curiously, her heart skipped a beat.

He Lanzhi smiled and said, “The bride still needs to change her clothes, so why don’t you bridesmaids go downstairs to have dessert?”

Only then did Gu Yun and the others disperse.

***

Servants helped Yu Hongdou remove the heavy Western-style wedding frock. And then they assist her to wear a cheongsam.

After that, they served her some simple snacks and left the room, leaving Yu Hongdou alone.

This time there were no outsiders around, so she felt less cautious. Seeing that there was another room inside, she stood up, walked over and opened the door. It turned out to be the bathroom. There was a four-claw golden bathtub in it. It was incredibly large. She didn’t know why it was made so big. She stood in the bathroom and studied it for a while, then returned to the bedroom.

It was not yet seven o’clock, and He Yunqin could not come back for the time being. Thinking of what Gu Yun said earlier, she sat down in front of the dressing table and picked up the small things on it to look at them.

A bunch of roses was placed in a crystal vase. They looked real, but there was no water in the vase. The petals were very soft and bright. She pondered over it and guessed that they were so-called everlasting flowers, which would last for a long time without fading because their colours were fixed by Western methods.

On the other side was a small gilded human skeleton. She had seen it before in school and recognised it. However, she didn’t know that He Yunqin was also interested in Western medicine.

She felt an impulse to explore more about her newlywed husband. She supported her chin with one hand and slowly opened the drawer on the right with the other hand. She lowered her eyes and saw several notebooks inside. The covers were in foreign languages, all handwritten with a fountain pen.

She was not bad at English but not German. After trying for a while, she just assumed that they were notes that He Yunqin had made when he was in Germany.

There was a blue velvet jewellery box the size of a book page in the drawer on the left. She took it and opened it. She was stunned.

A dazzling diamond necklace was inside the box with a note saying, My wife Hongdou.

Seeing the handwriting on the note, she was certain it was written by He Yunqin.

Her cheeks turned a bit pink.

‘Did He Yunqin think I would check the drawer, so he got this jewellery ready beforehand, or did he just put it here and plan to give it to me later?’

Her heart felt as sweet as honey. She shut the drawer with a slight smile, then turned to gaze out at the terrace.

Outside, the bright moon was just rising, and the greenery looked dreamlike. A gentle evening breeze wafted in from the terrace, occasionally lifting the light, gauzy curtains on either side.

Suddenly, she heard some noises. It seemed like someone was returning home. The distant sounds of a car horn and laughter broke the peacefulness of He Mansion, making it lively again.

She sat quietly for a moment, ready to head to the terrace for a look when she heard some commotion outside. Someone whispered a few words to the servants, and then the door was shut.

Her heart raced as she turned to glance back, just in time to catch He Yunqin’s eyes. He had removed his outer suit, leaving him in just a shirt with the buttons undone and the collar slightly open. Luckily, he didn’t look drunk at all; his eyes were just darker and brighter than usual.

He Yunqin tossed his suit onto the sofa outside, and his gaze naturally landed on her. 

She had slipped into a bright red satin cheongsam with a lotus pattern, making her face glow even more with that vibrant colour. Her waist had a slight curve, and the fabric hugged her hips perfectly.

Though his expression was calm, his heart raced, and he said absentmindedly, “I thought you were asleep.”

Yu Hongdou shot him a look of annoyance and replied, “How could I possibly sleep so early?”

End of chapter 42

Have a nice day!