Chapter 1351: Chapter 1351: Wedding Anecdotes

The afternoon before the wedding, the family had already decorated the bridal chamber anew, with streamers, balloons, and the traditional "double happiness" character. Freshly made bedding was prepared, and the aunt in charge of the bridal chamber even scattered red dates, peanuts, longans, and walnuts inside the quilts.

Even though it was a second marriage, every tradition was followed to the letter, but there was a funny little episode that occurred as they were placing those items.

While putting them in, auspicious sayings had to be recited, and coincidentally, Luo Qiao and several of her siblings were present. Just as that aunt finished the ritual words, she burst into laughter.

Because she was familiar with Luo Siyuan, she joked with him, laughing, "Siyuan, who knows, maybe your dad might give it his all and end up providing you with a younger brother or sister."

As soon as she said that, everyone in the room except the five siblings of Luo Qiao started laughing.

Luo Siyuan, a little embarrassed, replied, "If that really happens, then that wouldn’t be a bad thing."

This prompted another round of laughter.

When the preparations were finally done and everyone who had helped dispersed, Luo Siyuan looked around at his siblings and asked, "Do you think Dad is really going to give us another younger brother or sister?"

Luo Xuyuan responded indifferently, "That’s not really our concern, is it?"

Luo Qiao shrugged and remarked, "If that happens, you can’t exactly refuse to acknowledge them."

With that, she turned and walked out, leaving the brothers in the room looking at each other, momentarily at a loss for words.

Big Brother Luo Xuyan stood up and said calmly, "It’s not something we can control. Thinking about it too much doesn’t help. Why bother stressing about it? Besides, even if we end up with a younger sibling, it’s not like we can’t afford to raise one."

With that statement, he walked out of the room as well.

Luo Siyuan looked at his remaining brothers and asked, "Is this like a heads-up warning for us?"

Luo Xuyuan glanced at Siyuan, who still looked like he couldn’t accept the idea. "Not really."

Third Brother Luo Siyan, with a cold expression, made a deadpan remark that was hilarious: "He’s just afraid his position as the youngest will be threatened."

After he spoke, he also left.

Luo Siyuan was so amused and annoyed that he laughed and shouted, "Third Brother, stop right there! Is that what you think I mean?"

Luo Xuyuan observed everyone’s reactions and shook his head, thinking, "Honestly, having a younger sibling wouldn’t be that hard to accept. It’s not really a big deal. But this probably won’t come true anyway—after all, Aunt Gu is already past fifty."

The next morning, colorful balloons surrounded the front gate, and eight cars were lined up outside, with the lead car decorated in celebratory red and the other cars adorned with balloons on both sides.

Luo Haotian, dressed in a suit, his hair meticulously styled and freshly sprayed with mousse, looked every bit like a handsome middle-aged gentleman. Luo Qiao helped him pin the groom’s boutonniere perfectly in place.

After double-checking and finding no issues, she said, "Dad, you look awesome."

Luo Penghao came running up and joked with his grandfather, "Grandpa, Aunt was right—looking sharp!"

The group of younger grandkids following behind all chimed in with laughter, shouting, "Sharp!"

The teasing left Luo Haotian blushing, and even those helping out and the family members who had come to have breakfast were all grinning.

Despite the ups and downs of life over the years, Luo Haotian had never let go of his optimism, and his career had flourished. On top of that, thanks to Luo Qiao’s special ability to balance and augment his health, he looked youthful for his age. If he claimed to be in his forties, people might believe him.

At around nine o’clock, the wedding convoy set out.

The neighborhood community gathered together and began gossiping: "Have any of you seen the bride?"

"I have. She looks great—comparable to Ning Xueling, but she’s definitely more capable."

"True, you’re spot on. She’s very pretty and has a friendly personality. I happened to bump into them heading out the other day, and she greeted me with a smile."

"You know, back then a lot of people from our factory wanted to set the Director Luo up with someone, but he turned down every one of them."

"It’s all about destiny. When fate arrives, it can’t be stopped. This bride sure has good fortune coming her way."

"By the way, I heard that Ning Xueling has remarried for the third time."

"Your info’s outdated. She’s disabled now."

"Huh? Be careful not to spread unverified claims."

"I saw it with my own eyes—it’s the truth. My father-in-law was hospitalized once, and his ward happened to be right next to Ning Xueling’s."

"You mean that time your father-in-law broke his leg?"

"Yeah, and Ning Xueling injured her leg too. But her luck wasn’t as good—her wound was a second-time injury, inflamed due to poor care, and they had to amputate it to save her life."

"Oh my goodness, is that true?"

"It absolutely is. I even confirmed it outside her hospital room door."

"Why didn’t you mention it sooner?"

"Because it’s not exactly the kind of topic you casually bring up. I almost forgot about it entirely until this conversation."

"Ning Xueling brought this misfortune upon herself. She had the kind of life others could only envy, yet she managed to wreck it all. Now it’s nothing but a joke."

"Exactly. Haven’t they always said ’don’t stir up trouble unnecessarily’? She’s the epitome of self-inflicted misery."

"She probably regrets it deeply now. Her five kids are all exceptional—each holding impressive jobs. If only she’d kept her act together, she would’ve been living an enviable and glamorous life."

"Absolutely. Out of Director Luo’s children, aside from the third son serving in the military, the rest all have their own companies. His daughter, who studied abroad, is now a deputy professor and even a department head at Beijing Medical University. She’s outstanding."

"And the third son serving in the military? He’s currently a deputy regiment officer."

"Ning Xueling really squandered an excellent hand of cards. Now it’s too late to regret anything."

"True—she turned what could’ve been an amazing life into this mess, even ending up disabled. Unbelievable."

"By the way, did you hear this bride is Luo Qiao’s husband’s aunt?"

"Really? I hadn’t heard that. Who told you?"

"Zhang Daniang overheard Luo Qiao’s husband calling her aunt one day, and after digging a little deeper, it turns out it’s true. But apparently, she’s an adoptive aunt, not a blood relative."

"So Luo Qiao’s husband’s adoptive aunt became his mother-in-law? That’s actually pretty interesting."

"You better watch your mouth. What’s wrong with it? Even if they were blood-related, what difference does it make? It’s their happy day—don’t stir trouble for yourself."

"Come on, I was just making an observation—no bad intentions here. It’s just casual talk, isn’t it?"

"Director Luo has been single for so many years. He’s a respectable man, so don’t go starting any unnecessary gossip. Those kids of his are anything but ordinary people. If the wrong rumors start to spread, you might find yourself having tea at the police station."

"Geez, you’re really laying it on thick. We’re just joking around here—it’s not that serious."

"I’m just warning you. Some things shouldn’t be said lightly to avoid causing problems for others—and yourself."

"Right, right, right. Everyone knows very well what kind of person Director Luo is."

To ease the tension, someone hastily changed the subject: "By the way, those grandkids and great-grandkids of the Luo Family are truly good-looking."

"The Luo Family has always had good genes. How could the younger generation be lacking?"

"I’m really envious of their family’s genetics—twins, triplets, and even dragon-phoenix twins. It’s absolutely enviable."

"Well, genetics like that can’t be replicated. Some things are just hereditary blessings."

"Speaking of, did any of you notice during last night’s dinner how stunning Director Luo’s daughters-in-law are? Each one beautiful, and each highly educated."

"With sons as accomplished as He has, how could their wives not be impressive? That’s just straightforward logic."

Everyone burst into laughter at the remark.

******

Elsewhere, the wedding convoy arrived at the Gu family’s doorstep, where they were met with all sorts of questions from the gatekeepers. Luo Haotian answered every single one without hesitation. Even when someone inside threw him a curveball and asked him to sing, he gave it his absolute effort and belted out a military song.

The onlookers crowded around, thoroughly entertained and amused, all grinning as they remarked how Gu Qianru truly found a great pick in her second marriage.