328: Chapter 328 Commemorative Ceremony

On New Year's Eve.

Baishui City was brightly lit.

The Zhenbei Army had sent free honeycomb coal, dried meat, rice, and flour to every household.

As for the elderly and children left solitary and helpless by the war, they were invited to the military camp to celebrate with the garrison soldiers.

In an instant, Lin Xiao gained another thousand comprehension points, which made him a bit depressed. Were there really so many ungrateful people in his base?

Inside the General's Mansion, it was even more lively.

Lin Xiao had specially sent "BMW" carriages to invite the Zhu Ming couple and the Su Chang couple over.

The help Zhu Ming's family had given his own family went without saying, and while Su Chang was a man of the Academy, he was a "good family man."

Lin Xiao had known from the start that this fat father-in-law was just lazy; his mind was incredibly shrewd, and he was very reliable in his work.

Had it not been for his family, he would have long since been a pivotal figure in the Academy.

And now, with the Northern Border entirely under his control, Su Chang's intelligence network could be fully expanded.

He could even plant his own people on the northern grasslands in the future.

This way, the pressure on Leng Bingyan would also be much lighter; after all, a woman was certainly not as professional as Su Chang.

Su Chang certainly didn't want to be that tired, but he couldn't resist the fact that his daughter was Lin Xiao's bedmate. He was already on the "thief's ship" and couldn't escape!

"Father-in-law, your son-in-law toasts you again. In the future, the intelligence of the Northern Border, and even the entire North, will depend on you!"

Lin Xiao picked up a cup of Xinghua Village and said to Su Chang with a smile.

The flesh on the fat man's face trembled as he gave a bitter smile. "General Lin, you think too highly of me. I'm afraid my will exceeds my strength, and I'll delay your important military affairs."

He still wanted to decline.

"It's no matter. I'll have Su Wansha assist you. She is quite proud of you as her father!" Lin Xiao gave a thumbs up.

Su Chang wanted to curse in his heart. What "assist"? He was clearly being targeted because he was a slave to his daughter!

Su Wansha was already tired enough just managing the trade alliance; how could he bear to give her more work?

Having an overly shrewd son-in-law wasn't a good thing either!

Su Chang simply gritted his teeth. "General Lin, I can drink this cup of wine, but is there something you've forgotten?"

Lin Xiao smiled knowingly, having expected him to bring this up, and then stood up to call Su Wansha over.

"Wansha, since your parents and your mentor, Elder Zhu and his wife, are all here today, and it's an auspicious day, why don't we perform the wedding bows here? Let our elders witness it and complete the formal rites. What do you think?"

Su Wansha's pretty face turned slightly red as she stood up and said, "Your servant is naturally willing."

Su Chang was stunned for a moment, nearly slapping his thigh in frustration!

Good grief! Tricked by this kid again! He was clearly prepared for this!!

Logically, such a temporary wedding ceremony was against etiquette and a bit too simple.

But everyone present understood that for Lin Xiao to dare to make up for these rites was already treating Su Wansha very well.

After all... his primary wife was the Empress!

Even women like Leng Bingyan and Mu Wanying had much stronger backgrounds than Su Wansha.

Over the past six months, the couple had seen the changes in Su Wansha with their own eyes.

Their daughter now held the actual power of the Northern Trade Alliance. Although she had no official rank, her status in the Northern Border was extremely high.

In recent months, the nobles and merchants coming to curry favor and discuss cooperation had nearly broken down their doorstep!

Not to mention, upon her return this time, her martial arts cultivation had suddenly surpassed Su Chang's!

From a practical standpoint, the favor Su Wansha had received in exchange for her devotion was far higher than they had expected.

Su Chang and his wife naturally didn't expect Lin Xiao to marry their daughter with a grand procession of eight porters; they were satisfied just to have a proper wedding ceremony.

Because Lin Xiao had informed the women in advance, no one was surprised.

Amidst the continuous sound of firecrackers and songs welcoming the new year, the two officially performed their wedding bows.

Lin Xiao looked at the joyful and sweet Su Wansha; seeing her status change to "Married," he was very satisfied.

Mu Wanying, Leng Bingyan, and Zhao Caiwei all had a hint of envy and expectation in their eyes.

In fact, Lin Xiao had also talked to them about performing the wedding bows, but the three women had their own thoughts.

Mu Wanying wanted to wait until her revenge was complete to bow before her father's tombstone.

Leng Bingyan and Zhao Caiwei wanted to perform the ceremony when they were reunited with their families.

Lin Xiao respected their wishes. For one, having family witness it was indeed more meaningful.

Secondly... "driving without a license" had its own unique charm.

After the food and wine, Lin Xiao and the women saw off the guests.

The bath was already filled with steaming hot water.

The servants were very sensible and stayed far away, not daring to disturb the "leisurely interests" of the General and his wives.

Lin Xiao and the women bathed in the hot spring, looking at the stars in the night sky and listening as the noise in the city slowly diminished, and the entire Baishui City gradually fell asleep.

"Wives, next year... we'll move to a bigger place and celebrate the New Year even more grandly!"

Xiao Qingxuan said elegantly, "Your servant feels that as long as we are all together, the size of the place doesn't matter."

The imperial palace had been very large, yet people were very far apart from one another.

"That's right, it's been many years since I've had such a happy New Year," Mu Wanying smiled contentedly.

"Me too... since my mother died, I've been in the army and didn't even know what a holiday was," Zhao Caiwei said peacefully.

The other women all nodded in agreement. They didn't actually care about wealth and glory; they all felt very happy as they were now.

Lin Xiao laughed and said, "What my wives say is absolutely right. How about this: to commemorate this wonderful moment, starting from this year, every year when we spend New Year's Eve together, we'll have a special ceremony?"

"A ceremony? What does husband mean?"

The women were all curious about what new idea the man had come up with.

After a bit of hinting from Lin Xiao, the women all understood and were too embarrassed to look at each other.

"Husband is so wicked! To think of such a thing..." Su Wansha grumbled.

"I... I'm leaving first..."

Zhao Caiwei really couldn't take it. She was introverted by nature; even coming to bathe together had required a lot of mental preparation.

Lin Xiao reached out, and with a wave of gentle true qi, he pulled the woman into his arms, sending a splash of water into the air.

"Caiwei, you're an older sister; you have to take the lead..."

Zhao Caiwei's body had long since gone limp, her delicate frame burning hot...

At some point, the bright moon hid behind the clouds.

In the early hours at the General's Mansion, some servants faintly heard some bashful noises but didn't dare to say anything.

They just treated it as the soft chirping of nightingales and pretended to be asleep.

In the guest courtyard.

Princess Meng Xi undid her braids, wearing a new style of nightgown from Northern Cottage, and sat by the window with her knees hugged to her chest.

She was a woman of the grasslands; the soundproofing there was poor, and she understood any sound she heard instantly.

Originally, because she was worried about her tribe's situation, she had been full of sorrow and had declined Lin Xiao's invitation to the dinner party.

But at this moment, she couldn't help but feel her face grow hot as she listened.

After the New Year, she would be twenty. Many women her age in the tribe already had children who were quite old.

Princess Meng Xi was unwilling to rely on a man for her whole life, so she had always used the excuse of helping her royal father to refuse marriage alliances, and thus naturally had no experience with men.

But she understood what she should understand, and hearing such sounds made her feel uneasy all over...

"These people of the Central Plains have the nerve to call us barbarians... truly shameless..."