47: Chapter 47 Double Happiness

The setting sun, like blood, splattered across the towering Eaves and Dougong Arches of the Li family mansion, gilding the brand-new red silk lanterns with a golden edge.

Steward Li indeed had a sound sleep, rising with a radiant face only when the sun was high in the sky.

His oily face was filled with satisfaction.

He almost couldn't wait, leading his steward and several trusted guards, shaking the jade-handled golden bell symbolizing his status all the way, heading grandly towards the Eastern Warm Pavilions Separate Courtyard.

As soon as he entered, before he could clearly see Ding Qing's figure, a torrent of praise, full of gratitude and awe, gushed out like a floodgate opening:

"Oh my! Strong Man Ding, a Divine Being! Truly a Divine Being!"

Steward Li's corpulent body almost lunged towards Ding Qing, rubbing his hands, his plump face adorned with an almost fawning smile.

"Thanks to you last night, this old man slept soundly and sweetly, without even a nightmare. Such peaceful sleep, since the haunting began, is truly a first!"

He took a step closer, his lowered voice filled with urgency and curiosity.

"I wonder... I wonder if that Red-clothed Female Ghost... has been completely subdued by Strong Man Ding?"

Ding Qing sat cross-legged on the stone steps in the courtyard, like an eternal, unmoving boulder.

His hat brim was pulled low, the shadow concealing all his expressions.

The infant in his arms was sleeping soundly, its small mouth unconsciously smacking.

Hearing this, he slowly raised his eyes.

His cold gaze swept over Steward Li's expectant, plump face.

"I injured her."

His voice was deep and hoarse, five words, as brief as an icicle falling.

"For a short time, I believe that Red-clothed Female Ghost will not come again."

The smile on Steward Li's face visibly froze for a moment.

What he wanted was an answer of complete eradication, of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, not this ambiguous 'injured'.

But the heavy, ominous Evil Qi pressed down on his heart, instantly dispelling that hint of dissatisfaction.

"Good! Injured is good, injured is good..."

He let out a long sigh of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted, and the smile on his face bloomed anew, even more exaggerated.

"As long as that evil spirit dares not come again, it is a great fortune. Strong Man Ding's Divine Might is unparalleled, I, Li, am endlessly grateful, endlessly grateful!"

He rubbed his hands, his eyes darting, and immediately had an idea.

"How can such great joy not be celebrated? Tonight! Just tonight! This old man will host a family banquet to celebrate Strong Man Ding's achievement for expelling evil.

Also... it's also a good opportunity to ask Strong Man Ding to be a witness; this old man's marriage to Miss Qiu should also pick an auspicious day."

His laughter was booming, shaking the red silk under the eaves slightly.

Ding Qing was noncommittal.

He merely nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the infant in his arms.

Seeing him agree, Steward Li was even more overjoyed, and flattered him a few more times.

Only then did he leave contentedly with his people, busy arranging the evening banquet.

The setting sun completely sank into the distant mountains.

The Li family's back hall was brightly lit, and although there was no music, delicacies and fine wines already filled the wide Eight Immortals Table.

Almost all the prominent figures of the Li manor were present.

Several distant clan elders of Steward Li, the steward, the Guard Captain Wang Tieshan and his trusted subordinates, and Qiu Shuzhen, who was specially arranged at the head of the main seats and meticulously dressed.

Steward Li, with a radiant face, sat in the main seat, and before he even raised his cup, the overflowing excitement and pride were already uncontrollable.

He cleared his throat, his voice rising, his booming voice overpowering all the whispers at the table:

"Everyone! Everyone, please be quiet!"

After everyone's gaze focused on him, he continued.

"Today's banquet is, firstly, to celebrate Strong Man Ding's Divine Might last night, which injured the Red-clothed Evil Ghost that had been causing trouble for a long time in one fell swoop, ensuring the peace of my entire Li family! This is a monumental achievement!"

He raised his wine cup, toasting Ding Qing from afar.

"Strong Man Ding, please drink this cup to the full! From now on, you are the Stabilizing Force of my Li family. With you here, my Li family will be as stable as a rock."

With that, he was the first to drain his cup, and everyone quickly followed suit, raising their cups.

Ding Qing sat at the table, the shadow of his hat brim still deep.

He picked up the wine cup in front of him, but only lightly touched it to his lips before putting it down, his actions conveying a cold indifference that kept people at a distance.

Steward Li didn't care at all, putting down his wine cup, he continued with a radiant face.

"As for the second joy..."

His gaze eagerly turned to Qiu Shuzhen below him, his voice filled with triumphant excitement.

"It is that Miss Qiu has agreed to marry, and this old man's joy of taking a second wife is about to come true!"

A chorus of well-timed congratulations immediately erupted at the table.

"Congratulations, Steward!"

"Congratulations, Steward! Double happiness!"

Steward Li was smiling so much his eyes were almost invisible.

Just then, Qiu Shuzhen, who had been silent, raised her head.

Today she wore a brand new Water-red Ruffled Skirt Adorned with Scattered Flowers, which made her skin appear as white as snow and her features as beautiful as a painting.

However, the watery big eyes no longer held the deliberately feigned charm of the past; instead, they flickered with a hint of subtle resentment.

She avoided Steward Li's eager gaze, but her sight, like a sharp hook, pierced directly towards the silent, mountain-like Ding Qing opposite her.

"What the Steward said is true."

She spoke, her voice clear, yet with a hint of deliberately strained firmness.

"Since Shuzhen promised to sell herself to bury her mother, she will naturally keep her word. This marriage... it's all up to the Steward. Shuzhen... can get married on an auspicious day!"

"Good! Good! What a 'get married on an auspicious day'!"

Upon hearing these words, Steward Li felt as refreshed as if he had drunk ice water in the dog days of summer, patting his thigh repeatedly.

"Splendid! Miss Qiu's filial piety is truly commendable, hahaha, an auspicious day, it must be an auspicious day! Steward! Quick! Quickly look for recent good days, no, the best auspicious day!"

He suddenly stood up, holding his wine cup, so excited he was somewhat incoherent.

"Double happiness, today is double happiness! Strong Man Ding is my lucky star, and Miss Qiu is even more my lucky star.

Come, everyone, let's drink another cup! For double happiness!"

Amidst the clinking of cups, Steward Li completely let loose, downing strong liquor cup after cup.

He then launched into another extravagant round of praise for everyone, the focus naturally still on Ding Qing's Divine Might and his own good fortune.

His corpulent body swayed slightly under the combined effects of excitement and alcohol, his eyes began to blur, and his words gradually became indistinct.

When Qiu Shuzhen uttered the four words "get married on an auspicious day," Ding Qing's gaze beneath his hat brim shifted slightly.

He could clearly see that Qiu Shuzhen had been staring intently at him as she spoke.

Her eyes clearly held a defiant provocation, as if saying, "Look, I agreed. As you wished, the Li family is peaceful! Are you satisfied?"

What new trick were these mother and daughter up to?

He had only warned them yesterday, yet today they so readily agreed to the marriage?

A trace of doubt flashed through Ding Qing's mind.

But the stubborn grievance and the hint of hidden resentment in Qiu Shuzhen's eyes made him feel somewhat perplexed.

He couldn't be bothered to delve into the twists and turns of it all; everything that needed to be said had been said last night.

As long as they didn't cross the line and didn't disrupt the Li family, he, Ding Qing, would simply regard them as a speck of color in the fleeting shadows of this chaotic world, irrelevant to him.

He shook his head, no longer looking at Qiu Shuzhen.

His gaze lowered, falling upon the infant in his arms, who had woken up at some point and was now curiously looking around with big, dark eyes.

His rough knuckles gently brushed the child's tender cheek, isolating it from the outside world's disturbances.

Under the dual influence of extreme ecstasy and alcohol, Steward Li finally collapsed into the Grand Tutor's Chair like a puddle of mud.

His snores were thunderous!

A satisfied, silly smile still hung on his plump face, and he mumbled indistinctly, "Double happiness... lucky star... beauty..."

Seeing this, the steward quickly called for strong maids to help the drunken master back to his room.

The guests at the table also tactfully excused themselves one after another.

The commotion dispersed, leaving only the messy dishes and the smell of leftover wine in the back hall.

The chosen auspicious day was eventually carefully circled by the steward to be three days later.

More red silks were hung, and more lanterns were lit.

The entire Li family was completely immersed in a bustling celebration.

Preparing to welcome the big day.

Moonlight streamed through the high window, coldly illuminating Ding Qing's mountain-like silhouette as he sat still.

The infant's small hand in his arms unconsciously grasped one of his fingers, which was as thick as an iron rod. The world outside the swaddle, with red silks like blood and lanterns like fire, reflected a meticulously embellished joyous occasion in this precarious era.