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墨書 Inktalez
After the wedding arrangements were made verbally, specific personnel were needed to carry them out. In the following days, the entire island became bustling with activity, with everyone participating in the grand event.
The main venue, Coast, had been cleaned up, and the mess left from the previous dinner was tidied away. Following Chef Jia's instructions, tables and chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, resembling stars surrounding a moon, with the altar facing the sea, supported by blue skies and white clouds, shimmering waters reflecting the light. Jin Bo rummaged through the Cargo Hold and found two electric saws. He assigned a group of people to push carts deep into the forest alongside Song Jiu, eagerly preparing for construction.
In fact, there were enough tables and chairs on the island, but Jin Bo felt that for such an occasion, a messy setup would not look good. Thus, he insisted on cutting down new trees and having professionals rush to make some long tables.
The auspicious date was set for the following day, chosen by some of the older residents on the island. With their warm enthusiasm, Song Jiu naturally could not refuse. The birth dates of Jiao Ziqian and Ying Dou Dou were also requested. Before they could figure out what was going on, several freshly written wedding couplets were delivered. Luo Yu, responsible for cleaning the new house, was overwhelmed with work. Pockmarked Girl went to the kitchen to help prepare paste, while Dai Wei pulled Qianqian along to assist Luo Yu in relieving some pressure. The Stilt House was spotless inside and out; the porch was scrubbed clean, and a creaky old wooden bed was thrown out. Cao Zheng specifically dismantled one of the master bedrooms on the yacht, bringing in a spacious soft mattress for the Stilt House bedroom, neatly covered with a bright red satin quilt.
Initially, the excitement did not last long. The group of young people led by Song Jiu was sweating profusely as they looked at the bustling labor scene, feeling overwhelmed: getting married was indeed no small feat; it was exhausting.
“Groom, how do you feel?” During a brief break from their busy work, Song the Official sneaked up to the Stilt House and pulled the Groom along for a smoke.
Jiao Ziqian's face was flushed; it was hard to tell if it was from excitement or heat. Usually disheveled, he had cleaned himself up from head to toe today. Yang Xiaomeng had even cut his hair.
“My parents can see me now,” Jiao Ziqian blinked his eyes, tears of joy shimmering at their corners.
“They can,” Song Jiu thought to himself as he patted the Groom's shoulder.
“ Brother Jiu, will you be my best man?” Jiao Ziqian wiped his eyes and forced out an awkward smile but then shook his head again. “No way; you’d steal my thunder.”
“Hahaha! You’re quite bold!” Song Jiu’s mood fluctuated as well; festive occasions always ignited people's enthusiasm, and he was no exception. He laughed and said, “I’m just a disabled person; besides, your Doudou only has eyes for you.”
“What should I do then? Do I need to give a speech?” Jiao Ziqian looked at Song Jiu eagerly and asked, “Don’t grooms usually give speeches at weddings?”
“I wouldn’t know about that; you can ask Qixi later; she’s the host.” Song Jiu sniffed as he heard some noise behind him. Turning around, he saw the stunning Yang Xiaomeng peeking her head in.
“ Jiu Jiu, take Groom away,” Yang Xiaomeng said mischievously.
“Where to?”
“For a proper wedding, Groom needs to go pick up his bride! Our conditions are limited; skipping that step saves time. But we can’t have you two together before the wedding,” Yang Xiaomeng explained confidently. “A little separation makes for a sweeter reunion; you two shouldn’t meet before the ceremony to build up some feelings.”
“What kind of rule is that?” Jiao Ziqian protested. He was completely smitten and didn’t want to be apart from her even for a moment despite being together day and night.
“Xiao Meng is right, let’s go!” Song Jiu chimed in, pulling Jiao Ziqian along as they ran.
“Hey, wait a minute, I need to say something to Doudou,” Jiao Ziqian protested, struggling to break free and head inside.
“Hold it in; you can talk slowly during the wedding night,” Yang Xiaomeng teased from behind, pushing and shoving to help Song Jiu chase the Groom out of the Stilt House.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they bumped into Luo Yu, who was busy in an apron. After working hard all morning, Luo Yu waved them over and hurriedly approached, pulling a small velvet pouch from her pocket and tossing it to Song Jiu with a smile. “Almost forgot this!”
Song Jiu weighed the pouch in her hand, surprised. “Where did this come from?”
“Gathered it before heading out to sea,” Luo Yu replied with a smirk, winking before rushing back with her broom.
Song Jiu handed the pouch to Jiao Ziqian. “Pick one; I’ll take the rest to Xiao Meng so Doudou can choose one for herself.”
“What do you mean?” Jiao Ziqian asked, confused.
“The Bride and Groom exchange rings.”
“Wait, you and Luo Yu are back together?”
“…”
“Hurry up, Guli! Go call Jin Bo; we’re running low on water here.”
In the Island Kitchen, Chef Jia shouted over the bustling crowd. There were plenty of men and women around, but the gold medal assistant Pockmarked Girl was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Guli?” Chef Jia wiped the sweat from his forehead and grabbed Tattooed Woman Jasmine as she passed by. “Have you seen Guli?”
“Oh, she just took some paste over to the Stilt House,” Jasmine replied. Today she was dressed like a farmer, busy with tasks after the island’s fishing team brought in some seabirds that needed plucking and gutting.
“Go find Jin Bo and have him bring more water over here,” Chef Jia said, wiping his hands. He glanced at the iron pot on the stove that was nearly dry and began to pace anxiously.
Just as he spoke, Jin Bo’s loud voice echoed in response.
"Make way, make way! The hot water pipe is scalding, no compensation!"
Swordmaster and Island Master were working as temporary staff today, balancing two steaming kettles of hot water in their hands, moving swiftly and bumping into things.
"This way, hurry up and add water." Chef Jia didn't have time to ask where the water was boiled; he quickly directed the temporary worker to get to work. Just as they finished adding water here, the stove at the back was already shouting that there wasn't enough firewood.
"Jin Bo, are there any fruits or vegetables on the island?" Chef Jia sent someone to add firewood over there. Seizing the moment before Jin Bo could run off, he pulled him back by the collar. "We can't just eat meat, can we?"
"Meat gives us energy!" Jin Bo exclaimed, his eyes wide with a look of absolute certainty.
Chef Jia rolled his eyes in exasperation and replied, "This is a wedding banquet, not a communal meal. Do we have any or not?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll have Fang Fei find some for you." Jin Bo casually replied and quickly spotted Fang Fei among the crowd preparing sauces. He shouted, "Feifei, come here! Sister Jia is calling for you!"
Fang Fei looked up at the sound. Before she could say anything, a deafening blast of heavy metal music suddenly erupted nearby, drowning out the bustling voices around them.
Men and women alike jumped in surprise, covering their ears and frowning as they looked around in confusion. Their puzzled gazes turned toward Coast, where the crowd was setting up tables and chairs. Just like over here, they were caught off guard as well, covering their ears and staring blankly at the yacht that was falling apart like a skeleton.
"Damn it! Is this a wedding or a battle?" Wu Wentao climbed ashore with a pale face. He had been sunbathing in his kayak next to the yacht. The perks of being security meant he could enjoy himself without participating in labor, but now the yacht's sudden noise nearly ruptured his eardrums.
"My bad, my bad!" Cao Zheng on the ship's side was also shaken by the sound. He covered his ears and gestured to Dr. Zhong, but Dr. Zhong completely misunderstood him; he saw Cao Zheng's mouth moving but couldn't hear anything.
Fortunately, Qianqian returned just in time to save the day. She raised her hand and cut off the external power supply, stopping the sudden noise pollution.
Song Jiu and the Groom came over to see what was happening. Upon seeing Wu Wentao's startled expression, they burst into laughter. Who would have thought that Captain Wu would be scared by noise? Old Wu raised his middle finger at them from afar while holding onto the submachine gun Jin Bo had given him and paddled away from the yacht's vicinity.
" Jiu Jiu, why are you dragging the Groom around?" Song Yao climbed onto the deck and kicked Dr. Zhong in the rear. As she was baking a cake, she found herself suffering from an unexpected disaster; it wasn't pleasant to have that kind of music blasting in her ears.
"I have nowhere else to go," Song Jiu said, cupping his hands like a trumpet. "Before the wedding, aren't newlyweds not supposed to be together?"
"What nonsense!" Song Yao laughed at his words but then thought it was quite amusing. "Then you two go to the cabin; Yuan An is preparing to paint."
"Alright then! You all keep busy; if you need help, call Jin Bo." Song Jiu waved his hand and left Coast with Jiao Ziqian.
Jin Bo was helping to sort out fruits and vegetables in the warehouse when he suddenly shivered, followed by an unexpected sneeze that sent a stream of mucus flying.
"Uh-oh, I might be catching a cold, Little Leaf. I need to take a break. You and Feifei can handle the rest," Jin Bo said, casually rubbing his forehead. The muscular Swordmaster also put on a weak act, not wanting to be outdone.
Ye Qingmei looked at him with cold eyes, chuckling lightly before turning away without a word.
As for Yuan An, she had asked the lumber team to cut some thin wooden strips for her and had DIYed a small easel. She covered it with white paper and gathered the messy paintbrushes Fang Fei had brought, organizing them into categories and mixing colors just enough to make some art.
"Are you putting on makeup?" Song Jiu pushed Jiao Ziqian inside while puffing on a pipe, enjoying the spectacle.
"Are we not painting together?" Yuan An was confused. Hand-drawing wedding photos was already a challenge, and now they had to work separately on compositions.
"Do we have to be together?" Song Jiu didn't understand this and asked, "It'll probably take half the day over there anyway; aren't we trying to save time?"
"That works too; I'll just fill in the gaps in my mind," Yuan An replied, sticking out her tongue. This method of painting wasn't too difficult; she just needed to tweak the facial features a bit while letting her imagination run wild with the background.
Jiao Ziqian sat stiffly in a chair, hands resting on her knees, looking serious and unsure of how to proceed.
Yuan An burst into laughter and said, "Cheer up!"
"Oh," Jiao Ziqian blushed slightly and broke into a smile.
"By the way, Jin Bo mentioned there are still some firecrackers in the warehouse. We should set them off before the Bride and Groom enter," Yuan An said confidently while applying paint without glancing away, managing to chat with Song Jiu at the same time.
Song Jiu chuckled at this and said, "Firecrackers are easy! Back in the day, I was known as the 'Three-Eight Red Flag' firecracker master; I was top-notch at setting them off."
As night fell over the lively island, brightly lit up by countless lights.
The Stilt House had new wiring installed; all the bulbs in the yacht bar had been removed by Cao Zheng. Colorful lights adorned the eaves and porch; once switched on, they sparkled continuously.
Qianqian frowned from downstairs as she observed for a while before saying discontentedly, "Take them down; they don't look good."
"What's wrong with them?" Yang Xiaomeng jumped off her stool in surprise. "They're so charming!"
"What's the point of romance?" Qianqian laughed and scolded, "It's not a pink salon; a warm light is enough. Why do we need colorful lights for the banquet?"
Cao Zheng and Yang Xiaomeng's faces turned red as they quickly put away the spools and ran off. Qianqian hit the nail on the head; their idea of romance was indeed reminiscent of those neon-lit night spots from years ago.
The sea breeze blew gently, and the kitchen was still busy with preparations. There were no warming cabinets on the island, so many dishes had to be hurriedly made overnight, cooked in advance and reheated for tomorrow's serving. The aroma of the dishes wafted into the mountains with the evening breeze, as the red trees swayed under the bright moonlight, illuminating the joyous island, creating an atmosphere of boundless comfort.
Ying Dou Dou sat on the spacious wedding bed, her palm clutching the carefully chosen Wedding Ring, a smile of happiness gracing her lips.
The makeup trial from earlier in the day had been washed away; now, the bride's face was fresh and unadorned, her long hair cascading freely. No matter from which angle one looked at her, she still appeared as a youthful girl. The thought of stepping into marriage at dawn, officially becoming a wife and mother, stirred a wave of emotions deep within her.
The wind chimes jingled by the door, and handmade Double Happiness decorations adorned the walls. The warm light softly enveloped the budding flower about to bloom.
The moon waxed and waned, days rose and fell.
The Sea Surface was calm, thick fog began to rise, and a slanted Fabric Pole appeared faintly through the mist.
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