After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

As soon as it was light, the Ye family courtyard became noisy.

Mother Ye squatted in the kitchen to keep the fire going in the steamer, while Second Aunt Liu Fen carried a stack of red paper cutouts of the character for "happiness" and pasted them all over the yard.

Old Wang, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, stood at the door directing the work. He complained that the "double happiness" character was pasted crookedly and told Liu Fen to tear it down and re-paste it.

Liu Fen raised her voice in protest: "What's all the fuss about? It's not like we're putting up couplets, that's enough!"

Old Wang took a couple of puffs of his cigarette and said slowly, "That's your family's business, that's fine. When Chengzi gets married, it has to be proper and respectable."

Liu Fen choked for a moment, rolled her eyes, and obediently tore it off and re-pasted it.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the courtyard, slowly making their way towards them.

Ma Zhigang was the first to react. He rushed out of the main room, leaned over the courtyard wall, and looked outside. He was completely stunned.

A tall, magnificent horse, with a glossy, chestnut-red coat and a red silk flower larger than a washbasin tied around its neck, was being led towards the Ye family's house by a young man in military uniform.

It was none other than Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang grinned, his free hand carrying a brand-new red lacquered saddle.

"Is the groom home? The commander told me to bring the horse over first, put on the saddle, and take it for a couple of laps to get it used to."

Ma Zhigang turned and shouted into the yard, "Brother Cheng, your brother-in-law got you a horse!"

Ye Cheng was frantically trying to tie his tie inside the house, but after wrapping it around his neck three times, he still couldn't get it to form a proper shape.

Hearing Ma Zhigang's shout, he grabbed his tie and ran out. He saw the tall horse at the gate and froze on the spot.

"Where did this horse come from?"

Gu Zheng strolled out from the inner room. Today he was wearing a crisp military uniform, his collar and cap badges were polished to a shine, and there wasn't a speck of mud on his military boots.

"Borrowed cavalry training horses."

Gu Zheng walked up to Ye Cheng, reached out and untied the tangled tie around his neck, and quickly retied it into a neat Windsor knot.

"Today you are the groom, ride a horse across the bridge to pick up your bride."

Ye Cheng opened his mouth, his ears turning so red they could bleed.

"Riding a horse? I... I can't ride a horse."

"If you can't ride, hold onto the horse's neck. I'll have Xiao Wang lead it. This horse is gentle and walks more steadily than you." Gu Zheng patted his shoulder and said in a low voice, "Straighten your back and don't embarrass your sister."

Ye Cheng sniffed and nodded vigorously.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sound of firecrackers exploded from the village entrance.

Ye Cheng rode on horseback, wearing a large red flower tied by his mother on his chest, and a new tie was neatly knotted at the collar of his polyester shirt.

He gripped the reins with both hands, his body ramrod straight. Although his buttocks were bouncing uncomfortably on the horse's back, his face, tanned dark by the mountain wind, was filled with an irrepressible smile.

Gu Zheng and Xiao Wang walked on either side of the horse, followed by more than twenty strong laborers from the quarry. They were all dressed in faded but clean clothes, some banging gongs and others playing cymbals, making a noisy commotion as they headed toward the Qingyun River.

Old Wang walked at the very front, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Make way, make way! The groom is here!"

When the group walked onto the bridgehead of the Lianxin Bridge, the stone railings on both sides were already covered with red ribbons, which rustled loudly in the morning breeze.

The horses' hooves clattered on the stone slabs of the bridge, the crisp sound carrying far across the river.

On the other side of the bridge, the people of Dahe Village had already lined up from the village entrance to the bridgehead.

Zhao Dahai stood at the front, wearing a faded blue cotton jacket with a small red flower pinned to his chest. His face was radiant, and the wrinkles on his face looked like chrysanthemums as he smiled.

Behind him were a dozen or so young men from Dahe Village, who were also banging gongs and drums and setting off firecrackers. The sounds from both sides collided on the river, causing ripples to spread across the water.

When Zhao Dahai saw Ye Cheng riding a tall horse across the bridge, he slapped his thigh, turned around, and shouted behind him, "Xiuxiu, the groom has arrived!"

Zhao Xiuxiu was wearing a brand-new bright red coat, with a red ribbon tied in her hair and a thin layer of rouge on her face. She had completely put away her usual brisk and efficient manner when carrying food on a shoulder pole. She stood at the bridgehead with her head down, twisting the hem of her coat with both hands.

Zhao Shanhe squatted down with his back to his sister.

"Hurry up and get on, stop dawdling."

Zhao Xiuxiu slapped the back of his head: "Give me a break."

"What's there to slow down? The whole village is waiting!" Zhao Shanhe turned around and urged her, his voice so loud that it could be heard halfway down the street.

Zhao Xiuxiu blushed and climbed onto her brother's back. Zhao Shanhe stood up and steadily carried her onto the bridge.

As they passed in front of Zhao Dahai, he reached out and patted his daughter on the back of the head.

"Live a good life over there."

Zhao Xiuxiu buried her face in her brother's shoulder and responded with a muffled sound.

Zhao Dahai's eyes welled up with tears, and he turned his head to wipe them with his sleeve.

The two teams met in the middle of the bridge.

The sound of firecrackers suddenly intensified, crackling and popping, filling the bridge with smoke and sending red scraps of paper flying everywhere.

Zhao Shanhe put Zhao Xiuxiu on the ground and waved to Ye Chengyi.

"Here you go, my sister doesn't accept returns."

Ye Cheng dismounted, but stumbled and almost fell when his foot landed on the bridge.

He steadied himself amidst the laughter of the crowd, walked up to Zhao Xiuxiu, rubbed his hands together, and trembled for a long time.

"Xiuxiu, I'm here to take you home."

Zhao Xiuxiu raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, and nodded vigorously.

Ye Cheng bent down, stretched out his arms, and clumsily picked Zhao Xiuxiu up from the ground, then turned and put her on the horse's back.

Zhao Xiuxiu was so frightened that she hugged his neck tightly: "Be gentle, don't drop me."

Ye Cheng gritted his teeth and carefully placed her on the horse's back, then led the way, holding the reins.

Hundreds of villagers from both sides of the strait erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.

Ye's father and mother stood at the bridgehead on this side of Heishan Village, supporting each other. Ye's mother couldn't stop crying, and Ye's father's eyes were also red. He rubbed his nose hard with his hand.

"It's only been a little over six months," Ye's mother sobbed, "but our family's life has truly turned around."

Mr. Ye patted the back of her hand without saying a word, his lips tightly pursed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down twice.

Ma Zhigang put his hands in his pockets, watched this scene, and sniffed hard.

He glanced back at the bridge behind him and patted the stone railing where the red cloth had not yet been removed.

Gu Zheng stood at the eastern end of the bridge, his military uniform standing crisply in the spring breeze without a single extra wrinkle.

Ye Zhen stood next to him, wearing a navy blue trench coat with the collar turned up, which made her profile look cool and distinct.

As the villagers from both villages passed by, the drumming and gonging subsided, and they all furtively glanced in their direction, their eyes filled with more awe than they were looking at the groom.

Gu Zheng turned his head and looked at Ye Zhen's hair that was being blown by the wind. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ye Zhen tilted her head slightly, without dodging.

At the end of the dirt road in the distance, a green Jeep with license plates from another province was bumping and jolting its way toward the bridge.