Today is a special day. Luo Qianqian got up early in the morning, her mom was already putting on makeup and getting ready, with Mother He accompanying her. Today is May 18, 2005, the day when An Zilan and Lin Xu have their wedding.
"Brother, can you please sit still and not fidget? It’s making sleepy," said Luo Qianqian after changing her clothes and applying light makeup. Resting comfortably on one side, she wore a pink dress, handmade by Mother He with two small, soft, wing-like additions pinned onto it, made using cardboard templates covered with a layer of white cotton fabric carefully crafted to resemble feathers’ texture. He Wenyu was still sleeping at ho, waiting to be called by her mother after getting ready, since she wasn’t a bridesmaid; it wouldn’t do to start early and get sleepy later on.
"Oh, oh, oh," Luo Shufan sat on the bed, oblivious even when the high heels placed there poked him.
"Brother, you’re not the one getting married, so why are you so nervous? Imagine how you’ll be at your own wedding; you might as well set the house on fire," teased Luo Qianqian as she looked at her brother.
Luo Shufan frowned. He knew it wasn’t his wedding, but his heart raced too fast. "Stop talking nonsense; don’t eat it, or you’ll end up eating your lipstick," he said, looking at the lipstick mark on the apple, while Luo Qianqian frowned in disgust.
"Qianqian, no, no, I need to use the restroom." Luo Shufan stood up again. "Why are there so many people in the house today? Hey, hey, you little brat, don’t go into my room!" Only close friends and relatives of the bride were allowed inside, which included Mother He as a close friend, and their beloved grandmother’s family was also attending to things. The aunt was catching up on sleep with the little chubby champ in Luo Qianqian’s room, and Luo Shufan’s room, housing many valuables, had already been locked, yet soone still attempted to open the door.
"Brother, that must be one of your distant cousins or sothing. I was right to tell you to lock it, wasn’t I?" said Luo Qianqian. With so many people around, she felt overwheld, grateful that the previous night, upon her insistence, all visible valuables had been put away, leaving only large furniture pieces and snacks. But, there was a large sign on the snack table saying: Dispose of your trash in the bin, or don’t eat if you can’t manage that.
Luo Shufan initially thought it was too harsh to write that, but seeing the now-dingy floor, which had taken the three of them considerable effort to clean to a spotless, shiny finish the night before, he changed his mind.
Luo Qianqian’s room was also locked, with the key hanging on her wrist. All valuable items from her room had been moved into Luo Shufan’s. The siblings’ wedding presents, whether jade bracelets or the deed from the store, were already in Luo’s Mom’s care from the night before, safely stored and safe from theft or damage. Luo Qianqian firmly believed in the notion that nothing is scarier than mischievous children, considering the state of the living room. Her gaze followed a little boy watching cartoons, rembering earlier the pieces of a valuable vase, then before that pieces of a fruit bowl, and even before that, a water glass, all tidied away. Luo Qianqian silently repeated "peace and safety year upon year" while keeping a close watch on the young boy.
After finishing their makeup, Luo Shufan picked up the cara, "Mom, look here," and soon a group urged Luo Shufan to take photos. He genuinely admired his sister’s insistence on buying over a dozen film rolls. Just taking photos with the bride after she was made up cost three rolls, resulting in over a hundred shots.
"Qianqian, co here, take a photo with mom," Luo’s Mom called with a slightly blushing face, "Yueran, help take a couple of shots with Qianqian and Shufan." Her request halted the chattering relatives who were asking Shufan to take their photos. With neither son nor daughter having their pictures taken yet, the blood-related outsiders felt a bit embarrassed for getting so carried away. The photographer had already taken position and started filming. The crew, hired through Luo Yanran from the Capital City, was using top-notch equipnt.
"Shufan, Qianqian," An Zilan gently embraced her children and was on the verge of tears just speaking.
Luo Qianqian quickly intervened, "Mom, you can’t turn into a panda." She then turned her back to Luo’s Mom and fluttered the little wings on her back, "Mom, I’m a little angel, here to bring you happiness, not tears."
"Exactly," Huang Yueran added enviously, "Your outfit makes you look like a girl in her early twenties. Next to you, I feel all middle-aged."
"Mom will just blabber nonsense, and Dad would scold her if he heard, right? By saying that, aren’t you implying that Dad is an old man?" Luo Qianqian pouted cutely, her adorable deanor fully on display. Luo Shufan grabbed his cara and snapped two more pictures; he knew his sister was trying to divert their mom’s attention so she wouldn’t cry and ruin her makeup.
"Exactly, Brother He would scold soone, right?" An Zilan laughed too; she was well aware of her daughter’s intentions and felt that it should be the elders worrying, not the youngsters.
"Sis, help take a couple of pictures with Mom. We don’t need you." Luo Shufan handed over the cara with a smile on his face and winked at his sister.
Luo Qianqian nodded her head.
The ti was almost up, Luo Qianqian went to the room to wake up her aunt and her sister, locked the door behind them, and took so lovely photos with the little bundle of joy. Suddenly, she had a bright idea: "Bro, co here for a second." Then she pointed to her sister and shared her recent idea, and the siblings were instantly in cahoots. Although Li nglin was still young at four years old, she understood what her brother and sister were saying and agreed enthusiastically with clapping hands.
Luo Qianqian sent Mother He away after explaining, and Mother He quickly went downstairs to fetch the white fluffy dress she had made for Luo Qianqian before. Since Luo Qianqian was slim and petite, the four-year-old Li nglin had no problem fitting into her outfit ant for a five- or six-year-old. Luo Qianqian was satisfied only after she found a small crown that their mother had bought for her when she was young and placed it on her sister’s head, then had her brother detach the little wings from his back to pin on her sister. The chubby little angel made a glittering entrance, and Luo Qianqian adored her so much that she hugged her and took a bunch of photos.
"Auntie, I’ll borrow Linlin for a bit later, okay?" Luo Qianqian went to her aunt and started acting spoiled.
An Zihua saw her niece with her own daughter behind her, wearing a white dress and holding two little wings, with a silly, happy smile on her face, and imdiately understood what her niece wanted. She nodded and agreed.
The Lin family had arranged for a convoy of cars for the wedding procession, a total of twenty, all red Audis, courtesy of Bai Yixian. The leading car was Bai Yixian’s prized Maserati that he seldom drove. Luo Qianqian clicked her tongue in amazent; this guy was too wealthy, too low-key.
Bai Yixian personally took the role of driver for the leading car, with a young boy of about thirteen or fourteen sitting in the passenger seat, known as the "suona," which was not the "suona" as in blocking traffic. They had a cara in the car, with one filming car following in front and another behind, capturing all angles.
Luo Qianqian, Luo Shufan, and Li nglin rode in the second car, which was driven by Bai Yizhu, with the groomsman Lin Jiayou in the passenger seat. The oldest in the car was still a minor, only soone as bold as Bai Yixian dared to do this.
"Qianqian, from now on, you’ll have to call ’big brother,’" Lin Jiayou looked back at Luo Qianqian playing with the little bundle and asked, "Whose kid is this?"
"What kid? Uncultured," Luo Qianqian said disdainfully, "This is the Styx’s little angel who has co to bring happiness to my mom and Uncle Lin, okay?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers