Zhong'an Town, Xie family.
Jewel's wedding procession made a lot of noise as they traveled, moving slowly but joyfully until they finally arrived at the wide-open gates of the Xie residence.
The whole place had been swept clean and decorated in bright red, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.
Feeling the bridal sedan stop, Xavi quickly adjusted the red veil on his head.
After Jewel got off her horse, she walked directly to the sedan chair and, just like when she picked him up earlier, carried Xavi out in her arms.
"Nice!"
Relatives from both the Xie and Nan families, business partners, Wang Yuehan, An Su, workers from Yanxi Restaurant and the tea plantation, and many neighbors from the town had all gathered at the Xie residence to join the celebration.
Everyone cheered when they saw Jewel lift her groom so easily.
"So bold, Lady Xie..."
"Boss Xie really loves her husband..."
In front of the Xie residence, there was a fire basin. According to tradition, the groom had to step over it before entering the house, which symbolized a bright and prosperous future in his wife's home.
The master of ceremonies saw how close the couple was and smiled as he loudly announced:
"Time for the groom to step over the fire basin~"
Jewel gently put Xavi down in front of the basin, took his hand, and reminded him what to do next.
"Xavi, take a big step right here."
Following her guidance, Xavi smoothly completed every part of the traditional wedding ceremony.
When the couple entered the main hall, Jewel's father sat happily at the head seat.
Two chairs were placed at the front. Jewel's father sat on the left. The right chair, the most respected seat, was left empty, but in the middle of the table between the two chairs stood a wooden plaque honoring Jewel's late mother. A big red ribbon had been carefully tied around it.
Once Jewel and Xavi were standing in place, the ceremony leader stopped smiling and announced with a serious voice:
"First bow—to Heaven and Earth."
The couple turned toward the open doorway of the hall, kneeled on the soft mat, and bowed deeply, their foreheads touching the floor.
Thank you, Heaven and Earth, for letting us meet, know, love, and stay with each other. Being with you is the happiest and proudest thing in my life!
"Second bow—to the elders."
Jewel helped Xavi up, and together they turned to bow to her father and her late mother's spirit.
From now on, Xavi was the person Jewel would care about the most in the world, and Jewel would be the one Xavi would rely on for the rest of his life.
Jewel's father looked at the couple with love and pride. His joy spread to everyone in the hall.
Some of the husbands with daughters began to imagine what it would be like to see their own children get married someday.
Jewel's father said warmly, "Good children, you may stand."
The two stood up together.
The next bow was the most important one.
"Third bow—to each other."
In this matriarchal society, some well-mannered families followed the rule that the wife only needed to give a slight bow to her main husband by slightly lowering her head.
The husband, however, had to bow deeply, bending his body to a full ninety degrees to show his respect.
If it was a concubine, the woman just stood still while the concubine bowed.
As for servants, there was no ceremony—they were simply brought into the house with no wedding.
The Men's Teachings said, "To follow and obey is the duty of a husband or servant."
Xavi understood clearly that he had to be respectful and obedient to his wife for the rest of his life.
Because the title "wife" meant this woman was both his partner and his master.
He bowed to Jewel with deep respect and sincerity, because she was the one he would cherish and honor for his whole life.
Everyone watched quietly. They thought Jewel would only respond with a polite bow, as usual.
But to their surprise, Jewel bent down just like Xavi, matching his deep bow exactly, giving him full and equal respect.
"Good!"
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
People were surprised by Jewel's actions. Many women were stunned, and the men watching were shocked.
Only after that loud "Good!" did everyone snap out of it and start talking excitedly.
Xavi's relatives from the Nan family were seeing Jewel for the first time.
They were first amazed by how rich her family was.
Then they were impressed by her beauty and presence when she rode in to pick up her groom.
When she carried Xavi out of the sedan herself, they could tell how much she loved him.
Now, seeing Jewel bow to Xavi so seriously in front of everyone, they finally understood how important Xavi was to her.
"Didn't expect Miss Xie to be so sincere…"
"Yeah, Xavi is really lucky to have her…"
Xana's many cousins watched Xavi being married in such a grand ceremony and getting such a wonderful partner. They couldn't stop smiling and chatting.
After the three bows, Jewel stood up. Her eyes were slightly red, filled with emotion.
In her past life, she struggled through 28 hard years alone, facing the wind and rain without anyone by her side.
Back then, no one had ever caught her eye or entered her heart.
She thought she would never find someone to walk through life with, to share joy and sorrow.
But here in this different world, she really had found him!
She didn't even know when she fell for Xavi.
She just knew that as long as she was alive, she would stay by his side.
Even if a thousand years passed, he would always be hers.
She used to see couples crying during weddings and just clapped and cheered along with the crowd.
But now that she was experiencing it herself, she realized—when you marry someone you truly love, the emotions really do overwhelm you.
Under the veil, Xavi's eyes were full of tears, but his smile never faded.
His wife had prepared such a grand wedding for him—just like the ones he had dreamed of so many times.
She was right!
If you dream of something bad, it's just the opposite; but if you dream of something good, it might really come true.
And his dream had come true!