Fated Marriage Chapter 1.3

Chapter One (Part 3 of 3)

Han Ting Ting walked carefully up the dark stairs that led to her home and she counted each step. She didn’t like Qing Song, like him, all she needed was someone decent to marry to ease their families’ worries.

Her grandpa was a soldier and for a period of ten years he was also a guard for Qin Song’s grandfather, Commander Zhang. When her family moved from the country to their new home, her grandpa hid from her dad that he called Commander Zhang for a favour.

Commander Zhang’s whole family were good and compa.s.sionate people. After her father settled into his new job through Commander Zhang’s connection, both families met up often like close friends that haven’t seen each other for a long time. At that time Qin Yun’s health was poor. The Qin and Zhang households prioritised Qin Song’s arranged marriage. Han Ting Ting was considered the best wife candidate for Qin Song.

Qin Song during that time was on the verge of losing his patience. During their first meeting they found out they were motivated to get married for the same reason and he decided that she was the one.

She and Qin Song agreed to be married for one year. After one year they were both free from the marriage to go their separate ways.

Qin Song added a special condition to their agreement that during their one year of marriage, she was not allowed to love him.

‘I think changing that condition to both sides can’t harbour any feelings for each other make more sense,’ she said.

Back then she wasn’t accustomed to Qin Song’s sharp way of speaking and made the suggestion purely out of fairness for both parties instead of to spite him.

Qin Song at that time he looked at her with distrust in his eyes, and was also the first time he looked at her carefully under a hostile atmosphere.

‘Don’t worry, you’re not my type!’ he said coldly.

She secretly cursed him. What a stinky brat! He didn’t having any manners at all!

After getting to know Qin Song better, the distance between them gradually lessen, she even felt that there was a part of him that was a little… naive like a child. It was plausible because inside each man was an inner child.

Kept in the dark shadow of her heart there was no sunlight, where no one could see, she carefully hid all her sorrows and didn’t allow herself to show her vulnerable side.

Close to the wedding day, what made Han Ting Ting happiest was her best friend Tu Tu’s visit. From trying out wedding contraptions, ordering clothes, going for bridal spa treatments… Tu Tu always went with her. It was like how it used to be back during their school days, they worked part time jobs together and did everything else as a pair and were joined at the hip.

Qin Song wasn’t pleased with their closeness, one of Han Ting Ting’s kind was enough, a clone of her was too much to bear.

The distinction between the two was that Tu Tu had a sharper wit and spoke more sarcastically than Han Ting Ting.

Qin Song and Tu Tu’s personalities clashed for that reason, fortunately Han Ting Ting was there to mediate their quarrels. Qin Song was also preoccupied with a mountain workload that needed to be done and that helped to lessen the spare time to exchange verbal blows with Tu Tu. Time flew by fast and in a blink of an eye Qin Song and Han Ting Ting’s wedding day arrived.

Qin Yun’s poor health meant he didn’t have spare energy to waste, instead of a grand wedding the wedding was simple. When picking up the bride, roads were closed for the wedding convoy of cars that drove b.u.mper to b.u.mper like a dragon moving through the curves of the roads.

Behind the groom were the other five famous Liang’s sworn brothers. Out of them Han Ting Ting had met Li Wei Ran the most times, because he was Zhang Yu’s nephew and Qin Song’s older cousin.

The Han’s family home was located in a non-flashy area a.s.signed by the employer of Han Ting Ting’s dad. The house was built years ago, her mum had cleaned it well but the house was still shabby in contrast to the six attractive sworn brothers.

Her dad was more of a practical than a sentimental person. When he saw it was time for the bride to leave he hurried his wife and daughter along who were clinging to each other delaying the inevitable.

‘Enough, let our daughter go!’ dad said.

Her dad’s words caused her mum let out a dam of tears.

She was reluctant to let her mum go and wiped her mum’s tears. ‘Mum, it’s time for me to go.’

‘Ting Bao, be good…’ mum said. ‘Be good!’

Her mum didn’t know what else to say and kept mumbling the same things.

She nodded and cried at the same time.

She turned in her dad’s direction. ‘Dad, give yourself plenty of rest too, you don’t need to take on investigations that put your life under threat!’

‘Kiddo! What are saying?’ dad said.

Her dad’s pa.s.sion for his line of work has not diminished over the decades. But in consideration for his daughter’s wedding day, he let go of her bagging his work ethics. ‘Ok, I’ll be more careful! Ting Ting, after you’re married to Qin Song, be a filial daughter-in-law for the Qin household.’

She listened to her dad’s advice and nodded.

Qin Song was suppressing his impatience whilst watching the separation scene of the Han household. It was his sworn brothers’ threatening looks aimed at him to break up the bride’s family that forced him to intervene.

‘Dad, mum, I’ll look after… Ting Ting. Dad, mum, rest a.s.sured that you can hand her over to me!’ Qin Song said and felt like there was a heavy cold sensation on his back.

Ting’s dad clutched his hand like a soldier. Qin Song thought Ting’s dad was going to threaten him if he bully the Han family’s little darling daughter then he’d have to answer to Ting’s dad. Unexpectedly Qin Song’s train of thought was off base.

‘Qin Song, in the future if Ting Ting does something wrong, go ahead and discipline her!’ Ting’s dad said.

Qin Song was overjoyed to hear Ting’s dad’s permission to discipline Ting, grinned widely and nodded in full agreement. ‘Yes, dad!’

Everyone in the room apart from Ting’s parents that saw Qin Song’s mood lifted from his exchange with his father-in-law, all turned their heads around and sighed.

Han Ting Ting knew that her wedding day was a pretense and only felt burdened, there was no sense of antic.i.p.ation and nervousness that a bride should have. When she was saying goodbye to her parents, her mum cried until her mum’s eyes were swollen and her dad who was usually hot blooded gave off a vibe that he was a little choked up.

Then she entered the wedding car and when the wheels spun to depart, from the rear window she saw her dad supporting her mum upright, she felt a sting in her nose and felt oppressed by an ache on her chest.

Her parents forced her arranged marriage but she still loved her parents. In the world, only her parents loved her unconditionally more than anyone else.

Dad, Mum, I’m sorry!

Qin Song exhaled and leaned into his seat in a more comfortable position then he noticed the ‘little country bun’ beside him was silently crying, tears rolled onto her lace gloves and wedding dress. Her vulnerable side startled him.

‘Ahem…’ Qin Song coughed.

Tu Tu who sat at the front pa.s.senger seat glared at him through the front mirror. He took out his handkerchief tucked in his vest and pa.s.sed it to Han Ting Ting.

The more Han Ting Ting thought about the past the more she was heartbroken, all the bottled injustices starting from a year ago were overflowing inside her heart. The sight of her parents leaning on each other made her regret her foolish desires in the past and felt her heart was cut apart by a knife.

Han Ting Ting’s tears wouldn’t stop flowing down, her layer of fake eyelashes was coming off and it made Qin Song panic.

‘Hey!’ Qin Song said. ‘Stop crying!’

‘Don’t cry anymore…’ he said.

‘Can you stop crying?’ he asked.

‘Enough…’ he said and bent his head down to wipe her tears with his handkerchief. ‘Don’t cry anymore…’

He patted her back and her tears fell slower so he pulled her close to him for her head to rest on his chest.

If they were younger and crying nonstop, their parents would hug them and pat them. After they grew up, they didn’t need that kind of comfort often but when they were suffering heartbreak, depressed or feeling useless… if there was someone to hug them and tell them that everything was going to work out like comforting a child… it took away some of that bleakness and shed some comforting warm light into their injured heart.

Tu Tu through the front mirror could see the scene in the back seat. Qin Song that bad, nagging and tactless guy… was comforting his crying bride. Despite his naivety, his efforts to comfort Tu Tu’s best friend was a lovable trait.

Didn’t Qin Song went through with the arranged marriage to improve his father’s declining health? He even said after a year he wanted a divorce… Tu Tu turned to look at the scenery outside the window. Divorce? Tu Tu was doubtful he could ever let go of Tu Tu’s lovable best friend. A lot of events could fill one year and Tu Tu could wait a year to prove Qin Song wasn’t fooling anyone but himself.

The wedding ceremony was the main event. Before the wedding banquet the groom and bride’s families exchanged gifts, gave blessings and formally introduced each Qin extended family member’s t.i.tle to Han Ting Ting for her to greet them. After the wedding ceremony, Qin Yun took a rest and Qin Song had to stand in as the head of the Qin household on behalf of Qin Yun.

Zhang Yu gave Han Ting Ting a rare vintage clear green jade bracelet.

‘This bracelet was pa.s.sed down to me by my mother-in-law on my wedding day and now I’m pa.s.sing it on to you,’ Zhang Yu said and put the bracelet on Han Ting Ting’s wrist. ‘Mmm, the bracelet looks old fas.h.i.+on if you don’t like it, give it to your daughter-in-law in the future.’

Qin Yun’s coughing could be heard in the background.

‘Song Song, why is your wedding attire messed up?’ Zhang Yu asked.

The dark stains on the shoulder of Qin Song’s white suit was an eye sore.

‘What did you do to dirty it to this extent?’ Zhang Yu asked and Qin Yun also inspected Qin Song’s suit.

Qin Song turned to look at his wife beside him up and down. Han Ting Ting’s make up was redone, her wedding dress was immaculate, veil spotless and there wasn’t a speck of dust on her wedding attire at all. She had the gull to mock him with a smile! He inhaled deeply, glared at her and cursed her in his heart, ‘little country bun’ you have no conscience!

Han Ting Ting was compensating Qin Song’s predicament with a smile, but his unexpected glare disappointed her and she lowered her head too scared to look at him.

Han Ting Ting ignoring his plight made Qin Song lose his cool, he vowed in his heart that after their wedding day he wasn’t going to let her have a moment of peace. He was going to disrupt her daily life!

Han Ting Ting maintained an apologetic att.i.tude toward Qin Song on their wedding night.

On Han Ting Ting’s wedding day she had to change into eight wedding dresses, her hair was changed to eight different styles and she wore eight different pair of high heels on average were ten centimetres. At the end of her wedding day, Tu Tu and Ji Nan helped her walk into the exclusive wedding suite prepared by the hotel.

Han Ting Ting was trapped in the bathroom that was bigger than her family home for an hour. She spent it soaking and scrubbing her hair to get rid of all the hair spray. Then she cleansed her body of residues from different body tapes used to keep her wedding dresses from falling off. After her skin was bathed in steam long enough for her face to flush red she put on the white bathroom robe provided by the hotel and stepped outside the bathroom.

The bathroom door was connected to the bedroom. As Han Ting Ting opened the bathroom door and looked up she saw Qin Song standing rigidly in front of her.

Late at night, most wedding guests have left the hotel reception area and only relatives were left but they stayed in booked rooms a.s.signed to them. It was eerily quiet in their wedding suite. The dim chandelier lights on the ceiling s.h.i.+mmered on Qin Song’s body. His handsome face didn’t give away any of his inner thoughts.

He was staring at her for a long time. It made her subconscious about her state of dress and pulled the collar of the robe closer together to cover her chest and stared back at him.

He shut the bathroom door. Her heart jumped out of her chest. The alcohol stench coming off him drifted up her nose. He didn’t say a word, crept to her and pressed her body to his body.

‘You!’ he said. ‘Looking at you now… you look beautiful!’

She lost control of her senses and stood still like a mannequin.

He smiled and his hands stroked her cheeks. ‘Your skin is smooth and soft… you’re definitely a little country bun!’

His stupor manner woke her up. He was drunk!

He didn’t stop stroking her cheeks until he was satisfied they were bright red. Then he gently petted her chest and both of them staggered to the bed. They collapsed onto their wedding bed of petals.

‘Pop! Pop! Pop!’

The sudden popping sounds scared him and he rolled off the bed onto the carpet floor.

‘The petal covered balloons on the bed… I forgot to remove them…’

He was too lethargic to move and fell asleep on the carpet.

She pulled up the sleeves of her robes and intended to lift his body onto the bed. But looking carefully at the muscles on his body it was going to be an impossible feat to lift him. Instead she flipped his body over onto his back, propped a pillow behind his head and covered his body with a blanket.

‘Qin Song!’ she said. ‘Do you want to drink water?’

His eyes were shut tight, his right arm shot up in the air and shook his index finger as if to say he didn’t want to drink water. His arm slumped down, his head drooped to the side. Afterward, no matter what she said to him there was no reaction from him.

The night was tranquil.

She collected all the rose petals on the bed and searched around the wedding suite for a bin. The suite was too luxurious and the lighting effect was dreamy. There wasn’t a bin anywhere and she decided to flush the petals down the toilet. She emptied half of the petals into the toilet… then she remembered she didn’t know how to operate the fancy toilet. Then she thought about transferring water from the bathroom sink into the toilet… but the force from a bowl of water wasn’t enough to flush the petals down the toilet. Too much water would flood the toilet… she had no choice except to scoop out the petals in the toilet and hide it otherwise in the morning he’d see a toilet full of petals and she’d be disgraced and embarra.s.sed.

It was the first time she ever stayed in a high cla.s.s place and she didn’t know how to use any of the lavish fittings and devices.

After the commotion she walked to the bed and it was pa.s.sed two in the morning. He was sleeping soundly on the floor next to the bed and his body curled up like a prawn. Putt Putt was quietly waiting beside the pillow and Putt Putt’s black eyes were wide opened like grapes.

Putt Putt was an old teddy bear and knew all of Han Ting Ting’s secrets. Tu Tu was jealous of Putt Putt, because he knew many secrets about Han Ting Ting that she never confided in Tu Tu.

In the stillness of the night, her thoughts about Tu Tu seriously jealous of Putt Putt made her smile.

At the start Tu Tu was against Ting Ting’s arranged marriage and threatened to cut Ting Ting out of Tu Tu’s life. Ting Ting was resolute about going through with the arranged marriage, Tu Tu could only support Ting Ting and flew from miles away to be Ting Ting’s bridesmaid.

Tu Tu was indeed Ting Ting’s best friend. Ting Ting thought about the times Ting Ting neglected Tu Tu. But Tu Tu stood by Ting Ting and cared about Ting Ting’s happiness and well-being.

The morning sunlight was too bright. She kept her tired eyes closed. She was married. Buried in a marriage tomb was better than left exposed on the streets. She held Putt Putt tight in her arms. She reminded herself, after one year the marriage would be over and she could step closer to that person.

Under the morning sunlight, someone immersed themselves with past memories in their sleep.

End of Chapter One (Part 3 of 3)