Chapter 1014: Start again

Madam Lu had been unable to settle since Yue Ling left the sitting room.

’I can’t do this.’

Those four simple words continued echoing in her mind.

There had been something painfully final about the way Yue Ling said them, and the more Madam Lu thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

Had she said something wrong?

Had the endless discussions overwhelmed the girl?

Perhaps she had been too enthusiastic, pushing her own ideas without considering what Yue Ling truly wanted.

Her gaze drifted toward the scattered wedding preparations.

The photographs, invitations, guest lists, and floral arrangements that had seemed so exciting only moments earlier now filled her with regret.

What if Yue Ling no longer wanted to marry her son?

The thought made her heart sink.

She had seen the look on Lu Tian’s face when Yue Ling walked out. Her son had gone after his wife without another word, but the hurt in his eyes had been unmistakable.

Madam Lu clasped her hands together.

’Oh, what have I done?’

She had only wanted to give them a beautiful wedding.

She had never intended to make either of them unhappy.

When footsteps finally sounded beyond the doorway, she immediately looked up.

Lu Tian and Yue Ling entered the sitting room together.

Madam Lu rose from the couch.

"Ah Ling, dear, I—"

She stopped.

Her gaze fell to their entwined hands.

Lu Tian held Yue Ling’s hand securely in his, his expression considerably softer than when he had left.

Confusion clouded Madam Lu’s face.

She looked from her son to Yue Ling.

"Is... everything going to be alright?"

Lu Tian gave her a reassuring smile.

"Everything is fine, Mother."

He gently squeezed Yue Ling’s hand, encouraging her to speak.

Yue Ling drew a quiet breath.

"I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly."

Madam Lu immediately shook her head.

"No, dear. If I’ve said something that upset you—"

"You haven’t."

Yue Ling interrupted and looked at the preparations scattered across the room.

"I’ve been thinking about everything, and I realized that I don’t want to proceed with the engagement party."

Madam Lu blinked.

Yue Ling continued before she could misunderstand.

"And I don’t want a lavish wedding."

For a moment, Madam Lu simply stared at her.

Then she blinked as an inexplicable uneasiness slowly stirred in her heart.

Before she could draw the wrong conclusion, Yue Ling explained.

She told her about Grandfather Ji’s declining health, about the conversation they had shared in his study, and how he had quietly acknowledged that his remaining time was limited.

Her voice softened.

"I don’t know how much longer Yeye has."

Madam Lu’s expression changed.

"I want him to see me get married. I want him to be there while he still can."

Yue Ling lowered her gaze.

"If we spend more time preparing for an elaborate wedding, I’m afraid..."

She could not finish.

But she did not need to.

Madam Lu understood.

Her heart ached for the elderly man.

She had known Grandfather Ji since childhood. Given that she and Ji An Ling had been practically sisters, he had always been a father figure in her life.

The thought of the man she had regarded as a second father quietly preparing for the end of his life, while his granddaughter struggled to accept the inevitable, filled her heart with sorrow.

"Oh, my sweet child..."

She shook her head before walking toward Yue Ling.

Without hesitation, she pulled her into a warm embrace.

"You silly girl. Why didn’t you just tell me?"

Yue Ling froze briefly before returning the hug.

"Mother..."

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."

Madam Lu gently patted her back.

"If you had told me from the beginning, I would have understood."

Her voice grew tender.

"A wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion for the two of you. It shouldn’t become something that burdens your heart."

Yue Ling’s eyes grew warm.

"Thank you, Mother."

Madam Lu pulled back and affectionately brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Besides, having your grandfather there is far more important than impressing a room full of guests."

She smiled.

"We can have a beautiful wedding without inviting half of Imperial."

Yue Ling laughed softly.

Madam Lu then glanced at Lu Tian before looking back at her daughter-in-law.

"Although, for a moment there, I thought my son’s entire world had crumbled."

Yue Ling’s smile faltered.

She turned toward Lu Tian, guilt returning to her eyes.

"I’m sorry."

Lu Tian smiled and slipped an arm around her waist.

"Don’t look at me like that."

He leaned closer.

"No matter what, you’re not escaping me."

Yue Ling gave him a look.

"Is that so?"

"Mm. You’re stuck with me."

Madam Lu burst into laughter.

"Goodness, Tian. At least let the girl breathe."

Lu Tian chuckled.

Yue Ling finally laughed as well.

Madam Lu looked around the sitting room.

At the enormous guest list.

The carefully selected venues.

The countless arrangements she had spent the morning enthusiastically discussing.

Then she sighed.

A small, rueful laugh escaped her.

"Look at me. I’ve gotten so carried away with all of this."

The tension that had weighed upon the room gradually dissolved.

"Now, come. Sit."

Madam Lu took Yue Ling’s hand and led her back toward the couch.

Lu Tian followed, settling beside his wife.

Madam Lu picked up the notepad she had been using throughout the morning.

She flipped through the pages, examining the lengthy lists of arrangements she had scribbled down.

Then, without hesitation, she began tearing them out.

Yue Ling stared.

"Mother?"

"These are no longer needed."

One page after another came free.

The proposed schedules.

The reception arrangements.

The lengthy notes concerning the engagement party.

Madam Lu gathered them into a neat pile and set them aside.

"I will handle these later."

Then she turned to a fresh page.

"Alright."

She looked at the couple.

"Let’s start again."

Yue Ling’s expression softened.

Madam Lu picked up her pen.

"Do you have a date you would like?"

Yue Ling turned toward Lu Tian.

Their eyes met.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Then he looked at his mother.

"Soon."

Madam Lu blinked.

"Soon?" ℯℯ𝘭.

"Mm."

"How soon?"

Lu Tian smiled.

"As soon as we can arrange it."

For a moment, Madam Lu simply stared at him.

Then she laughed.

"Oh my! I thought I would have to wait forever to officially gain a daughter, but this is even better."

Yue Ling chuckled.

Madam Lu happily scribbled a single word across the top of the page.

Soon.

"There. That’s settled."

She looked up again.

"Now, where would you like to have your wedding?"

Yue Ling gazed at her for a moment.

The woman had not questioned her decision or tried to persuade her to reconsider.

She had simply listened.

And understood.

A quiet warmth spread through Yue Ling’s chest.

Her gaze drifted toward the photographs scattered across the coffee table.

Magnificent estates.

Grand ballrooms.

Luxurious gardens.

All beautiful.

Yet none of them held the meaning she wanted.

She looked back at Madam Lu.

"May I speak to my grandfather first?"

Madam Lu arched a brow.

"Your grandfather?"

Yue Ling nodded.

"I would like to ask him if we can have the wedding in his garden."

She paused, a faint smile touching her lips.

"It’s where he married my grandmother."

Madam Lu’s expression softened.

"And it’s where my mother married my father."

The room grew quiet.

Yue Ling looked toward Lu Tian.

He met her gaze.

Neither spoke, but the understanding between them was immediate.

He could see how much that garden meant to her.

It held the memories of the family she had lost and the grandfather who had spent his life preserving them.

Yue Ling turned back toward Madam Lu.

Her voice was soft, yet certain.

"It’s also where I wish to marry Lu Tian."

Madam Lu looked at her for a long moment.

Then her eyes grew misty.

"Oh, Ah Ling..."

She reached across the table and took Yue Ling’s hand.

"That would be a beautiful place to begin your marriage."

For a brief moment, Madam Lu’s thoughts drifted back to Ji An Ling and Han Min Joon’s wedding.

She could still remember Ji An Ling standing in the garden, radiant in her wedding dress, while Han Min Joon waited for her with a smile that never seemed to leave his face. Grandfather Ji had looked so proud that day, his eyes glistening as he watched his daughter marry the man she loved.

Madam Lu had stood beside them, laughing and crying along with the family.

It had been such a beautiful day.

And now, years later, Ji An Ling’s daughter wished to exchange her vows in that very same garden.

Her eyes grew misty.

How she wished her dearest friend could have been here to witness it.

Lu Tian smiled and brought Yue Ling’s other hand to his lips.

"If Grandfather Ji agrees, then that’s where we’ll have it."

Yue Ling looked at him.

"Really?"

"Of course."

He kissed her knuckles.

"Wherever you want to marry me, I’ll be there."

Madam Lu laughed softly.

"Well, then. I suppose we have our first arrangement."

She picked up her pen and wrote beneath the proposed date.

Venue: Ji Mansion Garden — pending Grandfather Ji’s approval.

Then she looked at the couple with a warm smile.

"Now, let’s plan a wedding that belongs to the two of you."

Yue Ling smiled.

For the first time that day, the thought of her wedding no longer filled her with uneasiness.

She could picture it now.

The familiar garden beneath the open sky.

Their closest family and friends gathered around them.

Lu Tian waiting for her.

And her grandfather, sitting among the people he loved, watching his granddaughter begin a new Chapter of her life.

It would not be the grandest wedding Imperial had ever seen.

But it would be theirs.

And that was all she wanted.