His voice didn't sound angry, which made Irish feel relieved. "I will get back to New York at night. And it is just a temporary business trip. I know you are busy with your work, so I didn't bother you," Irish replied softly.
"But it is better to get someone to accompany you," Joseph said while sighing slightly.
"Don't worry. I will take care of myself," Irish said, trying to convince him. She walked slowly, and the breeze caressed her cheeks. She stood in front of a stone tablet with an inscription on it. "Fate cannot be forced, and where better to take its course," Irish read it in a low voice. The sentence kept lingering in her mind.
'Does my marriage with Joseph take its course?' Irish wondered.
The relationship between the lovers could not be forced as well, and they had to go through many hardships before they could really be with each other, just like Joseph and Irish. But now everything has fallen into place.
The bells in the distant temple rang when she was still absorbed in her thoughts.
She looked forward but suddenly found a familiar figure which startled her. She stood there in astonishment and couldn't utter a single word.
"I'm worried that you will become a nun here since you are always addicted to this place."
Joseph's deep voice sounded at the other end of the phone, but Irish could see his soft smile. He stood not far and grinned at her, which shocked Irish.
He stood at the temple entrance, under the towering old trees, while the mottled light poured on him, making him look more stalwart.
The lush bamboo rustled with the breeze while some bamboo leaves fell into his shoulders.
"Why are you here?" Irish asked after a long while, her nose twitching. Irish rubbed her eyes but found he still stood there. It was not until then she realized that it was not a dream.
Joseph put his phone into his pocket, stepped to her directly, and replied softly. "It is better to tell your parents that we are married since it is a big event in life. What's more, I also miss our baby."
Irish's heart trembled as she heard this, and the light in her eyes faded. Then, reaching out, Joseph held her in his arms and said firmly over her head, "Irish, I will take care of you for the rest of our lives."
Moved by his words, Irish held him tightly.
****
The wedding was finally coming. Sitting in front of the mirror, Irish stared at herself and felt everything was like a dream. Her best friends were there to accompany her. It was her wedding day, and she would get married soon to Joseph.
According to tradition, Joseph would come to pick her up. Although it must be a luxurious modern wedding, they had to obey the traditions, and Mary informed Joseph about it while Joseph also kept it in mind.
Irish stayed at her Uncle Steven's house, waiting for Joseph to pick her up the next day. She could not fall asleep since she was nervous yet a little bit excited. Steven and Mary were also excited, so they got up in the early morning to prepare snacks and candies for the guests. Jay also got up early since he needed to decorate the room.
The noises outside the window woke Irish up. She was shocked when she got out of her room as she found festive paper decorations had been hung from the ceiling. Irish was worried about her Uncle Steven, so she urged him again and over again to take some rest, but she failed since Steven ignored her words completely and even comforted her that he was fine. Hearing this, Mary also stepped to her and asked her to take a break so that she would look well in the wedding ceremony.
Before she got back to her room, Irish looked back and glanced at Steven and felt a little suspicious.
However, it was getting more and more hopping outside.
Many relatives of her Aunt Mary came to celebrate Irish's wedding, so Irish had to greet them one by one.
Besides Cassie's wedding dress for Irish, Lilith also prepared a ceremonial robe for her.
Additionally, Joseph also prepared several sets of dresses so that Irish could put them on different occasions. It could be said that the wedding would last for a few hours.
The housekeeper kept the wedding dress so that Irish could put it on when she arrived at the venue. Irish was dressed in a red cheongsam when Joseph came to pick her up. It was customized for Irish by a famous sewing artist and was full of fine embroidery.
All of her friends and relatives were shocked by Irish, who was beautifully made up and well-groomed. "This cheongsam is expensive and is customized by a famous artist. It is worth 2 million," Mary introduced it proudly to her friends. All of the people that were present were startled by Mary's words.
Irish tried her best to hold back her smile, knowing that her Aunt Mary was showing off deliberately.
When Cassie arrived with some of her colleagues from Runestone, Joseph also came. Seeing this, the young girls rushed to the door and blocked it to stop them from entering the yard.
Soon the firecrackers sounded outside the door while many neighbors stood there to witness the festive celebration.
A row of luxury cars was lined up. Joseph was kept by his good friends, who Irish had met in Pennsylvania before. Joseph held a bunch of roses in his hands while Jean and Bowen stood beside him. Joseph felt his heart bumping, but soon he calmed down and was ready for the challenge from Irish's friends.
Jean put many envelopes into Joseph's pocket so that he could pass the test. "Don't worry, Joseph. We will help you to deal with those girls," Bowen said with a big smile.
Joseph was relieved by his good brothers, and now he felt he was ready.
However, when they were about to welcome the upcoming challenge, Jordan said abruptly behind, "What if those young girls don't want your red envelope?"
Hearing this, Joseph was on the alert again and asked, "What do they want to do if they don't want a red envelope?"
"Don't worry. We have prepared everything for you no matter what they want," Roy said immediately.
Joseph started to knock on the door as he heard from Roy, but the door was not open. The girls' laughter could be heard in the yard.
"Who is knocking on the door?" asked Cassie deliberately.
Joseph was clear that the key point was to pass their test so that he could pick up his bride.
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