Before The Wedding

Under the small waterfall, they looked at each other.

Li Wei, who still had her arms around his neck, was plastered to him in the water. Her voice was barely a whisper, "What should we do now?"

Khan Bojing gulped and looked away from where their chests met. "I-I wash your back and you wash mine."

"Turn around then." She reach for the soap from the basket on the rock nearby.

When they were intimate before, it was usually at nighttime. Now that the sun was barely gone over the horizon, every muscle on his back seemed to be highlighted. His honey colored skin shone with temptation.

The soap almost slipped from her fingers before it reached his broad shoulders. In an attempt to save the soap, she ended up slapping it roughly onto his back.

"So much excitement?" He teased.

"You know I'm nervous and still make fun of me. Can't you see I'm trying my best?" Li Wei mumbled, spreading the over his skin.

"Then how about I tell you something? Following traditions, tonight you'll stay with my mother. It's a good time for you to introduce yourself and learn about her. We're not allowed to see each other's until the auspicious time of the wedding. By the time I see you again, we'll making our oaths..."

With his comforting voice describing the process, she calmly lathered soap onto his back and rinsed away the soap with the bowl shaped gourd. The gourd was used to scoop up and poured out water. Soon, his back was clean and she smiled proudly.

When it was her turn, she handed him the soap. Li Wei felt him slipped off her outer top and moved her hair to the front, but the soap didn't come. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion and she turned back to a red face Khan Bojing.

For having constantly teased her, he looked to be much more nervous. His bewildered eyes couldn't blink and he didn't move. Li Wei's fair and smooth back was almost exposed except for two small strings tied together on her waist and neck. His cheeks burnt redder and redder the more she watched him.

A smirk appeared on her face. Li Wei clung onto his neck and she whispered knowingly, "Look who's shy now."

Khan Bojing found it hard to breathe and blinked continuously. It didn't help that she was even closer than before. Her soft breasts were pressed against his hard chest, separated only by a thin fabric. With the wet fabric, every curves were outlined and even further down, his imagination ran wild.

After playing with him, Li Wei smiled innocently and turned back around. "Yebai, it'll get dark soon."

Her reminder of the time brought him into action. He lathered the soap once across her back and just as quickly, rinsed it off. All was done before she could count to five.

"Let's go," He told her.

"..." Li Wei almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she held it back and pressed her lips together disapprovingly. "This can't do. How can the bride not bathe properly before the wedding? If you're done, you go over there and wait for me."

"I-I'm done," Khan Bojing excused himself and left right away. As she asked, he sat on the rock while she bathed.

So obedient? She giggled quietly, finding him to be too cute. After he left, she washed her hair and tied it into a high bun. Then, she ran the soap across her arms, neck, and collarbones. Her hands swirled the soap in playful circles.

Khan Bojing tried not to watch, but his eyes somehow went back to her again and again. He had always been disciplined except this time. The fact that the woman in the water would be his wife tomorrow was the excuse he used to break his own rules.

Li Wei only wanted to poke fun at him. She enjoyed seeing his cheeks blushed in embarrassment, his eyes darting all around only to come back to her, and his lips bitten in poor attempts to calm himself.

Later, he wrapped his large cloak over her figure and she changed into dry clothes. Li Wei smiled upon seeing his eyes still shut tightly. "I'm finished, we can go back now."

Khan Bojing bent his knees. "It's dark now, I'll carry you home. I'm used to this type of terrain so I know my way around better than you."

What use was it to play pretend? He wanted to pamper her and in response to his offer, Li Wei agreed right away. On his back, she hugged his neck and placed her head on his shoulder. She was asleep when his voice woke her up.

"Xiao Wei, we're here."

Li Wei got off and rubbed her eyes. "I really won't see you tonight?"

"The groom is not allowed to see the bride on the night before the wedding. When I see you again, Xiao Wei, you'll be my wife."

"That's the best thing I've ever heard," She told him, hugging him stubbornly although he had to leave.

Khan Bojing smiled tenderly. "Me too."

Eventually, Li Wei let him go and watched as he disappeared into the forest headed towards the other house located nearby. Back inside, Mother Xu waited for her by the fire. She joined his mother and they talked while eating rice cakes.

"The moment you appeared at our house with Yebai's pendant on your waist, I knew you were special to him," Mother Xu told her excitedly. "I rooted for you since our first meeting seeing how brave you were to chase him all the way to the countryside."

"I stole that from him," She confessed.

"Don't be so naïve, do you think that boy would let you steal it from him if he didn't allow it? Don't be tricked by his words. Even if he didn't like you, for sure you caught his attention."

Li Wei's cheeks turned pink. Mother Xu was very straightforward and honest.

"Now, child, answer me. I've heard from Yebai but I wanted to talk to you myself. Do you really love my son? If you marry him, your life won't be easy. Are you willing to hold onto his hands until the end? Yebai has suffered enough from the day he was born into the world until now. I'm happy to see him in love, but I can't bear to see him hurt."

In this intimate moment, Li Wei was no longer shy. Who knew when they would meet again? There was no better time than now to speak her mind and assure the elder woman.

She held Khan Bojing's mother's hand. "From the deepest part of my heart and with all my being, I love Yebai. If he were not a prince, our life would be much more free, that much is true. It's also because he's a prince that I must stay with him. When together, we are each other's strengths. No matter what we face in the future, I won't leave his side."

Mother Xu could feel the sincerity in the young girl's words and she blinked back her tears. Finally, she could be relieved of her worries. "Yebai asked me to be the witness of his marriage with the woman he loves and I couldn't be happier he finally found such a dear person. My son, he is quiet and keeps his grievances to himself, but he has the most beautiful heart in the world. If you treasure him well, he won't betray you."

"Thank you, thank you a thousand times for raising such a wonderful man. Words can't express how grateful, happy, and blessed I feel," She paused, smiling with adoration before continuing, "Also, thank you for being such a strong woman. Mother Xu, you are an amazing woman. You are a legend in my heart."

Mother Xu smiled bashfully at the endless compliments. "What a sweet child you are, no wonder my son is head over heels for you."

From the early night hours until the morning, the two women talked by the fire. Only when sunlight filtered through the windows did they realized how much time passed. After bathing, Mother Xu handed her a simple, but delicately embroidered wedding gown.

"It's not as beautiful as the ones in the palace, the one you'll wear in front of the nation would be much more extravagant, but please accept this humble gift."

Li Wei didn't like crying. In fact, she rarely cried in her past life. It was even more rare for her to cry out of joy. Many hours and precious efforts were spent on making this dress to be ready for their wedding day. This dress was the first gift from Mother Xu to her as a daughter in law.

Before she could register it, tears pooled in her eyes. Was this how every daughter felt to be loved by her mother? Such a precious feeling would be treasured in Li Wei's mind forever.

Her fingers brushed the fabric. "This is the most beautiful wedding dress I've ever seen. Thank you... mother."

In front of the small vanity, Li Wei sat on the chair in the new dress. Behind her, Mother Xu gently combed her hair with blessings. Li Wei studied her reflection in the mirror, feeling light and especially energetic.

Today, she was a bride with sparkling eyes and a bright smile. Today, she would become Khan Bojing's wife.

Willingly, happily, and with all her heart, she'd walk to him who waited for her.