Chapter Thirty-Three: Marriage

It is now the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fifteenth of August, and the Zhuoshui River reflects the full moon, its light as clear as water.

The Zhang family courtyard was also filled with the aroma of a reunion dinner.

Zhang Liuyi sat around a table with his father, Zhang Dashan, and his uncle's family.

On the table were festive mooncakes, fruits, and a few home-style dishes.

Zhang Liuyi deliberately sat next to her father and kept putting food on his plate.

"Dad, try this. I stewed it especially for you. I added a lot of chili peppers. It's soft and fragrant."

Zhang Yili placed a piece of meat, stewed until tender in chili oil, into Zhang Dashan's bowl.

"Okay, sure."

Zhang Dashan smiled and replied, looking at his daughter who was growing more and more beautiful and capable, he felt a pang of reluctance in his heart.

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and suddenly sighed, "Yi'er, in the blink of an eye, you're about to get married... My heart aches..."

"father!"

Zhang Liuyi quickly interrupted him, her tone slightly coquettish: "What are you saying? Even if you get married, I'll still be your daughter. I've already thought it through. When you get old and can't work anymore, I'll take you to live with me. Brother Zixiang is a good person, he'll definitely agree without hesitation."

What she cares about most is her father's retirement.

Xiong Zixiang's character gave her this confidence.

Zhang Dashan was amused by his daughter's words, but he deliberately put on a stern face: "Don't worry about me. Your dad isn't old yet, I'm still in good health! I can still work in the fields and watch your stall. When I'm really old and can't walk anymore, I'll definitely rely on you and you won't let me go. I'll have to make Xiang-ge carry me."

He patted his chest, making an expression that said, "I'm still as vigorous as ever."

The father and daughter smiled at each other, their eyes filled with tenderness.

Zhang Liuli's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer to her father, lowering her voice: "Dad, how about we discuss our secret stash of money? How much dowry have you saved for me?"

She knew perfectly well that her father had been secretly saving money, always trying to give her more financial support.

Zhang Dashan was amused by his daughter and burst into laughter. He put down his wine glass and said, "Alright, you little money-grubber! Let's go over the accounts."

He pretended to get up to get it, but Zhang Liuyi smiled and pulled him back. The two touched heads, pointed their fingers in the air, and muttered, "One string here, one hundred coins, three hundred coins, the money from selling the pig last time, and the wine money you secretly hid, give it all to me..."

As they counted, they couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Outside the window, a full moon hangs high, its gentle light bathing the village.

Inside, a candle illuminates the room, and laughter warms the little house.

The impending farewell was tempered by the joy of family reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

We asked the fortune teller in town to choose an auspicious day, August 25th, which was suitable for weddings and moving into a new house, so that we could have double happiness and do it all at once.

The weather was perfect, with a clear blue sky.

The Xiong family's old house and new house have been cleaned and renewed, with big red "double happiness" characters pasted on the doors and windows.

Today, Madam Song wore a brand-new dark red vest, her hair was neatly combed, and she wore a silver hairpin.

His face beamed with joy as he stood at the entrance of the courtyard, warmly greeting the endless stream of guests.

"Oh my, Sister Li is here! Please come in and see how our new house is going!"

"Aunt Wang, you've brought your grandson? Come, come, here, give the child a sweet treat."

She smiled and slipped two extra pieces of malt candy wrapped in red paper into the hands of guests with children, which made the children cheer with joy.

Old Man Xiong also changed into clean clothes and helped out from the side, his face beaming with joy.

Xiong Zijuan held Xiaobao in her arms and helped greet the women. She was beaming with joy and couldn't help but feel happy for her little brother.

As for our groom, Xiong Zixiang, he stood tall and straight at the gate of the courtyard, wearing a brand-new bright red wedding suit, which made his stern face look more cheerful. The wound on his face had healed after a few days, but he was quite annoyed that we hadn't noticed him during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Underneath his wedding attire was a close-fitting black undergarment, which accentuated his broad shoulders and back.

He was leading a tall, spirited horse, a stallion he had borrowed from the county government, with a large red flower hanging on its head.

The large number of people startled the horse, which snorted and paced restlessly, but Xiong Zixiang firmly held the reins with his strong hands and soothed it in a low voice, and it quickly calmed down.

All the relatives from the Xiong and Song families who could come arrived, crowding around Xiong Zixiang, chatting and laughing, trying to boost his morale and support him.

The joyous and grand wedding procession, amidst the deafening sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas, made its way to the Zhang family's home.

The Zhang family's side was also filled with joy.

Before dawn, Li Xiulan arrived at Zhang Yili's boudoir early.

The bride, Zhang Xiaoyi, was still curled up in bed, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

She tossed and turned all night, lost in thought, and didn't fall asleep until very late. Now she's so sleepy she can barely keep her eyes open.

"Yi-jie, wake up! My dear girl, today is your big day. Why are you being so lazy?"

Li Xiulan was both annoyed and amused, so she quickly dug her out of bed and pressed her down in front of the dressing table.

"Sister-in-law, I went to bed late last night, let me take a nap a little longer."

Zhang Liuyi mumbled to himself, his voice heavy with sleepiness.

While Li Xiulan deftly helped her undo her hair and clean her face with a warm towel, she kept nagging, "What are you still dozing off for? If you doze off any longer, the auspicious time will be over. The bride can't miss the auspicious time. Be good, sit up straight. Your sister-in-law will comb your hair and make sure you look beautiful so that Zixiang can't take his eyes off you."

She picked up a brand-new peach wood comb, dipped it in osmanthus oil, and began to comb Zhang Yixin's hair with utmost care, reciting auspicious words passed down through generations:

"Combing from head to toe, raising the tray to the eyebrows in perfect harmony..."

The comb gently glides through the hair, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus oil and best wishes.

As Zhang listened to his sister-in-law's gentle voice, his drowsiness gradually dissipated, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

After combing her hair, Li Xiulan picked up the bright red wedding dress that had been prepared beforehand.

Following Zhang's advice, the wedding dress had several clumps of sturdy, withered grass stalks embroidered with yellow thread on the collar and cuffs.

Following Xiong Zixiang's advice, the embroiderer then added a few simple white flowers.

The two intertwine unexpectedly to create a harmonious and elegant effect, exuding a unique vitality.

Li Xiulan carefully unfolded the wedding dress, smoothed out every wrinkle with her hands, and helped Zhang Yizhu put it on.

The bright red background made her complexion look rosy, and the unique embroidery of withered grass and small white flowers added a touch of unique charm to her.

Li Xiulan used a fine cotton cloth to apply a thin layer of face powder to Zhang Xinli's face, concealing the slight weariness from not sleeping last night and making her skin appear even more delicate.

Finally, she picked up a small box of bright red rouge, dabbed a little with her fingertip, and gently dabbed it onto Zhang Xiaoli's soft lips, blending it out delicately.

"My God, our Yi-jie is so beautiful."

Looking at the radiant and elegant bride in the mirror, Li Xiulan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The two women were having a private conversation when suddenly a deafening sound of gongs, drums, suonas, and a clamor of voices came from outside. The wedding procession had arrived.

"Quick, quick, hide the shoes!"

Li Xiulan was startled and immediately stuffed Zhang Xiaoyi's brand-new red embroidered shoes into her arms and hugged them tightly.

The gate to the Zhang family's courtyard had long been completely blocked by the aunt and the girls from the village who had been hired to block it.

The sounds of laughter and shouts from the wedding procession rose and fell.

"Open the door, open the door! The groom is here to pick up the bride!" came the cheering voices of the Xiong family's relatives and friends outside.

"Want to come in? Not so easy! Bring the red envelope and the wedding candy!" the girls inside shouted with laughter.

"Yes, if it's not thick enough, we won't let you in!"

Red envelopes were slipped under the door, and handfuls of wedding candies were thrown in.

The girls picked it up laughing, but still blocked the door and wouldn't let anyone open it.

"Not enough, not enough! We've noticed the girl is absolutely gorgeous. The groom has to praise her personally until we're completely satisfied," the lead girl shouted.

As the bride's elder brother, Zhang Liuji also felt responsible for ensuring the wedding procession couldn't enter so easily. He cleared his throat and, through the door, said sarcastically, "Zixiang, if you want to bring my sister home, red envelopes and wedding candies aren't enough! You need to show some real talent—praise her! Praise her as much as you can!"

"You praised my sister to the skies, making us completely convinced, and only then will you open the door!"

A burst of laughter erupted both inside and outside the door.

Standing at the front of the crowd, Xiong Zixiang, who was usually calm and composed, was now pushed to the forefront by the crowd and faced with the difficulties from his wife's family inside the door. He showed a rare bit of unease.

His dark face now had a hint of red, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, he held back for a long time before finally speaking.

“Keep an eye on her…she…she is intelligent, capable, and good at managing a household.”

"She...she is decisive, courageous and resourceful, she is...she is a true heroine in her boudoir."

"It is my great fortune, Xiong Zixiang, to be able to marry such a wonderful girl."

He racked his brains and came up with all the words of praise he could think of. Although some of his words sounded clumsy to others, his sincerity was clearly conveyed through the door to his ears.

With each sentence he spoke, he would quickly slip in a thick red envelope.

The girls inside the door laughed uproariously, but they also thought the groom was really genuine.

Hearing Xiong Zixiang's heartfelt praise, Zhang Liuji nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, "Open the door, you can go through."

The courtyard gate creaked open, and the wedding procession poured in, laughing and joking.

However, once inside, the second challenge arose: finding the bride's red embroidered shoes.

"Where are the red shoes? Where are the bride's shoes?"

"Quickly, look for it, the auspicious time is almost here."

Xiong Zixiang and his entourage ransacked Zhang Yi's small house, checking under the bed, in the closets, and under the pillows.

I was so anxious I was running around in circles, but I couldn't find it no matter what I did.

Zhang Liuji, watching anxiously from the side, secretly gave Li Xiulan, who was standing in the corner and covering Xiao Nan'er's belly, a wink.

Li Xiulan understood, pretending she couldn't carry Xiao Nan'er, and placed her on the edge of the bed. The bright red toes of her shoes were clearly visible from under the hem of her wide dress.

Xiong Zixiang, with his sharp eyes, spotted it immediately.

He rushed to Li Xiulan in three strides, a pleading smile on his face, and said repeatedly, "Sister-in-law, good sister-in-law, please be kind and give me the shoes, the auspicious time cannot be missed! I'll buy you the best rouge from Baozhailou later!"