Chapter 41 The Bride from a Noble Family
The sky was a deep blue, the earth a raven black. Only by candlelight could anyone discern the face of the man beside her. It wasn't the first time Yanru had slept beside a man, nor was it the first time she'd fallen asleep to the sound of his thunderous snoring. But Xue Jia's snoring was truly piercing, like a kettle on the stove with the spout blocked, unable to escape steam, emitting a high-pitched "Wu-wei-" scream. She couldn't fall asleep, lying on her side on the spacious bed. Beyond the dangling colorful silks and the posted wedding characters, everything she saw was valuable objects and priceless paintings. Her heart burned even hotter than the two candles burning all night long before the bed.
For a moment, the snoring in my ears didn't seem so unbearable.
Yanru rolled over, then simply climbed to her feet, dragging her shoes over to the dressing table. The edges of her new dressing table were embellished with copper lace, and the lid was painted with images of a full moon and mandarin ducks playing in the water. The bronze mirror shone ten times brighter than her old one. Every secret compartment was open, the top filled with new rouge, foundation, and bronze ink. In the middle lay several gold hairpins and jade bracelets, along with a few pairs of earrings. At the bottom were the couple's birth dates and some trivial notes about their marriage. As expected, the things of a wealthy family were always exquisite and beautiful. Yanru was delighted. She picked up the earrings and compared them with the pendant earrings, looking at herself left and right in the mirror. She swung the hairpin across her head, unceremoniously, causing the tassels to dangle. All the boxes were open, and she tried every color and texture of rouge and foundation, rubbing them all over her arms. Despite days of toil, a full day of wedding preparations, and sleepless nights robbed by Xue Jia's snoring, the face reflected in the mirror was rosy, her eyes sparkling, and her tongue twitching in a sweet smile, rounder and lovelier than the pearl pendant in her ear. Excited by her own beauty, she struck the same hand gestures as the drummer in "The Bronze Sparrow Locks Spring," twisting her upper body into the dancing pose of a fairy descending to earth.
As she was drunk, her eyes caught sight of a small, tightly closed compartment at the back of the dressing box. Curious, Yanru pried her fingers through the crack at the edge and pulled it out, revealing a pair of jade rings lying alone inside. The outer surfaces were intricately cast with a pattern of intertwined branches, one smaller and one larger. The style was popular in recent years, but it still looked very valuable. Rings are used to hold the bowstring during archery. Xue Jia was from a military family and had been trained in horseback riding and archery since childhood, so it wasn't surprising that such a thing existed in his family. She took the smaller one and put it on, slipping it loosely around her finger, not looking good at all.
"This ring should be passed down to me by my mother-in-law, and it's a pair. I think that fool Xue will take me on a horse hunting trip in the future. The children of the nobles should know the six arts. I have to learn horse riding and archery quickly, so that they won't find out the little flaws in our family." Yanru made up her mind and took off the ring and put it back in its place. The snoring on the other side of the bed became smaller, humming and with the sound of turning over. Yanru took off the jewelry, wiped the remaining powder on her arms, and went back to bed. Xue Jia had woken up, but he didn't get up. He supported half of his head with his hands, and looked at his newlywed wife jogging to the bed. She smiled sweetly and got into his arms.
Yanru had learned the ropes from Ji Mingxiu and knew what men liked most in women: obedient, pitiful, a bit of makeup, and even better, a little pride. She used her black hair, scented with osmanthus, to touch Xue Jia's chin with sweet, affectionate words. She didn't even have to act cute; it was effortless. Xue Jia was once again captivated by her skirt, and the two of them giggled.
After a few moments of lovemaking, Yanru finally fell into a deep, sweet sleep. When she woke up, the sun was already shining on her buttocks. Her mouth was slightly open, and there was a small pool of saliva on the pillow. The blanket beside her was cold, and the man was no longer there. Yanru jumped out of bed with a start, shouting, "Shanjuan! Shanjuan!"
Shanjuan hurried to her bedside and asked, "Madam, are you awake?"
Yanru, tying the belt of her undergarment, asked, "What time is it? Where is my husband?"
Shanjuan fetched her dress for her: "The young master has gone to have breakfast with the master and his wife. He should be waiting in the front hall for the lady to wake up and come to the hall to pay her respects."
"What's wrong with you? You knew that a new bride had to pay respects to her parents the next day and offer tea and formalities to the elders. My husband has woken up, but you didn't call me. Are you deliberately trying to make fun of me?" Yanru complained that Shanjuan didn't serve her properly, which made Shanjuan feel wronged: "No, my wife, the master and I called you together, several times, and the master even shook your shoulder, but you still didn't wake up."
After hurriedly washing, dressing, and putting on her makeup, she rushed to the front hall. Her father-in-law Xue Peng and mother-in-law Wang Xianyi were sitting in front of the hall drinking tea. Xue Jia sat upright at the side, chatting and laughing with his parents. When the three of them saw Yanru, they fell silent. Wang Xianyi put down her teacup and said indifferently, "Madam You is really putting on a big show. We in the Xue Mansion don't have the cruel and torturous rules of other families. We are a more easygoing family. But it's not right for the bride to leave her father-in-law and mother-in-law alone the day after the wedding, sleeping soundly and refusing to wake up, right?"
Yanru didn't dare to fight back and could only blame others: "There were a lot of things to do at the wedding yesterday, and I was a little tired last night. My husband got up and didn't pay attention to me, and Shanjuan didn't know to wake anyone up, so I woke up late. I'll go back and have a good talk with my husband. After marriage, husband and wife share the same honor and disgrace. I'll also teach Shanjuan a lesson and tell her to be more attentive when she works. Mother-in-law, please don't be angry with me anymore, or you'll get sick."
Wang Xianyi, unaware of Yanru's usual awkwardness, mistakenly assumed that all the female scholars who graduated from Guanyan Academy were well-read and eloquent, and that the new bride's weak and rambling words must have a strange tone. She had originally thought that after years of being a daughter-in-law, she would have to show the new bride some of the mistress's wealth. If Yanru honestly admitted her mistakes and said a few soft words to comfort her, she would not care and would just turn the page. However, You Yanru first blamed the Xue family for tiring the wedding, then criticized her son in front of her, her own mother, and then complained that Shanjuan, the one she had chosen for her, was not good enough and needed to be "taught a lesson". Thinking of her own actions before her marriage, he snorted and sneered. Xue Jiacha noticed his mother's anger and gave Yanru a deep look.
In the end, there was no outburst. Yanru got up late, and continuing the verbal dispute would only delay the auspicious time for the wedding ceremony. Wang Xianyi endured it for the time being, and asked the servants to burn incense, bring the prepared table, set up a mirror table and a mirror, and placed it in the main hall. Yanru faced the main hall, bowed and knelt, then stood up, knelt to her father-in-law Xue Peng, and presented him with a soft pillow embroidered with a roc's wings. Xue Peng was delighted and rewarded her with a piece of silver satin cloth and said some blessings for the newlyweds. Yanru was used to the old man showing affection to her, and when she received the gift, she couldn't help but half-stick out her tongue at her father-in-law and winked coquettishly.
Wang Xianyi, who was standing by, was afraid that she would faint on the spot, but she also hated that she couldn't faint on the spot so that she could have peace of mind without seeing it.
Yanru stood up and walked over to her mother-in-law, kneeling in obeisance. She presented her with a fan and a soft pillow, both embroidered with auspicious patterns of bats and gourds. Wang Xianyi stroked the embroidery, which was exquisite. After all, her family was lineage of embroiderers, so she couldn't find fault with any of it. If she really embarrassed herself, it would only make her, the mother-in-law, seem mean. She simply gave her a batch of light yellow fabric in return, as was custom. She casually said something about respecting her elders, advising her husband, and having a son soon, then waved goodbye and went back to her room to rest.
After watching her parents-in-law leave, Yanru turned around and wanted to hug Xue Jia's arm affectionately, wanting him to go back to the house together. Unexpectedly, Xue Jia shook her off and rushed ahead. Yanru followed him, and when he entered the house and sat on the bed, she put on a shamefaced face again, hooked her arms around her husband's thick neck, and smiled coquettishly: "What's wrong, my husband, why are you angry?"
Xue Jia grabbed her waist and tore her off him. "What's wrong? Tell me yourself. Other wives get up at five in the morning to pay respects to their parents-in-law and take care of things. But you're different today. You got up so late and your snoring is even louder than when I woke you up. Mother scolded you and you talked back."
It was just a small matter, but this family was full of fuss. They'd treat a small stone like a mountain. A large family compound has many rules, and the richer the family, the more particular they are. Yanru cursed them for being petty, but she knew she was in the wrong and didn't know what to do. She glanced around and saw a set of nail clippers and files on a small shelf next to the bed. An idea struck her, she grabbed the small set, squatted down, and reached out to remove Xue Jia's shoes.
Xue Jia was puzzled: "Hey, what are you doing?"
Yanru smiled and said, "Last night I saw your toenails were a little long. If you don't trim them properly, I'm afraid they'll grow longer and dig into the flesh around them, causing bleeding and pain. Today I have nothing to do, so I'll help you trim them properly. Don't let your feet get hurt." After saying this, she gave Xue Jia no room to resist and gently took off his shoes and socks. Xue Jia saw Yanru's cheeks flushed, her face full of smiles, and the way she leaned at his feet was like a spring breeze. He felt a little itchy in his heart and said, "Okay, you cut it."
He'd been up for half a day, and his feet had been stuffy for half a day. The moment he took off his socks, the salty, damp odor of sweat assaulted Yanru's noses, more tormenting than passing by a fish stall on a summer's day. It was a hasty decision, a forced disaster, a self-inflicted punishment. Yanru could only bite the bullet and sit on the rattan-lined stool in front of the bed, holding Xue Jia's feet, wiping them lightly with a towel, and twisting off the oddly shaped toenails.
drip-drip-drip-
Yesterday, they had spent their wedding night together at Wushan, and tonight, under the warm red gauze tent, they were enjoying a passionate pedicure. Such a beauty, the eldest daughter of the master of Jinling Embroidery Shop, a distinguished lady at both Qiushui and Guanyan academies, a guest of Bu Yibo's esteem, Ji Mingxiu's goddess of painting, had descended to earth, married, and yet was willing to lie down under the bed, cradling her lower body, while her toes were trimmed. Xue Jia's pent-up pride dissipated, replaced by a sudden swelling of inferiority. He suddenly felt that Yanru was perfect in every way, and that he had truly married the right person. He lifted his foot and extended it into Yanru's arms. Yanru smiled shyly, and then she pinched his foot for pleasure. They moved back and forth, and before they knew it, the couple had slipped from the couch to the bed, laughing and joking, deeply in love.
Yanru secretly admired her own ability to control her husband. She gently stroked Xue Jia's shoulder with her fingers and asked the main question: "Sir, when are we going to check out the pawnshop you mentioned last time?"
Xue Jia enjoyed her teasing and pinched her fingers. "It's our own shop, when can you go there, my lady? Anyway, my father-in-law and mother-in-law have returned to Jinling, so we can save the trouble of going back to my mother's house to pay our respects. Let's go tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll take you to have a look."
"Okay!" Yanru giggled, wanting to pounce on Xue Jia and kiss him, but when she saw his face, she couldn't help but change direction, landing the kiss on his neck. Yanru was smug. Her days as the wife of a wealthy family, where she could control everything and step by step control the wealth and power of the aristocratic families, had finally begun.
[Mumbling]: Today I was surfing the Internet and saw two teachers recommended my article. I would like to thank you two sisters here, kisses.
Because the politics, commerce, and folk customs of the Sui Dynasty are mainly based on the Tang and Song dynasties, Yanru's wedding is mainly based on the book "Dongjing Menghualu". Other sisters who like to write classical Chinese can order a copy and use it as a reference. If other sisters have other reading materials, please recommend them~
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