Wei Li stood ramrod straight, and when he turned to the side, his high nose bridge and sharp facial features were on full display.
He was perfectly suited to such luxurious and flamboyant clothing; the gold thread embroidered on the edges of the garments and the tinkling of his jade pendants made him appear unapproachable, almost like a deity.
Their eyes met, then they both quickly looked away, their hearts pounding.
Zhao Xiheng covered her face with a feather fan, her palms slightly sweaty.
Clearly, when the two of them are looking at each other normally, they don't have such an intense and unusual feeling.
She glanced around furtively, probably because the copper coins were being scattered along the street, and the crowds had all come out. The enthusiastic cheers mingled with the golden bells hanging from the sixteen-cent floats, and the bright red silks lining the street made her feel dizzy for a moment.
Atmosphere has a powerful effect, drawing people into the scene and making them feel immersed.
It was probably this cheerful atmosphere that made her heart race when she looked at Wei Li, Zhao Xiheng told herself, patting her chest.
This is her first and possibly only proper wedding in her life.
Which young woman doesn't want to marry the person she loves and have a grand, lively wedding?
When she left Jinyang in a carriage that day, it didn't seem like she was getting married, but rather like she was being driven away.
Although I don't know if I'm marrying someone I truly love, I had a lively and joyous wedding, which is great, and I have no regrets.
She touched the bulging pastries in her sleeve and then secretly glanced at Wei Li.
When the maid was applying makeup to her, Wei Li had already finished dressing and came in to sit on the small couch to look at her.
Just before she finished putting on her hair crown and applying lip rouge, the matchmaker cracked open a red-skinned egg for her to eat.
One egg isn't enough to fill you up; you need at least four to feel like you have something in your stomach.
"I'm hungry, can I have one more?" she pleaded, saying that having two was her final concession.
The matchmaker looked embarrassed, clearly not expecting Zhao Xiheng to make such a request. "Madam, just boil one egg."
Wei Li was pounding the couch, laughing so hard he was almost fainting. He mocked Zhao Xiheng, "I've never seen a bride who can eat as much as you."
The matchmakers were quite embarrassed. They hadn't expected Wei Li to dislike his wife so much, and even make sarcastic remarks on their wedding day. For a moment, they didn't know how to smooth things over.
On this joyous day, Zhao Xiheng, with her heavy hair and empty stomach, was already irritable and immediately became aggrieved. "How many brides have you met before you say I can eat? Just a few days ago you said you liked the old sows in the pigsty. Aren't they better than me? If I marry you, I won't even have enough to eat. Am I supposed to suffer if I marry you?"
Wei Li stopped laughing, feeling embarrassed that he had been called out in front of everyone. "Turn around," he scolded.
The wedding attendants and maids around them quickly turned their backs.
The matchmaker thought to herself, "On this joyous day, will there be any bloodshed? The lady actually dares to challenge the master; she's no kind person."
The maid blushed deeply. Honestly, the master and his wife were being affectionate again in broad daylight.
Wei Li leaned closer to her, rested his chin on her shoulder from behind, nibbled on her earlobe, and whispered, "You're still not over this? Are you planning to hold a grudge for the rest of your life? Zhao Xiheng, do you hold grudges?"
"You're just holding a grudge. If you think I eat too much, then don't marry me." She shifted her body, trying to shake him off, speaking in a whisper.
Wei Li took out a small box from his sleeve, opened it and found several exquisite pastries: blueberry yam cake, chestnut cake, jujube and red bean paste cake, moon cake, and sachima.
"Want some?"
This was clearly prepared especially for her. Zhao Xiheng could tell at a glance that he was just being sarcastic again, and her anger subsided. Faced with the food, she put aside her pride and softly replied, "Eat."
Wei Li leaned closer. "Come here."
"You're not wearing any makeup, are you?" Zhao Xiheng asked hesitantly. Hunger made her weak-willed.
Often, on their wedding day, the groom would apply powder and rouge to look good, as she didn't want to be kissed by white powder.
"Who's wearing powder? Do you think I'm some kind of woman?" Wei Li glared at him.
Zhao Xiheng turned around and glanced at them. Seeing that they were all obediently not turning around, she hooked her arm around Wei Li's neck, pulled him down, and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Give it to me."
Wei Li smiled, quickly pecked her lips, and then placed the box in her palm.
Zhao Xiheng looked around nervously, thankfully no one saw her.
It's not easy to get a bite to eat; you even have to use your beauty as an exchange.
"You'd better eat sparingly, or you'll starve to death when you're paraded through the streets," Wei Li scolded her in a low voice.
She secretly watched Wei Li's departing figure on horseback, took out a piece of moon cake the size of a thumb from a box in her sleeve, and stuffed it into her mouth under the cover of her feather fan.
It's chewy, sweet, and quite stimulating.
The city-circling event didn't end until it was almost dark.
According to custom, the bride's elder brother carries her on his back, and together with the groom, they walk along a felt carpet laid out in front of the door to the bridal chamber. Then, the bride is put down, and the couple bows to each other. After leaving the bridal chamber, the couple kneels together to worship their parents' ancestral tablets. Only then is the marriage considered to have been approved by Heaven and Earth and their parents.
Zhao Xiheng had no elder brother. Although Wei Li was jealous, he knew that turning his rival into his brother-in-law might be better. So, the task of carrying the bride to the green pavilion was undertaken by Xie Qingyu.
Zhao Xiheng saw the characters on the memorial tablet through the slightly swaying beaded curtain in front of her.
Hmm, it wasn't Wei Li's parents', but her parents'.
Logically, when a couple gets married, they should pay respects to the groom's parents. Wei Li followed her to pay respects to his own parents; this is called marrying into the bride's family...
Surely he doesn't understand?
He's not well-educated, so he probably doesn't understand these things.
But this has nothing to do with whether or not you read books; that's common sense!
Even if he didn't know, the people around him would have told him.
Because she was in a daze, she was a beat slow. Wei Li reached out and helped her up by supporting her arm.
The two were brought to the bridal chamber. Because Wei Li was too intimidating, even on such a joyous day, the matchmaker and the maids did not dare to make too many jokes. They simply made the bed for the two, cut their hair, tied it together with a red rope, and then put it in a box under their pillows.
The matchmaker, as expected of someone who had experienced many grand occasions, wore a stiff but still warm smile as she placed the gourd, which had been split in two and tied with a red string, in the hands of the newlyweds. "Please drink the wedding wine, newlyweds."
Wei Li raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, startling the matchmaker.
Zhao Xiheng was holding the ladle, about to drink, when Wei Li snatched it away. She was startled, thinking the wine had been poisoned.
As it turned out, Wei Li simply switched the two people's wine vessels.
She looked at the wine in Wei Li's ladle, then at the wine in her own, and noticed that the portion in his hand seemed to be more than hers.
Is Wei Li being this considerate now?
He deliberately swapped the extra wine from his own.
Is getting married some kind of strange, cursed ritual? Why does he seem so much more pleasing to the eye now?
After the two had completed all the formalities, Wei Li went to drink with the male guests.
The original bedroom was decorated in bright red, making it both familiar and strange.
The maids surrounded her and removed her hair ornaments and clothes.
The clothes and headdress were too heavy. After wearing them all day, Zhao Xiheng felt lightheaded and almost floating when she took them off. Her maids had to support her arms to keep her from swaying as she walked.
After a group of people had been drinking, they started talking without any inhibitions, but they all remembered that today was Wei Li's wedding day, so they showered him with compliments as if they were free.
"I always heard that the mistress of the master was beautiful, virtuous, gentle and dignified, but after seeing her today, I realized that was all bullshit! The mistress of the master is more than just that good! She's like a fairy from heaven!"
"I'll never be able to marry a wife like that in my entire life. My lord is truly blessed!"
They kept talking, and Wei Li, who had drunk some alcohol and whose head was spinning, kept drinking one cup after another after listening to them.
Wei Li had a low alcohol tolerance, but the alcohol didn't affect his face, his steps were steady, and his eyes were clear. There was no indication that he had drunk too much. He finished another glass of wine and rested his hands on the table.
"Your mistress is incredibly clingy. She can't live without me at all. She has such a good temper. Whatever I say goes, and she never talks back."
He clearly said these words before when he was in Dongying.
Some people paused for a moment, then continued to shower them with enthusiastic compliments.
"May my lord have two children in three years and three in five years!"
"May all of you, my lord, be big, healthy boys."
...
Wei Li suddenly grinned, looking a bit silly, but luckily everyone was drunk and no one noticed. "I want a daughter."
"Alright, I wish... I wish my lord a healthy baby girl soon."
Wei Li clinked glasses with them and drank another cup.
When Chen Ruojiang carried him back, Wei Li was still in high spirits, his steps were steady, and his eyes were shining.
Zhao Xiheng coughed from the smell of alcohol on him and pushed him into the hot spring to bathe, saying, "Come out after you're clean."
Wei Li didn't say anything, obediently soaking in the hot spring, taking off his clothes, and then drying himself off. When he came out, he was already dressed neatly and looked presentable.
He didn't speak, and remained silent. Zhao Xiheng felt something was off. He was usually very talkative, so was he out of his mind with joy tonight?
"Wei Li?"
"Um."
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Nothing much."
That sounds serious. "What difficulties have you encountered?"
"No."
He stared at Zhao Xiheng, then suddenly let out a small hiccup, his eyes welling up with tears, his ears turning red like a little puppy, and then he hugged her, saying, "A-Dan."
Zhao Xiheng touched his hair; this fool had just drunk too much.
It's good to drink too much; when you drink too much, you become very obedient, you stop being so cheeky, and you stop biting her.
She casually patted his hair again.
"Why are you taking pictures of me?" He was all sticky and looked like he was about to fall asleep.
Ah, so cute. Zhao Xiheng sighed inwardly, but said aloud, "Nothing much, I just like you."
Drunk people are so easy to talk to. She tentatively asked, "Wei Li, do you know that we are worshipping my parents' memorial tablets today?"
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