Meanwhile, the Xu family's dowry was being carried out in piles. Sixty-four loads were purchased, each exceptionally substantial, high-end, and luxurious. The purchases and dowry alone cost twelve thousand taels of silver. Add to that two highly profitable teahouses, five hundred taels of land in the suburbs of Beijing, and a farm, and the total cost was over thirty thousand taels of silver.
The guests and neighbors who were watching the fun outside were all amazed. Even high-ranking officials and big businessmen rarely saw such a grand display.
Last night, Xu Dashi had already told Old Lady Xu that Xu Lanyin's dowry was earned by herself and purchased by Qin Shi with her own dowry. The Xu family didn't spend a penny, so no one else could interfere...
Even though the old lady was mentally prepared, the sight of such a large dowry still trembled with fear. She was secretly thankful that the short-sighted old man hadn't come. He would have said that everything Xu Lanyin earned in the Xu family belonged to the Xu family. He would have either died of anger on the spot or made a scene, which would have made the relationship with the second wife even worse. But then she thought better of it. If the maid was incompetent and didn't earn her own dowry, not only would the Xu family not be able to open a snack shop or a grain store, but they would still have to pay for her dowry. In this way, the Xu family would still have benefited...
Only Qin Hongyu, Min Nan and Hu Yi were left in the room with Xu Lanyin.
Xu Lanyin said to Hu Yi, "Bring me the mirror."
Hu Yi brought a mirror. Xu Lanyin was disgusted by the heavy and weird bridal makeup. She pouted and said, "Light makeup looks better."
The Qing makeup "invented" by Chai Jingjing had long spread to all parts of the Daming Dynasty. Except for some conservative old women, most women, especially young women, liked to wear this makeup.
Hu Yi chuckled, "Sister Xu's lips already look smaller with makeup, and when she tilts them up, they look even smaller."
Several girls laughed.
Qin Hongyu smiled and said, "Bridal makeup is all like this."
The three girls took turns to eat at the table, and Xu Lan had to endure it because she was so hungry.
Because the two families lived close together, they had to wait a little longer to pick up the bride, so that the ceremony could take place in the evening. Around 5 p.m., the sound of gongs, drums, and stringed instruments could be heard from the Zhao family. This was the groom leaving to greet his bride.
After sitting on the bed for most of the day, Xu Lanyin finally regained her energy.
The wedding procession still had to circle the street. When the sound of gongs and drums was heard again, the matchmaker hurried over and put the red veil on Xu Lanyin's head.
Qin and Old Lady Xu were already sitting in the main seats in the west wing.
As the Xu family's firecrackers blasted, the wedding procession entered the Xu family's house.
Accompanying Zhao Wu to the bridegroom were Min Hu and Hong Zhen. Min Hu was a third-rank official, one of the second-in-command of Hebei Province. His appointment as best man was not understood by others, and Zhao Wu felt pressured, even politely declining once. But Min Hu insisted, and he had no choice but to let him be.
Zhao Wu, wearing a red dress and a big red flower, kowtowed to Qin and Old Lady Xu, calling them "mother-in-law" and "grandmother", and they gave her red envelopes. Of course, the red envelope given by Old Lady Xu was given to her by Qin in advance.
Ever since the Xu family had settled down at the Zhao family's house, Qin had told Zhao Wu not to come again until he got married. Three days passed, but it felt like three years. He came to Xu Lanyin again, and she became his bride.
Zhao Wu said emotionally, "Sister, I'm here to pick you up."
Someone beside him laughed and said, "The groom is not calling her the bride right. She should be called the bride."
Zhao Wu changed his words and said, "My lady, I'm here to pick you up."
This made everyone laugh.
The two newlyweds kowtowed to Qin and Old Lady Xu, and Xu Lanyin was carried into the bridal sedan on Xu Dashi's back.
Amidst the music, the wedding procession and the sedan chair circled again and entered the Zhao family's house.
Xu Lanyin was helped down by the Zhao family's Quanfu people. Zhao Wu used a red silk to pull her down, straddling the saddle and entering the main hall. Zhao Wu had no parents, so he bowed three times to the empty chair in the upper seat, then bowed to heaven and earth, and then the couple bowed to each other before being escorted to the bridal chamber.
The Zhao family had fewer guests than the Xu family, but the bridal chamber was still packed with women and children who came to watch the fun. Under the guidance of the Quanfu people, the rituals of sitting in the blessing seat, lifting the veil, spreading the tent, drinking the wedding wine, and eating the descendants' cakes were completed.
Zhao Wu's happiness was beyond words. He kept grinning and didn't care at all when being teased.
After the veil was lifted, everyone praised the bride's beauty, and Zhao Wule became even more delighted.
After waiting for a long time until all the guests had gone to the banquet, Xu Lanyin asked the chess master to take off the golden crown and jewelry on her head and go to the bathroom to bathe.
When renovating the house, Xu Lanyin placed higher demands on the bathroom than on other areas, and even built a drainage system. By removing the wooden plug under the bathtub, the bath water would automatically drain out.
Without washing her hair, she bathed and donned a pomegranate-red soft satin jacket with embroidered patterns. She tousled her hair in front of the mirror, casually tying it atop her head and inserting the swallow-shaped hairpin Zhao Wu had gifted her. Despite her simple bun and innocent face, the beautiful, luxurious hairpin still accentuated her radiance, gracefulness, and elegance.
A few dishes, a small pot of chicken soup and a bowl of rice had already been placed on the kang table in the side room.
Baoqi smiled and said, "This was sent by Xiao Zhuzi. He said that the Second Master asked the eldest lady... Oh, let the Second Madam eat first, don't go hungry."
Xu Lanyin was so hungry that she sat down and ate until her belly was full. The maids couldn't stop her.
After eating, Xu Lanyin finally felt like looking around the house.
The familiar house with the familiar furniture still made her feel happy and curious. This was her and Zhao Wu's home.
Her eyes glanced at the right side of the bunk bed, where there was a jar of her gold, silver and jewelry. She and Zhao Wu had put it there the night before the bed was set up.
The noise in the front yard gradually subsided, and Zhao Wu came back with a staggering step.
He came over and took Xu Lanyin's hand, the deep love in his eyes like unmelted honey. He smiled and said, "Sister, I finally married you home."
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "How can it be 'finally'? It was very easy."
Zhao Wu took Xu Lanyin into his arms and said softly, "It's not easy at all. With you, this house can be called home. It feels so good to have a home."
Xu Lanyin hugged his waist tighter and said emotionally, "Well, we are a family and will be together forever."
Zhao Wu reached out and touched Yan Zi's wings. His eyes dimmed a little as he said, "It's a pity that my mother didn't see me marry such a good wife."
Xu Lanyin comforted her, "Grandma is a good person and will definitely go to heaven. She will see it in heaven. Another day, let's go to the temple to burn incense for my father-in-law and my mother-in-law."
The two maids who had been guarding the room had already run out of the bedroom in fear. The chess master stood outside the door holding a bowl and said, "Second Master, Second Madam, the hangover soup is here."
Zhao let go of his hand, drank the sobering soup, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Several maids wanted to help Xu Lanyin undress, but Xu Lanyin said, "I'll do it myself, you guys go and take a rest."
She saw that Zhangqi had spread a piece of white silk on the bed before leaving.
The chess master blushed and said, "Mrs. Hong asked me to lay it out."
There was no woman in this family, and many things that women needed to worry about were difficult for Qin to handle, so Hu helped with them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
