8. Wedding Night
Fan Changyu was probably the first bride who had to get up early in the morning to kill pigs and prepare vinaigrette on her wedding day.
She had killed and sold the pig before, and used the remaining offal and pork head to make brine. She finally had enough brine from the two pigs to fill two pots.
The aunties who came to help all said it smelled good.
It was almost noon when Aunt Zhao urged her to go back to her room to change into her wedding dress and makeup.
It was only after she asked Aunt Zhao that she learned that there are two types of wedding customs in Ruyu. One is that the groom is carried to the bride's home in a sedan chair, commonly known as "carrying the groom's head."
One is no different from a normal marriage. The groom stays at the bride's home the day before, and the bride leaves her maternal grandparents' home and rides on a flower bridge all the way back to her own home, which saves the groom's face.
Fan Changyu didn't need either of them. Firstly, she no longer had the money to rent a sedan chair, and secondly, the groom was right next door and could get married directly after going downstairs. There was no need to waste time on this.
Mrs. Quanfu, who was invited to the room, made the bed for the new room and came to help her comb her hair.
"One comb will make your hair completely straight, two combs will make your eyebrows even, three combs will make your house full of grandchildren..."
Fan Changyu sat in front of the dressing table, listening to Mrs. Quanfu reciting "Ten Ways to Comb Your Hair" and the noisy voices outside. He suddenly felt as if he was really getting married.
The thing the guests outside were talking about the most was today's groom, but Aunt Zhao was a tight-lipped person and refused to reveal a single word no matter how the ladies asked.
Some women sitting around eating melon seeds couldn't help but speculate privately: "You said that the old couple of the Zhao family helped Fan Changyu to hide this, could it be that the groom is ugly and ugly?"
"I heard that the groom hurt his leg and couldn't walk!"
Someone immediately took a breath: "Isn't that just a slope?"
The person next to her gave the woman an elbow, signaling her to speak more quietly, and then lowered his voice and said, "After all, the Fan family is asking for bribes. If you are a complete person, would you be willing to marry into the family?"
Everyone sighed, and someone talked about Song Yan: "It seems that the Fan family and the Song family are really at odds. Everyone in the alley came today, but the Song family is nowhere to be seen."
"Well, if you ask me, it would be better if the Song family didn't come to the wedding. Song Yan is a well-known handsome young man in the surrounding villages. If he comes, he will make the groom look bad, and it will also be embarrassing for the Fan family!"
Everyone was talking about it, and when the auspicious time arrived, they gathered in front of the Zhao family's gate to wait to see the groom.
On the contrary, when the bride, Fan Changyu, came out with a red cloth veil on her head, no one paid any attention to her.
The weather today is really bad. It started snowing in the afternoon. By now, the walls of the yard are covered with a thin layer of snow. As people have been walking on the ground, no snow has accumulated on it. There are only wet marks left.
The firecrackers hanging in front of the Zhao family's gate exploded with a crackling sound. People stretched their necks to look inside, and when they saw a pair of crutches sticking out from the open door, they sighed in their hearts, "As expected."
The person Fan Changyu recruited was really a cripple.
As the crutches moved, the groom stepped out of the room with one foot, and half of his ochre-red robe appeared in everyone's sight.
The flying snow was like cotton wool, and it melted in an instant when it landed on the hem of the clothes, leaving only a faint, almost invisible wet mark.
The noisy guests outside the door held their breath for some unknown reason.
After the groom stepped out of the room with his other foot, he finally walked out of the shadows in the room. Snow foam fell on his black hair which was tied up with a red hairband. The face between the black hair and the red clothes was handsome and elegant, and his skin seemed to be whiter than the falling snow. He glanced towards the door lightly, cold and distant.
The guests who saw his appearance clearly all gasped.
In their entire lives, this was the first time they had seen such a handsome young man. Not to mention Song Yan, even the leading actor in the opera troupe could not compare to one tenth of the groom's good looks.
With sword-like brows, bright eyes and a handsome face, he really had the personality he was born to be.
After a moment of silence, the crowd began to buzz again, and it was much louder than before.
"This groom is so handsome!"
"I was saying that a good-looking lady like Changyu couldn't possibly find a bad husband!"
"Who said before that the groom was a crippled, ugly man? Doesn't he look worse than Song Yan?"
Xie Zheng walked through the noisy crowd with his crutches and an expressionless face. He frowned slightly, as if he thought this group of chattering women were too noisy.
After turning a corner and entering the gate of Fan's house, the people who were still eating melon seeds and chatting in the yard saw him and couldn't help but stand up to watch the excitement. Among the noisy voices, the most talked about were people praising his appearance.
Even the women who were helping to prepare food in the kitchen couldn't help but come out to take a look when they heard that the groom was very handsome.
Xie Zheng suppressed the impatience on his face and walked to the main house to get married while being watched by people.
He inadvertently glanced at the eaves in front of him and saw Fan Changyu, who was wearing a wedding dress of the same color as his. She lifted a corner of her veil and peeked out from behind the crowd when no one was paying attention. His eyes had originally passed over her, but suddenly turned back, feeling quite surprised.
He knew she was good-looking, but it was the first time he saw her with makeup on.
Her red hair was half covered, her almond-shaped eyes were looking over here with a smile in them, her cheeks were lightly smeared with rouge, although the technique of applying rouge was a little clumsy, it still couldn't hide her good looks, her lips with lipstick were not as dull as usual, and her cheeks were as white as snow, making her look extremely bright and beautiful at first glance.
The other person met his eyes, and after a moment of surprise, he seemed to realize that this was his own wedding scene, and hurriedly put down the veil like a guilty thief and stood properly.
She is obviously a beauty, but her movements... are always so strange and peculiar.
Xie Zheng's impatience at the noisy guests suddenly lessened a little.
This wedding is not always so boring and complicated.
He walked into the main house with his crutches, and Mrs. Quanfu handed one piece of the red ribbon tied with the bouquet to him and the other piece to Fan Changyu.
The elder presiding over the wedding ceremony sang: "The auspicious time has arrived, the newlyweds are worshipping in the hall!"
"Bow to Heaven and Earth——"
Fan Changyu was covered with a veil and could not be seen. He was helped by Aunt Zhao to stand outside, and then he followed Xie Zheng to bow to the heaven and earth.
"Bow to your parents twice—"
Both she and Xie Zheng had lost both their parents, so there was only a tablet on the hall. The two of them bowed to the tablet again.
"The couple bows to each other——"
When Fan Changyu bowed her head, some wind blew in and almost blew the veil off her head. She subconsciously reached out to grab it, but a big hand pressed the veil back on her head before she could.
She could tell with her toes that the scene was not going to be pretty.
Laughter could be heard from the guest room. "Look at the groom. He doesn't want to let everyone see his bride!"
The veil blocked Fan Changyu's sight, so she couldn't see the expression on Xie Zheng's face at that moment. However, she felt quite embarrassed listening to these jokes, and she just hoped that he didn't mind.
"The ceremony is over—send her to the bridal chamber!"
With this shout, she and Xie Zheng were finally taken to the new house that had been decorated early in the morning, holding Hong Mei.
Although it was a new house, it was actually very simple. There were just wedding characters cut out of red paper pasted on the doors and windows, and the bed was covered with festively colored sheets and quilts.
After Mrs. Quanfu said a lot of auspicious words, she let Xie Zheng lift the veil on Fan Changyu's head.
The scene in front of him suddenly brightened, and the figure in the house became clear. Before, when he was outside, Fan Changyu lifted the corner of the veil to peek, but was caught and quickly put it down, so he didn't see it clearly.
At this moment, the person was just one step away from him. Fan Changyu looked at Xie Zheng in red and sighed again, saying that clothes really determine a person's appearance.
If he were to walk down the street in the attire he wore today, he would probably dazzle many young ladies.
Mrs. Quanfu smiled and said, "Look at this beautiful bride. She and her groom are truly a match made in heaven!"
The women nearby all covered their mouths and laughed.
Fan Changyu cooperated awkwardly by curling the corners of his mouth.
Xie Zheng's expression remained indifferent, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Mrs. Quanfu led the other ladies in the house to pick up peanuts and red dates from the plates and sprinkled them over the heads of the two men, saying as they sprinkled them, "Dates will give birth to noble sons."
It still hurt a little when these things hit me, so Fan Changyu said at the right time: "Thank you ladies, but my husband is injured, so I'm just scattering fruits for good luck. Let's stop here for today."
As soon as this was said, some people couldn't help but joke: "Look, Changyu girl is protecting her husband!"
Fan Changyu shamelessly let them tease him. After sending everyone in the room away, he asked Xie Zheng, "Are you okay?"
Xie Zheng looked at her with unclear eyes: "No."
Fan Changyu felt relieved and said, "I still have to go out to meet the guests outside. You can rest in your room. If you are hungry, eat some cakes on the table first."
These words should be spoken by the groom to the bride, but now coming out of Fan Changyu's mouth, they sound weird.
Xie Zheng was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
After enduring for so long with injuries all over his body, his expression was clearly tired.
-
Fan Changyu went outside to entertain the guests. After all, there were no elders in her family, and since it was a bribe, almost no one urged her to drink during the meal. Everyone had a lively meal, and as it was getting late, they left one after another.
After the banquet, when Fan Changyu was clearing the tables, chairs and benches, he discovered a brocade box that someone had placed on the table by the door.
She asked Aunt Zhao who was helping to clean up, "Aunt, who sent this gift?"
Aunt Zhao was also a little confused: "The gift book was completed before the banquet started, and I didn't see this box just now. I don't know whose family sent it later, and why didn't they tell me about it."
When Fan Changyu opened the box and saw a pair of clay dolls inside, his face instantly turned cold.
She threw the box into the garbage pile that Aunt Zhao had just swept away, and the clay figurine was broken on the spot.
When Aunt Zhao saw Fan Changyu's reaction and identified the two broken clay dolls, one male and one female, her face changed immediately and she spat in the direction of the Song family: "That wicked and treacherous thing, he picked up your things more cleanly than anyone else when you were in trouble, and he gave you this thing to annoy you on your wedding day?"
Fan Changyu said, "Don't be angry, Auntie. Why bother with someone who has nothing to do with you?"
He was not angry because the clay figure brought back any bad memories, but because he felt disgusted.
The clay figurine was given to Song Yan's father the year he passed away. She saw that he was in a bad mood and gave it to him. How old was she at that time? Only seven or eight years old.
Over the years, Fan Changyu thought that his parents had treated Song Yan well, but after his parents passed away, he was the one who rushed to the house to cancel the engagement. He was also the one who refused to see Fan Da and his people from the casino when Fan Da and he bullied him.
What does he want to say when a pair of clay figurines are sent as a gift for a wedding today?
Because of this unhappiness, Fan Changyu had no expression on his face until the evening when his family had dinner.
Xie Zheng was injured and couldn't move, so she brought the food to his room: "You have injuries, so I picked out some light dishes for you."
Xie Zheng noticed that she looked strange from the moment she entered the room, but he did not ask much. He just half closed his eyes and thanked her lightly.
When they had finished cleaning up, it was almost midnight. Aunt Zhao wanted to carry the sleeping Chang Ning to the next room, but Fan Chang Yu said it was not necessary. "After my parents passed away, Ning Ning has always slept with me. Otherwise, she would have nightmares at night and would always cry."
Aunt Zhao said, "Forget about it on weekdays. On the wedding night, no matter what, the young couple must sleep in the same room. Otherwise, it will be unlucky."
Yan didn't give Fan Changyu any chance to say anything and carried Changning out of the room.
The yard, which was bustling during the day, was now extremely deserted.
Festive red lanterns were hung high under the eaves, casting a dim glow in the snowy night.
Fan Changyu sat on the steps at the door with his knees hugged, looking at the snow falling in large flakes in the night sky for a while, then got up and went into the house.
Since it was a fake marriage, it was impossible for Fan Changyu to sleep in the same room with someone.
However, all the quilts in the house were kept in the new house. That room was originally where she slept, but after her parents passed away, Changning didn't dare to sleep alone, so she squeezed in with her. Now that it has been converted into a wedding room, the bed in the next room has not yet been made.
Since this was the room she had lived in for more than ten years, she pushed the door open out of habit and walked in. This time, she found Xie Zheng changing his clothes. He had taken off his outer robe and was facing away from her. Half of his half-removed inner garment was hanging around his arm and the other half was hanging down to his waist.
It was a very beautiful body. The exposed skin texture covered by the gauze showed a beautiful honey color under the candles, and the shape of the bulging muscles was also very obvious.
Because of her sudden action of pushing the door open, the other person turned his head slightly, and the cold expression on his jade-carved face seemed inexplicably abstinent and seductive at this moment.
Fan Changyu stared at her blankly for several breaths, until she frowned in displeasure, put on her half-removed underwear, and asked her, "What's the matter?"
She suddenly came to her senses and realized that she was like a hooligan who coveted the beauty of a decent girl. Her face flushed and she turned around quickly: "Sorry, I was not used to it and forgot to knock. I just came in to get the bed quilt."
"Just take it." The voice coming from behind was cold and clear.
Fan Changyu tried his best not to look to the side as he took out two quilts from the cupboard. He held them in his arms and walked out of the room without turning his head. After turning the corner, he took a few deep breaths as if relieved.
It's really embarrassing! But I must not let him misunderstand me again.
Xie Zheng had excellent hearing, so he naturally heard the sound of her breathing.
There was no emotion in his eyes. After he heard the other person's footsteps fade away, he untied the bandage and continued to apply medicine to the more severe wounds.
This medicine is a golden medicine that was sent by Hai Dongqing from his feet. It is priceless and has extremely strong medicinal properties.
The moment the powder came into contact with the wound, he tensed his muscles in pain, veins bulged on his arms, and beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He clenched his teeth so tightly that a faint smell of blood came from his mouth.
In order to avoid getting blood on the bed, he sat on a wooden stool in the room, his hands clenched into fists and placed quietly on his knees, his straight back slowly rolled down with beads of sweat covered with blood, he looked like he was being tortured rather than being treated for an injury.
Experiencing such inhuman pain, he did not even blink as beads of sweat dripped from his eyelids, and his eyes, reflecting the candlelight, were clouded.
He will eventually have to pay back for all the injuries and pain he has suffered.
The sound of footsteps outside the house suddenly came and went, and Xie Zheng raised his eyes, which still contained anger, and looked towards the door.
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