Xinghui Dream Plaza
The sound of dripping rain could be heard outside the window. In such gloomy weather, the light inside the house was very dim even in broad daylight.
A light gray mist seemed to cover the furniture, as if it was about to bury everything.
The warm yellow flame standing above the candle was swaying slightly with the wind blowing in through the window, as if it would go out if not carefully watched.
Ding Can was sitting in front of the dressing table in the middle of the room. She raised her eyelids slightly and saw her face reflected vaguely in the bronze mirror.
The mirror itself was golden bronze in color, and with the candlelight shining on it, it resembled the crater of a volcano about to erupt.
"Hiss..." She suddenly felt pain and couldn't help but make a sound.
There was a woman behind her who was pulling the last strand of her hair up to the top of her head. When she put the hairpin in to secure it, it pulled on the scalp underneath.
"My dear lady, don't be anxious. Once you put on your wedding dress, everything will be ready."
The woman's movements became gentler, and there seemed to be a faint sigh in the ending of her voice.
Ding Can turned his head slightly and saw a hint of pity on her face, then looked into the house.
There was a dressing table, a soft couch for temporary rest not far away, cakes and food on the table next to it, and an exquisite wedding dress hanging on a wooden hanger. A younger maid stood beside her, who was probably going to help her dress later.
The room was small, and the things inside were even simpler. There were no items that matched the atmosphere of life, and it didn't look like a place where people usually lived.
The sound of raindrops hitting the leaves became louder, and a chill came from nowhere. She was only wearing a thin white undershirt, so she couldn't help feeling a little cold.
Her palms folded gently at her elbows, she did not rise, but simply asked, "Where is this, and who am I to marry?"
The way she was dressed, it was obvious that she was getting ready to get married, but she didn't know what identity she would be assigned to.
The woman showed a bit of reluctance on her face, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with the somewhat strange question.
Instead, they thought that she was too sad or frightened, which caused her to lose her mind for a while.
"Young lady, have you forgotten that this is the reception hall, where the brides-to-be live? After midnight, they will set off for Lord Lu to wait for their selection."
Ding Can repeated, "Lord Lu?"
After a brief exchange, she learned the whole story.
The so-called Lord Lu was once a human being, but he has been dead for eight years now.
The Lu family was originally just a small local merchant. After earning money for several years, they finally saved enough money to rent a store in the city. However, business has always been bad, and it seems that they cannot even pay the rent for next year.
I've tried every possible way to drum up business, but most of the time, no one's interested.
The couple wanted to pray to the gods, but on the way to the temple outside the city, they met a fortune teller.
They met someone in the alley, and before they could even speak, the other person saw their confusion and offered a plan.
The explanation was that it was necessary to have a happy marriage, and as long as the youngest son in the family got married, money would come rolling in.
After hearing this, the two were even more convinced. Since he even knew that he had a son, he must be a fortune teller.
At that time, the child of the Lu family was just over thirteen years old. Although he was not yet an adult, there were many people getting married at this age.
Moreover, the world is not a good place, and there are many families poorer than theirs. If it is just for the sake of good luck, it is not a bad idea to find a child bride.
Lu's parents bought a girl from a human trafficker on the street and held the wedding that night.
I originally thought that if it didn't work, I would just sell the person. After all, I couldn't add another mouth to feed at home for no reason.
But what was unexpected was that starting from the next day, the number of people in the shop increased several times, and the store’s inventory was about to be insufficient.
Many people have placed reservations for the upcoming festival, and the weaving speed of the two of them is not enough to complete such a large order volume, so they have to hire more workers.
The family business was booming and life was getting better and better. A few months later, they bought a big house in the city.
But the good times did not last long. The young master of the Lu family lost his life by the river in the suburbs, and was killed by his newlywed wife.
It turned out that after the bought woman married into the Lu family, she was often beaten and scolded by the young master, who never treated her as a human being.
At the age of thirteen or fourteen, he already possessed the strength of an adult. Even if the bride was older, she would not be able to compete with him.
The bride couldn't bear the humiliation, so she thought of another way.
She knew that the young master of the Lu family was not good at swimming, so she pushed him into the river during an outing outside the city.
Seeing the man in front of her gradually sinking under the water, the woman felt relieved. Knowing what kind of punishment would be faced by those who killed their husbands in this era, she took out the dagger she had prepared long ago and pierced her throat to commit suicide.
After the funeral, Lu's parents were grief-stricken, but then they discovered something that was even harder for them to accept.
The family business stagnated and seemed to be declining with the departure of his son.
The couple, who were at a loss, thought of the fortune teller they met in the city.
But at that time I only had a quick glance, and I had no idea who the person was, nor did I know where to look for him.
After searching the city for a few days and asking around, I found no one had ever heard of this person.
Father Lu then recalled the fortune teller's words: "Could it be that if I marry my son off, the business will flourish again?"
"But my son is gone, what should I do..." Tears welled up in Mother Lu's eyes, and she suddenly understood what her husband meant.
"That vicious woman caused my son's tragic death. Naturally, she is no longer a member of my Lu family. After she was expelled, the position of my daughter-in-law is vacant again."
Father Lu believes that if he wants to get the family business back on track, he has to find a new wife for his son.
If the son dies, then a ghost marriage will be held.
From that day on, the Lu family began to marry a girl for their son every year.
As the family business prospered, the Lu family's status in the local area also rose, and they gradually became the talkers in the city.
He even got in touch with the royal family and became the supplier responsible for purchasing lanterns for the imperial city every year.
No one dared to challenge their authority, and over time, this custom of harming young girls was formed.
The young master of the Lu family, who died early, was respectfully called Lord Lu.
And his annual memorial day becomes the day for marrying a bride.
The thugs hired by the Lu family would select twenty brides of appropriate age from the surrounding counties in advance and send them to the wedding house.
After the hour of Hai, the brides-to-be will set out from the welcoming house, playing suonas and horns joyfully all the way to the Lu family tomb.
Twenty potential brides will form a circle and stand around the tomb, and then the ceremonial performer will release the Venerable Wong Tai Sin.
Whichever bride Wong Tai Sin runs to will become the bride of the year.
In the name of euphemism, she was qualified to be buried in the same tomb with the young master of the Lu family, but in reality, she was sealed in a coffin and died of suffocation due to the use of all oxygen.
As soon as the brides entered the reception hall, a box of gold would be delivered to their homes.
As for the one who is successfully chosen, his family will receive a generous betrothal gift after the wedding, which will ensure a lifelong worry-free life.
Therefore, for the sake of money, there are always people who are willing to bury their daughters next to bones.
Regardless of the bride's thoughts, at least after her death, her family, as the vested interests, would not have any intention of reporting her.
As for the other bystanders, since it has nothing to do with them, they naturally have no intention of reporting it.
The Lu family has been bullying the local area for many years, and no one dares to speak out.
Ding Can's current identity is that of a bride sold by her family. She is so pitiful that it is no wonder that the woman who is dressing her has such an expression.
"Grandma, what time is it now?"
"It's almost 3 p.m. Your dinner is in the food box on the table. After you have finished eating, you can rest in the house and wait for the auspicious time."
Ding Can nodded and was helped up by the woman. After he put on layers of heavy and complicated wedding clothes, the two left.
She heard the sound of someone locking the door from outside, probably because they were afraid that the bride would run away.
The room suddenly became very quiet.
This wedding dress was indeed very heavy, and Ding Can took a few steps in the room before he got used to it.
She half-opened the window, but before she could look into the yard, someone came in. It was the guard who had been guarding the door since a while ago.
"Is there something wrong, Miss Ding?"
Ding Can shook his head and smiled: "I just feel a little stuffy and want to ventilate."
"Be careful not to catch a cold. Call me if you need anything."
"Thank you, bro."
She agreed on the surface, but she was secretly complaining in her heart, thinking that it was already this late, and why should she care about whether she caught a cold or not.
The guard walked back to the door and stood guard. Only through the raindrops dripping from the eaves could she see the scene outside clearly.
It is called the welcoming house, but it is just a square courtyard.
Like an inn, there were many small houses next to each other. She counted the rooms opposite, which were guarded by guards, and there were exactly ten of them, and the same was true on her side.
Coincidentally, the person standing in front of him was Xia Jialian, who was also guarding the other bride.
Ding Can knew that he understood lip reading, so he just opened his mouth without making any sound: "Where are the others?"
Xia Jialian shook his head slightly, indicating that he had never seen it either.
He guessed that Shi Yan was among the bride candidates just like himself, but Gao Wenwen and Yu Fu were nowhere to be found, or they had not yet entered the reception hall. He would have to wait until he went to Lord Lu's place to see them.
It was unknown what the food box was made of. When Ding Can opened it, he felt that the plate was still warm.
There were some famous dishes inside, but the portions were not big, probably because they knew the brides wouldn't have much appetite.
But Ding Can certainly was not one of those who had no appetite. She knew that the focus should be on the bride selection, so she was not in a hurry to inquire about the reception hall. Instead, she started to eat with great interest.
It tasted so good that she couldn't help but eat it with relish.
When she was about to finish the last bite of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, she heard a woman's voice calling from the yard.
"Let me go, I want to go home!"
Someone finally couldn't stand the agonizing wait anymore, and somehow managed to run out of the room.
She had already changed out of her wedding dress, and she rushed into the rain wearing the thin coat she had worn when she came here.
She forgot to ask the woman what kind of punishment the runaway bride would receive.
The rain was not heavy, but after all this commotion, the woman was already soaked all over, and many of the pearl hairpins on her head fell into the puddles in the chaos.
A few strands of hair stuck to his face, making him look extremely miserable.
She was running towards the gate with all her might, not even taking the main road, but passing through the flowers in the courtyard, but two guards wearing conical hats and straw raincoats had already held her on the left and right.
Of course, she was no match for the two men and was being dragged back to the room step by step.
The struggling legs slid through the rain-soaked mud puddle, leaving two irregular traces, and the crying was louder than the sound of the rain.
"Call the maid to come over and give her a bath and change her clothes again!"
Like Ding Can, many people looked out the window, all with sympathetic and self-pitying expressions.
It turns out that the punishment is not beating or scolding, but just silently pushing people into the fire pit again.
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