Xinghui Dream Plaza
The girl was locked in the house, and her heart-wrenching cries died down after a long time, turning into very light sobs.
A few old women and young maids came in with spare clothes, worked for a long time, and then left in a hurry.
Silence returned to the courtyard. It seemed that the woman had been "decorated" into a qualified bride again. I don't know if she was tired of crying or was persuaded to stop.
However, in order to prevent the man from escaping, there were a few more guards in front of the door.
The gray-yellow sky in the distance became increasingly dark. As the sky darkened, the rain gradually stopped, as if everything was making way for the upcoming wedding.
Before the courtyard became pitch dark, the red Double Happiness lanterns hanging under the eaves lit up.
Ding Can had noticed these lanterns before, but thinking of the current situation, he didn't pay too much attention to them. It was not until nightfall and the candles were lit that the eerie atmosphere came over him.
The word "囍" (double happiness) on the inside of the lantern was fine, but after lighting it from the inside, she discovered that one side of the word "囍" was dim, and only the single word "喜" was bright.
One side was so bright that it looked like it was exposed to the sun, while the other side was so dark that the words could not be recognized.
The darkened half seemed to indicate someone's future fate, or to imply the profound meaning of the living and the dead meeting in the hall.
When the wind blew, the light lantern began to sway, and the two ambiguous Chinese characters for "happiness" intersected with the outline of the candlelight, making the vision blurry.
At the hour of Hai, just before departure, the woman and her maid came back and gave the bride-to-be a simple make-up touch-up.
"Please wait in front of the house, Miss Ding. We will officially set off after the wedding bell rings."
Following the maid's instructions, Ding Can walked to the door, folded his hands in front of him, and stood still.
It was not until her feet were sore from standing that she heard the faint sound of a bell.
She couldn't tell where the welcoming house was originally located, but she felt that the sound seemed to come from a temple in the mountains far away.
It passed through the woods, creating waves of aftershocks that struck my ears heavily.
This sound became a signal of sorts. The guards standing outside pushed open the doors at the same time, and the sounds of the doors in the yard overlapped and merged into an echoing sound.
"Brides, please come out to greet us~" A slightly shrill voice came from outside the door.
Following the woman's instructions, Ding Can took his right foot first.
The red wedding dress is very long. When standing, the front of the dress will not drag on the ground, and the tail behind the dress will be about one meter long.
The white jade pendant inlaid on the toe of her shoe flashed by. She stepped over the threshold, stopped, and looked around.
On the same side and two brides to her right, she saw Shi Yan, who was dressed similarly.
The rain stopped, but the dampness in the air was still there, and there were large dark water marks on the stone slabs in the corridor under the eaves.
In order to ensure the cleanliness of the corridor, a charcoal brazier is placed every few steps, and the water stains on the ground near the house around the brazier are dried.
"Please come on, all the brides-to-be. Only after you leave the reception hall can you truly embark on your journey."
Ding Can finally discovered who had spoken just now.
At the entrance of the reception hall, there was an old woman in her fifties, wearing a pomegranate purple dress and a string of silver ornaments hanging on her chest. She raised her voice to tell them what to do next.
The old woman had heavy makeup on her face, with a thick layer of white powder on her face. The skin color where the makeup met her neck was very different, as if it was a mask that was forced on.
Dark eyebrows, small eyes that could barely accommodate a pair of pupils, and bloody lips.
At a glance, the entire face appears to have only four black spots and one red spot.
It looks scarier than a ghost. Rather than coming to welcome the bride, it seems more like it is here to take your life.
This understanding seems to be correct... Ding Can, like the other brides, lowered her head a little when she was about to leave. Everyone turned around and walked towards the door in unison, and soon formed a team on both sides of the courtyard.
She deliberately slowed down and waited for Shi Yan behind her. After the two brides next to her passed her, she walked with Shi Yan one in front and one behind.
"Is nothing wrong here?" Shi Yan lowered her voice. She obviously noticed Xia Jialian opposite her.
Xia Jialian was escorting the bride on his side forward, and they would probably be escorting her all the way to the Lu family mausoleum.
"No, I'll find a chance to see where Xiao Gao and Yu Fu are later. I'm afraid we won't be safe once we leave this door."
Although the brides were trapped in the welcoming house, it was their last safe haven. The real journey to the Lu family mausoleum was the beginning of the dangers.
Shi Yan understood what she meant: "We'll act according to circumstances."
Outside the gate of the reception hall, maids stood in a row, each holding a gold-inlaid tray in their hands.
Every time a bride walked out of the courtyard, the maid would cover her with a red veil and then help her into the sedan chair.
Before his vision was blocked, Ding Can noticed a row of horse-drawn carriages parked in the open space outside the door, and a sedan chair placed on top of it, with its four corners tied to the carriage boards with ropes.
Normally, since it was a sedan chair, it would usually be carried by people. However, probably because the mausoleum was located in the suburbs and it had rained, the road was muddy and it was not very convenient to just walk, so they chose to put the sedan chair on a carriage and drive directly there.
The reception hall was not located in the city. She looked at the vague outline of the city gate in the distance.
It was now night, and soldiers could be vaguely seen stationed on the city wall. It was past curfew, and no one would enter or leave the city gate.
This is somewhere in the suburbs, which will be more convenient for getting to the Lu family tomb.
It’s just that I haven’t seen any members of the Lu family yet, and I don’t know where the parents of “Master Lu” are. But they will definitely show up when the bride is chosen.
Ding Can lowered her head slightly, and the maid put the red veil on her. The gold hairpins on her head just happened to support it well.
"I'll help the young lady."
"Thank you." Through the gap under the veil, she saw a slender wrist raised to the chest, and she placed her hand on it.
Now her vision was obstructed and she could only see a small piece of the ground. Staring at the tip of her shoes, she knew that she was being taken to a carriage.
As for which car Shi Yan got into, she had no way of knowing.
"Watch your step." The girl reminded again.
There were steps on the side of the parked carriage for easy boarding. Ding Can walked up step by step and sat down in a seat inside.
She caught a glimpse of the curtain being drawn open, and after the person who had helped her sit down had gone out, she lifted the red veil.
The space inside the sedan chair was very small, and it was too crowded for two people to sit together.
Moreover, unlike other sedans, there were no small windows on either side, making it particularly stuffy. The only way to exit was through the small door in front.
When it was completely dark, the sedan chair also needed lighting, so two lampstands were fixed on the left and right sides near the ceiling.
There were also red candles burning inside, illuminating the entire carriage red, and the space was filled with a sense of swelling.
"The auspicious time has arrived. Lord Lu is getting married. Strangers please keep out of the way and move the sedan chair!" The hostess shouted loudly, and the ending tone sounded like the tune of a song, with a few sighs.
A sharp suona sound was heard, and then the guard of honor officially began to play music, with the sound of banging and beating, it was very lively.
Just by listening to the sound, I really thought it was some happy event.
No wonder the welcoming house has to be set up outside the city. With such a big commotion, I'm afraid the people in the city will suffer terribly.
After walking for a distance, the road gradually became bumpy.
The open space outside the welcoming courtyard is made of bluestone slabs. Now we should have walked to an ordinary path further out.
In ancient times, even if it was an official road, the land would only be slightly compacted after it rained. After the rain washed it away, mud puddles would still form, making the road uneven.
Ding Can wanted to see what was passing by along the way, so he squatted down and walked forward a few steps. Just as he was about to open the curtain a little, he saw the light outside the car first.
Slender fingers with distinct knuckles appeared before her eyes, indicating that someone had taken a step ahead of her.
She raised her eyes, and the face of the person in front of her was reflected in her pupils filled with surprise.
"Why is it you?"
Yu Fu half-bent his legs and knelt on one knee on the board in front of the sedan chair. Without speaking first, he looked at her for a while, blinked, and then walked in sideways.
He looks very young, but he is actually quite tall. Before, in the dormitory management office, every time Ding Can spoke to him, he had to tilt his head up to meet his gaze.
But now, in such a small space in the sedan chair, it is easy to see straight ahead.
An idea suddenly popped into her mind, which was that this person had longer legs.
The coolness from the rain outside was brought in through him, and there was a moist scent in his breath.
Yu Fu came closer with great strength, and a red halo was reflected on the side of his face. The strange thing was that the color that seemed weird just now seemed to warm up now.
It's a bit crowded.
Ding Can could only take two steps back, give up the idea of peeking outside the sedan chair, and return to his seat, but not sitting so upright.
I think it was because I met an acquaintance in such an unfamiliar environment that I felt a little relieved.
After lowering the curtain of the sedan chair, Yu Fu spoke again, "I'm in charge of driving the carriage. I saw you coming out of the reception hall just now. I came to your carriage just before we set off."
It turned out that they were among the coachmen. Ding Can remembered that he had indeed seen quite a few people at the entrance of the reception house just now, but he didn't have time to look at their faces one by one to identify them because they were covered by the red veil.
Apart from the guards who were guarding the bride in the reception hall, there were even more people in the convoy after they set off.
There were coachmen driving the carriage, a ceremonial guard playing music, and people on both sides of the motorcade who were called guards but were actually there to keep watch over the bride in case she ran away in the suburbs.
"Wait," she thought of something, "If you come in, who's driving outside now?"
"I used a small prop. Now there is a scarecrow outside. Anyway, it just follows the carriage in front, so there will be no mistakes."
"Have you seen Xiao Gao?"
Yu Fu shook his head: "I left the city from the post station about an hour ago. During the time I was waiting at the gate, I looked for you specifically, but I didn't see you."
After arriving here, he rested in the inn with other coachmen.
The waiting time was very long and everyone was busy. Since the host was not at home, they started gossiping about the Lu family.
Yu Fu knew nothing about it and just listened from the side, but he did understand most of what was going on.
Ding Can wondered why they came to this strange world after taking pictures in the interactive photo area of Xinghui Dream Plaza.
The camera's shutter button acts as a teleport button, taking them directly to the wedding scene in the background.
From this, we can infer that after the team successfully enters the square, the subject the team chooses to take pictures of will determine the mission they will challenge next about the red planet.
Solve the following troubles and you will get the red fragment, which will bring you one step closer to leaving Xinghui Dream Plaza.
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