Chapter 23: Red Wedding Dress Surrounded by Spiritual Plants
# Chapter 23: Red Wedding Dress Surrounded by Spiritual Plants
As the morning light filtered through the branches of the old pear tree, it stained Lin Xiaoman's red wedding gown with a warm hue. The collar of the gown was embroidered with a string of tiny strawberries, a work Grandma Zhang had worked on through three nights, the stitches still tinged with the sweet scent of strawberry jam. The cuffs were entwined with vines, each leaf shimmering with a shimmer, sequined by the village girls. Hidden at the bottom of the skirt was a tiny pear wood buckle, engraved with the Chinese character "Man"—a work Chen Wang had carved through the night a while ago, with the promise, "Holding you fast, never letting go."
"Fix the hem of your dress again, don't let the threads show." Grandma Zhang squatted on the ground, her fingertips gently stroking the folds of her wedding dress. Her eyes were a little red, but she smiled more happily than anyone else. "When your grandmother got married, I also helped comb her hair. Now it's your turn. Time flies."
Lin Xiaoman sat in front of the mirror, looking at herself. Her fingertips touched the strawberry embroidery on her collar, and she suddenly remembered the first time she met Chen Wang—he was crouched beside a tomato vine, taking data, his shirt a little dusty, but with a serious smile. Next to the mirror stood a celadon bowl filled with freshly picked concentric fruit. On the pink-orange peel, Chen Wang had traced a tiny "囍" (囍) with a fine brush. He had secretly drawn it that morning, saying, "It's for my bride."
Laughter emanated from outside the courtyard; the bride's procession had arrived. Aunt Wang ran in carrying a bamboo basket containing a unique bouquet—not roses, but one woven from strawberry blossoms, grapevines, and dried pear leaves. In the center sat a dried heart-shaped fruit with the words "Chen Wang & Lin Xiaoman" engraved on it: "We wove this together. The strawberry blossoms are sweet, the grapevines are tough, and the pear leaves are long-lasting. It symbolizes a long, sweet life for you!"
Lin Xiaoman had just accepted the bouquet when the door gently opened. Standing at the doorway was Chen Wang, wearing a dark gray Chinese-style dress with a small tomato embroidered on the chest—the same tomato pattern he'd worn on the white shirt he'd worn the first time he'd arrived in the village. He didn't hold a complicated betrothal gift, just a wooden box containing a bracelet made of spiritual plant seeds. Each seed was polished to a smooth finish and strung with a tiny silver bead, inscribed with "2024.10.26"—the date they'd first planted tomatoes together.
"I didn't buy anything expensive," Chen Wang said as he walked up to her, his voice a little tense but serious. "We harvested these seeds together. The day on the silver bead is the luckiest day of my life. Every year when I harvest seeds, I'll string them together for you until we can't walk anymore."
Lin Xiaoman's tears fell, but she smiled and reached out her hand. As soon as she put the bracelet on, Wangfu ran in, holding a piece of red silk cloth embroidered with the Chinese character for "囍" (囍), which he had secretly dragged out of the workshop yesterday. His tail was wagging like a blooming flower.
Everyone followed the old pear tree and found that the wedding stage had already been set up by the villagers - fresh tomato vines were wrapped around the bamboo racks, and dried heart-shaped fruits were hung on the vines, swaying gently in the wind; the "囍" character in the center of the stage was made of red strawberries and green pears, surrounded by fiery red maple leaves, which were picked by the children in the village on the mountain that morning; under the old pear tree was a piece of green cloth, on which were placed two pairs of pear wood chopsticks, which were made by my uncle himself, with the words "Lin" and "Chen" engraved on the end of the chopsticks.
"Your grandfather used to say that when marrying off a daughter, you should give her pear wood chopsticks, symbolizing 'happiness and a lifelong family connection.'" The uncle handed them the chopsticks, his eyes filled with satisfaction. "Today I give these chopsticks to you. I hope that, like these chopsticks, you will always eat together and guard the orchard together."
At the beginning of the ceremony, sunlight filtered through the pear tree leaves, illuminating the couple. When the pastor asked, "Are you willing to spend your lives together?" A sudden "wow" erupted from the audience. The tomato vines, slowly twisting along the bamboo trellis, had unexpectedly formed a small heart. Next to the "囍" character formed by the strawberries, a few ripe strawberries fell, landing right at the couple's feet. The most surprising moment was when the heart-shaped fruit hanging from the old pear tree suddenly swayed and fell. Hidden within the cracked flesh was a small note: "Grandpa wishes you happiness." It was written by Grandma Zhang, imitating Grandpa Lin's handwriting, and it was more heartwarming than any other words.
"I do!" Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman said in unison. When they exchanged rings, Chen Wang put the carved pear wood ring back on her hand and took out a new silver ring with the word "Qingxi" engraved on it. "This silver ring, paired with the pear wood ring, one guards our home, the other guards this piece of land."
During the dinner, the sweet aroma of strawberry jam and fruit wine wafted through the workshop. Chen Wang, holding a glass of pear wine brewed from spiritual plants, passed it to Lin Xiaoman. He accidentally smeared some wine on her wedding dress. He hurriedly wiped it with a tissue, but the more he wiped, the more panicked he became, making everyone laugh. Lin Xiaoman smiled and held his hand, "It's okay, it's a sweet mark, it's better to keep it."
Grandma Zhang came over, took their hands and said, "This time next year, you'll be able to hold your baby. By then, I'll teach him to recognize tomatoes and let him become our little guardian of Qingxi Village."
A year later, a small figure appeared at the Qingxi Village spiritual plant base. Chen Wang, crouching beside a tomato vine, held his one-year-old son and taught him to identify a "star pattern" tomato. Lin Xiaoman, standing nearby, holding his grandfather's notebook, added with a smile, "These tomatoes need plenty of sun, just like your father taught me."
The child's tiny hand clutched a spiritual seed and reached toward the old pear tree. Lin Xiaoman walked over, placed the seed in his hand, and whispered, "This is the first seed Dad ever planted. Let's plant it under the pear tree. When it grows, you'll understand what it means to 'guard the land and love your family.'"
The evening breeze, carrying the sweet fragrance of the sacred plants and the laughter of the family of three, circled around the old pear tree. The heart-shaped fruit still hung from the tree, its dried skin glistening. The tomato vines in the shared field were still growing, the newly ripened fruit rimmed with gold. Wangfu lay nearby, his tail wagging cheerfully, his mouth clutching a small toy dropped by a child.
This story of land, spiritual plants, and love never ends. It continues with every sprouting seed, renews itself with every ripening fruit, and grows with every child's laughter, sweetly and endlessly, on every inch of Qingxi Village's land.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
