"Oh my, Yuanshan is back!"
"Haha, are you carrying your wife inside? This is the first time I've ever seen that!"
"Carrying his wife on his back, Brother Yuanshan is carrying his wife on his back—"
"....."
The crowd joked about it.
In Linxian County, the bride's feet cannot touch the ground. When leaving her home, she is carried out by her brothers from her maternal family, and when entering her husband's home, she is carried in by her husband.
It is completely different from the customs of Shuangqiao Town.
So some villagers who had never seen it before found it very novel.
"Crackling and popping—"
"Bang bang bang—"
The sound of firecrackers rang out one after another until Wang Yuanshan placed Qian Wanyue in the yard and the firecrackers were finally set off.
Xu Chunxia sat in the chair, looking at her son and daughter-in-law with tears streaming down her face.
"On this auspicious day, we announce to Heaven and Earth, and welcome joy from all directions. We are delighted to welcome Qian Wanyue, the fourth daughter of the Qian family, into the Wang family. Firecrackers are set off, the two families are united in happiness, and Heaven and Earth will bestow blessings upon the newlyweds..." The officiant was hired by Yan Xia in town at Xu Chunxia's request, and he recited a series of elaborate verses.
They spoke for almost fifteen minutes before getting to the point. "Please, both of you, enter the flower hall—"
The so-called "flower hall" was nothing more than some red petals and leaves scattered in the center of the courtyard, which looked rather festive.
Logically speaking, a red cloth should be laid out, but red cloth has always been expensive, and no one can afford to spend that much.
Especially since the yard is still muddy, laying this cloth down would be useless and a complete waste, so flower petals and leaves were used instead.
Wang Yuanshan and Qian Wanyue walked over together, each holding a piece of red cloth.
Directly opposite, Xu Chunxia was sitting in a chair.
"Please turn around and face heaven and earth!" the officiant said again.
Wang Yuanshan and Qian Wanyue turned around, and everyone in the courtyard stood up to watch them bow, creating a huge crowd.
Luckily, Qian Wanyue had a red veil covering her head, otherwise she would have been mortified.
"First bow to heaven and earth, thanking God for bestowing this marriage; first kowtow—"
"May you two live a long and happy life together, and may we bow to each other once more—"
"Kowtowing three times, rise—"
Wang Yuanshan and Qian Wanyue turned around again. Because they were holding the red cloth, they turned inwards and outwards respectively, resulting in them twisting into a pretzel, which made everyone laugh. Even Wang Yuanshan, who was usually expressionless, blushed. He helped his new bride and adjusted his direction.
"Second bow to our parents, hoping for a house full of children and grandchildren, and expressing gratitude for their nurturing kindness. First kowtow—"
"........"
"The couple bows to each other and is led into the bridal chamber—"
It took almost half an hour to complete the ceremony.
Wang Yuanshan and Qian Wanyue entered the house.
The crowd shouted loudly, as if the two were about to consummate their marriage. The younger children crowded into the bridal chamber, while the older ones stayed out of the way. The banquet had not yet begun, and although no dishes were served, there were plenty of snacks on the table, such as peanut cakes and fruits. Everyone gathered together to chat, waiting for the ceremony to be completed in the bridal chamber so that they could start eating.
"Please, groom, lift the veil—" The officiant is not allowed to enter the bridal chamber.
The person speaking was a matchmaker hired by the Wang family.
Although the two were introduced by Yan Xia, they still had to formally go through the formalities with a matchmaker.
These are the rules, and they cannot be changed.
After the matchmaker finished speaking, Wang Yuanshan picked up the scale rod and lifted Qian Wanyue's red veil.
A delicate little face appeared, and everyone's eyes lit up. The bride's face was like a lotus flower, her eyebrows were like willow branches curving above her eyes, her skin was snow-white, her black hair was piled up high, and her lips were painted with lip rouge, making her exceptionally beautiful.
"The bride is so beautiful—"
"The distant mountains are blessed!"
"Good lad, you never seemed interested in anyone else, yet you quietly married such a beautiful wife—"
"Wow, a fairy sister—"
"......"
Everyone was amazed.
Wang Yuanshan was also amazed by Qian Wanyue. When he saw her that day, she was already very beautiful even without makeup. He never expected that she would be even more beautiful today.
Qian Wanyue had only had her face opened, her eyebrows drawn, and some rouge and lipstick applied. She hadn't even applied face powder. However, she was young, had good skin, and was already beautiful, so her beauty was enhanced.
Seeing the delight in her future husband's eyes, Qian Wanyue smiled faintly.
"Alright, the groom is totally mesmerized. It's time for the nuptial wine." The matchmaker said with a smile, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
Wang Yuanshan awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
He and Qian Wanyue raised their cups of wine, wrapped their arms around each other, and drank them down in one gulp.
At this point, the ceremony is complete.
It's not as complicated as Jiangnan County, but it's not as simple as Baihua Village either.
The bride didn't need to sit alone in the house until evening. After the ceremony, Wang Yuanshan took Qian Wanyue out for dinner and toasts.
The Wang family's kitchen was very small, so cooking was done in the backyard.
This dynasty also had chefs who specialized in preparing banquet dishes.
Xu Chunxia couldn't cook enough tables, so she hired someone to cook. As soon as her son and daughter-in-law came out, the dishes started being served from the backyard.
Eight meat dishes and eight vegetable dishes, excluding cold dishes and soups.
This feast is about the same as that of a landlord's family.
As everyone ate, they praised the Wang family's generosity.
The Bai family sat quietly to the side, their minds preoccupied. Though they wore smiles, their eyes were lifeless.
Meanwhile, the Bai family.
Bai Ruixue was rummaging through her parents' room.
"Mother must be lying to me. Where is the box? Why is it so messy under the bed? Cough cough cough, it's all dust—" Bai Ruixue coughed repeatedly, choked by the dust.
She brought out a wooden box, opened it, and found it full of scraps of cloth. She rummaged through it again, finding cloth bundles, bamboo baskets, and a whole bunch of useless things, but she couldn't find the box her mother had mentioned containing the house deeds and land deeds.
"Cough cough cough, I choked to death! Mother must be lying to me!" Bai Ruixue lay on the ground, her clothes and face covered in dust, looking like a beggar.
She sat on the ground coughing terribly, no longer caring about the baby in her womb.
"No, if we can't find it soon, the three-day deadline will be up." Thinking of her husband who was still worried in town, Bai Ruixue mustered her courage and crawled under the bed again.
Finally, she found a wooden box in a nook and cranny on her right. It was only the size of an open palm and surprisingly free of dust. Bai Ruixue guessed that her father probably opened it to take a look from time to time.
After climbing out.
She carefully opened the wooden box, and sure enough, there were the land deeds and house deeds of her family inside. Bai Ruixue only knew some simple and common characters. She guessed and discovered that the paper said there were thirty mu of land. Even if it was sold at three taels per mu, it would still be ninety taels of silver. There was also a house deed. Although houses in the village were not worth much, they could still be sold for some.
Even a tiny mosquito is still meat.
Even after obtaining the house and land deeds, Bai Ruixue was still not satisfied, as she knew that her family had a considerable amount of savings.
So she pried open the closet again, and as soon as she picked up a piece of clothing, she found a purse lying quietly in the middle, quite obviously.
She was overjoyed.
He opened the purse and found ten taels of silver inside.
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