The gongs and drums were blaring, the atmosphere was filled with joy, and the bridal sedan swayed slowly as it approached the gate of the Guo residence.
The servant ran over and shouted, "The bridal sedan has arrived!"
"Quick, everyone, please make way!" The steward hurriedly urged the servants to disperse the crowded crowd of onlookers, and ordered, "Set up the firecrackers quickly and in an orderly manner."
On the wedding day, Guo Hongzhe wore a bright red wedding gown, rode slowly on horseback, and led the bridal sedan procession, attracting everyone's attention.
Guo Honglei was in charge of the rear guard, chatting and joking with the young men of relatives and friends. They were all tactful and no one tried to steal the limelight from the groom.
The next moment, the sedan chair arrived at the gate of the mansion. The steward seized the opportunity and gave an order to light the firecrackers. Suddenly, there was a "crackling" sound, red debris flew, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. The children in the crowd scrambled to grab the wedding candies, cheering and making the scene very lively.
The team stopped, Guo Honglei dismounted, and led a group of relatives and friends over. He wanted to help, but he held back. He watched the frail third brother dismount with concern and whispered, "No hurry, slow down."
"Okay." Guo Hongzhe stopped and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been riding for a long time and was so tired that sweat broke out on his forehead and his face flushed, but his eyes were shining with joy.
The two bridesmaids were also dressed in red, with large red silk flowers in their hair. They stood on either side of the bridal sedan chair, smiling and reminding, "Groom, please kick the sedan door!"
Guo Honglei followed, and Guo Hongzhe was very nervous. He turned his head to look at his brother for the umpteenth time. The former said gently: "Go, just do it."
"Oh." Guo Hongzhe's palms were sweating. He took a deep breath, walked to the sedan chair, and kicked the door lightly.
Inside the sedan, Ji Yingru's heart was beating like a drum, her face flushed with shyness. She hurriedly adjusted her red veil and sat upright. After a while, the bridesmaid's voice rang out from outside the door, "The bride, come out of the sedan, and we'll have a child and more wealth!"
The door of the sedan chair was opened, and the two bridesmaids bent down and carefully helped the bride out of the sedan chair.
As the red veil appeared, the crowd burst into laughter and joy. Children of all ages ate wedding candies, ran around, stood on tiptoe, and looked around curiously, clapping their hands and shouting, "Oh, the bride is here!"
"Is this the bride?"
"Look, she's going to jump over the fire basin!"
…
Guo Hongzhe couldn't see his wife's face, but he was already smiling with joy. He shyly invited relatives and friends into the house to watch the ceremony.
At this time, the main hall
Jiang Yushu had no sisters-in-law to help her, so she had no choice but to do the job. She was extremely busy. Just as she finished giving instructions on this matter, the housekeeper came to ask for instructions on another matter. She hardly had time to drink water.
"Madam, please sit for a while." She helped her mother-in-law to sit down.
Wang was dressed elegantly, but her brow was gloomy. She grabbed her second daughter-in-law's hand and asked, "Where's Xuan'er? Has the fourth son not come back yet? Did the people you sent out persuade him?"
Jiang Yushu felt helpless and patiently replied, "Of course I did. With a wedding at home, how could I not urge him to come back and help? From yesterday until this morning, I've been asking him all the time."
"Alas." Wang was filled with hatred, sighing and cursing softly, "That vixen surnamed Tian, a seductress, shameless, she hooked Xuan'er and wouldn't let go, causing Xuan'er to be scolded by the whole family. What a troublemaker!"
The next moment, the noise became clearer and clearer, and a large group of people rushed into the main hall.
The old butler acted as the master of ceremonies. He trotted to the door, looked out, and happily announced, "Madam, the bride is here!"
"Hmm." Wang sighed heavily and had to hide her sad expression and put on a smile.
Jiang Yushu comforted him, "Don't sigh, I've already thought of a reason for my fourth brother to be absent. Later--"
At this moment, suddenly a man rushed into the main hall!
"mother!"
"Mom," Guo Hongxuan panted, sweating profusely, feeling nervous and embarrassed. He knelt on the ground and asked with an apologetic smile, "Mom, sister-in-law, I'm back. Is there anything I can help you with? Just tell me!"
Wang was relieved at first, but then her face darkened and she angrily scolded him, "Hmph, you ungrateful thing, you still think you can go home? I heard that the night before last, you fought with your second brother in order to meet with Foxy, isn't that right?"
Guo Hongxuan scratched his head, feeling guilty and remorseful, and explained: "Mom, I really was in a hurry at that time, and I definitely didn't do it on purpose. I will definitely apologize to my second brother, you——"
Jiang Yushu sighed, interrupted her brother-in-law, pointed outside the door and said, "Now is not the time to deal with family matters. The bride is here, and the bride and groom are about to get married. Everyone, be happy."
"Yes!" Guo Hongxuan quickly put on a smile.
"Alas." Wang raised her index finger and pointed at her youngest son harshly. "Hmph, I'll teach you a lesson after I finish my work! Clothes, clothes, pull them up—you rascal, go home and change into clean clothes, haven't you?"
Guo Hongxuan nodded repeatedly, "Changed." He had just returned from a funeral and didn't dare to mention the word "field".
Jiang Yushu cheered up and said, "Brother Xuan, on your third brother's wedding day, you didn't accompany him to the wedding reception. When relatives and friends asked about it, I had no choice but to say that you sprained your ankle while riding a horse a few days ago."
"I understand, I understand!" Guo Hongxuan understood and limped out, eager to make amends. "I'll go ask my brothers if they need any help."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law watched the man pretending to be lame, sighed at the same time, and were speechless.
The servants stood by with their heads bowed, not daring to say a word.
After a moment, worship heaven and earth.
Guests watched the ceremony in three layers, the bride and groom stood side by side, the master of ceremonies held his head high and chest puffed out, shouting in a drawn-out voice: "Bow to Heaven and Earth."
"bye--"
The newlyweds knelt down and kowtowed solemnly.
"Bow to your parents, bow to——"
Wang sat at the head of the table, smiling kindly, and happily accepted the kowtow.
"Husband and wife bow to each other, bow——"
Guo Hongzhe blushed and bowed; under the red veil, Ji Yingru was even more embarrassed, and her movements were a little hasty. When she looked up, their heads bumped together and she blurted out "ouch".
"Hahaha~" The guests cheered in good faith, clapping or teasing, and the laughter continued into a whole day.
The master of ceremonies said in a loud voice, "The ceremony is over. Send her to the bridal chamber!"
The groom was polite and the bride was introverted. They were both at a loss as to what to do. They were surrounded by matchmakers and relatives and friends and taken away. After being sent to the bridal chamber, the wedding banquet began and the groom toasted at each table.
During this period, the third brother was busy getting married and had no time to pay attention to the fourth brother; the second brother was busy with social engagements and had no time to teach the fourth brother a lesson. They worked together to entertain the guests.
Oh, this is bad, my whole family is angry with me. Guo Hongxuan was terrified, pretending to be lame and following his brother, forcing himself to attend the social event, and anxiously awaiting punishment.
However, until late at night, the third brother entered the bridal chamber, the second brother continued to entertain several relatives and friends who stayed overnight, and the mother and second sister-in-law were exhausted and hurried to rest... No one mentioned the word "field".
The next morning
At dawn, the maid who came with the dowry woke Ji Yingru up and prepared to pay her respects to her in-laws, fearing that it would be disrespectful if she was late.
As she was dressing, her mother-in-law's trusted servant came in, smiling broadly and bowing, saying, "This old servant greets the Madam."
Ji Yingru hadn't put her hair into a bun yet when her husband's maid whispered something in her ear. She hurriedly stood up and raised her hand to support herself: "Madam, please stand up quickly. Let me comb my hair first. I'll go and see my mother-in-law later."
The maid handed over the tip, and the servant girl thanked her repeatedly, "Thank you very much, Madam, for the tip. Don't worry, don't worry. Take your time combing your hair. It's still early."
Ji Yingru nodded, sat down and continued to dress up, and glanced in the bronze mirror: the person sent by her mother-in-law walked into the inner room and happened to meet Guo Hongzhe. Her husband handed over a blood-stained white handkerchief. The maid examined it for a few seconds, nodded, put it into her sleeve, took her leave, and hurried to report.
Her face flushed instantly, and her cheeks were rosy without the need for rouge.
Guo Hongzhe was already dressed. After sending the nanny away, he walked behind his wife, looked at her in the bronze mirror, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
The wedding candles in the bridal chamber had just burned out. The two looked at each other with red faces, and several maids watched from the sidelines, trying to suppress their laughter.
After a while, Guo Hongzhe cleared his throat and broke the silence, "Dressing up?"
"Yeah." Ji Yingru's voice was as soft as a mosquito.
Guo Hongzhe said dully, "Take your time combing your hair. Don't be in a hurry. Mother probably won't be awake yet at this hour."
"Yeah." Ji Yingru nodded softly.
Half an hour later, East Courtyard
The window is open and the room is bright.
Jiang Yushu got up in the morning and combed her hair. She picked up the comb and combed it neatly. She asked softly, "Where's the hangover tea?"
"It's ready." The maid brought the tea tray.
There was a noise from the inner room, and Guo Honglei walked out slowly.
Jiang Yushu put down the comb, approached briskly, and asked with concern: "Do you have a headache? You drank too much yesterday."
"A little bit." Guo Honglei frowned and said as he washed himself, "There's nothing I can do. Azhe's health isn't suited to drinking. Since relatives and friends have honored us with a wedding banquet, someone has to drink with us to make it more festive and lively."
Jiang Yushu poured the tea herself and said, "Come, have a cup of tea to sober you up."
"Hmm." Guo Honglei sat down and drank his tea slowly.
She returned to the bronze mirror and hurriedly combed her hair. Just as she put her hair into a bun, a pair of hands suddenly appeared on her shoulders.
Guo Honglei held his wife's shoulders, bent down, and looked at the person in the bronze mirror. "Cui Mei is not here, so you comb your hair yourself? Don't the other maids understand?"
"I understand, but it's faster if I do it myself." Jiang Yushu opened the jewelry box and said with relief, "Cui'er is pregnant. She wanted to come back with me, but I refused. A pregnant woman can't stand the bumpy ride."
Guo Honglei nodded, glanced at the jewelry box, and picked up a jade hairpin at random. After examining it briefly, he inserted it diagonally into his wife's hair and asked in a low voice, "How is it?"
"good!"
"I think it looks good this way too." Guo Honglei smiled with satisfaction.
Jiang Yushu stood up, pushed him forward, and urged, "Have breakfast! Hurry up, it's getting late. We have to see Xiaoru later."
"I know." Guo Honglei had just sobered up and was unusually lazy. After dinner, the couple took their three children to pay their respects to Wang.
The morning light was bright and the whole family gathered in the main hall.
The maid spread out a mat, and Guo Hongzhe gestured for his wife to kneel down. Ji Yingru served tea and said respectfully, "Daughter-in-law pays her respects to mother."
"Well, good, good, get up." Although Wang was not very satisfied with Ji Yingru's physique and status as an adopted daughter, she was satisfied with her etiquette. She took a sip of the tea, gave her a gift according to the rules, and instructed: "Xiaoru, from now on, you must live in harmony with Azhe. Husband and wife should discuss things more often and not argue."
"Yes." Ji Yingru took the gift with both hands, "My wife will remember it."
Afterwards, Guo Hongzhe reminded his wife, "Come, meet my second brother and second sister-in-law."
Ji Yingru was timid by nature and had not dared to look closely at Guo Honglei. She was also in awe of Jiang Yushu, the county magistrate. She offered tea respectfully and said nervously, "Second brother, second sister-in-law, please have some tea."
Guo Honglei smiled gently, "No need to be so polite."
Jiang Yushu accepted the tea, gave a greeting gift, and said kindly: "From now on, we are a family!"
"Yes." Ji Yingru said politely, "If I do anything wrong in the future, please give me more advice, sister-in-law."
"No way! We should take care of each other in the future. Let's serve mother-in-law together." Jiang Yushu said kindly.
"good."
Guo Hongzhe continued to lead, "This is my fourth brother, Hongxuan."
Ji Yingru nodded, waiting for the other party to change her name to "Third Sister-in-law".
However, Guo Hongxuan was immersed in sorrow, depressed and dazed, and did not move.
"Cough cough." Seeing this, Wang coughed to remind her youngest son.
Guo Hongxuan woke up from his dream and hurriedly bowed, "Meeting Third Sister-in-law."
Ji Yingru smiled and nodded, completely unaware of the "Oiran Tian", and gave the gift according to the rules.
Finally, Wang said cheerfully, "Children, come and meet your third aunt."
Guo Yu stepped forward and bowed properly, "My nephew greets my third aunt."
Guo Ye imitated his brother and said in a baby voice, "Hello, Auntie."
The twins, a boy and a girl, were still in their cradle and ignorant. Their wet nurse held them and performed the ceremony on their behalf.
Facing the younger generation, Ji Yingru relaxed a lot, praised them softly, and gave them gifts one by one.
After the greetings, the family chatted for a long time. Wang knew that the second son would definitely teach the younger brother a lesson, so she said kindly: "Xiao Ru just came in. Azhe, you can show her around so that she can get familiar with the house. If she is tired, she can go back to the house to rest. We are a family, so don't be polite."
Guo Hongzhe understood, and the couple took their leave.
On the way back to his room, he did not hide anything and probably revealed his troubles.
Ji Yingru immediately urged: "Since you have something to do, go and help, you don't have to accompany me."
"Well, go back to your room and rest for a while. I'll tell you the results when I get them."
She nodded, watched her gentle and considerate husband go away, and secretly felt lucky to have married a good man.
At this time, the sun was already high in the sky.
Yongzhou Tuning: A Quiet Riverside
In addition to studying, Jing Yuanshan also loves fishing.
On this day off, he took his usual schedule, including books, fishing rod, bait, bamboo hat, basket... and wine jug. He chose a shady spot, sat cross-legged on the grass beside the deep water, and skillfully set up his fishing rod.
The old teacher was reading a book, drinking a glass of wine, and looking at the fishing float from time to time, looking very leisurely.
Soon, the fishing float sank into the water and ripples appeared on the water surface.
The old teacher was delighted. He quickly put down his books and wine jug, picked up his fishing rod, approached the river bank, and tentatively reeled in the line.
"Hey, it's hooked!" As soon as the old man finished speaking, he suddenly found a half-figure appeared on the water. He turned his head in confusion, "Who -"
Unexpectedly, just as he asked a word, he was hit hard on the back and fell forward with a "splash" into the deep water!
"Wu cough cough - ah cough cough..." The old man could swim, but was caught off guard and choked on the water and started coughing. He instinctively struggled to swim to the shore.
The people on the shore were silent, holding a thick/long wooden stick tightly. Whenever the old teacher approached the shore, they would suddenly push him and then pull out the stick.
This happened several times, and the elderly man with mobility problems was exhausted. In panic, he choked on water, coughed violently, and struggled desperately, but was unable to call for help.
In a blink of an eye, the old teacher suffocated and gradually sank to the bottom of the river, and ripples appeared on the water surface.
Finally, the water surface returned to calm, like a mirror, reflecting the mysterious shadows.
The man on the shore remained silent, hiding in the dense shade of the trees, pushing aside the branches and leaves, and looking around cautiously. He estimated the time, and after confirming that Jing Yuanshan had drowned, he picked up the wooden stick and quickly fled the riverbank.
The author has something to say: From personal experience, when a person is drowning, it is impossible to shout "Help"...
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