After preparing the face, she applied ointment, powder, eyebrows, lip balm and rouge. After that, Wang Chan looked at the bride in the mirror and frowned.
“Will it be too red?”
"It has to be red to be festive."
Xu Jiang covered her mouth and laughed. Wang Chan felt a little embarrassed when she saw her smile. That shyness made her look like a newlywed.
Aunt Cao then realized she was coming and said with a smile, "You came without making a sound, and scared me."
"Aren't you afraid of disturbing the bride?"
Xu Jiang walked over and turned around to look at her. The old nanny was almost dizzy from her and said hurriedly, "Young lady, please sit down and I will show you after I have dressed up."
Zhuang smiled and pulled her aside, made her a bowl of rice tea and asked her to sit down and drink it.
Ximi tea is similar to soaked rice, except that red yeast rice is added when frying the rice, resulting in a bright red color that looks festive. When brewing, add dried dates, goji berries, preserved roses, and honey, creating a red and sweet drink that warms the body.
The old nanny was a "lucky person" who was invited to comb the bride's hair.
"One comb, a thread of marriage is tied, drums and music sound in the hall. Two combs, a leopard-like husband and a brilliant-hearted woman are destined to be immortal. Three combs, a bright virtue spreads far and wide, and the descendants are endless."
After combing her hair and putting it into a bun, revealing her face and neck, she would then accessorize with hairpins and rings. Ordinary people did not have many jewelry, often using silk flowers instead. Once these flowers were pinned on her hair, the bride would immediately look more colorful.
Finally, it was time to change into her wedding dress, a vibrant green one. Xu Jiang noticed two cicadas embroidered on the sleeves and knew that Wang Chan had sewn it herself.
Soon, a fresh-looking bride stood before Xu Jiang, and she smiled so hard that her eyes were bent.
Seeing her happy smile, Aunt Cao grabbed her and tidied her up. Finally, she gave her an umbrella and said, "The bride is going out, so please hold the umbrella for her."
"Okay." Xu Jiang agreed readily, and then a handful of fruits were stuffed into her hand. She put the fruits into her purse and took them back to Lou Yunchun.
After tormenting the bride, they dressed up an aunt. It turned out that she was Wang Chan's mother. She looked kind and amiable.
The aunts were once young ladies, too, and when they got playful, they were no more reserved than the young ladies, and they dressed the Queen Mother up in a flamboyant manner. Finally, after much persuasion, she removed the silk flowers and dressed in a more solemn and plain manner.
It was lively here and more people came outside. Although the wedding was in the afternoon, the bride's relatives and friends all came early to ask for some wedding cakes and candies and to share in the joy.
Wang Chan got up early, but after being tossed around so much, she was so sleepy that she was swaying. Her mother, feeling sorry for her, let her rest against the blankets. Aunt Cao asked Mrs. Zhuang to make some soup noodles for everyone to eat first, as they would be too busy to attend to the others later.
Xu Jiang was only half full after finishing her rice tea. When she saw Zhuang was going to cook soup noodles, she happily followed her.
The Cao family's kitchen was large, and with Uncle Cao, a carpenter, the family had furniture and furnishings of great quality. While not luxurious, it was sturdy and practical, with a simple, antique design, and looked much more organized than her little nest.
Xu Jiang lit the fire while Zhuang made the soup noodles. Her deft hands made them with stuffing: pork and cumin. Even before the filling was even in the pot, the aroma made Xu Jiang's mouth water. Once it was cooked, the white, plump noodles, like gold ingots, rose to the surface, and the aroma of the noodles and meat made her stomach growl.
When Zhuang heard this, she held onto the stove and laughed. She quickly filled a bowl for her and asked her to eat first.
When the soup noodles were taken out of the pot, soy sauce, cooking oil, vinegar, and chopped green onion, ginger, and garlic were added. Xu Jiang scooped two of them with a spoon and put them in her mouth. The delicious aroma burst out, and her eyes lit up.
"tasty."
Zhuang smiled, served a few more bowls to the bridal chamber, came back and cooked another pot, and served it to Uncle Cao, Cao Dali, Wang's father and others, and finally sat down to eat herself.
It's really hard work.
"We have to leave one bowl for Jin'er so he can eat it when he wakes up."
After Xu Jiang finished eating, she heard that Lu Zhen had not yet woken up, so she took the soup and noodles to his room.
"I'll go get him."
Lu Zhen was sleeping soundly with a rosy little face. Xu Jiang couldn't resist the urge to pinch him twice.
"Lazy boy, why don't you get up?"
Lu Zhen shrank back into the quilt.
Zhuang came in and said with a smile, "We were busy last night and didn't keep an eye on him, so he stayed up late studying."
Xu Jiang had never seen a child so fond of studying. She recalled her own childhood, when she was studying, she was always playing around and wanted to run away, which made her master furious. Then there was Lu Zhen. If he had been born earlier, he would have been a disciple of his master. He was so smart and hardworking, and he would surely have been much loved.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiang became jealous for no reason and pinched Lu Zhen's face again.
Lu Zhen was finally woken up. He saw her squatting in front of the bed in a daze. He immediately sat up and stared at her blankly.
"Did you sleep like a fool?"
"elder sister?"
Zhuang went over to help him dress. It took him a while to come to his senses. He blushed and said he would do it himself.
Xu Jiang asked, "How's your leg?"
Zhuang said, "I can walk a little bit now, but I'm not fully recovered yet, so I don't dare to walk much longer."
"Then it will be soon." Xu Jiang smiled and said to Lu Zhen, "Did your grandfather tell you when he came back yesterday? He will take you to become his disciple soon."
Lu Zhen nodded, "I said it."
Xu Jiang threatened him, "He's a very strict teacher. Play now while you can. You won't have the chance later."
Lu Zhen was not afraid, but looked expectant, which made Xu Jiang want to pinch him.
Zhuang dressed him in a cherry-red padded jacket and tied a red scarf around his waist. He looked like a little boy, which was quite adorable.
It was getting more and more lively outside. Zhuang was going to entertain the guests. Xu Jiang watched Lu Zhen finish his soup noodles before taking him out.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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