marry
Spring, the seventeenth year of Yongle.
In Fushun County of Xuzhou Prefecture, flowers are in full bloom and birds are singing, while the sunset is setting and the sounds of flutes, drums and lanterns are bright.
Although the Lantern Festival has passed for more than a month, the land here is still filled with colorful lights and the sky is still decorated with brilliant lights.
Especially in Zhaohua Town in the south and Yongnian Town in the west, it seemed as if the night was as bright as day with stars falling, and the sound of gongs, drums, and flutes filled the sky.
The two places were bustling with activity because of the happy marriage.
Zhaohua Town originated in the Song Dynasty. According to legend, during the Northern Song Dynasty, an official named Zhao came here for inspection. Seeing the river surrounding the dam and backed by green mountains, he said with a smile that "this place is suitable for civilization". So he set up a town on the spot and named it "Zhaohua" Town, which means: the place where the Zhao family was civilized.
The bride was the descendant of this official, Zhao Mingyan, the daughter of Mingyuezhai, the largest lantern shop in the area.
Yongnian Town, where she was about to get married, did not produce lanterns but bamboo. Her husband's family was the young master of the local bamboo forest trading company, Tan Linshuang.
To make lanterns, paper and silk are used as the skin, bamboo and wood are used as the frame, and candles are used as the eyes.
Therefore, the daughter of Hua Deng and the young master of Zhu Lin are a perfect match.
"Yan'er..."
There was joy outside the house, but there was constant sobbing inside.
Li Yuzhu held her daughter's hand, tears in her eyes, and was reluctant to let her go.
Although the two towns are not far apart, marrying off a daughter is like cutting flesh, which makes the mother uneasy.
What's more, she is her only daughter, the jewel she has carefully held in her hands for sixteen years.
At present, this pearl is plump and moist, and is about to burst with juice.
She was both relieved and sad.
Wiping away a tear, Li Yuzhu released her daughter's hand, gently stroked her powdered face, and said distressedly, "I'm sorry for putting so much trouble on you."
"I……"
Snap——
Zhao Mingyan was about to speak when Li Yuzhu suddenly slapped her on the buttocks. Before she could scream in pain, the hand was bounced away.
“Wuwuwu…”
The next moment, Li Yuzhu's sobbing was heard again.
She wiped her tears and warned: "You must take it easy in the bridal chamber tonight. Don't tire my good husband to death, otherwise the child will die before you conceive."
"mother……"
"Yan'er."
Zhao Mingyan spoke again, but was interrupted again.
"We Zhao women are bound by chastity. If my virtuous son-in-law really doesn't live past his twenties as the rumors say, and you can't bear him day and night, we can adopt a baby boy from the orphanage."
"Don't worry, mother."
Zhao Mingyan pulled up her mother's hand, which was slightly red from slapping her plump buttocks, and rubbed it gently to prevent her words from being interrupted again. She immediately winked at her personal maid Xiaozhu, who took out a copy of "Miao Lun of Su Nu" from her arms.
"Mom, I've been studying this book recently and have memorized the 'Rabbit Sucking Technique' in it. I'm sure I won't tire that sickly boy and will get pregnant soon."
As she spoke, Zhao Mingyan took the book, and with a flick of her jade finger, she turned over the slightly wrinkled page, pointing at the pictures and texts on it. Her almond eyes raised slightly, a smile played at the corners of her lips, and her cheeks flushed.
Her face showed three parts of seriousness, six parts of playfulness, and one part of expectation, but there was no trace of the girlish coquettishness and timidity.
"oops!"
Li Yuzhu turned her face away with a mixture of anger and laughter, but her eyes did not move away. The words "Catch the Toad Soul in the Ninth Sky" seemed to be able to move and kept jumping in front of her eyes.
And the ripples in her heart that had been suppressed for a long time seemed to begin to stir...
"The groom is here!"
Suddenly, there was an excited shout outside the door, which immediately calmed her rising heart. She hurriedly composed herself and looked up again. Her daughter had already stood up and walked out with the support of two maids.
Phoenix crown and bridal robe, lotus flowers blooming with every step.
No matter how you look at it, she is a beautiful and charming wife who can't be defeated by the wind. She will definitely not be like me, becoming a widow just after turning thirty.
However, at this moment, the plump and beautiful face under the red veil did not show any joy, but instead had a mocking smile on her face.
Why is it that a man who remarries after his wife dies is praised as "remarrying", while a woman who remarries after her husband dies is criticized as "unchaste"?
Zhao Mingyan sneered.
If that sickly guy dies, I will immediately find a husband to marry into my family!
The eyes beneath the red veil became deeper...
Until a tall figure came into view. Looking through the red veil, it was half light and half dark, and Zhao Mingyan's eyes flickered slightly.
Wearing a black gauze hat, a round-necked robe, and a red brocade shawl, he was undoubtedly her groom.
But...his body is as strong as a pine tree, and he doesn't look sick at all.
“Cough cough cough…”
While he was suspicious, the other party suddenly hunched his back and started coughing. Zhao Mingyan's mouth twitched, and he rolled his eyes and stretched out his hand.
A big hand gently held her soft hand, and a warmth came over her.
Zhao Mingyan was stunned again. How could this warm feeling be like that of someone who had been ill for a long time?
Calluses on your palms?
While she was lost in thought, the other party also showed hesitation.
He brushed the calluses on her palm imperceptibly and held her hand tighter.
The skin on the back of her hand is delicate, but the fingertips are rough and the knuckles are strong, not like the delicate hands of a girl in the boudoir.
Tan Linshuang pondered inwardly and could not help but think of a nickname that his bride had been known to the public - the Zhao Mother Demon.
At the same time, he could still recall the earnest advice his grandmother gave him before he set off.
"Lin'er, remember, remember, don't get out of bed during your wedding. Let my granddaughter-in-law get pregnant as soon as possible. Your uncle and I will take care of the business. Don't worry about it. Just do your best to maintain the Tan family's incense."
Tan Linshuang sneered and let down the curtain of the sedan chair. Then the wedding procession marched away amid the laughter and music of the crowd, illuminated by colorful lanterns.
Ten miles of red decorations reflect the sun's glow, and the road is filled with the fragrance of BMWs and carved carriages.
Listening to the noise outside the sedan, Zhao Mingyan yawned.
It was not until the noise died down and the night wind blew through the gaps in the sedan chair curtain, bringing in bursts of bamboo fragrance, that she suddenly became alert. She lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. Everywhere she looked, she saw lush greenery.
I guess this must be the bamboo forest of the Tan family?
Smelling the bamboo fragrance floating in the air, she lifted the curtain a little more, her eyes shining and a smile rising.
I wonder which one of these acres will be the betrothal gift from the Tan family to our Zhao family?
With its own bamboo forest, Mingyuezhai will no longer worry about not having good bamboo to make lamp ribs.
The Tan family was indeed sincere in this marriage. In addition to an acre of bamboo forest, they also offered another larger gift.
However, to get this betrothal gift, she and Tan Linshuang need to work together.
Thinking of this, she immediately sat up straight, pulled out the "Su Nu Miao Lun" hidden in her sleeve, and read it carefully for the umpteenth time...
At dusk, yin and yang come together, incense smoke drifts in the air, candles shine brightly, and the bride and groom enter the bridal hall together.
Worship heaven and earth, worship parents, husband and wife worship each other, and enter the bridal chamber.
The three ceremonies are the same-laughter ceremony, the same-cup wedding ceremony, and the tying-of-the-hair ceremony. After they are completed, the bridal chamber is disturbed.
“Ahem!”
Just as everyone was about to start making a fuss, Tan Linshuang suddenly coughed, bringing the noise to an abrupt end.
His personal servant Ayun hurriedly called everyone away and pulled out the small candle that was still sticking out in the room.
As soon as the door was closed, the loud noise of gongs and drums and the laughter were immediately isolated outside, and the room suddenly became quiet.
The festive atmosphere gradually dissipated, leaving only the newlyweds sitting side by side on the bed, looking down at their toes, silent.
During this period, Tan Linshuang's coughs were heard from time to time, sometimes high and sometimes low, reaching Zhao Mingyan's ears, just like a sudden hailstorm in late autumn, bringing winter early and completely killing the dying trees.
She couldn't help but wonder if she would become a widow earlier than her mother.
But before becoming a widow, she still had to conceive a child to continue the Zhao family line.
"cough!"
So she coughed to remind Tan Linshuang to take off her red veil before she coughed out her lungs, and then turned over the red quilt so that she could become a mother this year.
The candle flame flickered, but Tan Linshuang did not move.
The coughing stopped and the room became even quieter.
Zhao Mingyan frowned slightly, pricked up her ears and listened carefully. After confirming that the other party was still breathing, she coughed again.
The candlelight flickered again, but Tan Linshuang remained motionless.
Zhao Mingyan's brows furrowed even tighter.
Want to play statues with me?
Oh!
Zhao Mingyan pulled the corner of her mouth, took off the red veil, stood up and turned around, her almond-shaped eyes slightly annoyed.
"My husband is polite."
She spoke coldly, first bowed to Tan Linshuang, then raised her eyelids and looked him up and down.
After seeing the other person's face clearly, she couldn't help but be surprised.
This sickly boy actually looks quite good! He's much more handsome than in his portrait.
As the name suggests, the frost in the forest turns into rime, which is beautiful, cold and distant.
But apart from his skin being paler than that of an ordinary man, there was no sign of illness on Tan Linshuang's face. If one had to say that he was weak, it might be because his misty eyes always gave people a feeling of being in the clouds.
In addition, his cheeks are not full enough and his facial lines are angular. With such a pair of big watery eyes and thin lips of a slightly lighter color, he does look a little weak.
I just don't know whether he is really false or just hiding his edge.
Zhao Mingyan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"My lady is polite."
Facing her inquiring gaze, Tan Linshuang slowly stood up and bowed to her.
He was also surprised by her true appearance.
Who drew her portrait? She's half the size of a real person!
Don’t you know that peach and cherry are only one letter apart, but they are worlds apart?
What about the gallbladder-like nose, the oval face, the cherry-like mouth and the grasshopper eyes? Only the nose was drawn realistically.
Her face is clearly like a full moon dotted with red cherry blossoms, and her curved eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes reveal her spring.
This rosy complexion full of vitality shows that he is very fertile.
No wonder Grandma picked her!
Tan Linshuang's eyes turned a little colder... Hmm?
The next moment, his eyes widened again.
As soon as Zhao Mingyan withdrew her gaze, she began to undress.
"Husband, don't miss the auspicious time." She said without raising her head.
Lingling's voice is pleasant and moving, but why can't you hear any hint of shyness in it?
But in the blink of an eye, Tan Linshuang saw that Zhao Mingyan had taken off her long gown and robe and was taking off the complicated phoenix crown on her head.
Her movements were quick and meticulous. Although she was undressing and removing makeup, to Tan Linshuang, it looked like she was putting on armor and preparing to go into battle and kill the enemy.
And the enemy she is about to deal with is herself.
Seeing that she had taken off the phoenix crown and started to take off her round-necked shirt, Tan Linshuang could no longer sit and wait for death, otherwise, he would be killed without leaving any descendants.
Then he bent over and beat his chest, coughing and gasping for breath.
"My dear, I... I'm so happy about my wedding, but the joy has turned into sorrow, causing my lungs to rise... cough cough cough... Tonight... I'm afraid I won't be able to consummate our marriage tonight..."
"I hope my lady will forgive me!"
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