59 Wedding Day
◎ She managed to squeeze out a rather awkward sentence: "Husband, husband."◎
The sixth day of the sixth lunar month is a good day for marriage.
The auspicious day for the Pei and Chu families to get married was set on this day.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the Chu Mansion was already ablaze with red, exuding a joyful atmosphere.
In front of the mansion gate, pairs of red lanterns hung high, each inscribed with a large "happiness" character in gold ink. The doorposts, along with the stone lions that guarded the house, were all tied with red silk. A brand new red felt stretched from the gate all the way to the front of the Bamboo and Jade Courtyard.
As night fell, all the lights in the house were lit, and even the cold moonlight was tinged with a hazy warmth.
The lights in Cishou Hall were brightly lit, and the grandfather and grandson sat at a round table to have dinner. Tomorrow was the big ceremony, so at this moment they didn't have to stick to the rules of not talking while eating or sleeping.
Grandma Wei put down her chopsticks, pressed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, looked at Chu Yufu, and stroked her hair with a smile: "When you leave home tomorrow, you will be a wife of the Pei family. Grandma will nag you for a few more words."
Chu Yufu put down her bowl and chopsticks and sat down obediently: "Grandma, please speak."
"For a husband and wife to get along, flexibility is key." She pointed at the jade hairpin on her head. "Just like this hairpin, if you clash head-on, it will eventually break. If he gets angry, keep your head down and stay silent for a while. Wait until the storm subsides, then try to persuade him gently. Remember, strength lies within, not on the outside. Never speak bluntly or offend your husband."
"If he wishes to take a concubine in the future, you must personally select a poor, docile, and honest woman from a decent family. Never allow prostitutes into your home. Provide her with generous food and clothing, but," the old lady's voice deepened, "the indenture, the keys to the storehouse, and the right to raise your children—these three things must be firmly in your hands."
After hearing these words, Chu Yufu's eyelashes fluttered and she nodded in response, "I understand, Grandma."
Leaving Cishou Hall, Lanzhu walked forward, holding a lantern. The candlelight reflected on the stone pavement. The usually lively girl seemed a little silent at this moment. Chu Yufu couldn't help but tilt her head and ask softly, "What's wrong? Why do you seem unhappy?"
Lan Zhu raised her head, her brows furrowed like a small mountain, her eyes looking a little confused: "Miss, is the old lady right?"
"Hmm?" Chu Yufu tilted her head.
The orange-white candlelight flickered in her blue eyes. "The old lady said that men value their dignity the most, and when a couple argues, the woman should take the first step back. But men value their dignity, but women don't? Why do women always have to swallow their grievances? As for taking a concubine..."
She brought the lantern closer, and the soft light shone on Chu Yufu's profile, making her skin whiter than snow, her eyebrows and eyes as picturesque as picturesque, and her eyes dotted with stars.
"After marrying such a good girl, you still have the heart to look at other people?"
Chu Yufu was slightly stunned, then burst into laughter. She raised her hand to hold Lan Zhu's shoulder and said in a cheerful voice, "Good Lan Zhu, stop imagining and adding unnecessary trouble to yourself. Those are things that haven't happened yet. They are unfounded. Besides, I told my grandmother: I understand, but I don't necessarily have to do it."
"You're right. A woman needs dignity, and her mood is important too. As for taking a concubine, there's no mention of it. Grandmother only mentioned it briefly. It's not too late to worry about it when the day comes."
Chu Yufu blinked and swallowed the rest of the sentence without saying it out loud - who knows, the other party might die young in two years, so why bother herself by thinking about these trivial things?
She pulled Lanzhu forward, slowly comforting her, "You don't know how many people out there are jealous of me. My future husband has a bright future and is incredibly handsome. He treats me well, and the betrothal gift list is as thick as half a finger. You should be happy for me!"
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she smiled brightly.
At first, she just wanted to use Pei Yue's help to escape the Chu family's quagmire and live a life without worrying about life and death. At that time, she thought that even if the other party looked like a bear, she would have to bite her teeth and accept it. Later, after the engagement was made, she met the person and found that the other party was unexpectedly good-looking.
She has overcome many difficulties along the way and is finally achieving her goal step by step. If she continues to worry about the vague troubles in the future, will she still be able to survive?
In life, there is always a large part that is uncontrollable. It is already very difficult for people to grasp the little that is controllable and try their best to achieve perfection.
The next morning, the sky was slightly white.
Chu Yufu was awakened from her sleep by the maids and servants. She was dug out from under the quilt without any explanation, and was made to wash her face and rinse her mouth.
While she was still half asleep, she was made to sit in front of the dressing mirror. The "Full-fortune Lady" who had both her parents-in-law and two children twisted her face with a thin thread. Then a maid came forward, dipped rouge cream in her palm and rubbed it evenly, then gently patted it on her cheeks to create the "Flying Cloud Makeup". Finally, she used fish bladder glue to dot a pearl flower in the center of her eyebrows.
The maid in front was putting on makeup, and Lanzhu stood behind her to comb her hair. Her cascading black hair was tied up high and formed into a bun on top of her head. The gold and silver crown with cloud and moon patterns was carefully put on her, and then a heavy golden ball hairpin was inserted into each temple to secure it.
Just as the ball hairpin was firmly inserted, Yun Sui came into the room holding a bunch of freshly cut flowers and said with a smile, "Come and choose which flowers you want to wear as your hairpin."
Chu Yufu raised her hand to support the heavy crown, slowly turned her head, and looked at the roses, peonies, half-branch lotus, and pomegranate flowers in her arms...
Finally, she pointed to the most festive and lively red pomegranate and said, "This one, just one is enough." She frowned slightly and muttered, "It's weighing me down so much that I can hardly lift my head!"
Hearing her complaints, the maids and old women in the room all laughed. The girl was truly still young, her words a bit childish. Such a happy occasion only comes once in a lifetime, and every bride would want to dress up more gorgeously, but the second girl thought a flower was too heavy!
A woman smiled and said something auspicious: "Second Miss, you have chosen the right flowers. The red pomegranates will bear many fruits and bring good fortune, and the house will be filled with auspiciousness!"
Chu Yufu waved her hand and asked Yinsuo to take the copper coins. She smiled and said, "Let's share some good luck with everyone!"
Lan Zhu stopped her from moving and pressed her hand back. She picked out two red pomegranates in full bloom from Yun Sui's arms and pinned them firmly on her hair crown. "How heavy can a single flower be? You should at least be seeking the good luck of being in a couple!"
When the loud sounds of gongs, drums and suona drifted into the courtyard from the gate, Chu Yufu was finally surrounded by the crowd and dressed neatly.
The silk bodice was tightly tied, outlining her exquisite curves. She wore a bright red gauze shirt with a peony pattern on the outside, a ball-patterned gauze skirt with gold embellishments on the bottom, and a pair of pearl-embellished phoenix-head shoes on her feet. As she moved her lotus steps lightly, the pearls shone brightly.
She wore a pair of round and white pearl cuffs on her ears and a pair of heavy carved gold bracelets on her wrists.
Chu Yufu had never been dressed so gorgeously in her two lifetimes. When she was helped up by her maids, she felt that the golden crown on her head and the pearls and jade on her body were falling down. It seemed as if it was difficult for her to even lift her feet. If she took a bigger step, the rings and bracelets would jingle. She was afraid that the gold and silver jewels would fall to the ground.
According to the customs of Dayan, a woman must worship the ancestral temple and cry when she gets married.
With the help of her maids, she stepped into the ancestral hall. Amidst the scent of incense and candles, she knelt on the mat and read the letter to her ancestors that she had written earlier. Then she moved to the main hall in the front yard and kowtowed to her parents.
Mrs. Wu was released from house arrest today. She sat in the hall in a gorgeous dress. Although her face was not very good, she tried to maintain her dignity and said a few clichés about harmony between husband and wife and mutual respect and love with a wooden face.
Mr. Chu's wish was fulfilled, so he couldn't cry. He just said some words of blessing with a red face.
Only Grandma Wei, who was sitting at the side, looked at her granddaughter who was dressed in red makeup, turned her face away quietly, and pressed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Chu Yufu kowtowed respectfully. Her eyes met her grandmother's red eyes. Her heart trembled slightly. She bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth and kowtowed deeply in the direction of her grandmother.
Then, the heavy gilded veil fell down, and with the support of Lanzhu and Yunsui, she walked out of the mansion step by step on the red carpet.
The wedding procession had been waiting for a long time. The eight-man sedan chair, painted red and decorated with gold, stopped in front of the mansion gate. After she got in and sat down, the sedan bearer shouted "Lift the sedan chair". In an instant, gongs and drums shook the sky, suonas sounded, and the whole team, covered in red and decorated with colorful ribbons, walked towards the Pei mansion, with a red makeup stretching for miles behind them.
The sedan rose and fell with the pace of the sedan bearers. Chu Yufu lifted a corner of her veil, opened a small gap in the curtain, and looked back at the Chu family that was gradually moving away.
The sedan chair did not go to Minister Pei's residence, but to the newly purchased house of Pei Yue.
After completing the six pre-wedding ceremonies in April, Pei Yue bought a three-story house two streets away from the Chu family. He had originally lived with his uncle because he was young, but now that he held an important position and had established a family, it was natural for him to move in separately and start his own household.
The Pei Mansion was decorated festively at the moment. Colorful silks were tied into flower balls and hung high above the door lintel. Gold-sprinkled wedding couplets were posted on both sides of the gate. Red carpet was laid along the street all the way to the steps of the main hall. Pei Yue, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, stood as tall as a pine tree. He was already waiting at the door, surrounded by a group of guests who came to congratulate and attend the banquet.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, the bridal sedan stopped steadily in front of Xiao Pei's mansion.
The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted by the matchmaker, and a delicate porcelain-white hand stretched out from the sedan chair. Pei Yue stepped forward, held the slightly cool hand, and with a little force, helped the person out of the sedan chair.
The crimson veil hung down, completely covering the bride's face. Only when she walked could a little white leak out from the neckline.
"The auspicious time has arrived—!"
As soon as the master of ceremonies shouted "yes", the sound of the ritual music instantly rose to a higher pitch and soared into the sky.
The servants presented a love knot tied with colorful silk. Pei Yue and Chu Yufu each held one end, stepped over the threshold, passed through the corridor decorated with lights, and finally walked into the bridal chamber in the main courtyard and stood in front of the wedding bed.
The bridesmaid stepped forward and used silver scissors to cut off two locks of the bride's hair. She stuffed them into a purse embroidered with twin lotus flowers and hung it on the corner of the wedding bed curtain, singing: "We are married and our love is unquestionable~!"
Afterwards, the two drank the wedding wine together in front of everyone.
This declares the ceremony complete.
"Have a baby soon!"
"Have a happy marriage, Brother Pei—"
"Congratulations!"
Chu Yufu was covered with a veil, so she couldn't see anyone. However, she vaguely heard a voice that sounded familiar, like that of Prince Zhao. After the guests offered their congratulations, they hurried out the door and flocked to the wedding banquet area in the front hall, leaving the bridal chamber, lit with red candles, for the newlyweds.
Boom, boom——
The noise faded away, and Chu Yufu sat on the edge of the bed, her heartbeat magnified infinitely in the silence. Looking at the pair of black brocade boots under her red veil, her palms slightly sweaty, but she didn't dare wipe them.
When Mingming got up that morning and dressed, her heart wasn't completely calm, but she was still relatively composed. But the ancestral temple visit, the crying at the wedding, her grandmother's red eyes, the swaying sedan chair, the beating of gongs and drums... all these things were like tiny waves, and finally, the moment she stepped out of the sedan chair and held those warm hands, they merged into a torrent and rushed over her heart.
Suddenly, as if her soul had returned to its place, she realized that this was not acting, nor was she watching some storytelling TV drama, she was really going to get married!
This belated emotion churned in my chest.
The hand that held her when she stepped down from the sedan chair felt rough, powerful, and unfamiliar...
Just when she was feeling extremely confused, the pair of black boots that had been stationary in front of her for a long time moved, taking a step forward slowly.
Immediately afterwards, the red veil that blocked the view was steadily lifted up by a scale, and the view suddenly became clear.
Last night she lay in bed thinking a lot and carefully planned the scene of the newlyweds' first meeting many times.
For example, she should lower her eyes first, then let her eyelashes flutter a few times before slowly raising her eyes. It is best to tuck her chin in slightly when looking up. This angle makes her look most clever and just enough to show a hint of "purity and innocence".
But at that moment, her prepared movements were a little stuck, and the movements she made were a little stiff. The sweet smile on the corners of her mouth could not be drawn. After clearing her throat, she finally squeezed out a sentence not very skillfully: "Husband, husband."
However, the voice was as thin as a mosquito's whisper, with obvious tremors. Chu Yufu didn't even know whether the other party heard it clearly!
Pei Yue's handsome eyebrows moved very slightly, and he said calmly, "There are guests in the front yard who need to be entertained. You can rest here. Someone will bring you food later."
The candlelight filtered through the red gauze curtains that filled the room, spreading all around, giving everything a layer of warmth. Covered in this blush, she actually felt that the face in front of her, which had always been frosty and serious, seemed to have melted a little, becoming less harsh and having a softer look.
At this moment, the stomach, which had only casually stuffed itself with a few snacks in the morning, let out a long, lingering sound, which was deafening in the quiet room!
Chu Yufu lowered her head, revealing two ears that were covered in pink and almost looked like they were about to smoke!
...This seemed a little different from what she had expected, a relaxed first meeting between the newlyweds.
【Author’s words】
Fufu: Help! This is not what I expected! [Breaking down in tears] (Actually, in my previous life, I was busy making money and never had a romantic relationship.)
Well, let’s come early tomorrow to wait for updates in case we get caught up... At 11 o’clock in the evening, we will get on the highway on time and make fried rice. Our slogan is to make fried stream-of-consciousness delicious rice!
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