Chapter 31 Jiali, you are the only family I chose for myself in this life.
When the convoy carrying the bride arrived at the Li family home, the groom's parents and guests had already left through the side gate and gathered at the main entrance, waiting for the newlyweds to enter through the front door.
Changsun Qingjing, helped down from the carriage by a maid, glanced at the three arrows hanging high above the doorpost, then lowered her head slightly, using a fan to cover her face, and walked side by side with Li Shimin, who held a tablet. Relatives and friends surrounded the newlyweds in front, waiting to defile their brides.
The newlyweds must not let their feet touch the ground to avoid being struck by the evil spirits of the earth, and they travel along a path of felt and bags all the way to the green hut built for the wedding.
The heavy gold and silver jeweled crown, the long-sleeved blue robe, and the forked blue shoes made every step of Changsun Qingjing's body feel heavy.
The maidservants hurried along, passing the blue and red patterned carpet and the red and blue silk bag back and forth, spreading them out so that the incense could continue and be passed down from generation to generation.
"The felt mat is a bit slippery, be careful," Li Shimin reminded him, tilting his head slightly.
"Yes, I remember, we're not familiar!" Li Shimin recalled Changsun Qingjing's male attire in Liren City, her pretentious manner when urging her to get ready, and her annoyance at hearing frivolous words when blocking the carriage. He already knew her unwillingness to act rashly, so he cautiously moved half a step to the side, looking straight ahead, and walked on the felt mat.
The blue and red veil displayed gossamer-like patterns, perhaps a trick of the night wind, perhaps an illusion created by the firelight, or perhaps a fleeting smile.
Inside the tent, children either jumped and ran around the bed, or used their arms as wings to fly like birds, or sang the "Tent-Scattering Song" at the urging of older women: "A pair of blue and white doves circled the tent three or five times; I told my husband that they circled the tent three times."
After Li Shimin and Changsun Qingjing entered the Qinglu, they were hit on the forehead, fan, and scepter by gold, silver coins, dried fruit, and other items scattered throughout the room.
The newlyweds were startled when they were hit by the unexpected object. When they saw that the relatives and friends who had been following behind them had suddenly rushed into the bridal chamber, they knew that everyone was preparing for the wedding ceremony.
While urging the children to rush forward and grab the money and candy, Li San Niang Qiong Xi loudly recited a prayer: "On this auspicious night, the daughter of the Changsun family and the son of the Li family are to be married. I humbly pray that after the marriage, they will live a long and prosperous life. May they have five sons and two daughters, and a full complement of servants. May the sons all become high-ranking officials, and the daughters all be betrothed to princes and dukes. From this day forward, may the lifespan of the couple be extended."
The exaggerated prayer left the newlyweds speechless. They were immediately surrounded by guests and children scrambling for the money and candy scattered on the floor.
Fourth Sister Li Longyue's daughter, Changsun Renpei, carrying a handful of wedding money, squeezed to the feet of the newlyweds, picked up a small packet of rock candy tied with red silk, opened it, licked it, and then peeked up at the bride from under the knee-length veil. She exclaimed with childlike innocence, "Sister, you're so beautiful!"
Changsun Qingjing was amused by his deceased uncle's daughter, and with one hand holding a fan, he couldn't help but pinch the girl's cheek with the other.
Li Longyue quickly stepped forward to pick up her daughter and instructed the maid to adjust the gauze scarf for Changsun Qingjing: "Renpei, from now on, call her Aunt."
The girl licked her fingers and agreed.
"Young men and women, let's see who can find the most strings of coins and dried fruit. The one who finds the most will be rewarded!" Li Qiongxi teased the children who were blocking the newlyweds' path.
The children all gathered around Third Sister, intently counting their spoils.
Duke Li Yuan of Tang and his wife, Lady Dou, entered the Qinglu (green pavilion) last, surrounded by their three sons and six daughters.
As always, Lady Dou was radiant. Her hair was adorned with layers of jewels on her neat, coiled bun, and her dark red short-sleeved top paired with a purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) highlighted her status as a first-rank duke's wife without overshadowing her.
She stood beside her husband, chatting and laughing with the others.
Li Qiongxi hadn't seen her mother for a long time, but noticed that her mother's face was unusually pale today, leading her to suspect that it was due to excessive use of lead powder.
She had seen many older women use lead white to cover up their sallow and tired skin. Her mother was already forty-five years old, and with her beauty fading, such behavior was understandable.
However, Li Qiongxi still didn't believe that her mother would do something out of character, so she asked her younger sister softly, "How is Mother's illness?"
Li Longyue shook her head and said, "She kept this hasty wedding a secret from everyone. This morning, her condition relapsed again, but she just endured it. This morning, she personally watched the servants fill the stone mortar with three liters of millet, cover the well with a mat, and block the window of my second brother's room with three catties of hemp. She only felt at ease after everything was prepared. In order not to disturb my second brother, she waited until he had offered sacrifices at the temple before calling for a doctor and medicine. When administering the medicine, she chased us siblings out of the gate. I only heard her arguing with Father and the doctor. I don't know what prescription she used, but she has managed to hold on until now..."
"What kind of goddess-like woman could possibly stir up our brother's unruly heart?" Li Qiongxi complained, but also expressed her concern.
"Once Mother sees her new daughter-in-law, she'll be happy and everything will be fine," Li Qiongxi sighed, comforting her sister and herself.
As the daughter in the family whose personality is most like her mother's, Li Qiongxi knows that the more things are like this, the less her mother will allow anyone in the family to panic or tell her second brother about her illness. She will only be able to focus on her health after everything has settled down.
My mother's penchant for defying fate seems to be innate, a trait born to compensate for my father's indecisiveness.
Li Qiongxi had a splitting headache. She habitually smoothed her neatly combed hair, putting aside her emotions that didn't belong to the wedding ceremony, and called out to the two children who were acting as the nuns in a clear, cheerful, and cheerful voice: "Chengzong, Lingwu, stop counting the money strings, spit out the rock candy, and hold the bronze mirror, gourd, and wine pot properly. Your uncle and aunt, and your maternal uncle and aunt are about to perform the nuptial ceremony."
Li Chengzong and Chai Lingwu put down the money they were throwing away, puffed out their cheeks, chewed on the rock sugar and swallowed it quickly, then ran excitedly to their aunt and mother.
Li Shimin and Changsun Qingjing bowed to Heaven and Earth, their parents, their matchmaker, and all the guests in turn, and finally bowed to each other.
The two children presented a bronze mirror, and the couple tied a love knot together at the mirror's button. Because they were so nervous, the silk thread slipped out of the buttonhole several times, making the onlookers so anxious that they wished they could do it for them.
Amidst good-natured laughter, the flustered newlyweds' knuckles lightly touched, a burning tenderness and excitement washing over them.
The two handed the tablet and fan to someone else, and once again they frantically threaded and tied the knot.
"Hold on tight and don't move," Changsun Qingjing commanded impatiently. Her cheeks, hidden beneath the light gauze, were already flushed red and burning hot.
"Alright." Li Shimin nodded in response, holding the mirror with both hands, bending even lower, letting the bride's hair ornaments and hairpins scratch his cheeks.
"Don't pull the rope!" Changsun Qingjing scolded in a low voice.
"Okay, okay." The fingers, marked with fingernails, shrank back to the edge of the bronze mirror.
The two children had never seen their uncle and maternal uncle have such good patience when interacting with women, and they couldn't help but mischievously look at each other and try not to laugh, which drew a reproachful look from Li Shimin.
Changsun Qingjing tied two slipknots under the mirror's button, instructed Li Shimin to tighten one end, and then tightened the other end himself.
The two finally completed their vow of eternal love, albeit with some stumbles along the way.
Li Chengzong and Chai Lingwu held up bronze mirrors to their relatives and friends, showing the guests the knot of love.
Amidst cheers and jubilation, the groom sat facing east, while the bride sat facing west.
The newlyweds first shared a dish of meat from the same plate. The gourd on the lacquered plate had been divided into two halves and tied together with a red ribbon.
Li Qiongxi filled the two halves of the gourd with wine, which were then presented to the newlyweds by two attendants.
The two toasted each other, the bitter wine intoxicating, both wanting to catch each other's gaze yet deliberately avoiding it like startled birds.
The maidservants who usually dress and groom each cut off a lock of their long hair, tied them together in a bun, symbolizing that the two were connected by blood and would become new family.
This spirited young man became her family, or in a way, the family she chose herself.
Changsun Qingjing was stunned by his own unconventional thoughts. He composed himself, picked up the flower fan again, covered his blushing face, and waited for the last poem to be recited.
"A beautiful woman in her boudoir is as fleeting as a flower, descending upon a noble family in the morning. Her five-colored cloud-like robes reflect her own beauty, needing no hundred layers of silk fans to conceal her." After arranging his hair, Li Shimin hurriedly finished reciting the poem about removing the fan.
Changsun Qingjing hesitated for a moment, the tremor in her heart spreading to every part of her body. Her breathing quickened, and she gripped the fan even tighter. This delay was like sitting on pins and needles for the groom.
Li Daozong, who had just returned home exhausted after accompanying the bride and bringing home an eleven-year-old boy, was now taking advantage of the wedding ceremony to eat some food and drink. His energy was quickly restored. Recalling the amusing incident during the wedding preparations, he joked with the bride, "Sister-in-law, would you like me to fetch your pipa so that your brother can play and sing until you are satisfied?"
"Let the groom dance. He just learned it before going to Luoyang. The bride hasn't seen him dance before," Li Qiongxi's husband, Chai Shao, said with a smile, putting down his wine glass.
Li Shimin couldn't help but lean closer to Changsun Qingjing and say, "You don't have another riddle to stump me, do you?"
"If I truly have a mystery in my heart that must be solved before I can leave, how will you respond?"
"I'd like to hear the details." Li Shimin's expression hardened, and he adopted a posture of listening attentively. "Anyway, they're all family members; it's just another loss of face."
"Who told you to be my own family?" he thought to himself.
The maids on both sides couldn't help but smile when they heard the two arguing.
Qingjing slowly lowered her fan, the light gauze fluttering playfully: "I'm tired, I can't think of a riddle."
Li Shimin was somewhat surprised that the fan was so easily moved.
His hands trembled even more violently than hers; though his heart was pounding and his soul was about to leave him, he still tried to remain calm.
Two children who don't fully understand what marriage is, hastily complete a grand ceremony following the example of others, and then leave the rest to fate.
The groom smiled and lifted the bride's veil. The fiery passion and the clear water met. They longed to capture the tenderness in each other's eyes, yet feared they would be consumed in the flames and vanish into nothingness in the abyss.
Dou was somewhat surprised by the face of this vibrant young girl. This did not belong to a girl who had suffered two family upheavals. There must be something extraordinary about her that she was hiding in the shadows, just like Dou herself in the past.
From the moment her son confessed his love, the girl's experiences and actions constantly awakened Dou's memories of those tender, joyful, helpless, sorrowful, and rebellious past events.
The candle flames, held high, began to dance, echoing the joyous atmosphere in the green hut, and the small flames burst into a series of dazzling stars.
She feared she would have nowhere to withstand such scorching sunlight, and that the shadows of these flames would ultimately vanish because of her stubborn disappointment.
He feared he would not be able to exhaust all the pearls and jade from Suihou Mountain, and that the lost pearls and jade would haunt him with resentment for the rest of his life in chaos.
Li Shimin tentatively extended his hand to Changsun Qingjing: "Lady Changsun, are you safe and well?"
"Fortunately," she replied, echoing his warm welcome to her new home.
Author's note: Did you guys calculate the time?
It seems like in this chapter I'm once again switching back and forth between being a goofball and a philosopher.
If you like it, please save it and leave a comment! [winking emoji]
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