Chapter 46 Practical Experience of Weddings
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The stones in front of the dog hole were originally moved from the pond by Qingwu. The strongman employees had already gone to bed; a good boss certainly wouldn't wake people up to work in the middle of the night.
Lin Xihe pushed and shoved the stone.
The moon was bright and the stars were few; the chirping of insects was drowned out by a clear voice: "Lin Xihe?"
She stood close to the wall, holding her breath and remaining silent.
"Are you being punished by standing in the corner?" This time, the voice came from above.
Lin Xihe looked up and saw the young man sitting idly on the wall, his legs swinging comfortably. Her view suddenly opened up, and behind him was a vast and boundless starry river.
A gentle breeze ruffled the hem of the girl's skirt, and Lin Xihe smiled shyly: "I can't sleep."
Wen Zhixu patted the wall in tacit agreement: "Shall I pull you up?"
Before the words were even finished, Lin Xihe lifted her cumbersome sleeve and nimbly climbed up the crabapple tree by the wall.
The imperial edict praised her tranquility? Wen Zhixu looked at the "monkey" leaping up the tree in front of him.
Well, whatever. At worst, we can have a monkey mountain built for her to enjoy.
Looking out from a high vantage point, as far as the eye could see, there was no 996 work schedule, no KPIs... Lin Xihe pursed her lips, secretly pleased that fate had been kind to her.
All around was quiet. In a secluded corner, tedious formalities were cast aside, and even the wind felt exceptionally free.
A faint fragrance lingered in the air.
Wen Zhixu reached out, his long-held desire to touch her cheek now unleashed without restraint.
Just then, she turned around and looked at me, and my fingertip landed squarely on her shallow dimple.
It's softer and more bouncy than I dreamed of.
"What... are you doing?" Lin Xihe, who had just mustered the courage to shove the wild monkey into her mouth, now had a belated look of embarrassment on her face.
Her character has always been multifaceted; at this moment, she is the dignified and refined eldest daughter of the Lin family.
Wen Zhixu met her feigned questioning gaze, a smirk playing on his lips, making him appear like a lecherous man.
He immediately sat up straight, and since she wanted to play the role of a dignified lady, he would be the composed and proper young master from a noble family.
Lin Xihe swung her legs, her embroidered shoes hanging loosely on her toes, seemingly about to fall off. Her fair ankles quietly captured a corner of the young man's gaze.
He blinked twice at her, answering her earlier question: "I want to see just how thick-skinned this monkey is."
"Is she mocking him as a monkey? Lin Xihe is not about to suffer this injustice, and she slaps him with her hand!"
How much strength could she possibly have? Her palm patted his chest, as lightly as a falling leaf brushing against his face.
But the young master, deliberately trying to tease her, feigned pain and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you practice Iron Palm?"
Lin Xihe raised her chin slightly: "This is called the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms."
A dark handprint was clearly imprinted on the front of the moon-white nightgown.
Wen Zhixu then noticed her hands; her once clean and white fingers were now covered in mud!
Lin Xihe immediately curled her two paws into two balls, and muttered to herself, "She learned it from Xiao Hei, but who knew a dog hole would be so hard to dig."
Wen Zhixu clicked his tongue lightly, looking disgusted, but then tucked his sleeve into his hand to wipe her clean.
He lowered his eyelashes, focusing intently on her knuckles, not even missing the speck of black dirt under her nails.
The tingling sensation on her fingertips made Lin Xihe's heart itch.
The moon rose above the treetops, its clear light illuminating her face, revealing her subtle expressions and revealing her innermost thoughts.
This young master, who never even had to dress himself, completely overlooked a crucial issue: without water, the mud would only get worse the more he rubbed it.
By the moonlight, the two could see each other's dark hands.
After a moment of silence, Lin Xihe couldn't hold back and blurted out, "Haha, the dignified Second Young Master Wen has zero common sense."
Wen Zhixu meant well, but he didn't do things the right way, and she even laughed at him.
He stretched out his hands, politely informing her beforehand, "In that case, Miss Lin, I shall teach you a lesson."
"Huh?" They're not even married yet, and he's already going to start domestic violence? Lin Xihe tilted her head, only to have it gently straightened by his hands.
Wen Zhixu curled the left corner of his mouth into a wicked smile, then squeezed her soft cheeks together with a bit more force.
Lin Xihe's mouth was squeezed into a chick's beak by him: "You... um..."
The voice was a little loud, startling the old woman on night watch. A lantern's dim light shone through the corridor of Tinghe Pavilion, and the old woman on night watch called out, "Who goes there?"
From the Hidden Spring Pavilion, the drowsy whispers of Wen Qi and Wen Ba could be heard:
"Was there a voice just now?"
"Perhaps it's a stray cat meowing?"
The "stray cat" on the wall couldn't sit still any longer and gently nudged Wen Zhixu: "Hurry back, hurry back, don't let anyone see you."
Considering that they would not be able to see each other again before the wedding, Wen Zhixu was extremely reluctant: "Tomorrow I will order people to enlarge the cave?"
"...Why don't you just have someone tear the wall down?"
Wen Zhixu remained silent, seemingly considering her suggestion.
The old woman's voice rang out: "Something's wrong! The young lady's room is empty!"
Wen Ba's shout followed immediately: "The Second Young Master is missing!"
On the wall, Wen Zhixu still held Lin Xihe's hand tightly, his eyes filled with deep affection.
As the dormitory lights gradually came on, Lin Xihe knew that if she didn't leave soon, she would really be caught red-handed.
The night wind blew her hair into two slightly curved arcs. Suddenly, her dirty hand grabbed Wen Zhixu's arm. Disgusted by his slowness, Lin Xihe pulled hard and dragged him, closing the distance abruptly. Her soft body pressed down on him like a mountain collapsing.
"I wish..." she seemed to be saying to herself.
Before the girl could finish speaking, he received a gentle peck on the cheek.
Wen Zhixu stared blankly for a long time: "What did you say?"
"Don't speak!" Lin Xihe's cheeks flushed red as she lunged forward and covered his mouth and nose with her hands. It must have been the moonlight that was so alluring that she was momentarily confused and infatuated, and thus took the initiative to kiss him.
Wen Zhixu's eyes shone brightly, more so than ever before.
She refused to give him a chance to speak, instead turning the tables and accusing him: "It's all your fault, you seduced me first."
"..."
With his help, the girl nimbly flipped herself down the wall.
The moonlight scattered a layer of silver on the grass. She ran a few steps, then stopped, mouthing each word to him with deliberate pause:
"I--"
"willing--"
"meaning--"
Every word caught his eye and was etched into his heart.
His question during the day, "Would you marry me?", was her answer.
Wen Zhixu smiled silently.
"Thieves!" Wen Ba raised his lantern high, and several servants, holding torches, quickly surrounded the courtyard wall.
The dimly lit courtyard was now as bright as day.
"The little thief Wen Er" was caught red-handed by his personal servant.
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The most popular topic of conversation among the people of Shengjing during their leisure time was the marriage between the Wen and Lin families.
The once at odds young master and young lady were forced into marriage by an imperial decree, which, in the eyes of outsiders, was probably an extremely unwilling marriage.
In the storyteller's tale, this became a story of two noblemen being forcibly brought together. Meanwhile, in the folk tales circulating among the common people, the handsome and dashing Second Master Wen became a pitiful figure suffering the torment of an arranged marriage.
Just when the rumors were spreading like wildfire, a twist occurred!
A foreign merchant brought rare goods to the capital, and someone witnessed the Second Young Master Wen picking up an enormous egg in front of his stall.
The vendor spoke with great fanfare: "This is a phoenix egg, a symbol of good fortune. According to celestial calculations, it will hatch on the eighth day of the sixth lunar month! A very auspicious day, young master!"
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhixu's face lit up with joy, and he said loudly, "What a coincidence! Today is the day of my wedding with my wife."
The merchant from Hu said, "If you don't buy these eggs, your wife will be furious with you."
Seeing this, other vendors immediately swarmed forward.
"Young master, take a look at this singing bronze sparrow box; the madam will surely be captivated!"
"Master Cheng just bought a pair!"
Wen Zhixu emptied his silver pouch without hesitation.
The extravagance of the betrothal gifts from the Wen family caused a sensation throughout the entire capital city of Shengjing.
Lin Xihe rolled up her sleeves, insisting on taking it apart herself. She sat cross-legged on the ground, the box filled with novel items, all things Wen Zhixu had collected from various places.
Crystal goblets, emeralds, rose water...
Lin Xihe scratched her head: "Isn't this just glass, cat's eye, and perfume?"
She then opened a square bronze box, from which emerged a singing bronze sparrow.
An ancient version of a music box.
Wen Ershazi has been fooled again... Lin Xihe thought for a moment, why should she, a modern person, bother with someone from ancient times?
Thinking of his clumsy yet passionate feelings, she happily exclaimed over the courtyard wall, "Wen Zhixu, I love him so much!"
A low chuckle came from the other end: "Does that phoenix egg meet your standards?"
Phoenix eggs? Lin Xihe had a bad feeling.
Qingwu had already brought it over, looking at it curiously from left to right: "Miss, look, this egg is really impressive!"
Lin Xihe looked closely and realized that this was not a phoenix egg at all, but clearly an ostrich egg!
"How much silver did you spend?"
"One ingot."
"Thank goodness." Lin Xihe patted her chest.
A smug voice came from the other side of the wall: "Gold."
"..."
Lin Xihe is not getting better.
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On their wedding day, it was still dark.
Lin Xihe was awakened by her maid. After the morning ceremony, the woman in the mirror wore a blue silk dress embroidered with gold, looking charming and lovely. A short while later, a long yawn broke her serene demeanor.
After the bridal sedan chair slowly circled the city three times, it arrived at the Wen Clan Ancestral Hall. The newlyweds burned incense to pay homage to their ancestors, and after the ceremony, Lin Xihe secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her head was covered by a red veil, and all she could see in her vision was a red veil and a pair of black boots with gold trim.
He was her groom.
She quietly took a half step closer, the pearl on her embroidered shoe pressing against the side of her boot.
A warm, gentle voice came softly through the brocade: "Tired?"
Lin Xihe instinctively retorted, "I'm not tired."
"Really?" A laugh escaped the voice. "Just now, I was riding alongside the sedan chair and heard a snoring sound."
"You!" Lin Xihe was so embarrassed and angry that she was about to stomp on the boot, but when she saw that the boot was as clean as new, she stopped abruptly.
"Just bear with it a little longer. Once the ceremony is complete, you can step on me as you please, okay?"
There's a slight ambiguity in that statement. By the time Lin Xihe snapped out of her racing, romantic thoughts, she had already drifted off to sleep several times in the bridal chamber.
She crouched down and shuffled to the doorway, pressing her ear against the door panel, but the Wen residence was much larger and more spacious than the Lin residence, and none of the noise and joy from the front yard reached her.
Helpless, she turned back and sat upright on the brocade quilt, where she was immediately pricked by the auspicious flowers and fruits beside the bed.
This annoying veil can't be lifted yet; her neck is about to stiffen.
What to do next? Lin Xihe picked up a peanut and pondered in her mind.
These dates and peanuts should be scattered all over the bed, hoping for an early birth of a son. Pshaw, she's still just a child!
She quietly lifted the veil again, her gaze drifting to the rosewood wooden table.
On the table was a pair of wine cups tied with red silk ribbons, and the wine for the Heqin ceremony had been poured.
Yes, she also had to drink a mouthful of bitter wine. Lin Xihe scratched her head; she couldn't drink alcohol.
What happens next?
She seemed to have forgotten something extremely important.
The sound of unhurried footsteps approached from afar, and a tall figure was clearly reflected on the carved window lattice.
Lin Xihe grabbed a corner of the wedding dress.
She mentally went through the entire wedding process, but forgot about her groom.
Oops!
Theoretical giant Lin Xihe has no practical experience whatsoever.
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