Chapter 19
◎Farmhouse Wedding◎
Just as dawn was breaking at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sweet aroma of red dates filled the Zhu family's farmhouse courtyard.
Ah Bao sat on the edge of the pit in her own mud-brick house. The bride's makeup was done by someone from the town who spent one or two taels of silver to hire her, and she was indeed dressed up as beautifully as a flower.
"Ah Bao looks good enough to be a concubine in the palace."
Aunt Wang probably hadn't slept for two hours, so she came to the house early to busy herself with chores.
She treated Pei Xueyan like her own mother, giving her all her advice and instructions.
She kept whispering in your ear, "Don't panic during the wedding ceremony. I'll give you quiet reminders. Keep your head down so you can see Jiang's steps. I'll also tell you about the tea ceremony and pouring beforehand. Be diligent after you get married, and you'll enjoy good fortune in the future."
"Okay, I understand, thank you, Auntie," Pei Xueyan replied softly.
Just as I finished dressing, firecrackers went off in the distance. The sound seemed to come from outside the village, and it could be heard clearly from this far away.
The sound of firecrackers gradually grew closer.
The four strong men from the Jiang family who came to fetch the bride quickly arrived at Zhujiazhuang with a sedan chair bearing the character "囍" (double happiness).
The red silk ribbons on the sedan chair poles fluttered in the wind, exuding joy.
The groom rode at the front on horseback.
He was dressed in a bright red robe, with a matching red ribbon tied around his waist, and a large, bright red flower pinned to his chest.
His usually calm and aloof demeanor was now brimming with a smile as he repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting to the onlookers.
"Time to pick up the bride!"
The guy in front shouted.
The villagers who came to watch the spectacle all flocked over, laughing and joking, filling the small courtyard to the brim.
With the help of the matchmaker, Pei Xueyan slowly stood up. The red veil on her head swayed gently in the wind, revealing her delicate features, which drew admiration from those around her.
"Really not!"
She was led out of the room, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, a pair of hands gently grasped her wrists.
Jiang Qiye.
This jerk of a man made her both angry and resentful.
Pei Xueyan thought to herself that this thought popped into her head for no reason, but she wasn't really angry at all.
His palms were slightly sweaty, his grip not too tight, but very steady, as if afraid she might lose her footing and fall.
The bridal sedan chair swayed along the ridge of the field, with golden wheat fields on either side, and a bride filled with trepidation inside.
There were also sounds of children running around and playing.
Pei Xueyan sat in the sedan chair, and through the curtain, she could hear Jiang Qiye's whispered instructions from time to time.
"Walk slowly."
"Slow down, watch out for the pit."
"The road ahead is narrow, hurry up and move to the inside."
"Soon."
Hearing his voice, Pei Xueyan suddenly felt extremely nervous.
In less than half an hour, the sedan chair came to a steady stop.
Jiang Qiye's voice rang out from outside the sedan chair again, softer than before: "We've arrived. Let me help you down."
This was said to her.
According to custom, one must step over a fire pit before entering the room.
Pei Xueyan was led by Jiang Qiye, who gently lifted her skirt and helped her step steadily over the brazier in the courtyard.
It symbolizes a prosperous and thriving future.
"First bow to heaven and earth—" The two stood side by side and slowly bowed.
"Bowing to the parents twice."
"Husband and wife bow to each other."
Pei Xueyan turned around with Jiang Qiye, their red veils gently touching.
The ceremony is over.
Pei Xueyan had no idea what Jiang Qiye was thinking at that moment; she felt an indescribable sense of panic and inner conflict.
After the wedding ceremony, Pei Xueyan was led to the bridal chamber.
She sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with a bright red quilt, and waited for an unknown amount of time. She heard the lively sounds outside gradually fade away, and eventually even the voices in the courtyard quieted down.
Until the door creaked open.
Jiang Qiye walked in carrying a bowl of brown sugar water, and also holding a rattle drum in his hand.
He walked to the bedside and sat down, gently lifting Pei Xueyan's red veil, his tone calm: "Have something sweet to drink, you must be tired after a long day?"
I knew she was beautiful the first time I met her, and today, wearing her wedding dress, she has let go of her usual reserve.
Her eyes held a shyness, a nervousness, and a hint of inexplicable dependence, like a tender bud that needed care.
He dared not look any longer, fearing that if he looked any longer, his image as a "gentleman" and "upright man" would completely collapse.
Pei Xueyan didn't care about any of that. She took the bowl, took a sip, and found it tasted pretty good.
She didn't savor it slowly anymore; instead, she tilted her head back and drank the entire bowl of sweet soup in one gulp.
After finishing her drink, Pei Xueyan gently placed the empty bowl on the dressing table beside her.
After enduring so many years of twists and turns, and going through so many cycles of unrequited love, how come this time, they got married so easily?
She looked up at Jiang Qiye beside her and couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her: "Why... did you agree to the matchmaker's offer so quickly?"
Such an ambiguous atmosphere inevitably evokes other moods.
The original intention was to finish the battle quickly. The previous back and forth had been too tedious, and if it continued, Jiang Qiye was afraid that his brain would really break down.
Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere of his wedding night, his answer was quite different from his initial thoughts.
"For me, it is something I would be more than happy to hear Miss Zhu speak up."
A few rustling sounds came from outside the window, mixed with the suppressed laughter of children.
It seems that many adults and children are outside, clinging to the windowsills, making a ruckus in the newlyweds' home, trying to eavesdrop on what's happening inside.
Pei Xueyan stood up decisively, grabbed a few hard walnuts from the wooden frame by the kang (a heated brick bed), and threw them out through the window paper.
The walnuts thudded against the window, and the noisy sounds outside wisely faded away, finally restoring peace and quiet to the house.
Jiang Qiye smiled faintly.
He had thought that Pei Xueyan in this life was a simple and shy farm girl, but he never expected her to have such an imposing presence.
She was wearing a bright red wedding dress and casually picked up a big red apple from the table and started eating it.
Pei Xueyan sat on the bed, looking at his slightly shocked expression, and casually said, "What are you looking at? Don't you like it?"
Jiang Qiye shook his head, got up to get a knife, walked over and held out his hand: "I'll peel it for you."
She looked at the two-bitten apple and asked, "Isn't that enough?"
She didn't want to put on an act in front of him, and she certainly didn't want to see him pretend to be a good husband and a good lover.
Jiang Qiye took the apple from Pei Xueyan's hand, quickly peeled it, cut it into small pieces, and handed it to her.
How gentle she is.
However, Pei Xueyan wouldn't fall for his trick.
Jiang Qiye was unaware of her thoughts. He got up and poured a glass of wine, the liquid barely covering the bottom of the glass.
He handed the cup to her, his tone concise: "A toast between lovers, it's the proper etiquette."
The red candles on the table flickered, reflecting in their eyes. The flickering light made it impossible to tell whether it was a ritualistic custom or a different emotion hidden in their eyes.
Pei Xueyan took the cup and took a small sip.
Chen Weian had drunk this kind of wine before, and she herself had drunk it, but A Bao had never drunk it.
She frowned slightly, but still drank it all in one gulp.
It's a bit spicy, but it tastes pretty good.
As soon as she put down her glass, Jiang Qiye peeled a peanut and gently put it into her mouth. The sweet peanut flavor quickly overpowered the spiciness of the wine.
After the toasting ceremony, the room fell silent.
Pei Xueyan sat on the bed, unsure of what to do. In a daze, she recalled the erotic picture she had inadvertently glimpsed yesterday, and her cheeks immediately burned red, her head drooping even lower.
Jiang Qiye glanced at her, his expression still as calm and gentlemanly as ever, and said indifferently, "Let's remove the headdress first."
"Mmm," she responded softly.
Pei Xueyan sat obediently as he removed her hairpins and hair.
His movements were very light and gentle.
After removing her headdress, she went to untie her elaborate wedding dress.
The wedding dress had too many ties, so the two of them lowered their heads and huddled together, slowly untying them bit by bit. The candlelight cast their shadows on the curtain, adding a touch of tenderness to the scene.
When all that remained was her undergarment, Pei Xueyan instinctively covered her chest.
In every lifetime, no man has ever seen her dressed so scantily.
Jiang Qiye hung the folded wedding dress aside, and seeing her tense expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you scared?"
She raised her head and said nonchalantly, "What am I afraid of? I'm not afraid at all! From now on, you are my husband and I am your wife. Husband and wife should be one. From now on, we will work together and live a good life."
Jiang Qiye didn't know how to answer that question, so he simply replied with a "Mm".
He got up and walked to the table, adding, "I just boiled some water, you can take a shower in a bit."
The word "bathing" always evokes a lot of thoughts on a wedding night.
Pei Xueyan casually blurted out, "Do you want to shower together?"
"No, no thanks." With that, she turned and left as if fleeing, carrying a bucket to pour hot water.
The shower was filled with steam, and the soap next to her had a faint fragrance. When she applied it to her body, it smelled especially good, mixed with her own youthful scent.
Fifteen minutes later, Pei Xueyan, without wearing any clothes but pretending to be bold by wrapping herself in a silk shirt, walked barefoot to the bedside, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "Go ahead."
"Mm," Jiang Qiye replied, taking her change of clothes to the bathroom.
He washed quickly and came out in no time.
When Jiang Qiye returned to the bedroom, he immediately saw Pei Xueyan lying on the bed, pulling the thin blanket to cover her eyes, revealing only half of her flushed face.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she was clutching the blanket tightly. There was no trace of the boldness she had shown when she said "let's wash together" just moments before.
The groom was dressed very appropriately, without any veil or shirtless clothing.
After taking a shower, he returned dressed meticulously in his undershirt and trousers, showing no sign of wanting to do anything.
He walked to the bedside, blew out a few candles, leaving only two burning on the corner of the table, and then silently lay down on the outside of the bed.
He closed his eyes.
He actually fell asleep?
Did nothing?
Pei Xueyan's wildly beating heart instantly calmed down, and she even secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She was quite happy, even though she hadn't been prepared at all.
The fingers gripping the blanket slowly loosened, and the tense body relaxed.
On their wedding night, the two chatted briefly at first, and then fell silent.
Pei Xueyan didn't know if Jiang Qiye was really asleep, but she herself was wide awake.
She tilted her head, her gaze falling on the profile of the man beside her, her thoughts gradually becoming hazy.
Does he really not remember anything about his past life?
Why can she remember it so clearly?
It feels like yesterday; every scene is so vivid.
Xue Lian betrayed her family and chose to elope so that she could stay with him, and she never knew that he came specifically to kill her until her death.
If Xue Lian's ending was an accident, then what about Third Uncle?
The most painful thing for her was when her third uncle stabbed her; he had been so good to her, pulling her back from the brink of being hunted down.
He stabbed her, could it be... really to end her suffering sooner?
You can't think about this kind of thing; it just makes you angry.
Pei Xueyan wrapped her thin gauze dress tighter around herself, couldn't help but let out a loud "humph," and simply turned her back, refusing to acknowledge him.
Jiang Qiye didn't fall asleep at all.
After she turned her back, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unfathomable.
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