Chapter 869 Blind Guess
Lin Yuesha was in a real bind. Her headache wasn't about finding the bride, since Qi Heng couldn't find her anyway; it was Qi Heng who would be punished.
The old lady said that besides finding the bride, there was also a game of finding the groom. If she mistook someone for someone else, Lin Yuesha couldn't cheat and had to obediently accept the punishment.
"I'll choose to eat chili peppers."
Being doused with ice water on such a cold day was too much for Lin Yuesha's body. In comparison, eating chili peppers, though painful, was not so difficult to accept.
"Young Madam, you should keep your distance from General Qi. This is not something to discuss."
The older woman forcefully separated the two, forbidding the couple from discussing cheating.
Seeing this, the others all crowded around and formed a human wall, pushing Qi Heng aside.
The young couple were taken to the square, where a dense crowd of villagers had already gathered.
"Indeed, people from all the surrounding villages have come; there seem to be at least several thousand people."
Jiang Baozhu was surprised to find herself in such a lively scene upon arrival, so she followed one of the older women and sat in the front row to watch.
On the long table were cakes, pastries, melon seeds, and peanuts. A fire was lit next to it, with a large iron pot boiling water on top. Everyone was drinking tea and eating melon seeds. When they saw Lin Yuesha arrive, their eyes lit up.
Seeing the smug look on the village elder's face, Lin Yuesha knew what was going on. Good heavens, this whole operation was aimed at her.
"Don't worry, what kind of wife wouldn't recognize her own?"
Qi Heng blinked, making Lin Yuesha almost want to crawl into a hole.
The two are not yet husband and wife, so Qi Heng's behavior doesn't seem very reliable.
On the high platform, a changing space was set up, like a mobile changing room, surrounded by large curtains, so no one could see inside.
Lin Yuesha was led inside and found that the other nine people were already prepared and chatting animatedly with each other.
The dressing room was divided into several rooms and a side hall. Nine people dressed in bright red wedding clothes were chatting and laughing. When they saw Lin Yuesha, they quickly greeted her.
What's going on?
Lin Yuesha was dumbfounded. She saw an elderly woman with gray hair waving at her and couldn't help but freeze.
The old woman was of similar build to her, wearing a loose-fitting wedding dress and with her head covered by a veil, so she was completely unrecognizable.
If Qi Heng were to find the bride and drag the old woman out to lift her veil, Lin Yuesha would be furious; it would be clear that this was a prank on her.
"Young Madam, you must have confidence in yourself."
The old woman comforted him, saying, "You two are newlyweds. If he doesn't recognize you, shouldn't you teach him a lesson?"
Lin Yuesha smiled and thought to herself, "The old lady is right, but with such harsh conditions, it's understandable that she couldn't recognize her."
To be completely covered up, they even go so far as to cover up gloves. This game is insane!
If it were just women, that would be fine, but I don't know where the village chief found these people. Among them were two men who had wandered in: one was an old man with gray hair, and the other was a performer from Qiuyue's opera troupe.
Lin Yuesha covered her face. The two men, dressed in wedding attire and with their heads covered, were asked to guess who the elder was. Lin Yuesha couldn't tell at all.
"Young Madam, please go inside and change your clothes."
The villagers had already started to jeer, so Lin Yuesha had no choice but to bite the bullet and go along with it.
The unlucky one is Qi Heng, not her. But what should she do when she has to find the groom later?
After changing her clothes, Lin Yuesha stood in a row with the others. Bai Cha was dazzled and mistook the young lady for the old lady.
"Miss, I really don't recognize you!"
White Tea rubbed her eyes; they looked exactly the same, and she couldn't tell the difference at all.
The shoes covered the instep, leaving only the toes showing.
Among the ten brides, the old man had two steamed buns hanging from his chest; judging by his figure, he looked quite convincing.
"The young general wasn't the only one who came looking for the bride; there were also people from three other villages."
However, there is an order to finding a bride, and it is more difficult to find the one who is found first, since it is a process of elimination.
Without a doubt, Qi Heng was the first to step onto the stage.
Next, the old woman directed the ten brides to stand in a row, and then the curtain was lifted.
Lin Yuesha silently applauded the person who came up with this terrible idea, not even giving them a chance to walk, for fear that they would be recognized.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Jiang Baozhu looked closely, but she couldn't tell who Lin Yuesha was.
"I guess the first one on the left is the young mistress."
The old lady next to Jiang Baozhu affirmed.
Lin Yuesha is a lady from a respectable family, so she must have learned etiquette. The first one on the left has the best posture, with her chest out, head held high, and eyes looking straight ahead.
"With her face covered and her eyes closed, how could you tell? That's bullshit."
The other daughter-in-law disagreed and guessed the fourth one from the left.
"How did you figure that out?"
The older woman was indignant and immediately retorted to her younger wife.
"That's nonsense."
If it were that easy to guess, everyone would have found their wives, and then what would be the point?
The purpose of watching is to enjoy the spectacle; mistaking someone else's wife for another person's is enough to make people laugh for a year or two.
Qi Heng had already stepped onto the stage, with the other three villagers behind him.
Lin Yuesha's heart pounded with anxiety. Although she trusted Qi Heng, she couldn't deny that this game was exceptionally difficult.
"Young General, are you ready?"
With the drums and gongs sounded, the game officially began.
The village chief had the punishment props brought out first: a bowl of chili oil. Because the villagers reported that some people cheated by not swallowing the chili peppers, they used chili oil instead, so they wouldn't have to worry about you not being able to swallow it and would force you to swallow it!
In addition, there were several buckets of ice water.
If you can't find a wife, first shout "Wife, I was wrong!" three times, then pour an ice bucket over your head.
No matter what kind of punishment it is, the feeling is quite unpleasant.
"Now, the young general may walk in front of all the brides."
You can only walk past them, accompanied by the village chief. If someone shouts that it's cheating, you'll be punished immediately.
Lin Yuesha had wanted to give Qi Heng a hint, but now she didn't dare to say anything.
"good."
Qi Heng strode past without stopping, then turned back and grabbed the second person on his left, saying, "This is my wife."
Lin Yuesha's hand was held tightly, and she was a little excited. Qi Heng really recognized her in the crowd. How did he do that?
"Village chief, did the young general identify the correct person?"
The crowd erupted in cheers, urging Qi Heng to lift the veil.
If they win, their prize is a fine sandalwood screen, and the embroidery pattern is a picture of magpies frolicking on branches, embroidered by a skilled craftsman in the village.
The artisans in the village have been practicing embroidery for generations and are the best embroiderers in Wucheng. However, due to poor eyesight, they have basically stopped working in recent years.
This time, I brought out my treasured stock to bring good luck.
The moment the veil was lifted, everyone's eyes widened, and they stared in disbelief.
"It's the young mistress, you guessed right!"
"Oh my, the young general has found a wife!"
Almost all the villagers stood up and applauded. Lin Yuesha and Qi Heng held hands and bowed to everyone.
The remaining three men looking for wives looked at each other with bitterness in their eyes. The village chief had just told them to identify the women at the same time and to go together.
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