The Wedding Kidnapping (Part 4)
Feng Qiao replied, "Aunt, today we ran into Qu Bu and his people coming down the mountain to celebrate a baby's one-month birthday. We helped them deliver a few messages, which is why we were delayed in picking mushrooms."
Huai Xu added, "The people of Bajiaodong say that the triplets' safety is a miracle, and the full moon celebration will be held as a village celebration. People from Yanziping and nearby Xidong villages will be invited. Everyone will have wine to drink and meat to eat, and they can dance around the bonfire until dawn!"
Hmm, drinking and eating meat, dancing around the campfire... This scene seems familiar. The young man whose face was blurred in the depths of my memory gradually comes alive again before my eyes. His flamboyant dance moves and unrestrained singing, twelve years have passed as if it were yesterday.
Huai Xu spread his five fingers wide and waved them in front of me: "Godmother! What are you spacing out for?"
"Hmm?" I came to my senses and said, "I was thinking that Bajiaodong is very poor. It's already difficult for them to host guests, so where would they get spare money to buy wine?"
“Godmother, don’t underestimate them.” Huai Xu said, holding my hand. “I heard from Qu Bu that they bought yeast in town and brewed it themselves. They made two big vats of sweet wine, enough for tomorrow night.”
"Besides, the spring tea market is good this year, and Lord Wei helped them repair the bridge in time. The village has been quiet for so long, so we plan to have a good celebration on the occasion of the triplets' one-month birthday!"
I couldn't help but sigh, "Thankfully, the iron chain bridge has been repaired. Now we don't have to go through a long detour to sell tea, Qubu can go down the mountain to farm, and Aguo can be brought to Yanziping to give birth."
"That's right," Huai Xu chuckled. "The people from Bajiaodong went to Junlian this morning, saying they absolutely must invite Lord Wei over for a drink!"
The next day, Wang Yunhui and Aunt Xu came to the inn early to look for me.
Wang Yunhui said, "Qingcheng, this is the first time we've attended a banquet since we came to Yanziping, and it's even the Liao people's full moon celebration. Can you tell us what we should pay attention to during the banquet? Are there any rules for giving gifts?"
“Yes, yes,” Aunt Xu echoed, “We can’t be impolite and make ourselves a laughingstock.”
I laughed and said, “The Liao people are not like the Han people; they don’t have so many formalities. Gifts are not restricted. If you have extra food or supplies at home, you can bring a piece of dried meat, a liter of beans, or a piece of cloth. Even if you go empty-handed, as long as you say a few auspicious words, the host will treat you warmly.”
"During the meal, everyone was very relaxed. The locals would offer toasts without making a scene. Whether you drank a lot or a little, or even substituted tea for wine, it was all fine. At the end of the meal, there was a 'thank-you meal' where the children's fathers would personally serve the guests a bowl of soup and rice. You had to eat a few bites of it; not eating it would be disrespectful to the host."
"Besides that, there are some rules to singing and dancing. If you want to join, I'll explain in more detail."
“No need, no need!” The two of them waved their hands repeatedly and said in unison, “We can just sit aside and watch.”
After chatting for a while, Wang Yunhui decided to send a piece of fabric to the triplets to make new clothes. Xu Sao and I both thought it was suitable, and we all agreed to set off at sunset to go up the mountain for the feast.
After seeing them off, I went to the backyard to help Huai Xu, Lin Zhong, and Feng Qiao turn over and dry the hay. Once everything was ready, Huai Xu hurriedly went back into the house to change into her new clothes for the Dragon Boat Festival. She then brought over a stool, sat down in front of me, and begged me to braid her hair.
"Godmother, you need to coil it up a bit, make it tighter!"
I held her long braid, unable to bring myself to do it: "I know it looks better when your hair is piled up high, but why tie it so tightly? Doesn't it hurt your scalp from being pulled?"
"It doesn't hurt!" Huai Xu said excitedly. "I want to dance! I haven't danced in so long! This time I'm going to dance from dusk till dawn. If it's not tight enough, it'll fall apart soon!"
I looked at Feng Qiao beside me and laughed, "Feng Qiao, you didn't know how to swim to catch ducks during the last festival; this time for the village celebration, you should at least know how to sing and dance, right?"
"Aunt," Feng Qiao said awkwardly, "I, I—"
"What do you mean, 'I'?!" Huai Xu retorted. "I knew it! You can't do any of these things!"
"It's okay." I suppressed a laugh. "Feng Qiao, if you just sit there, some girls will definitely come over to teach you. Just learn from them."
"Godmother!" Huai Xu tugged at my apron, turned to Feng Qiao and said fiercely, "Feng Qiao, you're not allowed to let anyone else teach you to dance. You can only learn from me, do you hear me?"
Feng Qiao lowered his head and softly hummed in agreement.
Suddenly, my thoughts were pulled back to twelve years ago...
Qingcheng, you're not allowed to learn to dance from Gao Tai anymore!
On what grounds?
He dances terribly! If you want to learn, I can teach you.
Do you have time to teach me?
Who said I'm too busy? Is it that brat Gao Tai? I'll beat him up when I get back!
As I absentmindedly braided Huai Xu's hair, I suddenly heard a hissing sound from under my hands.
"Ouch, godmother! Be gentle, be gentle."
"Oh?" I guiltily let go of her hand and quickly wrapped a blue indigo headscarf around her head. "Didn't you say you wanted it tied tighter? You're complaining about the pain now."
Huai Xu stroked the pom-pom at her temple and looked at me thoughtfully: "Godmother, something's wrong with you."
My heart skipped a beat. I turned my face away, plucked a hollyhock from the bamboo tube, and tucked it into my hair: "Something's not right?"
Huai Xu laughed and said, "Something's been off ever since you mentioned having wine yesterday. Godmother, I think you're having a drinking spree!"
I grabbed a palm-leaf fan from the cabinet and tapped her with it: "Are you blind?"
Huai Xu laughed as he dodged, "Then you absolutely mustn't drink too much tonight. If you drink too much, Uncle Lin will suffer again."
I glanced quickly at the figure pruning the flowers outside the yard, and said in a low voice, "You talk too much!"
Huai Xu finally stopped laughing, put his arm around my waist, and asked, "Godmother, the embroidered apron you wore last time was so pretty. Why aren't you wearing it tonight for the dance?"
"Change what?" I brushed her hand away and said, "I'm not you. Is dancing more important than a banquet?"
The guests came from the mountains and rivers, and to make it easier for everyone to come and go, the villagers of Bajiaodong specially set up the banquet on an open space adjacent to the foot of the mountain.
In the center of the open space were several huge piles of firewood. One can imagine what a lively and unrestrained scene it must have been when hundreds of young men and women gathered around the bonfire, singing, laughing, and dancing until dawn as night fell.
The simple dishes served around the woodpile, with people sitting under the open sky, were a wonderful gift from heaven to the border people who had survived the war and were suffering in hardship.
We arrived at the market rather late, but when we got there, we heard a great commotion. All around us were young girls and boys in their finest clothes. It seemed that the headman of Bajiaodong was determined to turn the triplets' one-month celebration into a grand matchmaking event.
Xu Sao and Liu Yu were the two great heroes who saved lives and were respectfully welcomed to the chief seat by Qu Bu and the headman; Xu Shan and Wang Yunhui taught the Liao people farming and weaving techniques, and Liu Xingjian opened a school to teach children to read. The three of them were widely respected in the area, so they were also introduced to the chief seat.
From afar, I saw Wei Ji's upright figure again, and witnessed everyone gathered at the banquet, with Han officials chatting freely. I couldn't help but feel great joy.
"Aunt Qing!"
"Uncle Lin!"
"Sister Huaixu!"
"Brother Feng Qiao!"
"Come on, come on! We've saved you seats!"
"Exactly! This is the best place to watch singing and dancing!"
Luo Erying, Shiyu, and the two members of the Raobang gang, Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang, gathered together and waved excitedly at us.
Overjoyed, Huai Xu ran over and hugged them tightly.
As the bronze drums sounded, everyone sat down on the ground. The host led the singing of a drinking song, accompanied by the melodious sound of the sheng (a type of reed pipe instrument), and the mountain people clapped and sang along. Oil tea, sweet wine, and yellow rice cakes—all kinds of simple yet heartfelt foods were served in a continuous stream.
As dusk settled, the pile of firewood in the center of the threshing ground was already ablaze by the eager children, who were itching to show off their skills. Instant cheers erupted, and young men and women in their finest attire flocked to the scene. I glanced to my side; the seats were now empty, leaving only Lin Zhong and me facing each other across the table.
Holding the rice wine in my hand, I said to Lin Zhong, "Hey, have a drink!"
Lin Zhong picked up the oil tea in front of him, lightly touched it in mid-air, took a small sip, and then put it down.
I patiently said, "This is sweet rice wine, fermented for only a few days, it won't give you a headache."
Lin Zhong picked up the oil tea and took another sip, as a response to me.
A nameless rage rose within me, and I downed the entire bowl of rice wine in one gulp. As I slammed the bowl down, I declared, "Five years. Think about it carefully, are you really planning to never drink with me again in this lifetime?"
Lin Zhong lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Master—"
My earlier enthusiasm vanished instantly. I picked up the wine bowl back and said sheepishly, "Forget it, it's not your fault. It's my bad drinking manners."
Lin Zhong remained silent, and I felt extremely uncomfortable. Just then, my eyes caught sight of Liu Yu raising his wine bowl and waving to me from afar. So I scooped up another half bowl of rice wine, got up, and walked through the crowd to the head of the table.
The headman and host of Bajiaodong went to prepare a "thank-you meal," and Aunt Xu gestured for me to sit wherever I pleased.
I was about to kneel down and take my seat when I looked down and saw Xu Shan lying on the ground, his face flushed. I was surprised and exclaimed, "Brother Xu, you're already drunk?"
"Never mind him, he can't hold his liquor, he drinks fast, it's no wonder he's passed out." Aunt Xu held her bowl in both hands and leaned towards me, saying, "Come on! Qing Niangzi, let's have a toast!"
"Alright, let's have a clink!"
After drinking with Aunt Xu, I moved to Liu Yu's side. Liu Yu snatched my wine bowl, placed it on the table, and said to Wei Ji opposite me, "Prefect Wei, what are you standing there for? Quickly pour more wine for Qing Niangzi!"
I laughed and said, "Why is Doctor Liu ordering Lord Wei around like this?"
Liu Yuzhen argued, "There is no hierarchy at a banquet. I am older than him, so what's wrong with ordering him around?"
"It's alright," Wei Ji said with a smile. "I will obey your orders." With that, he scooped up half a ladle of sweet wine and poured it into my bowl.
"I know how much Qing Niangzi can drink; you haven't poured her enough!" Liu Yu waved his hand. "Fill it up, fill it up!"
Wei Ji hesitated: "Autumn is approaching, so it's not advisable to drink too much chilled wine."
"Tch, you're the doctor, and I'm the doctor?" Liu Yu frowned. "Qing Niangzi's constitution is on the cold side, while glutinous rice is warming. Drinking more rice wine will not only not harm her, but will actually benefit her. Quickly fill it up!"
I raised my wine bowl and clinked glasses with Liu Yu: "Dr. Liu, you are a benefactor to our Nanguang tribe, skilled in medicine and compassionate in heart; now that you have adopted Qu Bu as your godson, you are even more like family to us. Qingcheng, I toast to you!"
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