Red lanterns were hung high on the eaves of the Xu Mansion, which was decorated with carvings of dragons and paintings of phoenixes. The bright red color contrasted with the strands of red silk and green gauze. No matter what the identity of the woman who was to be welcomed into the house today was, the festive atmosphere with the sound of gongs and drums was maintained.
However, this traditional bustle seems a bit out of place in Shanghai and Sichuan, which is full of Western style.
At least among the guests invited by the Xu family, many were young masters dressed in suits and ties, and Xu Lanyin and several of her close friends were also wearing fashionable Western dresses.
"I really don't understand why we have to have such an old-fashioned wedding."
Xu Lanyin complained and looked at her friends' faces. She found that although they were smiling, their eyes were full of ridicule when they looked at the red lanterns. She felt extremely embarrassed.
Standing among the ladies in Western-style dresses was a young woman, all dressed very brightly. She smiled and said to Xu Lanyin, "Lanyin's father is indeed extraordinary. On such a happy occasion, it's normal to restore some old traditions."
She is Lin Xiaosheng, the daughter of the president of the Shanghai-Sichuan Chamber of Commerce. She has always had the highest status among everyone.
After all, although the Xu family was a big family that had been entrenched in Shanghai and Sichuan since the Qing Dynasty, in such a chaotic world, they could only maintain this respectability because of their family background. In today's world, apart from having soldiers under their command, it all depends on how big the business is.
Xu Lanyin forced a smile. She knew that Lin Xiaosheng said this not to help her out, but to express his ridicule of her in another decent way.
Xu Lanyin's dissatisfaction grew even stronger, not only towards the Xu family, but also towards Bai Yuzhi.
In her opinion, if Bai Yuzhi had some integrity and refused to become the ninth concubine to bring good luck, how could her family do such a shameful thing.
This is what is called "Why not eat meat porridge?" Xu Lanyin still really believed that everything in the world could be accomplished by relying on integrity, without even looking at the current situation in the Shanghai-Sichuan area. If it were not for the Xu family's wealth accumulated over generations, how could she go abroad to study and gain some experience?
The banquet is about to begin, and Bai Yuzhi feels the false prosperity and bustle along the way.
She was stuffed into a sedan chair that could only accommodate one person. This concubine who was brought in for good luck was somewhat different from the concubines that the Xu family usually brought into the family. The difference was that Bai Yuzhi could wear a wedding dress, while this sedan chair could enter through the main gate.
As he staggered along the way, Bai Yuzhi's mind was filled with the auspicious words chattered by the matchmaker outside.
"Welcome the new bride, and get rid of the bad brows!"
This is putting the wedding ceremony openly on the table.
Bai Yuzhi sneered.
She was carried in with the sound of gongs and drums. Her white jade head was covered with a bright red mandarin duck veil. She was a concubine, so it was a great favor for her to wear red. As for the red veil with auspicious patterns of dragon and phoenix, she was absolutely forbidden to touch it.
There was a series of applause and cheers, but these were all made by the crowd watching the excitement outside the Xu Mansion. As for the literati and scholars favored by the Xu Mansion, most of them smiled reservedly and said a few kind words of blessing.
Bai Yuzhi didn't have the chance to see the various interactions and conflicts of interest that took place at the banquet. She was carried all the way to Mr. Xu's house.
There was no need to enter the door, Bai Yuzhi could smell the suffocating and bitter smell of medicine just outside the door.
The Xu family didn't even prepare a new house for her, a concubine who came to get married for good luck.
"Ninth concubine, our master is in the inner room now. Let me help you over."
A mature female voice that sounded very smooth. Her big hands were a little rough, and it seemed that she was used to doing heavy work. Bai Yuzhi saw her shoes from under the veil. Perhaps to suit the occasion, even the old woman who was called by the eldest wife to watch over Bai Yuzhi and not let her escape was wearing a pair of red embroidered shoes.
The old woman was very strong and almost half-held Bai Yuzhi as she walked towards the inner room where Master Xu was.
The seriously ill Mr. Xu was not even strong enough to walk out of the inner room to lift the veil of the ninth concubine who was sold to him.
Her white jade vision was obscured by a sea of red. She could only see the texture of the marble beneath her feet. Step by step, her small lotus feet stepped on the cold bricks and stones. The dim light in the room made her feel uneasy for no reason.
She didn't care, but the old woman who was holding the white jade-like figure started to grumble in discomfort.
"Why are the candlelights so dim today? The people down there are really rebellious."
Then she took a few quick steps and pushed the white jade to the side of Mr. Xu's bed.
A flattering voice sounded: "Master, the bride is here, please lift the veil quickly."
Master Xu's heavy breathing was like a broken bellows, wheezing unpleasantly. He uttered a weak voice from deep within his chest: "Ah, it's coming... it's coming."
Bai Yuzhi didn't say anything, and the old woman was very dissatisfied. She replied on Bai Yuzhi's behalf: "Yes, Master, the bride is shy, Master, please lift the veil."
She urged Mr. Xu to lift the veil. As long as the veil was lifted, today's ceremony would be complete.
The white jade did not move, and Master Xu's hand, as old as a dead branch, slowly raised up.
The only noise in the whole room was that of Master Xu himself. It was obvious that raising his hand to lift the veil was very difficult for him.
The withered hand touched the red veil, and Bai Yuzhi counted down in his heart.
Three, two, one.
At the middle of the night, the King of Hell takes your life.
Mr. Xu's hand slammed on the edge of the bed. The red veil didn't tilt at all, but Mr. Xu's body tilted first.
He opened his cloudy eyes wide, and his chest kept heaving up with effort. The old woman was frightened by this horrifying scene and screamed. She kept stroking the back of Master Xu who was out of breath, but it was all in vain for a dying man.
Mr. Xu's body was half cold and his eyes were half closed.
The red candles were still burning when someone heard the old woman's noise and crawled to the front yard to report to the eldest lady who was still toasting guests. The red silk and red lanterns had not even been hung for half a day, and they were already going to welcome the funeral.
The smiles on the guests' faces seamlessly turned into sorrow and tears.
"Madam, please accept my condolences."
Everyone said this, and so began a new round of polite flattery.
Bai Yuzhi was sitting on a pearwood chair in the outer room, and the veil on her head had not been removed yet.
She heard hurried footsteps and the clacking sound of high heels, and then a pair of exquisite lambskin women's leather shoes appeared in her lowered sight.
"Aren't you here to get married? How come my dad passed away right after you arrived?!"
There was strong anger in the girl's crying voice as she came to question the ninth concubine who came to get married for good luck.
There was chaos and war outside, and the servants ran around in panic, taking down the red lanterns and hanging up white cloth funeral lanterns. The white jade opened its mouth.
"I don't know."
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