75 Encounter
◎What caught my eye was a pair of light blue pupils◎
The sky was dim and Shu Yao was awakened by the sound of gongs and drums outside. She knew that the town's wedding procession had arrived. She didn't want to watch the fun and just wanted to sleep a little longer.
According to the customs of Dongping Village, the groom has to stay at the bride's house for one night the day before, and then the two go back together the next day.
The sound of gongs and drums outside was endless and lasted for half a quarter of an hour before it stopped.
Shu Yao closed her eyes tightly, completely unable to sleep.
After a while, I heard faint voices outside, accompanied by children playing. I guess everyone was woken up by the noise.
Shu Yao's chest was heaving, and she was obviously a little grumpy after waking up. She suddenly opened her eyes, feeling a little irritated, but the next second, she met a pair of eyes as deep as the sea.
Ji Shijing lay on his side, supporting his head with one hand and looking at her. There seemed to be a light flashing in his eyes. He was not surprised at all to see Shu Yao wake up.
Shu Yao was shocked. It was scary. Did he not sleep all night, or did he just wake up?
"You get up so early?" she said embarrassedly.
Ji Shijing's tone was calm: "Just woke up."
The bed was small and the two of them were close to each other. Shu Yao saw the suspicious red marks on his neck, which were dotted and of varying depths.
She couldn't help but reach out and touch it. Could it be an allergic reaction? She remembered there were none yesterday, so how could there be so many overnight? "What's wrong with you?"
The moment her fingertips touched his neck, Ji Shijing's body straightened up, he exhaled softly, and couldn't help but move closer: "The kitten scratched it."
As soon as he moved, the lapels on his chest all came apart. In an instant, his collarbone and thin muscles impacted Shu Yao's vision. She felt a little dizzy and her face quickly turned red.
Seeing her reaction, Ji Shijing smiled softly, "Why are you blushing, sister-in-law?"
He called her sister-in-law again.
Shu Yao withdrew her hand and tried to cover up her embarrassment by coughing.
Ji Shijing put on his clothes in front of her, his black hair hanging down at his sides, his face, which was barely visible from the side, was like a peak rising from the ground, tall and handsome.
He handed her the hairband: "Please trouble you, sister-in-law."
Shu Yao took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest.
Ji Shijing sat on the bed with his legs folded, Shu Yao knelt behind him and combed his hair again and again with a wooden comb. She liked to tie his hair into a high ponytail, which made him look brighter.
After all this hassle, it was already bright outside. Ji Shijing got up and put on his shoes and socks: "The teacher asked us to go to class early today."
Shu Yao also wanted to get up, but he pushed her back: "You sleep a little longer."
Shu Yao spread her hands and pointed out the window. From time to time, bursts of firecrackers could be heard outside, making it impossible to sleep. "I'll go make you some noodles."
Ji Shijing: "You take a rest, I'll do it." His tone did not allow for refusal.
After he left, the sound of firecrackers outside stopped. Shu Yao leaned back on the bed, and the marks on Ji Shijing's neck and collarbone kept appearing in her mind. If it wasn't an allergy, then it was - a kiss mark.
Thinking of this, Shu Yao almost jumped up with excitement.
Where did the hickey come from? Is he dating someone behind her back?
She had no desire to sleep, so she got up and dressed, only to discover that her undershirt was half torn, revealing a bellyband with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water. She looked terrified and quickly put on her clothes.
Ji Shijing probably didn’t see it.
As soon as I got up and put on my shoes and socks, Ji Shijing came in with a bowl of steaming noodles with a fried egg on top.
He put the noodles on the table and said, "It's a little hot. Wait until it cools down before eating." Then he picked up the two books on the table and prepared to go out.
"Ah Jing."
He turned around, the early sun shining on his brow and nose: "What's the matter?"
Shu Yao opened her mouth but shook her head: "It's okay, come back early, we still have to go out for a drink in the afternoon."
He nodded: "I know."
Just as he stepped out of the yard, Aunt Liu from the village rushed in. Before he even entered the house, he heard her loud voice: "Yao girl, come out quickly, I have something to talk to you about."
Shu Yao swallowed the egg on her face and mumbled, "Here it comes."
In the yard, Aunt Liu was dressed festively, with a big red flower on her head. She said to Shu Yao with a smile, "The village chief's family is short-handed today, and he said you're quick and efficient, so he asked me to come and ask you for help."
Shu Yao: "Ah?"
How could she not know that she was efficient? Perhaps the request she made last night had offended the village chief, and he was looking for an opportunity to take revenge.
But this wasn't a big deal, and it was only natural for fellow villagers to help out: "Aunt Liu, please wait a moment. I'll go eat some noodles and then go to the village chief's house with you."
But Aunt Liu grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door: "The village chief's family has prepared breakfast, and we will definitely make sure you are full."
Shu Yao didn't even have a chance to resist and was dragged all the way to the village chief's house.
Along the way, both the main roads and the small roads were paved with red carpets for welcoming the bride. The whole village was filled with joy. Women, young and old, all wore brightly colored clothes, giving the village chief enough face.
Shu Yao looked down at her spring clothes that had turned white from washing. She should have changed her clothes earlier. From afar, she saw that the village chief's house was crowded with people, most of whom were villagers who came to watch the fun.
When I got closer, I found that there were dozens of servants standing at the door, and a large box was placed in front of each servant. Many people were discussing that the large box must contain gold, silver and jewelry for the village chief's family.
There was an extremely luxurious sedan chair parked not far away, and a dark horse stood beside it.
All the villagers present envied the village chief's daughter for marrying into a good family.
Aunt Liu took Shu Yao and slipped in through the side door: "Yao girl, go to Yue girl's room to help later." As she said that, she took her to the room of the village chief's daughter.
There were several elderly aunts standing in the room of the village chief's daughter. They were busy helping the bride put on makeup and clothes, and saying a few words of congratulations from time to time.
Shu Yao was also helping out. An aunt was putting makeup on the bride. She couldn't help but go over to take a look, and then her face changed. This... this makeup was really not to her liking.
After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward and said carefully, "I think this eyebrow can be made thinner."
Hearing this, the makeup lady stuffed the eyebrow pencil and rouge into her hand as if she had seen a savior: "Yao girl, you do it."
The original makeup girl had gone to the capital for something, so she was temporarily called in to do the bride's makeup. She was unfamiliar with this job, and her makeup didn't look good. She was just looking for someone to replace her when Shu Yao came.
After she gave the things to Shu Yao, she worked with other aunts and grandmas to adjust the hem of the bride's skirt.
"Is the bride ready? The auspicious time is about to come." Someone outside urged.
Shu Yao didn't dare to delay and picked up the rouge in her hand and began to work. She first removed the powder on the bride's face. While removing the makeup, the bride asked, "Is it too late for you to put it on again?"
Shu Yao didn't stop moving her hands: "Don't worry." Marriage is a major event in life, and she promised to make the bride a beautiful wedding.
Hearing her say this, Yang Yue felt relieved and closed her eyes and let her do it.
The bride's wedding dress, veil, wedding cover, and wedding scale have all been packed, and everyone gathered together to watch Shu Yao put on makeup.
At first, no one could figure out what was going on, but gradually, the expressions of the aunties watching changed.
After Shu Yao applied lip balm on the bride, the aunties in the crowd were all jaw-dropping. Although they knew that Yue Yatou was pretty, they didn't expect that she would be so beautiful after dressing up today, almost as beautiful as the beauties in the capital.
Yang Yue opened her eyes and saw herself in the bronze mirror. She couldn't believe it for a moment. She put her hands on her cheeks and surprise slowly filled her eyes.
The beauty in the mirror had a delicate face like a lotus, willow-shaped eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, and was indescribably gentle and charming. She was very satisfied and held Shu Yao's hand and thanked her repeatedly.
Shu Yao felt a little embarrassed: "You are already good-looking, I am just the icing on the cake."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of gongs was heard outside.
The auspicious time has arrived.
Yang Yue was helped out by her two aunts. There was no need to cover her head with a veil when holding a ceremony at her parents' home. As soon as she went out, everyone outside looked at her, with more or less surprise in their eyes, even the groom was no exception.
He saw Yang Yue coming out, walked quickly to her side, took her hand, and said in her ear with a smile on his face: "You made me wait so long."
Yang Yue gave him a reproachful look, her face full of shyness.
Shu Yao finally saw the virtuous son-in-law that the village chief had mentioned. The man looked generous, but had a fierce aura. At this moment, he was helping Yang Yue into the main hall to hold a ceremony.
In Dongping Village, a bride must worship her family ancestors before getting married.
After the bride and groom entered, a crowd of onlookers immediately gathered at the main hall door. Shu Yao stood on a stone and watched the scene inside the room.
The village chief and his wife were sitting in the main seat, their faces filled with satisfaction.
Yang Yue and the groom first knelt down to pay homage to their parents, then lit a few incense sticks at the seats above, and then bowed towards the sky and earth outside.
After the ceremony, Yang Yue returned to her boudoir.
The groom was dragged out to drink. The villagers were simple and honest people. To see whether they were enthusiastic towards you, you just had to see whether they gave you wine.
People started collecting gifts outside, and Shu Yao was the first to pay.
The dishes began to be served one after another. Shu Yao ran to the door and looked out. Ji Shijing should have finished class at this time.
She looked left and right, and finally saw two figures on the path on the right. She squinted her eyes and looked carefully, and found that they were Ji Liang and Ji Shijing. She hurriedly waved to them.
Ji Liang had a smile on his face: "Miss Shu, has the banquet started yet?"
She said, "Soon."
Ji Liang went into the house and gave the gift money.
Shu Yao noticed that Ji Shijing looked unhappy, so she approached him and said, "Ah Jing, you seem to be worried."
Ji Shijing raised his eyebrows: "No."
He himself couldn't explain it clearly, but he just didn't like other men talking to her. He really didn't like it and it was really annoying.
Shu Yao said "Oh" and pulled him to sit down.
The dishes were served quickly. There were fifteen dishes on the table, including chicken, duck, fish and meat. It was obvious that the village chief had spent a lot of money. Shu Yao ate to her heart's content. After all, this meal cost her two hundred coins.
Ji Shijing sat next to her and ate quietly, hardly picking up any food. Shu Yao thought he was uncomfortable, so she helped him pick up some food from time to time.
She found that he would finish any food she picked up quickly.
After the meal, Shu Yao felt a little full, so she stood up and wanted to walk around.
At this time, Jiang He came over and said, "Sister, the bayberries on the back hill are ripe. Let's go and have a look."
Shu Yao looked at Ji Shijing beside her and asked, "Do you want to go together?"
He shook his head. Yesterday's clothes had not been washed yet, and he wanted to go back and help her wash them.
Shu Yao: "Then I'll bring you some bayberries when I come back."
In April, the mountains gradually turned green. Several bayberry trees at the foot of the mountain stood upright by the roadside. The bayberries on them were plump and mouth-watering.
I just ate so many greasy foods, and now I just want to try this sour, sweet and refreshing fruit.
The last bayberry tree had the most fruits, so Jiang He climbed directly to the last tree. Shu Yao didn't run that far, so she picked the fruits from the tree closest to her, but she couldn't pick them at all without climbing the tree.
She gritted her teeth, held onto the tree trunk and climbed up with great effort. The leaves were so dense that she couldn't see clearly what was under her feet. She only started picking bayberries after she had managed to stand firmly.
She put the picked bayberries into her skirt pocket. There were many bayberries on the tree, and soon her skirt was full of them.
Seeing that she had picked almost all the fruits, Shu Yao prepared to go down. However, just as she was about to climb down, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a green snake coiled on the tree trunk next to her. The snake was staring at her closely and slowly spitting out its tongue.
Shu Yao almost screamed out loud, she didn't dare to move.
But she didn't move, but the snake was moving. The green snake slowly approached her.
Shu Yao was most afraid of mollusks like snakes. Her back was wet without her noticing, and finally her feet went weak and she fell to the ground in a mess.
She thought she would have an intimate hug with the earth, but the imagined pain did not come.
Someone caught her and she landed in a broad and steady chest.
Looking up, I saw a pair of light blue pupils.
It was him, the beggar in the temple.
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