Chapter 2
The
Marriage
”You look
so beautiful today ,sweetie”,Madam Guan muttered as she gently put hairpins on
her daughter’s hair. How time flies,she
thought to herself. The little baby she once cradled and breastfed had grown to
such beautiful lady .”I never thought the day you wear red is so close... I
feel like yesterday you just spoke your first word and now you will leave this
household”.
Yue Ping
was fully in red , her hair tied nicely to a neat bun and her head full of
glittery golden and silver headpins of auspicious symbols. Every servant in Guan Inn couldn’t help
but gaping in awe upon glancing on their young lady. Her fine red silk wedding
dress was embroidered with delicately sewn phoenix surrounded by cherry blossom
petals and as a parting gift ,Yue was wearing a necklace her father once gave
her mother. Hui Zhong nodded,”Perfect bride”. Yue stared at her jade phoenix
,anxious but happy at the same time.
They say
marriage is the happiest day of a woman’s life ,and she secretly wished hers
would be that way. Will her husband be
kind? Only God knows. Madam Guan brought her daughter a hand mirror. In it was
reflected the face of a young woman ,face so fair and lips so red. Her black
round eyes seemed to sparkle that day ,full of spirits and life . ”Final
touch... A golden bracelet...and there! You’re good to go.”,her mother giggled
along with Hui Zhong.
They may be
smiling,but Yue knew..They couldn’t hide the slight sorrow and worries
lingering in the air. In China ,a marriage for the bride’s family can be
considered as giving a daughter away to join another household .She would
forever stay in Yuan residence and may never come home , if indeed she could
come home then it’d be just for short visits.Yue glanced at her mother ,the
strong young woman who used to chase her around when she naughtily stole the
neighbor’s persimmons looked old and tired those days ,then shifted her gaze
to Hui Zhong. Her big brother , once a little boy who taught her hoe to climb
the trees (and thus stole persimmons) had grown to a fine man .
”Ah,I never
thought Yue would get married first without me”,he grumbled. Yue laughed
,embracing her mother who was holding in tears. ”Mom... Thank you for
everything ,for raising me all these years and homeschooling me as best as you
could. Thank you for always being there when I need an embrace and words of
wisdom. Yue Ping is sorry for all the selfish deeds I have done to this family
and...”,A drop of tear slowly rolled down her cheek,”I love you. No matter what
,I will be a good wife and will make you proud. I will never disgrace the Guan
household”. Her mother slowly tightened her embrace,”I have always been and
will always be proud of you,my girl. Remember that no matter what happens , you
have a home here”.
Yue smiled
and wiped her tear,”Brother! You better
quickly find a fine woman to accompany mom!”. ”Okay...okay”,he sighed while
making a pouting face. They all laughed.
”Are you
ready,Yue? The carriage is already outside”
”...Yes”
Yuan
Residence
”Brother
,you look so restless”,little Kai muttered while stuffing sweet treats to his
face. Xie Feng was pacing back and forth in his room ,face paler than usual. He
was fully dressed for the wedding , in red. In an hour ,he’d be a husband of a
girl he knew nothing about. I sure wish I
could have a jar of booze right now,but mom would kill me...Seriously? I’m
marrying today? Is this all just a strange dream?,his mind wouldn’t even
shut up anymore. What if she hates me or
she is a strict demon who will wake me up at five or...”AAAARGHHHH!!!”,
Feng was beyond restless.
”Congratulations
on your wedding ,Big bro!”,Kai innocently congratulated with a happy
smile....which depressed Feng further. ”OhshitohshitIamsonotready”,he mumbled
again and again. ”FENG! Why are you still here?! Wear your hat and stand
outside with us! We are welcoming the bride soon enough!”.once again Feng was
dragged by his mother. I wonder why bro’s
face is getting whiter and whiter,Kai pondered as he watched the dragged
”corpse”.
Yuan family
and their servants were all on standby before the front gate ,while the outside
of the manor were civilians who were curious of seeing the wedding. Moments
passed, Feng was getting more and more nervous....until he heard it. The sound
of trumpets , drum , firecrackers,cheering voices....and he lost his sanity.
Feng just stood there motionless ,while others around him anticipating with
excitement.
In the
distance , a large red carriage carried by four servants approached. Hui Zhong
was walking beside the carriage ,thanking the civilians who sent their regards
and congratulations to both families. They approached closer and closer....Then
stopped in front of their front gate. Hui Zhong slowly opened the curtain of
the carriage and signaled his sister to get on his back because there was a
custom that the brides’ feet shouldn’t touch the earth before she was inside
the groom’s house. ”Welcome to Yuan household”,Madam Yuan smiled and gestured
Hui Zhong to carry his sister to the main living room which had been decorated
grandly. Minister Yuan was in the living room , smiling as he watched.
Feng walked
beside Hui Zhong ,staring at the bride on his back. In ancient Chinese weddings
, the bride’s face is covered by a big red cloth and can only be opened by her
husband on their wedding night. Feng wished he could just peek at his own bride
at that moment but he knew they wouldn’t be happy if he breaks a custom so he
just...watched in curiosity.
He heard
his bride sneezing inside,and for no apparent reasons it amused him. They
finally reached the living room and Hui Zhong slowly put his sister down. He
smiled to Feng ,and Feng understood it was his turn. Slowly,he approached the
bride and held her hand while slowly guiding her forward. Her hand is kind of cold.I guess she is nervous too,huh?,Feng inwardly pondered while
smiling.
Xie Feng
guided his bride slowly to the main praying altar and started the Wedding
Ceremony. The ceremony master then spoke up,”First ,pay respect to The Sky and
The Earth”. Xie Feng and Yue Ping both bowed in front of Yuan family’s grand
altar with Deities’ and Gods’ statues ;also ancestral ashes.”Secondly
,pay respect to your Father and Mother”. Feng slowly stood up and helped the
girl up ,slowly guiding her to the chairs where Minister and Madam Yuan were
sitting on ,both smiling in satisfaction. Behind Madam Yuan , Feng could see
Xiao Kai hiding while grinning .That brat,he
mentally cussed.The groom and his bride then stopped before them and bowed
their heads to pay respect. Madam Yuan chuckled ,clearly amused at the fact the
son she dragged around this morning hadn’t done anything that would make her
smack his head hard. ”Ho ho ho,what a happyyy day”,Minister Yuan laughed out
while playing with his beard. Feng stood up , helped his bride up and shifted
her position towards him so that they were facing each other.
I wonder
what kind of beauty lies inside that red cloth,he thought as he smiled. ”Third
,pay respect to each other” and they both bowed their heads as commanded.
Everybody cheered ,the formal ceremony was completed and they were pronounced
man and wife. The grand feast started and Yuan family members started toasting
with guests and served them. Feng sat on the grand table together with his
bride and ate.
”Umm...Hey.
I guess we are married now”
”...Y-yes”
Oh damn,cute voice. I really want to see her face now.
”....M-my
name is Guan Yue Ping”
”Hahaha!No,silly....
Yuan Yue Ping”
”ah...”
This time
Yue felt like lost her sanity ,still with her face covered and hadn’t said a
word since then. Her mind was blank with anxiety as she got carried and led
around by hand all day.From now on,I'm Mrs Yuan...
After the meal,”The groom and the bride can
proceed to the bridal chamber”,said the ceremony master. Servants led Xie Feng
to the newly decorated with red chamber. As
if I need to be led,this is my house,he grumbled inwardly while still
guiding his bride by hand. Oh shit ,her
hand is even colder now.
They
reached the chamber. It was big and decorated very nicely. A huge bed decorated
with red sheets and silk red blanket was placed in the middle of the room , stuck to the wall. The
bridal chamber was well decorated with pictures and paper-cuts with auspicious
motives. Feng chuckled when he saw their bridal bed scattered with symbolic and
lucky fruits.There was a round table in the middle of the room with four
chairs.A pot of wine and two cups placed on top. He knew the custom, nobody was
allowed to touch the bed until the couple enters the bridal chamber after the
wedding ceremony. He led his newlywed bride to sit on the bed ,right beside
him. Kids then started to march forward into their room to bless them with
fertility. Custom oh custom,Feng
thought to himself while chuckling and handing the kids red pockets.
The kids left ,and soon enough some young
men came in and closed the doors. A Zhong , Xiao Kai and Xie Feng’s cousins were
grinning. There were three cousins of his who joined in ; it was time for ”The
Teasing Game”-a game played by the groom’s best buddies to make the shy couples
get familiar to each other as they had never even met (Ah ,but basically they
have,haven’t they?). Yue officially lost her mind the moment she heard
sounds of unfamiliar men. WHAT IS GOING
TO HAPPEN NOW ,OHMIGOSHHH,she screamed deep inside.
She could hear the gentle voice of her
husband who had been with her all day
”Hey hey ,little kids like A Zhong and Xiao
Kai shouldn’t be involved in this game!”
A Zhong?Where
have I heard that name...,Yue Ping pondered
She wished she could see through the red
cloth covering her face,but all she saw was silhouettes of three grown men, a
slender figure and a kid.
”They are my cousins, my loyal servant and
best buddy plus a rotten rascal”,her husband gently whispered.
”I’m not a rascaaalll”,the little boy
protested
Yue wasn’t sure what their names were ,so
she thought of them as ”Cousin 1 ,cousin 2,cousin 3, A Zhong and a kid”.
1 and 2 started teasing,”Let the game
start!” ”Why don’t you tell us your name and hobby ,Mrs Yuan?”
”...Y-Yue Ping......hobby? I like to walk
around the lake and I like ....to shop for some snacks”
They kept asking her questions , where she
lived ,what she did at Guan Inn before ,her favourite food , how many kids she
would like in the future , her type of man ,and other absurd questions all
while her face was covered. ”Now ,now asking is not teasing. We need
more...fun”,A Zhong chuckled. ”These two are still so awkward”
Yue could feel the heat on her cheeks rose
,and the groom beside her tensing up.
”A Zhong,don’t you dare...”
”I challenge Young Master to embrace the
wife”
”....!”
The three cousins cheered and whooped ,
happy with that idea. Xiao Kai didn’t really understand what was going but he
cheered on anyway and added,”And call each other with endearment names!”
Yue knew about teasing game dares ,the dares
should be fulfilled. She could feel someone touching her shoulders ,getting
near and whispered,”...Let’s get this over quickly” .Without any warning ,she
was in a warm embrace and her face on a wide ,flat chest.She could faintly
smell incense from his body and his heartbeat was clear.... Thump...thump...
Yue could feel hers beating fast too.”........Dear”,he muttered gently. Yue
wasn’t sure anymore what to say ,she felt so nervous. ”.....M...my...husband”.
I SAID IT!,both exclaimed inwardly.
After a long round of nonstop teasing like
telling them to hold hands ,read love letters to each other and other
dares,night fell and the teasing game finally ended. ”GO AWAY NOW!”,Feng laughed
while shooing his cousins. A Zhong had left earlier to send Kai to bed. ”Okayyy
HAVE FUN,cousinnnn”,they laughed as they walked out. Xie Feng and Yue Ping were
finally left alone...
Feng fidgeted restlessly,those damn cousins!
”....Umm...Yue Ping...I guess I can...”
”....”
”See your face now?”
”S-sure” PLEASE
,IT IS GETTING A BIT HOT was what she actually wanted to say.
”Fine...”
Gently,he
grabbed the cloth and pulled them away..
Moment of
silence passed as they stared at each other.
”.........Wait...You?”
”.....!!!!”
Even when
her face was fairer ,lips red as cherry ,Feng recognized that face. The same
mixture of surprise and distress that could be seen... Her hair bun was getting
a bit messy and some strands had fallen straight down. ....Beautiful,Feng couldn’t help but admire. He chuckled,
”We have
met before ,have we not?”.
A/N : Heyaaa everybody,sorry for the laaateee update.I've been so busy. Anyway ,I have decided to segment ch 2 to three parts so I guess this is part one.What do you think? please comment below! If you like my posts please kindly share the link muehehehe. Thanks a bunch~
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