Layer upon layer of morning powder was applied, and Lu Yueming sat still in front of the dressing table, daring not to move. She was afraid that if she lowered her head, the powder would fall off in a flurry.
In Li Country, it was customary to wear heavy makeup on the wedding day. As such, she had no choice but to patiently let them dress her up.
After blotting her lips with rouge paper, Lu Yueming looked up at the bronze mirror. The person in the mirror was as radiant as a blooming peach blossom, her eyes and brows filled with a gentle smile.
Lady Du held her hand and gave her a few detailed instructions before getting up to entertain the guests from her maternal family.
The room had just quieted down when Lanxin came in to report, "Miss, your cousins and Miss Qi are here to add to your makeup."
"Please let them in."
Then, the young ladies came in giggling, teased Lu Yueming for a while, and then handed her the prepared makeup gifts.
Lu Yueming accepted their heartfelt gifts with a smile. Qi Huan had sent some carefully selected jewelry, and at the bottom, there was a strap dress wrapped in red cloth. Due to the many eyes in the room, she didn't mention it for the time being.
Accepting the gift, Lu Yueming took her hand and sincerely thanked her, "Thank you, Ah Huan."
If it weren't for Ah Huan's recommendation, Xiu Wen wouldn't have become her tutor, and there wouldn't be today's good match.
Qi Huan also looked back at her with a smile, blessing her, "I hope our Yueming will always be happy, harmoniously matched with Young Master Wang, forever united in heart."
After she finished speaking, the maid responsible for passing messages came to report, "Miss, the groom's party has entered. You should go and bid farewell to Lady Du."
Upon hearing this, Lady Quanfu quickly helped Yueming cover her head with a red veil, helped her cross the threshold, and walked to the main room where Lady Du was.
Following Lady Quanfu's previous instructions, Lu Yueming knelt down and bid farewell to her mother.
The sight of the bright red wedding dress stirred a mix of emotions in Lady Du, and images of Lu Yueming's growth kept flashing in her mind.
From a wrinkled newborn to a chubby, soft little dumpling, then to a girl with bright and kind eyes, and now to the red wedding dress in front of her. It all happened too quickly.
Lady Du wiped her tears with a handkerchief, first gave a few routine admonitions, and then changed her tone, "The words I just said, you can just listen to them. But the following words, you must remember them in your heart.
The Du family is not short of food or clothes. We married our precious daughter to the Wang family, only hoping that he would treat my daughter well. If he can't do it, you don't have to regard your husband as your heaven. The door here at your mother's will always be open for you."
"I understand, mother."
Under the red veil, Yueming was sobbing silently.
Lady Quanfu quickly patted her hand and reminded her, "Miss, don't cry. If you ruin your makeup, it won't be good."
Outside the mansion.
Du Ziteng, remembering Yueming's "grace of not marrying," hesitated for a while before letting Xiu Wen go. Surrounded by a group of people, Xiu Wen walked into the main hall and loudly asked for his bride, "Wang Xiu is here to marry Lu Yueming from the Lu family. Please, lady, get in the sedan."
Then, as her elder brother, Du Ziteng lifted Lu Yueming and helped her into the bridal sedan.
At the front of the bridal palanquin, Xiu Wen sat astride a tall horse, garbed in a red robe. For the first time, his back was as straight as bamboo. His silver mask shimmered dazzlingly under the sunlight, the corners of his mouth beneath the mask stretching almost to his ears.
When Lu Yueming stepped into the palanquin, he spurred his horse gently. His steed carried him, leading his beloved, slowly towards their new home.
The joyous sounds of the suona filled the air, and the onlookers began to speculate whose wedding procession this might be. After Yan Jiu and others scattered the wrapped sugar blocks, the crowd quickly bent down to scramble for them.
Qi Huan walked a few steps before being pulled onto the carriage by Li Shuchen. Xiu Wen's new house was a bit far from the Du Mansion. Walking there would undoubtedly be tiring, so they decided to take the carriage back first.
After waiting at home for a while, near noon, the wedding procession arrived with great fanfare.
Once the palanquin came to a stop, Xiu Wen, unable to wait, lifted the curtain of the palanquin. He leaned down slightly, extending his hand to take Lu Yueming's. Holding one end of a red silk ribbon each, they walked resolutely into the main hall.
In Xiu Wen's family, all his relatives had passed away, so the ancestral tablets of his parents were placed in the high hall. From one side, Yan Jiu called out loudly:
Bow to heaven and earth.
Bow to the high hall.
The couple bows to each other.
The ceremony is completed—-
Lu Yueming was led into the bridal chamber.
Before evening arrived, Xiu Wen picked up the small blackwood scale on the table and lifted her veil.
After sharing the wedding cup, Xiu Wen touched her cheek and found it covered with powder...
He chuckled softly and said, "Yue'er, I'll have Miss Qi bring you some food later. You eat first, and I'll go and accompany the guests. You don't have to worry about social conventions. Just be comfortable in your own home."
"Okay. Be quick to return."
Lu Yueming's smile was radiant.
Even though Xiu Wen was a eunuch, the thought of being able to kiss him, to share a bed with him, and to be with him day and night, made Lu Yueming's smile never cease.
Looking at her blooming smile, Xiu Wen removed the mask from his face, quickly pecked her red lips, and then hurriedly left to attend to the guests with slightly unsteady steps.
He first found Qi Huan and asked her to bring some food to Lu Yueming. Only then did he turn around to entertain the brothers from the Yunying Caravan.
In the room, after Qi Huan put down the food, she sat opposite Lu Yueming and began to talk about the subtleties of the gift-giving ceremony.
"Yueming, I've put a dress in the bottom of the box for you. You can wear it when you sleep at night."
"What kind of dress? And I can wear it when I sleep?" Yueming was curious.
After finishing her meal, she dug out the dress.
Looking at the black slip dress, she was shocked. This was barely more than her bellyband in terms of fabric. Was it really okay to wear such a dress?
When she voiced her doubts, Qi Huan nodded vigorously, her eyes earnest as she looked at her, "You'll know when you try it!"
Lu Yueming casually placed the dress at the end of the bed, then pointed to her cheek, requesting, "Ah Huan, could you bring me a basin of water? I want to wash my face. The makeup from Lady Quanfu is too thick. I'm afraid Xiu Wen will get a mouthful of it when he kisses me."
Qi Huan poked Lu Yueming's cheek and looked down to see a bit of powder on her finger. Imagining Xiu Wen with a face full of makeup, she couldn't help but chuckle.
After agreeing, she got up and went to the kitchen to mix a basin of warm water, adding a brand new washcloth. After some thought, she took out some cosmetics from her space and put them into a long box.
She brought them in two trips. When Lu Yueming finished washing her face, Qi Huan excitedly said, "Yueming, let me do your makeup!"
"Again?" Yueming was somewhat frightened.
She rarely dressed up on ordinary days, always presenting herself naturally. Her first makeup experience today had left her with a bad impression. Without thinking, she refused, "No, I think I look better without makeup."
Qi Huan saw her worry and patted her chest, promising, "My technique is not the same as theirs. I guarantee that after I do your makeup, you'll wish you could keep it on forever!"
Yueming was skeptical.
At this time, the men were still shouting drinking orders in the courtyard outside the window, and it didn't seem like they would finish anytime soon. To pass the time, she finally nodded in agreement.
A quarter of an hour later.
Qi Huan packed up her tools, brought over a bronze mirror, and said with a grin, "Open your eyes and see, who is this beauty in the mirror?"
"It's me!"
After looking, Lu Yueming excitedly touched her cheek and then looked at her finger. Great! No powder fell off.
She was extremely satisfied, lost in her own beauty, unable to extricate herself. After admiring herself for a long time, she gratefully said to Qi Huan, "Ah Huan, thank you!"
"You're welcome."
Qi Huan smiled, "I wish you a wonderful evening."
As time passed, the daylight gradually faded.
The laughter outside became quieter. Qi Huan went out and saw that everyone was drunk and collapsed.
Only Yan Qing and Zhao Man, the two children, were standing in the courtyard rubbing their bellies. They had eaten too much and were too full to sit down.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Yan Qinghe kindly helped Xiu Wen drive away the crowd. Qi Huan also took Yan Qing and Zhao Man away, helping Xiu Wen clear the scene.
The banquet ended.
Xiu Wen removed his mask, drank a bowl of sobering soup, rinsed his mouth, and took a bath to wash off the alcohol. Only then did he step into the bridal chamber.
