Chapter 212 The wedding
After Gu Xihe got into trouble, he run away. Shu Huan still held that bunch of Chinese roses and didn't know whether she should laugh or cry.
That she wanted to cry was naturally because she had been pricked and it hurt!
The reason she wanted to laugh was also very simple. Chinese roses looked like rose. Fancy that Gu Xiran was able to find a large bunch of Chinese roses at this moment. This wasn't the first time that she received flowers from someone, but it was the time she felt the sweetest. Although, this sweetness also contained pain.
Even Liangchen watching at a side felt her pain. She quickly and carefully took over those Chinese roses. Then, she hurriedly took a needle to get that thorn out. In the end, she couldn't hold it anymore and complained, "Fourth young master is truly so unreliable!"
Shu Huan shook her head. She sucked the blood that oozed from her fingertip and said, "His mood presumably isn't so great at the moment. It is hard on him to send me flowers as a congratulation and not hurrying back to Gu residence to look at old madam."
"Miss is right," As Liangchen spoke, she looked with a difficult expression at that bouquet of Chinese roses. "Then should I find a bottle and put some water in it to nourish these flowers?"
If it was a wedding in the modern times, it was normal for the bride to hold a bouquet of flowers, but it would be weird in an ancient wedding. Shu Huan laughed, "Good, but let me pick out one first to put in my hair."
After she said that, Liangchen went out to look for a bottle. Shu Huan went to the Chinese roses and took a deep breath. The fragrance wasn't too strong but smelled very comfortable. It was the smell from the memory. She smiled slightly without realizing it.
When Liangchen came back, she put the flowers in the bottle and dressed her (SH) up, the curtain had been raised continuously by people.
Naturally, it was the relatives and womenfolk of the bailiffs who had rushed over to congratulate with gifts after they heard the news. Even Ji Danqing and Du Qiu came once. The two gave a small box. She didn't know what was inside.
The table was soon filled with all kind of things. Even if they were not particularly exquisite or valuable, but it was rich in variety and made people dizzy from looking at them. It made Liangchen angry that she complained, "Why are these people stirring up a row?! If we don't rush to dress you up before dark, how are we going to do the wedding at night?"
Shu Huan hesitated for a moment and asked in a lowered voice, "Do you know how this wedding should be done?"
She really wasn't confident!
If it was a regular ancient wedding, she truly didn't know much about it, but she knew about the general process. However, whether this marriage within hundred days of one's passing was a regular wedding, aside from hearing from Gu Xihe that they didn't need to pick an auspicious date and didn't have to invite guests, there was no matron of honor to guide her on the other aspects of the wedding. She was completely ignorant about if she should cover with a veil or whether she should perform the ritual of kneeling.
It was also useless for her to ask Liangchen. After all, Liangchen was still young and didn't know much about these things. Moreover, it was rare for a wedding within hundred days of one's passing to happen. Most people would wait till after the three years of the mourning period to have the wedding as long as it was not for a special reason.
Fortunately, not long after, the wife of the prefectural magistrate sent two old maids over. They were old of age and knew the etiquettes. They came over dressed in festive clothes. The moment they entered, they congratulated Shu Huan. After they received a monetary reward, they took over Liangchen's job. While they dressed Shu Huan up, they explained to her what she had to do afterwards.
It turned out that a marriage within hundred days of one's passing was no different from a regular wedding. It was just simpler with fewer guests and there was also no need to paste joyful characters on the wedding room. They also couldn't set off fireworks. Aside from these, the kneeling rituals and other customs couldn't not be done. There were no elders of Gu household here. Hence, they didn't have to worship the parents. They only had to worship the witness of the wedding.
Having spoken till here, the two old maids were full of envy.
This one said, "Miss, is so blessed. The husband you are about to marry is so young and handsome. He is also extremely capable. He actually was able to let the prefectural magistrate be the witness of your wedding. Wasn't that giving him (GXR)an unexpectedly big face? It truly makes people so envious!"
The other said, "I heard that young master Gu is Gu household's legitimate son. That is a famous wealthy family of our Jingtian City. They have business in all cities. Even if Jingtian City had suffered a catastrophe this time, but the other shops of Gu household are still intact. When miss marry there, you will eat delicious food and drink hard liquor and enjoy a boundless comfortable life."
These two old maids talked one after another. It was very lively. Shu Huan suspected that they couldn't wait to marry Gu Xiran themselves in her stead. She couldn't help but laugh and feel that they were able to think so beautifully because they were not involved in the matter themselves. If they had personally experienced the distorted atmosphere of Gu household and learned about the schemes in the open and behind the backs, presumably, they wouldn't be so enthusiastic anymore.
In retrospect, Shu Huan felt that the heavens were still kind to her. She was still intact after staying in such a place for a while. Gu household's vitality had been greatly damaged after experiencing natural and man-made disasters. The environment wouldn't be as complicated and difficult as before. But, the most important thing was that the heavens let her encounter Gu Xiran. Both of them came from the modern times and have similar views and thoughts. Their thoughts and spirit were connected. He was also not the same as ancient men who thought that taking in concubines was a heaven's law and earth's principle and let her be able to find a pure love here.
As soon as Shu Huan finished dressing up, someone came from the outside to urge her. She felt that before her eyes became dark. Those two old maids had already hurriedly put a veil with a splendid golden phoenix embroidered on it over her head. They supported her to stand up.
Did it have to be in such a hurry?
Shu Huan complained without stopping inwardly. She felt hungry and wanted to eat something first. She also felt thirsty and wanted to drink water. Moreover, she needed to answer the call of nature. This was the thing she couldn't hold in the most. She didn't even have the time to take a deep breath…
Alright, alright, she admitted that these were excuses. The truth was that she suddenly became nervous.
From the perspective of others, she had already been married once. However, that was the experience of the original owner and had nothing to do with her. This was her first time that she would enter a marital carriage! It was like how Ji Danqing acted as the matchmaker for the first time just now, she was also very nervous and timid. Even when she walked, she felt that her legs were soft.
No matter how nervous and timid she was, these few steps were completed at once. She saw through the veil that in front of her had become slightly brighter. However, aside from her red embroidered shoes and the green clothes worn by the two old maids supporting her, she still couldn't see anything else. She could hear a loud noise burst around her. It sounded like many people had gathered around to watch. It made her more nervous that a thin layer of sweat appeared in her palms.
There were no joyful sounds of fireworks, but waves of praises and blessing could be heard repeatedly…
"Congratulations, congratulations. Wishing for the two to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss and be united as one mind forever!"
"Two flowers growing from the same base, may you live a long and happy life together!"
"Be of one mind and in love forever!"
In the beginning, everyone said auspicious and congratulatory congratulations. Later, they praised Shu Huan for being a beautiful bride. Some also said that Shu Huan and Gu Xiran were a talented man and beautiful woman. Those praises made her blush and in order to relieve the tension, she took a deep breath and scolded inwardly, "What talented man and beautiful woman? You couldn't even see my face through the covered veil!