Chapter 8: Tea Ceremony (2)
An entire circle of people was sitting within the parlour of Qingxi Hall.
Chu Lian cast a gentle, measuring gaze over them, mentally matching the people before her to their descriptions in the book.
The silver-haired old madam wearing a jasper-coloured headband sitting at the head of the group was most likely Matriarch He of the House of Count Jing’an.
Matriarch He was dressed richly, and she held herself with natural grace and pose. Although there wasn’t a single black hair left on her head, her face did not show any hint of her age. She looked to be fifty or sixty years old at most.
Count Jing’an was stationed at the border of Mingzhou and couldn’t return without an imperial edict. Although his most beloved son had just been married, he could only send a thick letter home while he stayed in Mingzhou.
A forty-year-old woman was seated next to Matriarch He, with a pale face and a skinny figure. Although she was decked in ornaments of pearl and jade, it couldn’t disguise the sickly air surrounding her. This woman must be her mother-in-law, who was often bedridden due to her condition.
Next, there was a beautiful, well-developed woman who looked to be in her twenties sitting next to Countess Jing’an.
She was dressed in a pale mauve dress, demure and poised, with a distinctive aura. Two little girls were standing by her side: one of them a little bigger and the other a little smaller. These two little ladies were the youngest daughters of the House of Count Jing’an, Little An and Little Lin 1.
The wife of the first son of Count Jing’an, Madam Zou, didn’t seem to be good or bad as described in the first half of the novel, so Chu Lian wasn’t sure if Madam Zou was someone she should get close to.
Two middle-aged women were seated next to Madam Zou. The novel only mentioned them once; these two were Matriarch He’s daughters, who had married out of the house.
He Dalang and He Erlang were seated on Matriarch He’s other side.
He Dalang was a tan and burly man and He Erlang looked quite similar to He Dalang. In this manner, it seemed like these two were the real sons of a military family, whereas He Sanlang’s clean, elegant, and gentlemanly appearance made it seem like they weren’t born from the same mother.
She wondered if her father-in-law, Count Jing’an, looked like He Dalang, a rough middle-aged man.
He Sanlang didn’t bother with Chu Lian at all. Seeing that two senior servants had placed a cushion in front of them, he immediately knelt down on it.
Chu Lian had just married into this family, so she didn’t dare to look around for too long. She followed He Sanlang’s actions and knelt down docilely.
Senior Servant Liu smiled as she passed two cups of tea over to the newlyweds.
Chu Lian received the teacup and held it up with two hands as she passed it to Matriarch He.
“Granddaughter-in-law pays respects to Grandmother! May your fortune be as boundless as the Eastern Sea, and may your lifespan exceed the age of the Southern Mountain! Grandmother, please accept this cup of tea!”
Matriach He watched the golden pair before her with upturned eyes, baring her teeth in a smile.
She received the teacup and drank the tea before patting Chu Lian’s fair hand. She then personally removed a high-quality lucky jade amulet from her waist and placed it in Chu Lian’s hands.
“What a good child. Take this jade amulet. It was a memento from your grandfather, and it’s quite valuable.”
Juniors weren’t supposed to reject gifts from their elders. Furthermore, this was a gift from the matriarch of the family to a newlywed daughter-in-law. Chu Lian smiled and thanked Matriarch He as she accepted the gift.
He Changdi continued kneeling with his back stiff as he coldly watched the events before him.
Haha!
As expected, it was that lucky jade amulet again! This bitch wasn’t fit to have this jade amulet at all. A few years later, this amulet would be hanging off Xiao Wujing’s waist!
The look in He Changdi’s eyes was sinister and cold. He had the urge to snatch that jade amulet from her right on the spot.
Chu Lian didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now. Who knew what sort of fit he was throwing?
In this household, other than Matriarch He, there was also Countess Jing’an, Chu Lian’s mother-in-law.
He Sanlang was Countess Jing’an’s most favoured son, and Countess Jing’an cared for him the most.
Chu Lian wasn’t sure what her mother-in-law’s personality was like, so she simply paid her respects with tea. Countess Jing’an was in poor health, so she only sipped a mouthful of tea before instructing the new couple to live in peace and harmony.
Following that, she took off a blood-red jade bangle from her wrist and gave it to Chu Lian.
Chu Lian looked upon the first meeting gifts that were exactly the same as what the novel had described, and she smiled helplessly in her heart.
The rest of the people left were the family members of the same generation, so she didn’t need to kneel while offering them tea.
Then it came time to greet He Dalang and Madam Zou.
Madam Zou was seated in a row with her two aunt-in-laws, so it was hard to pick her out at first glance.
At the moment, the newlyweds were the only ones standing in the center of the parlour, and Chu Lian didn’t have anyone to guide her.
He Changdi stood with his hands behind his back, watching expressionlessly from beside her without a single helpful hint.
Matriarch He frowned upon seeing this.
Luckily, Chu Lian had read the novel. Otherwise, she really might have committed a social faux pas.
Chu Lian bobbed in greeting towards the young madam in pale mauve, calling out to her: “Greetings to Eldest Sister-in-Law.”
She then turned to the tan, burly man on the other side and greeted him as ‘Eldest Brother’.
After presenting cups of tea to them and receiving their gifts, she then continued to pay her respects to the remaining family members in order.
When they were done with the ceremony, the newlyweds stood at the leftmost position.
He Changdi’s handsome face was wooden. Chu Lian fidgeted a little, feeling a little constrained since the customs here were very different from modern society. Although she already had the foreknowledge of the novel’s events, it was still her first time navigating this kind of society. Luckily, the He Family had a simple family tree; otherwise, she would have felt even more anxious.
“Wife…” He Sanlang, who couldn’t be bothered to deal with her ever since they had woken up, suddenly came close and called her with gritted teeth.
Finding it strange, Chu Lian turned to him, blinking her big, innocent eyes as she looked at He Changdi. “Husband, is anything the matter?”
He Changdi wanted to strangle that wicked woman! Acting all innocent in front of him… She would probably still be acting in her coffin if he killed her right now! His entire body stiffened, and he clearly enunciated every single word as he spoke at a volume that only the two of them could hear. “You’re. Stepping. On. My. Shoes!”
Chu Lian cast her gaze downwards and quickly pulled back her foot. He Changdi’s expression turned even darker.
He clamoured inwardly with rage. Keep acting, keep acting! One day, he’ll reveal this wicked woman’s true face to the entire He Family!
1. Little An and Little Lin are literally: An’jie’er and Lin’jie’er, a form of address for unmarried young ladies in the family. I thought Little An and Little Lin would make more sense, given their age.