Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 145: Wedding

The opulent peony-themed bridal sedan entered the courtyard and stopped with its door facing outward. Tian Shi immediately performed the ritual of searching the sedan by shining a lit red candle and a bronze mirror inside.

Meanwhile, Lu Chengxiao’s mind was already in the second courtyard, his gaze fixated on the long corridor leading to the inner courtyard. As soon as the search was over, he greeted Liu Yanqing and then hurried towards the inner courtyard.

Yang Cunxu and Wang Mingyun, seeing Lu Chengxiao like this for the first time, found it amusing and quickly followed him.

The west wing door was tightly closed. Lu Chengxiao stood outside and knocked three times. Inside, a girl from the clan playfully asked, “Who is it?”

After a burst of laughter, Lu Chengxiao’s smiling voice came through:

“In former years, I went to Yujing to study,

The first immortal, Xu, granted a top rank;

Today, I am fortunate to join with Qin Jin,

Soon teaching phoenix and dragon to descend from the makeup tower.”

It was a wedding poem by Lu Chu.

The girls inside were momentarily stunned. In Yangshan Village, the usual routine was for the people inside to ask who it was, for the groom to state his name, and then answer questions about why he was there and if he would treat his wife well.

Caught off guard by a wedding poem, the women and girls from the clan were momentarily puzzled. One quick-witted girl, whether she understood the poem or not, asked the second question, “Why are you here?”

Outside came another wedding poem.

Wei Shi looked at Liu Yu, feeling both happy and reluctant. She touched up Liu Yu’s makeup, adding a bit of eyebrow and lipstick to match the occasion, and then took the red veil to cover Liu Yu’s head.

On this wedding day, all tasks that should have been done by Liu Yu’s mother were undertaken by her aunt, Wei Shi. Although there was no custom of crying at weddings in Anyi County, Liu Yu’s eyes still grew warm with tears.

“Auntie,” Liu Yu called as the veil covered half of her face.

Wei Shi looked at her. Liu Yu smiled but said nothing.

Wei Shi somehow understood, smiling back as she finished covering the veil.

After three wedding poems, the door of the west wing finally opened a crack. Lu Chengxiao peered inside through the narrow gap, drawing much teasing from the crowd. The attendants handed red envelopes to those blocking the door, and finally, the door opened wide.

Lu Chengxiao quickly walked up to Liu Yu.

“Yu’er,” he called, his eyes filled only with her.

Tian Shi laughed, “It’s time to carry the bride to the sedan.”

Lu Chengxiao rushed forward but collided with Liu Yanqing, who had also moved towards Liu Yu. The room erupted in laughter.

Under the red veil, Liu Yu could only see the small area around her feet, where two robes, one red and one green, approached simultaneously.

Wei Shi, also laughing, said, “Chengxiao, Yanqing is the one to carry Yu’er to the sedan.”

Lu Chengxiao awkwardly stepped back, making way for Liu Yanqing, which triggered another wave of laughter.

Yang Cunxu, never expecting to see Lu Chengxiao like this, laughed so hard he almost fell over. Wang Mingyun, usually more composed, struggled to hold back his laughter, his cheeks aching from the effort, rubbing them with his hand.

~

The bridal sedan passed through Anyi County and reached Changfeng Town near dusk.

The entire Changfeng Town was in an uproar. Besides distributing lucky money along the route, the Lu family’s dowry procession was incredibly grand. The highlight was a shop included in the dowry, which left many in Changfeng Town astonished.

“Red paper wrapping tiles with an abacus, does that mean it’s a dowry shop?”

This kind of thing was uncommon in Changfeng Town, and not everyone understood it. They confirmed with the people around them.

“Yes, without the abacus, it’s a house; with the abacus, it’s a shop.”

People stood along both sides of the street, watching and counting the dowry items. In Jixianzhai, Madam Liu and her son Chen Sheng were in their bookstore. Hearing the commotion, they went outside to watch.

“Such a rich dowry, I haven’t seen one this grand in years!”

“Yeah, did you see the shop at the front? Is Lu Sanlang marrying a girl from the county? Could the dowry shop be from the county too?”

People were discussing animatedly, full of envy in their words.

Madam Liu watched the dowry procession pass by their door, feeling both envious and jealous. How could the three sons of the Lu family marry so well, one after another?

Thinking about how her son was indifferent and uncooperative about marriage, Madam Liu couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She glanced at Chen Sheng, “Sheng’er, did you see that? This is reality.”

These words were meant to educate her son, but her resentment toward Lu Chengxiao seeped through.

People are peculiar. On the one hand, she was teaching her son to be realistic, to give up on who he should and marry someone wealthy with a substantial dowry. On the other hand, she despised the Lu family for their practicality, holding a double standard for herself and others.

Chen Sheng heard her but didn’t take it in. He unconsciously followed the crowd toward the Lu family.

Six months ago, he saw Lu Chengxiao not as a rival but as an ally. Not anymore. Now he saw this former ally leaving their shared camp behind.

“He’s really getting married… in just six months…”

A mocking smile appeared on Chen Sheng’s face. Ever since Lu Chengxiao got engaged, Chen Sheng had looked down on him. Following the procession and Lu Chengxiao, he just wanted to see who had replaced Liu Yu.

With this peculiar mindset, Chen Sheng followed the crowd and the wedding procession.

Naturally, Madam Liu followed, not just because of her son but also because of the Lu family.

The Lu family’s business had been flourishing. Their cloth shop had become a cloth emporium. She used to look down on them, but now they had surpassed her.

~

On another street, Wen Shi was carrying a freshly milled bag of rice flour from the mill. She heard the joyful sounds of celebration. She saw people rushing to watch the excitement and took a quick glance before hurrying back to Liujiacun, where her a few-month-old fourth daughter was being watched by her second daughter.

After a few steps, she heard someone call out, “Hurry up, Lu Sanlang is getting married. The Lu family is giving out lucky money along the street, and the dowry is grand. Hurry up.”

Wen Shi’s steps halted. Lu Sanlang getting married?

She grabbed someone passing by, “Auntie, who is getting married? Which Lu Sanlang?”

“The one from the Lufeng cloth shop. You should go too, there’s lucky money.”

The woman rushed off, fearing she’d miss out on the lucky money.

Wen Shi looked toward home, then turned and hurried toward the sound of the music with the bag of rice flour.

The bridal sedan stopped outside the Lu family’s gate, surrounded by firecrackers. The whole alley was packed with people.

A young girl, dressed up for the occasion, went to greet the bride out of the sedan. She was only about five or six years old. She gently tugged the bride’s sleeve three times, just as her mother had taught her. Only then did the bridal attendant help Liu Yu out of the sedan.

Seeing the bride step out, Chen Sheng felt a jolt in his heart.

That silhouette…

He thought he was imagining things and hurriedly squeezed his way out.

At the same time, Wen Shi was squeezing her way in.

The bride’s veil was tightly secured, revealing nothing. However, Wen Shi recognized a face that had grown somewhat hazy in her memory: the constable who had come to her house that night.

Wen Shi’s heart pounded.

The truth about Liu Yu leaving home was known only to Liu Kangsheng and Madam Wang. However, seeing the constable who took Liu Yu away on that day now in the bridal escort for Lu Chengxiao’s new wife made Wen Shi suspicious of the bride’s identity.

Wen Shi became excited and, upon seeing the bride’s figure, became increasingly convinced it was Liu Yu.

Of course, this was not the time to acknowledge relatives at the Lu family’s wedding. Wen Shi also worried about her children at home. Watching the escort hand a red silk ribbon to Liu Yu, with the other end given to Lu Chengxiao, she knew that once they entered the Lu family’s gate, the rest would be out of sight. She hurriedly left, carrying her bag of rice flour.

Naturally, the two protagonists of today’s event knew nothing of this. Lu Chengxiao’s entire focus was on Liu Yu. Holding the red silk ribbon, he guided her through the ceremony, ignoring the wedding attendants by her side, pointing out steps, crossing the fire basin, and passing the saddle.

Liu Yu, listening to his voice and occasionally catching glimpses of the red flower tied to the ribbon through her veil, smiled. Amid the ritual officiant’s chanting, she and Lu Chengxiao completed the ceremonies of bowing to heaven and earth, to their parents, and to each other, until the call to enter the bridal chamber. He then led her to the new room.

It seemed the crowd followed them. The bridal chamber filled with women, making it noisier than the hall ceremony.

Liu Yu, supported by the bridal attendant, sat at the bed’s edge. When the officiant called Lu Chengxiao to lift the veil, her breath tightened. A balance scale’s red-tasseled rod appeared in her view, lifting the veil slowly. Liu Yu raised her eyes, finally meeting Lu Chengxiao’s joyful face.

Their gazes locked, unable to part, until Lu Shuang’s soft laughter broke the spell, and Liu Yu looked down.

This was the first time Lu Chengxiao’s maternal relatives saw Liu Yu, the famously beautiful girl. Even with thick makeup, her beauty was evident, leaving everyone stunned. It wasn’t until Lu Shuang’s laugh that Liu Yu lowered her eyes, bringing the onlookers back to their senses.

“What a stunning girl.”

“So it’s true, there are girls as beautiful as fairies.”

Qin Yulan teased, “Third brother can’t take his eyes off her.”

Chen Shi looked at her son so captivated, he nudged Lu Chengxiao, laughing, “Why are you just standing there? Sit next to her.”

Lu Chengxiao sat beside Liu Yu. As soon as he did, red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds were thrown over them, symbolizing a wish for many children. Reacting instinctively, Lu Chengxiao shielded Liu Yu, causing everyone to laugh.

Chen Shi couldn’t help but laugh, “Silly boy, it’s a blessing, you don’t need to block it.”

The officiant tossed more peanuts and lotus seeds, with Lu Chengxiao only protecting Liu Yu’s head this time. A few seeds hit Lu Chengxiao’s face, and Liu Yu quickly reached out to shield him.

A lotus seed hit the back of Liu Yu’s hand and rolled onto the bed, causing another round of laughter. Liu Yu quickly withdrew her hand.

Lu Chengxiao’s eyes were full of joy, his smile uncontainable, his eyes curved like a crescent moon.

Their affection was so palpable it overflowed, making Chen Shi beam with pride. Her elder sister-in-law brought a plate of half-cooked pastries, using chopsticks to feed Liu Yu a piece.

Having learned these customs in the morning, Liu Yu understood it was a ritual and took a small bite. The elder sister-in-law then asked, “Raw or cooked?”

Blushing, Liu Yu replied, “Cooked.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

The officiant presented the nuptial wine, a pair of red string-tied cups on a lacquered tray, symbolizing their future together. Exchanging a glance, they each took a cup, intertwined their arms, and drank.

Sansukini: I can’t appreciate Chen Sheng’s decision not to get married because he’s still thinking of Liu Yu because Chengxiao looked for her and tried to rescue her from slave traders, while Chen Sheng just moped. It’s not very noble when there’s a strong comparison. Oh, and what a happy wedding. Liu Yu’s third sister-in-law will have a good karma later.

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