amaotonovel Chapter 1331 The wedding must be early, and an auspicious day must be chosen for the ceremony.
Chapter 1331 The wedding must be early, and an auspicious day must be chosen for the ceremony.
The sun was high in the sky, and guests arrived one after another.
As more and more people gathered around, Yu Shizhang took the initiative to say to the anxious Wei family parents, "Please accept this small gift for the newlyweds and don't refuse it."
"Yes, yes, please accept it!" Ba Lezhan winked at Fang's father and stepped forward to lead the way, saying, "Little Ba has prepared tea in the flower hall. Lord Shen, please! Earl, please! Everyone, please!"
Seeing Ba Lezhan's obsequious manner, Yu Shizhang whispered to Shen Zheng, "This man has a bright future."
Such a flexible and adaptable person can succeed in anything.
The group walked through the main courtyard, which was filled with eight-immortal tables, and headed towards the flower hall.
The entire Wei residence was filled with joy, with red ribbons wrapped around it and red lanterns hanging everywhere. Even the lintel of the flower hall was adorned with red rope knots, and the tassels swayed gently in the wind.
Compared to the front hall, which was filled with laughter and greetings, the flower hall was much quieter, with hot tea already brewed on the main table.
......
At 1:15 PM, the area outside the flower hall suddenly became lively and bustling.
Fang Ziyan ran into the flower hall, covered in sweat: "Sister Shen, Aunt Man is about to be picked up by Mr. Wei!"
"The wedding procession is back?" Shen Zheng stood up and asked Mu Ruojue, who had been standing there in a daze for a long time, "Xiao Mu, do you want to go take a look?"
While Mu Ruojue was still in a daze, Fang Ziyan rushed over and pulled him up: "Xiao Mu, I heard that Mr. Wei is going to throw candy later! Eating that candy will bring you good luck! Let's go quickly!"
Mu Ruojue was powerless to resist and was led out of the flower hall in two steps.
Upon seeing this, Cui Jinyin couldn't sit still any longer: "I want to go too!"
Yu Shizhang took a sip of tea and stood up as well: "Then let's all go and share in the joy."
The group left the flower hall one after another and headed towards the main entrance.
Amidst the deafening sounds of gongs and drums, the wedding procession stretched out from the street corner, led by musicians playing gongs and drums adorned with red silk ribbons, creating a festive atmosphere.
Wei Jing rode a tall horse, dressed in a bright red wedding robe and a groom's hat, holding a red silk ribbon in his hand.
The red silk ribbons meandered into the bridal sedan chair, and Wei Jing grinned from ear to ear, glancing at the sedan chair every now and then.
The guests were packed in layers, some shouting congratulations, others reaching out to catch the peanuts and candies scattered by the wedding attendant. For a moment, laughter mingled with the sound of gongs and drums, filling half the sky with joy.
Father Wei beamed with joy, repeatedly bowing to the guests, while Mother Wei nodded and wiped away tears.
The bridal sedan chair landed steadily in front of the Wei residence. The guests stepped aside, and the matchmaker, dressed in a red jacket and green skirt, holding a red silk handkerchief, stepped forward with a smile and sang: "The sedan chair curtain is lifted, bringing blessings and prosperity. The newlyweds alight from the sedan chair, may they have peace and safety year after year!"
As soon as the words were spoken, two blessed women came forward with bamboo baskets, scattering handfuls of wedding candy and peanuts among the crowd.
Wei Jing dismounted, took a few deep breaths, straightened his clothes, and walked to the sedan chair with one end of the red silk in his hand.
He gently lifted the sedan curtain, and Manniang, holding a round fan to cover her face in one hand and the other end of a red silk ribbon in the other, was helped down from the sedan chair by him.
Upon seeing this, the guests' laughter suddenly stopped for a moment, and whispers began to rise: "Why is the groom helping the bride out of the sedan chair?"
"Yes, isn't this the job of a matchmaker?"
"This is so improper! They're not even married yet, and the bride is already pressing down on the groom's arm. What will happen in the future?"
"Never mind, it's a joyous occasion, let's not talk about these things... Maybe the groom was too nervous and forgot the rules."
Amidst the murmurs, Man Niang slightly withdrew her hand, but Wei Jing gripped it even tighter, gently supporting her all the way to the threshold.
One of the guests couldn't stand it anymore and whispered, "Groom, let go! The bride isn't going anywhere, why are you holding on to her like that?"
“Yes…” someone pursed their lips and couldn’t help but step forward and say, “The bride hasn’t even entered the house yet, and you’ve already been overshadowed by her. That’s really not right! Quickly hand her over to the matchmaker and do it according to the rules.”
Wei Jing ignored him and nodded, signaling the matchmaker to proceed with the ceremony.
The matchmaker was also encountering this situation for the first time. After a moment of stunned silence, she realized that the groom was determined to support the bride!
Seeing the two of them already across the threshold, she immediately laughed and said, "Oh my, it's rare to see a groom who cares so much for his bride! The bride has definitely married the right person!"
As the candy kept being scattered, the children shouted, "The bride married the right person! The bride married the right person!"
Hearing the children's cheers, the guests had different expressions, secretly glancing at Wei's parents.
I thought the elderly couple would be displeased, but to my surprise, they were all beaming with joy and even exclaimed "Good!"
"...What's there to be happy about?" one guest asked, puzzled. "These old folks have brought home a formidable daughter-in-law, and they're still grinning like idiots!"
"Oh, you don't understand!" A woman with a smile couldn't help but explain, "You don't know, Old Wei and his wife are both soft-hearted and don't know how to talk. They were bullied a lot by their own clansmen before, which is why they brought their son to settle down in Quanyang County! I told them before that their family should marry a strong-willed wife to protect their family business. Otherwise, with their carefree nature, they'll be eaten alive sooner or later!"
The guests suddenly realized what was going on.
Speaking of temperament... the old couple from the Wei family are really nice. If anyone borrows salt or oil from them, they don't have to pay it back.
But most people are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong.
People who are too good-natured are bound to be bullied.
Perhaps, as this woman said, the Wei family should bring back a capable daughter-in-law in order to preserve their family business.
"The bride is indeed quite formidable..." someone muttered. "I heard that Lord Shen came today specifically because of her."
"That's right!" the woman said again. "Besides, it was Wei who offered to help her, not the bride! Furthermore, if my family could marry a wife like that, I would be willing to carry her on my back for the wedding ceremony! What's wrong with the groom helping her up? So many people would love to help but can't!"
The guests felt as if they had been persuaded.
As long as life is good, it doesn't matter who's in charge.
Inside the mansion gate, the matchmaker bent down to pick up Man Niang's skirt and called out loudly, "Passing over the fire basin, may it bring prosperity and good fortune, warding off evil and disaster—"
Man Niang took a step and steadily stepped over the brazier, sparks flying lightly, making the red silk shimmer.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds, led by the matchmaker, headed towards the backyard.
Wei's father bowed to the guests and said loudly, "Please come inside and have a seat, and wait for the auspicious time!"
The wedding must be held early, and an auspicious day should be chosen for the ceremony.
The name "wedding" comes from the phrase "ceremony at dusk."
There were still two hours until dusk.
As Man Niang and Wei Jing disappeared through the cave entrance, Shen Zheng was about to follow them when Fang Ziyan ran over carrying a bag of peanuts, pointing to the street and saying, "Sister Shen, Brother Wang is back from Ximi Prefecture! With him, there's also an old lady. She said her surname is Cang!"
"Your surname is Cang?"
A scene suddenly flashed into Shen Zheng's mind.
That was her first real conversation with the Empress Dowager, in Tongan County.
The Empress Dowager at that time said, "My surname is Cang."