Pursuit of Jade
Chapter 8: The Wedding Night
Fan Changyu was likely the very first bride who had to get up early on her own wedding day to slaughter a pig and prepare braised dishes.
The offal and head meat left over from the pig she had previously slaughtered and sold were also made into braised delicacies by her hands. Combining what she got from both pigs, she finally sliced enough braised meat to fill two large basins.
The neighboring aunties who came over to help all caught the rich aroma and praised how fragrant it smelled.
As noon drew near, Auntie Zhao finally rushed her back to her room to change into her wedding attire and style her hair.
It was only after asking Auntie Zhao that she learned that matrilocal marriage customs generally fell into two types. In the first type, the groom sits in a bridal sedan chair and is carried to the bride’s home, a practice commonly known as “Carrying the Groom”.
The second type differs little from a standard wedding: the groom moves into the bride’s house the day before, while the bride departs from her maternal grandparents’ home, riding a bridal sedan chair all the way back to her own house amidst the celebratory din of drums and gongs—a gesture meant to preserve the groom’s dignity.
Fan Changyu needed neither option. First, she had no money left to rent a bridal sedan chair. Second, the groom was right next door. The moment he came downstairs, they could directly perform the wedding ceremony, so why bother with all those tedious rituals?
The “all-blessed woman” invited for the occasion went to the bridal chamber to lay out the bedding, then returned to comb her hair.
“With the first comb, comb all the way to the end. With the second comb, may your hair grow white together in old age. With the third comb, may your hall be filled with children and grandchildren…”
Sitting before the dressing table, hearing the Song of Ten Combs chanted by the all-blessed woman alongside the boisterous clamor of voices outside, Fan Changyu had a fleeting illusion that she was truly getting married.
Outside, what the guests discussed the most was today’s groom. However, Auntie Zhao kept her lips tight. No matter how the women probed, she refused to divulge a single word.
Gathered together and cracking melon seeds, a few women couldn’t help but speculate in private: “Say, with the old Zhao couple helping Fan Changyu hide him away like this, could it be that the groom is like a wry gourd and a split date?”
“I heard that the groom injured his leg and has trouble walking!”
Someone immediately gasped, “Then isn’t he just a cripple?”
The woman beside her nudged the speaker with an elbow, gesturing for her to lower her voice before whispering, “After all, the Fan family is taking in a live-in husband. If he were a fully capable man, would he ever marry into another household like this?”
The crowd couldn’t help but sigh with regret. Then someone brought up Song Yan again: “Looks like the Fan family and the Song family have truly fallen out. Today, people from the entire alley have turned up, except for the Song family.”
“Haih, if you ask me, it’s actually better that the Song family didn’t come for this wedding feast. Song Yan is a handsome young lad famous across all the surrounding villages. If he came, he’d make the groom look entirely worthless by comparison, and the Fan family wouldn’t look good either!”
The crowd chattered and gossiped all at once. As soon as the auspicious hour arrived, they all gathered around the front gate of the Zhao family home, waiting to catch a glimpse of the groom.
On the contrary, Fan Changyu, the bride, attracted no notice at all after she stepped out with the red bridal veil over her head.
The weather today was truly uncooperative. Snow had begun drifting down in the afternoon, and by this hour, a thin layer had already settled atop the courtyard walls. The ground, however, had yet to accumulate any snow, as people had been walking back and forth constantly, leaving behind only patches of dampness.
The firecrackers hanging before the Zhao family’s main gate burst with loud, crackling pops. Stretching their necks to peer inside, the onlookers caught sight of a pair of crutches extending from the opened door, and a sigh went up in their hearts—sure enough.
The man Fan Changyu took in as a live-in husband was indeed a cripple.
With the movement of the crutches, the groom stepped one foot across the threshold, and the lower half of a brownish-red robe entered the crowd’s view.
Drifting snow tumbled like catkins, melting the instant it landed on the hem of his clothes, leaving behind only the faintest trace of dampness, almost imperceptible.
The boisterous guests outside the door inexplicably held their breath.
Once the groom stepped his other foot past the threshold, his entire figure finally emerged from the shadows inside the room. Snowflakes settled among his dark hair, which was bound with a red ribbon. Amidst that black hair and red robe, his face was strikingly handsome and refined, his complexion seemingly several shades paler than the falling snow. The faint sweep of his eyes across the doorway was cold and detached.
Every guest who caught a clear sight of his features gasped in unison.
In all the years they had lived, this was the very first time they had ever laid eyes on a young man of such extraordinary looks. Not to mention Song Yan, not even the star actor from the theatrical troupe could match a single fraction of this groom’s beauty.
With eyebrows sharp as swords, eyes bright as stars, and a face fine as carved jade, he truly was built like the very ideal of a man.
After a moment of dead silence, the crowd erupted into a clamor once more, far exceeding the liveliness from before.
“This groom is truly handsome!”
“I knew a girl with good looks like Changyu’s couldn’t possibly pick a bad-looking husband!”
“Who was it earlier that said the groom was a misshapen, ugly cripple? Does a face like this fall short compared to Song Yan’s?”
Leaning on his crutches, Xie Zheng passed through the noisy crowd without expression, his brow furrowing ever so slightly, seemingly finding this gathering of chattering women a bit too clamorous.
Turning a corner, he entered the main gate of the Fan household. People who were still cracking melon seeds and chatting in the courtyard couldn’t help but stand up to join the spectacle upon seeing him. Amidst the noisy chatter, the praise for his looks was what featured most heavily.
Even the few women helping to prepare dishes in the kitchen couldn’t resist coming out to take a look after hearing that the groom was exceptionally handsome.
Xie Zheng suppressed the trace of impatience between his brows, passing through the surrounding onlookers all the way to the main hall to perform the wedding ceremony.
He inadvertently swept a glance toward the eaves ahead and caught sight of Fan Changyu. She was dressed in a bridal robe matching the color of his own, using a moment when no one was paying attention to lift a corner of her veil behind the crowd and sneak a peek outside. His gaze had originally passed over her, yet it suddenly snapped back, containing a touch of surprise.
He knew her looks were not bad, but this was still his very first time seeing her with makeup on.
Half-veiled by the red silk, those almond eyes were looking over here, brimming with smiles. A thin layer of rouge was applied to her cheeks—and though the hand that put on the rouge was a bit clumsy, it still could not obscure her fine features. Her lips, painted with lip cosmetic, were no longer as pale as on ordinary days, setting off her scented cheeks to look fair as snow. A single glance made her seem dazzlingly vibrant beyond measure.
Meeting his eyes, she froze briefly before seemingly realizing that this was her own wedding scene. Like a thief caught red-handed, she hastily let the veil drop back down and stood properly in place.
She was clearly a born beauty, yet her actions… were always so peculiar.
The annoyance in Xie Zheng’s heart, brought on by the noisy clamor of the guests, suddenly lessened by just a fraction.
Perhaps this wedding was not entirely boring and tedious after all.
Leaning on his crutches, he stepped into the main hall. The all-blessed woman handed one end of the silk ribbon with the ceremonial flower ball to him, and the other end to Fan Changyu.
The elder presiding over the wedding ceremony called out in a high chant: “ The auspicious hour has arrived. Let the newlyweds perform the ceremonial bows!”
“First bow to Heaven and Earth—”
Covered by her bridal veil, Fan Changyu could see nothing. Supported by Auntie Zhao, she took her stance facing outward, bowing to Heaven and Earth alongside Xie Zheng.
“Second bow to the parents—”
Since both she and Xie Zheng had lost their parents, only ancestral tablets were set upon the high seats. The two of them bowed once more toward the tablets.
“Newlyweds bow to each other—”
During this bow, just as Fan Changyu lowered her head, a gust of wind happened to blow inside, nearly carrying away the wedding cloth atop her head. She reached out to catch it by reflex, but a large hand beat her to it, pressing the wedding cloth right back onto her head.
She could imagine with that this scene surely didn’t look very grand.
Laughter had already broken out among the guests: “Look at this groom, so reluctant to let everyone get a look at the bride!”
The wedding veil cut off Fan Changyu’s sight, leaving her unable to see what expression Xie Zheng wore on his face at this moment. Listening to these jests herself was quite embarrassing, however, so she only hoped he wouldn’t mind.
“The ritual is complete—escort the couple to the bridal chamber!”
Accompanied by this shout, she and Xie Zheng finally held the red silk ribbon and were escorted into the newly decorated bridal chamber.
Though called a bridal chamber, it was quite simple: nothing more than red paper-cut “Double Happiness” characters pasted onto the doors and windows, and festive-colored sheets and bedding laid out over the bed.
Only after reciting a string of auspicious blessings did the all-blessed woman allow Xie Zheng to lift the veil over Fan Changyu’s head.
The view before her eyes suddenly brightened, and the figures inside the room became distinct. Earlier outside, Fan Changyu had only stolen a quick glance by lifting a corner of her veil, but after being caught in the act, she had quickly dropped it back down, so she hadn’t seen him clearly.
Now with the man standing just a step away from her, Fan Changyu looked at Xie Zheng dressed all in red and marvelled once more: fine clothes truly do make the man.
If he walked down the high street in this outfit today, he’d likely daze many young maidens out of her senses.
“Look at that, what a beautiful bride—and she and the groom are truly a match made in Heaven!” the all-blessed woman chortled with a smile.
The women gathered around all covered their mouths and chuckled.
Fan Changyu awkwardly forced a smile.
Xie Zheng’s expression remained indifferent throughout, making it impossible to read what was truly on his mind.
The all-blessed woman, leading the other women in the room, gathered peanuts and red dates from a tray and tossed them over the heads of the couple, chanting as she scattered them: “May dates bring you noble sons soon.”
Having these items land on one’s body was actually a bit painful. Fan Changyu spoke up at the opportune moment: “Thank you, aunties. However, my husband is injured, and scattering fruit is only to seek a good omen anyway. Let us end it here for today.”
The moment these words were spoken, someone couldn’t help but tease again: “Look at that, Changyu Yatou is already protecting her husband!”
Thickening her skin, Fan Changyu let them poke fun at her. Only after seeing off the whole room of people did she ask Xie Zheng, “You weren’t hurt, right?”
Xie Zheng looked at her with an unreadable gaze: “No.”
Fan Changyu felt relieved, adding, “I still need to go outside and greet the guests. Rest comfortably in the room. If you’re hungry, eat some of the pastries on the table first.”
These words ought to have been spoken by a groom to his bride, yet coming from Fan Changyu’s mouth right now, they sounded bizarre no matter how one heard them.
After a moment’s silence, Xie Zheng gave a subtle nod.
Having gritted his teeth and held up through his body full of injuries for so long, his expression indeed bore an unmistakable trace of weariness.
Fan Changyu went outside to entertain the guests. After all, there were no elders left in her household and this was a matrilocal marriage, so hardly anyone pressed her to drink at the feast. Everyone shared a lively meal together, and as they noticed the sky darkening, they took their leave one after another.
After the feast and Fan Changyu was clearing away the tables and stools, she noticed a brocade box placed by an unknown hand on the table near the doorway.
She asked Auntie Zhao, who was helping clean up: “Daniang, whose gift is this?”
Auntie Zhao was also somewhat bewildered: “The gift registry was finished writing before the feast began, and I didn’t see this box a moment ago. I wonder which family sent it as an afterthought, and why didn’t they say a word?”
Fan Changyu opened the box, and the instant she saw a pair of clay dolls nestled inside, her face turned cold.
With a flip of her wrist, she hurled the box right into the pile of trash Auntie Zhao had just swept together. The clay dolls were smashed on the spot.
Seeing Fan Changyu’s reaction, and recognizing the smashed male and female clay dolls on the ground, Auntie Zhao’s face changed on the spot. She spat fiercely in the direction of the Song family home: “That ungrateful wretch! When you were in trouble, he washed his hands cleaner than anyone, yet he sends this kind of thing today on your wedding to disgust you?”
Fan Changyu said, “Daniang, don’t be angry. Why bother arguing with someone who doesn’t matter?”
Her anger was not because the clay dolls had brought back any fond memories, but simply because she felt disgusted.
Those clay dolls were given by her to Song Yan the year his father passed away, when she saw him feeling blue and miserable. How old was she back then? No more than seven or eight.
Over all these years, Fan Changyu believed her parents had treated Song Yan with nothing but kindness. Yet after her parents passed away, he was the one who rushed over to break off the engagement without delay; and when she was harassed by Fan Da and the gambling house thugs, he was the one who kept his doors locked tight and refused to see her.
And today, on her wedding day, he sent over a pair of clay dolls like this. What was he trying to say?
Because of this minor unpleasantness, Fan Changyu wore a completely expressionless face all the way until dinner that evening.
Xie Zheng was injured and could not move about easily, so she brought his meals directly to the room: “You have injuries on your body, so I selected a few light dishes for you.”
Xie Zheng had noticed the oddness in her expression from the moment she walked in the door. However, he didn’t pry into anything, merely lowering his eyes halfway and offering a faint word of thanks.
By the time everything was completely cleaned and tidied up, it was almost the Hai hour (between 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM). Auntie Zhao wanted to carry the fast-asleep Changning to the house next door, but Fan Changyu explicitly declined: “After Father and Mother passed away, Ningniang has always slept with me. Otherwise, if she gets a nightmare in the night, she’ll just keep crying and throwing tantrums.”
Auntie Zhao said: “On ordinary days it wouldn’t matter, but on this very wedding night, no matter what, a young couple still ought to sleep in one room, or else it brings bad luck.”
Having said her piece, she gave Fan Changyu no room for further argument and walked right out of the room carrying Changning in her arms.
The courtyard surrounding the house, which had been so boisterous during the daytime, was now terrifyingly desolate and quiet.
Festive red lanterns hung high beneath the eaves, casting a faint, warm yellow glow across the vast, snowy night.
Fan Changyu sat on the doorsteps with her arms wrapped around her knees. She stared blankly into the night sky as large, thick snowflakes drifted down, lost in thought for a long while before finally standing up to go inside.
Since this was merely a sham marriage, Fan Changyu naturally could not truly sleep in the same room with him.
However, all the cotton quilts in the household were stored inside the bridal chamber. That room had originally been her own bedchamber. Later, when their parents passed away, Changning didn’t dare sleep alone, so she squeezed in with her. Now that it had been converted into the bridal chamber, the bed in the room next door hadn’t even been made up yet.
Because it was the room she had lived in for over ten years, she habitually pushed open the door and stepped straight in. Only upon entering did she catch Xie Zheng in the middle of changing his clothes: his outer robe was already off, and with his back turned to her, his half-stripped inner garment hung partially over his elbows and draped down to his waist.
It was a remarkably striking physique. Between the covers of gauze bandages, the exposed muscle tones presented a pleasing honey hue beneath the wedding candles, the contours of his muscles distinctly defined.
Because of her sudden entrance, he turned his head slightly. Upon that jade-carved face, his cold expression at this moment somehow seemed both abstemious and intoxicating.
Fan Changyu stood frozen like an idiot for several breaths until he raised his long brows in displeasure, pulling his half-slid inner garment back together, and asked her: “Is something the matter?”
Only then did she suddenly snap back to her senses, realizing she had acted just like a rogue lusting after the charms of a virtuous young lady. With a scorching heat flushing her face, she hastily turned around: “Apologies, I haven’t adjusted yet and forgot to knock. I only came in to grab a quilt.”
“Help yourself,” came the voice from behind, cold and clear.
Fan Changyu did her best to keep her eyes straight ahead as she pulled two cotton quilts out of the wardrobe. Holding them in her arms, she dared not even turn her head as she walked out the door. Only after turning around the corner of the wall did she take several deep breaths, feeling as though a heavy weight had been lifted.
She had truly thrown her face all the way back to her grandmother’s house! She could only hope he wouldn’t misunderstand her again.
Xie Zheng possessed exceptional hearing and naturally caught the sound of her exhaling breath.
There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes. Only after hearing her footsteps fade into the distance did he unwrap the bandages and continue applying medicine to the several wounds that had torn open most severely.
This medicine was a golden-wound salve delivered tied to the leg of the gyrfalcon—nearly impossible to buy even with thousands of gold pieces, and extremely potent in nature.
The instant the medicinal powder came into contact with his raw flesh, the agony caused his entire frame to tense. The blue veins on his arms bulged, fine beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead, and his jaw clenched so tightly that even a subtle metallic taste of blood spread through his mouth.
To avoid getting blood on the bedding, he sat on a wooden stool inside the room, his hands tightly clenched into fists resting quietly on his knees. Down his straight spine rolled sweat droplets mixed with blood and grime; he looked not as though he were treating his wounds, but as though he were undergoing torture.
Enduring such inhuman pain, even as sweat dripped from his eyelids, he did not blink even once, his eyes reflecting the candlelight with a veil of deep gloom and hostility.
This body full of injuries and this skin-searing pain—he would pay it all back in the end.
The footsteps outside the room suddenly returned after having just departed. Xie Zheng lifted a pair of eyes that had not yet concealed their harsh hostility, sweeping a gaze toward the doorway.
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