Chapter 1324: The Wedding (4)

Jiuyue is Jiang Qi and Mrs. Lian’s newborn daughter. As the only granddaughter in the Jiang Family, she is greatly cherished. Since birth, she has never left the care of the female elders of the Jiang Family, either under Mrs. Lian’s watchful eye or directly watched over by Mrs. Jiang.

Mrs. Jiang said, "With Nanny Wen and Nanny Lian by my side, everything will be fine."

She added, "We won’t stay long today. After we see you off, we’ll head home."

Her words clearly showed her deep attachment to her little granddaughter.

Mrs. Lian softly said, "Jiuyue is very sturdy and well cared for by all the nannies, wet nurses, and maids, so don’t worry, Xiao Yu."

As she spoke, she pointed at Gu Jinli’s mouth and smiled, "You’ve got sesame on your lips."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Gu Jinli wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, "The sesame from the pancake must have stuck to it."

Jiang Jiao’s sister-in-law, known for her straightforward nature, laughed and said, "Being able to eat is a blessing. Auntie came today just for your family’s ham. I heard there will be two plates of ham at the wedding feast and a famous dish of ham stewed chicken? Auntie came with an empty stomach just for this, determined to eat her fill of ham today."

Gu Jinli replied with a smile, "Auntie, don’t worry. If our family lacks anything, it’s certainly not ham. Eat to your heart’s content."

After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Mrs. Lian took hold of Gu Jinli’s hand and said, "Little Xiao Yu, let’s begin."

Accompanied by two chief maids, she personally helped Gu Jinli wash her face and comb her hair.

"Young girls have such tender skin; there’s no need for extensive washing," Mrs. Lian said, just using a long thread to tidy Gu Jinli’s temples, considering her face cleansed, and then proceeded to comb her hair.

There are customs for combing the bride’s hair where every stroke must be accompanied by an auspicious saying.

Mrs. Lian, well-versed in literature and poetry, recited ninety-nine different auspicious sayings, leaving Gu Jinli quite amazed.

Mrs. Lian, with her skillful hands, styled Gu Jinli’s hair into a Falling Star Bun... the hairstyle had a raised semicircular bun on top resembling a half-moon, with the excess hair cascading down, braided together, and the ends further woven into an angular shape, adorned with a small ruby. From afar, it appeared like a falling star, very beautiful.

Mrs. Lian secretly marveled, truly, the Gu Family was generous, sending their daughter off with a ruby. Though this ruby was only the size of a soybean and not very valuable, it was still noteworthy in the countryside.

Unbeknownst to Mrs. Lian, the ruby was a gift from Qin San Lang, but Gu Jinli stated that he, being a company commander, couldn’t flaunt his wealth, so they claimed the ruby was part of the Gu Family’s dowry.

And the rubies gifted by Qin San Lang were several in number, this being the smallest.

After a moment of admiration, Mrs. Lian placed a golden bracelet on Gu Jinli’s wrist, saying, "Love as strong as gold, enduring for a hundred years."

Next, she placed a jade bracelet on her, "White jade graces the arm, the family as precious as jade."

Busy with all this, while uttering a stream of auspicious phrases, she proceeded to apply makeup on Gu Jinli.

The rouge, face powder, and lip color for the makeup were all made by Gu Jinli herself. She was indeed wary of ancient makeup, which often made people look ghastly, and for her first wedding in two lifetimes, she didn’t want to appear like a specter and thus prepared her own cosmetics.

And it wasn’t without merit—using her homemade makeup, with just a small application by Mrs. Lian, her appearance became radiant and beautiful.

"Little Xiao Yu really is beautiful; without makeup, she is as elegant as an orchid, and with just a bit of makeup, she shines like a peach blossom," complimented Mrs. Lian, praising Gu Jinli.

Mrs. Chen, who had sneaked in unnoticed, immediately chimed in upon hearing this, "Sister-in-law Jiang, please, don’t praise her too much, or she’ll get overly proud."

As she spoke, she quickly squeezed over to hold Mrs. Lian’s hand and said, "Speaking of beauty, you are one of the most beautiful women in Tianfu County with great fortune. You’re blessed with a daughter and now have both a son and a daughter in this lifetime. Unlike me, longing for a daughter for years without success—crying myself to sleep every night, I’m genuinely envious of you, sister-in-law."

Saying this, she feigned a sobbing expression, theatrically adding, "Sister-in-law, your Jiuyue is so charming. I’ll visit your house to see her when I have time, alright?"

That was her main point!

Mrs. Chen was really there to curry favor with Mrs. Lian.

Mrs. Lian had only met Mrs. Chen twice, both times finding her enthusiastic nature somewhat overwhelming.

Gu Jinli, a bit exasperated, looked at Mrs. Chen and said, "Aunt Da Gui, did you actually cry over not having a daughter? Didn’t you say daughters are money pits and bring bad luck to those who have them?"

Mrs. Chen was infuriated, glaring at Gu Jinli before turning to Mrs. Lian with a smile, "Sister-in-law, don’t listen to her nonsense. I absolutely adore daughters."

Mrs. Jiang stepped in as a peacemaker, pulling Mrs. Chen’s hand, she laughed, "Da Gui’s wife, it’s getting late, and Jiuyue’s mother still needs to put Xiao Yu’s headpiece on, so let’s let her get busy; we don’t want to miss the time."

"Oh, oh." Mrs. Chen responded, shifting her attention to Mrs. Jiang, discussing how someone from the Xu Family would visit today to meet Xu Zhong.

Mrs. Jiang agreed; even if she had not, Mrs. Chen would have brought Xu Zhong to see them, unable to be stopped.

Seeing Mrs. Chen occupied by her mother-in-law, Mrs. Lian felt relieved and said to Gu Jinli, "Little Xiao Yu, you should go to the washroom first; once you have your headpiece on, you’ll need to change into your wedding dress, and it won’t be convenient to go then."

"Alright." Gu Jinli replied and went to the washroom next to the bathing room.Mrs. Cui accompanied her, taking the opportunity to talk about the wedding night.

Mrs. Cui blushed, lowered her head, and stammered through the explanation. Finally done, she asked Gu Jinli, "Do you understand?"

Gu Jinli replied, "...I understand, mother."

Your explanation was so abstract that if I were truly from ancient times, I probably wouldn’t understand.

It seems that when the older sister marries, Aunt Hong should explain this to her, or else she might be really scared on the wedding night.

Relieved, Mrs. Cui held Gu Jinli’s hand, "My child, don’t be afraid. Every girl goes through this part; endure it, and it will pass... also, don’t make a fuss because of discomfort. The wedding night is of great importance and pertains to your lifetime reputation. Madam Guo is here precisely for this, and if you fail to consummate, it will be a lifelong regret!"

Gu Jinli, usually thick-skinned, also blushed upon hearing this, quickly replying, "I understand, mother. Please, go out first."

Seeing her impatience, Mrs. Cui said no more and left first.

Moments later, Gu Jinli and Mrs. Cui returned to the room, where Mrs. Lian, following custom, put the headpiece on her.

The headpiece was decorated with pearls and a few rubies, astonishing Mrs. Lian once again; the Gu Family truly had wealth.

Then came the layering of the elaborate wedding dress, covering her with a veil, waiting for the wedding ceremony.

"Dong Family’s Madam, the guests have arrived; let’s go greet them," said Aunt Miao, assisting Mrs. Cui as they left.

...

Outside the main gate of the Gu Family, Third Grandpa, Gu Dashan, Gu Jin’an, and Brother Cheng were already lined up to greet the guests. The second family to arrive was Village Chief Yuan’s family from Yanfu Village.

"Congratulations to my future brother-in-law," Yuan Laorong offered his congratulations with clasped fists towards Gu Dashan, followed by his large family. Yuan Dayi’s wife, Mrs. Yuan Xu, was being supported by a maid, while Yuan Laorong’s wife, Mrs. Yuan Chang, softly instructed the maid, "Support her well; the ground is slippery with snow."

Speaking this, not trusting the maid entirely, she went over herself to support Mrs. Yuan Xu.

Currently, Mrs. Yuan Xu was the apple of the Yuan Family’s eye. Having married into the family for eight years without bearing children, she nearly lost all will to live over this issue.

Mrs. Yuan Xu was aware of her condition; her menstruation was irregular, sometimes absent for months. The doctor said it would be hard for her to conceive, leaving her very despondent and even planning to accept a concubine for Yuan Dayi, though she was thankfully stopped by Mrs. Yuan Chang.

Mrs. Yuan Chang, being an only daughter, had understood from a young age the hardships of having no sons and the sufferings of women, stating that it’s not appropriate for farmers to accept concubines; they were still young and could wait a few more years to see if things changed, otherwise they could adopt Old San’s child.

And it wasn’t long before, on the very day in August when Qi Kangle married Chang Errui, Mrs. Yuan Xu fainted and was diagnosed to be three months pregnant.

Ecstatic, Mrs. Yuan Xu cried tears of joy and deemed Qi Kangle her personal good luck charm, thus maintaining an excellent relationship with her.