The elder woman first emphasized the relationship between her husband and Master Chen, and then went on to discuss matters they were interested in.
In truth, everyone lived in the same area, and they all knew each other's characters quite well. If her husband hadn't been drunk, she probably wouldn't have said so much to her.
This woman was very loose-lipped; no secret could stay with her for long before it spread like wildfire. Furthermore, she was skilled at exaggerating, so five out of ten sentences she spoke were believable, and one had to discern the truth from the remaining half.
The other women knew her character, but because the gossip she was sharing was something they didn't know, even if they scoffed inwardly, they feigned flattery outwardly, which made her feel exceptionally proud and smug!
"You should have seen the rare items..."
"Oh sister, quickly tell us, what betrothal gifts did he prepare? I thought the things placed in the courtyard were all dowry from the Chen family!"
"The Chen family is wealthy, but not everything can be bought. My husband heard that the betrothal gift, which was taller than a person and carried by four servants in front of the procession, wrapped entirely in red cloth, was a Liuli mirror newly produced in the Tianzhao Kingdom. My husband was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of it and said it reflected one's image with unparalleled clarity, and it's the only one of its kind in the entire Dayu Dynasty!" The woman's face showed pride and envy.
The pride stemmed from the fact that her husband was one of the few men who had seen it. As for envy, it was self-explanatory and needed no further explanation.
These families were all quite well-off. While bronze mirrors were expensive, they all had them at home. The issue was that the reflections in them were distorted and twisted, making them less clear than looking into a basin of water.
They naturally knew what Liuli mirrors were; they were a unique ornamental item from the Tianzhao Kingdom. Whether it was cups or vessels made of Liuli, any single item was incredibly expensive.
Because the Dayu Dynasty was quite far from the Tianzhao Kingdom, items like Liuli were still considered quite rare here.
At any time, rarity drives value. Those who could possess a small Liuli artifact would feel immensely proud, let alone the elder woman's description of something taller than a person.
Indeed, her words caused quite a stir among the group of women.
"A Liuli mirror taller than a person? And the only one in the Dayu Dynasty? That must be worth a fortune!"
"What is that man's status to be able to produce something unique in the entire Dayu?"
While everyone was discussing the Liuli mirror, the elder woman spoke again with a mysterious air.
"Actually, the Liuli mirror is nothing! I heard that besides ordinary treasures like gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy, the betrothal gifts also included an entire coral branch, pearls the size of eggs, a complete nine-leaf Lingzhi mushroom, and a ginseng root as thick as an arm, tied with a red string."
"It's said that Old Shopkeeper Lin from the pharmacy couldn't move when he saw it! He personally examined it and said the ginseng had grown for over a thousand years, and the red string was tied to it to prevent it from escaping if it had already become a spirit!"
"Just these priceless treasures, and he produced so many, not to mention the common yellow and white metals. What do you say about this person? Is he ordinary?"
The elder woman truly felt envious, but she also spoke with genuine enthusiasm. Although her husband was clearly drunk at the time, his eyes still gleamed with excitement when he spoke of those treasures.
It was precisely because her husband described them so clearly that the elder woman was able to embellish her retelling as if she had seen them with her own eyes.
Another round of animated discussion erupted, filling the courtyard with a lively atmosphere. Sometimes, women's enthusiasm for gossip could even outshine the scorching sun in the sky.
Just as everyone was discussing the identity of the Chen family's new son-in-law, one of the women who was eavesdropping couldn't help but voice her doubt, suspecting that the daughter was fabricating the story.
"No way! Wasn't this Chen family's son-in-law chosen by catching a ceremonial绣球? Where did he have the time to prepare such betrothal gifts, and such valuable and uncommon ones at that!"
Seeing that someone didn't believe her words, the elder woman's expression turned somewhat indignant. She cast a slightly scornful glance at the woman, thinking, "How can she be so unsophisticated! She hasn't seen the world yet and dares to doubt my words!"
However, it was the Chen family's wedding day, and she wouldn't want to spoil the atmosphere. Therefore, she replied to the woman in a less-than-amiable tone.
"That's precisely why I say this son-in-law of theirs is no ordinary person! Think about it yourselves, to prepare all these betrothal gifts in a single night. Strength, wealth, influence... without any one of them, it would be impossible, but he managed all of them. How can such a person be ordinary?"
Lively discussions once again filled the courtyard, and everyone pondered and speculated in their hearts. After a while, the first batch of women who had entered the bridal chamber finally emerged. The second batch waiting in the courtyard tidied their expressions and prepared to enter the bridal chamber to offer congratulations.
Chen Wenyi sat by the bed, her face almost frozen from smiling. Madam Chen had spent a long time selecting guests, finally arranging three batches of people to offer congratulations. Even with this arrangement, the number of guests had already exceeded a hundred.
The moment those people saw Chen Wenyi, their reactions were all the same: amazed, surprised, and stunned. What followed were clichés of praise.
"So beautiful!"
"Too beautiful!"
"She's simply a fairy descended to earth!"
"My heavens! She's truly an unparalleled beauty..."
Chen Wenyi had heard these words too many times today. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she could recite them by heart. Some people hadn't even opened their mouths before she could accurately predict everything they were about to say.
Time slowly slipped away amidst those flattering words, and Chen Wenyi's face felt as if a semi-permanent smile had been affixed to it. She truly feared that after attending just one wedding, she would turn into a mask-faced individual with a perpetual smile!
It wasn't until 4:18 PM that Leng Ren finally arrived at the bridal chamber, surrounded by a crowd. Before his arrival, someone had already come to inform Chen Wenyi to prepare.
Madam Chen had arranged for some of her close confidantes to accompany her beforehand, and then she herself left early. According to custom, as the bride's mother, she could not stay in the bridal chamber.
Although Leng Si and others had helped him fend off drinks, Leng Ren had still consumed quite a bit, and his steps were somewhat unsteady. Behind him were many young people and onlookers, all there to join in the boisterous wedding night revelries.
The older guests were mostly drunk, but even those who weren't were too aware of their status to join in the young people's excitement.