Seeing that her guess was correct, the bridal attendant was preparing to make her up as before. Chen Wenyi absolutely refused to let her tamper with her face, not even willing to get close to her.
"Stay away from me, don't come over! Mother, I'm only getting married once in my life, and I won't let her make me look like that ghost again!"
Chen Wenyi pointed at the bridal attendant with one finger, while fumbling for something on the dressing table with the other hand, which she then threw at the attendant's feet. She refused to cooperate and kept yelling at Madam Chen.
Madam Chen, seeing Chen Wenyi causing trouble again, patted her chest in exasperation, trying to console herself. She had been reluctant to let her daughter go initially, but now she found her daughter an immense headache!
She finally understood that the obedient and well-behaved daughter she remembered was merely her imagination. This brat was clearly here to settle old scores!
"Why are you still making a fuss here? Can't you give your mother some peace of mind? If you keep dawdling like this, what if we miss the auspicious time for the ceremony?"
"I..."
"All other brides get their makeup done like this when they get married. Even I was made up like this when I got married. Why is it that with you, everything is wrong? You're just too demanding! Do you believe me? If you continue to be disobedient, I'll have them tie you up, put on your makeup, and throw you into the bridal sedan chair!"
"Mother, don't scare me, or I'll run out right now. Then it will be you, Father, and our Chen family who will be embarrassed!" Chen Wenyi was not afraid of Madam Chen's threat, knowing it was just talk.
As Madam Chen's anger was about to reach its peak, Chen Wenyi finally stopped pushing her luck. She tentatively stepped forward and linked her arm around Madam Chen's, acting spoiled.
"Oh! It's not that I don't want to put on makeup, it's just that I really don't want to be made up like that. Aren't you afraid that when your son-in-law lifts the veil, he'll see his daughter looking terrifying and get scared away? He's the fated person bestowed upon me by heaven. If he really runs away, I won't even have a place to cry!"
Madam Chen glanced at her thick-skinned daughter, her expression a clear mockery of "keep making things up." "You can keep making it up! Have you never seen a pig run just because you haven't eaten pork? Even if he's never been married, he wouldn't be scared away by bridal makeup!"
Chen Wenyi whispered into Madam Chen's ear, "Why is that impossible! Hasn't Father told you that he's not from the Dayu Dynasty? Their brides aren't made up like this back home. If he happily lifts the veil and sees a pale face, he'll lose all interest, won't he?"
Madam Chen was stunned by Chen Wenyi's words. Old Master Chen had indeed mentioned that Leng Ren and the others were from the Hua Xia Dynasty, and perhaps their wedding customs were different from Dayu's.
"Then what should we do? Time is almost up, and your face hasn't even been touched yet. We don't know what their brides' makeup looks like back home. We can't have you get into the sedan chair with a bare face, can we?"
Seeing that Madam Chen had actually believed her, Chen Wenyi was secretly delighted and revealed her plan. "Why don't you go and get Su Muqing? She told me yesterday that she's very good at bridal makeup! And they're all from the same place, so she'll definitely know the customs of Leng Ren's hometown."
Madam Chen looked at her daughter with confusion. "But didn't your father say that your son-in-law is a subordinate of that Su... young master and another silver-haired young master? Would they agree if I asked them to help the subordinate's family member with makeup?"
Seeing Madam Chen's expression soften, Chen Wenyi nodded rapidly, confident that Su Muqing would help her.
"They'll agree! They'll agree! If not, after the wedding, you can give her a big red envelope as thanks for her help!"
Madam Chen nodded, thinking her daughter's words had some merit. As time was of the essence, she told Chen Wenyi to sit down and wash her face clean again, then personally went to the side courtyard to find Su Muqing.
When Madam Chen arrived, Su Muqing had just woken up and was sitting in the side courtyard, drinking tea.
She had been thoroughly exhausted by Huo Qiyuan last night. No matter how much she begged him to stop, the scoundrel acted as if he couldn't hear her. By the time they were done, it was almost dawn.
To catch up on sleep, Su Muqing had no choice but to bring Huo Qiyuan into the space to rest. After waking up this morning, she had intended to see how Chen Wenyi's preparations were going, but her body ached all over, and her throat was hoarse.
More importantly, she was disguised as a man and had no intention of reverting to her female attire. If she were to go to the bride's chamber rashly, it would surely lead to gossip. Therefore, Su Muqing didn't go after waking up.
"Madam Chen, why are you here at this time?"
Seeing Madam Chen's sudden appearance, Su Muqing was a little surprised. Shouldn't she be with Chen Wenyi at this hour? Why had she come to the side courtyard?
Madam Chen, with a proper smile, moved closer to Su Muqing. After a careful examination, she indeed saw that both of her earlobes were pierced. "Young Master Su, may I speak with you in private?"
"Madam, you are too kind. Please, this way." Su Muqing was about to invite her to sit when Huo Qiyuan, who had just woken up, also got up.
As he opened the door, he saw both Su Muqing and Madam Chen looking at him. He clearly looked like he had just woken up, and he was sleeping in the room arranged for Su Muqing.
Su Muqing felt a bit embarrassed, as she was still disguised as a man. Moreover, even if she were dressed as a woman, it was improper for a guest to sleep in the same room as a man and a woman.
Madam Chen also looked a little awkward, but she didn't say anything, offering Huo Qiyuan a polite smile and a nod as a greeting. Fortunately, they weren't two men...
Huo Qiyuan was the most composed. He naturally nodded to both of them, then calmly returned to his room as if nothing had happened.
"Madam Chen, may I ask why you came to see me so early?" To ease the awkwardness, Su Muqing asked Madam Chen about the purpose of her visit.
Madam Chen felt embarrassed to speak. Su Muqing was a guest, and a relative of the groom's side. By rights, she shouldn't trouble her, but she was at her wit's end with Chen Wenyi's antics.
"To be honest, I have come to ask for a favor. Sui Sui woke up this morning to get ready, and she was almost done with her makeup. But for some reason, she was dissatisfied with the bridal attendants' work and ruined all the makeup they had applied."
"Now she refuses to let any bridal attendant touch her face. The auspicious time is approaching, but she's still bare-faced. Therefore, I hope you can help Sui Sui with her bridal makeup so that she can smoothly enter the sedan chair."