On the evening of the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, it was the City Lord's mansion's New Year's Eve dinner. Only Su Minghui and his wife were invited from Zhengyi Village, along with the former sect leaders from the no-man's-land, the ghost hand divine physician Gongsun Zan, Xu Fu, the Zhou family, the Leng family squad, and Huo Xiao, the commander-in-chief of the Huo family army.
Over thirty people sat at two large tables, with stir-fried dishes, stews, hot pots, and barbecue all available. Su Muqing brought out two bottles of famous brand white wine from her past life. When Le Xiong saw the small bottles, he boasted that the wine wouldn't be enough, claiming he could drink over ten jin by himself on a normal day.
Lu Yuzhi removed the seal from the cap, and instantly, a rich aroma of wine wafted through the entire room. Le Xiong, drawn by the enticing scent, couldn't help but swallow.
Seeing his eager expression, Lu Yuzhi poured him a cup of wine and handed it to him. Le Xiong took the cup and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. He was almost intoxicated by the potent aroma.
"Good wine, truly good wine! I never imagined such a small cup of wine could be so potent!"
After a sniff, Le Xiong raised the cup and drank it down in one go. He drank too vigorously and immediately started coughing, his face turning red and flushed within moments. Yet, even so, the mellow aroma of the wine made Le Xiong unable to stop.
After eating and drinking their fill, Le Xiong, who had boasted he could drink over ten jin by himself, was so drunk he passed out after less than half a jin. In the end, his second brother carried him back to his room to rest.
Although the others weren't as drunk as Le Xiong, they were mostly swaying and unsteady. It was New Year's Eve, and besides those who were drunk and the elderly who had gone to rest, everyone else gathered together to chat, play cards, play chess, and keep watch for the New Year.
Su Muxuan now slept with the Zhou family at night, giving Su Muqing some free time. After dinner, she returned to her room and busied herself with other matters in her space. When she came out, it was already past eleven o'clock at night.
Outside the space, people were still enthusiastically playing cards and chess. Lu Yuzhi had also drunk quite a bit that night. Although he wasn't passed out drunk, he felt a bit dizzy. He propped his forehead with one hand, sitting quietly in a corner chair.
Su Muqing did not disturb him, nor did she join the lively card and chess games. She walked out of the warm hall and flew onto the rooftop alone. A thick layer of snow covered the roof, making a crunching sound under her feet.
Walking to the center of the rooftop, Su Muqing casually took out a cushion, placed it on the snow, and sat down, resting her hands on her cheeks as she gazed at the stars and the half-moon in the sky.
Not long after she sat down, Su Muqing saw Lu Yuzhi climb up as well. Dressed in a dark blue padded satin jacket, he appeared even more slender.
A head of silver hair fell to his side, occasionally fluttering in the cold wind. Seen from afar, he looked like an immortal or a demon, ethereal and enchanting.
Perhaps the effects of the wine had not entirely worn off, as his steps were still a bit unsteady. Su Muqing worried he might roll off, so she quickly got up and pulled him to sit beside her.
They sat close together, gazing at the dots of stars in the night sky. Su Muqing kept track of the time, and when it reached 23:59:55, she counted down with the time: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
"Happy New Year. I hope in the new year, all of us will have our wishes come true."
"Happy New Year. I hope all your wishes come true in the new year."
They exchanged blessings and smiled at each other.
Everyone kept watch together and ate dumplings before returning to rest. Tomorrow would be a new beginning.
On the first day of the new year, stewards from various settlement points or villages hurried to the City Lord's mansion to pay their New Year's greetings, exchanged auspicious words, and then rushed to visit their relatives.
The second day was for returning to one's maternal home. However, ninety percent of the people in Huaxia City were refugees. Some had lost touch with their families, and others lived with their maternal families in the settlement points, so there was no concept of returning to one's maternal home.
As for Su Muqing and her group, they had no maternal families to return to. The group decided to stay at home, preparing items for Leng Su's wedding.
Leng Kui was Lu Yuzhi's subordinate, and now that Su Muqing was officially dating him, this responsibility naturally fell upon her. Furthermore, on the night they returned, Xu Fu had handed over all of Lu Yuzhi's possessions to her.
Therefore, the matters of marriage for Lu Yuzhi's ten closest subordinates would have to be handled by Su Muqing, the future young madam.
On the principle of doing things well if they were to be done at all, each return gift included a red wedding veil, a packet of noodles for the wedding, and a packet of wedding candies. This kind of item and gifting method was unique in this era.
The group busied themselves unhurriedly until the fifth day of the first lunar month. Leng Kui specially shaved off the beard he had sported for several years. He wore a brand new red and white patterned satin jacket, and a dark fox fur cloak over it, looking majestic and tall atop a tall, red-brown horse.
The gift-giving convoy formed a long line of vehicles. The other Leng brothers rode two to a vehicle, while Lu Yuzhi and Su Muqing rode in a separate vehicle. Xu Fu and Mrs. Zhou were also in this vehicle.
Upon arriving at Zhengyi Village, they found that the previously white surroundings were now adorned with red silk flowers, and paper-cut "xi" characters in various fonts were hung on some branches, making the entire village look extremely festive.
Six vehicles slowly drove into the village, heading towards Su Minghui's house. By this time, the surrounding roads were filled with villagers who had come to watch.
A group of fearless children surrounded the vehicles and Leng Kui. When Leng Ren and the others got out to unload the goods, each of them carried a basket. Inside were candies, peanuts, and some newly printed one-wen banknotes.
Holding the baskets, they grabbed handfuls of candies and banknotes and threw them into the crowd.
"Scattering wedding candies! And wedding money, it's new money, new currency!"
"This one is mine! Such pretty candy..."
"I found a two-wen one..."
"I found a five-wen one..."
As they scattered wedding candies and money, not only the children but also the adults who had come to watch joined the scramble for good fortune, instantly bringing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
Su Minghui was exceptionally happy that day. After the crowd had mostly finished grabbing, he stepped forward to welcome Lu Yuzhi and Xu Fu, ushering them into the courtyard.
Leng Ren and the others unloaded the betrothal gifts from the vehicles, arranging them neatly in the courtyard.
A load of pastries, a load of banknotes, a load of fabrics of different colors, one hundred jin of packed fine cotton, a complete set of porcelain and tea sets, as well as several decorative items and a small box of silver ingots.
Su Minghui's courtyard was originally quite large, but after the betrothal gifts were placed, it immediately became much more crowded. Those who couldn't squeeze in looked at the wealth of good things in the courtyard with envious expressions.
Married women of suitable age, upon seeing how many betrothal gifts Su Cuiping received, became even more eager, wishing they could marry Leng Kui in her place. The box of silver at the back contained at least a hundred taels.
However, Leng Kui was already getting married, and being a concubine was entirely different from being a principal wife. Thus, those young women turned their gaze towards the other members of the Leng squad who were helping.
Although Leng Kui was out of reach, the others were still unmarried! As long as they could marry someone from the City Lord's mansion, with so much silver, they would never go hungry.
Most importantly, having such a capable son-in-law would bring honor to the family, and their fathers or brothers would not have to work so hard in the winter.
The wedding party was treated to lunch by the host family. In the afternoon, the group drove back to the city. Su Minghui's family was hosting a pre-wedding banquet the next day, and as the bride-to-be, Su Cuiping had to stay at home from that evening.
As the expectant bride, these were her last few days at her maternal home. The bride's family banquet the next day, according to custom, only invited relatives and friends of the bride's family. Therefore, Su Muqing and Lin Rongrong also stayed in Zhengyi Village to accompany her.
The wedding banquet on the sixth day of the first lunar month was successfully completed, and the villagers ate until their mouths were greasy. The wedding ceremony would be the next day. On the evening of the seventh day of the first lunar month, Su Cuiping, Su Muqing, and Lin Rongrong squeezed onto one bed to sleep.
The next morning, at just past five o'clock, Mrs. Wang came to wake the three girls. Su Cuiping, with sleepy eyes, looked at Mrs. Wang and was forcibly dragged to the dressing table to start getting ready. Su Muqing and Lin Rongrong were still sound asleep.
Mrs. Wang specifically found an acquaintance who was a wedding makeup artist. She first performed facial cleansing and then facial threading on Su Cuiping.
After completing this, the makeup artist dug out a large clump of an unknown white substance from somewhere and smeared it on Su Cuiping's face, making it look like she had just applied paint. Her eyebrows were drawn thick and black, and two patches of blush were applied to her cheeks, making her look like a female ghost.
Su Cuiping, completely unaware, sat obediently and let the makeup artist fuss over her.
Su Muqing woke up around six o'clock and wondered if she should help Su Cuiping with her makeup. When she saw the person sitting in front of her with a terrifyingly pale face, dressed in a red Xiuhe wedding dress, she was so startled that she dared not even yawn, remaining frozen with her mouth agape.
What kind of terrifying makeup was this? Why would they paint the bride like this? Su Muqing found it incredibly unbelievable. However, Mrs. Wang and the other aunts, as well as some elderly women, watched with satisfaction as the makeup artist continued to style Su Cuiping's hair.
"Auntie, why are you making Sister Cuiping look like this? Don't you think it's a bit unattractive?" Su Muqing whispered to Mrs. Wang.
"Not at all! Doesn't she look festive? I think she looks quite beautiful," Mrs. Wang said, unable to understand Su Muqing's thoughts. The painting was so lovely! So white!
"Exactly, exactly. On such a joyous occasion as a wedding, one should be painted so white with rosy cheeks to look good."
"She's still a child; she doesn't understand these things."
The others chimed in agreement with Mrs. Wang, making Su Muqing wonder if her own taste was lacking.
"Muqing, let me see your mirror. I want to see what I look like," Su Cuiping said, hearing Su Muqing comment that the makeup looked strange, and she couldn't help but become curious.
When she took the high-definition mirror handed to her by Su Muqing and saw the person with a pale face, flushed cheeks, and thick black eyebrows, she nearly collapsed on the spot from shock.
Was this really bridal makeup? Who decided that brides should look like this? Was it meant to scare away the groom?
"Mom, I don't want to get married with this makeup. I'm scared just looking at it, and Brother San will definitely be scared away by me," Su Cuiping said with disgust, placing the mirror on the table and refusing to let the makeup artist continue.
Mrs. Wang, seeing Su Cuiping stop, quickly stepped forward and said, "It's a joyous day, child. What nonsense are you talking? She's been a wedding makeup artist for decades and knows exactly what makeup is fashionable."
"I don't want this fashionable makeup. I want Muqing to do my makeup simply and elegantly. From now on, leave everything to her. You don't need to worry about anything." Su Cuiping was resolute this time and refused to agree to anything Mrs. Wang said.
Her wedding was a once-in-a-lifetime event. If she went through with this makeup, wouldn't it leave a lifelong shadow on Brother San? She absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
Seeing that she was determined, Mrs. Wang had no choice. On such a joyous occasion, she couldn't scold the bride. With time ticking away, she could only hand over all subsequent tasks to Su Muqing.
Su Muqing, having been designated, took out a set of skincare products from her box. She asked for two basins of water, removed all the makeup from Su Cuiping's face with makeup remover, and then cleaned it off little by little.
The first basin of clean water quickly became murky, followed by the second, and then the third... In the end, she washed five basins of water before Su Cuiping's face was finally clean.
After washing her face and completing the skincare, Su Muqing squeezed a bit of setting essential oil and gently patted it onto Su Cuiping's face. Then, she proceeded to apply primer, concealer, BB cream, foundation, setting powder, followed by eye makeup, blush, and lipstick.
When she finished all the makeup, Mrs. Wang and the aunts beside her were somewhat stunned. Although her face was still painted very white, it didn't look stiff or out of place when paired with the other makeup.
Mrs. Wang finally felt relieved. No wonder her daughter had insisted Su Muqing do her makeup earlier. This makeup did look more natural and attractive than the previous one.
After finishing the makeup on her face, Su Muqing did not remove the hairstyle the makeup artist had done. Instead, she placed a complete set of hair ornaments on her head, leaving only a tassel comb at the back unfastened.
At this point, Mrs. Wang stepped forward, holding a wooden comb in one hand and lifting a lock of hair intentionally left at the back of Su Cuiping's head. As she combed, she chanted,
"First comb to the head, wealth and prosperity will be without worry. Second comb to the head, no illness, no disaster, no sorrow. Third comb to the head, many children, much happiness, and long life." Mrs. Wang, who had been smiling, began to shed tears as she chanted. From today onwards, her daughter belonged to someone else.