Chapter 101: Frightened by the Return Visit
The Hong Family’s gold and silver beads, emeralds, silk brocade, tea, and wine were continuously sent over. The Li Family’s gold and jade, stationery, plates, and gift boxes were continuously sent back. The dazzling display of gifts exchanged back and forth, countless times, blinded everyone.
Even on the day of the wedding procession, what attracted everyone’s attention the most was how many pairs of courtesans and how many pairs of groomsmen arrived, what kind of flower fans were used to present gifts, how beautiful the eaves were, how much bonus was given for the wedding ceremony, and even the originally most lively act of teasing the groom, which instantly dissolved under handfuls of lucky money.
In a blink of an eye, it was the third day, the return visit.
The day before, the Hong Family had sent someone to inform the Li Family: when the young couple would depart from the Hong Family and approximately when they would arrive at Li Family Market.
Half an hour before Li Yin Zhu and her husband arrived at Li Family Market, Li Xiao Nan and Cui Ye were already waiting at the town entrance. The two of them leaned against the horse-tying stone, chatting and waiting for Li Yin Zhu’s return visit.
After waiting for over a quarter of an hour, first five or six attendants dressed in festive attire rode out from the intersection, followed by a brand-new cypress wood oil-painted cart. The cart was draped with red silk all around, and behind it were three or four more carts.
“Sister Yin Zhu has arrived! Go tell them quickly!” Cui Ye leaped up and shouted, grabbing a young boy and giving him a push.
“Sister Yin Zhu is here! Sister Yin Zhu is here!” The young boy was only seven or eight years old, running and jumping as he excitedly shouted.
The children ran fast and were the first to rush over. The girls and wives who had free time also ran over, and the several peers who had been assigned reception duties also hurried to meet them.
The town entrance instantly became lively.
The attendants dismounted before the horse-tying stone. One attendant took the reins to tie up the horses, while the others busied themselves with placing footstools and calling for the strong young men of the Li Family to unload gift boxes one by one from the last cart.
The maids and old women from the cart behind jumped down first, holding up their skirts, and hurried forward to serve.
Before the maids and old women could rush over, Hong Zhen Ye had already lifted the curtain, jumped down from the cart, and reached out to help Li Yin Zhu.
Li Yin Zhu’s hair was adorned with a gold hairpin inlaid with a hundred flowers, and a ruby hair ornament was used on one side. She wore a gold-embroidered red silk long gown and a bright red pomegranate skirt, looking extremely opulent and dazzling.
Li Xiao Nan stood beside the cart, carefully observing Li Yin Zhu’s complexion and expression.
Li Yin Zhu did not seem to be very accustomed to the silk brocade she was wearing. Her hands were not lightly lifting her skirt, but rather gathering the entire skirt, and still not at ease, she turned to see if the skirt was neatly gathered.
Li Xiao Nan shifted her gaze to Hong Zhen Ye.
Hong Zhen Ye held Li Yin Zhu’s arm with one hand, and with the other, he lifted Li Yin Zhu’s falling wide sleeves and placed them into her hands. He looked up at Li Yin Zhu, about to say something, when a few loud croaks sounded from the arms of a young boy who had squeezed to the front. Several toads scurried out from the boy’s arms and began to escape.
One toad happened to jump onto Hong Zhen Ye’s hand. Hong Zhen Ye let out a terrified scream and violently flung it away. The toad landed on the ground. Hong Zhen Ye glanced at the toad, immediately closed his eyes, stomped his feet wildly, and waved his hands, shouting, “Help! Save me! Help me!”
Li Yin Zhu quickly jumped down from the cart, bent down, caught the toad, and threw it out. She stood up straight, glared at Hong Zhen Ye, who was closing his eyes and stomping his feet and shouting, and slapped him on the shoulder, “It’s just a toad! What are you shouting about!”
“I’m scared, scared, scared, scared… of that thing!” Hong Zhen Ye’s face turned pale with fright. His lips trembled, and he couldn’t bring himself to say the word “toad.”
“It’s just a toad, they’re everywhere in the fields, why are you afraid of it!” Li Yin Zhu glared at Hong Zhen Ye, utterly speechless.
“I’m just scared…”
Before Hong Zhen Ye could finish speaking, with a loud “croak,” several more toads jumped out from another boy’s arms. Hong Zhen Ye let out a tragic cry and plunged into Li Yin Zhu’s arms.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter.
Li Xiao Nan slowly raised her hands, placed them on her hips, tilted her head, and looked at Hong Zhen Ye, who was holding Li Yin Zhu’s shoulders with both hands and burying his head in her chest, crying out one tragic cry after another. She didn’t know what kind of expression to put on.
Cui Ye’s laughter changed its tone.
Half a step behind, Sister-in-law Cao, who had only seen the latter half of the scene, waved her hands while laughing, shooing people away, “Everyone disperse! Disperse! What are you laughing at? Hurry up! Third Great Aunt, Third Great Uncle, this way. Third Great Uncle, don’t worry, there are no toads this way.”
“There are! He has them in his arms! He has them too!” A small boy hopped and skipped, pointing his finger, shouting happily.
“Cui Ye, stop laughing, chase these children away! And you, you all, take these toads away.”
“Third Great Uncle, don’t worry, this way.”
Sister-in-law Cao looked at Hong Zhen Ye, who was tightly gripping Li Yin Zhu’s arm, his face pale and trembling, then at Li Yin Zhu, whose shoulders had drooped in speechlessness. She couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Hong Zhen Ye, having just experienced a toad scare, drank a cup of tea in one gulp after entering the Li Family’s small courtyard and finally felt a bit better.
“What’s there to be afraid of with toads…”
“Can you please not say those words!” Hong Zhen Ye glared at Li Xue Dong, interrupting him.
“Alright, alright. Are you feeling better? Are you okay? Then let’s acknowledge our kinship here first, just among us siblings, and then go to the ancestral hall to acknowledge kinship. How about now, is that okay?” Li Xue Dong said with a smile.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Hong Zhen Ye took a deep breath.
“Let’s all go inside,” Sister-in-law Cao called to everyone.
In the main hall, Li Jin Zhu sat at the head facing the door, Li Yu Zhu sat on the other side, and Li Xue Dong and Li Xiao Nan sat opposite each other on the lower seats, to the left and right respectively.
Sister-in-law Cao was about to invite Hong Zhen Ye and Li Yin Zhu, who were standing side by side at the entrance of the main hall, to enter when Li Jin Zhu looked and asked loudly, “Where is Mei Jie?”
“I’ll go get her.”
Li Xiao Nan stood up and ran out. She first went to the kitchen, where Mei Jie was indeed. Li Xiao Nan pulled Mei Jie out, “Quickly, the kinship ceremony is happening, we’re just waiting for you.”
“How can I go! I’m unlucky!” Mei Jie was startled.
“That’s their nonsense, you’re very lucky. Eldest Sister is calling for you, hurry up.” Li Xiao Nan pushed Mei Jie outwards.
“Mei Jie, hurry up, we’re just waiting for you.” Li Xue Dong also came out.
“There’s no such reason, how can this be!” Mei Jie flustered.
“Sister Mei, go sit properly.” Sister-in-law Cao stepped forward, pulled Mei into the main hall, and seated her below Li Xiao Nan.
“I…”
Mei jumped up, but Sister-in-law Cao pressed her shoulders and pushed her back down, “Sister Mei, sit properly. Alright, the newlyweds may enter.”
Hong Zhen Ye and Li Yin Zhu stepped over the threshold one after another, standing side by side. Hong Zhen Ye performed a long bow, and Li Yin Zhu performed a curtsy. They first paid their respects to Li Jin Zhu, then turned to Li Yu Zhu, and continued until they reached Mei. They performed the same solemn long bow and curtsy.
Mei leaned back stiffly against the chair back, biting her teeth hard to stop herself from crying.
