Chapter 71: The Wedding (Part 2)

On the day her future sister-in-law moved in, Grandma had already sent over ten eggs.

At first, Ma Chunxia refused to take them, saying they were neighbors, and staying for just a few days didn’t require gifts.

But Grandma wouldn’t listen. After several rounds of insistence, Ma finally accepted them reluctantly.

The neighboring gate was wide open, but the courtyard was empty.

Jiang Fubao walked straight into the main hall.

She saw her future sister-in-law sitting on a chair while Ma Chunxia held a string to “open her face.”

In ancient times, weddings were usually held at night, and the ceremony could be referred to as “cheng hun” (formal marriage). After the formal rites before heaven and earth, the couple would enter the bridal chamber.

But poor families couldn’t afford oil lamps or candles.

What to do?

They moved the ceremony to midday.

After the rites, the groom would go entertain guests, while the bride sat alone on the bridal bed, patiently waiting.

She couldn’t eat or drink until nightfall.

This was the groom’s family’s subtle way of “training” the new bride, testing her patience.

All of this Jiang Fubao had overheard while sitting under the big tree at the village entrance.

Peasant households couldn’t afford lamps, let alone cosmetics.

Pre-wedding makeup often meant just taking a thin string, crossing it, and rubbing the face.

Nearly all elderly women had this skill.

“Fubao, come look! Isn’t your sister-in-law beautiful?” Seeing Jiang Fubao, Ma Chunxia immediately asked, beaming with pride.

“Beautiful!” Fubao shouted.

Qian Xile’s face instantly flushed crimson.

She hadn’t even completed the ceremony yet—how could she be called “sister-in-law”?

Ma Chunxia was teasing on purpose, and Fubao played along.

She wasn’t lying. Her future sister-in-law truly looked lovely today. Her face was bare, but the string rubbing had smoothed her skin and removed all fine fuzz.

Even her hairline looked clearer.

Her complexion brightened at least one shade.

As the saying goes, “fair skin hides three flaws.”

The formerly plain, honest-looking Xile suddenly had a gentle charm. She wore new linen clothes Grandma had bought from a tailor in town.

Xile’s long hair was pinned up with wooden hairpins, adorned with two pale pink flowers, probably picked from the roadside.

Strangely enough, opening up the face made her considerably more attractive.

Jiang Fubao suddenly remembered she had a set of cosmetics in the space.

But she couldn’t use it recklessly.

Still, Xile’s bare face looked too plain.

On this joyous day, a touch of red was necessary. Fubao secretly took the lipstick from the space, hid it in her sleeve, dabbed a bit on her finger, and returned it.

A red dot appeared on her fingertip.

She carefully applied it to Xile’s lips.

“Fubao, what are you putting on me?”

Qian Xile looked puzzled.

“Uh, I dabbed it from the red ‘double happiness’ paper. Wow! Sis-in-law, your lips are so red!”

Fubao feigned innocence.

Luckily, it was a bright red lipstick. She would never have used a pale pink or dusty rose.

“The red from the paper is quite vivid. Don’t wipe it, just leave it—it looks nice.”

There was no copper mirror at home.

Hearing Ma Chunxia’s praise, Xile lowered her hand, leaving the lipstick in place.

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Time passed.

Qian Xile was already at the Jiang household.

“First, we bow to heaven and earth—”

Accompanied by the matchmaker’s high voice, Jiang Tongjin and Qian Xile held the red cloth and bowed deeply toward the main entrance.

“Second, we bow to our elders—”

The elderly couple and Jiang Dahe with his wife in the hall laughed, their faces full of wrinkles.

“Third, the couple bows to each other—”

Without a red veil to cover them, Qian Xile’s cheeks burned crimson.

Jiang Tongjin was equally embarrassed, his ears burning.

Zhang Jinlan had informed the matchmaker in advance, so they skipped the bridal chamber entrance.

When Jiang’s three daughters-in-law married in the past, the procedure had been the same.

“Eh? Why isn’t the bride being led to the chamber? Did the matchmaker forget?” A young woman in the courtyard asked loudly.

She looked around seventeen or eighteen, seemingly newly married.

“Our family doesn’t have that custom,” Zhang Jinlan replied without further explanation.

Doing something different in the village could attract resentment.

That young woman’s question indicated she had experienced the same treatment when she married in.

Zhang Jinlan found it ridiculous.

Starving the bride from noon till night—what kind of test of patience is that?

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Soon, the wedding banquet officially began.

The Jiang household set up three tables, each with identical dishes: five dishes plus a staple.

They included stir-fried tender greens, steamed egg custard, stir-fried eggs with shepherd’s purse, coarse flour cakes, tender green soup, and bamboo shoots stewed with meat.

This was the most impressive banquet in Jiang Village in the past three years.

Even the richest family’s wedding in the village would only serve one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and one staple. The meat was still just eggs.

“Mother, why so many dishes? How much did this cost? You’re marrying a granddaughter-in-law, not a landlord’s daughter!”

Jiang Sanhe, back from her parents’ house, pulled her mother aside to scold, a bit bitter.

“Just three tables. How much could we eat? I haven’t asked you—why are you alone? Where’s your husband and the kids?”

Zhang Jinlan frowned.

Her daughter returned empty-handed. Luckily, the eldest daughter-in-law was easygoing. Otherwise, such behavior could cause family conflicts.

“Mother, don’t mention it. Last time I came back, my period was late two days. My mother-in-law thought I was pregnant and got excited—then it came that night. Her face turned so sour that I’ve been afraid to speak loudly.

Today, I planned to bring a few eggs, but her face sank again, so I didn’t. As for the children, Sunfu didn’t come, so I had to manage three kids alone. Easier to let them stay home. By the way, mother, why are there so many holes in the yard?”

Jiang Sanhe glanced at the pits in the backyard, puzzled.

“We’re expanding the house. The kids need more space. After Tongjin marries, his two younger brothers will sleep in Fubao’s room. With the compensation from the Zhou family, I decided to build a few more rooms. It’s better to do it all at once than rush later.”

The courtyard was filled with laughter.

Villagers praised the Jiang family’s generosity and the banquet’s splendor.

After finishing her explanation, Zhang Jinlan turned to entertain guests.

The wedding banquet lasted until early evening.

The food had long been eaten; everyone lingered, chatting and boasting.

As the sun set, people gradually left.

“Xile, come—Grandma has kept your bride price and dowry. You should take the money yourself now.”