Getting Married
The house built by Yu Qingze was grand, and he had chosen top-quality materials, attracting many villagers to gather and watch during the construction process.
Now that it was completed, it looked even more impressive.
The entire house was made of blue bricks and large roof tiles. In addition to the main house, there were two wing rooms on both sides, as well as some small side rooms. There was a surrounding wall enclosing the entire property, including the pigsty, firewood shed, and storage room in the backyard, all made of blue bricks and tiles.
Entering through the front gate, there were corridors on both sides, directly connected to the east and west wing rooms. Even in the rain, one could walk through the corridors and reach the main house through the east and west wing rooms.
On both sides of the east and west wing rooms, there were small side rooms. Yu Qingze divided the small side rooms into two sections, connecting one of them to a bedroom. He turned it into a front washroom with a rear toilet.
He put a lot of effort into designing the toilet, making it a semi-modern squat toilet. It had a sloping pathway made of several long, smooth stone troughs that led directly to the septic tank outside the house. Because the pathway was long, the smell from the septic tank wouldn’t enter the house, which was very convenient.
There were three such toilets, one in each of the east and west wing rooms, and one in the main house. This way, it wouldn’t be so difficult to go to the toilet during the cold winter nights.
In the middle was a spacious courtyard with two small flower beds. The rest of the space was left empty for drying things. The main house had a spacious hall in the middle, with the kitchen on the left and two bedrooms on the right. A water well was dug at the entrance of the kitchen, eliminating the need to fetch water from outside, making things very convenient.
Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.
Behind the main house, there are storage rooms, a woodshed, and pigsties.
The villagers eagerly went inside to explore, looking here and there, filled with curiosity.
No wonder it’s Boss Yu, even the house is different from others. Look at this house, it’s more spacious and better than Master Yu Xiucai’s. It’s the first of its kind in Niutou Village.
Old Man Cai and Old Man Zhao heard that Yu Qingze’s house was completed, so they found time to come together and visit.
Yu Qingze was extremely happy. Both families have deep blessings, so their visit couldn’t be better. According to tradition, if fortunate and noble people are invited to visit the new home before moving in, it brings blessings and good luck to the new house.
The two families looked at the new house one by one and nodded in approval. They all thought it was great, especially the toilet, which left a deep impression. They thought it was very convenient and wanted to have one in their own homes.
After the new house was completed, Yu Qingze and his family spent a whole day cleaning every corner and opened the windows for ventilation. Then they temporarily locked the door.
They still needed to invite someone to choose an auspicious date for moving in and also consider a lucky date for the marriage.
On the eighth day of the third month, Yu Qingze went to find Matchmaker Liao to discuss the marriage matters and asked him to find someone to choose an auspicious date.
The person they found to choose an auspicious date was an elderly man. He visited the new house and examined the birth charts of the couple. After calculating for a while, he finally said, “This month, there are two good days for moving in and getting married. The tenth day is suitable for moving in, and the twenty-eighth is suitable for marriage and moving in.”
“Moving in on the tenth is possible, but would it be too rushed for the wedding?” Grandpa Chang asked the elderly man which day next month would be suitable for the wedding.
The elderly man replied, “There are no suitable days in April for the two of them to get married. It will have to be in May, and May sixteenth is also a good day.”
Yu Qingze couldn’t wait to get married immediately. Upon hearing this, he asked Matchmaker Liao, “Uncle, do you think the twenty-eighth is possible? What preparations do we need?”
Matchmaker Liao answered, “It’s a bit rushed, but it’s still manageable. It’s possible to make it on time. However, have you prepared your wedding attire?”
“Can’t we buy wedding attire?” Yu Qingze asked.
Brother Le listened on the side and gestured, “I’ve prepared mine.”
Yu Qingze looked at Brother Le in astonishment, “Brother Le, you’ve prepared the wedding attire? When did you do it? I didn’t see you doing it.”
Brother Le blushed slightly and gestured, “I started preparing before the new year. Brother Chang and his mother also helped. It was completed a couple of days ago.”
Yu Qingze asked, “Did you make mine too?”
Brother Le nodded with a red face.
It seems that Brother Le and I had the same idea, both eager to get married soon. Yu Qingze felt delighted and smiled. He then said to Matchmaker Liao, “The wedding attire is ready.”
Matchmaker Liao asked, “What about the wedding quilt?”
“We can buy that,” Yu Qingze replied. Making it ourselves would be too tiring for Brother Le.
Upon hearing this, Matchmaker Liao said, “That works too. Well then, Uncle, if you agree with the twenty-eighth, you need to start preparing quickly.”
Grandpa Chang looked at the two couples and, seeing that they both wanted the twenty-eighth, nodded and said, “Let’s go with the twenty-eighth then.”
Yu Qingze asked the elderly person who chose the auspicious date, “Sir, can I move in and get married on the same day?”
The elderly person replied, “You can, if you don’t mind the hassle on that day.”
Yu Qingze said, “I don’t have time to organize a separate housewarming banquet. Let’s combine the housewarming and the wedding together. Grandfather, Brother Le, what do you think?”
Both of them had no objections.
So, they decided to move in and get married together on the twenty-eighth.
They discussed some precautions for moving in and other matters regarding the wedding. In the afternoon, Yu Qingze, led by Matchmaker Liao, went to the city to purchase the betrothal gifts.
They were busy buying the betrothal gifts for two days. Just after Yu Qingze finished purchasing the gifts, the next day, Grandpa Chang asked Matchmaker Liao to go and prepare the dowry. Matchmaker Liao was busy running around as well.
After both sides had finished their purchases, Matchmaker Liao went through the subsequent procedures as per Yu Qingze’s request.
Two days later, the village chief had the furniture prepared and applied varnish according to Yu Qingze’s requirements.
A few men moved the large pieces of furniture into the new house and placed them casually. They would arrange them properly on the auspicious day of moving in.
The preparations for moving in and the wedding were progressing smoothly.
Meanwhile, in this month, two major events also took place in Dasheng Village.
First, on the ninth day of the third month, the Chunwei examination was held.
(T/N: Chunwei examination was an imperial examination held during the Tang Dynasty in ancient China. It was a significant examination that took place in the spring and was open to talented scholars seeking official positions in the government. The successful candidates would be eligible for appointment to various bureaucratic positions within the imperial court.)
Second, in early March, a particularly massive corruption and bribery case was uncovered in the court. The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. Two high-ranking officials involved in the case were thrown into the imperial prison, while the other implicated officials were all thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice, awaiting punishment according to the law.
With the investigation of this corruption and bribery case, a nine-year-old wrongful conviction case also came to light.
On the twenty-fourth day of the third month, the county magistrate, the magistrate’s assistant, and the historian of Tongshan City were arrested for their involvement in the case. County Magistrate Zhao Jin temporarily took charge of the administration.
The court was in turmoil, sparking a massive anti-corruption wave. People in the court were in a state of panic, while the common people below praised one another, believing that these parasites of the nation should be rooted out and cleansed!
On the day when the county magistrate and others were arrested, many common people gathered on the streets, throwing rotten eggs, vegetable leaves, and dishwater at these corrupt officials.
Yu Qingze also witnessed this spectacular street parade in front of a snack shop, feeling a sense of relief in his heart.
The news spread throughout the city for several days before gradually calming down.
But Yu Qingze didn’t have time to listen to gossip anymore. The twenty-eighth was approaching, the day of his wedding!
On the twenty-eighth day of the third month, the entire staff of the snack shop took a day off and hung a sign saying, “Closed for one day due to the owner’s joy.”
Niutou Village.
Today, the whole village knew that Yu Qingze was going to marry Brother Le, and it was their auspicious day for moving into the new house.
Outside Yu Qingze’s new house, red lanterns were hung, and red “Xi” characters were pasted. Apart from the beds and cabinets in each room not being properly arranged, everything else was decorated according to the wedding requirements.
Early in the morning, Yu Qingze, accompanied by his family, followed the instructions of the elderly person who determined the auspicious day for moving in and completed all the necessary tasks. Then he freshened up before changing into the wedding attire and opening the door to welcome the guests who came to witness the ceremony.
Afterward, an elderly couple from the village, who had four generations living together, arrived to help Yu Qingze make the bed in his bridal chamber.
They skillfully arranged the wedding bed with red canopy curtains, embroidered mandarin ducks playing in water on the bedding, and matching pillowcases and sheets. They sprinkled peanuts, red dates, longans, and lotus seeds on the bed and playfully placed a small baby on it before picking him up again. They also set up the red candlestick and prepared the wedding wine, then closed the door and left.
Old Master Cai and his wife, accompanied by Cai Yunwei, and Old Man Zhao with his two children, came to witness the ceremony. Boss Liu also came with his spouse. Yu Qingze invited them to the hall and asked the village chief and other elders to keep them company before going out to greet other guests.
The villagers immediately felt that the level of the wedding had greatly improved upon seeing them.
On this day, Jiabao was also dressed in festive attire. He was busy welcoming guests at the entrance and in the courtyard together with the villagers who came to help.
On the other side, not far away, Brother Le’s house was also adorned with colorful decorations. The villagers with the surname Chang gathered there as Brother Le’s family.
Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao were busy welcoming the villagers, their smiles never fading since the morning. Chang Sheng, after the incident of the last feast, had indeed become more open-minded. Today, for Brother Le’s wedding, he also came to help with the bridal procession.
In Brother Le’s room, Brother Chang, his mother, and Wen Li were busy doing his makeup and dressing him up.
Brother Le’s long bangs had just been trimmed a few days ago and now fell neatly, making him look his best.
Wen Li, as his only elder ger figure, was combing his hair for him.
As for Brother Chang’s mother, after Brother Le’s mother passed away, he became the best elder ger to him, taking care of his wedding attire.
After his hair was styled, Brother Chang also applied makeup for Brother Le.
His eyebrows resembled distant black ink, his eyes shone like stars, his nose was delicate and exquisite, and his teeth were white with rosy lips.
“You look so handsome! Boss Yu will definitely be captivated by you!” Brother Chang admired Brother Le’s appearance.
Blushing, Brother Le smiled sheepishly at the compliment. This was his first time wearing makeup, and he couldn’t recognize himself in the mirror.
With her hands on Brother Le’s shoulders, Wen Li looked at him in the bronze mirror and said, “Brother Le, your uncle did a lot of inappropriate things in the past that hurt your heart. I’m sorry.”
Brother Le was taken aback, he pursed his lips and gently shook his head, indicating that the past was already behind them.
Wiping his eyes, Wen Li continued, “Originally, I should have talked to you about what happens after marriage, but you handle things better than I do, and you are more reliable. I won’t say anything. Uncle wishes you and Aze a long and happy life together, growing old together.”
Brother Le smiled and nodded, gently patting Wen Li’s hand to express his gratitude.
Just then, the sound of drums and gongs came from outside. Matchmaker Liao opened the door and said, “The groom is here to welcome the bride. Hurry up and cover his head.”
Wen Li then placed the red veil over Brother Le’s head.
Although Yu Qingze’s new house was only about thirty steps away from Brother Le’s house, Yu Qingze deliberately rented a bridal sedan chair, carried by eight people.
After welcoming Brother Le, they used the sedan chair to bring him back to the new house in a grand manner.
The villagers looked on with sighs and admiration.
Who could have predicted that Brother Le would have such a splendid wedding and marry such an outstanding and capable man?
“The auspicious moment has arrived! The couple should perform the ceremony!”
The couple, holding the red embroidered ball, walked slowly into the hall.
Yu Qingze felt delighted and couldn’t help glancing at Brother Le from time to time.
From today onwards, Brother Le would be his spouse.
He had entered into a marriage!
Brother Le felt both happy and nervous. His palms were sweaty, and he kept his gaze fixed on the ground, afraid of stumbling and embarrassing himself.
Feeling Yu Qingze stop beside him, Brother Le also stopped and let out a breath. They had finally arrived.
“First bow to heaven and earth!”
The two of them turned around and knelt down for a bow.
“Second bow to the parents!”
They turned around again and knelt before Grandfather Chang, who was seated in the center of the hall.
“The exchange of bows between spouses!”
They turned to face each other and slowly performed the bow.
“The ceremony is complete! Escort them to the bridal chamber!”
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
