Before dawn the second day, all the lights in the Liu Family Courtyard were bright.
Song Chongjin heard the noise outside and immediately woke up, pushing the still sleeping Wang Family Brothers awake.
The three of them got up, washed their faces with cold water, and regained their alertness.
The Liu Family had already made all the preparations.
The matchmaker had already helped Liu Xiaoqiao draw her brows and apply makeup early on.
Mother Liu, both relieved and reluctant, stepped forward to comb Liu Xiaoqiao’s hair, murmuring as she did so, "One comb to the end, a second for hair as white as eyebrows, and a third for children and grandchildren all around..."
By the end, she couldn’t help but let the tears flow.
Liu Xiaoqiao, who had been worried yesterday about Wang Yongping not coming to marry her, found it hard to leave today when the time actually came.
Her eyes also reddened, as she simply held on to Mother Liu, calling her ’mother’.
It took the matchmaker a good while to console the mother and daughter before they could stop their tears, finish combing the hair, put on the red flowers, and cover the head with a red bridal veil.
Outside, Wang Yongping and his companions had also eaten breakfast and changed into the groom’s red robes. With the joyous spirit of the occasion, he even exuded a certain masculine vigor.
Seeing Liu Xiaoqiao slowly coming out in a red bridal dress, Wang Yongping’s eyes went wide, and he instinctively stepped forward to take her hand.
He was firmly held back by Wang Yongfu, saving him from making a fool of himself.
The matchmaker led Liu Xiaoqiao to the main house, where Father Liu and Mother Liu were seated, with cushions placed in front of them.
The couple stepped forward to bid farewell to their parents.
Father Liu, who was always strong, was also distressed at this moment as he watched his daughter marry off, his eyes reddening despite being a grown man.
He advised her, "Live your life well! After marrying into the Wang Family, be respectful to your in-laws,"
Turning his head, he addressed Wang Yongping, "After our Xiao Qiao marries into your family, I trust you to take good care of her. If she does anything improper, come tell me, and I will discipline her!"
Wang Yongping hastily nodded his head, "Dad, rest assured! I will treat Xiao Qiao well!"
Mother Liu had already been crying incessantly, and finally managed to say, "Live a good life—"
Liu Xiaoqiao too began shedding tears, holding on to Mother Liu’s hand and refusing to let go, until the matchmaker reminded them that any further delay would miss the auspicious hour.
It was Father Liu who steeled his heart and pulled Mother Liu aside.
Liu Daming carried Liu Xiaoqiao onto the bridal carriage, with the matchmaker accompanying her inside.
All the trinkets and clothes boxes from Liu Xiaoqiao’s dowry were loaded into the carriage, along with several other boxes of dowry items; Liu brothers and the men from Chongzi Gou would carry them and soon follow the bridal carriage to the Wang Family.
The convoy included two Liu brothers and seven or eight hunters from the mountains, all dressed in brand-new clothes today, looking particularly spirited.
After thanking his in-laws once more, Wang Yongping finally rose to bid them farewell.
Wang Yongfu was driving the carriage, with Wang Yongping and the matchmaker in the cabin accompanying Liu Xiaoqiao.
Song Chongjin walked behind the bridal convoy.
Faintly, one could hear Wang Yongping comforting Liu Xiao Qiao from inside, "Xiao Qiao—uh, my wife, don’t cry now. Today is our big day. If you miss your parents, I’ll come back with you to visit them more often in the future."
The matchmaker also said some auspicious words on the side and, being not a weak girl, Liu Xiaoqiao also came to terms with her feelings after a while, wiped her tears, sat up straight, and began to worry about her future life.
The Wang Family’s people, she had almost met all of them, but as for those with whom she had really interacted, it was just her in-laws and her younger sister-in-law, three in all.
Elder brother Wang Yongfu seemed honest and kind-hearted, while third brother Wang Yonggui had not made a good impression last time, and there were also two sisters-in-law, and a bunch of nieces and nephews.
Although Liu Xiaoqiao had been meticulously taught by Mother Liu, when the moment arrived, she couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Her heart, along with the jolting of the carriage, was uneasy with trepidation.
Unsure of how long they had been travelling, she suddenly heard Wang Yongfu outside reminding them, "We’re almost there, Laosi, you take over driving the carriage, I’ll go arrange the bridal procession."
As he spoke, he tossed the reins to Wang Yongping and got down from the carriage, walking ahead.
Liu Xiaoqiao listened carefully and, after a while, she heard a flurry of footsteps followed by the simultaneous sound of suonas and firecrackers starting, and the bustling festivity began.
Liu Xiaoqiao was taken aback and secretly lifted her bridal veil to look at the matchmaker.
The matchmaker smiled and patted the hand of Liu Xiaoqiao, the new bride, "According to the customs of the village at the foot of the mountain, we must have music and festivity to welcome a new bride. But because the mountain road is too far and inconvenient, your husband’s younger sister came up with this idea, to have them wait at the entrance of the village. As soon as the new bride arrives, they will start playing, so everyone can share in the joy."
Liu Xiaoqiao’s mind turned, and she understood the kind intentions of her sister-in-law. She herself was a girl from the mountains, without much sophistication.
Coming to the Wang Family, if the occasion was not lively, she feared people might gossip about her behind her back. So making a special effort to orchestrate this fanfare was also meant to show support for her.
Putting aside everything else, this thoughtfulness alone settled Liu Xiaoqiao’s uneasy heart.
The bridal procession, with music and fanfare, circled the village and joined the team that had come from behind carrying the dowry, then spiritedly proceeded to the Wang Family’s home.
The onlooking villagers, though not quite understanding why the Wang Family, on such a good day, couldn’t marry any bride they wanted and had to marry a girl from the mountains instead.
However, seeing the dowry that followed the carriage, with seven or eight carriages’ worth and observing the arc of the porter’s shoulder poles bending under the load, they knew the dowry was not just empty boxes.
It seemed that the new bride’s family indeed had substantial means.
Upon reaching the entrance to the Wang Family home, Wang Yongping jumped down from the carriage, and under the teasing gazes of those around, helped Liu Xiaoqiao off the carriage. The matchmaker had already put a red cloth in the hands of each.
Hand in hand, one after the other, they entered the Wang Family’s residence.
Today, the Wang Family Patriarch acted as the witness to the marriage, announcing the first bows to heaven and earth, the second bows to the parents, and after the couple had bowed to each other, the new bride was sent into the bridal chamber amidst a heap of laughter from the crowd.
The Liu brothers were seeing the Wang Family’s new house for the first time. They had only heard the Wang Family mention that once the new house was built, they would have the wedding for their sister and Wang Yongping.
They just thought there would be a few new rooms next to the old house, but they didn’t expect that such a large courtyard had been newly constructed.
For a moment, their eyes were not enough to take everything in, following Song Chongjin, they moved the dowry into the bridal room.
The new room’s kang bed was covered with a fresh red happiness quilt, the furniture all made of fir wood and adorned with red happiness characters, even the table before the kang had a pair of dragon and phoenix wedding candles lit.
The chests and cabinets were of every color, and even the window paper had happiness characters pasted on them.
Clearly, it had been arranged with great care, and the Liu brothers genuinely found nothing to fault.
After they had placed the dowry, Song Chongjin invited them out; as guests of the bride’s side attending the wedding, naturally there were people to entertain them.
Wang Yongping brought Liu Xiaoqiao into the new room, and amid the crowd’s jovial teasing, he lifted her bridal veil, revealing Liu Xiaoqiao’s face to everyone present.
There was an irreverent young man who let out a whistle, "The new bride is really beautiful!"
Then he was immediately elbowed by someone next to him and promptly shut his mouth.