Fan Changyu was probably the first bride who had to wake up early on her wedding day to slaughter a pig and prepare braised dishes.
She had previously slaughtered a pig for sale and used the remaining offal and head to make braised delicacies. With two pigs combined, she managed to fill two basins with enough sliced braised meat.
The aunties who came to help all commented on how delicious it smelled.
It was nearly noon when Madam Zhao finally urged her to return to her room to change into her wedding dress and do her makeup.
Fan Changyu only learned from Madam Zhao that there were two types of customs for a groom marrying into the bride’s family. In one, the groom would be carried in a flower sedan chair to the bride’s home, colloquially known as “carrying the groom’s head.”
The other was similar to a normal wedding, where the groom would stay at the bride’s home the day before, while the bride would leave from her maternal grandparent’s home, sitting in a flower sedan chair with much fanfare back to her own home, thus saving face for the groom.
Fan Changyu didn’t need to do either. Firstly, she no longer had money to rent a flower sedan chair. Secondly, the groom was just next door – he could come downstairs and directly proceed with the ceremony, so there was no need for such formalities.
The invited Madam Quanfu came to set up the bridal chamber and help her with her hair.
“First comb for harmony till the end, second comb for white hair and old age together, third comb for children and grandchildren…”
Fan Changyu sat at the dressing table, listening to Madam Quanfu recite the “Ten Combing Ceremony” and the bustling voices outside. For a moment, she had the illusion that she was truly getting married.
Outside, the guests were discussing the groom of the day most frequently. However, Madam Zhao was tight-lipped, and no matter how the women tried to inquire, she wouldn’t reveal even the slightest hint.
Some women sat together cracking melon seeds and couldn’t help but speculate privately: “The way the Zhao couple is helping Fan Changyu keep things so secretive, could it be that the groom is ugly as sin, too hideous to be seen?”
“I heard the groom injured his leg and can’t walk properly!”
Someone immediately gasped: “So he’s a cripple?”
The person next to her elbowed the woman who spoke, signaling her to lower her voice, then whispered: “After all, the Fan family is taking in a son-in-law. If he were perfectly fine, would he agree to marry into her family?”
The group couldn’t help but sigh, and someone brought up Song Yan: “It seems the Fan family and Song family have truly fallen out. Everyone from the entire alley is here today, except for the Song family.”
“Well, I’d say it’s better if the Song family doesn’t come to this wedding feast. Song Yan is known as the most handsome young man in ten villages around. If he came, he’d make the groom look worthless in comparison, and the Fan family would lose face!”
As everyone chattered away, when the auspicious time arrived, they all gathered in front of the Zhao family’s main gate to catch a glimpse of the groom.
On the contrary, when Fan Changyu, the bride, came out with a red veil covering her face, no one paid her any attention.
The weather was truly uncooperative today. It had started snowing in the afternoon, and by now, a thin layer of snow covered the courtyard walls. The ground, however, remained free of snow due to constant foot traffic, leaving only wet marks.
The firecrackers hung at the Zhao family’s main gate crackled loudly. As the crowd craned their necks to peer inside, they saw a pair of crutches emerge from the opened door, and their hearts sank with the confirmation – Fan Changyu had indeed married a cripple.
As the crutches moved, one foot of the groom crossed the threshold, revealing half of a reddish-brown robe to the onlookers’ sight.
Snowflakes fell like cotton, melting instantly on the robe, leaving only a faint, barely visible damp mark.
The noisy guests outside inexplicably held their breath.
After the groom’s other foot crossed the doorway, he finally emerged completely from the shadows inside the house. Snowflakes landed on his ink-black hair tied with a red ribbon, and between his dark hair and red clothes, his face appeared handsome and refined. His skin seemed even whiter than the falling snow, and the cold, aloof glance he cast toward the door left everyone breathless.
As the guests saw his appearance, they all gasped in astonishment.
In all their years, they had never seen such a handsome young man. Not only did he surpass Song Yan, but even the lead actor of the opera troupe couldn’t compare to a tenth of this groom’s good looks.
With sword-like eyebrows, star-bright eyes, and a face like polished jade, he truly had the appearance of a celestial being.
After a moment of dead silence, the crowd erupted into an even greater commotion than before.
“This groom is truly handsome!”
“I knew a girl as pretty as Changyu couldn’t possibly find an inferior husband!”
“Who said earlier that the groom was an ugly cripple? Is this appearance any worse than Song Yan’s?”
Xie Zheng, leaning on his crutches, passed through the clamoring crowd with an expressionless face. He frowned almost imperceptibly, seemingly finding the chattering women too noisy.
Turning a corner into the Fan family’s main gate, even the people still cracking melon seeds and chatting in the courtyard stood up to watch the spectacle when they saw him. Amidst the cacophony of voices, the most frequent comments were praises of his appearance.
Even the women helping in the kitchen, upon hearing that the groom was exceptionally handsome, couldn’t resist coming out to take a look.
Xie Zheng, suppressing the irritation between his brows, made his way towards the main hall for the ceremony, surrounded by onlookers the entire way.
He casually glanced towards the eaves ahead and caught sight of Fan Changyu, dressed in a wedding outfit matching his color. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, she had lifted a corner of her veil at the back of the crowd to secretly peek out. His gaze had already passed over her but suddenly returned, with a hint of surprise.
He knew she wasn’t bad-looking, but this was the first time he had seen her with makeup on.
Under the half-covered red silk, her almond-shaped eyes looked towards him, filled with a misty smile. Her cheeks were lightly brushed with rouge, and although the application technique was a bit clumsy, it didn’t detract from her beauty. Her lips, coated with lip rouge, were no longer as pale as usual, contrasting with her snow-white cheeks. At first glance, she appeared dazzlingly beautiful.
When their eyes met, she froze for a moment, then seemed to remember that this was her wedding scene. Hurriedly, like a guilty thief, she lowered her veil and stood properly.
Though she was truly a beauty, her actions… were always so peculiarly out of place.
Xie Zheng’s irritation from the noisy guests suddenly lessened a bit.
Perhaps this grand wedding wasn’t entirely tedious and cumbersome after all.
He entered the main hall on his crutches. Madam Quanfu handed one end of a red silk ribbon with a flower ball attached to it and the other end to Fan Changyu.
The elder officiating the wedding ceremony called out loudly: “The auspicious time has arrived, let the newlyweds bow!”
“First bow to Heaven and Earth—”
Fan Changyu, unable to see under her veil, was guided by Madam Zhao to face outward. She then bowed together with Xie Zheng to Heaven and Earth.
“Second bow to the ancestors—”
As both of their parents had passed away, only tablets were placed on the high table. The couple bowed once more to the tablets.
“Bow to each other—”
As they bowed, a gust of wind blew in, nearly lifting the veil off Fan Changyu’s head. She instinctively reached to grab it, but a large hand beat her to it, pressing the veil back onto her head.
She could imagine with her toes that this scene must not have looked very graceful.
Laughter erupted among the guests, “Look at the groom, he doesn’t want to let anyone see the bride!”
The veil blocked Fan Changyu’s vision, so she couldn’t see Xie Zheng’s expression at that moment. However, she found these teasing remarks quite embarrassing and only hoped he wouldn’t mind.
“The ceremony is complete—escort them to the bridal chamber!”
With this shout, she and Xie Zheng were finally led to the bridal chamber that had been prepared earlier, holding the red silk ribbon.
The so-called bridal chamber was quite simple, with red paper-cut characters for “double happiness” pasted on the doors and windows, and the bed covered with festive-colored sheets and quilts.
After Madam Quanfu said a series of auspicious words, she allowed Xie Zheng to lift the veil from Fan Changyu’s head.
The room suddenly brightened before her eyes, and the figures inside became clear. Earlier outside, when Fan Changyu had been caught peeking from under her veil, she had quickly lowered it and hadn’t seen clearly.
Now, with the person just a step away, Fan Changyu looked at Xie Zheng in his red attire and once again marveled at how clothes truly make a man.
In this outfit today, if he were to walk down the street, he would likely dazzle quite a few young ladies.
Madam Quanfu smiled, “Look, what a beautiful bride, truly a match made in heaven with the groom!”
The women around covered their mouths and laughed.
Fan Changyu awkwardly curved her lips in response.
Xie Zheng’s expression remained indifferent, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking.
Madam Quanfu, along with the other women in the room, picked up peanuts and red dates from a plate and sprinkled them over the couple’s heads, saying, “Dates bring noble sons.”
These things hurt a bit when they hit, so Fan Changyu spoke up at the right moment: “Thank you, aunties, but my husband is injured. The fruit sprinkling is just for good luck, so let’s end it here for today.”
This remark inevitably led to more teasing: “Look at that, Changyu is already protecting her husband!”
Fan Changyu endured their teasing with a thick skin. After sending away the roomful of people, she asked Xie Zheng, “Are you hurt?”
Xie Zheng looked at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes: “No.”
Relieved, Fan Changyu continued, “I still need to go out and greet the guests. You rest easy in the room. If you’re hungry, you can eat some of the pastries on the table first.”
These words should have been said by the groom to the bride, but coming from Fan Changyu’s mouth, they sounded strange no matter how one heard them.
After a moment’s silence, Xie Zheng nodded slightly.
Having endured for so long with his injuries, his expression indeed showed unmistakable weariness.
Fan Changyu went out to attend to the guests. Since her family no longer had elders and she was marrying a groom, almost no one urged her to drink during the feast. Everyone ate merrily, and as the sky darkened, they gradually took their leave.
As the feast dispersed and Fan Changyu was cleaning up the tables and chairs, she noticed a brocade box someone had left on the table by the door.
She asked Madam Zhao, who was helping with the cleanup: “Auntie, who left this gift?”
Madam Zhao also looked puzzled: “The gift registry was completed before the feast began, and I didn’t see this box earlier. I don’t know who brought it later without saying a word.”
Fan Changyu opened the box and, upon seeing the pair of clay dolls inside, her face instantly turned cold.
She immediately threw the box into the pile of garbage that Madam Zhao had just swept up, instantly breaking the clay dolls.
Seeing Fan Changyu’s reaction and recognizing the broken male and female clay dolls, Madam Zhao’s face changed. She spat viciously in the direction of the Song family’s house: “That heartless beast! When you were in trouble, he distanced himself more quickly than anyone, and now he sends this thing to upset you on your wedding day?”
Fan Changyu said, “Don’t be angry, Auntie. What’s the point of getting upset over someone who doesn’t matter?”
She wasn’t angry because the clay dolls had stirred up any bad memories, but simply because she found it irritating.
Those clay dolls were a gift she had given to Song Yan the year his father passed away when she saw him feeling depressed. She was only seven or eight years old at the time.
Over the years, Fan Changyu believed that her parents had treated Song Yan well. But after her parents’ death, he was the one who rushed to break off the engagement. When she was troubled by Fan Da and the gambling den people, he was the one who closed his doors and refused to see her.
Now, sending this pair of clay dolls on her wedding day, what was he trying to say?
Due to this unpleasantness, Fan Changyu’s expression remained blank even until the evening when the family sat down for dinner.
As Xie Zheng was injured and couldn’t move easily, she brought the meal to his room: “You’re injured, so I’ve chosen some light dishes for you.”
Xie Zheng had noticed her unusual expression from the moment she entered the door, but he didn’t ask anything. He just half-lowered his eyes and said a faint thank you.
By the time everything was completely cleaned up, it was almost the hour of Hai (9-11 pm). Madam Zhao was about to take the sleeping Ning’er next door, but Fan Changyu directly said it wasn’t necessary, “Since our parents passed away, Ning’er has always slept with me. Otherwise, she gets night terrors and cries all night.”
Madam Zhao said, “That’s fine for normal days, but on your wedding night, no matter what, the newlyweds should sleep in the same room. Otherwise, it’s not auspicious.”
With that, she left no room for Fan Changyu to speak further and carried Ning’er out of the room.
The courtyard, which had been so noisy during the day, was now eerily quiet.
Red lanterns hung high under the eaves, casting a dim yellow glow on the snowy night.
Fan Changyu sat on the doorstep hugging her knees, staring at the large flakes of snow falling in the night sky for a while before getting up to go inside.
Since it was a fake marriage, Fan Changyu naturally couldn’t sleep in the same room with someone.
However, all the cotton quilts in the house were stored in the bridal chamber. That room was originally where she slept, but after her parents passed away, Ning’er was afraid to sleep alone and squeezed in with her. Now that it had been turned into the bridal chamber, the adjacent room hadn’t been prepared with bedding yet.
As it was the room she had lived in for over a decade, she habitually pushed the door open and entered. Only then did she realize that Xie Zheng was changing his clothes. He had already taken off his outer robe and was facing away from her, with his inner garment half-removed, hanging at his elbows and falling to his waist.
It was a beautiful body. Between the bandages, the exposed skin gleamed a lovely honey color in the candlelight, with clearly defined muscles.
Due to her sudden entry, he slightly turned his head. His face, like carved jade, wore a cold expression that somehow seemed both ascetic and bewitching at this moment.
Fan Changyu stared blankly for several breaths, until the other furrowed his long brows in displeasure and pulled his half-removed inner garment back on, asking, “Do you need something?”
Only then did she suddenly come to her senses, realizing she was acting like a hooligan lusting after a virtuous young lady’s beauty? Her face burning, she quickly turned around: “I’m sorry, I forgot to knock. I’m not used to it yet. I just came in to get a quilt.”
“Go ahead and take it,” came the cold, clear voice from behind.
Fan Changyu tried her best not to look sideways as she took two cotton quilts from the wardrobe. Hugging them, she walked out of the room without daring to turn her head. Only after turning the corner did she take several deep breaths in relief.
She had truly embarrassed herself! She hoped he wouldn’t misunderstand.
Xie Zheng’s keen hearing naturally picked up on her faint sigh.
His eyes revealed no trace of emotion. Only after hearing the sound of her footsteps recede into the distance did he undo the bandages and apply medicine to the deeper, more severe wounds.
The medicine had been tied to the leg of a gyrfalcon and sent over—a precious golden wound-healing powder that was nearly impossible to obtain. Its potency was incredibly strong.
The moment the powder touched the wounds, pain shot through him like a piercing blade, making every muscle and tendon in his body tense. Veins bulged along his arms, cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and he clenched his teeth so hard that a faint taste of blood filled his mouth.
To prevent the blood from staining anything, he sat on a wooden stool inside the room, hands clenched into tight fists resting quietly on his knees. Beads of sweat, mixed with blood and grime, slowly rolled down his rigid spine. The scene looked less like a treatment and more like a torturous punishment.
Enduring this inhuman pain, sweat dripped from his eyelids, yet he did not so much as blink. His eyes, reflecting the flickering candlelight, were filled with a brooding darkness.
These wounds and the searing pain etched into his flesh—he would make sure to return it all one day.
Suddenly, the footsteps outside the room, which had disappeared earlier, came back. Xie Zheng raised his gaze, still brimming with unrestrained hostility, and looked towards the doorway.