The engagement wine had been delivered, the matchmaker had been confirmed, and after the financial gifts were given, the Beginning of Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye. The auspicious date calculated by Blind He was the first day of the eighth month.
By this time, the weather was no longer as hot as before, gradually becoming cooler. The Medical Bureau was slowly getting on track, and Lu Tong wasn’t as busy as before. The Emperor had specially granted Pei Yunxi five days of leave to return home for his wedding.
Early in the morning, Renxin Medical Clinic was already bustling with activity.
Since yesterday, West Street had lanterns decorated with the character “happiness” hanging from trees on both sides of the long street. Firecrackers had been going off since early morning, with bright red fragments scattered all over the ground. A Cheng, carrying a bamboo basket tied with red silk, went door to door delivering candy. The neighbors who received the candy would happily reply with auspicious phrases like “Golden Boy and Jade Girl” and “May You Have a Hundred Years of Harmony.”
From time to time, instructions could be heard from the small window in the courtyard.
“A bit lower, that hairpin would look more suitable if placed higher.” In the room, Lu Tong sat upright before the dressing mirror.
Yin Zheng stood behind her, doing her hair, while Lin Danqing lay to one side, carefully giving instructions.
Lu Tong had no parents or relatives, living alone in Sheng Jing. Madam Song from the neighboring shop had suggested that Lu Tong hire a professional wedding hairdresser, but Lu Tong insisted on having Yin Zheng do her hair.
Having traveled together, though Yin Zheng and she had no blood ties, they were closer than family. She hoped to have family accompany her when she got married.
“Don’t worry,” Yin Zheng’s skilled hands moved swiftly, inserting hairpins and ornaments one by one, adding touches of splendor to the black hair. “I’ve always been good at doing hair, and knowing I would be doing Miss’s wedding makeup, I went to learn from the best hairdresser in Silver Moon Square a month in advance. I dare not say I can do better than the professionals, but I put my heart into it. Besides, Miss is naturally beautiful, you look good no matter how you’re styled.”
“That’s certainly true,” Lin Danqing sat sideways, sighing in admiration. “Our Sister Lu usually doesn’t even wear rouge, and now seeing you in formal red attire for the first time, tsk tsk tsk, who are you trying to stun?”
She spoke exaggeratedly, leaving Lu Tong speechless.
“Actually, at first, I didn’t expect you would end up with Commander Pei,” Lin Danqing remarked somewhat wistfully. “The two of you—one a Palace Reception official who always looks down on others, and one a medical officer who won’t spare a thought for anything but making medicine—yet you’ve ended up as a married couple. It shows that when it comes to marriage predestination, there’s truly no rhyme or reason.”
“However,” she casually picked up a longan from the candy basket beside her, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth, speaking mischievously, “What did I say before? I saw something unusual between you two early on. These eyes of mine are just that sharp. No wonder our ancestors said we Lin family members are the God of Marriage descended to earth. These tangled red threads, I can see at a glance who’s connected to whom.”
Hearing this, Yin Zheng couldn’t help but laugh: “Didn’t Doctor Lin once say your ancestors were Hua Tuo descended to earth?”
Lin Danqing clicked her tongue: “Well, the God of Marriage can treat illnesses while matchmaking at the same time, can’t they? Two birds with one stone.”
Lu Tong listened to them talking in the room, finding it amusing, and it helped dispel much of her wedding nervousness.
As they chatted and laughed, A Cheng came to hurry them several times. Yin Zheng inserted the last hibiscus hairpin into Lu Tong’s hair and let out a long sigh of relief: “Done!”
Lu Tong stood up.
In the mirror, the woman wore a gold-embroidered crimson gauze pleated dress with large sleeves, covered with a peony-patterned colored collar robe with large sleeves. The skirt was delicate and light, moving like a floating red cloud. Her black hair was styled up, and adorned with a small pearl and jade crown. Though the wedding dress was magnificent, it wasn’t cumbersome, light and beautiful, suiting her perfectly.
Lin Danqing circled her twice: “Commander Pei spent generously this time, this wedding dress makes even me envious.”
Yin Zheng teased: “Doctor Lin needn’t be envious, perhaps you’ll be wearing one soon. Our Miss is getting married today, I wonder when we’ll be drinking Doctor Lin’s wedding wine?”
Lin Danqing started, pretending to scold with a raised finger: “You young girl, how come you talk like my aunt? According to ancestral teachings, one shouldn’t give up the whole garden for one flower. I haven’t had enough fun yet, besides, watching others fall in love is much more interesting than falling in love oneself!”
She turned around and took out a small box from her bosom, handing it to Lu Tong: “Here, your wedding gift.”
Lu Tong opened it to look and was almost dazzled by what was in the box—it was a heavy gold lantern with the character “happiness” written on it.
Lu Tong asked puzzled: “This is…?”
“You’re marrying into the Pei family alone, and although Pei Yunxi seems to treat you well, it’s never wrong to keep something for yourself. What can our medical officers do with our meager salaries? It’s not even enough for snacks. After returning from Su Nan, I saved all the rewards from treating the epidemic and exchanged them for silver, then had Bao Xiang Tower make this gold lantern.”
“It’s a bit crude, but gold, well, sometimes it’s more useful than those fancy ornaments.” Lu Tong looked at the large gold lantern. The craftsmanship wasn’t particularly exquisite, and others might even call it “ugly,” but it was solid, and made for substantial weight.
She suppressed a smile, closed the box, and asked Yin Zheng to help put it away, sincerely saying: “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Lin Danqing moved closer to Lu Tong. “But, Pei Yunxi sent so many betrothal gifts, and I heard your clinic’s owner also added to your dowry, what did he give?”
“Dowry?” At this mention, Lu Tong’s expression changed slightly, thinking of something, and she burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, under the plum tree at the medical clinic, neighbors watching the excitement crowded the entrance. Tailor Ge asked while cracking melon seeds, “Shop Owner Du, your Doctor Lu is getting married, what gifts did you add as the owner? Don’t tell me you just sent a basket of wedding candy?”
“Get out of here,” Du Changqing erupted in anger. “Am I that petty? Not just Doctor Lu, even if this plum tree in front of our clinic were getting married, it would need to have several gold lanterns hanging on it!”
“Oh?” Widow Sun asked curiously, “So how many gold lanterns did you give Doctor Lu?”
“How superficial,” Du Changqing snorted: “Better to welcome people with wine than with fish. What I gave is naturally the best.”
As he spoke, his expression was particularly proud.
Lu Tong had nothing to her name, working as a medical officer in the clinic for a year. Apart from the two hundred taels of silver, he gave her after the spring examination, she hadn’t earned anything, working for a year for free. This angered Du Changqing so much he wanted to crack open Lu Tong’s head to see what she’d been doing all this time.
Lu Tong was penniless, while Pei Yunxi came from a wealthy family and served in the imperial city. Du Changqing thought about it from all angles and wasn’t willing to swallow this pride. But if he were to properly contribute to the dowry, even if he added up all the monthly salaries of everyone at Renxin Medical Clinic, it would still fall far short of the other party’s wealth. After much calculation, he came up with a brilliant plan.
Du Changqing decided to make Lu Tong the second owner of the medical shop.①
Lu Tong wouldn’t need to contribute any money normally, just needed to submit prescriptions on time and attend to patients diligently. In the future, half of every profit earned by Renxin Medical Clinic would belong to Lu Tong.
Of course, he absolutely wouldn’t admit that it was because he hoped Lu Tong’s prescriptions would help the clinic prosper.
Du Changqing thought himself a genius for coming up with this excellent strategy.
“This way, Doctor Lu transforms from a resident physician to the clinic’s second owner, doesn’t that sound more prestigious? Moreover, giving silver to exchange for dowry, what if some scoundrel embezzles it? Better to follow my way and share profits monthly. If someday there’s a divorce and she’s thrown out penniless, she’ll still have a place to belong, and won’t have to beg on the streets. Even if Pei Yunxi wants to argue with Doctor Lu, he’ll have to be careful—she has her maiden family backing her up.”
A Cheng was speechless: “Owner, Doctor Lu hasn’t even married yet, and you’re already cursing them with divorce. That’s not right, is it?”
“What’s wrong with saying that?” Du Changqing dismissed it, teaching earnestly, “A parent’s love plans for the long term, you don’t understand.”
Just then, another red-clothed young messenger came to hurry the bride.
When a bride leaves for her wedding, there must be several calls to hurry before departure. The young messenger said: “Please hurry, Shop Owner Du, the groom is already on his way.”
Du Changqing, with an unhappy face, called toward the back courtyard several more times. By the third call, there was finally movement in the courtyard.
“Coming, coming!” Yin Zheng’s laughter came from inside.
The neighbors gathered outside the clinic all craned their necks to look inside, and saw Lin Danqing and Yin Zheng supporting Lu Tong as she slowly walked out.
The bride had not yet put on her gold-embroidered veil. In her crimson gauze dress with gold embroidery, adorned with embroidered red clouds and a double-fish gold ceremonial robe, she resembled a lotus on distant mountains, her features as delicate as a painting.
She was naturally beautiful to begin with, though her temperament was somewhat cool and distant. When this woman who usually wore plain clothes donned red wedding attire, she became especially moving, like a simple flower suddenly blooming brilliantly, dazzling beyond imagination.
There was a moment of silence at the medical clinic’s entrance.
Then, the children’s happy laughter rang out: “The bride is here! The bride is here!”
Du Changqing quickly hushed everyone to be quiet, while A Cheng handed a small bowl of sesame rice balls to Miao Liangfang.
Miao Liangfang sat on a chair at the inner shop’s entrance, his cane beside him, holding the porcelain bowl and smiling at Lu Tong: “Little Lu, eat these rice balls, and may your days be round and complete.”
Lu Tong was speechless and suddenly moved.
Before a bride departs, her mother should feed her a bowl of rice balls before she gets into the sedan chair. Back in Chang Wu County, she had seen all the neighborhood girls follow this tradition when they married.
Now her parents and siblings were gone, and she had thought this ritual would have to be skipped, unexpected that the person feeding her rice balls would be Miao Liangfang.
Lu Tong gathered her skirts and sat down beside Miao Liangfang, allowing him to feed her a snow-white glutinous rice ball.
The sweet fragrance of sesame melted across her lips as Miao Liangfang looked at her and smiled: “Little Lu, though we’re not blood relatives, before the spring examination, I was at least half your teacher, and as they say, ‘one day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father.’ Now that you’re getting married, this old man will presume to act as your elder.”
Lu Tong smiled and said softly: “Thank you, teacher.” She had two masters.
One taught her to see through the cruel realities of the world and human treachery, while the other taught her medical ethics, compassion, and putting patients first. The former taught her to pursue justice, the latter taught her to let go.
The sound of carriages approached from the distance down West Street. A Cheng called out: “The groom’s procession is about to reach the alley entrance, don’t dawdle, quickly help Doctor Lu into the sedan chair!”
Du Changqing waved everyone aside. Today he too had changed into a new yellow robe, particularly bright among the crowd. He walked a few steps to Lu Tong and crouched down: “Get on!”
Traditionally, a bride should be carried to the bridal sedan chair by her brothers. Among all the people at Renxin Medical Clinic, this task could only fall to Du Changqing.
Yin Zheng helped Lu Tong lean against Du Changqing’s back. Though Du Changqing usually appeared boneless, lounging in the shop all day, unexpectedly his back was quite broad and sturdy. He carried Lu Tong with ease, walking toward the bridal sedan while muttering: “Did you put away the silver notes I gave you yesterday? Did you bring all your jewelry? When you get to their manor, be a bit proud in your attitude, don’t let them look down on you right away. Yin Zheng will be there to keep you company at night…”
He spoke of trivial matters, just like a real brother worrying about his sister who was about to leave home. As Lu Tong listened, her eyes gradually grew moist.
If Lu Qian were still here, today it would be Lu Qian carrying her to the bridal sedan. Lu Rou would have done her hair, and her parents would have fed her the first bite of rice balls before she left.
Her family was gone, but she had a new family now. Though they were different people, perhaps the warmth and bonds, the love and care were the same.
Du Changqing talked all the way while walking, including some cursing of Pei Yunxi. When they reached the bridal sedan, he set Lu Tong down, and Yin Zheng helped her into the sedan chair.
“Raise the poles—” A Cheng’s cheer rang out from outside.
Then Miao Liangfang distributed the prepared colored silk and wedding money to the surrounding guests.
“Aiya,” Elder Hu was squeezed to the edge of the crowd, losing several whiskers, but still managed to grab two strings of wedding money, and stuffed one string into Wu Youcai’s hand beside him: “Youcai, at your age you’re still not married, sharing in Doctor Lu’s wedding joy is just right!”
Beside Elder Hu, Wu Youcai wore a scholar’s blue robe and held the wedding money with an embarrassed smile.
When Wu Youcai received the wedding invitation from Renxin Medical Clinic, he asked for two days’ leave from the family where he taught, especially after returning to the city to attend the ceremony. He now worked as a tutor outside the city and seemed quite content, appearing more cheerful than before, no longer always burdened with worries. It was said the family he taught for treated him very well, and last year had even gently asked if he wanted to take the examinations again, which Wu Youcai politely declined.
Sometimes, when one’s gaze falls on distant places, the world seems broader, no longer confined to one place.
“Oh!” Someone bumped into him, and Wu Youcai turned around to see a woman in a cotton dress being pushed backward by the crowded people. Seeing this, she quickly bowed her head and apologized to him: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s fine.”
He Xiu bent down to pick up the colored silk that had fallen to the ground.
She had come specially to watch Lu Tong’s wedding ceremony.
After Medical Bureau Director Cui Mian’s incident, no one had yet been appointed as the new director, and Chang-Jin was temporarily managing affairs. The new emperor was rectifying the court, and both the Medical Bureau and Imperial Medicine Bureau were conducting top-down self-examinations. The medical workers who had been banished to the Southern Medicine Room finally had a chance to clear their names, and those who had been oppressed and bullied could start fresh. Because the original regulations for banishing medical workers from the Southern Medicine Room were unreasonable, from now on, new medical officials would take turns serving in the Southern Medicine Room regardless of their status.
Mei Erniang had also resigned from the Medical Bureau and left the imperial city.
He Xiu remained in the Southern Medicine Room, but no longer did tasks like collecting Hong Fang Xu. Shi Changpu from the Imperial Medicine Bureau thought she was good at processing and identifying medicines, so he asked the Imperial Medicine Bureau Director to request Chang Jin to transfer He Xiu from the Southern Medicine Room to the Imperial Medicine Bureau.
Work at the Imperial Medicine Bureau was much easier than at the Southern Medicine Room. He Xiu’s superior was Shi Changpu, who was best at avoiding work, so life suddenly became leisurely. After receiving Lu Tong’s wedding invitation, she took leave from Shi Changpu and came to West Street.
The Hong Fang Xu poison in her body had been eliminated, and the rashes on her face had all disappeared. She returned home every ten days to reunite with her siblings, and her happiness showed on her face.
He Xiu took a few steps forward and caught sight of Lu Tong. He Xiu secretly waved to Lu Tong, who smiled in response, making He Xiu smile too.
He Xiu felt that Lu Tong was much more relaxed now than when she was in the Southern Medicine Room. Back then, when they collected Hong Fang Xu together, no matter what happened, Lu Tong always maintained a calm face. Though this calmness made people feel at ease, it was like an invisible wall, clearly separating Lu Tong from others.
Now that wall was gone, and when the woman smiled, she had a childlike quality, just like a woman should at this best age, pure and simply joyful for what was before her.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted from outside: “They’re here, they’re here— the groom is coming—”
The neighbors crowded along the road made way when they heard this, and at the end of West Street’s long road, carriages gradually approached. Leading them was a man riding a tall, fine horse with bright saddle and reins, wearing a red silk round-collared formal robe with a gold belt and black leather boots, handsome and refined, riding proudly forward.
West Street had seen weddings before but never had anyone worn a red formal robe so eye-catching.
“Ah!” Widow Sun at the front saw his face and immediately drew in a sharp breath, excitedly patting the arm of the person beside her: “What a ‘handsome first among the imperial guards’!”
Dai Sanlang silently endured the pain of Widow Sun’s arm-patting and scattered melon seeds to one side.
Lu Tong also heard the sounds from outside.
She very much wanted to lift the curtain to see what was happening outside, but Yin Zheng’s voice came from outside the sedan: “Miss, you absolutely must not come out. The sedan is about to be lifted, please hold on.”
Lu Tong had to suppress her impulse.
She then heard the sounds of Pei Yunxi and Du Changqing bidding farewell, and the bridal sedan was slowly lifted. She felt the horse’s hooves stop beside her, seeming to sense his gaze on her from outside, and her heart settled slightly.
More sounds of scattering wedding money rang out from outside, and the sedan carriers gave a long shout—
- Note: This represents a significant gesture in Chinese culture, as sharing ownership of a business demonstrates deep trust and commitment.