FIMA Ch45: Marriage

In the room, Xie Changyue sat on the edge of the worn, hard bed, hugging his knees.

His eyes, clear as spring water, blinked lightly. He had changed parents in a daze. Although he had decided to come here himself, who could have expected that he would suddenly be engaged?

He stole someone else’s identity?

Back then, wasn’t it because he was forced to die for someone else, and it was just luck that he didn’t die?

However, he truly couldn’t stay in the Xie family anymore.

Xie Er had some blood affection for him, but he valued Liu Zhi and her two children more.

And because Liu Zhi had chosen Shen Changhuan and abandoned him on the cliff that day, she probably felt guilty toward him. Thus, she was completely unwilling to face him on ordinary days, pretending he didn’t exist as much as possible.

As for the brothers Xie Qiu and Xie Dong, they were completely hostile toward him.

Xie Changyue pinched a loose thread on his sleeve with his slender, white fingers, unable to help but wonder: When his biological mother asked him to die for Shen Changhuan back then, what was she thinking?

If she didn’t like him, why let him be born? It wasn’t as if he absolutely had to be reincarnated into her belly.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of the young man he had encountered outside the Gu family wall yesterday afternoon.

Was that Gu Zhen?

Was that his future husband?

People say that when a woman or a Ger grows up and marries, it’s equivalent to a second reincarnation. Would he reincarnate a little better this time?

In Xie Changyue’s mind, the man’s falcon-like eyes and his extremely cold and imposing aura involuntarily surfaced. He couldn’t help but shiver. How frightening.

He was far more terrifying than those young masters he used to see in the capital, even more alarming than his own father and uncles.

Just at this moment, a burst of noise sounded in the Xie family’s small courtyard.

One of the voices sounded a bit like the matchmaker who had visited that day.

Xie Changyue remembered what Xie Qiu had said to mock him not long ago, saying that Gu Zhen had been close to Shen Changhuan since childhood and might not even be willing to marry him.

Yesterday, outside the courtyard wall, he seemed to have heard the Gu family expressing an intention to break the engagement. Were they here to break it off now?

So, he didn’t even have the chance to reincarnate into that scary man’s family?

Xie Changyue reached out and gently combed his long black hair that draped over his chest.

Sigh, how pitiful…

“Click-clack…”

A long while later, there was movement at the door.

“Changyue, I have something to discuss with you,” Liu Zhi’s voice came from outside.

Xie Changyue got off the bed, put on his shoes, and went to open the door.

After the door opened, standing outside was not only Liu Zhi, but also a beaming matchmaker. Xie Qiu was also craning his neck to look from behind, wearing a smile of smugness mixed with reluctance.

Xie Changyue didn’t say anything, first inviting them in to sit down.

After listening to their explanation, Xie Changyue narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes: “The Gu family wants to swap the person?”

The matchmaker was there to speak good words, so she hurriedly explained: “Well, your family swapped, so it’s understandable for the Gu family to swap too. Besides, although Gu Yang is a bit inferior to Gu Zhen, he is still one of the top fine young men in our Huangyang Village. He is also studying at the academy, and I heard he’s going to take the exams next spring. By then, who knows, you might even become the husband of a Tongsheng (Child Scholar)…”

“Oh…” Xie Changyue replied indifferently, devoid of much emotion.

He had seen plenty of men with the absolute best conditions back in the capital.

He just didn’t expect that a reincarnation was still a reincarnation, but that scary man seemed to have been swapped out.

The matchmaker continued: “Furthermore, Gu Yang’s Father and Papa are famously good-tempered people in our village. After you marry into the family, you’ll immediately be able to take charge of the household.”

Seeing Xie Changyue’s expressionless face, Liu Zhi felt a bit afraid and guilty. Thinking of the instructions Shen Changhuan had given her earlier, she quickly persuaded him too: “Yes, Gu Er and his husband are the best of people. And you’ve seen Gu Yang too—he’s tall, well-built, and a fine young man. Didn’t you see him outside the Gu family courtyard yesterday…”

Xie Changyue narrowed his eyes.

Oh.

So the scary man wasn’t Gu Zhen, it was Gu Yang…

Right at this moment, the matchmaker suddenly giggled: “I was wondering! So you have met. No wonder the lad Yang is so fond of you. Before I came, he specifically stuffed something into my hands, saying that if you agreed, I should give this to you.”

Xie Changyue extended his fair, slender palm and said crisply: “Then give it to me!”

Seeing this, the matchmaker was stunned at first, and then covered her mouth and laughed heartily: “Good, good! Truly worthy of a Ger raised in an Earl’s Mansion. This straightforward temperament is absolutely fantastic, a hundred times better than in our countryside.”

Liu Zhi also let out a long sigh of relief.

After finishing her laugh and seeing his hand still spread open waiting, the matchmaker hurriedly dug out a small object wrapped in fine cloth from her bosom and handed it over.

Then, she stood up joyfully, saying as she walked out: “Oh my, young people really know how to be romantic. Then I’ll go back and inform the Gu family. The Gu family is quite anxious over there. We’ll come back for a drink on the wedding day!”

Liu Zhi stood up to see the matchmaker out, closing the door behind her.

Xie Changyue sat on the bed and unwrapped the fine cloth in his hand.

At a glance, he could tell it was a small rattan-woven lion.

When he was in the capital before, he was fairly acquainted with the Lady of Qinshui County, and had once gone with her to the Leopard House in Jing Garden, which housed tigers and lions.

The expression and demeanor of this lion were much cuter than those in the Leopard House.

It was just… this posture design was a bit strange. Its two front limbs were raised, and its two hind limbs were staggered front and back, looking as if it were unsteady and about to fall over.

He silently stared at the stone the little lion was standing on for a while, and gradually finally remembered something.

This seemed to recreate the scene of him lying on the wall yesterday, being startled by Gu Yang, and finally slipping and falling down.

“…” Xie Changyue.

Was his fiancé deliberately sending a gift to mock him?

Not only did this person have a terrifying appearance and aura, his mind was terribly frightening too…

May 26th was the closest auspicious day.

Before dawn on this day, Huangyang Village was already bustling with activity.

The village chief was marrying a grandson-in-law, and the Xie family was marrying off a Ger. Both were respectable families in the village, accustomed to proper etiquette in their daily interactions.

Therefore, almost every household had someone come to offer congratulations.

The Gu family courtyard was in full swing early on.

Although it wouldn’t be until evening when Gu Siyuan brought the new husband back, setting up over a dozen tables inside and outside the courtyard meant the amount of food to prepare was truly no simple matter.

Before the sky even brightened, Old Madam Gu had taken her daughters-in-law and Ger sons-in-law into the kitchen, chopping meat and vegetables with bang-bang sounds.

Gu Siyuan also got up early in the morning.

He didn’t go out. Instead, he stood by the desk under the window, practicing calligraphy to calm his mind.

This seemed to be his first time holding a grand wedding ceremony. He only hoped that from now on, he wouldn’t let others down, nor would he let himself down.

The waiting time was both long and swift.

By late morning, the sound of blowing instruments and beating drums rang out in the courtyard.

Generally, when countryside folk married, if they could have an ox cart for pickup, wear a set of red clothes, and set off a string of firecrackers, they were considered a decent household.

But Gu Siyuan naturally couldn’t treat Xie Changyue like that.

So, he proposed spending money to hire a small sedan chair and a band of a few people with gongs and drums.

Because of the groom swap, the Gu family felt somewhat guilty. Plus, Gu Siyuan’s method a while ago had allowed Gu Er and Mu Xia to earn quite a bit of silver using rattan weaving on the Dragon Boat Festival, half of which they handed over to the public fund.

So, after some thought, Old Master Gu and Old Madam Gu agreed to it.

Gongs and drums struck up, firecrackers resounded.

The musicians, the porters carrying the betrothal gifts, the porters carrying the red bridal sedan, combined with Gu Siyuan riding on a donkey, and the Gu family members who came along to escort the gifts and drink, formed a lively procession heading toward the Xie house.

The Gu family courtyard was near the head of the village, and the Xie family lived at the tail end. Their procession just happened to travel a full circle around the village.

Every household heard the commotion and gathered at their main gates to watch the spectacle.

“This Xie family Ger is truly lucky. He lived a life of gold and jade in the Earl’s Mansion for over a decade, and now returning to the village to marry, he can still have such grand pomp.”

“If my daughter had even half of this when she marries, I’d be satisfied enough to put my son-in-law on a pedestal.”

“Sigh, who dares to even dream of half of this? A person’s fate, it’s hard to say.”

“Hey, you all say this pomp is incredible, but that Ger might not even think much of it. Last time I went to visit my cousin in the capital, I happened to run into a wedding. Now that was true pomp. The first load of dowry had already entered the groom’s house, while the back half of the dowry hadn’t even left the bride’s estate yet…”

“Really? That’s unbelievable!”

“Would I joke with you about this? It’s not like it was my family’s.”

“Sigh, let’s just forget about grand pomp. But tell me, about this lad Yang, why did we never notice on regular days that his appearance is so outstanding? He’s not a bit inferior to the lad Zhen!”

Normally, Gu Yang always kept his head down in silence, avoiding people. The villagers only ever praised the village chief’s eldest grandson, Gu Zhen. Their impression of Gu Yang was shallow, basically non-existent.

But right now, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, his cold, profound face slightly raised, his tall, straight posture sitting imposingly on the back of the donkey, he looked majestic.

He didn’t possess Gu Zhen’s gentle, scholarly handsomeness, but he exuded an oppressive, true masculine aura. It made many onlooking young girls and young wives blush, unable to help but secretly wonder in their hearts: why didn’t they know before that Gu Yang had such good looks and character?

Looking straight ahead, Gu Siyuan followed behind the matchmaker and entered the Xie family’s courtyard gate.

Although the Xie house wasn’t a blue-brick courtyard like the Gu family’s, it was kept clean and tidy, giving a good impression.

At this moment, several tables were already set up in the courtyard.

The traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, also known in ancient times as the dusk ceremony (Hunli), meant a grand rite held at twilight.[academia]​

The arrangement for the day basically consisted of the groom going to the bride or new husband’s house in the morning, meeting the family, eating and drinking. By mid-afternoon, the mother of the bride/new husband would begin the customary crying ritual, and then the groom would carry the bride/new husband onto the carriage or sedan, rushing back to the groom’s home before dusk to perform the grand rites.

Since the Gu family and Xie family were in the same village, there was naturally no need to rush, so eating, drinking, and handling matters were all very relaxed.

During the noon banquet, quite a few relatives from the Xie family’s side wanted to get Gu Siyuan drunk.

Usually, at times like this, one’s own brothers would step forward to help block the drinks.

However, on the Gu family’s side, his cousin Gu Zhen was someone with official scholarly status, so others didn’t dare force drinks on him. Plus, for some unknown reason, he had already left the banquet early.

As for his cousin from his Third Uncle’s family, he was only thirteen, so the adults were too embarrassed to push drinks on him.

But Gu Siyuan solved this problem himself. Although a man of few words, he was always straightforward, refusing no one who offered a toast.

Soon, he won over a large wave of goodwill.

The Xie family in particular was highly satisfied; this son-in-law was giving them face.

Many people with daughters or Gers in their families also slapped their thighs in regret.

In the past, they only knew the village chief’s family had a golden bachelor in Gu Zhen. Now they discovered that Gu Yang was also a top-tier fine man. If he could attain a scholarly rank in the imperial exams in the future, he wouldn’t be inferior at all. Moreover, Gu Er’s family was easy to get along with, much better than the First Branch’s Li Xiangtao by leaps and bounds.

It really was a bargain for that outsider Ger.

And that outsider Ger, Xie Changyue, was currently sitting in front of a bronze mirror, receiving the scrutiny of others.

He had changed into his wedding robes early on. Without needing anyone else’s help, he tied his cloud-like long black hair immaculately with a red ribbon, revealing his fair, exquisite face.

He didn’t apply rouge or hair oil; he merely lightly traced his fine eyebrows and dabbed some lip rouge to add a bit of color. Yet, his whole person became as moving as peach blossoms dipped in water.

The matchmaker, the wedding matron, and the Xie family relatives accompanying him couldn’t stop looking him over.

With such peerless looks and imposing elegance, no wonder that cold man outside couldn’t wait to marry him and take him home after seeing him just once.

The bustling noise of the better part of the day dissipated.

The sun gradually sank toward the mountaintops. Dusk was approaching, and the auspicious time to leave had arrived.

With the gongs and drums sounding once more and a rhythmic chant from the wedding matron, Xie Changyue’s room door was opened.

Unlike women, Gers did not need to wear a bridal veil. By the end of May, the weather was already hot. Xie Changyue had a cool constitution and didn’t sweat easily, but his face had been steamed rosy by the heat, making him look increasingly beautiful beyond compare.

Everyone in the courtyard who saw Xie Changyue’s face, whether men, women, or Gers, let out a string of gasps.

However, Gu Siyuan was the first to see. He moved his feet slightly to step directly in front of Xie Changyue, his tall figure instantly blocking all gazes and prying eyes.

He bent his waist slightly, and Xie Changyue immediately leaned onto his back. Feeling the warm, hard back beneath him, for some reason, Xie Changyue suddenly felt his limbs go soft.

At this moment, a faint fragrance, like ice, snow, and fresh tea, suddenly wafted to his nose. In an instant, it made his mind clear and bright again, making him feel as if he had smelled this scent somewhere before.

But upon recalling, it seemed he had never encountered such incense.

Gu Siyuan’s steps were very steady as he carried Xie Changyue onto the bridal sedan.

With the blowing of instruments and beating of drums along the way, the procession quickly went from the Xie house at the tail of the village to the Gu house at the head of the village.

Gu Siyuan carried him down from the bridal sedan again and entered the main hall.

The Gu family had already prepared everything properly. Gu Er and Mu Xia sat in the hall, with two prayer mats placed below.

“First bow to Heaven and Earth!”

“Second bow to the high hall!”

“Husbands, bow to each other!”

“Send to the bridal chamber!”

Gu Siyuan held Xie Changyue’s hand and walked toward his own room.

Because of the marriage, there were many more items placed in the room than when he had first seen it. The wardrobe and cotton quilts had also been newly made.

Looking at this unfamiliar room, Xie Changyue’s eyes held some novelty and some naivety, but not the slightest bit of a new husband’s shyness.

This was the place where he would live from now on.

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