Chapter 327: Wait to Be Married

Chapter 327: Chapter 327: Wait to Be Married

"Take off your clothes."

The moment the words left Ji Huan’s lips, Guan Shan’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

He remained frozen until Ji Huan clarified, "Take off your clothes, and try this on."

Only then did Guan Shan’s rigid posture relax.

He took the clothes, his eyes fixed on Ji Huan, saying nothing.

How could Ji Huan not know what he meant? She turned, left the main hall, and pulled the door shut behind her.

She didn’t just wait by the door, either. She went around to the back of the house, found a twig thinner than her little finger, and brought it back. After breaking it to the desired length, she found a shard from a roof tile and squatted in the courtyard, scraping at the finger-length piece of wood.

Once she scraped off the dark brown bark, revealing the earthen-brown wood beneath, Ji Huan used the tile shard to whittle the two ends.

As she was busy with her task, she heard a CREAK. Turning her head, she saw the door to the main hall being pulled open from the inside. Guan Shan, dressed in wedding robes, stepped out.

The groom’s wedding attire was a straight-cut robe, cinched at the waist with a wide sash, but otherwise unadorned.

It was precisely this simple style that accentuated his tall, straight figure. Just by standing there, he exuded a sense of towering majesty.

Ji Huan tilted her head up, gazing at Guan Shan, lost in thought.

’A tall and imposing man. If his face hadn’t been ruined, he would surely be a man of unparalleled, refined beauty.’

’But even with his face destroyed, it doesn’t detract from him.’

’A man of great caliber, destined for great things. That’s who he is to the core; it has little to do with his face.’

Ji Huan thought to herself, ’When this man was in the army, his rank must have been high.’

’The sharpness and aura he sometimes reveals unintentionally are not something an ordinary soldier would possess.’

’To have gone through such inhuman experiences and still be able to stand tall... He truly is the kind of man whose expression wouldn’t change even if Mount Tai crumbled before him.’

’And thinking back to when I performed surgery on him—he faced peril without fear, remained completely composed, and endured what no ordinary person could... ’

’That kind of spirit, that mental fortitude... it’s something few people possess.’

At that moment, Ji Huan suddenly felt a flicker of hesitation.

’Should I really be pulling a man like this into my life...?’

"How is it?"

The man’s voice broke her out of her reverie.

Ji Huan stood up and, with her hands behind her back, walked over to stand before Guan Shan.

She looked him over, from top to bottom and from left to right, before nodding with a serious expression. "Not bad. It looks very good."

And it fit him well, too. After all, Widow Xie had made clothes for him before, so she remembered his measurements.

While she was appraising him, Guan Shan’s face was as calm as ever, though the line of his jaw was slightly tense.

"What about this..." Ji Huan pointed to his unbound hair. "Are you going to wear it like this tomorrow?"

Guan Shan was silent for a moment before asking, "What do you think?"

’So he’s letting me decide whether he wears his hair up or down?’

Guan Shan always wore his hair down. That way, the strands hanging in front would cover at least half of his face, making his appearance less frightening.

But wearing one’s hair unbound and robes folding to the left was often considered a mark of barbarians and the uncivilized. For an occasion like tomorrow, it certainly wouldn’t do.

However, if he tied his hair up, the scars covering his face would be completely exposed. He would inevitably have to face a barrage of strange looks and pointed words.

That was why Ji Huan hesitated.

"Hmm... Are you afraid of people laughing at you?"

Guan Shan’s gaze met hers as he countered, "Are you afraid?"

Ji Huan understood at once.

She was worried about whether Guan Shan could endure the villagers’ strange stares.

But Guan Shan was thinking about whether *she* would find him embarrassing, or if he would make *her* the laughingstock of the village.

As for the scars on his own face, they hadn’t been his concern at all.

Faced with that kind of mindset, Ji Huan felt she came up short.

"If you’re not afraid, then what do I have to be afraid of?" Ji Huan held out the small piece of wood. "This is for you. Let’s try it out."

Guan Shan looked at the stick, then back at her, and nodded. "You do it."

Ji Huan: "..." ’Fine, whatever you say, milord.’

He was too tall for Ji Huan to reach while standing, so the two of them returned to the main hall.

Guan Shan sat down on a stool. Ji Huan used her fingers as a comb to smooth his hair, then divided it into two sections. She gathered the front portion and used the wooden stick to fasten it into a topknot, letting the rest hang loose down his back.

Once she was done, Ji Huan clapped her hands and walked around to the front to examine her work.

With his hair tied up, the scars were indeed fully exposed. But at the same time, the contours of his features also appeared more defined and distinct.

His nose was like a majestic mountain range, his brows like unsheathed swords, his eyes like the still surface of a deep lake. His lips, though thin, had a beautiful shape, perfect for...

Ji Huan coughed, averting her gaze from his face.

"Let’s go with this, then. Change out of the robes and shoes for now, and put them on again tomorrow morning. Don’t take off the under-robe, though. It’s my fault for being thoughtless—it’s gotten so cold and I haven’t gotten you any thicker clothes. After tomorrow’s rush, I’ll ask Auntie Xie to make you a couple of sets. There’s nothing else, so I’ll head back now. There’s still a lot to do over there. You just... wait patiently to be wed."

Just when things were getting serious, she had to go and be flippant again.

The moment she said "wait patiently to be wed," Guan Shan’s face instantly darkened.

Ji Huan stifled a laugh, ignored him, and called for Ding before swaggering off.

’Actually, she wasn’t wrong. Wasn’t Guan Shan the one waiting to be married? He didn’t have to do a thing except show up tomorrow for the bows.’

’Look at me, on the other hand, running all over the place these past two days. My legs have nearly been run off.’

’And Village Chief Meng told me to just be a peaceful bride. As if I could be peaceful!’

After leaving the earthen house, Ji Huan remembered that she had forgotten to tell Guan Shan not to wander off these next couple of days.

If he went missing at the crucial moment, she’d be in real trouble.

’But I just poked the bear. Going back now would be a bit... Forget it. Even if I don’t say anything, he must know what to do. I won’t go back.’

Ji Huan happily convinced herself.

When she returned home, everyone was still busy.

Everything that needed to be purchased had been bought, and the matters of the household registration and marriage certificate were settled. Only some trivial tasks remained.

Things like decorating the venue, putting up paper window decorations, sweeping the house and yard, and washing the borrowed bowls and plates...

But there was no place for Ji Huan to help with any of this.

Widow Xie and Aunt Wang pulled her into the east room, saying they had something to discuss with her.

"What is it? Why do you both look so worried?"

How could they not be worried?

Marrying off a daughter was something they were familiar with, but this was the first time they had ever been involved in a man marrying into the bride’s family.

The traditions of rushing the bride’s makeup and delivering the dowry were unnecessary. Ji Huan’s home was right here; where would they deliver it to?

But when it came to the procession to welcome the bride, they were stuck again.

How should the welcoming be done? They couldn’t seriously expect Ji Huan to go and fetch the groom, could they?

Ji Huan actually didn’t mind going to get Guan Shan. It was just a short walk, after all.

But thinking about his face, as dark as a thundercloud just now, she decided against it. She couldn’t keep testing his patience. If she angered him and he ran off, she really would have to go and buy a husband.

"Let’s not have anyone fetching anyone. Just have him come over here early tomorrow morning. When the auspicious time arrives, we’ll go straight to the ceremony."

It seemed that was the only way.

Aunt Wang continued, "There’s another problem..."

Normally, on the wedding day, the groom is supposed to be outside greeting the guests, while the bride, with her face covered by a veil, waits obediently in the bridal chamber.

But in their situation... who was supposed to wait obediently in the bridal chamber?

Ji Huan scratched her chin.

’If Guan Shan greets the guests, I’m afraid the guests won’t be able to handle it.’

"I’ll do it. Let Guan Shan wait in the room."

Aunt Wang’s face twisted with uncertainty. "I’m afraid that’s not very proper."

"Aunt Wang, since our situation isn’t normal, we can’t look at it with normal logic. I am the head of this household now. If Guan Shan goes out to greet the guests, wouldn’t that be a case of the guest usurping the host’s role?"

Aunt Wang and Widow Xie glanced at each other, feeling that she had a point.

"Alright, then. One last thing. The offerings have been prepared for you. You should go to your parents’ graves and tell them the news..."