Chapter 334: The Joyous Day

Chapter 334: Chapter 334: The Joyous Day

Marriage, it was said, was a rite performed at dusk.

Ji Huan had heard that in ancient times, the bride was always welcomed after dusk—the groom would fetch her in the morning, but the ceremony itself would take place at night.

The rites of the Great Zhou dynasty were originally the same, but the custom slowly changed among the common people. Fetching the bride and holding the ceremony in the morning gradually became common practice.

Since Ji Huan didn’t require a bridal procession or have far to travel, they had decided on a morning ceremony.

By the third crow of the rooster, Widow Xie, Ji Xuelan, Aunt Wang, Aunt Gao, and the others had arrived one by one.

The first thing they did upon arrival was hang red lanterns from every corner of the house and all along the eaves.

Ji Huan had gone to bed late, and now, forced to sit at her vanity, she couldn’t stop yawning.

She asked if she could sleep for another two or four hours. The sky was still dark outside; wouldn’t starting at 7 a.m. be just right?

Naturally, her request was mercilessly denied.

Before a girl’s wedding, she had to undergo "face-opening," also known as "threading." It was a ceremony where a woman blessed with a complete family and many children would remove the fine hairs from the bride-to-be’s face and trim her bangs and sideburns.

This ritual was sometimes performed at the bride’s home before she entered the bridal sedan, and sometimes after she arrived at the groom’s. For Ji Huan, however, it made no difference.

Aunt Gao had volunteered for the role of the "woman of good fortune," so she would naturally be the one to perform the face-opening.

She took out a box and opened it, revealing a white powder inside.

She spread the powder evenly over Ji Huan’s face and along her hairline, then produced a doubled-up red thread. Holding an end in each hand, she looped it through her fingers like she was playing cat’s cradle, then used her mouth to help pull it taut into the shape of a cross.

By moving her hands up and down, the two strands of red thread would separate and twist together. When pressed against the skin, the opening and closing motion would pluck out any fine hairs.

As she worked, she chanted a local ditty.

"A pluck to the left, a noble son you’ll bear; a pluck to the right, a handsome boy so fair. With three steady plucks on each side, a brilliant child in every tide. Eyebrows shaped like a crescent moon, for a Champion Scholar to come soon..."

’You never know until you try it, and wow, did it wake me up!’

Aunt Gao had only plucked a few times before tears sprang to Ji Huan’s eyes. Her face stung with a numb, prickling pain.

The method certainly worked for removing fine facial hair, but it was also harsh on the skin. Ji Huan had figured she could endure it just this once and had tried to cooperate, but she never expected it to be this painful.

After that, she absolutely refused to continue, and nothing anyone said could change her mind.

Aunt Gao was at a loss, but since Ji Huan already had naturally curved eyebrows and a fair, smooth complexion, she didn’t press the issue.

Ji Huan was pushed back down into the armchair. Her hair was immediately unpinned and draped over her back. Aunt Gao took a wooden comb wrapped in red thread and began to comb her hair.

As she combed, she had to loudly call out auspicious phrases.

"First, a comb to the end of your days. Second, a comb ’til you’re old and gray. Third, a comb for children to fill your home. Fourth..."

After the requisite number of strokes, she began to style Ji Huan’s hair into an updo.

Aunt Gao had the hands of a typical village woman—knuckles thick, skin rough—but they were surprisingly nimble.

Her ten fingers weaved ceaselessly through Ji Huan’s jet-black locks, and in just a moment, the updo was complete.

There were no other ornaments in her hair, save for a single, small red velvet flower.

And that was only because, at Ji Huan’s insistence, Widow Xie and the others had chosen the small flower over a large one while shopping.

’I can’t imagine what I’d look like with a giant flower on my head...’

Ji Huan glanced in the bronze mirror. The style resembled a *Zhaoyun Jinxiang* updo, and it was quite pretty.

’What a surprise. Aunt Gao is actually incredible at hairstyling.’

Ji Xuelan, standing nearby, smiled and explained, "Aunt Gao used to work for a wealthy family when she was young."

’I see.’

Ji Huan had been nervous about letting Aunt Gao do her makeup, fearing she’d end up with a pasty-white face and a garishly red mouth, but now she felt reassured.

As it turned out, Aunt Gao’s aesthetic sense was right on point.

A girl in the bloom of her youth, like a peach blossom in mid-spring, needs little embellishment.

Besides, Ji Huan had a naturally beautiful foundation—her lips were red without color, her brows dark without a pencil—which made things even simpler.

In the end, Aunt Gao only applied a thin, even layer of powder and blended a faint touch of rouge onto Ji Huan’s cheeks before she was finished.

She could only make out a faint impression in the bronze mirror, but she could guess the final effect from the looks on Ji Xuelan’s and Aunt Gao’s faces. It must have turned out well.

Her hair was done, her makeup applied, and by the time she had changed into her wedding dress, the sky was beginning to brighten.

Just then, Dabao pushed the door open and came in, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He had obviously just woken up.

He stopped in the doorway and stared at Ji Huan as if she were a stranger.

Ji Huan beckoned him over and stroked his cheek. "Why aren’t you sleeping in?"

Dabao shook his head without a word, his eyes fixed on her.

Aunt Wang deliberately asked, "Dabao, is your big sister pretty today?"

They didn’t expect a response, but to their surprise, Dabao nodded. "Pretty."

Ji Huan smiled and planted a smacking kiss on his forehead.

Then she remembered something and asked Aunt Gao, "What about Guan Shan? Does someone need to do his hair too?"

Aunt Gao laughed. "Liangzi and Dacheng went over with Aunt Wang."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Wang returned.

Her face was deathly pale, and everyone knew why without having to ask.

In truth, Widow Xie had already given them a heads-up, so all the helpers had some idea of Guan Shan’s situation.

But hearing about it and seeing it for oneself were two completely different things.

He was a wanderer, so no one expected him to be handsome, but she had never imagined the reality would be so... If Hu Liang and Hu Dacheng hadn’t been with her, she probably wouldn’t have even dared to step through the door.

’It was just too horrifying.’

Looking at Ji Huan sitting primly in the armchair, beautifully made up, Aunt Wang felt a growing sense of unease.

’Such a fine girl... how could she... Sigh!’

Ji Huan pretended not to notice the pity written all over her face and asked about the arrangements for Guan Shan.

Aunt Wang composed herself and said that his hair was combed, his wedding robes were on, and he had already been brought over. "He’s in the east wing. Once the auspicious hour arrives, you two will go out for the ceremony."

When Ji Huan heard Guan Shan had arrived, she wanted to go see him, to ask how he was doing and if he was nervous.

She had just started to get up when she was pushed back down.

"Have you forgotten what you were told? It’s best not to see each other before the ceremony."

As Ji Huan was being scolded, Widow Xie suddenly pushed the door open and waved to someone inside.

Aunt Gao went over and took a bowl and chopsticks from her. Widow Xie said it was for Ji Huan to have a bite to eat. She refused to come inside herself, turning to get back to her work.

Aunt Wang explained, "We have an old saying: ’Fear a pregnant belly when entering the sedan, and a widow when leaving it.’ For any happy occasion, widows and pregnant women are supposed to keep their distance. Old Xie is just looking out for you."

Ji Huan knew, which only made her feel...

By rights, a divorced woman like Ji Xuelan shouldn’t have been in the bridal chamber either, but Ji Huan had insisted she stay, using the excuse that she wanted a companion her own age.

Ji Huan wasn’t very hungry, so she only had a few sips of the soup before feeding the rest to Dabao.

She had just put the bowl down when she asked if any food had been sent to Guan Shan.

Aunt Gao and Aunt Wang exchanged a look and teased in unison, "Already fussing over him, are we? Don’t you worry, he won’t starve!"

’I can’t afford not to fuss over him,’ Ji Huan thought.

’Everyone thinks I’ve found a groom, but really, I’ve just signed a client. I have to be meticulous. If he backs out of the deal, it’ll be too late for tears.’

As they were talking, the sky outside grew bright.

The joyous day had officially begun.