The sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Dawn had barely broken when Mei Ran rose to dress and do her makeup. Perhaps joy lends one energy, for not a trace of weariness showed on her face. Instead, the corners of her eyes and brows held a hint of enchanting allure, shimmering like gentle waves under the pale orange lamplight.
She would be leaving from this Mei family residence in the suburbs of City A.
Aunt Huiyuan had arrived the previous day and had scarcely slept the whole night. In the small hours, she got up again to check if everything was ready, only managing to sit down for two cups of clear tea after the roosters crowed. As the faint white of dawn began to tinge the eastern sky, she was bustling about inside and out again.
A few days ago, the Yu Family's Old Master had personally delivered the bright red wedding gown. It now hung on a wooden rack, blazing crimson like the morning clouds beyond the horizon. Tiantian had circled it again and again, her phone clicking nonstop. "This is the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful wedding dress!"
"Tilt your head a little to this side, please," the makeup artist reminded softly.
Mei Ran looked away.
Her makeup was nearly complete. The makeup artist scrutinized her carefully for a moment; she was always a perfectionist, seeking flawlessness even in the smallest details. Privately, she considered that the lip color wasn't vibrant enough and might fail to stand up to the fiery red of the gown. She swiftly decided and changed to a different shade of lipstick.
Yu Sheng had video-called Ye Qihan until late last night. She couldn't stifle a yawn now, a residual drowsiness she couldn't shake. She had to step out to splash some cold water on her face. When she returned, the makeup artist was already packing up her tools. Yu Sheng's gaze fell upon Mei Ran, as if two rivers of stars had risen in the darkness.
Mei Ran's complexion was fair to begin with; with her red lips gradually parting in a smile, she was like crimson clouds illuminating snow.
Yu Sheng felt a little dizzy again. Leaning against the wooden doorframe, she came inside. "Darling, if I were a man, I'd probably fall at your feet right now."
"You are utterly captivating!"
Her words were a bit too exaggerated. Mei Ran glanced up at her, slightly abashed, and pressed her lips together in a smile.
Tiantian chimed in, "When Fu Daren (the great one) gets here later, he absolutely has to give me an extra big red envelope." She revealed a knowing smile. "Otherwise..."
Yu Sheng agreed, "Oh, that's a must!"
Seeing the two of them exchanging glances, clearly scheming something she wasn't privy to, Mei Ran glanced sideways out the window. The sky was fully bright now. They should be on their way.
Somehow, she was beginning to feel nervous.
"Xiangxiang." Mei Huiyuan pushed the door open and entered. In her arms was a rosewood box. She walked directly to Mei Ran, gave her a thorough head-to-toe look, uttered three successive 'good's, and then sat down beside her.
"Aunt," Mei Ran said. As her aunt opened the box and she saw the contents clearly, a questioning look surfaced between her brows. "What is this?"
Mei Huiyuan smiled and began slipping a gold and jade bracelet onto Mei Ran's hand, her expression serene and peaceful. "You are getting married today. Your aunt has nothing grand to give you. These bracelets were handed down by your grandmother. It's a pity I never had the fortune to wear them."
She had loved someone deeply, yet in her life she had never had the chance to marry. A half-life spent drifting without anchor, destined for a life of thin fortune and a shallow fate.
Moreover, due to certain taboos, she couldn't personally escort Mei Ran to the wedding carriage, adding another layer of regret to her heart. She could only devote herself completely to every wedding detail, striving for perfection. Her efforts were as heartfelt as if she were marrying off her own daughter.
"Aunt," Mei Ran called out.
Mei Huiyuan slipped on another bracelet. "Aunt wishes you a perfect marriage. May you and Shijin stay together till old age."
As her words fell, her voice began to quaver slightly, and her eyes reddened.
Mei Ran grasped her hand and nodded emphatically.
It was nearly eight in the morning. The faint sound of celebratory cannons came from outside, growing steadily closer. Sunlight filtered through the wooden window, illuminating motes of dust dancing gracefully in its path. Looking a little further out, a tree with nameless blossoms was bursting with new green branches, serenely basking in the morning light.
Mei Huiyuan stood up. "The groom is here. I'll go out and see."
As bridesmaids, Yu Sheng and Tiantian were already primed and ready. They were whispering conspiratorially. Mei Ran secretly clenched a fist behind her back, slowly calming her slightly rapid breathing and heartbeat.
Over there, Fu Shijin had just stepped out of the car and was heading straight for the courtyard gate. At the entrance, a chubby, pink-cheeked boy was waiting with a tea tray. Fu Shijin gave him a red envelope as thanks, took a long stride over the threshold, and went inside.
Going up to the second floor, he arrived at a door. Yu Sheng and Tiantian stretched out their arms to bar the way, one on each side. "If you want to fetch the bride, you have to pass our tests first!"
Yu Sheng said, "Start with ninety-nine push-ups."
Tiantian mentally waved a tiny fist. Was this simple requirement all they had? Yu Sheng, you're way too soft! Seriously!
Fu Shijin turned to glance at his groomsmen squad and said calmly, "You do it."
Ye Qihan, entrusted with this sacred duty, clasped his fists and took a few steps back. He got down and started doing push-ups. "One, two... fifty-six... ninety-nine."
Yu Sheng cried out, "That fast?" She hastily found an excuse. "The form wasn't standard! Doesn't count, do it again!"
But Ye Qihan was already on his feet and in front of her, a roguish grin on his face. "Sweetheart, I think discussing posture — such a private topic — is best saved for when we're alone." He leaned closer to her ear. "What posture do you prefer?"
He spoke in a voice only she could hear. "Tonight, your husband will satisfy you in every way."
Yu Sheng flushed instantly. "Go away! Don't you cause trouble here!"
Tiantian sighed quietly. What about the carefully planned "Eighteen Levels of Torture" they had discussed? It was supposed to progress from easy to hard, tormenting the groom and his entourage from the inside out, reducing them to loud, plaintive moans. Had her co-conspirator just forgotten the whole plan?
Fu Shijin asked, "May I go in now?"
"N-no!" Tiantian stretched her arms out to form a weak defensive line. "You... you..."
"Hmm?"
"You..." Being stared at by this male god, and hearing that single, tenderly gentle syllable, Tiantian's defenses crumbled instantly. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence. "You... need to give me... a big red envelope... a really... big... envelope!"
That was simple.
Fu Shijin selected the thickest red envelope and pressed it into her hand. Then he leaned forward, lightly turned the golden door handle, gave the door a gentle push, and a corner of the room was revealed.
His gaze fell upon the woman in red sitting quietly within a beam of sunlight. He stood transfixed for a full minute. Her waterfall-like black hair was gathered up within an ornate phoenix headdress. Strings of jade beads hung beside her cheeks. Her lips seemed steeped in the deepest red this world could offer. With a slight press of those lips, his heart began to beat uncontrollably faster.
The fiery red wedding gown was embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks, their necks intertwined as they lay peacefully and intimately upon the water. It was clear the Yu Family's Old Master had spared no effort. Every feather was meticulously stitched. At the hem, a symmetric pair of twin lotus blossoms, exquisitely vivid, graced the left and right.
Besides auspicious birds, the long wedding cape was uniquely embroidered with plum blossoms — some in bud, some in full bloom. Even from a distance, one could almost smell their faint, cool fragrance.
She seemed to sense his gaze, slightly turning to look his way. A radiant smile bloomed on her face, so beautiful even the sunlight playing in her hair and across her gown seemed to dim, as if afraid to be too bright.
Her face was like a lotus, set with bright, dewy eyes. Truly, she outshone even the blossoms.
This was his bride.
"Shijin, why aren't you going in?" Mei Liangzhi urged from behind him. "Careful not to miss the auspicious hour."
Fu Shijin snapped out of his daze and pushed the door open to enter.
Outside the door, Tiantian sighed in vexation. "We must be the weakest bridesmaids in history!"
Yu Sheng rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's not over until it's over."
"Right." Tiantian smiled, a cunning glint in her eye.
Fu Shijin handed the bouquet he was holding to Mei Ran and took her hand, ready to lead her out. Mei Ran shook her head. "They hid the shoes."
"You can't welcome the bride if you can't find the shoes!" Yu Sheng helpfully reminded.
The groomsmen began searching the room, turning it inside out, but couldn't find the shoes. Mei Liangzhi asked, "Any hints?"
Tiantian held out her hand. He placed a red envelope on her palm.
"They're somewhere in this room."
Mei Liangzhi struggled to keep his smile. "Give us a clearer one. That's the same as saying nothing."
Tiantian held out her hand again, receiving another large red envelope. She said with a grin, "The Ballad of Mulan. The answer lies within."
Mei Liangzhi was beginning to suppress the urge to curse.
Ye Qihan also did his utmost, even going so far as to sacrifice his dignity to try and tempt his girlfriend, but Yu Sheng kept her mouth firmly shut, refusing to utter a single word. He had no recourse but to stare helplessly.
"Ranran."
Mei Ran looked up at the man. Meeting his eyes, she then discreetly cast a glance toward the window with the tail of her vision.
Fu Shijin relaxed a little. "Wait for me."
He walked over to the window, scanned the area roughly, even leaned out to check, but still came up empty-handed. He went back to the dressing table and checked every drawer one by one — again fruitlessly. His gaze suddenly sharpened. He noticed a thin white thread hanging down from above, reflecting the sunlight. It was almost impossible to see unless one looked very closely.
Wasn't there a line in "The Ballad of Mulan": *Facing the mirror, she attaches the yellow blossoms*?
Fu Shijin pulled on the thread. Naturally, the shoes suspended from the other end dropped into his hands.
Red wedding shoes, adorned with auspicious, intricate patterns. They were bordered with a ring of pearls — perfectly round and lustrous, like jade. He held her slender foot and slowly slipped the shoe onto it.
"Ranran, let's go."
Mei Hongyuan, dressed formally, was waiting in the main hall. Mei Ran knelt before him. With a kindly smile, he stroked her cheek and lowered the wedding veil over her head.
He said not a word, yet Mei Ran felt he had already said so very much to her. The moment her vision was blocked by that expanse of red, her tears fell.
An elderly woman from the clan, chosen for her good fortune and virtue, escorted Mei Ran under a black umbrella to the wedding car. As the car started moving, celebratory cannons sounded, and the roadside scenery sped past.
After a route that seemed to wind through half of City A, the procession finally reached its destination. After Mei Ran alighted from the car, a child came forward with an orange. She gently touched it and then gave the child a large red envelope. Smiling, the child stepped back.
After the Heaven and Earth bows and the exchanging of the nuptial wine cups, the newlyweds knelt before Mei Hongyuan and Fu Lanxin, respectfully offering tea.
"Mom, please have some tea."
"Yes, dear!" Fu Lanxin accepted the cup and handed Mei Ran a large red envelope. "My good daughter-in-law." Looking at the perfect couple before her, she couldn't help turning away to wipe her tears. Fu Shijin stepped forward to squeeze her hand.
Mei Ran's vision also began to blur.
"Dad..." She held out a cup of tea, her red lips parted, but her voice choked, unable to speak further.
*Dad, today your daughter is getting married. Even before this, our moments together were few and far between. From now on, I'll be by your side even less... Please, I beg you, take care of yourself...*
Tears fell like rain, unstoppable.
Those witnessing the scene watched in silent, profound emotion. Tiantian was already covering her face, softly sobbing.
"Xiangxiang," Mei Hongyuan said, gently patting her shoulder, his voice warm and reassuring. "Dad is so very happy to see you off for your marriage personally... As long as you are happy, Dad has no more regrets in this life."
*When you first arrived, you were so soft, so delicate. Holding you in my arms, I didn't know what to do to soothe your cries. Your hands were so small, clutching helplessly at my clothes, as if I were your only anchor.
Even then I told myself, this is my daughter. The treasure I will protect all my life.
Now you have grown graceful and fair. Today, I am placing you in the hands of another man, for him to continue that watchful care.
May you two love each other dearly until old age. Walk together the long road your mother and I had no time to travel.*
After serving tea to the elders, the wedding banquet began. Mei Ran had changed into a lighter, softer wedding dress and, arm in arm with Fu Shijin, made her way from table to table to propose toasts.
Due to health reasons, Fu Shijin couldn't drink too much alcohol. Fortunately, the entire groomsmen squad boasted impressive drinking prowess and intercepted many of the toasts for him. Although Mei Ran had a fairly good alcohol tolerance, it was still taxing to drink at every table. After toasting the elders, the liquor in her cup was discreetly replaced with Sprite.
The bridesmaids were getting flushed from the drinks. Yu Sheng, protected by Ye Qihan, was the least affected. Luckily, Old Aunty Zhou had considerately prepared hangover-relief tea in advance — with some special added ingredients. A single bowl, a good sweat, and the effects of the alcohol were completely dispelled.
Even though everyone was feeling much clearer-headed now, they all agreed it was a rare opportunity not to be missed. Feigning residual inebriation, they began planning to "harass the newlyweds on their wedding night."
The groom, happy in his heart, let them have their way.
"Why don't we start with something entry-level?" someone suggested.
"Excellent, excellent, escalate step by step!"
"Then let's ask the bride to peel an apple in front of everyone. The apple peel must not break. If it does, there will be a punishment. Hmm... the punishment is for her and the groom to share a passionate kiss right in front of us for ten minutes."
Peeling an apple was not difficult for Mei Ran. She quickly had one ready, lifting the intact peel for inspection. "Will this do?"
This was clearly not what the crowd had expected. Based on past experience, a blushing bride would usually be rather nervous, and nerves tend to lead to snapped apple peels. Who would have thought...
Someone recovered quickly. "Yes, yes! The bride peeled such a beautiful apple. How about we have the groom reward her with a ten-minute passionate kiss? How about that, everyone!?"
Everyone naturally supported it with hands and feet alike.
Mei Ran looked shyly at the man beside her.
Though kissing passionately in front of so many people felt unfamiliar, weighing the options, Fu Shijin made his decision.
Mei Ran's eyes widened slightly as his kiss descended upon her lips.
Surrounding "wows" merged into a roar, and laughter seemed almost powerful enough to lift the roof. He held one of her hands, his other hand shielding the side of her face, not letting a single trace of her lovestruck expression be revealed. "Focus a bit, enjoy it properly, hm?"
The kiss was deep and tender, his tongue still carrying a faint hint of wine. Mei Ran felt herself getting lost in it, only for him to suddenly withdraw.
Mei Liangzhi looked at the stopwatch on his phone and loudly announced, "Time's not up! There's still three minutes twenty-five seconds to go!"
"Again, again, again!" Tiantian squealed in excitement.
A dangerous glint suddenly appeared in the man's eyes. "Ranran."
Mei Ran subconsciously looked up, and his lips pressed down again — this time for a full five minutes.
Those who'd gotten a first taste of amusement now grew even more unrestrained.
"This time, please have the bride lie on the bed, and have the groom do thirty push-ups over her."
Another uproar erupted. Clearly, most present understood just how suggestive that posture was.
Fu Shijin's expression shifted slightly. Mei Ran's face was flushed deep crimson, as if about to bleed, and her neck wasn't spared either.
This wasn't about to happen in front of everyone... right?
Little Mei Jiu crawled onto the bed, turning her innocent, doe-like eyes. "Uncle-in-law, why haven't you started? Thirty are fast! My mommy always makes daddy do a hundred!"
"Oh dear! Sweetie, when did you come in?" Mei Liangzhi rushed over to scoop her up and carry her away. "Not suitable for children, not suitable!"
After the little child had left the room, Ye Qihan declared firmly, "It looks like we plan on shamelessly camping out in the bridal chamber tonight!"
Fu Shijin glanced at him impassively, the hint of a smile hovering around his lips.
Mei Ran clenched the quilt beneath her, her heart full of tension. He... he wouldn't really... would he?
"One... two..."
Someone whistled. She felt so mortified she wanted to cover her face.
"The bride can't be idle either, you have a little task too. We have a sentence. We point to which word of the sentence it is, and you read it out loud. Simple, right? The sentence is: 'Ah, what a careful man you are!'"
Having limited experience, Mei Ran didn't catch the connotation within their antics. She only thought about the thirty push-ups ending soon.
"First word."
"Ah."
"Seventh word."
Mei Ran thought for a moment. "Jin?"
"First word."
"Ah."
"Seventh..."
It was turning into "Ah... Jin... Ah... Jin!"
With his hands planted on either side of her, his elbows slightly bent, his tall frame pressed downward until he was almost flush against her. At this moment, the deep brown in his eyes began to churn quietly, wave after wave rising higher...
It was the look of desire she knew so well.
From his steadily rising body temperature, Mei Ran realized what she had just been saying and immediately froze like a block of wood.
The crowd was still goading, "Hurry, read it, hurry up!" She moved her lips but couldn't produce a single sound. She just stared at him blankly.
"Thirty!"
Sweat began to gather on Mei Ran's palms. Thankfully, he had stopped.
"Finished?"
Ye Qihan inadvertently shuddered. He knew Fu Shijin's tone and look all too well. Considering they'd already enjoyed two rounds of entertainment and gotten an eyeful, if they didn't know when to stop now, he would probably face trouble later when it was his turn.
"Yep, all done, all done!" he laughed nervously. "It's getting late, everyone. Shouldn't we wrap things up? After all, a night of *spring* is worth a thousand pieces of gold!"
They all agreed that was true. Although still somewhat unsatisfied, they began to leave one after another.
Yu Sheng nudged him with her elbow on the way out.
Ye Qihan whispered, "I'm afraid of retaliation when it's our turn to get married!"
A man suffering from pent-up desires was terrifying.
"Who's going to marry you?!"
The sounds faded into the distance. Mei Ran remained lying on the bed, frozen in her original position, held captive by the man's fixed gaze. Time seemed to still for a moment.
He suddenly reached out and removed the jade hairpin holding her hair. Her cascade of black locks spread across the pillow. He began to unfasten the red garments on her body, one piece at a time... until not a stitch remained.
He couldn't get enough of her pale pink skin, and started tasting it inch by inch with his tongue, not missing a single part.
Mei Ran gasped for breath, her senses already in disarray.
"Ranran, I have the feeling that it's only now I have wholly possessed you."
She wrapped her arms around him. "Me... me too."
She asked, "Why did you stop earlier?" It clearly wasn't time yet, was it?
"Afraid I couldn't control myself."
Mei Ran: "You? Or me?"
The man chuckled but didn't answer. Instead, he casually took a lucky pillow, placed it under her, lifting her waist, and then leaned down slightly to explore that secret realm...
One of the burning red wedding candles let out a soft "crack." After that, the scene of *spring* behind the red bed curtains could no longer be contained, seeping out from the slightest crack.
The cold moonlight was firmly barred outside by the tightly-drawn curtains.
The night had only just begun.