Ch4 - The Preparation For The Wedding

The next day, when the wedding was still at its preparation stage, the half-asleep Gong Zhuoliang was already dragged out of the bed even before the sun was about to rise. While his consciousness was still floating around the clouds, he wondered whether he’ll ever have a good sleep in the future…

As he was still in a sleepy daze, the servants had been properly serving him, washing him in a flower bath and grooming him, and at the time when he was already awake, the wedding clothes were already worn by him. Right now, he was sitting in front of the dressing table, looking like a doll. 

Wearing a few kilograms of bridal crown, Gong Zhuoliang struggled to move around his head due to the crown’s heaviness, and so he could only manage to move his eyes around…

As he wandered his eyes at his surroundings, he thought- this was really his first time seeing a real ancient wedding… At the moment, Gong Zhuoliang doesn’t actually have the sense of a ‘heroine’ in this whole wedding preparation, but rather, he felt that he was just a random curiouser who’s only here to wander around and observe what a real ancient wedding is.

“Young Lady, the ceremony is about to start soon so you must eat something first before we proceed”

Ruo Lan went inside the room with a bowl of glutinous rice dumplings in her hand, and then naturally fed a spoon to Gong Zhuoliang. This is also a custom in traditional weddings. It’s for the Bride to always remember the sweetness of their mother’s homemade soup as a daughter. Afterwards, either his maternal or paternal aunt will have to perform the bridal skincare on him to officially symbolize the passing of her girlhood as she will soon become someone’s wife. 

Gong Zhuoliang was still estimating in his mind whether the dumplings would be enough for him to last for a long time when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a fat woman, wearing a big red flower dress, rushing to him with a group of women surrounding around her, and then she exclaimed ‘Aiyo…!’

As the woman flung a red handkerchief, twisted her wide waist and ran towards Gong Zhuoliang, he was currently gargling his mouth and was really relieved that he didn’t instantly spit it out. He then thought in his mind- just where did this monster come from, ah?

Madam Gong was afraid that their secret would be exposed. Naturally, the aunt who was invited today to meet her own daughter had never met her daughter’s other distant relatives, but among those relatives who came to visit the bride, they were relatives and friends who frequently visited them, so those who were much closer and familiar with the circumstances didn’t have to visit at all. So if the visitors were unfamiliar or unrelated to them, before they could enter the room and take a look at the Bride, they were instantly pulled and invited out by Madam Gong as they started to huddle at the entrance, talking and laughing, seemingly lively.***

“Aiyo yo yo! Look how pretty our little bride is, ah!”

This aunt, whom he didn’t know how many layers of robes she was wearing, went in front of Gong Zhuoliang and started praising him, saying that he had turned into such beauty where no heaven and earth could compare to him. Gong Zhuoliang, who was praised from up to bottom, instantly felt chills all over his body.

“Thank you, Auntie” 　　

Gong Zhuoliang secretly pulled over Ruo Lan who had been snickering behind him and motioned her with his eyes to quickly offer her a few coins. After all, he already find it unbearable to hear more of her honeyed words ah! 

Finally, after Ruo Lan took out a purse containing coins and handed it to the woman, the aunt instantly shut her mouth and habitually took it. She weighed the purse in her hands then guessed that the amount of money inside the purse must be quite big. When she thought of the amount that might contain inside the purse, she quirked a somewhat bright smile.

Picking up the silk thread in the tray that was held up by the maid, then hastily held the strand of hairs on Gong Zhuoliang’s forehead, it was followed by the other maids who were carefully wiping the boy’s face using a handkerchief, while Ruo Lan applied a makeup to Gong Zhuoliang’s face.

In front of the mirror, Gong Zhuoliang studied the appearance of his face left and right, then felt relieved that the makeup style of this era was only simple and natural. There was no need to shave his eyebrows, smear two red round blushes on his face nor put two black dots on his forehead. Gong Zhuoliang quite appreciated this look, and he has to say that the appearance of this kid could actually look like a man or a woman. After applying the makeup, his appearance instantly appeared different. At this point, he couldn’t be sure now whether he would be able to witness himself in men’s clothes again…

“My Young Lady looked so beautiful today….” 

After finishing the boy’s lips, Ruo Lan looked at Gong Zhuoliang’s tender little face and sighed.

The lord of the Gong household had a handsome appearance. Among the three children of the Gong family, the Eldest― the 20-year-old son, had a similar look of the Madam, while the Eldest Young Lady and the Second Young Master had taken upon the Lord’s appearance. But the Second Young Master is always so shy and never dares to lift up his head to other people. However, everyone truly agrees that among the three siblings, the Second Young Master had the most attractive appearance out of them. Right now, the Second Young Master’s eyes seem to contain a stronger spirit in it, causing some people to be amazed by his change…..

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

It’s unimaginable for Ruo Lan just how wonderful he would be when he grows up.

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By the time they finished busying around the whole morning, it was already noon. Then from the outside, came the dress-up call from the Groom's family Chaperone. The somewhat dazed Gong Zhuoliang heard the call and immediately wanted to get up from his seat but then sat back down after a sudden surprised shout from the old maidservant in the room.

“My lady… Aii, what are you doing? You should only stand up once you were urged three times by the Chaperone”

Ruo Lan supported Gong Zhuoliang in amusement and also whispered to him that these rules had already been instructed to him before so how could he suddenly forget it again? If others are only hastening you to dress up and then you suddenly stood up and wanted to leave, it would immediately turn into a laughable situation as if the bride is really in a big hurry to get married. 

“Eh…”

Gong Zhuoliang is now in an embarrassing situation in front of everyone. He then remembered out of nowhere that someone had already taught this kid regarding the steps. Before boarding the sedan chair, the bride must be urged three times by the Groom’s family Chaperone while he was dressing up in order to act as if the bride was hesitant to marry blah blah blah….. However, why would Gong Zhuoliang still care about these things? Besides, right now he wasn’t in the mood to do anything at all and he only wanted to get on the palanquin then leave early. He’ll only feel reassured once he finally leaves the Gong household.

“Had you really forgotten it? Also, before you leave the family, you must also visit the manor hall to weep and then say your farewell to the old Master and Madam. Then while weeping, it’s also a must to sit on the lap of the Madam and obediently eat all the food she feeds you as your way of showing filial and appreciation of her unforgettable kindness……”

Ruo Lan was afraid that Gong Zhuoliang would joke around again so she hurriedly thought of the important things and hastily told him all about it, but she didn’t notice the gradually darkening face of Gong Zhuoliang as he listened to her words. 

“Ruo Lan… What should I do if I can’t cry, ah?”

Gong Zhuoliang tugged at Ruo Lan’s sleeve and whispered those questions to her ear.

He’s very delighted when he is being married off to some other household so how could he possibly cry at this moment? Besides, sitting on the lap of that scheming bitch and then eating the food she feeds on him… Gong Zhuoliang couldn’t help but feel the goosebumps crawling on his spine.

“This….. Don’t worry! I have a solution!” 

Ruo Lan also never thought that it’s really possible for anyone to just instantly cry like a rain at that moment. But right now at this critical juncture, since there’s no way someone could just easily cry for a short time, she quickly took a handkerchief, went to a little maid, and then asked her to go find some chili oil in the kitchen.

As some time had passed by, when the Chaperone had finally finished her make-up, the little maid slipped back with a handkerchief that was dipped in chili oil in her hands. Ruo Lan observed the handkerchief and noticed that the chili oil was vaguely seen on the outer part of the handkerchief, then thought how smart this little girl is so smart so she praised her while pinching the little maid’s cheeks. She then hid the handkerchief in her sleeves and went to Gong Zhuoliang to guide him at the entrance hall for him to start weeping and say goodbye to his parents.

Before parting, the bride doesn’t need to wear the red veil at all, so Gong Zhuoliang―whose red veil was already taken off― now had the opportunity to see his own dowry. And surely, just when he saw the dowries, he felt that it’s really impossible for him to cry right at this moment. But at this point, he’s very relieved that he had to suppress his joy at the moment.

The Eldest Son of the Qiao Family is getting married so naturally the gift money they sent to the Gong Family was quite large that shows how generous they are. While the Gong family― just so they could flaunt their wealth― also donated a large number of gifts, yet they had to make it not too high profile in order to look humble and gain good impression in the public, but Gong Zhuoliang could see that the cost of the dowries they sent were actually cheap. 

But Gong Zhuoliang learned that in this era, the amount of the dowry given by the daughter-in-law’s family was not really shown or either known to the public since it is only for the private use of the husband and wife. Most of the spendings is for the husband’s family to decide, while his dowry will be reserved in his own private savings. However, with these assets, Gong Zhuoliang will certainly have great guarantees in the future.

“Young Lady..”

Gong Zhuoliang’s attention was pulled back from looking at the dowry. Ruo Lan winked towards the direction of the host in front of them, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and patted it on Gong Zhuoliang’s eyes, and then after that, she calmly took the handkerchief back to her sleeves.

“…..Father…..Mother…” 

The power of the chili oil is just so amazing, Gong Zhuoliang’s eyes instantly reddened with tears. He casted a ‘resentful’ glance towards Ruo Lan before walking forward as he kept sobbing 'ying ying ying' before he finally arrived in front of the old Master Gong and Madam Gong. Everyone seeing his pitiful figure couldn’t help but feel sad for him.

“All right….my good child. Now that you are married, keep in mind that it’s a must to learn how to respect your parents-in-law and to serve your husband well…”

The old Master of the Gong Family looked at his miserable ‘daughter‘ who was sobbing in front of him, and his expression was indescribably complicated. But in the eyes of his wife, he could only sigh and say no more after a glance.

“This son will keep Father’s teaching in mind” 

Facing this useless father who only had his good appearance, Gong Zhuoliang deliberately emphasized his tone when he spoke of ‘son‘ rather than the ‘daughter‘ in which he supposedly refers to himself. The man in front of him could be described as a Xiao Bai Lian. He’s an incompetent type of person who only knows how to rely on his wife for a support, and then when he’s outside, he would be seen seducing woman here and there.

But no man with a little self-esteem would let his own heirs end up like this.

“Daughter ah… Being a daughter-in-law, it is now impossible for you to do whatever you want compared to when you’re still at home. You must be cautious towards your own words and deeds, as well as with your own actions. You really must act properly, ah…”

Madam Gong deliberately contradicted against her husband and called out ‘Daughter’, then she unwillingly held Gong Zhuoliang on her lap to feed him food, when in actuality, she was glaring at him so hard that her eyeballs were practically popping out. 

“I understood, mother.”

The corners of his eyebrows laid smoothly which created an obedient expression. Seeing the dowries, Gong Zhuoliang thought in his mind that there shouldn’t be any changes with how things are at this moment. Soon, this little Young Master will be even richer, and when the moment comes, his ‘title’ will be finally determined as either ‘The Prefect’s daughter-in-law’ or 'Madam Juren'.

Let’s see how I subdue you soon, you civil woman! 

Gong Zhuoliang secretly looked for Concubine Wu’s figure among the crowd.

Madam Gong would definitely not let her show up during these occasions, so Gong Zhuoliang only searched on the edges and corners. And sure enough, in one of the corners, the woman was hiding at the corner of the inner porch, sobbing and wiping her tears. Noticing that Gong Zhuoliang was also looking at her, Concubine Wu felt even more heartbroken and covered her mouth with a handkerchief as she continued to whimper.

Mother……

Silently mouthing a word, Gong Zhuoliang continuously stared at her until he saw her figure trotting away, unbearably grieved. He sighed silently in his heart and hoped that Madam Gong would not use her and threaten her to do something just so she could of embarrass her. 

After passing the stage of weeping and saying farewell, Gong Zhuoliang’s makeup was fixed once again under the service of Ruo Lan and the other girls. During this time, the wedding staff of the Groom’s family had already carried out the dowry and arranged it, only waiting for Gong Zhuoliang’s elder brother to show up. After that, he was carried in a palanquin and then….. he saw a group of a grown up and young men hurriedly entering their house.

Gong Zhuoliang remembers that his Elder Brother raised a son with an another woman on the pretext that his own wife could not bore a son, and then he built a six bedroom towards the edge of his house for his concubines to live in, however he had not been able to have a single son all these years so he seldom visits home due to Madam Gong’s orders.
Today, his brother actually dared to be late for such a big event today…. This guy really had some guts.

While thinking of this in his mind, Gong Zhuoliang quietly raised the corner of his red veil to take a peek at this elder brother of his who he had no impression at all, and then saw at once a man with lewd eyes and a wicked smile approaching him as he swayed here and there like a bamboo pole and stumbled on places, causing Gong Zhuoliang to hurriedly cover his sight in order not to burn his eyes. Now there are only two words in his mind― A Hoodlum!

“I really never noticed it before, but it turns out that you’re actually so handsome. If only this brother had known earlier and doted on you, would you have suffered all these years?” 

Gong Zhuoyu swayed and huffed as he hugged Gong Zhuoliang on the sedan palanquin not without sweet-talking and teasing his younger brother.

He was a host for both men and women. And it’s because he has wealth, he often messes with men and women. He even pesters the widowers. But whenever he remembered Gong Zhuoliang’s tiny body in which he only saw when he was called home right after the accident a few days ago, Gong Zhuoyu’s heart started to ache. He may love to entertain other flowers and grasses outside but he actually also missed this good little seedling at home.

“……” 

Holding his breath so as not to be affected by Gong Zhuoyu’s bad breath, Gong Zhuoliang felt disgusted and was truly thankful that he was now wearing a red veil across his face. But when he thought of the lewd expression that the other party might be making right now, he became annoyed. The palanquin shook as he swatted his clothes away that had been touched, trying to drive away the disgusting feeling. At the same time, he’s very glad in his heart that he managed to get away from an impending calamity ah!

“Young Lady, you can’t move inside the sedan chair! When the sedan arrives at the Qiao’s mansion, you should only step out once the little girl who greets the sedan chair pulls your sleeves three times, and then the second master of the Qiao family, your Brother-in-law, will be there to carry you and help you cross through their gate until you arrive at the wedding hall. While the one who will act as the Celebrant will be your Uncle-in-law”

Ruo Lan, who was following the sedan chair, did not forget to remind carefully that during the ceremony, normally the bridegroom shouldn’t greet him in person but will only have to receive him inside the gate before carrying his bride on his back and then enter the hall, but the said bridegroom who should be the one to lift the bride was too frail, so instead, he was replaced by his own younger brother. However, the bridegroom will be one who will still worship with him in the end. Ruo Lan explained all the information carefully and properly lest Gong Zhuoliang would misunderstand the bridegroom and everything would certainly turn into a laughable situation.

“I understand.” 

Gong Zhuoliang replied absent-mindedly within the sedan chair but in actuality, he had some confidence for his husband’s physical condition. If he could worship him in person, it means that he has no disabilities at all, and his physical strength should be okay, otherwise if it’s for the sake of hiding his defects from those large bureaucratic families, it’s reasonable for his younger brother to replace him. However, if the Groom actually couldn’t carry his small body which could probably only weigh a few dozen pounds… This possibility is quite worrying, ah!

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TL/N:
I was already at my confused/muddled state when I was editing this chapter so please tell me if there’s still something wrong with this chapter •́ ‿ ,•̀ 

The Chapter 5 may be updated tomorrow once I’m done editing the latter half of the Chapter, but hopefully I would still have a load balance tomorrow ;-;