Chapter 215: Chapter 201: The Carefree Bride
Yuanbao was born in the winter month eleven years ago. His parents had an accident when they returned from sending Song Wei to the county for an exam the following February.
At that time, Yuanbao had just turned one hundred days old and was still a little babe in arms.
After he started to remember things, he only recognized Song Wei as his biological father, believing his mother died early due to difficult childbirth.
In the village, some people talked idly from time to time, but generally speaking, country folk were inherently simple. Knowing that this kid lost his parents at just over three months old, who could bear to break that truth to him?
Over time, everyone tacitly accepted that Song Yuanbao was Song Wei’s biological son.
All along, because of his mother’s "death in childbirth," Yuanbao was not very fond of celebrating birthdays, even somewhat avoiding them.
This year, perhaps because his father achieved third-place scholar honors, and his stepmother gave birth to a chubby baby brother, it dispelled the shadows deep in his heart.
As his birthday approached, Yuanbao unexpectedly suggested organizing a celebration.
It was rare for him to take such an interest, so Song Wei invited a few colleagues and sent an invitation to the General Mansion.
Thus, Xu Shu formally met his father-in-law and mother-in-law at Song Yuanbao’s birthday banquet, a month before the wedding.
Previously, during the exchange of gifts, everything was handled by the matchmaker on his behalf, and he hadn’t come even once.
Song Wei handed him an invitation, also with the intention of letting him meet his future in-laws.
Xu Shu wasn’t foolish; he understood Song Wei’s intention at a glance.
Thinking about formally meeting the elders of the Song family, the generally nonchalant Young Master of the General Mansion felt anxious.
He prepared many gifts, but his courage was smaller than usual.
On the day he arrived, he dressed properly and, upon entering, greeted Granny Song and Old Song respectfully, warmly calling them "father-in-law" and "mother-in-law."
Granny Song scrutinized this future son-in-law, feeling his appearance was proper and his demeanor extraordinary, and asked him, "I heard from the wedding matchmaker that you were ill when the gifts were exchanged. Are you feeling better now?"
Xu Shu nodded obediently, "Thank you for your concern, respected mother-in-law. I am fully recovered."
When he acted serious, he was indeed the picture of a noble young gentleman from the Capital, with nothing to criticize in his appearance or conduct.
Granny Song was satisfied and asked him to sit.
Xu Shu sat directly next to Song Wei.
Yuanbao stuck out his tongue at him and whispered, "Uncle Xu, today you don’t look like yourself at all."
Xu Shu shushed him, making a gesture to keep quiet, "It’s my first time meeting my future mother-in-law, buddy, spare me some face. Next time, I’ll take you for some freshly steamed flower-carved crabs."
Yuanbao slurped, "I want to eat it tomorrow."
Xu Shu glanced at Song Wei and, seeing no change in his expression, reluctantly agreed, "Alright, as long as I get through today, you can eat however you want."
——
Song Wei’s colleagues brought their wives, who were welcomed to the backyard by Wen Wan, not sitting with the men.
Song Fang was also there.
Anyone who met her congratulated her with a smile, which made her feel shy despite her usual open demeanor.
One woman said, "General Chang Wei is his only son, and there was once a concubine in the backyard, who was sent to the south due to poor health. The General Mansion only has Young Master Xu. Miss Song is lucky, marrying into such a tranquil household; others can’t help but envy her."
Knowing they tactfully avoided discussing Xu Shu’s less-than-good reputation, Wen Wan smiled and said, "Whether the household is tranquil is secondary; what’s important is that the husband’s character is good."
As the sister-in-law said this, the women couldn’t very well disagree in her house and nodded in agreement, forcibly praising Xu Shu.
Song Fang didn’t care what others thought. All she knew was this: she had a fiery temper and frequently threw tantrums in front of Xu Shu, but although he didn’t put up with it, he never got genuinely angry. He was a bit ’heartless’, able to sweet-talk you back with kind words as soon as the argument was over, never holding a grudge.
Imagining how other men might react, Song Fang didn’t dare to think.
——
After the birthday banquet, Song Fang spent her days either doing embroidery work or helping Wen Wan with the child. The weather was cold, and she was too lazy to go out.
On the day of the wedding, large snowflakes drifted from the sky.
The bridal party arrived at dusk, and Song Fang’s mother hauled her out of her warm bed early in the morning.
Song Fang, still drowsy, heard Granny Song’s endless nagging in her ear, "Other brides can’t sleep from excitement the night before; you, on the other hand, can eat and sleep like a pig even if you’re not one. Are you even planning on getting married?"
Song Fang rubbed her eyes, "Oh mom, the escort party’s coming at dusk; it’s still early. I’m so sleepy, let me sleep a bit more."
Saying this, she tried to go back to sleep again.
"Hey! You girl, are you trying to annoy me on purpose?" Granny Song looked at her barely open eyes, filled with exasperation.
Song Fang plopped down on the edge of the bed, covering her mouth as she yawned.
She and Xu Shu weren’t meeting for the first time; even though they were soon to be married, Song Fang didn’t find anything particularly exciting about it.
Losing sleep out of excitement? She had never experienced that feeling at all.
During the cold early days of December, the bed was truly warm, and she was really sleepy, honestly wanting to sleep for another hour or so.
Before Song Fang could lie down again, Granny Song pulled her up once more, "Hurry up, your Aunt Xie and a few of your sisters-in-law are waiting outside. You’re about to turn twenty right after the New Year, and still letting the elders serve you like this, aren’t you embarrassed?"
Song Fang immediately became more awake, "Aunt and the others are outside? Mom, why didn’t you say so earlier?"
"I didn’t tell you? It’s you who played deaf and blind, ignoring what’s happening. Do you know what time it is? If your in-laws knew, you wouldn’t have an easy time!"
Song Fang put on her clothes, bent down to put on her shoes, while her mother’s nagging voice echoed in her ears unrelentingly. She didn’t even bother to respond.
When she opened the door, she indeed heard the laughter and chatter of Aunt Xie and the others in the living room.
Song Fang felt a bit embarrassed.
She wanted to go and greet them, but Granny Song wouldn’t let her leave, "Stay put in the room, don’t go out unless your third brother carries you onto the bridal sedan. Don’t step out until the wedding procession arrives; otherwise, it’s bad luck, you hear me?"
Song Fang lazily replied, "I hear you!"
After Granny Song left, she turned around, sat at the dressing table, and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She suddenly realized her mother was right; she didn’t look at all like a bride-to-be.
What could she do? She was too familiar with Xu Shu, so familiar that even marrying him didn’t stir any strange emotions.
It all seemed so natural, like it was meant to be.
The courtyard was already adorned with red silk, blending beautifully with the descending snowflakes.
Aunt Xie and the others came over after learning that Song Fang was up.
Wen Wan, seeing her sister-in-law so relaxed, knew she wasn’t nervous at all, compared to her own experience at the time.
Aunt Xie teased her, "Little girl, were you too excited in the first half of the night, and then slept too deeply in the second half?"
"No way!" Song Fang blushed, "I slept from when I hit the bed till now."
"You’re about to get into the bridal sedan and yet you still sleep soundly; you’ve got some nerve, girl."
Song Fang found that accusation unfair, "What else can I do if I don’t sleep well? Even if I got all excited, Young Master Xu won’t come calling in the middle of the night to take me to their house. Their high-profile wedding is complex. Who knows how many ceremonies await me when I get there? I had to get a good night’s sleep in advance, otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t endure it."
Wen Wan laughed, "Though it sounds a bit unreasonable, when you think about it, you’re actually right. – Alright, get ready, I’ve boiled a big pot of water in the kitchen for your bath."
Song Fang responded with an "Oh," "Anyway, it’s my first time getting married and riding in a bridal sedan. I don’t know anything, I’ll just rely on all of you."
Granny Song scooped the hot water into a wooden bucket and brought it to her, hearing this, she snorted lightly, "No idea who you learned it from, getting bolder and cheekier."
Yang covered her mouth and giggled.
Wen Wan also smiled, her sister-in-law had spent so long at the General Mansion, who else could she have learned from besides Xu Shu?
Song Fang didn’t chatter anymore, quickly heading behind the screen, taking off her clothes, and soaking into the bath bucket.
After bathing, Yang personally dried her hair.
Wen Wan held out the bridal gown for her to change into.
The highest quality red silk fabric, with the style uniquely designed by an embroideress.
Song Fang already had a good figure, plus she was very well developed. Once she donned the gown, she transformed, becoming so beautiful you couldn’t take your eyes off her.
Seeing everyone staring at her, Song Fang felt a bit uneasy, lifted her skirt, and took a few steps forward, asking Wen Wan, "Does it look bad?"
"The bridal gown from the General Mansion, how could it look bad?" Wen Wan said, "It’s just that you look better than the gown, wearing it makes you look even more beautiful."
Song Fang beamed, "Your sweet mouth, dear sister-in-law."
Once dressed in the bridal gown, they started to groom her hair, draw her eyebrows, and apply makeup.
Grooming her hair was left to Aunt Xie, while the task of drawing her eyebrows and applying makeup fell to Wen Wan.
The bridal makeup was difficult to apply; for today’s occasion, Wen Wan had specifically sought advice at the cosmetic shop.
She was a bit slow at learning to read, but she picked up makeup quickly. As she applied it for her sister-in-law, nothing went wrong, and she timed it perfectly to have the bride’s veil ready just as the wedding procession arrived.