Pei Huaijin returned to the capital in late July. There were still more than ten days left until his wedding with the eldest daughter of the Shen family.
His grandmother prepared a welcome banquet for him. The atmosphere was warm and lively as everyone laughed and chatted about the upcoming double happiness in the family. Only then did Pei Huaijin learn that his cousin, Huai’an, who was five years younger than him, would also be getting married on the same day—he was to wed his own fiancée’s younger sister, the third daughter of the Shen family, Shen Youran.
The family couldn’t help but tease the two of them. In the Pei family, they were elder and younger cousins, but in the Shen family, they would become brothers-in-law—truly, a case of “relations growing ever closer.”
After the banquet, Pei Huaijin escorted his grandmother back to Chunxuan Hall, visited his grandfather, and then went to see his mother at Haitang Garden, accompanying her for a while.
With joyful events approaching, Lady Zhu’s spirits were much better than usual. Lately, she’d been even more diligent in caring for her health, so that on the day her son married, she could receive his and the new daughter-in-law’s formal bows with full energy.
She normally abstained from alcohol for the sake of her health, but today, with her son’s return, she was so happy that she allowed herself two small cups of medicinal wine, leaving her body warm and her cheeks flushed.
Lady Zhu looked at her accomplished eldest son with satisfaction and spoke of the recent birthday banquet for the old lady, when the eldest Shen girl came to offer her birthday wishes. That young woman was perfect in every way—her words were appropriate, her demeanor dignified and gracious. The more she saw of her, the more she liked her.
Then she brought up Meng Wanxin. Lady Zhu had always treated her like half a daughter and couldn’t help mentioning her: “Not long after your engagement with the Shen family’s eldest daughter was settled, she, too, got engaged. The match is with Lin Wulang from the Marquis of Changxing’s household. His family and talents are above reproach, but I hear there are all sorts of troubles in his courtyard. I advised Wanxin to think carefully, but she refused to listen. I only hope she can live a good life after marriage…”
Pei Huaijin had never met that Meng cousin many times and had little interest in her marriage, so he quietly listened to his mother’s chatter, not taking it to heart.
After Lady Zhu finished talking about Meng Wanxin, she brought up the Shen family’s third daughter, whom little Qi was going to marry.
Because little Qi had previously refused Meng Wanxin and then insisted on marrying Shen San, Lady Zhu secretly felt a bit of mischief in her heart.
“Everyone knows that the third daughter of the Shen family is beautiful but talentless, really much inferior to Wanxin. The old lady dotes on little Qi too much and, flustered and confused, actually agreed to his wishes. And your third uncle is no better—not only did he not stop it, he even went with the matchmaker to propose in person. They set the wedding on the same day as yours, as if it’s all just a game…”
“Mother,” Pei Huaijin timely interjected, “idle talk should not judge others.”
Lady Zhu belatedly realized she was criticizing elders and her brother-in-law in front of her son. Embarrassed and feeling she’d lost the dignity of an elder, she shot him a look: “I understand. In the end, sons are never as considerate as daughters…”
Back when Wanxin was by her side, the girl always agreed with whatever she said, not like this stern son of hers, who would start lecturing his own mother after just a few words.
“That’s enough. I’m tired today; you should go and rest early too.” Lady Zhu lost her mood and waved him off.
At dusk, Pei Huaian arrived at his Junzhi Courtyard, clutching his quilt and pillow.
“My Ciyou Courtyard is being renovated to prepare for my new bride, big brother. I’ll be squeezing in with you tonight…”
Pei Huaijin was spending the night in his study. The main house had been nearly redecorated, everything inside brand new. Since the new bride hadn’t entered yet, it wouldn’t be proper for him to sleep there, so he had a luohan bed set up in the study.
“Why aren’t you staying in Third Uncle’s courtyard?” Pei Huaijin took the bedding from his arms and spread it out on the luohan bed.
“Whenever my father gets drunk, he likes to go to my room and sigh endlessly. I don’t know if he’s lamenting my uselessness or thinking of my late mother. Tonight, he drank a lot at the banquet, and I don’t want to be scared to death opening my eyes in the middle of the night…”
Before Pei Huaijin returned, Pei Huaian had been staying in his father’s courtyard. Seeing his father drunk like that tonight, he hurriedly grabbed his bedding and found somewhere else to hide.
The brothers squeezed together on the not-so-wide luohan bed. Pei Huaijin listened as his brother recounted various amusing anecdotes. He spoke of how, not long ago, he accompanied their grandparents to the family villa outside the city to escape the summer heat, where Shen Yunshu also stayed. They were there for nearly a month and even played Wuzi Chess, with Shen Yunshu routing him all over the chessboard…
Pei Huaijin reminded him, “That’s not how ‘seven charges and seven withdrawals’ is used.”
Pei Huaian grinned, “I’m not good at books; I misuse old sayings, as long as you know what I mean, big brother.”
Mentioning Shen Yunshu, Pei Huaijin asked, “Was your engagement to the Shen family’s third daughter arranged by Yunshu?”
“No.” Grandmother had suspected the same, but Pei Huaian, seeing that she wasn’t satisfied with the third Shen girl and worried she might take it out on his future sister-in-law, didn’t dare admit that there had indeed been matchmaking behind the scenes.
Now that big brother asked, he still denied it, repeating the same story he’d told grandmother: “It was love at first sight for me. That day at the temple fair, she didn’t have money to buy ‘mo he le’ and, mistaking me for someone else, grabbed my sleeve and asked me to buy it. When I bought it, she refused to take it and ran off…”
“Later, when I saw sister-in-law at grandmother’s birthday, I noticed her features resembled hers and guessed her identity. Afterward, I used that ‘mo he le’ to test sister-in-law, asking her to pass it on, and that’s when I confirmed she was the third daughter…”
“These days, I keep dreaming of her. I suppose I’ve caught lovesickness and begged grandmother to propose marriage…”
These words weren’t a lie. Ever since his future sister-in-law suggested he marry her third sister, he’d dreamed of Shen San every night, even doing unspeakable things in those dreams—so much so that, for several nights, he secretly got up in the middle of the night to change his pants.
Pei Huaijin listened to his sincere words and had no reason to doubt him. It was just that he’d heard from his mother that the third Shen girl was much inferior to their Meng cousin, so he couldn’t help but ask, “In your eyes, what kind of person is the third Shen girl?”
“I’ve only met her once. She’s very pretty and very cute.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.” As for the rumors—like being lazy and indolent—he was too embarrassed to mention those to big brother.
“I see…”
“What do you mean, you see?”
Pei Huaijin stared up at the rafters, speaking slowly, “That’s not called love at first sight; it’s called being captivated by her looks.”
“…” That did seem accurate. Pei Huaian touched his own face and muttered, “I hope on our wedding day, she’ll be captivated by my looks, too.”
After all, until now, the third Shen girl had never even seen his face.
As the wedding approached, according to tradition, engaged couples shouldn’t see each other before the ceremony. He had no chance to show himself to her and didn’t know if, when the bridal veil was lifted, she would like his face…
Three days before the wedding, the osmanthus trees were all in bloom, their fragrance filling the courtyard.
Shen Youran’s wedding dress, hurriedly embroidered, was finally finished. Its style and patterns were identical to her elder sister’s. The Pei family sent over wedding gifts—fragrant powder, round fans, phoenix crowns, red robes. The two sisters’ trousseaux matched in every way, except for the bridal veils: Shen Yunshu’s was adorned with mandarin ducks playing in water, while Shen Youran’s had magpies perched on plum branches.
The next day, the Shen family sent people to the Pei household to prepare the wedding chambers, hang curtains, and lay new bedding. Tinglan, Shen Yunshu’s dowry maid, remained in Junzhi Courtyard to watch over the house, while Shen Youran’s maid Danruo stayed at Ciyou Courtyard.
The day before the wedding, Father Shen specially sent people to the Lu residence to fetch Madam Ning so that the girls’ own mother could stay with her soon-to-be-married daughters and teach them a few things about being a wife. She would also send them off the next day.
Once a girl became a wife, she could no longer act as willful as she did in the boudoir. Madam Ning trusted her eldest daughter, so the advice about how to care for a husband, show respect to elders, and manage the household was mostly aimed at the third daughter.
Shen Youran listened, yawning repeatedly, until her mother took out two picture books, handing one to each. Shen Youran casually opened hers, and her half-closed eyes instantly widened, all drowsiness gone.
“So this is the Rite of Marital Union?” She had only ever read a few lines in storybooks, knowing of the act but not its mysteries. Now, seeing it suddenly, she was greatly shocked.
Those intertwined scenes leapt into the sisters’ eyes, their faces reddening by the second. Madam Ning smiled and began, “So-called marital union—its proper form is the man above, woman below, echoing the principles of Heaven and Earth…”
Shen Youran listened as her mother spoke, flipping through the booklet from beginning to end. Her cheeks were crimson and her eyes shone with curiosity.
Unlike her modest elder sister, Shen Youran boldly asked, “Mother, I read in stories about wild passion that blots out heaven and earth. Is it really that pleasurable?”
“That’s a very good question.” Madam Ning stroked her head affectionately, looking at her two daughters. “The first time will be a little uncomfortable. If it hurts, just ask him to be gentle. Don’t let him have his way…”
Both sisters nodded in unison.
Madam Ning then turned her gaze to Shen Youran: “You’re still young; it’s not good to have children too early. I have a gentle contraceptive recipe here—afterwards, just take one dose. Wait two years before having a child. The Pei family is a reasonable one, and Pei Qilang is young, too. He won’t be in a rush for children…”
Women getting pregnant too young not only harmed their own health, but could also lead to weak children. Thus, in prestigious families who cherished their daughters, it was an unspoken rule not to let daughters conceive too soon.
Night fell deep and silent. Only the light in Shen Youran’s room remained lit.
Shen Yunshu had decided not to return to her own courtyard tonight, but squeezed in with Shen Youran and their mother, just like when they were little, begging for another bedtime story.
“What story shall I tell?” Madam Ning held her grown daughters close. Children’s tales were no longer suitable, so she thought for a while and remembered a fitting one.
“These days, the wedding rites call for a morning procession and an evening ceremony. Do you know why the formal ritual is held at dusk?”
Shen Yunshu, well-read, answered quickly, “The Book of Changes speaks of yin and yang: men are yang, women are yin. Dusk is when yin and yang meet. At this hour, two families join, and it is considered the best time for marriage…”
Shen Youran, less learned, snuggled in her mother’s arms, gnawing her finger, “Mother, aren’t you telling a story? Why are you talking about philosophy?”
Madam Ning was pleased with her eldest daughter’s wisdom and didn’t want to spoil the younger’s fun, so she went on, “What your sister said is right, but I’ve heard that long ago, there was a barbaric custom called ‘bride snatching.’ As the name suggests, it was about abducting women as wives, which couldn’t be done in broad daylight, so they did it at dusk. Over time…”
Listening to her mother’s gentle storytelling and breathing in her familiar scent, Shen Youran gradually drifted to sleep.
Maybe she’d listened to the story too intently, but in her dreams, she, too, experienced a chaotic bride snatching.
Dreams left no trace. At dawn, her mother woke her. By then, her elder sister had already returned to her own courtyard, and the hairdresser was waiting outside.
Her mother called her softly, “Youran, it’s time to get up and dress up…”