Dressed in an eye-catching red Hanfu with phoenix embroidered in golden threads, Feng Yu slowly made her way inside.
Her silk-like black hair had been elegantly spread to the side of her head, making the intricately made flower huadian in the middle of her forehead stand out. (A/N: Huadian: A pattern-like design on a woman's forehead. Used for make-up.)
Her hair was tied into a bundle at the top, and a gold-plated phoenix coronet was resting there, which made her whole presence exude a regal aura.
A translucent red veil was covering the lower half of her face, making only her eyes visible. Despite this, just staring into those emerald eyes was enough to charm someone.
"So beautiful…" a girl amongst the crowd muttered in awe, and her words reverberated in the hall that had momentarily turned silent.
With her head subtly tilted downward and her clasped hands resting on her lower stomach, Feng Yu made her way inside the hall with her two maid attendants at her side.
The men in the crowd couldn't help but admire how elegant and charming she looked at the moment, but at the same time, a thought was ringing in all their minds.
'What a pity, if only her face wasn't burnt,'
They didn't outright show it on their expressions, but how could Feng Yu not understand those gazes?
But she didn't care at all about these people tonight. Her whole mind was fully occupied with one thing and one thing only, her future husband, Yi Chen.
With steady steps, she walked forward and was soon standing side by side with Yi Chen on the red mat and waited for the marriage ceremony to begin.
"The wedding ceremony will formally begin!" Madam Lin declared and started by introducing the groom and the bride to the crowd in a slow and deliberate voice.
What came after was her reading a list containing the names of ten or so distinguished guests in the crowd, which took a few minutes to finish.
Just when Yi Chen was starting to feel an ache in his legs, Madam Lin finished reading all the names.
She paused briefly, and the very next moment her voice grew eight octaves higher.
"First bow to the heaven and earth!"
At this voice, Yi Chen and Feng Yu simultaneously turned towards the hall's doorway and bowed to heaven and earth.
"Second bow to the elders!"
The two made a 180-degree turn the very next moment and bowed towards Master Ru, who was seated in front of them.
Seeing this, Master Ru firmly nodded and glanced lovingly towards his daughter and new son-in-law.
"Husband and wife exchange bows!"
Without any delay, both Yi Chen and Feng Yu turned their bodies towards each other and, with a solemn expression, bowed sincerely at each other.
"The rites are complete! Husband and wife are bound!"
Madam Lin's voice resonates throughout the hall, and the very next moment, the entire hall erupted into a flurry of applause.
Be it the guests or the servants that were present, everyone had a joyful expression on their faces and clapped their hands to wish the newly married couple.
Master Ru too stood up from his seat with a jubilant expression and reached towards a cup of wine from a nearby servant's tray.
Grabbing the cup, he gestured it towards the guests and said, "Thanks for coming on such short notice, everyone. Be sure to drink more than a few cups to celebrate this grand occasion!"
The guests congratulated him wholeheartedly when they heard his words.
"Congratulations on getting a son-in-law, Master Ru!"
"We wish the couple a happy married future!"
Master Ru's countenance beamed with a smile at those words.
As the congratulatory words showed no signs of stopping, Madam Lin announced in her loud voice, "The wedding banquet will begin now!"
The sound of gongs and drums echoed in the hall the next moment, and the servants immediately guided the guests to the tent outside where the banquet was going to be held.
Meanwhile, Feng Yu momentarily exchanged a glance with Yi Chen, with embarrassment apparent in her eyes, before being escorted to the bridal chamber by her two maid attendants.
"Let's go, Xiao Chen," Master Ru patted Yi Chen on his back with a warm smile and went along with him to the wedding banquet.
Sounds of musical instruments echoed in the well-lit garden as everyone seated themselves. A table laden with delicious food was present in front of them.
Master Ru soon initiated a toast in his name, and Yi Chen accepted the wine in a cup with both hands before finally gulping it down together with Master Ru.
With this, the banquet officially began, and everyone jumped onto the dishes on the table. It was only after everyone had eaten that more wines were brought to the tables.
Yi Chen was accompanied by Master Ru and accepted a toast from several esteemed guests whom Master Ru introduced to him.
However, after a while, feeling that he had drunk too much, Yi Chen requested his leave and went to grab a cup of water.
It was during this period that Yi Chen was reunited with Brother Hu and greeted all the other workers who had come to give their well-wishes.
"I'm so happy to see you married,"
"To think that little boy will get married so soon…it felt like a blink of an eye,"
"To be honest, I'm surprised you were accepted as the groom despite destroying your well-kept hair…"
Hearing the familiar voices, which carried both love and taunts, Yi Chen couldn't help but chuckle in amusement and no longer felt as drunk as before and instead felt like he could go on for several more rounds.
"You better not go back on your words. It's time to test your limit!" Brother Hu soon brought a bottle of wine with him, and Yi Chen kept exchanging one toast after another with all of them with great joy.
During their drunken conversation, and when everyone got to know that Yi Chen really had developed feelings for Feng Yu during this period, an expression of relief could be seen on their faces.
'So, we were worried for nothing,' They all smirked, and after exchanging another toast with him helped him sober up with a splash of cold water.
Brother Hu looked at his surprised face with a smile and said, "What are you staring at? Go, don't keep the bride waiting for long."
With that said, they all patted Yi Chen on his back before making their way out of the residence.
Yi Chen wanted to see them out, but they rejected it without a second thought and instead hurried him to go and attend to the bride.
'These guys…' Yi Chen sighed in a bittersweet manner, seeing them acting like this. He waved at them and then, listening to their words, turned towards Feng Yu's courtyard and started walking towards her quarter.