Misty Rain of the Old Times

"Ah Xuan, please stay with Master and Xueyu for a while. I can't get away right now," Gao Jingming said apologetically.

Mr. Yushan waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow is a joyous occasion, we're not outsiders here, you go and do your thing."

"Yes, Jingming, hurry up and take good care of the guests. Don't be so polite with us," Luo Taiyun urged with a smile.

His childhood playmate and mentor of many years should have sat down for a drink and a good time, but unfortunately he was too busy, so Gao Jingming had to excuse himself and leave.

Chen Xuan took over Gao Jingming's work and pushed Mr. Yushan towards the Central Court.

They chatted and laughed all the way. Chen Xuan learned that they had arrived in the capital a few days ago and stayed at an inn. They only came today. They set off half a month in advance and were not in a hurry to travel. The journey was not arduous and they arrived safely.

The relationship is truly strong; otherwise, why would ordinary friends travel thousands of miles to attend a wedding in person? It's so rare to have a few such companions in life.

Many years have passed, and the individuals have changed a lot, each embarking on different paths in life.

Deng Lingfeng was tall and strong with a resolute face. He was even taller than Chen Xuan. He gave up his studies after failing the imperial examination and gradually took over the family's martial arts school and escort agency. He had a calm demeanor between his brows and was now the pillar of the family. He had a small scar on his cheek, and perhaps more on his body.

Luo Taiyun was already a very fat man; his fat jiggled as he walked, and his clothes were stretched out like a ball. Now he helped his family run a grain business. He wasn't extremely wealthy, but he lived a comfortable life.

Chen Xuan had met the two of them a few times in recent years, since they were both from Yang County. However, Luo Taiyun had to run his business, and Deng Lingfeng traveled all over the country as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), so they didn't have much time to get together. It's not quite accurate to say that Deng Lingfeng traveled all over the country, as his family's martial arts school and镖局 (escort agency) were very small, and most of their trips were short-distance, mostly within the Shangyun Prefecture area, but they rarely stayed at home.

Zhou Lin never gave up his studies. After his father was transferred away from Yang County, he followed him. Now, he is gentle and refined, and has already achieved the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). He will continue to study hard for the imperial examinations.

Tian Xueyu is similar; he is now a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the county level). His family is also from Yang County, but after graduating from Yushan Academy, he went to study in the prefecture and rarely returned home. Given his family's circumstances, it would have been difficult for him to study at one of the three major academies, so he had to settle for second best. However, he lived up to expectations and became a Xiucai at the age of twenty, which is truly remarkable. He is the shortest among them and appears somewhat frail, but there is a youthful spirit between his brows.

Chen Xuan was just Gao Jingming's pageboy back then, but they were also like brothers. The group had the closest relationship and even sat at a separate table.

All of them are currently single, but they are all engaged and will get married within one or two years.

"It's rare for us brothers to get together, shall we have something to eat?" After we sat down, it was Tian Xueyu, who looked the most frail, who took the lead in making the suggestion.

Mr. Yushan is right here. Tian Xueyu, being a scholar, spoke with a touch of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air, but on Gao Jingming's joyous occasion, he didn't adopt the demeanor of a scholar and lecture him. He simply shook his head and smiled, saying, "You still have to help Ming'er with the wedding procession. It's not appropriate to drink now. Wait until after the procession is over and you've had your fill of drinks."

As the closest childhood friends, if they don't go to pick up the bride, who will? Given this premise, we can only temporarily give up. We have plenty of time, so it doesn't matter if it's a little while. It's not like we're leaving the next day. It's a rare opportunity to come to the capital, so we'll stay here for a while.

Since we couldn't drink, we could only eat and chat, mostly about funny childhood stories.

Countless trips between Yang County and the school have brought back so many memories. As a child, I was ignorant and stole things from home to show off at the inn, almost getting into trouble. Afterwards, we were all severely punished. At the school, we banded together to deal with the locals from Lanfeng County who were targeting us. We played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and poured our childhood energy and sweat into it. We went on spring outings and learned to swim at the foot of Qingliang Mountain...

There are so many stories, there's no end to the memories of my childhood, and every single one of them makes me laugh out loud.

On this joyous day for Gao Jingming, reminiscing about the past is naturally not a source of sadness; happiness is all that matters.

Time flies and is cruel. The group of children from back then are now adults. The days of childhood can never be returned to.

When we were young, we didn't realize how short time was; looking back, we realize how long it has been.

The people are still the same, each with their own lives, but the purest friendship from childhood will never fade no matter how much time passes.

As they chatted, their relationship was evident, and members of the Gao family came over to greet them. Mr. and Mrs. Gao even sat down to chat with them for a while.

As the successor of the Gao family and the future pillar of the family, Gao Jingming's wedding was attended by all his younger siblings, who came to greet him.

Deng Lingfeng saw Gao Jingqing, exchanged a brief conversation, and smiled faintly at each other.

When Deng Lingfeng was young and inexperienced, he had a crush on Gao Jingqing and dreamed of being together in the future. But Gao Jingqing secretly liked Zhou Lin.

But how could fate follow the beautiful fantasies of childhood?
Later, Zhou Lin left Yang County with his father, and gradually, Gao Jingqing's feelings faded. As she grew older, by fate, she married and moved to another county, and now she is a mother.

In short, Gao Jingqing couldn't marry Zhou Lin, whom she once loved, and Deng Lingfeng couldn't marry Gao Jingqing, whom he secretly loved. Life is just so ironic.

What I like, what I don't like, what I can't have, what I can't hold onto.

Looking back, those beautiful, innocent, happy, melancholic, carefree, playful days, those times when we wanted to doze off under the bright summer afternoon sun, are long gone and can never be returned to. Recalling our youth, everyone feels a touch of melancholy, but today is Gao Jingming's joyous day, so he can only be happy.

There are so many things to say, so many memories to recount, and time just slips away unnoticed.

It was almost noon when Chen Xuan suddenly realized something and exclaimed in astonishment, "Wait a minute, it's almost noon, where's the wedding procession we were supposed to go? Why isn't there any sign of it?"

As he spoke, he became agitated, saying that shouldn't they be holding a wedding ceremony at noon?
Upon hearing this, the others at the table looked at Chen Xuan with mixed feelings of amusement and exasperation. Deng Lingfeng joked, "Xuan, you haven't been drinking, so why are you talking nonsense?"

"Did I say something wrong?" Chen Xuan asked awkwardly, feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

At this moment, Mr. Yushan patted Chen Xuan on the shoulder, shook his head, and chuckled, "Little Xuan, did you doze off during etiquette class back then? You even got the time wrong?"

"I think I did doze off back then," Chen Xuan said, scratching his head sheepishly. Etiquette class is full of formalities, and he's a very easygoing person, so it sounded like a lullaby to him.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Mr. Yushan said, "A wedding is a wedding ceremony, of course, at dusk, followed by the bride being led directly to the bridal chamber. It's a bit early to go fetch the bride now. Let's wait a little longer, go and bring the bride over, and after a while, it'll be about time."

"Ah, right, right, right," Chen Xuan suddenly realized, blushing with embarrassment.

Since coming to this world, he has hardly ever attended a wedding, so he has a preconceived notion that wedding ceremonies are held at noon like in his 'back home'.

The world is different. The wedding ceremony usually takes place at dusk, followed by the couple being led to the bridal chamber. This is the normal procedure.

The only wedding Chen Xuan ever attended was when Xiao Juan, a maid from the Gao family, married Niu Le. It was noon, and he and Gao Jingming stayed under the bridal bed for several hours. Xiao Gao even fell asleep while waiting.

However, Niu Le was a guard of the Gao family, and Xiao Juan was a maid. They didn't care about such formalities, and they weren't far apart, so naturally everything was kept simple.

But Gao Jingming is different. He is the top scholar in the imperial examination, so everything about his wedding must be done according to the proper etiquette. Any mistakes would make him a laughing stock.

“Ah Xuan must have been distracted back then, how could he forget something like this? You’ll have to have a couple more drinks later,” Luo Taiyun said, both amused and exasperated.

Chen Xuan accepted the punishment, saying, "It was only right, it was only right."

The little princess stayed by Chen Xuan's side the whole time. She didn't say much, but she listened to their conversation with great interest. She thought to herself that Brother Xuan and his friends had so many fun memories from their childhood. It was a pity that she couldn't experience them with him. If only they could have grown up together.

During their casual conversation, Gao Jingming took a break and came over. His face beaming, he said with a smile, "Master, you're here! Ah Xuan, get ready. Go change your clothes; the sedan chair will be leaving soon. You'll be there to fetch my bride."

"Okay, no problem," Chen Xuan nodded. It was something that had been agreed upon long ago, so naturally there wouldn't be any problems.

Nodding, Gao Jingming said, "I'll leave this to you, Xuan. You absolutely must bring my bride over. Butler He will be with you. Everything's arranged. We've already prepared the wedding money and candy; just scatter some along the way and have a good time."

Just as he was about to agree, Chen Xuan suddenly said, "Wait a minute, judging from your tone, young master, aren't you coming with us to pick up the bride?"

Before anyone else could say anything, Gao Jingming said speechlessly, "What kind of groom goes to pick up the bride? Otherwise, what are you guys for?"

Is this right?
Blinking, Chen Xuan guessed that he had probably made a fool of himself again.

Mr. Yushan said speechlessly, "Xiao Xuan, did you even attend your etiquette classes properly? The wedding ceremony is at dusk. The groom doesn't need to go to pick up the bride; he has to stay home with the guests. Otherwise, what kind of order would it be if the groom left? You can't just leave the guests hanging."

"I didn't really take this course seriously back then, so why don't you give me a beating, sir?" Chen Xuan said, shrinking back.

At this moment, he realized that something was wrong. In traditional weddings, the groom does not need to pick up the bride, and the wedding ceremony is held at dusk. It's like the bride getting into the wrong sedan chair and marrying the right groom. The bride is sent over from afar, and the groom has never been seen picking her up.

But why did it turn out the way Chen Xuan knew?

Perhaps it's because customs differ from place to place, or perhaps traditions have been influenced by some malicious individuals, to the point that recently everyone has taken it for granted.

No wonder Gao Jingming kept emphasizing that Chen Xuan should help with the wedding procession; it turns out he didn't need to go at all.

Gao Jingming, both amused and exasperated, urged, "Hurry up and get ready; the auspicious time will arrive soon, and we'll be setting off."

...(End of chapter)