Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 384 Red-clad Men and Green-clad Women, Ten Miles of Red Makeup

Dozens of sticks were swung wildly, like falling petals.

The experienced forest trailman crossed his arms in front of his head and charged forward recklessly, ignoring everything else.

He came to welcome the bride, not to seek revenge.

The bride's relatives and friends who were teasing the groom also deliberately went easy on him.

Lin Dao received several blows to his arm and back, but they were like light scratches, causing no pain or itch.

Moreover, he was wearing chainmail underneath, so he cleared the level without taking any damage.

But Zhao Kuangyin suffered a terrible fate.

He wasn't as resolute as Lin Dao, and even looked up to look.

When I looked up, all I could see were shadows of sticks.

There was no other way; his role as the best man was specifically designed to take the beatings.

The woman's relatives and friends may let the newlyweds off the hook, but they will not let him off the hook.

Dozens of sticks fell down one after another, it was quite a sight.

"Ouch~"

The sticks fell in a dense barrage, making a loud thud.

Zhao Kuangyin, with his arms raised to protect his head, grinned and his face contorted.

The pain was unbearable, but as a military officer, he couldn't cry out in pain and lose face, so his face became contorted.

Stumbling and scrambling all the way, weaving and maneuvering.

Amidst the continuous 'bang bang' sounds.

Amidst the flying shadows of sticks.

After enduring countless blows, Zhao Kuangyin finally broke through the barrage of sticks and reached Lin Dao's side.

"Are you alright?" Lin Dao asked with concern, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Despite being in pain all over his body, Zhao Kuangyin stood up straight with his head held high upon hearing this.

"They're all women, what strength could they possibly have?"

The relatives and friends holding sticks were not happy about this. Immediately, a woman put her hands on her hips, pointed her finger at Zhao Kuangyin, and said, "Do you dare to walk through it again?"

Fu Yanqing was a military general, and most of his relatives and friends were also from military families.

Women from military families often acquire some martial arts skills through exposure to their surroundings.

She is a completely different type from the delicate, frail young ladies who are so beloved by those who wear headscarves and can't even leave their homes.

The sticks they swung around really hurt when they hit you.
Faced with the provocation, Zhao Kuangyin kept his eyes straight ahead and pretended not to hear anything.

He urged Lin, "It's getting late, hurry up, don't miss the auspicious time."

The generals outside rushed in, laughing and joking as they entered.

Zhao Kuangyin stopped and turned around.

Looking at the female relatives and friends gathered together, chattering and laughing about how he had previously danced with the stick, he seemed to be deep in thought.

I carefully recalled the sight of countless sticks I had seen before.

'Under such dense staff techniques~'

When the dragon comes, you must coil up; when the tiger comes, you must lie down.

'We could study staff techniques properly~'

The group arrived at the bride's courtyard in a lively atmosphere.

A maidservant stood blocking the courtyard gate, smiling as she looked at Lin Dao.

Dressed in brocade and adorned with pearls and jade.

This was no ordinary maid; she was the bride's personal attendant and was to accompany her as part of the dowry.

Of course, there's a prerequisite: whether Lin Dao wants her.

Lin Dao, who was already very familiar with these rules, glanced at the pretty maid with a shy face and her small hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, and took out an ordinary-looking jade pendant and tossed it to her.

The maid who caught the jade pendant smiled.

They happily bowed to the forest path.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Excellency!"

The gifts given were ordinary, which meant that she was allowed to follow along.

If a large sum of gold and silver is given, it means that she is not allowed to go with them and must find her own way.

The maid, holding up the hem of the bride's skirt, hurriedly led Lin Dao to the outside of the bride's boudoir.

The maid was about to remind him of the next step in the process when she saw Lin Dao already speaking fluently.

"It is said that rouge is being used under the candlelight, and that one should not act promiscuously in front of the mirror."

"There is no need to make up all over your face, just leave your eyebrows to be painted."

Reciting the poem urging someone to get ready for marriage was something Lin Dao was very familiar with; he had recited it many times before.

This process is to inform the bride and her female relatives inside.

It's almost time to go out.

There were quite a few people inside.

Besides the maids and nannies, the bride's sister-in-law, younger sister, and other female elders were also present.

The bride, dressed in a dark blue auspicious robe and a wide-sleeved shawl, threw herself into Madam Yang's arms, sobbing, "Mother~"

When a woman gets married, no matter what she feels in her heart, she will definitely cry.

As for the mother, regardless of whether the child is born of the principal wife or a concubine, and regardless of their usual relationship, she must be well comforted.

After this process, Yang personally took a thin hemp rope and used it to remove the fine hairs from the bride's face.

From today onwards, I am no longer a girl; I must transform into a woman.

The bride's sisters-in-law and other female relatives offered their blessings and gifts.

Her younger sister laughed even harder, "This poem urging my second brother-in-law to get ready was written by Xu Anqi, so let him write one himself!"

“He’s a martial artist,” the bride said instinctively. “It’s already impressive that he can recite this poem; how could he possibly compose it himself?”

These women knew exactly what a martial artist was like these days.

Those who can recite poems are already among the best of the martial artists.

He even wrote his own poems?
Why don't you let him take the imperial examination to become the top scholar!
The group of women started to cheer.

They've already started protecting them before they even left the house!
The younger sister, always eager for excitement and never one to shy away from trouble, ran straight to the door and shouted through the doorway, "My older sister said that my brother-in-law also needs to compose a poem to urge me to get ready for the wedding!"

Lin Dao, who was outside the door, smiled upon hearing this.

'If I hadn't made a mistake while researching, you would be the one waiting to get married right now.'

"Let me think about it."

Lin Daolang responded in a loud voice and started walking around in the courtyard.

While seemingly pondering poetry, one is actually thinking about which dynasties are suitable for writing poetry.

It's impossible for me to write poetry on my own; I don't have the skill, or rather, the knowledge systems I've learned are different.

But he can act as a copycat in the literary world, provided that it is timely and appropriate.

After a while, he finally found a suitable one. He stepped to the door and recited the poem aloud once more.

"The incense burner's fragrance fades, the candlelight flickers low, the red quilt is turned over, and the dream is lost in reverie."

"Let's come together to wear mandarin ducks and recognize the knot of our hearts."

Zhao Kuangyin and the others who were watching the spectacle immediately started to jeer and burst into laughter.

This poem, in this era, is considered vulgar and too straightforward.

However, it is very much in line with the identity of a martial artist.

vulgar and lecherous~
Laughter and curses erupted from inside the room.

"The young master is getting impatient."

One of Fu Yanqing's concubines joked that she was "eager to be turned into a red wave."

Anyone who has been to the beach knows that the waves come one after another, with a continuous rhythm.

The blanket trembled rhythmically like ocean waves; anyone who has experienced it knows what I mean.

The bride, who had received premarital counseling and seen moving puppets and illustrations, blushed.

Although it's a bit vulgar, it was indeed a poem written by the son-in-law himself.

This alone puts him far ahead of the vast majority of warriors.

With the veil on, it was finally time to go out.

The veil appeared very early on.

During the late Han Dynasty, the country was in chaos, and women often faced robbery when they got married.

Therefore, the practice of covering one's head with a veil to prevent thieves from seeing and stealing one's face became the prototype of the head covering.

Over the years, especially after various wars, it has become an important part of wedding customs.

The door opened, and the women escorted the bride out.

Lin Dao, dressed in a deep green floral ceremonial gown, and Lin Dao, dressed in a magnificent red robe, complemented each other perfectly.

This is the tradition of "red men and green women" passed down since the Tang Dynasty.

Every era has its own aesthetic standards.

Like the red-clad men and women of this era, the red-clad men and women of the Qing Dynasty, and even the black-and-white pairings of the modern world.

Even the combination of black and white has existed since ancient times.

During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, black wedding dresses were often tinged with red, while during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, white wedding dresses were the most popular.

Such things depend on the times and prevailing trends; there's no need to worry too much about them.

The younger sister-in-law, who was holding a round fan to partially cover her face, curiously looked at Lin Dao.

Her second sister had sent someone to spy on Lin Dao long ago, and the report she gave was naturally very positive.

However, due to the prevailing impression of martial artists in that era, the two sisters did not believe it in their hearts.

After all, most military men who could become generals had a face full of fat, a big head and a thick neck, no waist and a protruding belly like a pregnant woman, arms strong enough to run a horse, and thighs as thick as elephant legs.

This is not slander; this is the image of most martial artists of this era.

There is nothing we can do about this.

What's needed on the battlefield is endurance. Fighting for half a day at a time requires a lot of fat to provide enough stamina.

Therefore, being strong and muscular with a belly full of fat is the standard for martial artists.

Those who come out of the gym with seemingly muscular bodies will be lying down in no time on the battlefield.

Meat alone is not enough.

Not to mention the pretty boys in movies and TV dramas.

With such thin arms and legs, one might doubt whether they could even lift a weapon.

But Lindao is different.

He was tall and strong but not fat; rather, he was truly well-proportioned and sturdy, with explosive power within his body.

Having held a high position for a long time, he possesses an extraordinary demeanor.

A strong, resolute face with clearly defined features—this is the kind of image that women of this era most admire.

An image that can provide them with enough security in chaotic times.

If it were peach-eating girls who hop and skip while playing basketball, they wouldn't be liked by women, but only by people with special tastes.

Even in the modern world, decades ago, no one liked such people; they were usually called...

Two chairs~
Lin Dao's physique, demeanor, and even appearance perfectly matched the aesthetic standards of the era.

The younger sister-in-law, her face partially obscured by a round fan, stared at the woman with a slightly flushed face.

At that moment, she felt a pang of envy for her second sister.

Women born into martial arts families are almost always destined to marry martial arts men.

The rugged image and rude behavior of martial artists in this era have long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Even women of this era could only swallow their anger and endure it silently.

换做抱着谈恋爱心思来的穿越女，不出三天就得被家暴揍死。

He died from speaking recklessly.

The sound of firecrackers crackled and popped.

The firecrackers at this time are real firecrackers.

Gunpowder and similar substances were contained inside bamboo sections, hence the name "firecrackers".

They went out, got into the sedan chair, and set off.

Amidst the sounds of gongs and drums, more than a hundred palanquins carrying dowry items tied with red silk began their journey.

And this is the "Ten Miles of Red Dowry".

Red refers to the red silk tied to boxes and other objects, signifying joy and celebration.

Makeup refers to the dressing table, which is the dowry.

"Ten li" is definitely a figurative expression, used to describe a sufficiently large quantity.

This demonstrates the strength and confidence of the bride's family.

These dowries came in a wide variety of types.

It contains daily necessities such as wardrobes, bedding, pots and pans, and a canopy bed.

There were gold, silver, and copper coins, land deeds for fields and shops, jewelry, silks and satins, and even maids and servants.

The most surprising thing was that the last item was a coffin.

This is prepared by the bride's family for their daughter who is getting married.

This indicates that the daughter's family provides for her from birth to death, and the husband's family does not need to arrange her funeral.

These are the true meanings of a dowry: to have a powerful maternal family as a support.

Those who only receive two quilts as dowry need no further explanation.

It's not marrying off a daughter, it's selling a daughter!

(End of this chapter)