Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 385 Sharing a Dining Room and Receiving a Wedding Cup

"May your home be safe and sound when you step on the saddle."

"Walk on the felt mat, and your descendants will continue for generations to come!"

The bride's sedan chair arrived at the gate of the mansion, where a saddle was placed.

The bride must step over a saddle to enter the house, symbolizing peace and safety for the family.

This custom stems from the social reality that martial arts masters held sway.

When civil officials eventually came to power, the act of stepping over a saddle gradually evolved into stepping over a fire basin.

As for walking on a carpet, it's the modern world's equivalent of laying out a red carpet.

After the bride alighted from the sedan chair, her feet did not touch the ground; she walked into the mansion on a carpet.

The meanings are similar; both refer to having children to continue the family line.

Many things passed down from our ancestors.

Intangible cultural heritage such as habits, customs, and rules are still all around us.

The bride got out of the sedan chair and, supported by her wet nurse, walked all the way to the gate of the mansion.

After stepping over the saddle, we officially entered the Lin residence.

From then on, she would become the mistress of this mansion.

Lin Dao's gaze swept over the large group of maids and servants on the street.

These people were all part of the bride's dowry.

"Men are responsible for external affairs, and women are responsible for internal affairs; they are essentially the same."

He muttered to himself, "I need people on one hand and money on the other."

Men who work hard outside the home will find their lives getting better and better if they have money and connections.

A woman in charge of the household, with a dowry and servants to serve her, can truly control the inner quarters.

She only brought a quilt, and she wants to be the mistress of the house? She wants to control the inner quarters?

So everyone in the mansion is an NPC?
Even if she shouted at the top of her lungs with a megaphone, no one listened to her; at most, they would just pay lip service to her.

In fact, it's the same for both men and women; you need to have confidence to get things done.

If Lin Dao hadn't had a time portal to transport supplies back and forth, and had simply traveled directly to this world, he could at best have become a hunter in Riverside Village, working himself to the bone just to make ends meet.

He was dreaming if he wanted to marry a noblewoman; he was lucky if a widow in Heyan Village was willing to let him unclog the sewers.

"gone."

Seeing that he was somewhat dazed, Zhao Kuangyin patted Lin Dao on the shoulder with a lewd smile.

"It's not dark yet, Brother Lin, please don't be impatient."

Lin Dao smiled, waved, and walked into the mansion.

Do you really think he's some eighteen-year-old kid who's never had a decent meal?

He had slept with countless stunningly beautiful women.
According to the customs of this era, the next step was the Qinglu bowing ceremony.

They bowed inside the makeshift blue tent.

Lin Dao knew that this custom originated from the habits of nomadic peoples and symbolized the harmony of yin and yang.

Unfortunately, he always considered himself the orthodox Han Chinese and naturally refused to adopt the methods of nomadic peoples.

Without a bridal chamber, it is simply a formal auditorium.

After the ceremony, everyone entered the bridal chamber together.

It's not about making a ruckus in the new house; there are still follow-up rituals to be performed.

A feast had been set up in advance in the southwest corner of the new house, with dishes such as the lungs and livers of cattle and sheep on it.

On both sides are vegetable sauce, meat sauce, millet, pork, etc.

Lin Dao and the bride sat on opposite sides of the road.

He first offered the millet and lungs with his hands clasped, then reached out with his chopsticks to pick up the beef lung spine, dipped it in the meat and vegetable sauce, and took a bite.

"Give."

Lin Dao handed the beef lung slice in his hand to the bride opposite him.

The bride reached out and took the beef lung, dipped it in some sauce, and took a bite.

Next came lamb liver, and then pork.

After three such meals together, the ceremony of sharing a meal was completed.

The "sharing a meal" ceremony symbolizes sharing joys and sorrows and embarking on a life journey together.

A sacrifice consisting of cattle, pigs, and sheep is considered a "great sacrifice".

If there are only pigs and sheep but no cattle, it can only be considered a minor prison.

The surrounding crowd cheered and applauded.

In this era of limited entertainment options, a grand wedding is the best form of relaxation.

The matter is not over yet.

After sharing a meal, comes the nuptial cup ceremony.

The word "卺" means gourd. It refers to splitting a gourd into two ladles, with Lin Dao and the bride each holding one.

The wine jars that had been prepared beforehand were brought over and placed on the table.

Holding the ladle, Lin Dao dipped it into the wine jar and scooped out a spoonful of wine.

The same applies to brides.

After exchanging glances, the two men raised their gourds to drink.

'Yang Ye, you son of a bitch~'

Lin Dao remained outwardly calm after downing a sip of wine, but inwardly he was cursing Yang Ye for being such a fool.

'I told you to prepare a non-bitter ladle, why did you give me a new one?!'

My mouth is so bitter it's gone numb.

'You're such a big idiot.'

If you cut open a gourd and put wine in it, it will become bitter wine.

The experienced Lin Dao had instructed Yang Ye well in advance to prepare processed bitter gourd for use.

Unexpectedly, when the time came, the bitterness was so intense that I wanted to vomit.

Yang Ye was careless in his work; he did prepare a ladle, but he only prepared one.

As a result, the one that wasn't bitter was taken by the bride.

So that's why he's not careful; of course you should prepare two of these things!
Even though his mouth tasted terribly bitter, with so many people watching, Lin Dao could only calmly scoop up another spoonful of wine and drink it with his bride.

This process is repeated three times before the wedding ceremony can be considered complete.

The nuptial ceremony symbolizes the union of husband and wife into one.

It implies that newlyweds should share joys and sorrows, and good fortune and bad.

'I haven't even tasted the sweetness yet, but I've already tasted the bitterness.'

Lin Dao took a breath and poured himself a cup of tea to rinse his mouth.

The bride, supported by her maid, sat down beside the bed.

She will wait here for the activities after dark.

Lin Dao and the others left the house and went to the front to serve food and drinks.

For decades, Bianzhou was the heart of the Central Plains.

Although the world is exhausted and the people are suffering.

Bianzhou, however, received sustenance from all over the country and enjoyed a rare prosperity amidst the chaos of the times. The city boasted numerous restaurants and many renowned chefs.

Lin Dao spent a lot of money to hire famous chefs to cook.

In addition, the unlimited supply of beverages, especially wines and fruit wines in glass bottles, satisfied the guests.

Eating, drinking, having fun, and laughing.

In these chaotic times, it is also a rare moment of leisure.

As dusk fell, Lin Dao, reeking of alcohol, bid farewell to his guests.

The emperor and empress naturally wouldn't come, but they both sent people to deliver gifts.

After all the guests had left, the mansion gates slowly closed.

The maids and servants who had received their reward money went to rest and sleep.

The guards on night duty patrolled the mansion.

As for Lin Dao, who had previously reeked of alcohol, he instantly became energetic after washing his face.

That's right, he was faking being drunk.

These military officers are all heavy drinkers.

When they have nothing to do, they either practice martial arts or drink. They all have an extraordinary capacity for alcohol, and once they open their mouths, it's like a bottomless pit where they can drink.

Pouring wine into the groom's mouth at the wedding is a long-standing tradition.

If Lin Dao hadn't pretended to be drunk and unable to hold his liquor, he wouldn't have been able to get drunk by these heavy drinkers.

It's unacceptable for someone to get drunk and faint on their wedding night.

Having regained his composure, Lin Dao first went to the small kitchen, and then walked towards the new house.

On the table, the dragon and phoenix candles swayed in the night breeze that rushed in as the door opened.

In the dim light, looking at the figure who had been sitting by the bed all day, Lin Dao sighed softly.

Getting married is really tiring.

Lin Dao, who has had many experiences throughout the myriad realms, has a deep understanding of this.

Upon hearing Lin Dao's sigh, the bride immediately clenched her hands nervously.

She was afraid that she might do something wrong and displease her husband.

She was actually quite satisfied with her husband.

Young and promising, with a bright future.

He is both literate and martial, and possesses an outstanding temperament.

Moreover, she was all alone, without any relatives or elders, and was not expected to serve elders or establish rules.

For a noblewoman of her status, finding an excellent husband is not easy.

In many cases, they even became the second wives of military officers.

After all, military generals are often rude, and many wives die in despair because of them.

Lin Dao placed the yogurt he was holding on the table, stepped forward, and removed the bride's veil.

Only then did the bride look up and see Lin Dao's true face for the first time.

Almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows.

Her cherry-like lips, set against her fair skin, perfectly matched Lin Dao's aesthetic standards.

He raised his hand and removed the hair ornament from the bride's hair.

This is a type of silk rope.

After a woman gets engaged, she will use this silk cord to tie her hair up.

Only then was the groom untied.

Her cloud-like hair cascaded down, smooth as silk.

Tie the silk rope to his hand, Lin Dao turned around and brought over a bowl of mutton soup from the table.

"You haven't eaten all day, are you hungry?"

"Eat something to tide you over first."

On her wedding day, the bride is not allowed to eat anything.

Although I secretly ate some snacks and candied fruits that my younger sister brought me this morning, I'm starving now.

As for the dates and such on the bed, they're not for eating.

The bride took the soup bowl and sipped the yogurt soup slowly.

Lin Dao sat down beside her and just watched her eat.

"I'm full."

Although she was very hungry, the bride didn't dare to eat too much.

This was because they were worried that Lin Dao would get angry and that Lin Dao would gain a reputation for being a glutton.

After all, in ancient times, there was no custom of living together before marriage.

They didn't know each other.

"Do not lie to me."

Lin Dao laughed and said, "You're not full."

“I’m not some poor wretch who wouldn’t even share twelve pumpkins with his wife.”

"After eating."

The bride was curious: "What are twelve pumpkins? What's the story behind this?"
If you can't figure it out, then keep eating.

After finishing a bowl of warm mutton soup, a blush rose on the bride's pretty face.

Now I can finally feel better.

Lin Dao took the bowl, stood up, went to the table, put the bowl down, and extinguished the candle.

Suddenly it dimmed, and the bride was startled.

The next moment, she understood.

This is what my mother said; the important moment of giving birth is coming.

The thought of those blush-inducing illustrations, those moving puppets, and the bride's delicate body made me tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Lin Dao also smiled.

This is the kind of reaction a bride should have.

Those who are so adept at it on their wedding night are truly speechless.

A rustling sound came from the dimly lit room.

Before long, one piece of clothing after another was thrown off the bed.

Although this auspicious garment is very cumbersome and complicated, and it is not shiny.

But for Lin Dao, it was not a difficult task at all.

There was no way around it; he was extremely experienced and had already unlocked a powerful skill.

Good at understanding other people's clothes~
The commotion grew louder and louder, and the red silk quilt began to ripple and undulate.

This does indeed echo the poem about urging one to get ready during the day.

'The incense burner's fragrance fades, the candlelight flickers low; the quilt is turned over, red waves sway, and dreams are lost in reverie.'

The night wind howled outside, scattering the faint humming sounds coming from inside.

Nothing more was said that night.
(End of this chapter)