Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

The moment I pushed open the door, all I saw was the red mansion adorned with silk and satin, lanterns and colorful decorations, which made the sky appear even brighter.

From the threshold all the way to twenty or thirty meters ahead, a red silk cloth ten feet wide was laid out.

Shen Er and Ai Si used wooden nails to fix the red ribbon to the ground, and scattered various flower petals on both sides of the red ribbon. Further out were the islanders standing in rows.

As for the open space, in addition to the various wooden tables and benches that have been arranged in clusters, there are also newly erected wooden stakes with red lanterns hanging in the gaps at the same distance.

At the end of the red ribbon was a newly erected wooden platform, its sides and surface covered with red ribbon and decorated with colorful flags.

Chi Honghai walked to Wu Wanruo's side, still holding what he had written in one hand.

Wu Wanru looked back at Chi Honghai in disbelief, too surprised to utter a single word.

She stood inside the threshold, somewhat at a loss.

Chi Honghai took her hand and stepped out of the threshold first, leading Wu Wanruo out onto the red silk path, and walked towards the platform in front of them.

As you walk along the road, flower petals fall from the sky.

Ai Si and Shen Er had arranged for people to stand behind the lined-up crowd. When the master and madam walked on the red silk, they threw the flower petals into the air. They even prepared two large fans to fan the petals into the air.

As the couple walked down the red carpet, flower petals were scattered and blown all the way up to the red stage.

Along the way, with petals falling all around her shoulders, Wu Wanruo, her hair in her hair, held Chi Honghai's hand tightly.

Tears welled up in her eyes, about to spill over, when Chi Honghai stopped and used his white sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Why are you crying? Are you feeling wronged?" Chi Honghai teased, swinging one hand behind his back. Shen Er immediately ran up and took the letter from his hand.

"No..." Wu Wanruo's voice was trembling with emotion and tears.

She continued walking towards the red stage with Chi Honghai, trying to change the subject to calm herself down: "You used your white cuffs to wipe my tears, now I have to wash them again."

"The bride's tears are so pure, you can't bear to wash them away."

Wu Wanruo heard Chi Honghai's words clearly and laughed through her tears.

In front of the red stage, the two stepped onto the platform and turned to face the crowd below.

A new queue had been formed in the open area where we had just walked.

The red silk and yellow satin, interwoven horizontally and vertically, formed a huge "囍" (double happiness) character.

At this moment, Shen Er walked to the edge of the stage, and the crowd below fell silent as they looked at the letter in his hand.

Just then, a southeast wind rose, swirling flower petals and fragrance in the air, while colorful flags fluttered in the breeze.

"With faith and conviction united, seeing these words brings joy."

"I am not envious of the stars and moon at night, nor lonely when I see the morning sun."

"He sees the real mountain as unsatisfactory, but I see the real mountain as exactly what I desire."

"I raise my head to the heavens as my goal, and pour the sea of ​​books into my cup as my wine, yet I cannot dispel my longing."

"Pluck a thousand flowers to adorn the ink, select a hundred leaves to tie together as a brush, and let your thoughts never cease."

That's all.

Ai Si and his men carried a fine wooden table and several other items and placed them in front of the two men.

The newlyweds first poured water on their hands from the offered ewer, then poured the discarded water from the ewer into a bowl.

Then, under Ai Si's guidance, the two of them had to finish eating the three dishes on the table.

On the table were three exquisite dishes and a gourd that had been cut in half and tied with red thread.

The bride personally served the food to the groom.

Chi Honghai was certainly capable of eating all three dishes, but he pretended he couldn't finish them and let Wu Wanruo continue to enjoy them.

Then, the gourd tied with the red thread was untied and placed on the table in two halves. Although they were separated, they were still connected by the red thread.

Both halves of the gourd were filled with wine and connected by a red thread. They were put into the mouths of the two men, who drank half of the wine in the gourd and then exchanged them to drink the last of the wine in the gourd.

……

The two went through rituals such as the husband and wife bowing to each other.

Amid cheers and adoration from thousands of people, the two were led into their bridal chamber.

However, given Zhao Chi's status as the eldest son, no one dared to cause trouble in the newlyweds' bridal chamber.

Shen Er wisely closed the door, and made a scene before leaving.

"Old man, young woman, may you give birth to a big, healthy son next year."

After saying that, he led everyone back to their seats.

It was bustling and lively outside, but quiet inside.

When the two returned to their room, they found that in the short time it had been, the room had been redecorated and made to look festive.

Two dragon and phoenix candles were placed on the table.

One candle is decorated with a dragon, with a pearl in front of its mouth, called "Dragon Playing with a Pearl"; the other is decorated with a phoenix, with a brightly colored peony in front of its beak, called "Phoenix Through Peony". The lower half of each candle is decorated with the two immortals of harmony and union.

In traditional wedding customs, lighting flower candles is an essential part. Only after lighting dragon and phoenix flower candles can a couple be considered a formal couple. Therefore, people refer to couples who have gone through the wedding ceremony and formal marriage as "flower candle couples".

The couple looked at the dragon and phoenix candles, and together they picked up the ordinary red candles that had been lit beforehand and lit the real candles.

The tightly closed windows and doors, adorned with bright red "double happiness" characters, further blocked out the sunlight.

Inside the room, the dim candlelight from the dragon and phoenix candles shone on the two faces, drawing them closer together.

Wu Wanruo was still a little shy and turned her head away.

Turning around, one sees a red veil and a wedding scale on the bed.

Because the incident happened in a hurry and had to be kept secret from the woman of the house, Wu Wanruo never wore a red veil from beginning to end.

This is actually not in accordance with traditional wedding customs and etiquette.

However, tradition is tradition, and love is love; love can always break through the limitations of tradition.

Such examples abound.

The story of Phoenix Seeking Its Mate is like this, and so is the story of The Peony Pavilion.

However, missing a step always feels like something is missing.

Following the bride's gaze, Chi Honghai also saw what was on the bed.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then turned away without saying a word.

Chi Honghai looked out the window at the "double happiness" character on the sticker, touched it, and was surprised to find that the lifeless sticker had a warmth to it.

Wu Wanruo sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the red veil, and put it on her head. She pulled it here and there until she felt it was in the right place, then put her hands on her thighs and sat down properly.

With a deliberate, light cough, Chi Honghai withdrew his hand from the sticker and turned around.

Seeing this scene before him, Chi Honghai's heart pounded wildly.

He walked up to Wu Wanruo, bent down, and picked up the ceremonial scales beside her.

The scale wasn't heavy, but her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

He gripped his right wrist with his left hand, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.

Holding the wedding scale, place it under the red veil and slowly lift the veil upwards.

The veil slowly rose, revealing a corner of her vermilion lips.

After Xi Libra tallened up, a pair of thick eyebrows and bright black eyes looked up at her.

The two looked at each other and smiled.