One featured mandarin ducks frolicking in water, another showed magpies alighting on plum branches…
Pei Huaijin returned to the capital in late July, when there were still over ten days until his wedding with the Eldest Miss of the Shen family.
His grandmother prepared a welcome banquet for him. The atmosphere was joyous, and amid laughter and conversation about the double happiness approaching, Pei Huaijin learned that his cousin Huaian, five years his junior, was also getting married. His wedding was scheduled for the same day as Huaijin’s, and the bride was none other than the younger sister of Huaijin’s fiancée—Shen Youran, the Third Maiden of the Shen family.
Family members couldn’t resist teasing the two cousins: in the Pei family, they were elder brother and younger cousin; but when it came to the Shen family, they would be brother-in-law and brother-in-law—truly “binding closer ties between the two families.”
After the banquet, Pei Huaijin escorted his grandmother back to Chunxuan Hall. After paying his respects to his grandfather, he went to his mother’s Haitang Courtyard to keep her company for a while.
The joyous occasion had lifted Zhu Shi’s spirits, and she seemed much better than before. Recently, she had been diligently nurturing her health, all for the sake of being energetic and vibrant on her son’s wedding day when she would receive the bows from him and his new bride.
Usually cautious about her health, she never drank alcohol. But today, with her son’s return, she was so overjoyed that she dared to sip two small cups of medicinal wine. Her body felt warm, and she was slightly tipsy.
Zhu Shi looked at her accomplished eldest son with contentment and mentioned that during the recent celebration of the old madam’s birthday, the Eldest Miss of the Shen family had also come to offer congratulations. That young lady was perfect in every way—well-spoken, dignified, and graceful—and the more Zhu Shi saw of her, the more she liked her.
Then she brought up Meng Wanxin. Zhu Shi had always regarded her as half a daughter and couldn’t help mentioning her: “Not long after your engagement to the Eldest Miss of the Shen family was settled, she also got engaged—to Lin Wulang of the Changxing Marquis Manor. His family background and personal qualities are beyond reproach, but I’ve heard there’s some messy business in his household. I advised Wanxin to think carefully, but she wouldn’t listen. I just hope she can live a good life after marrying into that family…”
Pei Huaijin had seldom met this cousin from the Meng family and had little interest in her marriage prospects. He listened quietly to his mother’s chatter without taking it to heart.
After discussing Meng Wanxin, Zhu Shi brought up the Third Maiden of the Shen family, whom Xiao Qi (Pei Huaian) was set to marry.
Since Xiao Qi had previously rejected Meng Wanxin only to insist on marrying this Third Miss Shen instead, Zhu Shi harbored a somewhat mischievous curiosity about the matter.
“Everyone knows that the Third Miss Shen is beautiful but lacks talent. She’s far inferior to Wanxin in many ways. The old madam dotes on Xiao Qi too much—her judgment was clouded by urgency, and she actually agreed to it. And your Third Uncle is no better—not only did he not stop it, but he even went with the matchmaker to propose in person. The wedding date was set for the same day as yours, as if it were all a joke…”
“Mother,” Pei Huaijin interjected at the right moment, “idle talk should avoid criticizing others.”
Zhu Shi belatedly realized she had been gossiping about her elders and younger brother-in-law in front of her son. Feeling both embarrassed and as though her dignity as an elder had been slighted, she shot him a glance. “I understand. After all, a son is never as considerate as a daughter…”
When Wanxin was around attending to her, whatever she said, that girl would agree. How unlike this rigid son of hers, who, after just a few words, started lecturing his own mother.
“Alright, I’m tired today. You should go back and rest early too.” Having lost her mood for conversation, Zhu Shi waved him away.
At lamp-lighting time, Pei Huaian arrived at Junzhi Courtyard on his own, carrying his bedding and pillow.
“My Ciyou Courtyard is being renovated in preparation for the new bride. Big brother, tonight I’ve come to squeeze in with you…”
Pei Huaijin was staying in the study tonight. The main chamber had been nearly fully decorated, with all furnishings brand new. Since the bride hadn’t yet entered the household, it wouldn’t be proper for him to sleep there, so he had someone carry a Luohan bed into the study.
“Why didn’t you go sleep in Third Uncle’s courtyard?” Pei Huaijin took the bedding from his arms and spread it over the Luohan bed.
“Whenever my father gets drunk, he likes to come to my room and sigh at me. I can’t tell if he’s disappointed in my lack of accomplishment or if seeing me reminds him of my deceased mother. He drank quite a bit at the banquet tonight – I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and be scared to death by him…”
Before Pei Huaijin returned, Pei Huaian had been living in his father’s courtyard. Seeing how drunk his father was tonight, he quickly grabbed his bedding to find somewhere to hide.
The two brothers squeezed onto the not-so-spacious Luohan bed. As Pei Huaijin listened to his brother randomly share amusing stories, Pei Huaian mentioned how he had accompanied their grandparents to the estate outside the city to escape the heat recently. Shen Yunshu had gone too, staying there for nearly a month. She had played Gomoku with him and defeated him thoroughly on the chessboard…
Pei Huaijin reminded him: “That’s not how you use the phrase ‘seven in and seven out’.Pei Huaian chuckled: “I’m not well-read, so I misuse allusions.” As long as you understand what I mean, brother.”
Mentioning Shen Yunshu, Pei Huaijin asked another question: “Was your engagement with Third Maiden Shen arranged by Yunshu?”
“No.” Previously, their grandmother had suspected this too, but Pei Huaian, seeing that grandmother wasn’t satisfied with Third Maiden Shen, worried that she might resent his sister-in-law because of it, so he didn’t dare say that his sister-in-law had indeed acted as matchmaker.
When his elder brother asked today, he firmly denied it again, using the same explanation he had given their grandmother: “It was love at first sight with Third Maiden Shen. That day at the temple fair, she didn’t have money to buy Mohe Le. Mistaking me for someone, she tugged on my clothes and asked me to buy it for her. I bought it, but then she didn’t want it and ran off in a flash…”
“Later, when I saw sister-in-law at grandmother’s birthday banquet, noticing that her features resembled that girl’s, I roughly guessed her identity. Afterwards, I used that Mohe Le to test sister-in-law, begging her to pass it to her, and confirmed she was sister-in-law’s Third Sister…”
“Lately I’ve been dreaming of her constantly, thinking I must have lovesickness, so I begged grandmother to propose to the Shen family…”
These words weren’t false either. Ever since his sister-in-law suggested that he marry her Third Sister, he had dreamed of Third Maiden Shen for several consecutive days, and even did such things to her in his dreams that he had to secretly get up to change his trousers several nights in a row.
Hearing his sincere tone, Pei Huaijin naturally had no reason to doubt him. However, having just heard from his mother that Third Maiden Shen was much inferior to their cousin from the Meng family, he couldn’t help but ask another question: “In your eyes, what kind of person is Third Maiden Shen?”
“I’ve only met her once. She’s very beautiful and very cute.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.” As for what sister-in-law had said about her being naturally undisciplined and liking to slack off – these things he couldn’t very well tell his elder brother.
“I see…”
“What do you mean ‘I see’?”
Pei Huaijin gazed at the beams above and said leisurely: “What you experienced wasn’t love at first sight – it was being captivated by her beauty.”
“…” That did seem right. Pei Huaian touched his own face and murmured, “I hope on our wedding day, she’ll be captivated by my beauty too.”
After all, up until now, that Third Maiden Shen had never seen his face.
With the wedding date approaching, tradition dictated that soon-to-be-wed couples should avoid meeting, leaving him no opportunity to show her his appearance. He wondered if she would like his face when the bridal veil was lifted…
Three days before the wedding, all the osmanthus trees burst into full bloom, their fragrance permeating the entire courtyard.
Shen Youran’s wedding dress was finally completed after much rushing, identical in style and pattern to her elder sister’s. The Pei family sent over the bridal gifts – fragrant powders, round fans, phoenix crowns, and ceremonial robes – with both sisters receiving identical sets. The only difference lay in the gold-embroidered bridal veils: Shen Yunshu’s featured mandarin ducks playing in water, while Shen Youran’s showed magpies alighting on plum branches.
The next day, the Shen family sent people to the Pei residence to prepare the bridal chamber, hanging curtains and laying out new bedding. Tinglan, as Shen Yunshu’s accompanying maid, remained at Junzhi Courtyard to guard the room, while Shen Youran’s maid Danruo stayed at Ciyou Courtyard.
On the day before the wedding, Shen Youran’s father specifically sent for Lady Ning from the Lu residence, allowing the birth mother to accompany her soon-to-be-married daughters. She was to instruct them on their duties as wives and see them off at their wedding the following day.
A maiden becoming a wife could no longer behave as freely as in her boudoir days. Lady Ning felt assured about her elder daughter, so most of her earnest advice – such as how to be considerate to one’s husband, respect elders, and manage the household – was directed toward her third daughter.
Shen Youran listened while fighting back yawns, until her mother produced two illustrated booklets, giving one to each sister. When Youran casually flipped through hers, her half-closed eyes instantly widened round, all drowsiness vanishing.
“So this is the Ritual of Marital Relations?” She had only seen brief mentions in storybooks before, knowing of the matter but unaware of its intricacies. The sudden visual revelation left her profoundly shocked.
As the intertwined images entered the sisters’ view, both their faces grew increasingly flushed. Lady Ning smiled and explained: “The so-called marital relations follow the principle of male above and female below, corresponding to heaven covering and earth supporting…”
While listening to her mother, Shen Youran flipped through the booklet from beginning to end, her small face crimson and eyes wide with astonishment.
Unlike her more reserved sister, Shen Youran boldly asked: “Mother, I’ve read in stories about ‘phoenixes in disarray losing all sense of heaven and earth’ – is this truly so pleasurable?”
“That’s an excellent question,” Lady Ning patted her head, gazing affectionately at both daughters as she advised: “The first time may bring some discomfort. If it hurts, don’t hesitate to ask him to be gentler, don’t simply endure…”
Both sisters nodded in understanding.
Lady Ning then focused on Shen Youran: “You’re still young and shouldn’t conceive too early. I have a contraceptive prescription here – mild and harmless to the body. Take one dose afterward, and wait two years before having children. The Pei family is reasonable, and that Seventh Young Master Pei is still young himself, so he likely won’t be in a hurry for children…”
Early pregnancy not only harmed a woman’s health but risked deficiencies in the child. Thus, among noble families who cherished their daughters, most avoided letting them conceive too soon – an unspoken convention.
The night deepened, silence enveloping everything except Shen Youran’s room where lamplight still glowed.
Shen Yunshu decided not to return to her own courtyard that night. The sisters squeezed onto either side of their mother, just like in childhood, begging her to tell them one more bedtime story.
“What kind of story should I tell?” Lady Ning held her grown daughter in her arms, realizing those childish tales were no longer suitable. After some thought, she recalled one that fit the occasion perfectly.
“Nowadays, the wedding ceremony follows the tradition of fetching the bride at dawn and holding the ceremony at dusk. But do you know why the grand ceremony takes place at twilight?”
Shen Yunshu, being well-read, quickly responded: “The Book of Changes speaks of the principles of yin and yang – men represent yang while women represent yin. Twilight is precisely when yin and yang alternate. Choosing this hour to bind the marriage ties and unite two families is considered auspicious timing for a blessed union…”
Shen Youran, less educated, nestled in her mother’s embrace while nibbling her fingertips: “Didn’t Mother promise to tell a story? Why are we discussing profound principles again?”
Lady Ning felt proud of her elder daughter’s intelligence and grace, but didn’t want to dampen her younger daughter’s enthusiasm. She continued: “Shu’er is quite right. However, I’ve heard that long ago, there existed a barbaric marriage custom called ‘bride kidnapping’. As the name suggests, it involved seizing women to become wives. Such acts couldn’t be committed in broad daylight, so they would take advantage of the dim twilight to kidnap women for marriage. Over time…Listening to her mother’s gentle tale while breathing in her unique faint fragrance, Shen Youran gradually drifted into slumber.
Perhaps because she had listened too intently to the bedtime story, she experienced a chaotic bride kidnapping in her dreams.
Dreams leave no traces. At daybreak, her mother woke her from the dream. By then, her elder sister had already returned to her own courtyard, and the hairdresser was already waiting outside.
Her mother called gently: “Youran, it’s time to wake up and prepare your makeup…”