Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 368 - 367: Wedding Feast

Chapter 368: Chapter 367: Wedding Feast

After breakfast on the second day, Chen Afu began to prepare.

In this era, a new couple would typically have a feast at the bride’s house at midday, while the meal at the groom’s house was dinner. Some guests would go to the groom’s house in the late afternoon when the bride was brought into her husband’s home.

Since Chu Lingxuan and Chen Afu were close to the Fu family, they would attend the celebration early. In the morning, they would inspect the dowry, have the midday feast, visit the grand hall in the afternoon to see the bride, and enjoy the wedding banquet at night. Their entire day was fully scheduled.

Chen Afu didn’t like being the center of attention, and she was even more reluctant to mingle with noblewomen. However, as Chu Lingxuan’s wife, she had to fit in with that circle, even though she disliked it. She knew that many members of the aristocratic circle loved to gossip about her dual identity as a "illegitimate daughter" and a "country girl". This was the first time she had publicly attended a social event, and she had to dress herself beautifully to silence the critics.

However, looking at her round face and large belly in the mirror, her desired look of "classic and unique" was impossible.

At this point, she couldn’t wear long garments or short blouses, as they would make her belly look bigger, and her appear fatter. After rummaging through her wardrobe for a while, she decided to wear the dress she had prepared the day before.

She put on a short, embroidered Zhuanghua satin top with a smoky hue that hung just below her belly, and a long red floral skirt. She also threw a semi-transparent pale orange scarf over herself to cover her belly a bit more.

A large gold phoenix hairpin with pearl inlays sat in the middle of her hair. On both sides, she had inserted a stick with a small jade begonia flower. A jade-studded forehead accessory hung on her forehead. On her wrist, she wore a pair of transparent emerald-green jade bracelets.

Her make-up was a bit heavy this time, aligning with the aesthetic of the era.

Even though she was only seventeen years old, her pregnancy made her look more mature than her actual age. Her facial features were already quite striking, so with this attire, she exuded an elegance and simplicity that wasn’t too overly complicated, yet colorful as a begonia in full bloom under the spring sun.

Her clothes had been infused with the fragrance of agarwood leaves overnight, giving them a faint, beautiful, and lasting aroma. Despite it being late summer, the weather was still quite hot. The fragrance circulating around her body made her feel refreshed and invigorated.

At the same time, it was also a day to publicly announce Ms. Chu’s proper name. Chu Hanyan, the eldest legitimate daughter of Marquis Yong’an, Chu Lingxuan, was not the "simple-minded girl" that others spoke of behind their backs, but a bright, gentle, and graceful little girl.

Mrs. Song brought the clothes for Ms. Chu from the main court.

The little girl wore a short, peach-colored blouse with intersecting collars and a long, water-blue satin skirt. The waistband was tied around her chest with a large peach-colored bow. A few green plum blossoms were embroidered on the collar and cuffs, the design was simple and unique, and looked very pleasing.

Then, a tiny bag shaped like a rabbit’s head was slung diagonally across her. The bag had long ears, round eyes, and a vermillion, three-leafed mouth. One of the ears even had a bow on it. Inside the bag were a few candies and a handkerchief.

This was part of the toy and bag series that Chen Afu had designed for the Nirvana Embroidery Workshop. Not only did it add to the little girl’s accessories, but it also served as a form of advertising in high society.

A small jade fan-shaped hairpin and a few pearl flowers were inserted in her hair.

Lastly, Chen Afu applied a dot of rouge to the girl’s brow spot.

After getting dressed, Ms. Chu looked in the mirror and was delighted with her appearance. She bit her lips and asked in a muffled voice, "Mama, if I bite my lips, will they turn red as if I’ve applied rouge?"

The beauty-conscious little girl wanted to apply rouge, but her mother didn’t let her. She had heard from another maid that biting her lips would make them red, so she had the idea to bite her lips.

Chen Afu laughed and said, "Oh, my daughter is learning to be beauty-conscious. Biting your lips indeed makes them redder, but you should avoid doing it since it could damage your lips. Moreover, biting your lips doesn’t look good. It would be embarrassing if others saw you. Hanyan, you are already very, very beautiful, you do not need to make your lips redder."

Hearing this, Ms. Chu dropped the idea of biting her lips.

Seeing his wife and daughter dressed so beautifully, Chu Lingxuan was very pleased.

At late morning, Chu Lingxuan, Chen Afu, and Chu Hanyan set off.

Xiao Lixuan had taken the Animal House out boating on the lake, so they didn’t have to worry about him. Dabao knew that his family were going to attend a wedding feast, but he realized that studying was more important than attending the feast. Even though he really wanted to go, he didn’t make such a request.

When they reached the General’s mansion, Chu Lingxuan, bringing along with him the attendants carrying gifts, took the main gate to the front yard, while Chen Afu, Ms. Chu, and the other women entered through the side gate, Jiao Gate, and then took a sedan chair to the Inner Courtyard.

They were led directly to Hua Hall. Here, Mrs. Fu and her eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Fu, were welcoming guests.

As Chen Afu and her daughter walked in, they couldn’t help but attract attention, they were simply too eye-catching. Many people stopped their conversations to look at them.

Mother and daughter of the Fu family greeted them with smiles. Mrs. Fu commented, "Ah, Mrs. Chu is so lucky, pregnant with twins all at once."

A lady in her thirties joined in the fun, saying, "It’s all thanks to Mrs. Fu’s matchmaking skills." She then turned to Chen Afu and smiled, "Mrs. Chu, you probably don’t know me. My husband’s last name is Qin, his name is Qin Jian." Chen Afu had heard of Qin Jian, a Gate Official of the fourth rank, who had a great relationship with Chu Lingxuan as their friendship was as strong as their comradeship in the army.

Chen Afu quickly returned the smile and said, "So, you are Mrs. Qin. My husband often talks about General Qin."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qin’s smile deepened.

Then, the group of ladies lavished compliments on Chu Hanyan.

Chu Hanyan was a little scared, but with her mother by her side, she respectfully greeted the elders.

Mrs. Fu escorted Chen Afu to pay her respects to Mrs. Fu, who was seated at the head of the room. Mrs. Fu, with a smile, invited Chen Afu to sit down and called Ms. Chu, who had been holding onto Chen Afu all this while, to her side and gave her a gift.

Those who could sit next to Mrs. Fu were either elderly or of high status. Chen Afu was young, but as the wife of Chu Lingxuan, who was both the heir to the Marquis Yong’an and a general of the third rank, her status here was not the highest but certainly not the lowest. Additionally, she was pregnant, so she was allocated a seat too.

Mrs. Fu helped her identify the numerous wives present. There were the wives of the commander and deputy generals who had traveled all the way from the Capital City; and the wives of the general and lieutenant generals who had rushed in from the provincial city. Then there were several others who were part of military families. Also present were the wives of high officials from the Capital City, such as the prefect’s wife, and the salt transport official’s wife from the provincial city, and the governor’s wife from Shizhou. These were bureaucratic family members.

Now, remember, this was ancient times. Unlike in the previous world where distance could be covered quickly by cars, two to three hundred miles would require a full day of boat travel or nearly two days in a horse carriage. The fact that all these ladies could travel such long distances spoke volumes about the prestige of the Fu family.

All of these women were of an older generation, at least in their thirties or forties, with a few even in their fifties. Chen Afu, being the youngest and the least senior amongst them, had to stand up and bow to all of them.

This group included Mrs. He, the wife of Deputy General He, and Mrs. Jiang.

Those like Mrs. Qin, who weren’t particularly aged or high-ranked, were considerate enough to take seats off to the side or in the annex.