Early in the morning, the salty sea breeze blew across Silver Bay, rousing the fishermen who had lived there for generations.
In Baiyun Village, the Pei family compound was bustling with activity.
Ten years ago, Pei Baoyan had perished at sea, leaving behind his wife, Tang Guiniang, and their two sons and one daughter.
Raising the three children alone was no easy feat, but Tang Guiniang gritted her teeth and managed to bring them all up. She even found a good match for her eldest son, Pei Xia, to marry Qi Fu, the eldest daughter of the Qi family from Biwu Village in the east.
True to her name, Qi Fu was one of the most beautiful girls in Silver Bay.
Not only was she slender and graceful, but she had also worked as an embroiderer in the Guo family in the county for two years. She was both dexterous and well - informed, a rare find.
Some time ago, Qi Fu had returned from the county. As the saying goes, when a girl comes of age, many suitors come calling.
Tang Guiniang asked Pei Xia for his opinion, and he said he would leave everything to his mother's arrangement.
Only then did Tang Guiniang hurry to the Qi family to finalize the engagement. She didn't even mind the hefty betrothal gift of five gold coins. As long as the Qi girl was good, she was content.
The six wedding rites had taken more than two months, and today was the day for the groom to fetch his bride.
The yellow chickens were plump and tender, and the green oranges hung heavy on the branches around the fence. New wine was brewed, and new clothes were made. It was the perfect time for weddings.
Although the autumn air was refreshing, sitting in the stuffy and cramped sedan chair, wearing the cumbersome and ill - fitting wedding dress, Qi Jiao thought she was lucky to survive an hour without suffocating!
The sedan chair finally came to a stop steadily, but there was no one to greet her for a long while. It seemed she had to endure more suffering.
Qi Jiao, feeling rather irritable, lifted the red veil to take a deep breath.
Outside the sedan chair, several respected elders of the village were muttering incantations to ward off evil spirits and offer prayers.
Heavens! What a nightmare!
Half an hour ago, she had woken up in the sedan chair.
The noise of the music and drums outside never stopped, and the overwhelming red color, mixed with the unfamiliar Wu dialect, filled her surroundings.
Everything made her too scared to move. This situation and time seemed to be in ancient times.
Having read hundreds of novels, Qi Jiao painfully realized that she had time - traveled...
And she had landed in the body of a bride!
Finally, the firecrackers stopped, and someone was walking towards her. It should be the groom!
Qi Jiao quickly pulled down the veil and placed her hands neatly on her knees.
The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and a red silk was handed to her. The groom's face was covered by a wide veil. Qi Jiao was completely dazed and could only follow the person beside her step by step.
The congratulations and the sound of money being thrown around were continuous. Qi Jiao held on to the red silk, kneeling and getting up in a daze, like a marionette.
Finally, she heard the loud cry of "Send the bride to the bridal chamber!" Everyone clapped and cheered, and the teasing never stopped. Qi Jiao was already sweating on her back.
Today was a great day for the Pei family to welcome a new daughter - in - law. Pei Xia, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, stood upright in the main hall, looking as happy as if the spring breeze had caressed his face. He bowed to the guests and led his bride's hand towards the bridal chamber.
After passing through a courtyard and taking a few steps, they entered the room. Qi Jiao was helped to sit on the bed.
Pei Xia turned around to close the door and then walked back to her. He noticed that the bride's hand clutching the hem of her dress was trembling slightly.
He thought she was nervous, so he whispered comfortingly, "Don't be afraid. From now on, this will be your home."
His voice was clear and powerful. Strangely enough, Qi Jiao found that she could understand him. This man probably wouldn't hurt her.
She nodded slightly.
A smile appeared in Pei Xia's eyes. He glanced at her fair and slender wrist, which was bare. The pair of silver bracelets he had sent to the Qi family were nowhere to be seen.
A hint of disappointment welled up in his heart, but then he thought that maybe she didn't like them and had put them away.
After all, she was used to the wealth in the Guo family. How could she take a fancy to two plain silver bracelets?
Fortunately, he was good at fishing. He would work hard to go out to sea and earn money to buy her gold hairpins in the future.
Pei Xia turned his head. The noise outside the window was still loud.
It wasn't the time to lift the veil yet, although he was eager to take a look at her.
On the bed, Qi Jiao was groaning inwardly. She wondered how long this body had been in a weakened state!
As soon as she sat down, she felt her stomach growling. She was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back.
In the small bridal chamber, when the two of them were alone, an inappropriate growling sound came from Qi Jiao's stomach.
Pei Xia was taken aback for a moment. Then he remembered that the bride hadn't eaten anything all day. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Half - blaming himself and half - feeling sorry for her, he said, "You must be hungry after such a long day. I'll ask A Jin to bring you something to eat."
He paused for a moment, as if he couldn't think of anything else to say. "I'll go out to toast the guests first. Wait for me."
Qi Jiao softly replied with an "um". Her posture was proper, but her face under the veil was completely red.
Pei Xia let out a muffled laugh. He walked to the door, took one last look at her, and then went out.
After making sure he was far away, Qi Jiao let out a sigh of relief. She lifted a corner of the veil and looked around the room.
The room was not very spacious, but it was extremely tidy.
There was a pine - wood bed, a table with a pair of spring stools, and several boxes and a double - door cabinet in the corner. Although they were all in their natural wood color, they had a warm and shiny luster, as if they had just been varnished.
On the window, there was a big red paper - cut of a magpie bringing good news, which was reflected against the new osmanthus branches stretching into the yard. The air was filled with a sweet fragrance.
Qi Jiao sighed. She was completely in the dark about the era, the region, and the people around her.
All she could do now was take one step at a time.
Not long after, there were footsteps outside. Qi Jiao quickly sat back and tidied up the veil in a hurry.
A delicate girl pushed the door open. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a round face like the full moon. She said brightly, "Sister Fu."
"Oops! I should slap my own mouth! Now you're my sister - in - law."
Pei Jin had only met Qi Fu once, but she was sure that she was a beauty with a face like a lotus and eyebrows like willow leaves. Otherwise, her elder brother wouldn't have agreed to marry her.
Who didn't like beautiful girls?
Sister - in - law must be even more beautiful today with her face waxed and made up.
Seeing that the person on the bed didn't say anything, Pei Jin thought she was shy. So she thoughtfully moved the food table to the bedside and put the bowls and spoons on it. "Sister - in - law, hurry up and eat. These are freshly cooked sweet dumplings. Be careful, they're hot."
The plump white sweet dumplings were floating in the bowl. They seemed to be filled with sesame paste, and there were also two poached eggs in it. Qi Jiao suddenly felt like crying.
Pei Jin took out a packet of jujube flower cakes wrapped in oil paper and stuffed it into her hand. "Dinner will be served later. This was brought by mother. Have some to fill your stomach first."
Qi Jiao held the spoon and whispered "thank you" in her native Wu dialect.
Pei Jin smiled and said, "Sister - in - law, eat slowly. I'll go out and help."
After she left, Qi Jiao picked up the coarse porcelain bowl, blew on it, and after making sure it wasn't hot, she ate the sweet dumplings almost one by one.
The fragrance of sesame filled her mouth. In the end, she even drank up all the sweet glutinous rice soup.
After eating a bowl of sweet wine and sweet dumplings, the burning sensation in her stomach eased a lot.
She picked up the jujube flower cake and ate it bit by bit. Why did that girl call her Sister Fu?
Was the original owner's name Fu?
She tried hard to recall, but her mind was blank. The more she thought, the more her head hurt.
Qi Jiao raised her hand to rub the back of her neck and accidentally touched a big bump.
When she took her hand back, there was a red mark on it, as if the blood was about to dry.
Qi Jiao was completely stunned. Did the original owner have a murder case to answer for?
This injury had been there for some time. It must have something to do with the original owner's natal family.
Thinking of this, her head hurt again.
She had to cover the wound with the red veil to stop the bleeding. For now, she had to be more cautious.
In the yard, the young and strong men were plying Pei Xia with wine while shouting that they wanted to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber and see the bride.
The noisy sound was getting closer. Qi Jiao's heart skipped a beat. She really didn't want to be treated like an object to be sized up.
What a ridiculous custom of making a ruckus in the bridal chamber! It was all feudal dross!
At this time, she faintly heard Pei Xia's voice. "My bride is a gentle and delicate girl, and she's exhausted from the journey. Please don't bother her. How about we just eat, drink, and watch the show outside?"
The Pei family was eager to make the wedding a grand and lively occasion, so they had specially invited the Ma troupe from the county to perform variety shows.
There were wrestling, plate - dancing, acrobatic shows, and even people doing handstands on stacked tables. The audience was dazzled and cheered loudly.
Hey, only the Fan family, whose son was a successful candidate in the imperial examination, had invited the Ma troupe once when they had an event.
So, on this day when the Pei family was having a wedding, people from all over the village and even some from neighboring villages came to join the fun. Everyone said that Qi Fu was a lucky girl!
The Pei family was kind - hearted. Their betrothal gift was the most generous among the villages, and the wedding ceremony was also the grandest.
People saw all this and talked about it. The Pei family had been poor for so many years, but now they were on the rise again.
Just then, the kitchen served big dishes like chicken, duck, fish, and pork. The delicious smell filled the air, and the big plates were piled high.
Hearing Pei Xia's words, the men gave up and started to eat, drink, play finger - guessing games, and watch the show.
Tang Guiniang, wearing a new blue - cloth dress, stood under the eaves. Her hair was neatly coiled up and shone brightly. Her round honey - colored face had slender eyes full of energy, with the corners slightly upturned.
She had a plump face, which made her look much younger than the other women of the same age in the village.
Tang Guiniang kept greeting the male and female guests, and she also had to make sure that there was enough wine, that the tables were properly arranged, and that there were enough snacks. She was busy all the time, but the big smile on her face never faded.
As a widow raising children alone, there had been a lot of gossiping in the village. But she had persevered for the sake of her children. After half a lifetime of hard work, she finally saw her eldest son get married.
She had heard the villagers' half - envious and half - jealous remarks, but she didn't show any sign of pride on her face. In her heart, though, she was extremely happy!
She finally got to hold her head high.
Looking back, she saw her younger son, Pei Li, running outside to watch the variety show. She quickly walked over and twisted his ear, scolding him in a low voice, "You're such a blockhead! I'm so busy that I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and you're here enjoying yourself!"
Pei Li and Pei Jin were twins. They had just turned thirteen years old, and they were at an age when they loved to run and play. As soon as they saw the wrestling show, they couldn't take their eyes off it.
Caught red - handed by Tang Guiniang, Pei Li grimaced and begged for mercy. "Ouch, it hurts... Mom, let go first."
Tang Guiniang was both angry and amused. She gently patted him and said, "Go and help your brother block some of the wine."
Wine could keep out the cold, and the children who grew up by the sea could all drink a little. Besides, the homemade turbid wine wasn't very strong.
Pei Li quickly ran into the yard and boldly took four or five bowls of wine that the men had offered to Pei Xia. At the same time, he winked at Pei Xia.
Pei Xia couldn't help but smile. Taking the opportunity, he pretended to be drunk and staggered back to the bridal chamber.
A lamp had been lit in the room. The evening sky was filled with the cold fragrance of osmanthus, like a yellowish - brown dream.
Qi Jiao lowered her eyes and watched the approaching black boots, her heart pounding.
After being on tenterhooks for so long, in the end, she somehow gained a kind of reckless courage.
Qi Jiao sighed. One had to face reality.
When she counted the thirteenth dark - red border on the man's boots, the veil was lifted.
Qi Jiao looked up. Pei Xia saw her face in the lamplight. The color drained from his face, and the smile froze on his lips.