Baozi Xishi's Struggle

After staying in the room for half a day, Shen Yu drafted a new menu for Zhenxiulou.

She planned to go to the market near Zhenxiulou tomorrow to take a look, discuss it with Manager Xu, the chef, and the waiters, ask in detail about the daily situation of the market, and then decide on the final menu.

However, plans are meant to be broken.

That night, when Shen Yu told Li that he planned to go to Zhenxiulou the next day, he was unanimously opposed by Li and Li Lao Da.

Shen Yu had no idea what to do before getting married or what the rules were, and she had no say in these matters.

Shen Yu originally thought that she only needed to wear her wedding dress on the wedding day and be a bride that met the standards of that era.

There are still three or four days left before the wedding, and she has nothing to do, so she might as well take this opportunity to draw up the menu for Zhenxiulou.

But Li told her that the bride could not go out in the days before the wedding.

Moreover, the Lu family will come to deliver the wedding gift tomorrow, and the bride will have to put the gift into the box herself.

Shen Yu then realized that getting married is not just busy on the day of the wedding ceremony, but daily arrangements would already begin three or four days in advance.

Shen Yu had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​going out and seriously participate in his marriage.

On the second day, the Lu family invited two beautiful ladies from the clan to come with people wearing red and colorful clothes to deliver the wedding gift.

The so-called makeup gift is the auspicious clothes and flower crown that the bride will wear when she gets married, which is sent by the man's family as a reminder to urge the bride to get ready. The woman also has to send back the corresponding groom's clothes.

The wedding gifts sent by the Lu family included a pearl and jade crown, a gold-plated veil, a red satin shawl with gold pendants on the hems, and a box of glittering gold-painted coins.

Li took out the groom's fu hat, gold-embellished hairpin, blue satin boots, silk stockings, and a pair of gold heart-shaped knots made with dozens of gold beads and gold thread.

She asked Shen Yu to personally put all these clothes and accessories into the box decorated with red silk flower balls, and then let the people from the Lu family carry them back.

On the day before the wedding, the Li family also invited two married ladies who had been chosen long ago, and together with Li Lao Da, they represented the Shen family and ordered people to carry wedding quilts, wedding curtains and other items to the new house prepared by the Lu family and set up the new house according to the rules.

Although Shen Yu didn't have anything to do these days, as a bride-to-be, she could only stay at home.

Watching Li and the others directing the servants, busying themselves with packing the prepared dowry and the rewards from the ladies in the palace into boxes, pasting big red wedding characters on them, tying silk flower balls on them, and filling the entire yard with them, the preparations for the wedding were finally completed.

At night, looking at the boxes with wedding characters on them being carried all over the yard, Shen Yu truly felt that he was going to get married.

Lying on the bed, Shen Yu lost his sleepiness for a moment, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Sometimes I was looking forward to life after marriage, and sometimes I was afraid of the unknown future. After tossing and turning for a long time, I finally fell asleep in a daze.

Shen Yu seemed to have just closed his eyes when he was awakened by Li.

It was still dark. After taking a bath, Shen Yu finally woke up and was pressed by Madam Quanfu onto the round stool in front of the dressing table.

The two blessed ladies had smiling faces and chanted auspicious words as they began to prepare Shen Yu's face, put on makeup, dress her, do her hair, and put on a crown for her.

After all the hassles, until the window paper turned white and Shen Yu's back and waist ached, he finally heard Madam Quanfu say with a smile: "Okay, you can get up now. The bride is so beautiful. Madam, you are so lucky."

Shen Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't wait to stand up.

Unexpectedly, the pearls and flower crown on her head were very heavy.

She had never worn so many hairpins, rings, and combs on her head before, and she couldn't help but feel dizzy. She swayed a few times before she could stand steadily. She couldn't help but reach out to support her head and blurted out, "It's so heavy."

Everyone in the room laughed when they heard this, and said that the bride looked really beautiful in this make-up.

Shen Yu stood firm, looked into the bronze mirror, and was so frightened that he almost cried out.

Under the huge crown and the dazzling pearls and jades is a small face that has been smeared red and white.

The whole person is as festive and colorful as a New Year picture doll.

There was a large patch of red rouge on each cheek, extending all the way to the end of the eye, and the powder on her face was white and thick, as if a large patch of it would fall off at any time if she moved.

The only thing that was still lively was the pair of eyes that were round and wide open due to fear.

Shen Yu couldn't help but stammer, "This, this makeup is too heavy."

She was going to be a bride, not to scare people.

Thinking of this, his hands moved faster than his brain and he reached out to wipe off the perfume powder that was floating down as he spoke.

Unexpectedly, when she raised her hand, Li held it down and said, "Don't move. The bride should be painted in a festive look like this. This is the most popular morning glow makeup in the capital this year."

"This rouge is called Peach Blossom Drunk. It is the best kind sold by the largest rouge shop in the capital. Five taels of silver for just this small box."

"According to the clerk, brides in the capital use this on their wedding day to put on makeup, and their makeup won't fall off all day. It's very expensive, so you can't use it."

After Li said this, Madam Quanfu, who was in charge of applying makeup, looked at Shen Yu carefully and said with a smile, "Madam, what you said is true. This Peach Blossom Drunk is indeed beautiful and easy to use, but I think the bride's lip balm is still a little light."

As she said this, she actually picked up the rouge again and carefully applied another layer on Shen Yu's lips, then nodded with satisfaction.

Shen Yu looked at the people around him who all had expressions of admiration for the beauty, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth and put down his hands.

Forget it, New Year picture dolls are just New Year picture dolls. After all, others are looking at them. It’s enough if they think they look good.

When Shen Yu was covered with a gold veil while Madam Quanfu chanted auspicious words, and her vision was shrouded in a hazy red light, she thought inappropriately: "Fortunately, there is a veil to cover it, otherwise, it would take a lot of courage to walk out of the door with such a beautiful face."

Just as he was daydreaming, he heard the sound of gongs and drums and firecrackers outside the door. Yu Cheng ran to the door excitedly and shouted, "Mom, mom, the welcoming team is here."

In the following time, Shen Yu's memory was one of chaos and noise.

I listened to the laughter and clamor outside for wedding money and wedding cakes, I listened to the crowd urging the groom to compose one poem after another to urge him to get ready, I listened to the joyful music playing.

After a while, I finally heard the best man shouting, "The bride is leaving her parents."

Supported by Madam Quanfu, Shen Yu bid farewell to Mrs. Li and Mr. Li who were sitting at the top.

Li accepted Shen Yu's kowtow and urged him with a tearful smile: "Okay, get up quickly. I only hope that you will be filial to your parents-in-law, live in harmony with your spouse, and live happily ever after."