12 Chapter 12: Getting Married

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was the first day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar.

On this day, Jinzhou City was still as peaceful as ever, with people bustling about their daily lives.

Only at Huai's pawnshop, the atmosphere was extremely festive.

Everywhere was beautifully decorated with lanterns, and rows of red lanterns hung on both sides of the street.

Rabbit-shaped paper cuttings covered the door of Huai's pawnshop, giving off a very auspicious and lucky atmosphere.

"Pawnshop Young Master is finally getting married!"

"Wishing Young Master Zhao an early birth of noble children!"

"Wishing Master and Madam to grow old together!"

At the entrance of the pawnshop, there was a crowd of people. Men, women, and children from both sides of the street squeezed in with smiles on their faces. They yelled their blessings at Zhao Huai from their mouths.

"Thank you all for coming!"

Zhao Huai slightly bowed his hands and smiled while thanking everyone.

He was dressed in a red robe, with a red embroidered ball hanging on his chest, a jade belt and silver red crown. His tall and upright figure made him look heroic and extraordinary.

After discussing their wedding plans, the prospective couple decided to simply get married as soon as possible.

Both of them were casual and easy-going people, so they went ahead with the plan.

Since the elders of their families couldn't come to the wedding ceremony, they could only invite their close neighbors and friends to participate in the wedding.

"Here comes the bride! Here comes the bride!"

"I heard she's as beautiful as a fairy!"

"Boss Zhao is truly blessed!"

Accompanied by the appearance of a red sedan chair, a large number of cute children with double buns on their heads ran back and forth on the street, shouting out their praises.

They also held bags filled with red dates, peanuts, and wedding candies, handing them out to pedestrians on both sides of the road.

These children were hired by Zhao Huai to create a festive atmosphere for the wedding.

For this marriage ceremony, Zhao Huai spent a lot of money to ensure everything would be grand and splendid.

In his previous life, he was almost thirty years old and had not married. He had spent his life busy and muddled, but now, in this life, he was getting married at the age of twenty-three.

Soon after, Yu Qinghan stepped out from the sedan, wearing a red veil, and was helped down by two beautiful maids.

She wore a red dress, adorned with various ornaments. Her beauty and elegance were beyond description. She was both stunningly beautiful and dignified.

Yu Qinghan slowly entered the inner hall after completing the formalities of entering the bridal chamber.

The inner hall was supposed to be reserved for celebrating with the relatives of both families, but considering the unique circumstances of the couple, Zhao Huai invited their neighbors to serve as witnesses.

As a result, even the steps of the wedding ceremony had to be shortened.

Originally, they should have first performed rituals, such as paying respects to Heaven and Earth, their ancestors, and their elders. Now, they could only bow and pray to Heaven, Earth, and their ancestors.

Zhao Huai and Yu Qinghan sat opposite each other, with the man to the west and the woman to the east, representing the balance of Yin and Yang.

Actually, ancient wedding ceremonies were not as lively. "The Book of Rites ——The Great Border Sacrifice" records: "Marriage ceremonies do not use music, which represents the Yin and the darkness. Marriage ceremonies do not receive congratulations, which represents the order of mankind."

In "The Book of Rites—Questions from Zengzi," it says: "In the bride's family, there should be no music for three days."

However, marriage is, after all, a "great blessing, and an extraordinary blessing."

In later generations, as rituals and music degenerated and chaos reigned, many ceremonial practices were abolished, and weddings gradually became more lively.

"The couples bow to each other!"

Zhao Huai and Yu Qinghan bowed to each other.

At this moment, young attendants served fresh water for the couple to cleanse their hands, and another attendant filled glasses of wine. Before drinking, the couple cut a strand of each other's hair and tied them together to symbolize shared love and unity. This is called "knotting hair."

Indeed, "knotting hair is to become a couple, with love and trustfulness."

After drinking the wine, the couple held hands tightly, symbolizing holding hands for a lifetime, growing old together, and never betraying each other in this life.

With the completion of the official wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were ready to go out and meet their guests.

During this segment, many men toasted to Yu Qinghan. They came under the pretext of toasting, but they just wanted to get a glimpse of the bride's face. Zhao Huai couldn't bear it and blocked them all.This immediately incited "public anger," causing a large group of drinkers to join in. They yelled that they would not leave until they were drunk.

But these ordinary people were no match for Zhao Huai, who was already halfway to becoming a cultivator. He could sober up quickly, and even after drinking several stones of wine, he still showed no signs of drunkenness and was very energetic.

There were over ten tables at the wedding, each filled with a lavish feast. Zhao Huai accompanied the guests and was too busy to leave. Time passed quickly.

"Doctor Yan is here!"

A thin, middle-aged man dressed in blue walked in with a smile on his face.

"Oh! If it isn't the famous doctor and lifesaver of Jinzhou City, Sai Yanwang?"

Upon seeing the man, Zhao Huai's heart overflowed with joy, but his tone carried a hint of teasing.

Yan Jing was a well-known doctor in Jinzhou who specialized in saving lives and treating injuries. His medical skills were extraordinary, and he could handle all kinds of complicated and difficult cases. He was highly praised among the people, and it was said that as long as a patient was not dead, he could save them.

When it came to charging fees, he was very fair, unlike those unscrupulous quack doctors who charged exorbitant fees without even curing patients. His surname was Yan, which was a homophone for the word 'Yan,' so his nickname was Sai Yanwang. The common people often joked that he was on par with the King of Hell and challenged the gods.

When Zhao Huai first arrived in Jinzhou, the situation was quite chaotic, and a terrible plague broke out. At that time, even Doctor Yan, with his great skills, was unable to stop the large-scale spread of the disease. It was Zhao Huai who later found him and suggested a number of ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases, which helped to suppress the further outbreak of the plague.

Thus, the two men became acquainted and subsequently became good friends.

More importantly, Yan Jing was a hidden cultivator. Although his cultivation level was not as high as Zhao Huai's, it cannot be denied that when Zhao Huai's realm was still low, he had sought advice from Yan Jing about cultivation issues more than once.

"You little rascal, you finally got married! I thought you were going to follow in my footsteps and remain single forever!"

Yan Jing picked up a glass of wine and laughed and scolded Zhao Huai.

"Your new bride looks extraordinary."

Yan Jing took a sip of wine and laughed.

"Beautiful, isn't she? That's because I have a good taste."

Zhao Huai grinned, looking pleased with himself.

"Showing off in front of me, huh? Be careful; I might just seize your pawnshop one day!"

"You're welcome to try; you're no match for me now."

"Alright, you little brat, you've soared to new heights and don't care about your older brother anymore."

After chatting for a while, Yan Jing's expression suddenly turned serious, and he said earnestly:

"Brother Zhao, you may have a big business opportunity in the next few days. Be sure to seize it."

"Oh?"

Zhao Huai raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised.

Besides being friends, he and Yan Jing also had a partnership. Most of the business for his pawnshop came from Yan Jing's recommendations, which were always top-notch in Xia Country.

"I got word from Yancheng City that a treacherous merchant has secretly transported a cartload of stolen goods. He's tried numerous pawnshops, but no one dares to buy them. It's very mysterious, and no one knows what's inside. I dare say that in the entire Jinzhou, you're the one with the best judgment."

"If you succeed in this deal, you won't have to work for half a year."

"But I have no interest in it." Zhao Huai responded with a faint smile.

"How can you not be interested in a pile of silver?"

Yan Jing also laughed.

"I've made enough money; I'm financially free now." Zhao Huai shrugged.

"Alright then, as you wish."

Seeing that Zhao Huai didn't care, Yan Jing didn't want to push the issue further. Instead, he shared another piece of news: "The cultivation technique auction you asked about will start tomorrow afternoon. Don't forget about it."

"I know."

Zhao Huai nodded. This news was still very important to him.

Since he had acquired the Heavenly Heart Wisdom Eyes destiny, he couldn't waste it, so naturally, he needed to acquire more cultivation techniques to learn.

...