Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Jiang family was about to hold a joyous event.

If Jiang Yicen were marrying an ordinary person, Jiang Gongming wouldn't have interfered, but now it was a marriage alliance with the Nan family. Even if only for appearances, Jiang Gongming still had to follow the customs.

On the night before the wedding, Jiang Gongming summoned his third daughter home from school, and led Jiang Yicen and others to pay respects to the ancestors. They first had to pay homage to the Jiang ancestors, then perform a farewell ceremony; for a woman, it would be a farewell rite (cixing).

In Jiang Yicen's heart, he was thinking of his own family. He bowed with great piety.

"Father, mother, brothers, I am to be married tomorrow. The other party is a man, and I'm not opposed to it. I hope that your spirits in heaven will bless us with good health, a happy and fulfilling marriage life, smooth careers, and the ability to buy back our family's assets."

Jiang Yicen was also uneasy about his future life. He did not know how life would be living with someone he was not very familiar with—whether the other person's temper was good, and whether the two of them would get along.

He had been engaged before. His mother and his father's close friend's wife were both pregnant at the same time, so the two families decided that if one gave birth to a daughter and the other a son, they would betroth them, uniting the two families. Unexpectedly, they encountered the wave of modern ideas. The daughter of his father's close friend, having been exposed to new era knowledge from a young age, met Jiang Yicen once when she was fourteen and found him old-fashioned and boring, proposing to call off the engagement.

He still remembered the words his former fiancée, Miss Wu, had said to him.

"Jiang Yicen, you don't know what movies are popular nowadays, you've never been to a movie theater, you've never drunk coffee, and you even wear traditional long robes. I don't want to listen to you recite your eight-legged essays every day after marriage. In the new society, what we need to learn is mathematics, chemistry, physics, and we must emphasize science. Your ideas and mine are incompatible, our interests are not aligned. You should call off this engagement with your family. I won't delay you from marrying a traditional woman and having a harmonious marriage, and you shouldn't delay me from dating a progressive man. Let this feudal arranged marriage farce end here."

Jiang Yicen had indeed never met such an open-minded woman. He was also willing to let her pursue the man she liked. He didn't insist on it, so the engagement was called off. It was said that his former fiancée later married an intellectual who had studied abroad in Japan.

March 11th, clear skies, auspicious for weddings, very lucky.

The vast Jiang residence was bustling early in the morning.

Early in the morning, He Nuanqing knocked on Jiang Yicen's door, expecting him to still be asleep as usual, but found that he had already gotten up and opened the door for her, looking refreshed and neat.

She noticed Jiang Yicen had changed a bit after the matchmaking dinner, but she merely thought that he was beginning to adapt to life back home. After Jiang Yicen went abroad, the mother and son had seen each other rarely, and the bond from his childhood had faded with the separation. Jiang Gongming could not tolerate his son's sexual orientation, and He Nuanqing could not protect the child. She tried to appease her husband at all costs, ultimately creating distance between herself and Jiang Yicen, inevitably leaving a rift between mother and son.

"You're already up. The makeup artist and the stylist are here. Quick, go get dressed."

The wedding garments had been delivered to the Jiang residence three days earlier, and the stylist carried in the already ironed formal attire.

When he proposed having a Chinese-style wedding, the designer was inspired and stayed up all night sketching, producing three versions of men's wedding attire in different periods and styles. But Jiang Yicen was not satisfied. The designer created Ming-style wedding garments and the long gown and mandarin jacket style.

The Ming style was too far back in time; he had no emotional connection to that era. In the end, he chose the long gown and mandarin jacket style.

The long gown and mandarin jacket embodied Eastern aesthetics. The five buttons on the collar corresponded to the five elements, and the sleeve length reaching the wrist corresponded to the body's meridians, symbolizing good fortune.

Jiang Yicen changed into a dark red long gown paired with a black mandarin jacket with auspicious cloud patterns.

The stylist tried to help Jiang Yicen dress, but Jiang Yicen refused: "I can dress myself."

From a young age, he had been taught about the strict separation between men and women. He respected women's work, but the education from his childhood was deeply ingrained.

Dressing was very simple; the biggest hassle was the makeup. Jiang Yicen knew that men also groomed themselves, but when he saw the male makeup artist bring out various jars and bottles and prepare to apply makeup on his face, he couldn't help but take two steps back.

Jiang Yicen looked reluctant: "Can I skip the makeup?"

The makeup artist: "Fourth Master, you are naturally handsome, with youthful skin and good condition. Let's just do a simple base. The lighting at the venue is too bright; without a base, your complexion will look dull."

Jiang Yicen: "Alright, then please make it simple."

Even with the so-called "simple" makeup, the makeup artist spent over an hour working on his face and hair. When it was done, he glanced at the mirror. The reflection looked exactly like him, as if he had returned to his childhood.

When he lived at his maternal grandfather's house, he often wore this long gown and mandarin jacket. He felt a bit nostalgic for those carefree days of studying with his grandfather.

The original "Jiang Yicen" often drank and stayed up late with friends in private, so his lifestyle was unhealthy, and naturally his skin was not good. It had only improved a bit recently.

The makeup artist improved Jiang Yicen's skin condition, moisturized it, and trimmed his eyebrows, making him look more vibrant.

Unlike traditional wedding customs, where the bride would host guests in the morning and then be brought to the groom's house in a sedan chair or car after lunch, modern people have limited time, and the process has been simplified a lot, without the former complexity. The Jiang and Nan families arranged for both sides' guests to be at the same banquet, just with different seating arrangements.

He Nuanqing personally brought breakfast to Jiang Yicen. The makeup artist and stylist left one by one.

Somehow, seeing He Nuanqing at this moment, she teared up. The person in front of her looked like her son, yet not quite like her son.

She handed a card to Jiang Yicen: "Son, this card has money I've saved over the years. Use it for some investments in the future. From now on, watch your words. In the Nan family, try to tone down your American ways. When two people live together, they need to be considerate of each other. You should be thoughtful toward Nan Shuyi."

Jiang Yicen knew that her words came too late. "Jiang Yicen" no longer had the chance to hear them.

He said, "I can't accept your card."

He Nuanqing pushed it back into his hands: "I'll still rely on you to support me in my old age. Consider it an investment."

Jiang Yicen had learned about He Nuanqing's situation in recent days. She was a graduate of a prestigious university. Right after graduation, she joined the Jiangda Group and became one of Jiang Gongming's secretaries in the president's office. Later, Jiang Gongming divorced his wife. The woman he had an affair with gave birth to a child and then went abroad with a sum of money. It was then that He Nuanqing grew closer to Jiang Gongming, married him, and took care of the child he had just fathered.

Jiang Yicen: "I heard you graduated from a prestigious university."

He Nuanqing paused, then smiled: "That was a long time ago."

Jiang Yicen spoke from his own understanding: "Think more about yourself. You should stop attending those virtue classes for women."

He Nuanqing: "..."

Jiang Yicen thought that since he had taken over Jiang Yicen's life, he hoped He Nuanqing would live more for herself.

He said: "Foot binding was already banned in the late Qing Dynasty. The saying 'a woman without talent is virtuous' is long outdated. Women in the past were forced to follow the 'three obediences and four virtues' because they had no opportunity to learn. You are a modern woman; you shouldn't be bound by old ideas, regressing instead of progressing."

He Nuanqing's expression changed several times: "What do you know? You sound like a schoolteacher, lecturing your mother. Just because you've been free in America, you think that listening to your father makes me 'three obediences and four virtues,' and that the traditional classes I took are 'virtue classes for women.' Yicen, you've been abroad too long; you don't understand."

Jiang Yicen felt that he probably couldn't convince He Nuanqing, but he had done his duty by advising her.

He said: "Then, please take care of yourself in the future."

This conversation between "mother and son" ended on a sour note.

Someone knocked at the door. It was a short-haired woman wearing a well-tailored light blue suit, looking sharp and handsome. It was Jiang Yiqi, who had returned the day before. She seemed to have overheard the conversation between mother and son.

She walked over to Jiang Yicen and handed him a red velvet box: "A wedding gift for you."

Jiang Yicen: "Thank you."

Jiang Yiqi: "You're welcome."

As it approached nine in the morning, the butler came upstairs to tell them that Nan Shuyi, who was coming to pick up the groom, was about to arrive.

Jiang Yiqi suddenly said to Jiang Yicen: "Jiang Yicen, take off your right shoe."

Jiang Yicen: "Why?"

Jiang Yiqi: "Of course, to make Nan Shuyi look for it."

He Nuanqing didn't quite agree: "Yiqi, maybe we shouldn't."

Jiang Yiqi: "We're having a wedding; do we want happiness or not?"

Without further ado, she pulled off Jiang Yicen's shoe and hid it under the sofa in the living room.

Very simple, not too much of a hassle.

Jiang Yicen, however, pondered her words. Not seek happiness? That was what he wanted.

Just then, the Jiang brothers showed up at Jiang Yicen's place.

Jiang Yifeng had a roguish look, but at least he wore a suit to show respect: "How do you want to mess with Nan Shuyi when he comes in? Red envelopes or something?"

Jiang Yicen thought for a moment. He had sisters—when they got married, the bride's brothers would also throw up obstacles for the groom. Usually his second brother took charge—that guy had the most mischief and the best ideas.

He picked what he thought was simplest: "A couplet challenge."

Jiang Yifeng laughed. "You sure you still want to get married? How could Nan Shuyi ever match a couplet?"

Jiang Yicen wondered: "Is Nan Shuyi really that uneducated?"

Before they could finish, the Jiang family butler walked in holding a bouquet bursting with spring vibes: "Fourth Master, your bouquet. They'll be up here any minute."

Everyone dashed off to block the groom—Jiang Yifeng was the most eager. He was determined to squeeze a few big red envelopes out of Nan Shuyi today.

The group left, the door closed behind them, leaving only Jiang Yicen and Jiang Yiqi inside. They didn't speak; it was peaceful.

Jiang Yicen held the bouquet, brought it to his nose, and sniffed. The delicate floral scent eased his nerves a little.

Outside the door was chaos—Zhou Yi's voice was even louder than Jiang Yifeng's as he cleared the way for his brother.

"I'll hold them off, Nan Shuyi, you rush over!"

"If you don't hand over six eights, don't even think about taking my brother!"

"Jiang Yifeng, you're asking for an arm and a leg!"

"What's wrong with asking for a bride price?"

"Hah, in your dreams! Give it to anyone but you!"

At first everyone was just messing around, but somehow Jiang Yifeng started blocking people for real.

Nan Shuyi was quick. Jiang Yiting and his brother, along with their guys, couldn't catch him. Plus, he had more guys with him, and they quickly cleared a path, letting him walk calmly to the third floor.

He reached the door with the double happiness character on it, pushed gently with both hands, and it swung open with a click.