Chapter 6

Su Hui and Liu Fen returned home to find the place decked out in lanterns and festive decorations. Bright red double-happiness papers had also been pasted along the corridors, the stairs, and the doors.

In the courtyard, the tables were already set. In the kitchen, several men were busy cooking. Su Fuxuan and Liu Yiqiang's great-uncle on his father's side, that is, Liu Changsheng's second uncle, sat in the corner of the yard drinking tea. No one knew what the two of them were talking about.

Inside, Liu Changsheng and Liu Yiqiang had already changed clothes. Both of them were dressed in white shirts, black suit pants, and black leather shoes.

Su Hui had never seen Liu Changsheng dressed so formally before. The father and son were pouring wine into the cups on the ancestral altar. When Liu Changsheng saw Su Hui come back, his eyes lit up, but his expression was awkward.

Su Hui kept her head down and hurried all the way upstairs, not daring to look at the father and son again.

The bed in the room had already been replaced with one embroidered with bright red mandarin ducks playing in water. When the wedding attendant saw Su Hui return, she hurried over and said, "Auntie, you're back. See if there are any things in the room you need to move to my uncle's room. Your mother-in-law's things have already been moved up. Take a look quickly." The wedding attendant was a girl from Liu Yiqiang's clan.

Su Hui had a faint impression of her.

"Oh, I don't really have much here. There are just a few clothes in the wardrobe on the right. Help me pack them up and take them downstairs. Oh, and your grandmother-in-law's things, put them in the cabinet first and let her sort them out herself later. Otherwise, when she needs them, she won't be able to find them."

"Okay." The wedding attendant opened the wardrobe and took out the few pieces of clothing inside, hangers and all.

"Then, Auntie, I'll take these downstairs first. By the way, take a shower first. Do you have the underwear you'll wear tonight?"

"Oh, I put it in the suitcase downstairs. Mom, go downstairs with her and help me get it."

Liu Fen and the wedding attendant went downstairs. Another wedding attendant was busy doing Liu Meijuan's makeup. Liu Meijuan's body was wrapped in nothing but a bath towel. Liu Fen could see that Liu Meijuan's skin was also fair, unlike many rural women who were dark-skinned. Halfway through getting ready, she already looked a lot younger.

When Liu Meijuan saw Liu Fen come in, she blushed. She smiled awkwardly, then closed her eyes and let the wedding attendant apply makeup to her face.

Liu Fen quickly opened the suitcase, took out the red underwear Su Hui had prepared, and hurried out of the room.

Back upstairs, Su Hui was already in the shower. Liu Fen sat bored at the dressing table, playing on her phone while she waited. She never imagined that coming to her daughter's wedding would turn out to be this kind of spouse-exchange ceremony.

While she was waiting for Su Hui, two women came into the room, set a small table on the bed, and placed four small dishes on it: braised pork belly, tofu balls, egg dumplings, and poached chicken. They also set out a pair of bowls and chopsticks, two small cups, and a small flask of liquor.

"Mom, bring me my underwear."

"Oh, coming, coming." Liu Fen quickly handed the clothes into the bathroom. Not long after, Su Hui came out wearing the one-shoulder dress she had worn during the day.

"Auntie, why are you still wearing the same clothes as before?" the wedding attendant waiting nearby asked.

"I've already changed into new ones underneath. What's wrong with that?"

"Huh? Auntie, didn't my uncle change back into my grand-uncle's clothes for you at noon?"

"Ah? I didn't know about that."

"Then I'll ask my uncle. Auntie, you can do your own makeup, right?"

"Oh, yes." Su Hui sat down at the dressing table and started doing her own makeup. Liu Fen stood behind her and combed her hair.

The room was very quiet.

If not for the wedding attendant coming in again, carrying a plastic bag, Su Hui probably would have only caught a glimpse of what was inside: the underwear Liu Changsheng had taken off at noon.

The wedding attendant waited beside her until Su Hui had finished her makeup, then said, "Auntie, hurry up and take off the dress you're wearing. You can't wear this tonight."

"Ah, I can only wear the clothes underneath?"

"No. You have to wear my grand-uncle's outfit over them." She handed over the plastic bag in her hand. "Auntie, don't worry. My uncle put it in there himself. I never touched the clothes inside."

"Is there some special rule for this?"

"This outfit can only be touched by the four of you before you put it on today. If anyone else touches it, it's bad luck."

"Ah, I have to wear this? It's so ugly."

"Auntie, that's just how our village does it. Unless it's a formal wedding, then you wear the bridal trousseau."

"Are you married?"

"Not yet. Once you're married, you can't be a wedding attendant anymore."

"Sigh, fine." Su Hui had no choice. Just as she was about to take off the dress, the wedding attendant spoke again. "Mother of the family, please go downstairs and have some tea. You need to step out for a bit."

Liu Fen had no choice but to pat Su Hui's arm and go downstairs.

Only then did Su Hui take off her dress, revealing the red half-cup bra and the red lace see-through triangle panties underneath.

"Auntie, this set of underwear is really pretty. Tonight, when my grand-uncle sees it, he'll definitely like it."

Su Hui blushed and said nothing. "Was this picked out by my uncle? My uncle is really considerate. Not only did he swap his own wife to make my grand-uncle his wife, he even bought Auntie such beautiful underwear. If it were my grand-uncle, he wouldn't understand this kind of fun at all." Su Hui blushed even harder and still didn't dare say a word.

"Auntie, you don't need to feel embarrassed. It may not happen every year in our village, but it's not that rare either. This is just the custom here. If anything, it's because people used to be too poor, so poor that too many men couldn't afford to marry wives."

Su Hui didn't take up the topic. She pinched Liu Changsheng's underwear out of the plastic bag with two fingers, holding her nose. In truth, Liu Changsheng was very clean, and the underwear didn't smell strongly at all; it was just Su Hui's own mental block.

She looked it over. It was an ordinary pair of black men's boxer briefs, still looking about ninety-five percent new. Su Hui hesitated again and again and still didn't dare put them on. She had never even worn Liu Yiqiang's underwear, let alone this...

"Auntie, the time is almost up. Hurry and put it on." The wedding attendant urged her.

Su Hui made sure of the front and back, then closed her eyes and slipped on Liu Changsheng's underwear. They were a bit too loose and rather baggy. Once Su Hui had them on, the wedding attendant took two small clips and adjusted the waistband a little, clipping them at Su Hui's waist.

Once she had built up the mental preparation for wearing the underwear, Su Hui picked up the undershirt without much psychological burden. It was nothing more than a common rural Chinese undershirt. After Su Hui put it on, the wedding attendant helped button the cloth fasteners in the middle, and Su Hui's red bra could be seen clearly through the side opening of the undershirt.

"All right, Auntie, sit in this chair. Whatever you do today, don't sit on the bed, or it'll be bad luck." With that, the wedding attendant took out the red veil, covered Su Hui's head with it, and put Su Hui's phone and the clothes she had changed out of into the bag. She took them downstairs to Su Hui's new bridal room.

Su Hui didn't know how long she waited before she heard firecrackers going off downstairs, and her hands and feet turned cold.

When the firecrackers stopped, someone came in through the door.

"Hui'er, I'm here to carry you downstairs." It was Liu Yiqiang's voice. "Sigh..." Su Hui let out a helpless long sigh.

Liu Yiqiang walked over to Su Hui. The wedding attendant helped Su Hui to her feet. Liu Yiqiang bent down, and the wedding attendant carefully helped Su Hui onto Liu Yiqiang's back.

Liu Yiqiang's expression gradually grew heavy, his eyes revealing a trace of reluctance and sorrow. He knew that this moment meant both he and Su Hui were about to begin a new life.

Every step seemed to remind him that Su Hui was about to move away from his side, and that he would no longer be able to stay with her at every moment.

His mood was heavy, as if he were carrying the weight of the whole world, leaving him exhausted and powerless.

He struggled to hold back the tears in his eyes, trying to make himself look less sad.

Su Hui held tightly to Liu Yiqiang's neck, feeling the strength of his back and the warmth of his body, as if this moment was the last between them.

Every rise and fall of Liu Yiqiang's steps reminded her that she was about to leave this familiar back and begin a different new life.

At that moment, she could not suppress the tremor and reluctance in her heart. Every breath was accompanied by a heavy ache.

Every one of Liu Yiqiang's steps felt like it was striking the soft strings of her heart, bringing wave after wave of warmth and emotion.

She lowered her head slightly and buried it in Liu Yiqiang's neck, drawing in a hard breath, trying to suppress the emotions surging inside her.

But no matter how reluctant Liu Yiqiang and Su Hui were, the staircase was only so long. When Liu Yiqiang took the last step downstairs, Su Hui forced herself to smile. No matter what, the villagers were all saying that her and Liu Yiqiang's filial devotion could let Liu Changsheng, who had never shared his seed with any other woman, finally experience the taste of another woman.

With the wedding attendant's help, Su Hui climbed down from Liu Yiqiang's back and stood side by side with him. They had barely stood there for long when Liu Changsheng also came down from upstairs, carrying Liu Meijuan on his back.

Only after hearing Fourth Aunt speak about exchanging spouses did Liu Yiqiang take Su Hui's hand and step forward a little, placing Su Hui's hand into Liu Changsheng's, while at the same time taking Liu Meijuan's hand and helping her stand beside him, side by side with him. Su Hui wearing Liu Changsheng's underwear and undershirt looked honestly a little strange and unattractive, completely out of step with the atmosphere of the wedding.

Yet precisely that mismatch made Liu Yiqiang feel that Su Hui looked especially sexy tonight. Why had he never thought of making Su Hui wear his underwear before?

First bow to heaven and earth. Liu Yiqiang watched as Su Hui, supported by Liu Changsheng, slowly knelt before the ancestral tablets and bowed her head with Liu Changsheng.

Second bow to the elders. Liu Changsheng and Su Hui knelt together before the only elder of Liu Changsheng's generation still alive, his second uncle, and before Su Hui's parents, and bowed down solidly and formally. After this bow, during this spouse-exchange period, Liu Changsheng would be the son-in-law of Su Fuxuan and Liu Fen.

Marriage bow. Su Hui and Liu Changsheng faced each other and bowed. After this bow, Su Hui would no longer be Liu Yiqiang's wife, but Liu Changsheng's wife.

Standing behind Su Hui and Liu Changsheng, Liu Yiqiang watched the two of them finish the ceremony with complicated feelings. In theory, Liu Changsheng should have sent Su Hui into the bridal room, but because Su Hui and Liu Changsheng still had to play the roles of the elders, Su Hui was still covered by the red veil and standing to one side with Liu Changsheng, waiting.

After Liu Yiqiang and Liu Meijuan finished their bows, only then did Liu Changsheng carry Su Hui upstairs and into the bridal room. Liu Yiqiang carried Liu Meijuan into his own room on the third floor.

Some of the guests followed behind Liu Changsheng and stood at the bridal room door to watch the fun, while some others followed behind Liu Yiqiang up to the third floor.

Liu Changsheng carried Su Hui into the room, set her down on the bed, took off the high heels on her feet, and then tucked her legs up and placed them together on the bed.

The onlookers at the door immediately shouted, "Lift the veil! Lift the veil! Let's see the bride!"

Just as the voices from the second floor had finished, shouts came down from the third floor as well. Liu Changsheng picked up the chopsticks from the small table on the bed and turned around triumphantly toward the crowd, holding them high. Then he turned back, lifted Su Hui's veil with the chopsticks, and the entire room instantly fell silent, as if time itself had stopped for this moment.

Then came a burst of cheers, and Su Hui's somewhat downcast mood was lifted by those cries.

In ordinary times, Liu Changsheng had always seemed a little old to her, but at this moment he looked much more handsome in Su Hui's eyes.

The chopsticks in Liu Changsheng's hand lightly tapped Su Hui on the head. Su Hui knew this was meant to symbolize satisfaction and fulfillment, and she saw nothing but care and tenderness in Liu Changsheng's eyes.

By comparison, the cheers coming from the third floor were clearly not as loud as the ones here. Perhaps it was because everyone was too familiar with Liu Meijuan, Su Hui thought.

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" The shouting rose and fell in waves. Liu Changsheng slowly moved closer to Su Hui. Embarrassed, Su Hui closed her eyes. Liu Changsheng's lips lightly touched her cheek.

That counted as getting through the ritual.

"Cross-cup, cross-cup, cross-cup!" the villagers watching began shouting again. Liu Changsheng picked up the liquor flask on the small table and poured wine into the little cups.

"I can't handle straight liquor," Su Hui said awkwardly, looking at Liu Changsheng.

"It's fine. This is osmanthus wine I made myself. It's not strong. Try it. If you really can't drink it, I'll tell them," Liu Changsheng whispered to Su Hui, his eyes carrying a little longing, longing for Su Hui to agree and drink these three cups of sweet, festive wine.

Hesitantly, Su Hui accepted the cup Liu Changsheng handed her. Liu Changsheng tapped his cup against hers, then raised his own to his lips and looked at Su Hui.

Su Hui brought the wine to her mouth. The fragrance of osmanthus rushed up to her nose. She took small sips and drank down the wine in the cup. The sweet taste was exactly what Su Hui liked.

When Liu Changsheng saw that Su Hui had finished the cup, he drank his down in one gulp.

He poured another cup, then held his cup to Su Hui's lips. Su Hui followed his lead and held her cup to Liu Changsheng's lips, and the two of them fed each other the second cup.

For the third cup, Liu Changsheng signaled for Su Hui to drink the cross-cup with him.

When Fourth Aunt saw that the two of them had also drunk the cross-cup wine, she began guiding the onlookers from the second and third floors to leave. The younger ones would all go home first, and after they had eaten, they would come back to gather again and watch the fun.

The elders and Liu Changsheng's few brothers of the same generation were arranged to eat and drink downstairs in the courtyard.

When Su Hui saw that everyone had left and the door had been closed, only she and Liu Changsheng remained in the room. "Dad, I'm starving. Can I eat the food on the table now?"

"Hui'er, from now on, you can't call me Dad anymore. We've already bowed before the ancestral tablets and held the wedding ceremony. We're husband and wife now. From now on, you have to call me Changsheng, Brother Sheng, or husband. You can even call me Old Liu if you want. The only thing you can't call me anymore is Dad. Understand?"

"Oh. Then Chang...sheng? Can I eat now? Help me get a pair of bowls and chopsticks. How come there is only one set for two people?"

"You don't know this?" Liu Changsheng sat down beside Su Hui. "This one set of bowls and chopsticks means that for a while from now on, the two of us will be eating at the same table and eating out of the same bowl. And for tonight's food too, it has to be fed to you from my mouth. What that means is, as long as I have something to eat, I have to think of you first and let you eat first."

"So many rules. Fine, fine. Give me a piece of braised pork belly first."

Liu Changsheng picked up a piece of braised pork belly, bit off a bite with his mouth, and fed it into Su Hui's mouth. "Mm, this feels so strange," Su Hui said, though though she was a little disgusted, she was sensible enough not to refuse.

Su Hui and Liu Changsheng managed to eat until they were only half full. When she wanted to keep eating, there was nothing left. Liu Changsheng cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks on the table, opened the door, and moved the table outside, handing the bowls and chopsticks over to Fourth Aunt. Fourth Aunt called out loudly, "Changsheng, are the chickens laying eggs?"

Liu Changsheng hurriedly answered, "Yes, yes, yes!"

As soon as Liu Changsheng finished answering, Liu Yiqiang on the upper floor also shouted back loudly, "Yes, yes, yes!"

When Liu Changsheng returned to the room, Su Hui was smiling from ear to ear. She had only ever heard this kind of auspicious back-and-forth in Guo Degang's crosstalk routines.

Liu Changsheng saw Su Hui laughing, and he laughed along with her.

"What are you laughing at?" Su Hui asked.

"Whatever you're laughing at, I'm laughing at that too."

"Hey, let me ask you something." Su Hui really wasn't used to calling the man in front of her by his name yet, so she simply used the common way a woman addresses a man and said, "Hey" instead.

"Go ahead."

"Aren't there still people downstairs? Don't you need to go keep them company and drink with them?"

"I do, but there are still things we haven't finished. They didn't come just to drink. They're also waiting for the ceremony afterward."

"There's still a ceremony? That's so much trouble."

"It's not trouble. After that, it's just burning incense for the ancestors."

"Oh. Then you can go downstairs and drink with them now. I remember Yiqiang saying you usually drink a couple of cups."

"Yes, but let's finish our business first."

"Our business? What else is there?"

"You forgot? There's still the most important thing we haven't done yet."

"What?"

"It's... it's..." Liu Changsheng was also a little embarrassed to say it out loud. In his view, Su Hui should already know.

Su Hui looked at his expression and understood instantly. Her face flushed at once. She sighed. "Then... then let's do it."

Like someone resigned to her fate, Su Hui lay down on the bed.

"No... there's one more thing before doing that."

"There's more? Can you please just say everything at once?" Su Hui said, a little irritated, throwing a small fit at Liu Changsheng.

"Wait a moment." Liu Changsheng got down from the bed and rummaged through the small bamboo tray beside it, which held peanuts and melon seeds. Before long, he pulled out a razor tied with a red string.

"What are we going to do with that?"

"We need to use this razor on each other to shave the hair down there clean."

"Shave the hair? And on each other?"

"Mm. The shaved hair has to be mixed together, then wrapped up in this red paper with both our names written on it. Later, it has to be tied with red string in front of the ancestors. When I die, it has to be placed in my coffin with me, to show that you were once my wife."

"Pah, pah, pah. You're still so young and already talking about dying. Can't we just not shave it?"

"This... we should still shave it. Our village just..."

"Enough, enough. That's just how your village does things, I know. Later when we go downstairs, if Yiqiang and Mom haven't shaved and used this, then just you wait. How are we supposed to shave it? You tell me." Su Hui no longer had the energy to argue with Liu Changsheng over whether to do it or not.

"Hui'er, you said it wrong again. Meijuan is Yiqiang's wife now, which means she's your daughter-in-law. How can you call her Mom?"

"Fine, fine. Meijuan! Meijuan! Is that okay?" Su Hui's temper shot up in an instant. Liu Changsheng flinched and sat there awkwardly at the edge of the bed, too scared to say another word.