Lujia Village is not big. Even if the North Village is included, there are only more than 200 people. There are many people in the village who get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen. Lu Liangsheng is now twenty-five years old, and he is not in a hurry. However, a group of young and old men in the village are worried for him. When they heard the news that Lu Liangsheng was going to get married, the villagers, young and old, came in droves, carrying chickens and ducks and holding jars of wine, and crowded outside the small courtyard, asking Li Jinhua and his wife to accept them as a gift money.
However, these days, three matchmakers and six betrothals, parents' orders, and matchmaker's words are inevitable. It would definitely not be appropriate to just hold the marriage here.
Some people in the village also shouted: "How can that be possible? We have been waiting for Liangsheng's wedding for many years, and I was not married at that time, and now my child is running around naked!"
The person who spoke was Erniu, who was a few years younger than Lu Liangsheng and had been married for several years. However, as soon as he finished speaking, he was hit on the head with a pear wood stick by the most respected old man in the village and given a lesson.
"I heard from Lao Shi that Miss Min's family is prominent. Her father was originally the county magistrate of our Fushui County and a close friend of Liangsheng's teacher. Now he is even a high-ranking official in the Sui Dynasty. How could he not show some respect to her? You can just talk nonsense."
The old man was sometimes confused and sometimes lucid. He was trembling as he mustered all his strength to say this.
"Everyone, think about it. Liangsheng will be an official in the future. With a father-in-law who is a high-ranking official in the court to look after him, he will rise to the top quickly. At that time, it will be a great honor for our ancestors of Lujia Village!"
There were more than a hundred households in Lujia Village and dozens of people from Beicun who were related to this place. They gathered at the drying dam and listened to what Grandpa Lu who was standing on the stone mill said. The crowd became excited. Some of them didn't know who Miss Min was, but when they heard it, they immediately stopped what they were about to say.
There was still a voice saying:
"So what if he's a high-ranking official? Our Liangsheng is a disciple of a master who knows magic and Taoism. It's not certain who can marry him."
As soon as these words were spoken, others began to echo them.
"That's right, it was Miss Min who married in, not us Liangsheng, so why are we praising that side so highly?!"
"When we have a baby in the future, it will also be named Lu. In the end, it still depends on us!"
"Yes, we have come a long way. How can we prepare a banquet? Why not just get it done here first, and then hold a second banquet when Liangsheng and the others go to Chang'an?"
In the Eight Great Men, many people agreed with Lu Xi's words. The two sides were too far apart and it was impossible to take care of both. They could only do it separately. After the two villages discussed for a while, each household sent a laborer to help with the complicated matters before the banquet. The autumn harvest had passed and there was nothing to do in the fields. It was not difficult to spare labor.
"The bride can't be without these. Go to Fushui County and buy some red silk. The wives of all ages in the village can help cut them. Every household has wine and liquor. One or two jars will be enough..."
The locust tree swayed in the corner of the drying dam, and with a rustling sound, the fallen dead leaves floated over the crowd and drifted to a small fenced courtyard in a corner of the village.
Under the bare cypress tree, Lu Xiaoxian was sweeping the fallen leaves into the corner. The old donkey was dragging a donkey with a lighter tongue behind him, holding the reins in his mouth, and they were strolling leisurely. The white hen was flapping its wings and darting around in the vegetable garden, and was then kicked into the shed by the anxious Li Jinhua.
Lu Laoshi took out the new clothes that his wife and himself bought last year from the bottom of the box, washed them again and again in a water tank, and finally they came in handy.
"Lao Shi, is Liangsheng home?!"
At this time, Lu Pan came over from the drying dam with his men. As soon as he entered the yard, he called out. Lu Laoshi put down his clothes and stood up, "Liangsheng is in the house."
He turned around and called into the house: "Liangsheng!"
"Uncle Pan is here?"
The door creaked open and Lu Liangsheng put down his book and came out. Seeing the people entering the yard, he moved a few stools under the eaves and invited Lu Pan and a few villagers to sit down and talk.
Lu Pan sat down on the stool opposite without any hesitation. The three people who followed him didn't want to sit down, so they stood aside, looking around, as if they wanted to see if the Red God of Mercy in the temple was here.
"Have all the arrangements been made for Uncle Pan? What did Mr. Lu say?" The scholar walked to a small table under the eaves, picked up the teapot, and asked with a smile.
"Your marriage is the most important event in the village, what else can I say?" Lu Pan slapped his chest twice and gestured with his hands: "Of course I agree to everything. I guarantee that your marriage will be a grand occasion."
Lu Liangsheng poured tea and passed it to Lu Pan and the others over there, then came back and sat down: "There's no need to be so extravagant, I have my own way of putting up lights and decorations."
As he said this, he took out the writing brush with a brush cap from his sleeve and waved it in front of Lu Pan. His cultivation had been restored, and his magic power had naturally returned. For something like this, he could just paint a festive picture. There was no need to be so extravagant. Afterwards, they discussed the details of the wedding for a while, and Lu Pan went back happily with those people.
"Getting married..."
Lu Liangsheng watched the few people walk past the fence, shook his head and smiled bitterly, then stood up and went back to his room to find his easel, brush and ink. Thinking about the arrangement when he went to other people's weddings, the tip of his brush glowed with magic light, and he dipped it in blue ink and slowly sketched...
The news of the wedding spread, and for two days, Lujia Village was as busy as New Year's Day. When the merchants who were on good terms with the local area heard about it, they helped buy things from Fushui County to save everyone the trouble of running back and forth. The skillful women in each household helped to cut the bride's clothes, and the men went outside to help carry the wine, meat and food.
Even the Taoist priest ran outside. In his words, he had to come up with a unique gift, so he went searching mountains for something.
On the busy mountain road, donkey carts loaded with wine and pigs were heading to Lujia Village. On the way, there were two women who made people look at them a few more times.
"Hey, did you see that woman in red? She looks familiar."
"She is so charming. How can she look familiar? It is obvious that she is not from a good family. Stop looking at her and quickly deliver the things to Lujia Village."
"Okay, okay, maybe we can catch a buffet."
"I never thought that our Qixia Mountain Lu Lang would get married. This is a big event. If we do it well, it will look good when we ask for favors in the future."
Two donkey carts creaked past as they were driven by several strong men. Among the two women walking behind them, the one in the colorful dress whispered:
"Madam, did you hear that just now? It seems that Lu Liangsheng is getting married."
The swaying skirt slowly stopped, and Hua Hongyi stood where she was. Her delicate hands were curled into fists under her long sleeves.
"Getting married..."
He gritted his teeth and forced out the sound, then his eyes suddenly turned to the other end of the mountain trail. A figure in a Taoist robe jumped down from the forest carrying a yellow cloth bag. He was holding something and had a lewd smile on his pointed and monkey-like face.
"Hehe, if Lao Lu eats this, his spear will stand upright instead of..."
Suddenly sensing the evil spirit, the Taoist turned his head, his eyes narrowed into slits, and quickly stuffed the vine-like herbs in his hand and the red fruits on them into the cloth bag, and took out a brand new bronze mirror.
"What a monster, how dare you come to Qixia Mountain."
Just as he was about to bite his fingertip to draw the "imperial edict", he squinted his eyes and saw clearly that one of the two people was a woman with the same face as Nie Honglian, but with a little more makeup.
"Hmm... Is this... the Painted Skin Demon?"
After hesitating for a moment, Hua Hongyi raised her hand to tell Zhu Erniang not to do anything. She raised her delicate face slightly and looked at the Taoist who was posing opposite her.
"Lu Liangsheng... If you don't marry me, I will make your life miserable! Get married? Humph! Prepare to turn a happy event into a funeral!"
Looking at the Taoist, she retracted her long sleeves, swayed her waist and walked towards Sun Yingxian, her red lips slightly curled up.
"Little Taoist priest, how are you?"