Early the next morning, Yang Fan was woken up early by Xiang Yi and Xiang Ying.
Today is the day when the bride's dowry is delivered, so don't be careless.
The two of them helped Yang Fan wash up, had breakfast, and put on new clothes. They were ready to welcome Tu Shanyue's dowry to the house.
Although the furniture has been prepared, the bride's family is responsible for the use in the new house as usual.
The Tushan family gathered the dowry delivery team early in the morning, and there was also a small sedan. Mei Xiang dressed up early, put on a red embroidered dress, and sat in the sedan accompanied by Aunt Mei.
In fact, this directly gave Mei Xiang the treatment of being a concubine.
This was something that Xiao Niangpi had discussed with Yang Fan in advance.
Mei Xiang and Xiao Niangpi fed on the same person's milk, grew up together, and fell in love with each other as sisters.
Although Mei Xiang and Aunt Mei are Xiao Niangpi's slaves, the wet nurse has a very special status in the Ming Dynasty. She is the top of the pyramid among slaves.
Since the young lady wants to promote her wet nurse and personal maid, Yang Fan naturally has no objection.
Mei Xiang was a little nervous sitting in the sedan chair. Aunt Mei comforted her in a low voice and said: "Girls will get married sooner or later. You are already sixteen, so it is not too early. Besides, it is best for a maid to be a concubine directly."
There is a way out. I secretly watched my uncle, and he looks very talented. Although he is a bit dark, I don’t talk about that."
"As long as I can be with the lady, I have no objection. My uncle is a very nice person. I know that. I'm just a little nervous." Mei Xiang blushed and wrung the red handkerchief tightly with her little hands.
"Don't be nervous, every girl has this day." Aunt Mei felt a little sleepy, covering her mouth with her hand and yawning. She got up earlier. She wanted to count the lady's dowry one last time, and there must be no mistakes. Otherwise.
It's the face of the Diutushan family.
At three o'clock in the morning, Mei Xiang was woken up and brought some maids to dress up Mei Xiang and make her look good.
Face opening is also called face twisting or face opening. Using two threads, you can twist out the fine hairs on a person's face and neck, and also make the eyebrows more beautiful.
After undergoing face-twisting, a person's face will become smooth and elastic.
Opening your face also means that you are no longer a girl from now on.
Pulling out the hair on the bride's forehead and temples means to give the bride a new look and wish her a happy marriage."
The art of twisting noodles with the ancient method has been around since ancient times. It is a boudoir craft and is usually passed down from mother to daughter from generation to generation.
The two women first applied powder on Mei Xiang's face, using a little high-quality special rouge or other powdery substances equivalent to today's use of foundation and other cosmetics.
Granny Chen is the best facial surgeon in Dongcheng. She was hired by the Tushan family to perform facial facial surgery on Niangpi before she got married. Niangpi specifically allowed Mei Xiang to enjoy her treatment.
Grandma Chen smiled and said auspicious words, then took out a piece of twine and rolled it into a figure-eight looper. The thumb and index finger of her right hand supported one end of the figure, her left hand pulled one end of the thread, and she bit the other end of the thread.
The right thumb opens and closes, biting the mouth of the thread, and the left hand cooperates with the right hand, so that the figure-8 shape is pulled back and forth on Mei Xiang's little face, until the hair is plucked out, and a smooth face appears.
Granny Zhao was the eyebrow trimming master invited to trim Mei Xiang’s eyebrows.
Granny Zhao asked: "The girl's eyebrows are a little heavy and too lush. It would look better if they were shaped like 'crescent eyebrows' or 'concubine eyebrows'. It depends on what you two want."
Aunt Mei thought about it and felt that crescent eyebrows were better. She said, "Then let's get crescent eyebrows."
"Okay, just hold it up. I guarantee that your girl will be as beautiful as a flower. She will definitely please Mr. Yang." Granny Zhao complimented her.
"I'm borrowing your good words. As slaves, how can we dare to seek the master's favor and just do our duty well?" Aunt Mei said quickly and humbly.
"You don't have to be modest. We all know that, Butler Mei, you are Miss Tu Shan's confidant. Miss Mei Xiang and Miss Tu Shan are like sisters. What a compliment, Miss! This is over.
I gave her the title of concubine, and I will be blessed when I get to the Yang Mansion." Grandma Chen also continued.
Aunt Mei wiped her tears and said: "When Mei Xiang's father died of tuberculosis, our mother and I really couldn't survive. Fortunately, the master saw us as pitiful and took us into the house. Only then did we meet a good family. Over the years,
I have no worries about food and clothing, and Mei Xiang can also be a concubine for Lord Jinyiwei Qianhu, which is a blessing that I can't even imagine."
"Why are you crying on this special day? Don't make the girl cry and ruin her makeup." Seeing that Aunt Mei had caused sadness, the two mothers-in-law hurriedly advised her.
At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, countless porters and servants in festive clothes have gathered in Xicheng's Iron Lion Alley, waiting to set off.
The route for delivering the dowry has already been decided. It will start from Iron Lion Alley, along Huangcheng North Street, and go all the way to Yang Mansion in Dongsi.
When dowry is distributed, two people carry large pieces of furniture, and a set of red buckets is divided into two ends and one person carries it.
Small wooden utensils such as buckets and fruit buckets, as well as porcelain bottles, cans and other small items are placed in the red carrying box and carried by two people.
Every load and every pole is painted with vermilion lacquer and gold, making it radiant.
Beds, tables, utensils, boxes, and bedding are all available, covering everything you need for daily use.
Fifty servants of Tushan Prefecture in festive costumes opened the way, a hundred drummers played music, and 580 porters carried the dowry.
He played and played all the way and sent the dowry to Yang's house.
The types of dowry include clothing, shoes, housing, transportation, marriage, mulberry, damask, Luo, agriculture, and work.
The dowry delivery team lined up for several miles in a row, with firecrackers and gongs and drums all over the sky, making everything as far as the eye could see was red.
This procession of red makeup stretches for miles, from the girl's house to the husband's house, and is vast and majestic.
It looks like a dragon in a red robe meandering past, full of auspiciousness and joy, showing off the wealth of the family, so it is called "Ten Miles of Red Makeup".
This is the highest dowry specification for a married woman among the people.
Xiao Niangpi has been working as an errand in the Dongchang these years, and she is still a very powerful stallion. She has been plundering a lot. The small treasury is full. She naturally wants to take these belongings away. With her temper, there is no way she can leave them to her stepmother.
Mrs. Tu Shan's eyelids jumped as she saw it. It was the first time she knew that Tu Shanyue had hidden so much property in his beautiful building.
How much was it? She just took it all away, and she was so anxious that she kept pulling it out.
Tu Shanyong glared at her angrily, not wanting to scold her in front of outsiders. How could a mother think about her daughter's property?
Xiaoyue has saved so much property. That is a child's ability. People don't expect you. You have saved the dowry yourself and you haven't given me anything and you still have the nerve to make up your mind. This is such a shameless thing.
Besides, my uncle was given a thousand taels of gold as a dowry, and he was still not satisfied.
Tu Shanyong sighed helplessly. If he hadn't seen her as a good-looking woman, how could he have married such a fool in the first place.