Chapter 20: Arranging the Bridal Sedan

Huo Shi’an strode from home with the wind at his heels. Moisture still clung to his freshly shaved jaw, and the breeze left him feeling much cleaner. Huo Family Village was eight or nine li from the county town. An ordinary person would need more than an hour on foot; he reached the gate in half an hour, his breathing undisturbed.

The guards gave his tall, straight-backed figure a second look. He paid them no attention and headed straight for the silver shop on South Street.

The shopkeeper was working an abacus behind the counter. Looking up at the footsteps, he started at the sight of such a large man, then greeted him with a smile. “What would you like to see?”

Shi’an’s gaze passed over rows of silver hairpins, ornaments, and earrings. He pointed to a silver bracelet in the case. “Let me see that.”

The shopkeeper brought it out. “An excellent choice. The design is simple and looks especially pretty on a young woman.”

Shi’an weighed it in his hand. It was not particularly heavy, but evenly worked, with a fine pattern around its surface. He remembered the pale wrist that had appeared from Su Wan’s sleeve when she offered him the bamboo flask, and his throat moved involuntarily.

Seeing him stare at the bracelet, the shopkeeper guessed its destination and smiled more warmly. “A gift for your bride-to-be?”

Shi’an raised a brow. “That obvious?”

“A man buying for his mother wouldn’t choose something so plain.”

Unable to suppress a smile, Shi’an asked the price. The shopkeeper named it and polished the bracelet with a cloth. Shi’an paid, then tapped the counter as something occurred to him. “Throw in a hairpin.”

The shopkeeper blinked. “I’ve already discounted the bracelet.”

“A wooden one will do, as long as it isn’t too ugly.”

After some thought, the shopkeeper selected a plain wooden hairpin from a box. The wood had a warm color, and two little leaves were carved at the top. It was inexpensive but tasteful. “Take this as a gift, for good fortune.”

Shi’an put away the bracelet and pin, then bought two packets of pastries. The assistant asked whether he wanted something sweeter or softer. Shi’an considered and realized he did not know what Su Wan liked. In the end, he bought one of each: osmanthus cakes and date-paste pastries.

From there he went to a wine shop for two jars. By the time he returned to Huo Family Village, dusk had fallen. Cooking smoke rose in thin streams, chickens and ducks returned to their pens, and an occasional dog barked along the dirt road.

Madam Guo was serving food in the kitchen. Hearing the gate, she looked out. “You really went back to town?”

“Yes. I bought a few things.”

Her eyes moved to his hands. “Pastries too! Let me taste one.”

He turned aside to keep them from her, his solemn expression almost begging for a smack. “They can’t be opened.”

She glared. “I raised you for twenty-one years, and I can’t have one piece?”

He put the packets in his room and closed the door. “I’m going to my future parents-in-law tomorrow. I can’t go empty-handed. If you want some, I’ll buy you more later.”

Madam Guo’s mouth twitched, but she could find no fault in that. She carried the meal to the main room. “Come eat.”

The three sat down to greens, fried eggs, and half a bowl of preserved meat. Because her son had returned, Madam Guo had also steamed white rice. Shi’an ate quickly, though no longer wolfing it down as he had that afternoon. He put a piece of meat in his mother’s bowl.

Pleased, she nevertheless said, “Don’t try that. Open a packet of pastries for me, and I’ll really be happy.”

He smiled. “I’ll buy you two tomorrow. Four, if you like.”

She sniffed. “Do I need your pastries?”

“No. I want to treat you because you’re my mother.”

She had no answer. Lowering her head, she ate a mouthful of rice, though she could not hide her smile.

Halfway through the meal, Shi’an asked, “Have you arranged a bridal sedan?”

His father’s chopsticks paused. “What sedan?”

“For the wedding.”

Madam Guo looked at him. “We hired an ox cart. We’ll cover it in red cloth and add red flowers. It won’t look shabby.”

“Only an ox cart?” His brows drew together.

His tone surprised her. “That’s what most villagers use. The journey isn’t far, and an ox cart is steady.”

He set down his bowl. “As you said, that’s other people. I can’t do it that way.”

The room fell silent. Huo Chuan watched him. “You want to hire a sedan?”

Shi’an nodded. “One carried by two men will do, with red silk and wedding curtains.”

“Do you think a sedan costs nothing?” Madam Guo asked.

He took several pieces of silver from his clothes and placed them on the table. “I’ll pay.”

The silver landed softly, but it silenced her. She looked at it, her eyes suddenly warm, unsure whether to be angry or distressed. “You risked your life to earn that money. You’ll spend it just like this?”

“Marrying a wife isn’t wasting money.” He turned to his father. “What about the feast? Who’s cooking? How many dishes? Is the bridal room ready?”

“Granny Liu is cooking. She has experience with weddings and funerals. We’ve planned six dishes and prepared the room. The bed and cupboards are newly made.”

Shi’an was still dissatisfied. “Six isn’t enough. Make it eight, and add another meat dish.”

Madam Guo glared. “Do you think you’re a young master from a wealthy household?”

He straightened, a touch of swagger in his expression. “I’m a minor military officer now, someone of standing at camp. People shouldn’t look down on my wedding.”

His mother clicked her tongue. “Someone of standing! Anyone would think you were a great general. You only command ten men, and look how proud you are.”

His brows lifted. “When I return, I’ll command fifty.”

Huo Chuan’s wine bowl stopped halfway to his mouth. Madam Guo stared. “You’re not boasting?”

Shi’an’s smile faded. “No. My military merits have been reported. I’m only waiting for the formal order when I return to camp.”

His father set down his bowl and looked at him gravely. “What have you been through these past few years?”

Shi’an did not answer at once. He rubbed the rim of his bowl with his thumb. “The border hasn’t been peaceful these last two years,” he said quietly.

Madam Guo’s eyes reddened. She gripped her chopsticks. “We don’t need you to become a general or command any number of men. We only want you to come home safe.”

The words struck him. The lighthearted reply he had intended would not come. He stretched out his long arms and drew both parents close. His mother stiffened, then slapped his back hard. “No respect for your elders.”

He let her strike him. “Father, Mother, don’t worry,” he said in a low voice. “I still have to care for you in your old age and see you through to the end. I have a wife to marry and a life to live. I’ll protect myself.”

Huo Chuan patted his arm. “Keep your word.”

“I will.”

Madam Guo nearly cried. She turned her head to wipe her eyes, then complained, “All right, enough. That’s too sentimental. Let go. I’m too old for this.”

He released them, though his own eyes were warm.

The room stayed quiet for a while. Then Madam Guo asked, “Do you really want the bridal sedan?”

Shi’an looked from his father to her. “I do.”

Huo Chuan did not hesitate long. “I’ll ask in the neighboring town tomorrow morning. They rent wedding sedans there, and we can hire the bearers too.”

Shi’an smiled at once. “With you handling it, Father, I can rest easy.”

“Tomorrow I’ll visit my future parents-in-law and tell them about the sedan, so they can prepare.”

Madam Guo gave him a sour look. “Are you telling your future parents-in-law, or Su Wan?”

He lifted his bowl and drank slowly. “All of them.”

She raised a hand as if to hit him, then lowered it. He had only just come home; she could not bear to do it.

Huo Chuan sipped his wine. “When you go to the Sus tomorrow, speak properly. Don’t let them think you’ve gone wild while away.”

“I know.”

“And don’t stare at Su Wan when you see her,” Madam Guo added. “Girls are shy. Don’t make her uncomfortable.”

Remembering how Su Wan had looked up at him on the road, Shi’an’s eyes filled with amusement. “She may not be so shy,” he murmured.

His mother looked at him suspiciously. “What did you say?”

“I said I know how to behave.”

Night deepened and the village grew quiet. As the wine took effect, Huo Chuan became more talkative, telling his son about the villagers and family affairs. Shi’an listened quietly, answering now and then. The lamp in the Huo family’s main room burned late into the night.