Chapter 084 – The Wedding Banquet - Part 2
A few days later, an auspicious date arrived.
Two ornate sedan chairs carried two lovely brides, departing separately from Silver Creek’s White Cloud Alley and from the inner district, converging at the Ginger Tavern. Words of blessing plastered every inch of the tavern, and festive lanterns hung in rows, turning dusk as bright as day. The streets were decked out more lavishly than on any holiday.
Today, the Ginger Tavern was closed to regular customers, hosting only the wedding festivities. A bright red carpet stretched from the entrance across the threshold and all the way inside.
When the sedan chairs stopped and the brides, their faces veiled in red, shyly stepped to the ground, fireworks burst skyward, painting momentary blooms of color against the twilight sky. Drums thundered, firecrackers echoed, and crowds of onlookers filled the roadsides.
Dressed in ceremonial finery, Li Yuan moved forward to take each bride’s hand. Together, they stepped over a fire basin, over a saddle, and into the great hall to perform their bows to Heaven and Earth, and to the elders. Since his parents were absent, Senior Li received the tribute. Tradition said both sides needed parents or elders present, but in such turbulent times, few clung to every detail of ceremony.
Once they finished paying their respects, Li Yuan lifted each bride’s veil, and a handmaid passed him two cups for the cross-cupped wine. He drank both. Then he offered tea to Senior Li.
Sipping the tea, he nodded with satisfaction. He then looked at Li Yuan and said, “Send them to the bridal chamber!”
The groom led his two brides upstairs. Downstairs, the banquet began in earnest. It was raucous and merry, with no shortage of revelers raising their cups.
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Meanwhile, at the entrance to Silver Creek, a few of the Ginger Tavern’s maids and guards had set up a porridge stall in the frigid wind. Steam billowed from the big pot, and behind it, more pots bubbled in rotation.