Chapter 52: Making Wedding Clothes and Getting Along

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Chapter 52: Making Wedding Clothes and Getting Along

Once the date was settled, preparations for the wedding immediately got underway.

Most people, when getting married for the first time, hoped to grow old together, so they generally never considered the possibility of a second marriage. As a result, they took the wedding ceremony very seriously. Preparing a perfect wedding in such a short period of time was no simple task.

Fortunately, both the Yu and Huo families could be considered established families, so they had some experience with this sort of thing. Although the schedule was tight, they were not exactly running around in a panic.

Sheng Kong was from Jincheng City, so naturally, the arrangements fell to Yu Shenliu. Although Huo Shu had a property of her own, she would naturally leave for the wedding from Yu Shenliu’s home. This represented the support of her maternal family and carried the meaning that her husband’s family would not be allowed to mistreat her. In fact, this custom had existed since ancient times. The place from which a young woman left when she married was considered very important.

For this reason, Yu Shenliu specifically took leave from work. Even government departments were quite lenient about taking time off for matters like this. Because of that, Yu Shenliu was now able to stay home and run around preparing all sorts of things.

Chen Yuan had some connection with both Huo Shu and Sheng Kong, so of course he would attend their wedding. He had already told Yu Shenliu about many of the wedding taboos beforehand, and now felt that there was not much left for him to worry about.

So he continued with his usual routine, only occasionally watching Yu Shenliu run himself ragged. Whenever that happened, he would go over and help out with some small tasks to lighten the load.

This left Yu Shenliu, the king of overthinking, secretly wondering whether the two of them might live like this someday too.

After finally getting everything sorted out and preparing all the things they would need, there were only four days left until the wedding. Yu Shenliu had originally thought there were no gaps left in the preparations and had relaxed with the intention of getting some rest.

But then he caught sight of Chen Yuan sitting quietly to one side, reading, and froze.

Chen Yuan was wearing a lightweight shirt. This style had appeared during the Ming Dynasty clothing reforms and was convenient and relatively cool. Privately, though, Yu Shenliu thought that if Chen Yuan were willing to choose another popular summer style instead, the gauze robes that supposedly were so sheer you could see the mole on the wearer’s chest even through five layers…

Well, if Chen Yuan was too shy to wear them outside, wearing them at home would do just fine.

But what mattered now was not Chen Yuan’s choice of clothes. Looking at the way Chen Yuan was dressed, Yu Shenliu suddenly realized that after spending so long preparing for the wedding, he had actually forgotten the most important thing.

Clothes.

In Huaxia, there were several major occasions considered among the most important days in a person’s life: the full-month celebration, the zhuazhou ceremony, the coming-of-age ceremony for men or women, the wedding, and the funeral.

On these occasions, unless someone was following Indian fashions or Mayan civilization, everyone would dress very formally, changing from their usual casual clothes into formal Hanfu. Traditional festivals such as the Flower Festival , Double Third Festival , and Qingming Festival were the same.

Whether going out for an outing or visiting friends, people would likewise wear Hanfu.

Seeing Chen Yuan dressed like this, Yu Shenliu suddenly realized a problem. Chen Yuan seemed not to have any formal clothes at all.

And with only four days left until the wedding, if they did not sort out his wedding attire quickly, they would be in serious trouble. And it was not just Chen Yuan. Yu Shenliu himself had not yet had Huo Shu’s wedding attire made either.

Spotting a gap meant fixing it immediately. Yu Shenliu had been slouched in his armchair, trying to think of anything else they had forgotten, but now he immediately stood up.

“Yuanyuan, we need to go out. I think I just realized I forgot something.”

Chen Yuan, who had still been reading, looked up at him in confusion and made a single sound.

“Huh?”

“It’s all my fault. I completely forgot about this, the formal clothes needed for Xiao Shu’s wedding.” Yu Shenliu knew that Chen Yuan could be rather clueless about a lot of everyday matters. As far as he was concerned, perhaps this was what Heaven had taken away from Chen Yuan in exchange for his talent in metaphysics.

He did not think much of it and simply explained, then grabbed the car keys. “We need to hurry and get the clothes made. The wedding is coming up soon, so we have to make sure they’re finished in time.”

Formal wedding clothes were required for a wedding? Chen Yuan looked confused for a moment. He was not entirely sure what the rules were, but since Yu Shenliu said they needed formal clothes, he stood up, put down his book, and followed him outside.

Ever since transmigrating here, Chen Yuan had paid much more attention to matters related to metaphysics and knew relatively little about folk customs. This was his first time actually experiencing a wedding in this world, so naturally, he would just follow Yu Shenliu’s lead to avoid making any mistakes.

But they were only guests. Did they really need to have formal clothes made specifically for the occasion? Or was this simply a custom in this world?

Chen Yuan had never been to Yu Shenliu’s destination this time. The various commercial streets they had visited before felt little different from those in the world he had once lived in, aside from their more traditional-looking architecture.

But the place Yu Shenliu took him to this time was a street that was genuinely steeped in old-fashioned charm.

The street was lined with countless cloth shops and clothing stores, most of them selling Hanfu, with only one or two specializing in foreign styles. Most of the people on the street were dressed in Hanfu as well, making it look almost as though they had returned to ancient times.

Then again, if this really were ancient times, would people have dressed this casually, regardless of social status, in such a riot of colors?

Yu Shenliu, on the other hand, seemed to know his way around. After finding a shop, he took Chen Yuan by the hand and walked inside.

A very gentle-looking young woman was sitting inside, embroidering a piece of fabric stretched over an embroidery frame. When she saw customers enter, she first narrowed her eyes for a look. The moment she recognized Yu Shenliu, a three-part smile appeared on her face.

“Yu boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

After saying this, she glanced over Chen Yuan’s face, then let her gaze linger for half a second on the hand Yu Shenliu was holding. She smiled knowingly and nodded at Chen Yuan in greeting.

Her eyes moved quickly and discreetly. Chen Yuan did not notice that she was sizing him up and simply returned her smile with one of his own.

“Sis Li.” The way Yu Shenliu addressed her showed how well he knew her. “You’ve probably heard from my sister, and you’ve got the invitation too. Xiao Shu is getting married, right? She’ll be leaving for the wedding from my place. But I only just realized something. I haven’t prepared the wedding clothes yet.”

“Huh?” Sis Li’s eyes widened. “There are only, uh, four days left, right? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

As she spoke, she put down her work and stood up, walking over to Yu Shenliu.

“But I suppose we still have enough time. I’m pretty familiar with making Wubian robes , so it shouldn’t take too long to cut and make them.”

Chen Yuan caught on to one particular term as he listened. Wubian robes? Why Wubian robes? He did not know all that much about the various styles of Hanfu, but he did know that Wubian robes were the formal attire worn by Ming emperors when personally leading troops into battle.

Yet this was a wedding for Huo Shu, so why would anyone be wearing those? It really was rather strange. It was almost like how the phoenix crown and red bridal robes had gradually become the standard outfit for women getting married. Was this another example of clothing evolving over time?

What Chen Yuan did not know was that when a family had a daughter getting married, it was an established custom for the men of her family to wear Wubian robes and use all sorts of methods to obstruct and make things difficult for the groom.

Other guests were also expected to wear Hanfu, but the particular style was not fixed. The men of the bride’s family, however, were required to wear red Wubian robes. It was an interesting custom, to say the least.

“Thanks, Sis Li.” Yu Shenliu immediately thanked her, then pulled the somewhat bewildered Chen Yuan over. “This is Chen Yuan. He hasn’t prepared formal clothes either, so I’m afraid we’ll have to trouble you with his as well.”

“Oh?” Sis Li narrowed her eyes. She had already thought there was something unusual about the way Yu Shenliu treated Chen Yuan. He had even walked into the shop holding Chen Yuan’s hand! And now, what Yu Shenliu had just said only confirmed her suspicions.

Sis Li was Yu Shenliu’s sister’s best friend, and the two of them were very close, so Yu Shenliu had always treated her differently from other people. Most people could forget about him bringing them to her shop, let alone asking her to make their formal clothes.

If this guy hadn’t fallen for someone, would he really be doing all this?

Still, the idea that Yu Shenliu had actually fallen for someone was pretty unbelievable. The guy had always been exceptionally mature for his age and smooth in everything he did. If he were to fall for someone, what kind of person would be worthy of him?

Before, Sis Li had only given Chen Yuan a quick glance. Now, she could not help taking a few seconds to look him over properly.

Compared with Yu Shenliu’s almost inhumanly handsome appearance, Chen Yuan’s looks were naturally nothing particularly extraordinary. But there was something very distinctive about his bearing. Although he looked quite young, he was calm and gentle, the sort of person who naturally inspired goodwill.

This one seemed like a pretty good choice.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Sis Li smiled at Chen Yuan. “You’re getting a set of Wubian robes too?”

Wubian robes were only worn by the male members of the bride’s family, so Sis Li was actually teasing Chen Yuan with the question, putting him in the same category as Huo Shu’s family, or in other words, on the same side as Yu Shenliu.

The moment Yu Shenliu heard her question, he knew this was going to be trouble. For one thing, Chen Yuan had completely misunderstood his earlier, deliberately indirect confession, which was already depressing enough.

And teasing was one thing, but unfortunately, she had picked the wrong person to tease. Yu Shenliu could guarantee that Chen Yuan had absolutely no idea about the customs surrounding Wubian robes. No matter how blatantly Sis Li put it, Chen Yuan simply would not understand.

What could he do?

Sure enough, after hearing Sis Li’s question, Chen Yuan silently turned his gaze toward Yu Shenliu. He had no idea what kind of clothes he was supposed to have made. As far as he was concerned, Sis Li was simply asking what style of formal clothes he needed.

After Yu Shenliu and Sis Li exchanged a look for a moment, he answered for Chen Yuan. “Yeah, just make him a set of Wubian robes too.”

As he spoke, however, he looked away, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

Watching all these little details unfold, Sis Li finally realized it. Could Yu Shenliu actually have a secret crush?

Chen Yuan’s expression had not changed at all when Wubian robes were mentioned. He clearly had no idea what they meant. So Yu Shenliu was actually taking advantage of the fact that Chen Yuan did not know and quietly claiming him as one of the bride’s family?

Since when had the Yu Shenliu she knew become this crafty?

Sis Li was a little stunned.

But Yu Shenliu kept shooting her meaningful looks from the side, so she silently swallowed whatever she had been about to say. Then she cheerfully called out, “Anyone free in the back, come out and take his measurements!”

Several other young women came out from the back room.

“This is… Chen Yuan, right? Come inside and let us take your measurements so we can make the clothes,” Sis Li said gently, then had someone lead Chen Yuan into the back room.

Only after he was gone did she turn around and glare fiercely at Yu Shenliu.

“What’s going on?”

Yu Shenliu spread his hands. “Sis Li, you figured it out too, didn’t you?”

“So it really is you secretly crushing on him while he’s completely oblivious, and you were just taking advantage of the fact that he didn’t know what Wubian robes meant?” Sis Li rattled off the whole thing without even stopping to breathe, utterly unable to believe that the person who had just pulled all those little tricks was actually the same Yu Shenliu she knew: mature, calm, and meticulous.

Accused of deliberately taking advantage of Chen Yuan, Yu Shenliu lowered his head and gave a very fake little cough.

“…Well, look at you!” Sis Li slapped Yu Shenliu on the shoulder. “This is exactly when you’ve got to shamelessly pursue him and refuse to let go. I thought you’d be the type to act like a gentleman even in this sort of situation. Who knew you’d figure it out all by yourself?”

Yu Shenliu awkwardly fake-coughed again.

“But honestly, isn’t this kid a little too innocent? I get the feeling he really just sees you as a friend.” Sis Li slapped Yu Shenliu on the shoulder again. “Being stuck in the friend zone is no small tragedy. Don’t tell me you plan to stay there forever? You’re at the age where you should be thinking about marriage too. Look at Xiao Shu, your own niece, and she’s already getting married. Meanwhile, her uncle is still playing at pure love with someone.”

Yu Shenliu silently turned his head away.

“You can’t go on like this. At a time like this, you’ve got to throw caution to the wind, confess first, and worry about the rest later! Otherwise, if you keep dancing around the subject like this, he really will think of you as nothing more than a friend.

“Once you confess, even normal interactions can start feeling ambiguous. Wait, judging by the way he looks, don’t tell me you already confessed, but you were so subtle about it that this innocent-looking kid just completely missed it?”

Bullseye. A faint flush crept across Yu Shenliu’s face.

“…I guessed right again?” Sis Li’s mouth twitched. “You’d better think about what you’re going to do. The kid has such a good presence that, even if you do have the advantage when it comes to looks, there’s no telling whether someone else might come along and steal him right out from under you.”

She was used to seeing Yu Shenliu put on that calm, composed act, but what good was staying calm and composed in a situation like this? The kid hadn’t even caught on yet!

“Anyway, at the very least, you need to establish what the two of you are. You shouldn’t be his best friend. You should be his pursuer. This is advice from someone who’s been around the block, understand?” Sis Li’s tone grew increasingly earnest, clearly gearing up to give him a full-blown lecture on romance.

Yu Shenliu quickly cut her off. “Sis Li, Yuanyuan is coming out. Why don’t you take my measurements first?”

“Oh? Yuanyuan?” Sis Li repeated the nickname Yu Shenliu had used, a knowing smile spreading across her face. “No problem. You’ve had clothes made here so many times that I still have your measurements on file. But I’m telling you, you—”

She was about to continue sharing her thoughts and advice about Yu Shenliu’s pursuit of Chen Yuan, but Chen Yuan had already come out from the back room.

Having clothes tailored to his measurements was quite an interesting experience. Chen Yuan was used to buying clothes in standard sizes, so getting measured for custom-made clothes for the first time had him rather excited.

He was especially intrigued by the fact that making Hanfu apparently required measurements from his shoulders all the way down to his knees. Yu Shenliu really did have connections in all sorts of fields. He even knew people who ran clothing shops like this.

Thinking about this, Chen Yuan did not pay any attention to what Yu Shenliu and Sis Li had been discussing when he came out. As far as he was concerned, they were probably just old acquaintances catching up, nothing worth thinking about.

Little did Chen Yuan know that the two of them had been discussing Yu Shenliu’s feelings for him and how he should go about pursuing him.

The moment Yu Shenliu saw Chen Yuan come out, he looked as though he had been granted a reprieve. He took Chen Yuan by the hand. “Sis Li, I’ll leave the clothes to you. I’ll come pick them up the morning of the wedding. Thanks!”

Without even waiting for Sis Li to answer, he whisked Chen Yuan away.

“Pfft. It’s not like I was going to eat him.” Watching Yu Shenliu hurry away with Chen Yuan, Sis Li laughed. “I’m not getting involved in this. Your sister will have to deal with it sooner or later, won’t she?”

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