"Now what you are dilly-dallying for? Wake up and get ready! Wash your face and go get dressed! Yu Dong will arrive any moment now, and so will be the villagers. Do you want to show your drooling face to them? It will be quite a sight!" Grandma Fang ferociously scolded. If Fang Chi was eighteen years younger, she would have smacked his butt! Such an important day, and he did this!
Fang Chi was groggy because of his lack of sleep, but he sat up straight after listening to his grandmother's scolding. "Grandma, will there be a lot of villagers coming to watch?"
"Or else what? Your and Yu Dong's engagement is not normal. It's the talk of the village! Of course, the villagers would come to enjoy the show! And it's still early in the morning. Few villagers would be in their fields at this time of day. Everyone likes to enjoy a bit of noise. The village hardly ever has any kind of excitement. It's not an unusual thing for people to come and watch the entertainment." But that Madam Zhang would definitely be here to count the bride price was most important. If the bride price wasn't sufficient, then she would make a joke out of them!
"I know, I know... I will get ready at once. Don't worry, grandmother, I won't embarrass you or Yu Dong." Fang Chi hurriedly scrambled off his bed and put on his shoes. There were so many people coming to watch him and Yu Dong, he couldn't make the slightest mistake or else the people will make fun of him for days!
It concerned such a vital occasion how can he make mistakes!
Fang Chi rushed to the backyard and haphazardly took a bath before running back inside and taking out the clothes that his grandmother finished sewing for him last night. The clothes were plain, with no embroidery because his grandmother had little time. She was already rushing to sew this one piece of clothing. Yet Fang Chi liked it a lot. It was his first time receiving new clothes without any patches on them.
After changing his clothes, he combed his hair and did a trendy updo hairstyle that suited his face the most. He even took a small pinch of rogue and rubbed it on his lips to make them more pink and pouty.
"Grandmother, what do you think? Do I look pretty?" Though Fang Chi thought he was looking good, his esteem was a little bit low, especially after getting rejected so many times by his matches. Even though he felt he was looking aesthetically pleasing today, he couldn't help but ask his grandmother.
Grandma Fang looked at her grandson and chuckled. He was just like an excited child. "Yes, yes, yes. My Chi looks so pretty!! The loveliest mer in the village!" Grandma Fang circled around Fang Chi, taking a long look at his profile, her eyes brimming with joy. This child had never dressed up before, which hid his good looks, now after dressing up, he looked exceptionally beautiful. Especially that shy and warm smile of his. He would melt anyone's heart with that smile of his. "The loveliest of all, I'm afraid that Yu Dong will surely get jealous when you turn everyone's heads in the crowd!"
Fang Chi blushed. He covered his face and looked away. "Stop it, grandmother, don't tease me like this!"
Grandma Fang laughed. She was really proud of her Fang Chi. He was just so beautiful today. He was making her heartache. Now she didn't want to send her Chi away from her.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore," said Grandma Fang.
The sound of the firecrackers got closer. Grandma Fang, who was busy enjoying the sight of her beautiful grandson, gasped and uttered an "Aiya!" before hurrying off to wash herself. She didn't have enough time to sew new clothes for herself and could only make do with the best pieces of clothing that she had, and by best, it meant the one that had no patches on it.
Grandma Fang combed her hair and then rushed off to rummage in an old trunk next to her bed. She took out a small pouch and handed it to Fang Chi. "Here, this is something that you should give to Yu Dong once she gives all the betrothal gifts. It's said that one is supposed to be considered engaged only after giving a token of love. Yu Dong has done her part, and now it's your turn."
Fang Chi took the pouch and opened it curiously. Inside the pouch was a jade pendant with a black string. "Grandma this -"
"It's something your daddy gave your mother when she went to propose marriage to him," said Grandma Fang with a reminiscent look in her eyes. "Your daddy was a good mer and came from a decent family. He saved for a long time before he could buy this pendant. I wish I could have brought you something better, but-" Grandma Fang stopped talking, her lips pursed in an angry scowl. "But this is the best we can do." Last night she rushed to town to look for something exceptional, but the reality was cruel. She made little from her embroidery skills, and having bought clothes for Fang Chi, she had little money left. She couldn't ask for money from her second daughter. That bastard was so cruel that she would rather take on the title of being unfilial rather than give money to her mother.
That vicious mer her daughter married has totally eaten her brains!
"But don't worry, Yu Dong is a good woman. She won't look down on you. She will surely understand that with our current conditions, this is the best we can do, alright, Chi?"
Fang Chi nodded his head and sighed, clutching the jade pendant. That's right, this was the best he could do.
----
As Yu Dong has almost reached their house, the crowd around the foot of the mountains was getting bigger and bigger. The villagers were holding their farming tools in their hands. It seemed like they would leave for their fields only after watching the excitement!