Marriage, it was said, was a rite performed at dusk.
Ji Huan had heard that in ancient times, the bride was always welcomed after dusk—the groom would fetch her in the morning, but the ceremony itself would take place at night.
The rites of the Great Zhou dynasty were originally the same, but the custom slowly changed among the common people. Fetching the bride and holding the ceremony in the morning gradually became common practice.
Since Ji Huan didn't require a bridal procession or have far to travel, they had decided on a morning ceremony.
By the third crow of the rooster, Widow Xie, Ji Xuelan, Aunt Wang, Aunt Gao, and the others had arrived one by one.
The first thing they did upon arrival was hang red lanterns from every corner of the house and all along the eaves.
Ji Huan had gone to bed late, and now, forced to sit at her vanity, she couldn't stop yawning.
