Du Heng knelt in the ancestral hall for less than half an hour, and secretly glanced outside, but no one was looking. Standing up and moving his muscles, he walked slowly from the easternmost to the westernmost side, looking at the tablets, Du Heng prayed in his heart: Ancestors, I am the descendant of your relatives, you must bless me not to marry Zhao Shinan.

After finishing his muscles and bones, Du Heng sat on the ground with his knees crossed and lowered his head. Hope is just hope, after the last struggle, the wedding date will be on the eighth day of the next month, there are only ten days left, what else can be.

It was past noon, and Du Heng's stomach was rumbling. This stinky second brother is really ruthless. Du Heng pinched his fingers angrily. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a woman wearing a pink and silver-trimmed short jacket and a lake crepe skirt of the same color, older than Du Heng, came in with a small basket.

"Sister-in-law, starvation. Du Heng pouted.

"Isn't this for you to eat? Pei Lan opened the food box, took out a mille-feuille golden cake and jade bean rolls, watched Du Heng eat anxiously, and handed over a bowl of red bean and japonica rice porridge: "Eat slowly." ”

After Du Heng finished eating and drinking, he looked at Pei Lan and smiled slightly: "I'm full." ”

Pei Lan has been married to the Du family for six years, and has watched Du Heng grow from a little girl to such a slender age now, and her love for her is no worse than that of her own sister. Regarding marrying Du Heng to Zhao Shinan, Pei Lan originally disagreed, but Du Zhong insisted, and Pei Lan had no way.

Pei Lan looked at Du Heng and sighed: "Heng'er, I wronged you this time." Our family, you also know, if it weren't for the Zhao family's silver, the creditor would be chasing after the door. ”

"I know. Facing his sister-in-law's low voice, Du Heng couldn't be as tough as he was in front of his second brother. When his sister-in-law married his second brother, Du Heng always felt that it was a big loss. When the second brother got married in seventeen or eighteen, he also wandered outside all day long, and married his sister-in-law and accumulated a lot of temperament, but his temper became bigger and bigger, and his sister-in-law suffered a lot of grievances. As for why the second brother married his sister-in-law, the Du family's reliance on Zuo Zhixiang is the sister-in-law's eldest brother. This is the marriage of a large family, marriage by marriage, mutual benefit by marriage.

"Sister-in-law, do you regret marrying your second brother?" Du Heng suddenly asked.

Pei Lan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No regrets." Although when I married him, I was worried. But after getting along for so many years, heart for heart, even stones can cover the heat, let alone people?"

Du Heng's heart skipped a beat, and she was very impressed by these four words. But how did she exchange with that Zhao Shinan, think about the famous romance in the city, she is one head and two big.

She looked up at Pei Lan pitifully, and tears were about to fall out: "But I really don't want to marry Zhao Shinan." Especially thinking of Zhao Lingquan, her heart was even more torn. When she was young and ignorant, she had a heart-rending pain for the first time.

Pei Lan sighed and held Du Heng's hand tightly, she also knew that Du Heng secretly went to find Zhao Lingquan, Zhao Lingquan was also famous because of the Zhao family, because after Lingquan's mother took him to remarry the Zhao family, he refused to change his surname to Zhao, let alone enter the genealogy of the Zhao family. That incident was in a uproar, Zhao Lingquan's stepfather was originally a side branch and had no status in the Zhao family, plus such a thing, Zhao Lingquan became the laughing stock of the Zhao family. Except for outsiders who hindered him from giving him some face from the Zhao family, people from the same clan never gave him a good face.

Pei Lan had seen Ling Quan. If you put aside the door, in terms of appearance and character, Ling Quan and Heng'er are indeed a good match. But with Ling Quan's identity, Du Zhong would never marry this only girl to such a person.

"Heng'er, accept your fate. Perrin sighed, "Maybe not as bad as you think." ”

Du Heng cried loudly. What can be done but accept fate. Although Du Heng is a girl with a new education, when she goes out of school, she still has to obey the orders of her parents who are married to her, her parents are not there, and her eldest brother is her father. It's not up to anyone.

Du Zhong was still not at ease with Du Heng, so he was released from the ancestral hall and locked into the boudoir in the backyard. In case one day he really can't stand it and runs away, how can he explain to the Zhao family, Zhao Shinan, Old Lady Zhao, which is the master who is easy to provoke. Now Heng'er's escape from marriage is fortunately blocked by him, otherwise the Zhao family will know about it, and I don't know how big the turmoil will be.

"What are you doing by locking up Heng'er?" Pei Lan was anxious, "She is the young lady of the Du family, not a kitten or a puppy." In case you hold back a good one, see what you do. ”

"You can rest assured. She won't hold back her troubles. Du Zhong knows Du Heng too well, she has been cheerful and lively since she was a child, and she can afford this toss.

Du Heng still had hope from the beginning, hoping that his brother would change his mind and that Ling Quan would come back, and as the days passed, the starlight of hope in his eyes dimmed little by little, until it was completely extinguished.

The eighth day of the first month was the day when Du Heng got married, and it was not until the evening of the seventh day of the first month that Du Zhong released Du Heng. Looking at her gradually thin body, a pair of water pupils looked bigger, but they were less angry than before.

Du Zhong was a little unbearable after all: "Heng'er, don't blame the second brother." But he couldn't say anything more.

Du Heng sighed softly, it is now useless to complain or blame.

Du Heng collected all his grievances, sat quietly in front of the mirror, let people fiddle, changed into a red wedding dress from the inside out, his long hair was curled into a bun, and the beads and jade were draped all over his head, and he tossed from early morning to morning, and finally finished equipping all the heavy wedding clothes. Cover with a red handkerchief. He waited for the bridegroom to marry.

Pei Lan has been staying by Du Heng's side, and she has long been wiping away her tears, Du Zhong can't see this scene, and goes out to see if the dowry is properly prepared.

Calculated good days, calculated good hours, the people of the Zhao family arrived on time. Du Heng's head was covered with a hijab, but he heard a whistle outside, and the people around him suddenly discussed: "The Zhao family is too powerful, where did you get the car." "Go check it out. ”

Du Heng had only heard of it, and occasionally he would see one in Yangzhou City, and it was the most powerful person in Yangzhou sitting in it. She didn't expect that she would have a car to pick her up when she got married. It's just that the Zhao family didn't have the courage to break the old rules after all, the car with red silk just drove a road in front of it, and the groom and bride were still traditional horseback riding and sedan chairs.

Du Heng was numbly helped into the sedan chair, and the drums outside rang out, and at that moment, tears finally flowed wantonly. All the unwillingness, all the reluctance, just do it in this life.

Behind the sedan chair, is Du Heng's mighty dowry team, as large as "thousands of beds", "ten thousand sedan chairs", "descendants of the bucket", as small as the dressing box, sewing box, daily small pieces, as well as countless gold, silver, beads and jade, the last is the two large boxes of drunken brocade that have been treasured for many years, two boxes of silk, and the two compartments are guarded.

The dowry tied with red silk is one by one, box by box, forming a vast team, which is not only Du Zhong's love for his sister, but also Du Heng's face in the Zhao family in the future, and the face of the Du family in Yangzhou City.

Ten miles of red makeup, spread all the way, that day the people of Yangzhou City around the dowry team, competing to watch, long knowledge, sighing, big people's handwriting, can only look at the eyes of the addiction, any one, is enough for ordinary people to eat for a year. But only Du Zhong knows that the Du family is now empty, except for the dowry prepared for Du Heng when his father was alive, the rest of the gold and silver, Mrs. Zhao will return to the Du family. Now the Du family can give Du Heng only an empty shelf.

Numbly completed the worship and marriage, Du Heng sat in the cave room by himself, the tears of sadness had dissipated, and only endless fear remained. She hadn't seen Zhao Shinan, but in her imagination, she must be a guy with squinted eyes and crooked mouth full of hideousness, so as to live up to the reputation of that swinger.

I don't know how long I waited, Du Heng leaned on the carved bed and almost took a nap, when suddenly the door slammed, and a smell of wine came to his nose. A figure blocked the light in front of Du Heng. Without any signs or words, Du Heng only felt that his eyes lit up, and the hijab was picked up by Zhao Shinan so casually.

Du Heng looked up at Zhao Shinan, his heart thumped, it was different from what she imagined, it was too different, with slender eyebrows and eyes, deep eyes, thin lips like hooks and slight hooks, as if affectionate and arrogant looking at her. Compared to Zhao Lingquan, he looked strong but alienated. Thinking of Ling Quan, Du Heng's heart ached a little and lowered his head.

Zhao Shinan looked at the puppet-like woman in front of him, this is the young lady of the Du family? The mother also said that her appearance was outstanding, this look, she was dressed in a red and heavy wedding dress, her body was as thin as a piece of paper, and her small face was even more slapped by the clothes. The face is covered with white greasy grease powder, and it looks scary under the candlelight. Only those eyes look more agile, at least it means that it is a living thing.

This is sixteen years old? Looking like thirteen or fourteen, Zhao Shinan feels really tasteless, this kind of so-called Miss Everybody is placed in the town house at home. If you want to talk about interest, there is really no point. Especially this little slap girl, there is a little guilt for her.

Zhao Shinan waved his hand, and the girls and old mothers around him all withdrew from the door. He unbuttoned his upper clothes and said lightly: "Sleep." ”

Du Heng was so frightened that he jumped up from the bed all of a sudden, retreated to the edge of the bed, and looked straight at Zhao Shinan and said, "You sleep first, I'm not sleepy." ”

Zhao Shinan was a little displeased, and he had to teach this little girl how to become a wife for the first time? He tried his best to be patient and gentle, and stretched out his hand: "Come." ”

In his imagination, Du Heng should shyly put his hand on his hand, and then he would be like before, turning this girl into his woman and it would be over.

Du Heng took two steps back, the pile of pearls and jades on her head swayed, she helped her hard, turned to look at Zhao Shinan, and said in a firm tone: "I'm not sleepy." Before getting married, someone had already taught her about men and women, but looking at the strange and tall Zhao Shinan in front of her, she still couldn't convince herself. Zhao Shinan looked at her panicked and looked a little ridiculous, the guests were tired enough to entertain at night, and his drinking brain was confused, he didn't have the heart to play cat and mouse with this little girl anymore, turned around and lay down on the carved bed and fell asleep.

It's finally safe. Du Heng patted his chest, took off all the guys on his head, took off the heavy wedding dress outside, wiped the fat powder on his face with a handkerchief, wore a light short jacket and long skirt inside, and leaned on the dresser and fell asleep.

The next day, the red candle burned out, and Zhao Shinan got up and saw the scene, which was the little girl, sleeping soundly next to the dresser.