Bride in the midnight

Author: Yi Qiuyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: 11 At this point, it was already midnight. The moon hanging high in the sky seemed to smile yet not smile, suddenly becoming eerie. The mountain wind brushing past carried a hint of the supernatural, giving one a chilling and desolate feeling. Under the guidance of the matchmaker, the wedding procession continued deeper into the village. However, the deeper they went, the more frightened the people felt. The musicians had already stopped playing, and the procession followed the matchmaker cautiously, walking nervously into the village. From the various signs in this village, it was clearly a place abandoned for many years.
"Grandma, you... you don’t happen to be taking the wrong way, do you?" The situation felt increasingly strange as they went deeper. Yang Jiuning quickly reined in his horse and asked the matchmaker, a bit nervous.
"Haha, no, no, it’s this village. It’s just that there are fewer people here now, making it look a bit desolate. If you go a little further, you’ll reach the bride’s house." The matchmaker stopped walking, turned around, and said cheerfully to the group. The mottled moonlight scattered across her pale, waxy face, giving it an eerie look.
After listening to the matchmaker, Yang Jiuning hesitated for a moment before continuing deeper into the village. Finally, a faint light appeared ahead.
"The house with the light ahead is the bride’s house," the matchmaker said happily as she walked.
Finally, they arrived. The group couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The musicians resumed playing, and festive music filled the midnight. The "crackle-pop" of firecrackers echoed across the midnight sky, breaking the silence of the desolate village.
The wedding procession arrived at Song Shishi’s house. Their home was a traditional rural courtyard, but it looked very old. The room was brightly lit by candles, as there seemed to be no electricity. Upon asking the matchmaker, they learned that this was the local custom: on the night of a bride’s wedding, candles were lit instead of turning on the lights.
What was strange was that while Song Shishi’s house was lit, all the other houses in the village were pitch black, creating a gloomy atmosphere. Logically, if there were people in those houses, they should have woken up to see the commotion. However, the wedding procession had arrived a while ago, the musicians had been playing festive music continuously, and the loud "crackle-pop" of firecrackers had been echoing, yet no one had come out to watch, not even a child. This indicated that there were no people in the neighboring houses.
Could it be that only the Song family lived in this village? Though they didn’t ask aloud, the thought lingered in everyone’s minds, including Yang Jiuning himself. They couldn’t imagine that the bride’s hometown would be in such a remote, desolate mountain village.
What they couldn’t fathom even more was that such a remote, desolate mountain village could produce a woman of such extraordinary beauty—it was truly a miracle.
According to custom, the groom could not enter the bride’s house and had to wait outside the courtyard gate for her to come out. After giving Yang Jiuning a few instructions, the matchmaker entered the house.
A short while later, the time was exactly one o’clock in the morning. The bride, Song Shishi, dressed in a red wedding dress and covered with a red veil, was slowly escorted by the wedding attendants.