Chapter 31: New Home
The house had changed a lot from when it was just purchased.
From far away, one is able to see the black roof tiles, white walls, natural bricks, and red columns. The colors were fresh, clear, and clean.
The door facing the road from Fan Hua Town had a hanging red lantern on each side.
The house was enclosed by a neatly arranged man-tall phoebe fence.
Entering the courtyard, other than the cherry tree on the right surrounded by a short retaining wall made of broken pieces of bricks, there was also a wooden bench facing the sun that could seat two people. On the other side, along the phoebe fence, is a two meter wide, five meter long flower bed with many uncommon flowers of various species. The rest of the open space was paved with bricks. It was clean and without a speck of dust.
Two flights of black brick stairs were added one meter away from the main house door.
The three rooms were arranged for distinct uses.
The middle was the main room. Near the entrance, a large east-facing kang (heated floor) can be seen built on the west wall. It was big enough to fit four people. On top of the kang was a wide table with several drawers. On that table was a large white ceramic plate that was filled with peanuts, melon seeds, and dried fruits. Four crimson red pillows with golden embroidery at the ends leaned on the sides of the table.
South of the large kang was a display case with about ten slots of various sizes. Each slot contained many decorations rarely seen in a farmer's house, such as wood carvings, root carvings, and porcelain. Although they are nice to look at, they were of no use to the farmers. Su Shuilian had searched a whole day in the plaza to find these treasures and spent two silver taels on them.
Next to the display case was a lounge chair resting on the wall. The chair also had a gold-thread embroidered pillow made of red fabric. The pillows matched really well with the blood beech wood of the furniture.
There were on the east wall of the room. Between the chairs was a table holding
With the double doors opened on the south side of the house, the warm bright rays reflected on the sparkling clean display case, forming a dazzling five-color halo.
On the east side was the bedroom with all of the furniture made of Jichi wood.
There was a two meter long that faced north. The bed was already covered with a thin, white-flowered sheet. The bed curtains were loosely held open by two wooden hooks. On both sides of the bed entrance were short cabinets that contained their socks and clothing. Between the two cabinets and right before the bed laid a palm-tall .
By the window behind the bed was a clothing rack with two levels, a stool, and a matching purple lace cotton curtain that discreetly divided the room. This effectively created a simple dressing room.
South of the large bed, on the east wall, was a five drawer cabinet one and a half meter tall and a three drawer shoe cabinet.
Right by the bed were three clothing trunks stacked on top of one another. Beside that was a man-tall top-lidded cupboard for storing blankets. Further down was the entrance leading to the main room. The entrance was covered by the same purple fabric used as the bed curtain.
Under the south window of the bedroom was a wide dressing/vanity table. Jewelry and gauze filled compartments of various sizes. On the table was a large oval mirror big enough to reflect the upper torso.
On the right side of the dressing table, not too far from the door leading to the main room, was a two tier tall flower stand at the corner of the room. On the bottom was a pot containing five golden chrysanthemums, while on top were narcissuses with thick green stems in the water.
In the middle of the open space of the bedroom was a round table covered with a floral cloth. It had a single leg and was surrounded by four stools. On the table were pastries and snacks in a rattan woven plate.
The west room was currently an embroidering room.
Resting on the north windowsill was an extra large, multi-functional embroidery plane; this is what Su Shuilian had requested the carpenter to make by drawing it. It was her future embroidery tool. By the two sides of the half-man tall embroidery frame was a pair of two meter tall cabinets. They were made to have several lattices which could be filled with different sewing/embroidery needles, string, and fabric scraps. And on the top of the cabinet one could place fabric.
By the south window, was a wide desk with drawers. Facing the table was an armchair with a cushion covered with red fabric with golden embroidery. Of course, Su Shuilian had a thicker one of the same style in a cabinet, to be used during the colder seasons.
On the table was a calligraphy brush holder. There was an inkstone on the side and a few sweet-smelling osmanthus in a vase with a thin neck. The subtle scent filled the whole room.
In the corner, on the left side of the table stood a large painted porcelain cylinder. On the surface were two almost completed ink paintings. These images were prepared by Su Shuilian to be sewn onto the winter clothes.
On the right side of the table a bookshelf rested on the wall. Currently, on the top shelf, farming and cooking related books were neatly placed. The bottom shelf had several books of the geography of the large Hui Country and other odd, miscellaneous books.
Well, at first Su Shuilian had only wanted to look for books about farming, but she soon discovered some books on the geography of this region and other interesting commodities. She could not resist buying them. It wasn't her fault that she enjoyed reading these exotic, out of the ordinary, unique scripts. And with that, three silver taels were quickly used up. Fortunately Lin Si Yao did not say anything, as if she hadn't spent any money. But in the end, it was her who had wasted the money, lamenting about it.
There were curtains on the embroidery room's windows, as well as on the doorway leading to the main room. Instead of the floral purple curtain used in the bedroom, these curtains were made by Su Shuilian from rattan. The rolling curtain had a thicker texture than the cloth curtains, but because rattan was rougher than cotton, it was not suitable to be used in the bedroom.
Outside of the main house, next to the west fence, was a detached room. Currently, it was their kitchen and dining room. Though it was a penthouse, it was quite spacious.
By the north window was a heavy stove, new, white, and pleasing to the eyes. Next to the stove was a two-shelf cupboard. The lower shelf held jars, pots, and buckets for washing and picking/selecting vegetables. The top shelf was placed with bowls, plates, and utensils.
Su Shuilian selected a 48-piece imitation porcelain set for six people, as well as various blue and white dishes. The wooden chopsticks and spoons were carved by her from the Phoebe wood. At first she only made two sets, but thinking about possible visitors, she made an additional four sets. Orchids were carved onto the chopsticks and all of them had a cute mushroom head. The heads of the wooden spoons had carvings of an oriole bird perched on a branch. The handle of the spoon was thin on the ends and thicker in the middle; shaped as a flat leaf.
The two sets of chopsticks and spoons brought back from the mountains were now exclusively used for the wolves. As for their future eating bowls, Su Shuilian had Feng Laoliu help make two Phoebe wooden soup bowls.
The dining table was right under the south window. Next to the table were two chairs without armrests facing each other with the seat under the table.The chairs also had cushions of the same design as the chairs in the embroidery room. Of course, there were six chairs of the same design made in total. In case of visitors, the other four chairs were stored at the corner of the dressing room in the bedroom.
On the table was a mini bottle with a single light yellow Chinese rose.
By the dining table and stove, against the wall there stood a short cabinet filled with all kinds of spices, flour, eggs, and other ingredients. Above the cabinet stood a couple of rattan woven fruit baskets of different sizes.
By the edge of the cabinet, there hung five to six basins along with 4 towels on a rack. There was also a large tub at the corner. It was probably used for bathing.
From the kitchen's southern door, there was a winding brick path joining the main trail to combine into a meter wide path, leading all the way down to the river bank.
The front yard was four main rooms wide and two main rooms long. It was separated into four functions by Lin Si Yao.
Walking four to five meters away from the kitchen, a west pavilion was constructed near the west room of the main building. Green, tall bamboo poles surrounded it at every side. For the people unaware, they would have thought it was a resting area, but it was actually a restroom. It didn't have any windows since they didn't want any rainwater to fall in. Instead, there was a single, small window on the door of this pavilion which could be closed when in use. Usually the window is left open to allow air circulation. And the fine workmanship on the surface of the comfortably height toilet, was connected to a sewage-like system that leads all of a waste to a reservoir. This was what Su Shuilian had proposed when she thought back to her previous Su House. The masons agreed, saying it was a good idea. The reservoir was covered with two heavy slates. It could be opened and the waste can be used as fertilizer.
The West pavilion of the main building was not large. Apart from the restroom in the back, there was also a small cupboard used to store toilet paper. Nestled in the other corner of the room was a clothing rack made of bamboo.
Originally, according to Su Shuilian's intentions, she had wanted to put the bathtub here and turn this to a complete bathroom. But thinking about how tiring and troublesome it would be to carry the hot water here, she gave up on that idea. The kitchen was not small; there was still a large space even with the bathtub there.
South of the west pavilion was a small fenced-in space. This place, where the peppers were planted, was right beside a large jujube tree which was also circled in with brick pieces. The back side of the Jujube tree faced the sun. From there the path continued to the back yard's cherry tree with its one of a kind long wooden bench. In front of the bench was an empty space paved with bricks. It was wide enough to fit a large couch. This was what Lin Si Yao had planned; to allow Su Shulian to lie in the sun during the winter.
By the Southwest wall were a pair of duck and chicken coops. The surrounding was fenced in by a half-man tall wall. After spring, they will buy some chicken and ducks, so in the future they will have their own eggs for cooking.
The rest of the open space was left for a vegetable garden with five parts separated by bricks.
Within the three vegetable plots closest to the central room and kitchen, there were, in succession, potatoes, carrots, and other similar produce that could be eaten in winter. There were also chinese cabbage, bok choy, cabbage, and other leafy vegetables, as well as shallots, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings.
The two larger vegetable plots to the south were still empty. In the future, something more suitable might be planted within. The things that were planted right now were food that could be eaten by winter.
The end of the brick trail was that spacious and clear river bank.
Next to the isolated house Su Shuilian purchased, there were only empty fields or wide meadows at the southwestern side of the village. Because of this, Lin Si Yao placed some small traps outside the fence. Next to the fence, he planted some of the supposedly bug-repellent plants that he brought from Xiufeng.
Beyond the fenced courtyard, there was a pier with five or six smooth platforms constructed from stone slabs over the river. At the shore on the pier, there was also a large stone slab. Below the slab was a wooden club, brush, and Acacia used for washing clothes.
The space along the riverbank was also not small. A small portion of the area had been used for Lin Si Yao's design of quincuncial piles, another part had bamboo poles that could be used to dry clothes, and there was enough room to spare.
Between the kitchen and the western fence, there was another narrow space. Lin Si Yao decided to use it for a vineyard. He had planted two large black-seeded grape vines he obtained from Dashi Mountain. With luck, there will be grapes to eat by next summer.
A large water tank was placed on the north side of the vineyard. It is usually filled with the water from the river. It was a convenient place for washing rice and vegetables. The tiles were structured to let the water flow into the water tank during rain. This way, it was a way to maintain the water supply, but also can decrease the pressure on the tiles and the windows of the house.
Beside the large water tank was a wide stone board, making picking and cleaning vegetables easy.
With the three meters of space between the east fence and the bedroom, Lin Si Yao planned to place a house for the wolves. Unfortunately, the house that they had Feng Laoliu build was not ready yet; they may only receive it during the day they move.
Just like that, purchasing the property, renovating the house, furniture building, and even decorating... With all of this, under Su Shuilian's calculation, it had taken thirty-one silver taels. This did not even include the lodging fee. In two days, they will have to clear their one month stay fee, with this, there were at most fifteen silver taels left at hand. So to say, money should only be used frugally.
Chapter 32: Preparation for the Bride
Two days have passed since Su Shuilian and Lin Si Yao came through with their previously unclear intention. Everything was planned for the marriage and their move for the two days that followed.
Fortunately she had completed their wedding clothes, otherwise it would not have been done in time. What Su Shuilian didn't know was that Lin Si Yao already knew about it since the day she had bought the fabric. It was just that he didn't mention it. He was afraid she was too shy to talk about it.
These two days, Su Shuilian hovered around the fabric store and picked out several pieces of satin and silk brocade in festive colors. She used the remaining bit of time to quickly embroider a pair of mandarin ducks in the water and two intertwined peonies on the and small flowers on a pair of long pillow covers with matching . She then made a pair of bright purple brocade outfits to wear after the wedding.
She then also went to the cotton store and completed two sets of blankets and bed pads, one thick and one thin. As for the cotton winter clothes, Su Shuilian ordered for a pair of inner and outer clothes to be made, but she had personally drawn out the design and embroidered the outer robes.
These few days, although the house was already completed, the two still went back to the inn to rest and would come back the next morning to clean. They had wanted to move on the wedding day and they had to respectfully wait till that auspicious day.
Therefore, the two wolves did not follow them here. Because the house that Lin Si Yao requested Feng Laoliu to make was just completed day before, it was placed in the backyard, south of the cherry tree.
When the innkeeper's wife found out about their marriage and them moving to a new house, she had deliberately asked if she and her two sons could come and drink some wine during the wedding feast.
With this, Su Shuilian realised that they had to also prepare a wedding banquet.
Originally, she had thought because they were both alone (without family), it would not matter if there was or was not a wedding banquet. Just two hot dishes and warmed wine from the kitchen would be it. But now, Aunt Lao and the innkeeper's wife had already asked to drink festive wine. Does that mean they have to separately arrange for it?
And so, Lin Si Yao went to find Feng Laoliu for help. Since Feng Laoliu had already completed two requests from the couple, he had received a lot of good wood and was very grateful to Lin Si Yao. When he found out this was a request for their celebratory wedding, he immediately started without a word.
---
It was a sunny seventh day of the eighth lunar month.
Su Shuilian made pieces of thick thread of equal length by weaving together pieces of thin red thread, and then she wove them together to make red tassels. She tied them one by one onto the furniture. She didn't even spare the foot stools. And pasted the (happiness) character that she had recently learn from Aunt Lao onto the windows of the house.
As for Lin Si Yao, he went around the house once again, checking if everything was finished. Just when he returned to the cherry tree, he saw Aunt Lao with about five or six other poniang laughing as they walked down the village road. Not too long after, he heard them knock on their courtyard's doors.
"Lin gongzi ah, is Su girl not here?"
When Aunt Lao saw it was Lin Si Yao who had opened the door, she glanced in and looked around before nervously asking.
Lin Si Yao nodded his head and moved out of the way to let them in, "inside."
After Aunt Lao made a sound in response, she entered in with the several other poniang. With one glance at the cold faced Lin Si Yao, they could not help but become a bit nervous. With a 'you push, I shove,' they all entered into the courtyard.
Seeing the originality of the courtyard, completely different from their own, the poniang could not help but praise the design. They even had forgotten about Lin Si Yao, who was following behind.
As the group walked into the house loudly chirping, they met up with Su Shuilian who had walked out of the bedroom as she had heard the noise. They then all started to throw praises at her.
"Girl, ah, your house is really well designed!"
"Yeah! Look how realistic these mandarin ducks are, Su girl, your hands are really crafty ah!"
"You don't say, just look at their curtains. Even though we use the same curtain fabric, but it becomes completely different once it's gone through the girl's hands."
"I see that roll-up curtain is not bad either, girl, you gotta teach me how to make it so we can go home and show off to our husbands."
"Tsktsk, did ya'll notice, right after entering this courtyard, it no longer feels like we are in Fan Hau Town, but in a big family's house in the city."
---
Su Shuilian's ears turned red at their endless compliments. As she welcomed them into the house to sit, she was thinking about going to the kitchen to boil them a hot pot of tea. Just as she was thinking about exiting the bedroom, Su Shuilian saw Lin Si Yao come in with their blue and white pseudo-porcelain teapot. On the other hand, he was carrying a stack of single handle teacups.
"Gongzi is so considerate, afraid that the girl will be tired, hehe...." One of the poniang saw this and started to tease.
"Of course! This Lin gongzi is really hardworking! Su girl is really lucky to have him!" When Aunt Lao heard Zhou poniang say this to Su Shuilian, she also added another praise.
Su Shuilian could not help but look toward Lin Si Yao, who had just walked out of the bedroom. She met gazes with him, who had just turned back his head. As their eyes locked, the tenderness was obvious.
Zhou poniang secretly laughed and pushed at Aunt Lao. The rest of the women were also laughing. This made Su Shuilian blush red from her ears to her neck.
When he saw this, the corners of Lin Si Yao's mouth lifted as he left the room to continue his inspection.
"Ok, enough of the jokes, our faces have thick skin, don't you see how embarrassed the girl is." Seeing that Lin Si Yao had left, Aunt Lao remembered the reason for coming here as she waved her hand to gesture to the other poniang to stop with their frolic.
"It's this, girl. We came here today because, since you are going to wed, it is only auspicious for others to help you dress up. But since you both are without a family, I was thinking these few days, how about us helping with that?" Aunt Lao smiled as she gently patted the back of Su Shuilian's hands as she suggested.
Indeed, even when the girl comes from a small farm and has a modest dowry, her wedding adornment should always be elaborate. It may be expensive, but it wins with the praise: The more attached, the more future fortune amassed.
Su Shuilian nodded her head, unaware of this custom, "Aunt Lao is really thoughtful, this job, I will trouble you aunties then."
"Of course not! We all have daughters at home. Once they have their wedding ceremony, we will be inviting you to put something on them too. Haha..." The straightforward Tian House's poniang said in frank explanation.
They had already counted on it before they heard Aunt Lao's request; Su Shuilian was better off than their own households, not to mention what she will receive will definitely be reciprocated, maybe she can also think of new ideas for them. And so, when Aunt Lao asked five poniang to come, none of them rejected her offer.
"But of course." Su Shuilian nodded. She did not say anything else, from their enthusiasm, she'll be sure to generously help their daughters in the future.
"Ok then, how 'bout this, we'll first go back and prepare a bit. Around Wu time (11am-1pm) we'll come back and help you put on makeup and accessories!"
"Aiya, what's with the rush, Ol'Lao! Let's first go around the girl's house, since we're out, better take this time to anger that Hua House's poniang." Tian House's poniang called to Aunt Lao before turning back and smiling at Su Shuilian, "You don't know this, but when Liu-shi found out that you had bought village elder's old house, she actually said: Why buy such a run down house, it would be better to have just rented a part of our house. Wasted fifteen taels, tsktsk, they really don't know how to live." Tian House's poniang dutifully repeated the worlds of Hua House's poniang that had spread throughout town.
When Su Shuilian heard this, she shook her head. It seems that during house buying, she and Liu-shi have forged a certain distance between them. But the problem was that the contract was obviously not breached by them, but from her words, people unaware of the situation will think otherwise and that it was them that had provoked Hua House.
But of course there was no pain. They weren't able to fish out their forty silver taels and all of their face was clearly lost. The Madam and first wife of Hua House must feel a large pimple has grown on their hearts (hold a grudge). Now that they had transformed this old crumbling house into a new and refreshing look. With not just the change in appearance but also in atmosphere, they naturally will no longer be able to lift their head to talk once they find out.
---
At Wu time, Aunt Lao and her five friends returned to Su Shuilian's house.
Oh, almost forgot to mention, Lin Si Yao had requested Feng Laoliu to make a horizontal inscribed board, on it was '蘇宅' (Su House) to be hanged in front of the courtyard, but it was taken down by Su Shuilian who said if they were going to hang something like this, it should be '林宅' (Lin House). In the end, they did not hang anything.
The six people deliberately changed into new clothes. Every one of them had something under their arms, a big or small bag.
Aunt Lao had Lin Si Yao place a new wash basin on the round table of the bedroom.
As the six continued to say auspicious words, they carefully took out the things in the bags.
"Girl, don't you laugh, Aunt Lao, I apply a slightly coarse/vulgar/secular style. But it will definitely be used in the future." As she said this, Aunt Lao took out a , presumably, it was made by her eldest, blacksmithing son.
"Yes ah, we are all adding to your luck." The next one to add was Aunt Tian. She had placed Incense wood combs made by her husband, Tian Dafu. There were six in total, each with a different size, it was placed in a box made of the same incense wood. It was elegant, Su Shuilian happily thanked her and received it.
"I see now, this Su girl likes these small exquisite little things and highly prefers them over our usual practical things." When Aunt Lao saw this, she could not help but laugh jokingly, causing Su Shuilian to blush in embarrassment.
When Lin Si Yao heard this, laughter flashed through his eyes. But of course, thinking back, even during their stay at the forest, she was able to carve almost art-like wooden chopsticks and spoons.
"I ah, was able to add a purse I embroidered. But looking at your skill, I don't have the confidence to take it out." He House's poniang was supposedly the best at embroidery in Fan Hua Town. But when she saw Su Shuilian's pillow towel this morning, she knew there was a large gap in skills. When she went back home, she was hesitant whether or not to give her the purse, but she had nothing else.
Because Aunt Lao had introduced them earlier, she had already known that she was the best embroiderer of Fan Hua Town.
"Aunt He, don't say that, I really like this purse. Mine is already really old, and I can use it starting tomorrow." Su Shuilian shyly accepted the purse embroidered with green branches, as she wholeheartedly thanked Aunt He's gift.
"Miss, none of us in our family had any hands-on skills, so this is what I can give you and hope you don't laugh at sight." The one who spoke was Fang House's poniang, who lived not that far from their house. Her house was full of farmers, so she had been given a big package of seeds. There were various seeds, from different kinds of beans, melons, fruits, wheat, and other vegetable seeds. Seeing this, Su Shuilian endlessly thanked her. This was something they had not prepared. After the harvest in fall, those two acres of fertile land will be theirs to cultivate.
The last two, Wang poniang and Shui poniang, gave ornaments; one gave a finely carved sandalwood hairpin, the other gave a pair of delicate pearl earrings.
Su Shuilian could not thank them enough. She had always liked ornaments with a simple style. The gaudy pieces she initially had found in her bag were already pushed to the bottom of a box. The ones that she had been wearing these days were the jade jewelry that Lin Si Yao had given her on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.
"Just look at this girl, anything is good in her eyes." Aunt Lao could not help but make fun of her again, causing the people all around to laugh.
Chapter 33: Happiness Fills the House (1)
The eighth day of the eighth lunar month: A highly auspicious date. Where all endeavors are accomplishable, blessed with good fortune, and smooth sailing.
"A Yao, I heard from Uncle Lao, at wu-si(11am-1pm) we toast the new house, at you-si(5pm-7pm) we drink the wedding toasts." Aunt Lao rushed to Su Shuilian's house early in the morning. When she saw Lin Si Yao rectifying the newly made dog house, she grabbed him and asked.
Since that day that they had helped Su Shuilian with the adornment ceremony, she had been requested to stop calling them miss and gongzi, simply using their names would be better.
"Mn." Lin Si Yao nodded, seeing Aunt Lao panting, he could not help but ask, "Is there a problem?"
"No..." Aunt Lao took a bit to catch her breath. Waving her hands, she asked the question that had bothered her, "Wouldn't it be better to have both ceremonies at the same time, that way you can save some taels."
"This was Su Shuilian's wish." Lin Si Yao said, interrupting her prattle with a single phrase.
Su Shuilian wanted to use this opportunity to thank everyone. She was grateful to the village elder and his family, Tian House, He House, Fang House, Shui House, Wang House, Feng Laoli and his family, and the innkeeper's wife and her family. Four banquet tables were just placed in the Ancestral Hall of Fan Hua Town. As for the food, the chef was invited from the innkeeper's kitchen. They had also brought over the dishes and chopsticks sets needed for the four tables. Of course, they will give him a generous celebratory tip.
"Then.....in terms of silver taels, how much did you have to spend...." Aunt Lao whispered. Seeing that Lin Si Yao had squatted down to lay on a newly made straw mat, no longer paying her any mind, she could only bitterly turn back and go home.
"Was Aunt Lao here just now?" Su Shuilian came out of the kitchen after organizing the oil, rice, and noodles that Lin Si Yao had gotten from the market earlier in the morning. Just as she was about to go to the main room to prepare the items for the housewarming ceremony, she saw Aunt Lao in the distance on the town's dirt road, making her way back.
"She was here asking why we are having two ceremonies." Lin Si Yao laid out the straw mat and was thinking about training the wolves starting tomorrow. When he heard Su Shuilian mention Aunt Lao, he smiled and said, "Aunt Lao.... really cares for your silver taels."
When Su Shuilian saw his eyes full of laughter, she knew that he was joking with her.
"All of my money, is your money too..." Su Shuilian softly grumbled. No longer paying him any mind as she headed into the main room to prepare the items.
How could Lin Si Yao not hear her whispering? He smiled and went to wash his hands before following her into the main room. He carried the fresh pastries, fruits and foods that he had bought in the morning and placed them onto six plates
He neatly placed them on the table on the big kang. Before the food offering was a pair of candles and a small incense burner. He then took the two candles and an incense stick and placed them on the candle holders and incense pot respectively. And right before the table, he placed down a newly woven hemp pad.
Everything was all set, now to await the event.
"It's done, go change clothes now." Realizing that they were still in their usual attire, Su Shuilian pulled Lin Si Yao into the bedroom.
She picked out a dark reddish purple robe for him; on it were silver embroidered bamboo. The tie was also the same color. The wide belt had spiral decorative designs on it. It was coupled with a pair of new white socks and new black cloth boots. She then pulled him to the dresser table and motioned him to sit down.
Lin Si Yao looked at her questioningly. Seeing her persistent eyes, he could only obediently, yet awkwardly, sit down in front of the vanity table.
From the drawers, Su Shuilian took out the incense wood comb set given to her by Aunt Tian. She picked out a suitable sized comb and was intending to comb his hair for him.
"Shuilian..." When Lin Si Yao understood her intention, he turned around and pulled her closer, "You don't have to do this."
"I want to help you comb." Su Shuilian smiled at him before making him sit in front of the bronze mirror. She untied his hair tie and started to comb his straight, black hair.
Only after combing it exactly 99 times* did Su Shuilian start to tie his long hair up. From the jewelry box, she took out a jasper fastener that she had just bought from the market and gently secured it on his hair bundle.
*(The number 9 sounds just like "longevity" in chinese.)
From the beginning to the end, Lin Si Yao had watched her gently do his hair, only after she had tied and secured his hair did he turn around and pull her to his chest.
"A Yao..." Su Shulian pushed at his tight embrace. "It's my turn to change, it's almost time."
After listening to her reasoning, Lin Si Yao reluctantly let her go. Imitating her previous actions, Lin Si Yao picked out a set of clothing that matched his, a red-purple dress with a semi-transparent lavender muslin outer robe. And from the bedside cabinet, he picked out a pair of long white socks. When he turned around, he saw Su Shuilian's cheeks flush red right before she pushed him out saying, "I... I can do it myself..."
Lin Si Yao faintly smiled at her. When he saw her look down, he asked, "But before, I didn't kick you out?"
When she heard this, Su Shuilian looked up. How is this the same?
Meeting her gaze, Lin Si Yao raised a brow, as if almost saying: How is it any different?
His movements did not stop either, he helped her to a round stool. He got down and helped her remove her exquisite embroidered flower shoes, then he helped take off her thin socks. He gently stroked her small, white feet, causing Su Shuilian to want to retract her feet in embarrassment, but he firmly held her feet in his hands. Only after feeling/rubbing her feet for a while did Lin Si Yao help put on her set of new socks and embroidered shoes.
Then he got up and took her in front of the vanity table; it was his turn to comb her hair.
"A Yao, I can do this myself." Su Shuilian had wanted to take the comb from him, but she could not overcome his strength.
"You don't believe I can comb hair?" Lin Si Yao stood behind her, smiling, he said quietly above her head.
Su Shuilian blinked a few times. The Feixian hairdo is hard to make, she had only managed to somewhat learn it after several days of teaching from a skilled maidservant at the inn. However, she looked at Lin Si Yao's vague reflection in the mirror, pouting, and she couldn't help but think: It seemed that he already had a beloved woman.
Lin Si Yao concentrated on his left hand as he carefully combed her soft, black, silky hair. He put down the comb after 99 brushes. He then took two sections of her hair and separately twisted them, fixing them in place. He then inserted her favorite jade hairpin. As for the untied hair, he split them into two and placed them in front of her shoulders, allowing them to freely stay there.
"Done." Lin Si Yao proudly looked at his own masterpiece before looking at Su Shuilain's face in the mirror, asking, "are you pleased?"
Su Shuilian looked at the mirror in a daze, and didn't let out a sound.
"What is it? Not good? Then... I'll let it down.. you can do it yourself..."
"No." Su Shuilian grasped onto his hands that were about to pull out the pin, and said in a hurry, "Not that it's bad, it's really good."
When he heard this, Lin Si Yao let out a rare smile and laughed.
"A Yao, you...you previously had... previously had a beloved woman?" Su Shuilian could no longer keep in her doubt, if not, then she could not keep her peace of mind. But right after asking, she realized: to have picked her wedding date to ask such a suffocating question wasn't very appropriate. She apologetically looked down.
Lin Si Yao held back his smile and was silently dazed. When he finally realized her meaning, he saw her look down. He found it both aggravating and comical as he squatted down and tilted her chin at him as he said word for word, "Su Shuilian, you are my first, and you will remain my one and only. Do you understand if I say it like this?"
Su Shuilian was hesitant to believe him, as she pointed at her hair and said, "But..."
"I learned by watching when the maidservant was teaching you." Lin Si Yao's eyes flashed with a bit of embarrassment. It could be considered as peeking right? When he brought up breakfast for her, he saw that she was learning how to do her hair from a maidservant, so he watched as he silently stood outside her room. After three days of watching, he naturally learned.
"Really?" Su Shuilian tilted her head and asked. She started to blame herself: when did she become like a jealous wife?
Lin Si Yao did not directly reply, but pulled her up and stole a kiss before he nodded smilingly. He then spontaneously tidied her muslin dress before walking out with her to prepare for the incoming house ceremony.
---
Wu time, Su Shuilian and Lin Si Yao timely made it to the ancestral hall in Fan Hua Town.
The four tables at the hall were already filled and the nine families that they had invited had all arrived.
When they saw the guest of honor promptly arrive on time, they all started to applaud.
The village elder, Wang Gengfa was pushed out by the other families who wanted him to say a few words as a congratulatory speech.
"Cough.... Then uh... I'll just say a few lines. First of all, we welcome you to our Fan Hua Town, from now on we are one big family. (warm applause) Secondly, thank you for buying our old house for fifteen silver taels. Hehe, this is particularly important, because my son's marriage has been set! (Roar of Applause) Finally, we congratulate you for moving to a new house. That uh, since our family has yet to give you something, this in-new-housewarming party can not be unattended, so when we get to the marriage ceremony, I'll get my son to go home and bring you a female goat, this is regarded as our family's gift to you. (Thundering Applause)"
Everyone had fallen down laughing at Wang Gengfa's speech. Su Shuilian was smiling while holding back her laughter to the point that her cheeks were blushing. Lin Si Yao patted her stiffened cheeks, finding it funny, as he said, "Laugh if you find it funny, why hold it in?"
"Puchi," Su Shuilian obediently started to laugh out loud. She then looked into Lin Si Yao's smiling eyes and asked, "Moving into Fan Hua Town was the right choice, right?"
Lin Si Yao nodded, his eyes obviously softened.
"Ok, everyone sit down, the banquet will soon begin." Aunt Lao came out of the kitchen tent and invited everyone to sit.
Immediately, the daughters of the families all came out to place the dishes on the tables.
"How can this do? Let me go help." When Su Shuilian saw this, she had wanted to quickly get up, but she was held back by Lin Si Yao. "Don't stress yourself. Previously, Feng Laoliu and I had already discussed about it that these girls will do it, each of them will earn a few coppers in return."
When Su Shuilian heard that it was like this, she finally sat back down. If it was Feng Laoliu's suggestion, then it was ok. Spending a few coins was fine, otherwise, the villagers would think they were acting pretentiously, to have just moved in and already ordering the village's daughters around.
Chapter 34: Happiness Fills the House (2)
Since she and Lin Si Yao had decided to have a banquet, they had purposely taken out three silver taels to thank the families that had helped them and invited them all to a Housewarming Banquet and a Wedding Banquet.
So when the feast began, all kinds of hot and cold dishes* were presented. This caused Su Shuilian, who was familiar with many dishes, to be surprised.
*(Pertaining to yin [cold] and yang [hot])
She and Lin Si Yao had only ordered 18 dishes. Nine hot and nine cold dishes. Out of the 18 hot and cold dishes, half were either meat dishes or plain vegetables.
Including what was on the table, the veggie dishes, and the six meat plates, were all very extravagant: Braised pork shoulders, roasted duck with scallion, steamed fish, house special sauteed pork, fried bean curd skin, and invigorating silkie chicken soup.
With just three silver taels, every table had two entrees, but were the entrees always this extravagant? Su Shuilian turned to Lin Si Yao in bewilderment.
"The innkeeper's wife said that this is her gift to us." Lin Si Yao obviously saw through her gaze and replied while adding more sides to her bowl.
Su Shuilian looked over at the innkeeper's wife feeding her two sons at the other table. She had coincidentally looked up as well, so she expressed 'thanks' though a smile.
"No need to be courteous! This is only a given. All we did was just add a couple of dishes." The innkeeper's wife waved her hands as she smiled back, assuring Su Shuilian not to worry.
Seeing her like this, Su Shuilian generously accepted her gift. She knew that even though it was just two extra dishes, they were not cheap. But since she had previously told her to treat each other like sisters, then she'll be sure to sew some nice embroidery to give her in return in the future.
After three rounds of drinks, the banquet became more lively. There were drinking competitions, performances, idly chatter, and even tender feelings expressed.
Lin Si Yao knew that Su Shuilian prefered light dishes, so he picked the ones that were more plain and less oily for her. For example, the steamed fish, only after picking out every fine bone did he place it into the bowl that was in front of her.
Aunt Lao who was sitting across from Su Shuilian could not help but laugh, saying, "Look at them, they are so close. "
When the innkeeper's wife heard this, she laughed and could not help adding, "But of course, everyday A Yao could leave early and come back late, his first words were always, 'Did Shuilian eat today?' Hahaha!" She could not help but laugh loudly, causing Su Shuilian to turn red.
Yes, since the day she had stayed in her room sewing and forgot to eat lunch, Lin Si Yao took on the habit of asking the innkeeper and his wife everyday if she had eaten. So much so that they had realized his temperament, and if Su Shuilian did not call for lunch that day, they would take the initiative to send someone up with food, or else they would face ice cold pressure from Lin Si Yao. If this scared away their incoming customers; in the end, they would be the ones at a disadvantage.
"Don't say anything else, in Fan Hua Town, Lin Si Yao is the most doting spouse." Aunt Tian who was with her daughter, sitting on the same table could not help but add while eating.
"But of course, look at this Shui girl, her skin is especially tender, how could he let her do any work." Aunt Lao continued after she had added a few more sides into her daughter's bowl. The first time she had met Su Shuilian, she was attracted to her elegant and pure temperament, and could not help but want her as her daughter-in-law. She had made a fool of herself then. Just look at her now, she was already taken and about to wed. As for her second son, Lao Yongqiang... sigh, it seems he was not as blessed. Thinking of this, she swept her eyes to him who was sitting next to his father. She could not help but continuously sigh internally.
"What Lao sis said is correct. When I first met Shui girl, I was stunned. Really pretty and quiet girl, kinda like those fairies that descended from heaven." Aunt Tian continued to talk as she laughed and thought back.
She had been to every festival in Fan Lou City, but she had never met a girl as delicate and feminine as Su Shuilian. Fortunately, she had heard from her husband that Lin Si Yao knew martial arts, and was quite adept at it too. She would not have to worry for Shui girl being bullied by people with ill-intent.
To say, for a peasant, it really depends on the family if they can raise a daughter. For a loving family to birth a beautiful daughter, that is a good thing. For a family with a poor financial situation or family circumstances, well the outcome really depends. One bad move would turn into a large disaster.
---
The in-house banquet was eaten wholeheartedly and did not end until the end of Wei time (1pm to 3pm). Every house's poniang, daughter-in-law, and daughters quickly helped clean up the dishes, rendering Su Shuilian clueless and speechless.
"It may be because Feng Laoliu had mentioned that everyone would be paid if they helped." Lin Si Yao said while helping Su Shuilian who was staggering a bit after two cups of wine. Worried, he asked, "Can you walk?"
Su Shuilian nodded her head. This liquor was quite strong, just two cups and the ground looked very shaky. If she was already like this, then what will happen tonight? Aunt Lao said, noon was just the tip of the iceberg, the real big party was tonight.
Oh... Su Shuilian became gloomy, in the future, she would have to learn to brew some alcohol that is not as strong, like previously, when her brother brought back that grape wine from France.
In the end, Su Shuilian was brought back to their house with the help of Lin Si Yao, holding her waist. Fortunately, because of the intense sun, everyone stayed at home. The ones who had witnessed this scene were the families invited to their banquet, so the only reactions were further teasing, but none with ill-intent.
"Don't worry and take a short nap, I'll be outside." Lin Si Yao said as he let Su Shuilian down onto the bed and pulled the blanket to her chest. Then, he walked to the backyard, seeing that the wolves had finished their bowl of meat soup and rice and had gone to sleep in their dog house, he picked up the empty bowl and rinsed them at the water tank. He filled them with water and placed the bowls in front of the doghouse, so that the wolves could drink after waking up.
With this, he went back into the main room to prepare for their wedding event.
Following the instructions that Aunt Lao had said, he collected the previous food offerings and put them onto two large plates and refilled the previous six plates with new desserts and fruits. He then changed the tea and wine cups as well. He took the used candles and incense and put them in the miscellaneous cabinet in the kitchen to be used for future nights. He placed new candles and incense into the candle holders and censer.
When everything was completed, he walked back into the bedroom and saw Su shuilian was still sleeping soundly. Maybe it was because of the multiple cups of sorghum wine he had drunk, Lin Si Yao fell asleep on the other side of the bed...
---
Su Shuilian had dreamt again back to her previous Su House. In this dream, she had told everyone about her wedding, resulting in various reactions from everyone, anger, sadness, disappointment, gloat, but only her mother, Li Ruxi, smiled and nodded at her: who cares if he was a killer, as long as he loves you, that's all that matters.
Her mother must be comparing it to her life. Father... favored second wife over her. But because of her First Madam position, she was forced to smile and endure. It must have been because of this, that since she was young, she had rarely seen her mother truly laugh from the heart.
Su Shuilian watched reluctantly as she saw Li Ruoxi who had maintained a strong front all her life slowly start to disappear in front of her. She could not help but reach out to grab her, shouting, "Mother......mother..."
"Shuilian! Shuilian!"
Who? Calling out her name so gently, yet anxiously. Su Shuilian wiped her tearful eyes. Mother, you have to take care of yourself.
"Shuilian..." Someone was calling out her maiden name again and again. She curiously opened her eyes. Where is this?
Oh yes, this was her bedroom that she would soon share with Lin Si Yao. And today was their happy marriage day.
Ah! Realizing this, Su Shuilian sat up. With two cups of sorghum wine, she had passed out instead of taking a short nap. There was still so much to do.
"Don't worry, we still have some time until the event." Lin Si Yao's low voice sounded by her ear, scaring Su Shuilian. She turned her head and saw Lin Si Yao sitting on the bed beside her looking at her with bright eyes, wearing only his inner clothes.
"You..." Su Shuilian turned bright red before covering her eyes, "Shouldn't you quickly put some clothes on!"
"Don't overthink." Seeing her reaction, Lin Si Yao was between laughter and tears. "Your tears had soaked my clothes, and since we will soon change into our wedding gowns, I just took off my outer clothes."
When Su Shuilian heard his explanation, she thought back to her dream and dazed off a bit.
"What happened?" Lin Si Yao helped her sit by the bedside, seeing her sad expression, he could not help but frown and ask. Before, he was awoken by her cry, he had thought she was having a nightmare. But how could a nightmare be saddening? His mind flashed with uneasiness, could it be that she had regretted her decision of wanting to marry him? Lin Si Yao subconsciously clenched his fist, causing a few of his finger knuckles to crack from the force.
"I... dreamt of my mother." When Su Shuilian came back from her daze, she remembered her mother's words: For a husband and wife to be together, mutual understanding is precious. She could not help but become shy. When she turned and saw Lin Si Yao's whitened face, she reached out to feel his face before asking, "A Yao, are you alright?"
Lin Si Yao shook his head, taking her hands into his, he brought them to his cheeks, "I thought..."
"I dreamt about my mother and the rest of the Su family and told them I was about to marry..." Su Shuilian took the courage to continue, as some words must be said, or else there will be regret, "A Yao, from now on, you are my future..."
"Shuilian... my wife..." Lin Si Yao said with a sigh.
From that sound by her ear, Su Shuilian could not help but feel distress, "A Yao, from now on, if anything happens, let's not keep it in, and always tell each other." She will remember her mother's words, and will try to keep her and Lin Si Yao from taking the same path as her mother and father.
Lin Si Yao solemnly nodded his head, he then took her into his embrace and hugged her for a long time...
Chapter 35: Ceremony
Afterwards, they took turns to take a refreshing pomelo leaf bath. Just as they put on their wedding clothes, from the outside, they heard busy chatter and footsteps. They knew it was now time and the people outside were the invited guests.
Lin Si Yao went out to greet everyone while Su Shuilian finished buttoning up her outer wedding wear. After she tied the belt, Su Shuilian sat in front of the vanity table and cleaned up her glossy, black hair and her face that was already white and delicate without the use of powder.
"Hey, girl, what are you dawdling for? The event is not gonna happen by itself!" Aunt Tian spread open the curtains to the bedroom door, as she smiled and reminded her.
"Aunt Tian..." Su Shuilian was rendered speechless at the straightforward Aunt Tian.
"I'm joking, joking. Come, let Aunt Tian help you with your hair. Although usually it is the maternal side of the bride that helps with this, today, Aunt Tian will take this honor." As she was saying this, Aunt Tian took the incense wood comb from Su Shuilian's hands and started to comb her hair.
"Aunt Tian, how old is your daughter this year?" Seeing her gesture, Su Shuilian allowed Aunt Tian to do so. One, because she did not have any family member to help her with her hair, and she herself did not believe she could remain calm and comb her waist-long hair in this situation.
"My daughter will be fourteen this year. You see, her father goes to work in Qingtian town and she was matched with a kid next door after being introduced by the main family. However, because of their four year difference in age, I reckon it will happen after a year." Aunt Tian carefully helped Su Shuilian with her hair. Followed by placing in a hairpin and slipping on a beaded turquoise bracelet, she talked about her house's daughter, Tian Niu.
"Qingtian Town eh? How far is it from here?" Su Shuilian curiously asked. Since making it out of Dashi Mountain, they were either at Fan Luo City or Fan Hua Town, so not being curious was not possible. Maybe next time, she can ask A Yao to accompany her to Qingtian Town.
"Not far, it's northeast of the town's entrance, about six fields away. It's much closer compared to the city... Ok, it's done. How do you like it, girl?" Aunt Tian clapped her hands signifying that she was done, and urged Su Shuilian to look into the bronze mirror.
Su Shuilian could not make out much from the mirror, just the blurred outlines. But, just this mirror had already received many praises from Aunt Lao and the other poniangs, it seems that just having a large bronze mirror was already an admirable thing.
"Thank you Aunt Tian, this is very good."
"Oh you, no wonder your A Yao pampers you so, it's because you really are well behaved." Aunt Tian could not help but tease her again and mentioned Lin Si Yao.
Nowadays, which wife and daughter would not praise Lin Si Yao? Even if not spoken out loud, in their hearts, they were envious of Su Shuilian. To have a man to attend her every need, it must have been a great blessing from the previous generation.
Thinking back to their own just-sensible daughter, Aunt Tian hoped that her son-in-law would treat her well. He didn't have to be as loving as Lin Si Yao, but the big and small things, as long as he respects her views, that would be enough.
Su Shuilian became red again at Aunt Tian's words. Very good, we can save on some rouge.
However, this is a big marriage. So this makeup must be put on, but just plastering rouge would not only hinder a girl's enchanting looks, it would also add a heavy tackiness.
So Su Shuilian recalled the time when her maid servants had helped her apply the rouge cream and scoop a bit of the thick red rouge cream onto her fingertip. She gently and evenly spread lit onto her lips and puckered them. The bright red rouge cream seemed to have combined with her lip color into one color. After thinking for a bit, Su Shuilian then picked some more of the rouge cream and gently rubbed it into the water box, turning it into a dim/light crimson color. She combined some of it with the powder and lightly applied it onto her face. Little by little, she used her index finger to apply it on both of her cheeks and blended them until her original white, delicate cheeks and red makeup combined in color.
"Wow! So this is how to really apply the makeup! Haha, it seems today I have gained some valuable information!" Aunt Tian was at awe from Su Shuilian's nimble actions in turning the originally tacky red makeup into such a light, refreshing, and stunning color. She could not help but clap and praise, concurring the interest of the poniangs who had just arrived and were anxiously waiting and busily chatting in the main room.
"Wow, really looks like a fairy had descended from heaven." Shui House's poniang had stopped her motion of biting into a melon seed and sincerely praised.
"Yeah, now Fan Hau Town finally has an intelligent and outstanding woman. Next time I go to Luoshui Town, I can go and smack that Fang poniang's face." The wife of Shi House said. Her maternal family lived in Luoshui Town. One of their neighbor's haughty daughter-in-law, Luo-shi*, loved to dress up and flaunt and boast about how she was the most beautiful in the surrounding towns. Fine. Although He-shi* (wife of Shi House) was unwilling to admit that the woman's looks were indeed one out of hundreds. But now, her claims were no longer true. Now Su Shuilian, with her looks, let's see if she'll still hold that 'most beautiful within the dozen radius' title. In the future, she has to bring Su Shuilain to walk a round in Luoshui Town, hmph, and ruthlessly smack down that poniang's arrogance!
(XX-shi, 氏; XX=maiden name)
"Ok ok, it's time! Quickly, put her bridal veil on." When Aunt Lao entered and saw the other poniang were surrounding Su Shuilian and still chatting, she anxiously urged them to prepare.
"This girl's embroidery skills are really extraordinary!" He House's poniang could not help but exclaim when she saw Su Shuilian's wedding veil embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks.
"With sister* He praised your embroidery skills to no end, it really leaves us oldies with no face ah!" Looking at the vivid duck embroidery, Aunt Tian could not help but joke with the poniang of He House who had just come in.
(嫂 (sister-in-law) - respectful appellation for a married woman)
"Tian sis, from now on, you can't say that my embroidery skills are superb, or else, others will think I am shameless, with a thick skin, and without a face." When Lin-shi had heard Aunt Tian's joke, her face turned red and she felt uncomfortable inside.
Since she married into Fan Hua Town about ten years ago, what had always been the praise of the other wives was her excellent embroidery skills. But now, even though Su Shuilian did not publicly boast about her skills, from her works on the two's usual attire, wedding blanket/quilt, wedding gown, and even her exquisite wedding veil, it was obviously more superior than her skills. From now on, her only talent will be shadowed... Don't know if the embroidery floor would also convert for Su Shuilian's works... Wouldn't her livelihood be cut off from now on?
With this, Lin-shi fell into a daze, but the other wives did not notice her inner conflict as they helped Su Shuilian put on the wedding veil, preparing her for when Lin Si Yao comes to pick her up to go to the main room for the wedding ceremony.
---
The main room was full of people. The originally visually spacious room was so filled to the point that there was barely any room for anyone to step on.
Not only were the friends of the invited families urged to come, but the rest of the villagers had come to spectate.
Especially the Hua Household's wife and daughter-in-law pair. She had previously heard the wife of Tian House compliment the remodel of this house more than just once. When she heard that Su Shuilian and Lin Si Yao were hosting a wedding, not minding the happy event, but taking advantage of the crowd, she had come to look around. In her heart, she had hoped that what Tian House's poniang had said was all exaggerated.
However, after the pair circled around the house several times, they became endlessly envious. Looking at these furniture, how they were all made elegantly, but still provided the utmost comfort. Looking at the yards' flowers and plants, clean bricks, and wooden benches, what an elegant and fresh layout....tsk tsk.
"Aunt Hua, big sis Hua, my mother has invited you into the main room, the ceremony is about to begin." Lao House's daughter, Lao Xicui rushed forward and was out of breathe as she followed her mother's orders to invite the Hua House pair in. They were currently in the front, west side of the courtyard, studying the toilet.
According to Aunt Lao's words: with the many eyes in the main room, the pair would less likely cause any trouble. If no one was looking, who knows what shameful actions this pair would do. It was true, the two of Hua House had accumulated a lot of crimes; whichever household they enter, they will exit with at least one of that household's valuables. With a careless move, the calculating pair will definitely take advantage and take something!
"That uh, Xicui, isn't the main room already full, we are fine right here..." Lui-shi, Hua House's poniang smiled as she waved at her, gesturing her to leave and not to mind them.
Xicui pouted, her mother's orders are not to be defied, but Aunt Hua's smile was hard to refute. Thinking of a way to further persuade, she suddenly heard a woo woo sound and looked towards the noise. She saw two flashes of white, and with the wailing of the Hua House pair, Xicui noticed that it had been the backyard's two guard dogs biting on the pair's skirts, dragging them into the main room.
"Aiyo... doggie, be obedient, please let us go first, ok?" Liu-shi tried to sweet talk at the dogs, whether or not they understood, she did not care. She just wanted them to let go of their skirts.
"Uh, mother, do you think that they are trying to pull us into the main house?" Fang-shi, the daughter-in-law of Hua House noticed that the dog had no intention of biting her, curiously/puzzledly asked her mother-in-law who was in the same predicament.
"Huh?" When Hua House's poniang heard this, she then noted the behaviour of the wolf cubs and tried to coax them, "Hey hey, doggies, let us go, we can go by ourselves. We can go to the main room ourselves."
Seemingly, as though they had understood their words, the wolf cubs let go of their skirts and backed two steps. They watched them walk into the main room step by step.
Lao Xicui was delighted at this scene, patting the dogs on their head, she secretly praised the powerful them.
The pair from Hua House, in addition to being amazed, their inner abacus was immediately put to work. Such a smart dog, what breed was it? Seeing that it was a male and female pair, maybe when they have their pup litters, they can come and ask Su Shuilian for one.
If the wolves had heard their inner calculations, they would have bitten the pair to smithereens: We are brother and sister!! Brother and sister ok?! If you have the ability, how about you go make a pup with your own brother?!