On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the southern outskirts of Jincheng, sixteen red silk wedding canopies were neatly arranged across the plaza of Tianfu Homeland Community District 1. Long tables draped in clean white cloth and decorated with freshly picked wildflowers stood beneath the canopies. As the morning mist cleared, Xia Huai'an stood beneath the high platform in the center of the plaza, watching the arriving newlyweds and their families and friends.
The local townsfolk had already gathered around. Children laughed and darted through the crowd, elders sat on long benches waving cattail-leaf fans, and young men and women gathered in small groups, looking on with curiosity at the couples about to be wed.
"Master, the auspicious hour has arrived," Main Bookkeeper Zhou whispered a reminder.
Chapter 190