Red on White

The winter sunlight was thin, spilling through the window lattice onto the desk and barely driving back some of the chill inside.

Chen Ping ground the ink, its fragrance lingering beneath his nose. He lowered his brush to the red paper, his strokes steady and forceful enough to pierce the back of the page.

The invitation was for only a handful of people, not some grand call inviting guests from far and wide.

Though he had now earned the title of military examinee and possessed a fortune, the world was still like the bitter wind outside, cutting to the bone.

The Jin Family's mourning period had only just ended. Making a grand show of celebrating now would be like rubbing salt in Jin Zhenshan's wounds—practically asking for trouble.

"Keeping a low profile is the only way to last."

Chen Ping silently reminded himself as he neatly stacked the invitations he had finished writing.

He had invited no one except Tie Niu and a few neighbors he was truly close to.

In the inner room, Yun Niang sat on the edge of the kang, sewing her wedding dress.

The fabric was red silk Chen Ping had specially bought from the South City Cloth Shop. It was no top-grade Suzhou tribute satin, but in Yun Niang's hands, it surpassed ten thousand robes woven from golden thread.

Head bowed, she worked with utter concentration, her silver needle darting through the red silk. Every stitch was fine and close, as if she meant to sew the security of the rest of her life into it.

Every now and then, she paused to smooth the stray hairs at her temples. Her gaze fell on the wedding dress, and a mist gathered in her eyes.

Once, she had thought she would spend her whole life alone in the back kitchen of Lin Manor, growing old beside the stove. Now, the sea of red before her warmed her heart until it glowed.

"Brother Ping, for the buttons at the collar, should I use a Ruyi Knot or a Double Happiness Knot?"

Yun Niang's voice was soft, tinged with a bride-to-be's shyness.

Chen Ping set down his brush and went over to take a look. He said gently,

"A Double Happiness Knot. May our hearts be bound as one, and may we never part until our hair turns white."

Yun Niang's cheeks reddened. She murmured her assent, and her needle began to move more briskly.

Less than two days later, someone pounded on the courtyard gate hard enough to shake the heavens.

"Brother Ping! I'm here!"

Tie Niu's booming voice reached them before he even came through the gate.

When it opened, they saw the burly man, black as an iron tower, carrying half a pig carcass over his shoulder. Its flesh was marbled red and white and weighed at least a hundred jin, bearing down so heavily that the flagstones seemed to sink beneath his feet.

"My mother said no gift beats a good slab of meat!"

Tie Niu grinned foolishly as he plunked the half carcass onto the stone table in the courtyard with a bang. The teacups on it jumped.

Looking at this present, a masterpiece of "brute-force aesthetics," Chen Ping couldn't help bursting into laughter. The gloom coiled in his chest from all his plotting loosened considerably.

"Good brother! I'll take it!"

Neither of them stood on ceremony. They laid out wine right there in the courtyard. Chen Ping didn't use his inner strength to dispel the alcohol; he drank several full bowls alongside Tie Niu in earnest.

The liquor burned down his throat, warming his belly.

Looking at Tie Niu's guileless face, Chen Ping sighed inwardly. In these troubled times, having a brother who would bare his heart to him was harder than coming first in the imperial examinations.

Just as they were getting into the drink, another guest arrived at the gate.

This time it was his maternal uncle, Liu Sanjin, from the Weiyuan Escort Agency.

Liu Sanjin wore a brand-new silk-padded jacket and held a brocade box in both hands. His face was scrunched into a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Oh, my esteemed military examinee! What joyous news!"

As soon as Liu Sanjin stepped inside, he bent at the waist like a shrimp and presented the brocade box with both hands.

"Here's a pair of jade ruyi scepters. The jade isn't the finest, but it's a token of your uncle's affection. If you have a chance to lend a hand at the yamen someday, I'll have to trouble you to look after the escort agency's business..."

Chen Ping glanced at the jade ruyi scepters. The stone was mottled and hardly top quality, but for a man like Liu Sanjin, who treasured money above all else, this was practically his life savings.

Three years ago, the man had sold Chen Ping a "tattered book" for two taels of silver. Now he was ready to lay his entire fortune at Chen Ping's feet, hoping for protection.

Chen Ping didn't accept the brocade box. He merely lifted his wine bowl and took a sip, amusement flickering in his eyes.

"You're too kind, Uncle. I've only just entered officialdom. I'm a small fry with little influence, and I'm afraid I can't shoulder the responsibility of looking after you."

The smile on Liu Sanjin's face stiffened for a moment, but he was an old hand. He immediately climbed up the ladder Chen Ping had offered.

"Not at all, not at all! You're the Star of Literature and Star of War descended from heaven. You're bound to rise to great heights. Please accept the gift—it can be Yun Niang's dowry."

Chen Ping smiled without committing either way and motioned for Yun Niang to accept it.

That was the way of the world: grow strong, and even dogs came licking; grow weak, and people were worse than dogs.

There was no harm in keeping the jade ruyi scepters. He could consider it repayment for the kindness of that copy of Longevity of Pine and Crane from years ago.

The wedding day arrived.

There were no ear-splitting firecrackers, nor any band of musicians with suonas blaring.

A few neighbors from the end of the alley came to offer congratulations, carrying eggs and brown sugar. Red paper covered the courtyard, its festive cheer understated and pure.

Chen Ping changed into a bright red groom's robe.

He wasn't a handsome scholar, but the red robe suited him. Paired with the upright, powerful frame forged through day-and-night training, it gave him the steady bearing of a mountain.

The auspicious hour arrived.

Tall incense burned in the main room, and red candles blazed.

Yun Niang emerged with a red bridal veil over her head, supported by Granny Wang from next door.

She walked slowly, each step seeming to land right on Chen Ping's heart.

"First bow—to Heaven and Earth!"

The two of them turned and bowed deeply toward the vast sky and the solid earth outside.

"Second bow—to the elders!"

Chen Ping's parents had died young, and Yun Niang had no family to rely on, either.

On the place of honor sat only two blank red ancestral tablets.

Chen Ping knelt upright, silently thinking:

Father, Mother, your son has started a family.

"Third bow—to each other!"

Chen Ping turned and faced the red figure before him.

Through the tassels of the veil, he could just make out Yun Niang's tear-filled eyes.

This bow had nothing to do with romance. It was the moment two people who had struggled to survive in the mire finally clasped hands.

"The ceremony is complete!"

At Granny Wang's loud announcement, the stone that had hung over Chen Ping's heart finally fell.

From this day onward, he was no longer a rootless duckweed drifting on the water. He had a home, and someone he would give his life to protect.

The wedding feast was held in the courtyard, with only two tables in all.

The neighbors took turns offering toasts and speaking words of good fortune.

Chen Ping wore a warm smile, but only ever touched his wine cup to his lips.

"Scholar Chen, it's your big day! Surely you can have a few more drinks?"

A neighbor called out, egging him on.

Chen Ping smiled and waved him off. He quietly circulated his inner strength through his palm, forcing the liquor out of his body. His eyes remained clear.

"My wife is waiting in the room. I wouldn't dare drink too much."

Everyone roared with laughter, assuming he was eager to begin his wedding night. None of them knew that the hand inside Chen Ping's sleeve was never more than three inches from the dagger at his waist.

That old bastard Jin Zhenshan had made no move yet, but a dog that bites often doesn't bark.

The more relaxed a moment seemed, the more it could be crawling with deadly intent.

He had carved out his peaceful days with blade after blade. He couldn't let it all come to ruin over a cup of wine.

Night fell, and the guests departed.

Once the noise faded, the little courtyard settled into silence again.

A cold wind swept up the red scraps of paper from the ground, sending them whispering across the stones.

Chen Ping stood beneath the veranda, looking at the red scattered everywhere. His gaze gradually turned cold.

Today, the red meant celebration.

But he knew that if he wasn't strong enough, tomorrow the red on the ground might be blood.

"The Jin Family..."

Chen Ping gently rubbed his fingers over the rough veranda post, weighing his options.

Jin Zhenshan would never let things rest. Rather than sit and wait for death, he might as well...

A gust of cold wind blew past, and Chen Ping suppressed the killing intent in his eyes.

Tonight was his wedding night. He shouldn't be thinking about bloodshed.

He turned and walked toward the wedding chamber, glowing with warm yellow light.

He pushed open the door with a soft creak.

Inside, the red candles flickered, illuminating the figure seated by the bed.

Hearing the door open, Yun Niang shivered slightly. Her hands twisted the handkerchief in her grasp, tight with nervousness and anticipation.

Chen Ping shut the door behind him and slid the bolt into place.