Behind your Mask is a Beautiful Smile 148 Ceremony 1

After Ya Nuo bathed in water infused with pomelo leaves, she dressed in a new set of undergarments, pajamas and slippers. She sat patiently in front of her dresser, waiting for Mother Yang to perform the hair combing ceremony on her.

By traditions, a woman of great fortune with five generation families and a harmonious marriage with no histories of abortion should perform the ceremony on the bride. It is difficult to find someone who could meet those requirements nowadays, so any relative or friend who has three generation families could perform the ceremony.

Usually, if the mothers of the bride and groom meet the criteria, they are the ones who do it for their children. Mother Yang looked at Ya Nuo emotionally and picked up the round comb from the fortune basket she had prepared.

The fortune basket was red with a pair of round combs, a mirror, red string, a ruler and a sewing kit. Though the ceremonies were done in accords to traditions, they are only performing the hair combing and tea ceremony for their wedding.

As she began to comb starting from the top of Ya Nuo's head, she recited the blessings loudly,

" First comb, from the beginning to the end, may you have a blissful, lifetime of marriage.

Second comb, May your marriage be harmonious all the way till old age.

Third comb, May you have many children and grandchildren fill up your home.

Fourth Comb, May you have a prosperous and longevity marriage.
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And finally, mommy wishes you and Huan Hei a lifetime of happiness with your hands glued tightly to each other's, never parting until your last breaths. Even when you two grow old with your hair all white, may your love be everlasting."

Near the end of the ceremony, Mother Yang and Ya Nuo had misty eyes. A few sniffles followed by laughter completed their ceremony.

"Come here, sweetie. Mommy almost forgot to clip the Thuja leaf to your hair for good luck." She carefully placed the leaf on her head and gave her a tight hug.

Mother Yang cupped Ya Nuo's face and rubbed her thumbs against her slightly pink cheeks, "Look at you, so beautiful. Mommy's baby girl is big now. You're going to marry and be someone's wife. From now on, you're no longer alone. When you think and plan, you're planning for two."

"Mmmm.. I know." Ya Nuo's nose reddened as she thought of how much she is going to miss living with her parents.

"Nuo, mommy's sweetheart. I never thought you would grow up this fast and marry someone this quick. After you marry, remember that relationships are about loving and compromising with each other. Honesty and communication go a long way okay? No relationship is always curvy circles, there are edges too. But as long as the two of you work together to get over these edges, you'll be very happy." She kissed Ya Nuo on the forehead and wiped off the drip of tears that escaped from the corner of her eye.

"Mommy... thank you. Thank you for everything you've done. I'll be the happiest bride in the world with a doting family and a loving husband. I'll have everything I ever wished for; hoped for. I'll definitely be happy, I promise." She hugged her mother's waist.

They stayed like that until it was time for the official preparation to begin. Mother Yang wiped the tear stain off Ya Nuo's face, "Alrighty, princess. If you cry, your eyes will be puffy during the wedding and the pictures won't come out well. Shall we get ready now?"

"Mm.. okay. Mom, you go prepare too. I can do my own makeup." Her family wanted to hire a professional makeup artist, but she insists on doing her own makeup because she knew exactly what she wanted for her special day.

After everything was prepared, Nana knocked on Ya Nuo's door, "Nuo! Are you ready? Hehehe, the guys are already outside. You stay put here, okay? Heh, I'll make them go poor before getting to you!" Nana was the bridesmaid and in charge of setting up the obstacle *cough* games for the guys when they come to pick up the bride.

Ya Nuo didn't have the time to ask Nana what exactly she came up with, so she was quite curious on what this sneaky girl will do this time. Nana chuckled, "Awww, are you worried that I might tire your hubby out before your wedding night? Don't worry, I guarantee you that he won't end up too tired to do the deed tonight! Hahaha, you can watch them on the specially prepared screen I prepared for you~"

"Ah right, give me your wrist!" She tied a red string around Ya Nuo's wrist before happily exiting the room.

Just like that, Ya Nuo was left alone in the room like a security guard watching the surveillance cameras from behind the scenes, "Is this really my wedding... hahahaha why does she seem more excited than me? So cute"

The guys gathered outside of Yang residence, waiting for the bridesmaids to open the door for them. Ya Nuo didn't have many close friends so she had Nana and Wei Na ( Nana's cousin) to be her bridesmaids, "Hold it! No money, no Honey. Entrance fee~ $99,999 please~"

Huan Hei laughed, "Here's a $99,999 check for each of you. Money's given, we can go get my Honey right?"

Nana smirked, "Not that easy~ Heh, get through the following challenges first! Once you've completed each challenge, one step could be taken. hahahahaha"

Huan Hei pointed at Nana and looked at Wei Wei and Zhen Qi for some help. Both of them reacted with a shrug and patted his shoulder, "Sorry, bro, this one is on you. You can only get through after you play through her games. You want your wife, you gotta pass."

Huan Hei raised his hands in the air, surrendering to the queen of games in front of him, "Alright. Bring it on."

Wei Na smiled, "First activity: No pain, no gain! The groom and his best bro's need to use these wax strips on any parts of their body. To prove that you would do anything for the bride~ You have five minutes~ Like the saying goes, great friends divide pain."

Gulp

Wei Wei stepped up, "Yo!! that sh*t hurts like nobody would ever stand! So cruel man!! Do you want your friend to be forever single? Geez"

Wei Na laughed, "Why do you think it's called no pain, no gain? Hahahaa"

Huan Hei lifted his pants and took the wax strip from Nana's hands, "Alright. I'll get it over with." He peeled the strip and patted it on his leg. After two minutes later, he ripped it off in one go, "OOoooooooooo" he rubbed the irritated area on his leg roughly. 'Damn! Now I know the price of looking beautiful in public!! Ssss.'

Wei Wei and Zhen Qi had goosebumps all over the place after hearing his scream. At the end, they decided to slap the wax strip on, but rip the strip off for each other because they wouldn't be able to stand the pain if they ripped it themselves. "Ooooooooo ssssssss fckkkkk" both ripped it in one go and hugged their legs howling painfully.

Nana clapped her hands, "Congratulations, you can take a step into the house. Only one step."

"One step huh? Alright." Huan Hei stretched his legs out almost to the length of a split and leaped over four step's length into the house.

"Hey! one step, not many!" Nana tilted her eyebrow up.

"I have long legs. That's one step for me. Next challenge." He coolly played his game fair and square.

"Okay, next is the ice cube challenge. This is the easiest one depending on your luck. These ice cubes have different ingredients inserted in the middle of it. You need to find the four flavors and tell us what it tastes like. Once you get them correctly and interpret the meaning behind this activity, you pass the challenge." Wei Na explained.

Huan Hei randomly chose an ice cube and placed it in his mouth, "Sweet."

Second ice cube, "Sweet again."

Third ice cube, "Ughhhh bitter?"

Fourth ice cube, "Back to sweet..."

Fifth ice cube, "Sour!! Is this vinegar???"

And finally, the sixth ice cube, "Spiciness!"

Nana: "And~ What did you get out of this activity?"

Zhen Qi stepped out, "Let me answer in his place. Through sickness and in health, husbands and wives will have to go through sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and spiciness in their lives. The meaning behind this activity is to prepare him for the various tastes in their future."

Nana: "Hahaha That's my man! Bingo~ Alright. One step. Thank god this house is big enough to keep you guys from her or else it wouldn't be fun anymore!"

Nana explained the next activity, "Find the bride. There are ten red strings on the table, all leads to something on the other end. You need to choose the string that leads to Ya Nuo~ Or else you'll have to kiss whatever it is at the other end of the string."

"What?! That's almost impossible!!" Wei Wei protested against this activity.

"It's possible. Why do you think our culture calls it the red string that links two people together? Besides, I promise we don't have another girl behind any of these strings~ So, Huan Hei, begin. If you manage to get the string that is leading to Nuo, then you can skip to the final activity and greet your bride quicker~" Nana teased.

Huan Hei walked over to the strings and picked up each string with two fingers pressing on it. A smile formed on his charming face, "This one." He picked up the third string for the second time, leaving Nana stunned. 'How did he know?!'

"So? Am I right?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"Unfortunately, yes. But how did you know?" Wei Na asked.

"Her pulse. Felt it through the string." He cut his explanation short and demanded the final activity.

Nana smiled, "Okay. You won it fair and square. Final activity is to make up a poem for your bride on the spot. If she is moved by your sincerity, she will follow the red string you picked up just now and come out."

Huan Hei thought about it carefully before slipping the prepared speech back into his pocket. He noticed the camera from the corner of the room since he walked in and faced towards it.

"Day by day, as we grow old

I promise to always do as I'm told.

With the MTA always in delay

I'll never stop loving you, always.

The way you smile, the way you laugh

Captivates me more than doing math.

When you're not with me, I feel so lost.

It makes me wonder how much it'll cost

To bring you beside me and make you mine.

Your smile is worth unlimited dimes.

From peace to trouble, I'll always be near

As I can't stand seeing you shed a tear.

With you, together, let's go on a journey.

A journey called life and share our Nth anniversary

From shooting stars above our heads

There's only one wish and it uses red threads

A thread called fate.

That connected our first date.

Even if the thread cuts apart

There's no doubt in our linked heart

Forever we bond

And now let's hear you respond

Now that we're here, let's talk about life

Are you willing to let me take you as my wife?

And if your answer is still the same

Please come out that door and take my surname"

Slowly, the door creaked open, and a girl dressed in traditional red Qi Pao appeared. She had the sweetest smile on her face as she walked towards her groom. "Hehe I'll give that poem a pass for now."

The cameraman caught everything on camera, especially when the couple leaned forehead to forehead smiling blissfully.

Chapter end