Kunlun Mountain Part 4 - The Return

Chapter 65 - The Dowry

Qing Qiu.

The preparation of the dowry was a family affair.  Bai Zhi had already commissioned a beautiful ornately carved chest which was inlaid with mother of Pearl blossoms that shone brilliantly in soft pastel hues when moved from side to side.   The design was in typical traditional style. With a plain wood bottom that was lined in rich forest green silk and triple layered, the lid was in the shape of a pagoda roof, similar to a temple.  The sweeping curvature of the corners were triple layered and not only was the rich Dawn Redwood, a rarity due to the destruction which destroyed vast tracts of forest where the trees had once flourished, the small ornately carved Dragon and Fox handle which sat on the tip of the lid, completed the beautiful workmanship.

Admiring the chest, Bai Qian was moved to tears.  "It is beautiful father, he will love it." she said tearfully as her mother approached with a tea set made entirely of Pearl.  It was not luminous, but similar to mother of pearl, only the colours were much richer.  They flared about the the tea set when moved, and though it was really only an ornamental set, it could be used if desired.

"When the set is filled with hot tea, the colours will darken, but they will lighten as the tea grows cold." her mother explained.

"And it is a one of a kind.  There is no other like it anywhere." Zhe Yan smiled looking very pleased with himself,  being the one who created it.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, something she had not done in thousands of years, not since she was a little girl, she hugged him tightly.  "Thank you." she whispered against him.  She did not need to be told he had been the one to make it, she could feel his energy all over it.

Next to go into the chest, was a hand woven blanket her elders had made specially for the dowry.   Made from pure silk taken directly from their own silk worm and steeped in a rich mulberry wine, the cocoons were then crushed and steeped for a further week before being strained off.  What was left was raw, lightly coloured silk that was then stretched out over a loom,  The delicate thread was then woven into a richly textured blanket that was not only as light as air, but was so warm, it would be the only blanket they would need.

Placing the first thin wooden layer over the top, the next lot of gifts were then added.

From Bai Zhen, was a selection of tea taken from their own farms.  Qing Qiu tea was just as renown as Zhe Yans Peach Tree Woods, and rarely was it ever given to anyone outside of their clan.  Mo Yuan would understand how very precious it was, so to be given such a large selection of their flavoured teas, was an honour, one that he would definitely appreciate.  Wrapped in silk bags and lowered into the second layer of the chest Bai Qian smiled.  She knew Mo Yuan had tasted many of their teas in the past, but she knew for a fact, that he had not been gifted a full selection before.

Lowering the final layer of wood over the top the last of the gifts were added.  

Finally two beautiful matching bed robes and one day robe for Mo Yuan were added.  The bed robes were pure white and full length which they could also use as bath robes as they were made from a very soft toweling material.  The third robe was made from the same silk worms as the blanket, however it had been dyed in his favourite colour of royal blue.  Side by side, the robes were placed with Mo Yuans silk robe in the middle.

On top was placed a simple solid gold band with a carved fox pin for his hair and for her, a solid gold dragon pin all of which were made from melted down gold that had been saved after the destruction.  Also added were finely cut gemstones which were placed to the sides of the top layer.  

In the center went a gift from Bai Qian which unknown to her family, she had specially made by her own master carver.  A man who created many of their clans intricately carved ornaments, though being in his elder years, he now mainly used his skills to carve toys for the children.