Concubine - TRUE STORY [English Version]

4) making a bride

-236 B.C.-

Li was beyond exhausted after returning home with her herbs. She fell asleep immediately without even having food. She managed to fill half of the basket and cleared the field of unwanted plants on her way down from the mountain.

When she woke up the morning after, she met mama at the fire as she was boiling water, staring into the bowl.

"Hello mama! Are you better?"

She nodded, but she didn't look that much better. She was pale and absent.

Li barely ate, because she had to work again. Sat down outside, poured out all the herbs from her basket and sorted them. Bind them together, some had to be dried, very boring job.

Papa interrupted her; "you have to prepare yourself."

Li rolled her eyes. Bringing a visit to the Ling son. She stood up and followed papa back inside. A bath was ready for her. Anything but a bath. But she had no choice. She took off her clothes and sat herself down in the water. It was cold. Her mother, who looked better than this morning took some cloth and scrubbed Li's back.

Scrubbing meaning 'but you have to look pretty'. A bucket ow water was emptied out above her head.

"Cold!!!!"

"Stop screaming" said papa's voice from nowhere. Li had her eyes closed to protect herself from the water. Mama had some herbs that she mixed between her hands. Li moved synchronized to her mothers movement of applying the natural shampoo. 

And another bucked went over her head. Li Yu was shaking from the cold. "Can I come out?"
"Now you can come out."

With shaking steps she came out of the tub. Mama wrapped a large towel around her and made her sit down.

"I am going to comb out your hair. Sit still." And before Li could even say something, Mama combed the first strand of hair with their wooden comb.

She felt the knots and the pain on her scalp. She wasn't combed out in a long time. She bit on her bottom lip from the pain.

Mama switched the combed for a towel and dried Li's hair with firm movements. And then she did it a second time.

Her hair was now brushed out well but still soaking wet.  But that didn't really matter.

Mama have Li a dress that she keeps for special occasions. Part of the dress was a long yellow skirt that reached to the ground. Then she got a red vest that she had to cross over on her chest and secure it with a robe. After that she got a tunic with black and dark red patterns. It had big sleeves and it reached just below her knees. She wasn't used to the big sleeves and thought of them as very uncomfortable. On top of that, the sleeves were weighted down. It wasn't really an expensive dress, nor was the quality great. But it surely made you look presentable.

Her mother arranged the coat well around Li's chest and tied it securely.

Li didn't feel like herself. She saw the dress only very few times. But never wore it herself. Mama gave her a little pocket that had something in it.
"There's a little piece of jade in it. I hope it brings you good luck. Now and later."

With an awkward smile on her face she took the little bag. She muffled it between the layers of clothing.

"And in the meanwhile your hair is dry enough for styling."

Li had to sit down again. She had the last round of combing and mama finally started making the actual updo.

Mama made u big bun on top of her head. She took real effort to make it big but still make it look very clean and neat. The higher the bun the better.

All of the hair below her ears was left loose until now. Mama took a red string and tied her hair in loose hanging ponytail. Baby hairs framed her face. Mama took a red flower. "All for good luck."

Li was immune to it. They did whatever they felt like.

Mama opened a little box and took something out. It was a hair pin. Careful, like it was a new born baby she held in with to hands and walked back to Li.

"This pin was my mother's wedding gift to me. Now let it be yours."
Li just got the surprise of her life. With protesting eyes she now looked up from the pin to mama.

"This is too much!"
The view mama gave back was one of insult.
"Mama you know me! I would only break it. Or loose it!"

She didn't approve.
"Now you are a big girl. Now is the perfect time."

Before Li knew it, she felt the needle going through the bun. The metal thing with elegant curl at the end decorated her hair now.

It wasn't a really expensive pin, or was it really pretty, it was a very simple one. Something special for a farmers family. But the honor and the memory connected to the pin too much for Li to handle.

"You look beautiful. A real young woman."