Chapter 3 The preparation

It was already coming to noon and marquess was excited for Yin, she picked some extra money from her bag and handed it to yin while looking at her glowing skin which had been scented with plum rose,

Blended with raspberry, patchouli, amber and lavender, it gave off a seductive allure that must have been prepared for a day like this.

On her wrists were a pair of silver shining bracelets that called for gentleness when one looked at them.

How delicate Yin looked at that day !

Marquess Ryu was not yet satisfied with the supposed final jewelry,

She just wanted everything right (set her up for a nice date), so she went to her drawer and picked up more tiny jewels to adorn Yin's face.

Her daughter was a goddess (in her mind) though many thought she was a very spoiled brat.

Choosing the most beautiful Ones,

The brightest dot-like stud was pinned in between the eyebrows as an auspicious sign, while the rest were placed in her hair and on the ear lobes.

Loving the results, Marquess Ryu teased Yin, for a while before adding more plum rose scent all over her clothes

"You are so much cuter than me."

Marquess Ryu looked more stunned at her daughter,

But Yin only felt more shy while thanking her mother for doing everything effortlessly, holding her hands, Yin couldn't help but start to cry tears of joy,

"May God bless you mother, I don't want to disappoint you, not even in the next life."

Marquess Ryu was always proud of her daughter regardless of the situation, tapping on Yin's shoulders, she whispered gently to her face

"Be a good girl, do as father has said and remember to come home on time."

Likewise Yin whispered a few words to assure her mother,

"As you wish my Lady." Yin bowed and asked to be escorted out.

Both laughed and hugged each other

Marquess Ryu walked her out up to her room where the MuDan sisters where waiting, the two girls had been coming to the Gu courtyard ever since they started to walk on their own,

So there was no need to ever be afraid of their parents (Mu and Dan) who were familiar with the Gu house.

At some point, it was brought to light that both houses had sworn brotherhood with one another in secrecy.

When Marquess Ryu saw the MuDan girls, she was delighted because they looked just as beautiful and respectable as Yin.

"Wow" Marquess Ryu exclaimed looking at each of them, admiring their makeup and the jewelry all over their arms.

They sure had a style for elegance.

She praised them for wearing decently and turned to look at her yin,

"Darling, Reach well, be good with your friends and please come back on time."

That is how much she just loved her daughter, perhaps in a wrong way.

The girls got into the carriage that was waiting for them and off they went waving back at Marquess Ryu who was still standing at the entrance, wanting to see the last bit of them before walking back into the house.

Mu Lan ( Elder MuDan girl)

Started up a conversation with

Ku Dan ( Younger MuDan girl)

About the secret couple pairings that went on at the trade fair in different spots which were disguised as temporary taverns and Dining areas.

The subject caught Yin's attention right away, she had been coming to this trade fair with Mu Lan and Ku Dan for the past four years but had never come across such a thing.

Just how and when did they gather such information?

Yin paused and looked at them in shock, these were timid girls, where in the world did they get the boldness to discuss such a topic?

Yin was four years older than them so it was natural for her to be concerned.

Seeing how deep they were discussing the Matter,

Yin decided to join and cieve out something

"Wait Mu Lan, Do you mean this very fair we are about to attend or is there another one around here?"

Yin asked wanting an answer so badly

They stared at her and burst into a joint laughter

"Girl, where have you been going all these years?" They asked her, clapping to themselves.

"Yes, it is this very Trade fair." They admitted and continued to assure her how it was going to be different.

She got more curious and a little worried, was this going to be a safe place for her?

It sounded like the typical arena where the scumbags made a living on ripping girls of their chastity,

"Oh my God, it looks like I'm going to waste my time again."

She panicked but stayed positive about the whole thing, they were already nearing the town square, how could she suddenly want to go back home?

The girls went on to share stories about the successful couples that had come out of those shrines but none impressed Yin.

Regardless, she had to try her luck.

"Can you tell me how this whole thing goes?"

Yin asked them to move closer, willing to gather more details about the process of admission to the tavern.

"I am single and I do not want to stay like this forever. If no one is good today, I will stay at the shop from tomorrow onwards."

She convinced herself without saying a word, wanting to be determined.

Now these secret couple pairings were usually done an hour or two away from dusk and lasted for another hour after the sun went down.

A lot of officials were bribed to keep things going on under the carpet.

It was a huge business for both the diviners and organizers as large sums of money were paid by some candidates to be placed together with people of the same status or even higher.

If you were interested in participating, a number of brokers who could connect you to the tavern were at every entrance to the trade fair and the Dining Pavilion,

Which served as the entrance to that Tavern (known as the love shrine by many)

The brokers wore a peach lemon sign on their arms and what you had to do was to inform them that you were interested in meeting one of the Diviners.

Diviners were dating and matchmaking experts who many believed in, they saw potential where nothing valuable was seen and some were gifted with seeing the future of the two lovers.

With their guidance, you were guaranteed to stay with your loved one for eternity.

But was it true or a mere hearsay?

A down payment was made once you were inside the dining pavilion because only the capable were admitted to the tavern which was few metres away.

A number of diviners sat in different spots and you were allocated accordingly.

The empty handed would be sent away or paired up with the fellow empty handed, that is if the numbers were high.

Small jewelry was sometimes taken away from them to compensate for the drinks spent while participating in the Love games that were organized for those who wanted quick results.

Selections were made according to the ranks of status and whoever misbehaved was kicked out on spot.

The unlucky ones were given love portions to help enhance their beautiful Auras while the successful ones were given threads to wrap around their wrists.

It was a mark for the beginning of their journey and if the following year found them together,

A wine pitcher would be gifted to them as a symbol of union, where they take their wine from on every special day.

After dusk, the Authorities forbade any kind of coupling except if it was a married couple and proof was required.

A crackdown on many spots heightened and much of the focus was put on teenagers who seemed to be interested in physical connection more than business meetings.

The motive was to maintain the main aim of the trade fair, which was to boost the business climate in the region.