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That day, Lu Chengyuan had just left the house to go to work in the field. On the way, he met a group of people with who he grew up. They came over and hit Lu Chengyuan’s shoulders.
“Bighead, do you know your wife is marrying someone?”
Lu Chengyuan was nicknamed Big Head. The reason he was called “Big Head” was not because of his big head, but because there is a word “Yuan” in his name.
Not many years after the founding of new China, many people in the village still keep old objects from the old society, such as yuan datou.
A bald man was engraved on the silver copper plate. The old people said that the man’s name was Yuan Shikai. He was a big warlord in the period of the Republic of China. He was an emperor, but he hiccupped[1] after more than 80 days.
The old people also said that this kind of copper plate was called Yuan Datou. In the Republic of China, everyone used this kind of copper plate to buy things.
The children only listened to what they said, but they did not understand what the Republic of China was, or warlords,
They only remembered Yuan Daitou, from then on, “Big Head” became the nickname of Lu Chengyuan.
As Lu Chengyuan listened, he became puzzled. It took a while for him to realize what these people were talking about.
“Big Head, your first wife was going to marry Zhao Donglin. He is the branch secretary of Shanghe village. And they said that he was going to be married. The wedding date was set. When you heard it, what did you feel? “
They grew up together, joked with each other from childhood to adulthood, and there is nothing to be concerned about when it comes to talking to each other. Their original intention is to make fun of Lu Chengyuan’s divorce and the marriage of two wives. There is no other meaning.
After all, the two are divorced and each has a new life. There’s nothing to avoid.
But after they finished, they found that Lu Chengyuan’s face was not good and not as open-minded as they thought, which made them confused.
“What? I advise you to hurry up and put your mind away. Your current wife is not some kind of oil lamp if she knows that you still think about the previous one. She may still make a scene.”
“Just forget the past. Don’t think about it. Live well now. It’s good to have a big fat boy early.”
These are the heartfelt words of his childhood friends. Since Tang Caifeng came in, the Lu family has had a small quarrel for two days and a big quarrel for five days, which has made the villagers watch a lot of jokes.
They thought Lu Chengyuan had been divorced and had married a new wife. The Lus will soon be able to hold their long-awaited grandchildren. Who knows a few months have passed, Tang Caifeng’s belly has not moved, the guys are talking privately, but did not get to the surface to say it.
There must be a problem. The first wife was said to be unable to give birth. Now that he married a new wife, it makes no sense if she was also unable to conceive.
It is not that people can not be pregnant. There is a problem here. This is a new wife. It makes no sense. You still can not be pregnant.
The villagers love to joke with each other, but this joke is not casual. It can’t be called a joke when talking about other people’s pain.
For example, Tang Caifeng didn’t move. Who dares to ask the Lu family in person? Hey, why is your wife still not pregnant? Neither of them has moved. Isn’t your son who has a problem?
This is just a private discussion. Who can mention it in front of the Lu family? Unless you really want to have a feud with the Lu family. Lu Yougen is still the captain. Who dares?
Dong Jiahui was about to get married. This made Lu Chengyuan unhappy. This unhappiness was manifested in that he was more silent than usual. When he went to bed at night, Tang Caiqin was insinuating abuse as usual. Lu Chengyuan was lying on his back with Tang Caifeng under a blanket and painfully closed his eyes.
The day picked by the Zhao family was the 8th day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar. Which is the 28th day of the 11th month of the solar calendar.
“What about your wedding room? The Dong family wants to bring a bed and a closet. What else do you need to buy? “
In this era, it is important for people to get married with three turns, one ring, sixty-five legs. Three turns and one ring[2] are another stories. includes a bed, sofa, closet, five-drawer cabinet, writing desk, and dressing table.
This furniture, the Zhao family still have it. When Zhao Donglin and Wang Mei married Zhang Qiaoer, they bought them all. But now, with this situation, Dong Jiahui has to use the things left by Wang Mei before entering the door. Zhang Qiaoer is afraid that Dong Jiahui will be wronged.
“Buy it again. Put the replaced furniture in Meixiang’s house.”
The furniture in Meixiang’s room is just old. It’s better to replace it for her.
Zhang Qiaoer nodded. The furniture looked like a big piece. In fact, it took a carpenter to make the furniture, but it cost some wood and a manual fee. It cost 100 yuan to make a set. With her son’s salary of 62 yuan a month, she was still willing to pay.
After the date was set, Zhao understood that the two families were making preparations step by step. Three months passed in a flash, and soon it was the day of marriage.
This day, just after dawn, Chen Guixiang pushed her husband to get up.
“I did not sleep well all night. We have to get up early to make preparations.”
She gave birth to four children. She had three daughters-in-law and one daughter. It is reasonable to say that, based on her experience, she should not be nervous. Not to mention that this was her daughter’s second marriage. But because of the second marriage, Chen Guixiang’s heart was more nervous.
The Zhao family was benevolent. The wedding was not half-heartedly done, but it was according to the formal wedding ceremony. The etiquette and bride price were not bad. Everyone said that Jiahui fell into blessing nest this time, and Chen Guixiang wanted to do the wedding better.
The bridegroom’s side came to pick up the bride early in the morning, and the family set up the wine at noon. Don’t think about taking time off this whole day.
“Aihua and Aimin, you two are responsible for entertaining guests today, Aiguo, you are responsible for the tobacco and wine piece. Take good care of things. Don’t get confused about what should be distributed and what shouldn’t be distributed. These are all about money. I don’t think we can use the five cartons of cigarettes sent by the Zhao family. When the wedding is over, we will divide two bags among your uncles and brothers-in-law, and the rest will be kept for the new year. “
“Yindi, you three quickly go to each house to move the borrowed tables and chairs and borrow some dishes and chopsticks. After cleaning up, Yindi goes to Jiahui’s house to accompany her and see if she needs help. Xiuyun and Juan Zi, both of you go to the kitchen and help your ninth aunt by handing over the bowl and picking up the dish. “
The family invited Aunt Jiu from the village to do the feast, and other close family members would also come over to help. This is the agreed rule of each family.
Hearing the news in the main house, the whole family got up. On this big day, wanted to screw up.
Chen Guixiang organized things clearly, and the idlest person in the whole family was the bride, Dong Jiahui.
The new bridal gown was made of red fabric. Dong Jiahui’s top was a combination of the characteristics of a cheongsam and a suit. It has a small stand collar and a half-closed waist. It has a fine and delicate structure, so when the hair passes through it, it appears to have a sweet, fair, and exquisite figure. She really has the appearance of a quiet, beautiful girl from Jiangnan in the Republic of China.
“My daughter is so pretty.”
After Dong Jiahui changed her clothes, her mother and three sisters-in-law were dumbfounded as they stared at her. Before, it was loose so it wasn’t visible. Who could have thought that this dress could line up the body so well as soon as the waist was closed? Besides, it was made according to Dong Jiahui‘s size, and it fits her very well.
“This is really the bride. Jiahui looks so beautiful when dressed in red.”
Before the wedding, Zhao Donglin took Jiahui to the county to buy clothes. Jiahui went to take a look, a clear blue, grey and green, and quite one or two pieces of eye-catching prints. The style was also the same old style, nothing new. Dong Jiahui did not buy ready-made clothes. She told Zhao Donglin to buy some fabric and she would do it herself. Zhao Donglin repeatedly confirmed that there was no problem and agreed on time.
After returning, Zhao Donglin asked someone to find a military uniform for Dong Jiahui. One reason was that he was afraid that Jiahui would not be able to make clothes in time. The other reason was that, in this era, it was popular to wear military uniforms in marriage. He also prepared a military uniform for himself.
“It is indeed more festive than the military uniform. Come on, eat this bowl of poached eggs.”
Chen Guixiang handed over a large bowl with six white and tender poached eggs and a whole bowl of brown sugar water.
“How can I eat so much?”
Six eggs…If she is not a pig, how can she eat so much?
“You will be busy all day, and you wouldn’t know when you’ll be able to eat at noon. Take your time to eat, no need to hurry. six eggs, sixty-six Dashun[3], other numbers were unlucky.”
The Zhao family came to pick her up at 9:18. It was noisy at that time. After the process, it was estimated that they could go to the Zhao family at more than 10:00. When they arrived at Shanghe village, it was another custom. As a bride, Dong Jiahui was someone that everyone looked at. How can she have a good meal?
Chen Guixiang was very serious about anything that had to do with good luck or bad luck. Dong Jiahui held the bowl. One by one, she really finished the six pouched eggs. At this time, the guests came one after another. Chen Guixiang put the bowl away, leaving Zhou Yindi, and she went out with her two other daughters-in-law.
“Let me see the bride.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a thin, long-faced middle-aged woman entered Jiahui’s room. It was none other than Jiahui’s eldest aunt, Sun Yuping, followed by her cousin Dong Xiaojuan.
Today, Dong Jiahui is getting married, and it is customary for her mother’s family to ask two men to escort her to her in-laws’ home.
Dong Changgui has a brother. It’s not appropriate to go over him. The other is Chen Guixiang’s eldest brother, that is, Dong Jiahui’s uncle.
“Oh, Hello, Jiahui is so beautiful today!”
“No, she is the bride today. That’s exactly why she’s the most beautiful today.”
Fortunately, she was accompanied by Zhou Yindi. She is the one with high emotional intelligence, and with her, Dong Jiahui can just sit back and relax, playing the role of a shy bride perfectly.
Dong Jiahui smiled and called out Sun Yuping. During this half-year, she also found out that this eldest aunt was not easy to provoke. She loves to compare everything with others. Although she was Chen Guixiang’s sister-in-law, their relationship was just normal.
In the countryside, even if such close brothers separated, they would live in another courtyard. Chen Guixiang would rather redraw a piece of the residential base than be neighbors with Sun Yuping when the two brothers, Dong Changfu and Dong Changgui, separated. It can be seen how Chen Guixiang is tired of this sister-in-law.
Dong Xiaojuan has been staring at Dong Jiahui’s clothes since she entered the house. Women were born to love beauty and have little resistance to good-looking clothes. Although she does not know fashion trends, this set of clothes is the right color and fits well. When Dong Jiahui wears it on her body, you cannot say it doesn’t look good.
Dong Xiaojuan is the one that Zhang Qiaoer mentioned earlier. She had a round face, was slightly chubby, and was not the most attractive person but she was still a good-looking girl.
These days, there are a lot of thin people. Girls like Dong Xiaojuan, who was a little chubby, give the impression that she was blessed.
She is one year younger than Dong Jiahui. She just got engaged last month. Her object was the youngest son of the carpenter in Xinhe village. The wedding date was set in March after the New Year.
These two cousins are the favorite daughters of the family. They compare everything from their childhood. After Dong Jiahui married Lu’s family, because Lu Yougen was the leader of the production team, Sun Yuping tried hard to find a better object for her daughter. When Dong Jiahui divorced, Sun Yuping comforted her in her mouth, but in fact, she was very happy. She could not bear seeing Chen Guixiang’s daughter doing well.
When Dong Xiaojuan saw Dong Jiahui dressed up so nicely, there was some slight jealousy in her heart.
“Sister Jiahui, this dress of yours is really nice, can you make one for me next year when I get married?”
Dong Jiahui smiled. She did not respond or refuse. She pointed to the bench in the house and said, “Eldest aunt, Xiaojuan, you can sit down for a while.”
There was a red tray on the bedside table with peanuts, melon seeds and fruit candies. Dong Jiahui grabbed a handful of each and gave it to them.
She has always believed that when views are irreconcilable, it’s a waste of breath to continue the discussion, especially on a day like today. She didn’t want to bother talking to this mother and daughter. When she marries the Zhao family, it’s still her choice whether she will communicate with them in the future.
The relatives and neighbors who came to Dong Jiahui’s house were all entertained by Zhou Yindi. At nine o’clock, firecrackers sounded outside, and someone could be heard shouting from afar, “Come on, come on, the groom is coming to pick up the bride with a tractor!”
The people in the house couldn’t sit still. They all ran out to see the excitement. Yindi stayed with Jiahui because she could not let the bride be alone.
Chen Guixiang and Dong Changgui had been waiting in the house for a long time. The window of Dong Jiahui’s house was facing the door. Zhou Yindi stretched out her neck to look out of the window and said to Jiahui.
“Here he comes, Donglin came in, he was with a few boys driving a tractor. Donglin was in uniform, looking energetic.”
Dong Jiahui sat on the edge of the bed and looked through the crack, just in time to see a green figure entering the yard.
“Dad, mom, I’ve come to pick up Jiahui.”
This is Zhao Donglin’s first formal occasion where he changed the way he called them. Chen Guixiang and Dong Changgui’s eyes were a little sour. Even if this is not the first time they have married their daughter, they are very happy to see such a lively son-in-law!
“Good, from now on you are our family’s son-in-law. Your father and I do not ask for anything else. We only want you to treat Jiahui well, and live with her in harmony.”
Zhao Donglin solemnly nodded his head and agreed. “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I will treat Jiahui well. Please be at ease in leaving Jiahui to me.”
Chen Guixiang nodded with tears in her eyes and said to him with a smile, “Okay, you are a good boy. We are very relieved. Jiahui is in the house, you go and pick her up.”
When the words just fell, Jiahui’s cousin-in-law shouted in the crowd, “Hey, it’s not so easy for the bridegroom to meet the bride. The father-in-law and mother-in-law have passed the test, and we as the relatives, at least, you have to show something for us.”
Zhao Donglin smiled. He calmly opened his mouth and said, “Okay, what do you want to ask?”
A lot of sugar and cigarettes have been scattered on the way to the wedding team. Zhao Donglin also prepared stamps to send to the children as a meeting ceremony. Cousin-in-law’s words have no beginning or end. Everyone has only one idea. People don’t mind marrying a daughter. What do you want to express when you come out?
“Then let’s sing a song!”
“Yes, sing a song!”
The crowd did not want to let the sisters-in-law have an opportunity. No one knew who shouted a sentence for Zhao Donglin to sing, and immediately received the response from others.
“Then I will sing a military song, ‘Unity is Strength’. From now on, we are relatives, we are a family. This song is also appropriate.”
After that, Zhao Donglin began to sing the military song. After all, he came out of the military camp. His voice was sonorous and powerful. The people who listened to it were boiling with blood. After one song, everyone clapped their hands and cheered!
References <th>↑1</th> TN: the hiccup means to die or died. <th>↑2</th> TN: “Three turns and one ring” means that you must have bicycles, sewing machines, watches, and radios when you get married. “Three turns and one ring” is a popular term in the 1970s and 1980s. <th>↑3</th> TN: sixty-six Dashun originally referred to the sixth day of the sixth day of the lunar calendar. It is mostly used to wish middle-aged people a happy family, smooth work, a successful career, and good health.</tbody></table>