Chapter 20
In addition to the ancient architecture of the Weizhuang Commune, there are many rituals and ceremonies left over from ancient times
For example, in the case of marriage, there are many rituals and ceremonies from the time the matchmaker arrives at the door to the wedding
Take Xu Man and Lu Yuanzheng as an example
After the matchmaker came to Lu Yuanzheng’s door, the Xu family agreed that they should ask the matchmaker to return the favor
But this step was skipped by Lu Yuanzheng
After the matchmaker had passed on the willingness of both parties to go further, the two young men went on their first date in the company of the matchmaker
If they were satisfied with each other, they would make a date to bring each other home to meet their parents
Xu Wen followed Lu Yuanzheng to his home first, and then Xu Wen brought Lu Yuanzheng to his own home
It’s not the same day that you meet your parents, so it’s often a long time between meetings to get to know each other a little better
Of course, Lu Yuanzheng skipped this step
After meeting each other’s parents, it was time for both parents to meet
After the parents meet, there is the handkerchief exchange
The exchange of handkerchiefs is the man and the woman each prepare a side of handkerchiefs, and exchange them with each other on the day of the exchange of handkerchiefs, which is somewhat similar to the exchange of tokens in ancient times
After this step, the bride price is placed, choose a good day, invite the gongs and drums team, a group of people with a cart to push the bride price or oxcart pulled to the woman’s home to place the bride price
After the bride price is selected It is to choose a good day for marriage
It is also called engagement
After choosing a good day to the wedding day before some of the trivial rituals and etiquette
And most of these are to be skipped by Lu Yuanzheng
He can’t afford to spend money on his special occupation
The Xu family understands his situation and knows that he is not slowing down Xu Wen, and agrees that Lu Yuanzheng will exchange handkerchiefs with his in-laws, place a bride price and choose a date for the many rituals and ceremonies together, and directly exempts the man and woman from meeting each other’s parents in this part
The first thing you need to do is to follow the matchmaker directly to the door As for himself, he has no father and no mother to bring Xu asked to see
So, Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Qiushi together, directly to the remaining steps are all combined into one step
It is said to be a meeting of the in-laws, but it can also be directly called an engagement
“June is a baby’s day, but in July the weather is still as changeable as a child’s This rain comes at the drop of a hat! This rain came at the drop of a hat” Zhu Meizhen complained as she ran
Xu Wen didn’t answer, nor could she, as the weather was not a factor
The two of them had just run out from under the watchful eye of the law enforcement brigade when it started to rain
She ran with Zhu Meizhen with a basket of vegetables in one hand and her eyes covered with the other
In theory, if it rains, no one has to work, so Zhu Meizhen can go to the production team and ask a few people to come to the house to help out, and the members of the community have no way to earn work credits in the rain anyway
It’s just a bit of a hassle if it’s raining and Lu Yuanzheng has to pay the bride price, what if something gets damaged?
Besides, it’s not easy to hire people, and the Xu family is too small to move around
Zhu Meizhen was still worried
“Mom, don’t think so much, just keep it simple The red tape is time-consuming and expensive” Xu Man didn’t like the hassle, if she could decide, she would like to travel and get married, but unfortunately she couldn’t
“You only get married once in your life, how can you keep it simple? It’s already hard enough for you to get married to Xiaozheng, but how can it be any simpler when so many rituals have been simplified into a single step? Thanks to Xiaozheng, he’s still a good guy, and he’s genuinely looking out for you”
Hearing this, Xu asked, “Mom, what did Lu Yuanzheng say to you and my dad? Why did you all suddenly nod your heads in agreement”
Zhu Meizhen glanced at Xu Man and hesitated, still shaking her head and refusing to tell her, “Nothing was said Hurry up and go! Things are getting wet in a while”
Xu Man: “”
What a rarity, the whole family together keeping their mouths shut to her
The more the family was like this, the more curious Xu Man was
After all, Zhu Meizhen was not a person who could hide her words
For Zhu Meizhen to be able to keep it a secret and not mention it, what exactly did Lu Yuanzheng say to her parents?
Zhu Meizhen looked down at the hen in her hand that was drenched by the rain to cackle, and then looked at the vegetable basket Xu Man was carrying, and sighed softly, “I can’t earn Comrade Xiao Wen’s cheapness for nothing, and I’ll have to send this chicken back to him again”
Xu Man shook his head, “No need You can’t find him now The car that was surrounded by the law enforcement brigade is his I’m afraid that carload of stuff has been confiscated”
In fact, Xu Man guessed that the law enforcement brigade had raided the place just to catch Wen Yiming and the others
In order to make a living, the people do some scattered small business, the commune cadres can turn a blind eye, after all, like Xu asked the family to sell chickens like this, can not go a few times a year
Wen Yiming and the others were different, they were real speculators
If she hadn’t guessed wrongly, all those assorted commodities on the van were dumped back from the south like Shenzhen or something like that for sale by Wen Yiming and the others
“Really?” Zhu Meizhen was so shocked that she almost threw out the hen in her hand, “You’re saying that the car is Wen Yiming’s?”
Xu Wen nodded, “Eight or nine times”
These days, a car can be much more expensive than a house
Where did Wen Yiming get so much money at such a young age?
Not only does he have money, he also has brains and guts
He has a lot of secrets
“That’s against the law!” Zhu Meizhen shook her head repeatedly with a look of fear, “Speculation is a felony Fortunately, you didn’t marry him Comrade Wen looks like a nerd, how did he get so bold?”
She recalled the Wen Yiming she saw today, and sighed softly, “I’m afraid he’s just pretending for everyone to see I think that look today is the real thing”
Xu Wen nodded, she thought so too
Zhu Meizhen glanced at the basket of vegetables that Xu Man was carrying, “Then let’s take advantage of it today, and when he’s fine, we’ll give him the money”
“Good”
“Hurry up and go! I don’t know if Xiaozheng and the others have arrived yet”
“Definitely not It’s not even seven o’clock yet” What kind of person comes to meet their in-laws early in the morning?
Xu Wen’s mother and daughter arrived home to find the Xu family already fully dressed and gathered around Lu Yuanzheng, who shouldn’t be here at this time
“Why are you here so early?” Xu Man asked Lu Yuanzheng with a puzzled expression
Lu Yuanzheng got up and naturally took the vegetable basket from Xu Man’s hands, pointing to the inner room, “Go change your clothes first! Don’t catch a cold until later”
Xu family members:” “We’re here as guests?
Xu asked, ” “Aren’t you being overly self-congratulatory?
But she didn’t say anything and nodded her head to enter the inner room
Zhu Meizhen entered the door a little later than Xu asked, she had to go to the chicken coop to put the chickens back before coming back
When Zhu Meizhen went to change her clothes, Xu Qiushi followed her into the house, “You’re directly changing into the clothes to meet the guests, right? Yuanzheng said that he would stop by the restaurant for lunch to talk about things”
Zhu Meizhen frowned, “How expensive is that restaurant food? Why doesn’t this kid know how to save money?”
“Expedition is thinking of you It’s saying that it’s hot and hard for you to cook on such a hot day it’s not necessary Besides, it’s raining now, so the stove outside can’t be used, and I’m afraid the stove in the house will pour out smoke this day At that time, there’s no way to stay in the house, how can we talk about things?” Xu Qiushi paused after finishing his sentence, somewhat happy, “Actually, I think he’s afraid that it’s financially difficult for us to entertain so many people This kid is steady and careful Besides, if we entertain at home, it’s not easy for a dozen or so people to sit in a place the size of a palm, so it’s better to go to a restaurant Yuanzheng said that he had made reservations with the restaurant and asked us to go there directly”
Zhu Meizhen answered, and told the story of Wen Yiming’s encounter in Xiaoliu Street today Asked Xu Qiushi: “Ask that van is Wen Yiming’s, do you think it’s true?”
Xu Qiushi shook his head, “I don’t know But ask this child since childhood does not talk nonsense, since she opened that 80% is true No wonder Ask doesn’t like Wen Yiming, this daughter doesn’t know who she follows, she’s smart and has good ideas”
Zhu Meizhen proudly tilted her head, “That’s right, you don’t look at who gave birth to her!”
Xu Qiushi nodded, somewhat perfunctorily: “You’re the one who gave birth to it, and you deserve the most credit You slowly change, I’ll go out and take a look”
Xu Qiushi walked out of the inner room, and Lu Yuanzheng was preparing to go home
“Why don’t you go back after breakfast?” Xu Qiushi left him
“No, Uncle Dongsheng is at home by himself, he should be awake by now”
Lu Yuanzheng purposely came early in the morning because he was afraid that the Xu family would tighten their belts to buy food, and he wanted to come to find Xu to ask for a word, but he didn’t expect to come a step too late
Send off the road expedition, the family around the table to eat breakfast
Mixed grain nests with clear porridge and salted vegetables
“Xiaozheng this kid is really thorough” Zhu Meizhen looked at her son-in-law and became more and more satisfied, “This is going to be the in-laws at the hotel and we are still the first family in the commune Those people who chew on us behind our backs might say something”
Xu Wen bristled, “This is a waste of money not living, what good?”
He said so, but the expression on his face was different
Sang Xiaoqing said, “It’s not a waste of money Comrade Xiao Lu knows that our family is not in good condition, and he is afraid that it will be difficult for us to treat our guests This is a sign that he cares to ask! This point is better than Wen Yiming, I’m afraid that Wen Yiming is not so careful”
Zhu Meizhen shook her head, “Don’t mention Wen Yiming”
She told Wen Yiming about her encounter in Xiaoliu Street in the morning
“Ask, are all the goods in that car really Wen Yiming’s?” Xu Wen was still a bit unconvinced
Xu Wen nodded, “It should be I’ve seen him with the guys selling the goods, and they called Wen Yiming ‘Boss'”
“Tsk!” Xu Wen sucked in a breath, “I didn’t expect this kid to be really daring”
Grandma said, “This Wen family kid is quite powerful I’ve heard that in their family, he’s the only one who can say anything, and even his parents listen to him I didn’t expect him to be so bold”
Grandma’s legs were pretty good, and she often chatted with the other old women in the production team who were not capable of working Since Xu Man was being talked about, she hadn’t stopped asking about Lu Yuanzheng and Wen Yiming, the two young men
Lu Yuanzheng is a widower with a son He hasn’t been home for several years
He was away from home for several years, and the people in his production team didn’t know much about him, not even when he got married and had a child
Wen Yiming has been living in the commune, hidden even better, often meet the neighbors will notice one or two
It is said that before Wen Yiming really is a nerd, very mute, has been reading results are not very good
The year before last, he failed to get into high school
Once went to the county bookstore to buy books on the road accident, was hit by a car, hit his head
The injury was not serious, and he was hospitalized for a few days
But people like to be knocked open, become smarter, not only to get into high school, for people in the world is also particularly smooth
He and the owner of the car hit him do not know how to discuss, the other side compensated his family a sum of money, but also his parents arranged into the commune to eat commercial food
In the beginning of the year, but all can drive a car is not cadres or big money
Later, Wen Yiming’s family changed the big house, conditions are getting better and better
Wen Yiming also became the commune’s people praise of other people’s children
“Everyone thought it was because the Wen family’s two families ate commercial food, but I didn’t realize it was the Wen family’s kid who earned it by speculating” Grandma sighed and shook her head, “Fortunately, ask didn’t agree to marry him This money earned sleeps uneasily”
Sang Xiaoqing is also open-mouthed, a burst of fear: “In case of being caught that is to be sentenced Ask if marrying over is not a good idea”
Since then the Xu family had finally agreed that they all felt that Lu Yuanzheng was better than Wen Yiming
They are all just law-abiding common people, but they don’t dare to follow the person who will be arrested and sent to jail as in-laws
The restaurant where they had lunch was the same one that Xu Man and Lu Yuanzheng went to yesterday
Xu Man looked suspiciously at Lu Yuanzheng, who was standing at the door to welcome the guests
She reasonably suspected that Lu Yuanzheng had invited her to dinner yesterday only in passing, and had mainly come here to try out the dishes
Lu Yuanzheng didn’t know what Xu Man was thinking, and if he did, he would have cried foul
He had been thinking last night about how he could get the Xu family to accept the fact that he was responsible for buying vegetables
If he were to send money and food, the Xu family would not accept it
If you invite them to his home for dinner, it will look like you are not sincere to the woman
It’s really not a good idea
Dongsheng reminded him, “Dad, if you’re invited to dinner, why don’t you just grab the money?”
That’s how Lu Yuanzheng and his comrades occasionally went to restaurants!
What’s so worrying about buying dinner? Three-and-a-half-year-old Dongsheng didn’t understand
It was only then that Lu Yuanzheng thought of going out to eat
Although Wei Zhuang had no such precedent before, his proposal to marry Ben had been an exception
The Xu family had borrowed an oxcart from the production team to come over, and with her grandmother wrapped in small feet, it was impractical to walk so far
In addition to their family of seven, but also in the production team invited three familiar with the wedding process and have prestige to pressure
Xu Wen also stood beside Lu Yuanzheng, waiting with him for the guests to enter the door before the two of them walked in side by side
In the center of the hotel hall, four tables were placed side by side, but they were still full
Xu Man’s family alone came with ten people of all sizes
Lu Yuanzheng although his parents are not in, but in order to show the importance of Xu Man, in addition to the two uncles and production team prestigious people in addition to the commune also invited two cadres
Xu Wen heard them greetings, these two cadres in the commune position is quite high
About the relationship of Lu Yuanzheng to greet in advance, the food is also very fast, in a short while to set the table
The food is also very sumptuous, although not to a full banquet, but meat and vegetables with dozens of dishes is enough to dazzle people
Xu Wen had thought that it would be difficult to reach a consensus when so many people were sitting together to discuss the wedding
This was the case when Xu Wen married Sang Xiaoqing
Sang Xiaoqing’s family’s production team is not that far away from the Taoyuan production brigade, but the two families still have some differences in the customs of marriage
There are always some small details that can’t be agreed upon
These small details do not cost much money, but they are □□□ customs, no one is willing to step back
The Xu family is actually good at talking, most of the time willing to take a step back, but if they give in to one point, all according to Sang Xiaoqing family, then Taoyuan production brigade in the future to get married to the young man is not also have to give in!
So even if the Xu family was willing, the prestigious principals were not
Both sides of you back and forth, bargaining, a little bit of small things have to discuss half a day
In the middle, both sides had a couple of bad discussions
Xu Wen married Sang Xiaoqing, is step by step, every step of etiquette are in place, often a meal to eat a day, both sides are still more or less unpleasant
And the two sides argued is just a bride to get married stepping stone there or not this trivial matter
The so-called stepping stone is that the bride will usually sit on her own kang before being taken away
In some places, a stone is placed by the side of the kang, and two cents are pressed underneath the stone
Sang Xiaoqing’s family has this rule, but the Taoyuan brigade doesn’t
It sounds like the two sides are arguing over the matter of two cents
It’s not that the Xu family is stingy, it’s that the Taoyuan brigade doesn’t agree to take a step back
Such small differences, to the marriage can have dozens of places
Xu asked to come before I thought, he and Lu Yuanzheng married, even if because of the rain will be hired to push back the matter, but all of a sudden will be in-laws to change handkerchiefs booking days all get all of them, for fear of staying up all night to talk about it
Who wants to no matter what the Xu family said, Lu Yuanzheng side of the people are uniformly nodded in agreement
The promise is quite fast, not even half the meaning of negotiation
Xu Wen happened to be next to Lu Yuanzheng and touched him under the table, “What’s the situation here?”
This was too abnormal, even if Lu Yuanzheng was willing, why didn’t these cadres object?