The next day, the sun was shining brightly, and the north wind that had been blowing for several days stopped today.
It was a good day for Zhengjun to get married, and Qian Shulan, as an elder, naturally had to attend. She asked Liu Yueqin to take the two of them to visit the chicken farm last night.
Qian Weihan drove a tractor and took Zhengjun, Zhengguo, the little donkey, Qian Yuetao and Wang Shouli to Linjia Village to pick up the bride.
All of these family members who work in the county town took leave and returned home yesterday afternoon.
Zhengjun was wearing a brand new black Zhongshan suit and sitting on a stool, his eyes filled with unconcealable joy.
As the elder, Wang Shouli was responsible for distributing wedding candies.
When they arrived at Linjia Village, Lin Wenlin and his wife were wearing new clothes and standing at the door of the main hall to welcome the guests.
Unlike the Wang family, the Lin family did not hold a banquet.
Visitors to the house usually bring wedding candies and cigarettes.
When the auspicious time came, firecrackers were set off, the bride and groom got on the tractor, and all the young men on the tractor had to walk back.
The members of Linjia Village all looked at the two people on the tractor with envy.
What an enviable thing it is to be able to marry into Wangjia Village.
Their production team has been named an advanced production team for ten consecutive terms, and its work points are far higher than those of other production teams.
I heard that the family with the lowest work points can get three or four hundred yuan, and the most can get over a thousand.
Many production teams wanted to marry their daughters to Wangjia Village, and they all asked matchmakers to come and propose marriage.
The young men in Wangjia Village are probably the ones who have the least trouble finding a wife in the surrounding area.
Arriving at Lao Wang's house, the group walked in on time. Then Wang Shouquan presided over the wedding process, and after the oath, they had a banquet.
The harvest was good this year, and several families in Wangjia Village held wedding banquets.
Qian Shulan followed the crowd and held a banquet.
The standard of the banquet was based on that of the previous families and was not too extravagant.
It is still a special period. Even if they live a good life, they may attract bad people. If they do something too extreme, it will become a handle for others to attack them.
Sixteen dishes were prepared for each table, eight cold and eight hot.
The meat dishes are made from local ingredients, including braised fish, braised rooster and stewed chicken with mushrooms.
Most of the other vegetarian dishes are dry goods. After all, vegetarian dishes in winter are still quite expensive.
There are cold-boiled radish strips, vinegar-fried cabbage, cabbage stewed with vermicelli, stir-fried grandma's vegetables, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, sweet potato meatballs, cold-boiled spinach and so on.
The staple food is multi-grain steamed buns mixed with corn flour and sorghum flour.
Although everyone in Wangjia Village has the same surname, there are still differences in closeness and distance.
Close relatives like Qian Weihan, Liu Yueqin, Xu Cuilan and Lu Xiuhong came with their whole families.
Other families can only come one person.
But even if only one person comes, it is not easy to prepare meals for more than 500 people.
Fortunately, Lao Wang’s family has Qian Shulan, a cheating device.
A few days ago, she made a special trip to the county town and when she came back she brought back a carriage full of vegetables and grain.
This time, not only people from the production team came to join in the fun, but even the educated youth came along.
When the money was distributed at the end of the year, except for Ge Xiaoyun and Su Aiguo who received 73 yuan, the others only received more than 30 yuan.
They have the same amount of food as everyone else, but they are not as frugal as the country people. They live a hard life and often overeat.
This time, when they heard that the Wang family was going to have a wedding, the happiest people were not the Wang family members, but them.
Because they can have a hearty meal.
They had no food coupons, so even if they had some money, they couldn't buy anything.
But it’s the same with banquets. As long as you give a gift, you can have a good meal.
Gifts in the countryside are not expensive, and ordinary people only need to pay fifty cents. But you can have a lunch with fish and meat, which is really the best.
Except for Wei Jianshe who was still doing labor reform in the commune, all the other educated youth came.
After coming in, they all ran to register their accounts, for fear that others would think they were there to eat alone.
Sun Daqin saw that this group of people had also come, and approached her mother-in-law, "Why are they here too?"
Qian Shulan waved her hand, "Come on, if you want. They don't want to eat alone anyway."
Sun Daqin thought so too and didn't say anything.
When the banquet was served, the villagers praised them for their good banquet. Qian Shulan did not cook this time, but found a family in a nearby production team that specialized in hosting wedding banquets to help cook.
The educated youth were relieved to see that the villagers had no objection to their arrival.
Shen Yanhong was a little nervous at first, but when she saw that no one reacted, she finally felt relieved.
"Let's go find the factory director first." Kong Qiuyun originally felt a little guilty. After all, he came uninvited, and it would be a huge loss of face if he was kicked out by the host.
"Director, congratulations!" Kong Qiuyun congratulated Qian Shulan with a smile.
Qian Shulan smiled and nodded, "You are here too? In the future, you should get in touch with the villagers more often. Most of our villagers are hardworking and simple farmers. Don't be afraid!"
Kong Qiuyun uttered a heavy "hmm".
"When this row of seats is finished, you can go in quickly."
"good!"
As she was talking, someone else came over to congratulate her, and Qian Shulan started talking to that person.
Shen Yanhong hugged Kong Qiuyun and walked away, whispering in her ear, "The factory director didn't blame us." Her tone was full of relief.
Kong Qiuyun looked back and saw the factory director talking to the man with a smile on his face. She nodded.
While they were chatting and laughing, someone suddenly ran in, "Grandma, Grandma, Director Ma is here."
Everyone looked surprised, but most of them were terrified. Could they be here to arrest them
Everyone put down what they were holding and leaned towards the door.
As soon as Director Ma, his wife and son entered the courtyard, they were met with pairs of eyes that were either scrutinizing, angry, or nervous.
He looked around at everyone's faces and finally locked onto Qian Shulan, laughing, "Aunt Qian, you didn't even inform me of your grandson's wedding, which is such a big event. That's really mean of you."
Qian Shulan smiled and invited the person in. "I was just worried that you were too busy to come. Please come in."
Then he invited the person into the house.
Seeing him greeting Qian Shulan with a smile on his face, everyone's tense nerves immediately relaxed.
Shen Yanhong retracted her surprised look and nudged Kong Qiuyun next to her, "Oh my God, the chairman of the Revolutionary Committee actually came to congratulate them."
Kong Qiuyun also had a look of disbelief on her face.
In the main room, Qian Shulan asked Sun Daqin to pour water for the three people.
While they were talking, another person came in and said, "Mom, County Magistrate Jiang and his family are here too."
Qian Shulan didn't even bother to talk to Director Ma and hurried out to greet him.
Fang Yonglin walked in front with Wang Danna and their two children, followed by the Jiang family.
This time, all the educated youth were surprised.
When the little donkey got married, these educated youth were not familiar with the villagers, so naturally they did not come to join in the fun.
But this time, they finally realized that the Wang family was really not simple.
Qian Shulan invited all the distinguished guests to the main hall.
Qian Shulan was pulled aside by Jiang Chengwu to talk, "You really can't stay idle."
Qian Shulan was amused by him, "My grandson is getting married, how can I be idle?"
Jiang Chengwu blushed, "I wanted to play a game of chess with you, but it seems that it won't work."
Qian Shulan laughed, "I still have time to play chess with you. It won't take an hour."
Jiang Chengwu's face froze, and he muttered, "You are so immodest. I will make it to 61 minutes no matter what this time."
County Magistrate Jiang stood by and shook his head helplessly.
Jiang Chengwu saw his action and immediately looked unhappy, "What do you mean?"
County Magistrate Jiang was caught by his own father and felt a little embarrassed, "Dad, your ambition is just one minute longer. It's too..."
Jiang Chengwu snorted and glared at him, "It's easy to talk while standing. If you can hold on for half an hour, you'll be awesome."
Before County Magistrate Jiang could say anything, Chen Jieying pushed him and told him to shut up.
Seeing him looking at her innocently, Chen Jieying leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Don't say anything if you haven't seen it!"
Qian Shulan called Wang Shouli and asked him to continue to preside over the work.
Then she took out the chess set from the drawer and placed it on the table. "My dear, if I win, what reward will you give me?"
Jiang Chengwu glanced at her and said as a matter of course, "It's normal for you to beat me. If I beat you, you should give me a reward."
Qian Shulan was speechless. "It hasn't even started yet, and you're already so unconfident. It looks like you're doomed to fail based on your momentum."
Jiang Chengwu sighed heavily and said nothing.
Qian Weihan, County Magistrate Jiang, and Director Ma all came over to watch the fun.
Ma Yunhao looked around in the crowd before saying to his mother, "Mom, I want to go play with my little sister."
Guo Mingxia was also paying attention just now, but did not notice Xiao Min.
She was also worried that her son would go looking for her and lose her child again, so she held her son's hand and walked out.
When she arrived at the gate, Guo Mingxia found that Xiao Min was playing sandbags with two friends.
"Xiao Min!" Ma Yunhao's eyes sparkled, he broke free from his mother's hand and ran over.
Xiao Min turned around and saw that it was Ma Yunhao. She smiled and said, "Little brother, you are here!"
Ma Yunhao saw that she was supporting herself on one leg and seemed about to collapse, so he hurried forward to support her.
Paopao quickly accused her loudly, "You broke the rules."
Dandan also followed his brother and echoed, "Yes, yes, Xiaomin, you are fine."
Xiao Min immediately put her foot down in frustration, "Okay, I lose, you guys come!"
As he said this, he pulled Ma Yunhao aside to make room.
Ma Yunhao observed the faces of Paopao and Dandan for a long time and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Min, do you know who is who?" These two people look exactly the same.
Xiao Min pointed at Paopao who was playing with sandbags and said, "This is Paopao." Then she pointed at Dandan who was standing outside the court and watching, "This is Dandan, he's my younger brother."
Ma Yunhao scratched his head, confused.
Xiao Min was afraid that he would be bored, so she casually invited him, "Do you want to play with us?"
Ma Yunhao curled his lips with a look of disgust, "I don't want it, this is for girls to play with."
Paopao, who was jumping around, almost fell flat on his face when he heard this. When he got up from the ground, he immediately rushed over, "What did you say? Who is the girl?"
Xiao Min quickly pulled the man away, "Brother Paopao, he was just joking."
Ma Yunhao was almost knocked down by Paopao, and he was a little panicked, but he was never one to read other people's faces. He stiffened his neck and said, "What did I say wrong? How can a boy play with sandbags?"
Paopao was so angry that he wanted to rush over again, but Xiaomin quickly stopped him and glared at Ma Yunhao, "If you don't want to play, then don't play. Why are you talking about my brother? You are not a good person. I don't want to play with you."
Then he pulled Paopao to continue playing, "Brother Paopao, let's ignore him."
Ma Yunhao felt extremely aggrieved for being left out. He stood alone on the sidelines, feeling pitiful and helpless.
Xiao Min did what she said and really ignored him.
Ma Yunhao felt wronged and wanted to cry, but he was afraid that someone would see him and say he was not a manly person, so he endured it.
After the game was over, Xiao Min asked her two brothers to continue playing, "I'll send him to his mother's place."
Paopao was no longer angry and waved his hand generously.
Xiao Min came over, took Ma Yunhao home, found a secluded place, and looked at him helplessly, "Why are you speaking so bluntly? Don't you know that you are annoying when you speak like that?"
Ma Yunhao looked down at her hands, which were small, soft, and seemingly a little rough.
His face immediately turned red, and he whispered, "I'm not wrong, that's a game for girls."
Xiao Min looked at him with a stern face, and Ma Yunhao's eyes turned red with grievance, "Don't leave, I won't say anything, okay?"
Xiao Min looked at him and insisted, "It's just a toy, there's no difference between men and women."
Ma Yunhao was worried about angering her, so he had to change his words, “Yes, yes, you are right.”
His eyes were filled with tears. After being forced to say this, he looked at her aggrievedly. Xiao Min burst out laughing at his amusement.
After laughing, Xiao Min rubbed her belly and educated him righteously, "I'm telling you, you'll easily get beaten if you keep your mouth shut like this. My brother Paopao is taller and stronger than you, he can beat you up until you scream."
Ma Yunhao didn't believe it and pouted, "My grandfather is a general, and I want to be a general in the future, so how could I be defeated by him?"
"Really? But you're not like that now." Xiao Min looked at his small body, "You're too thin."
Ma Yunhao was despised by her, his face flushed red, he stamped his feet, and said, "I will definitely grow taller and stronger in the future."
Xiao Min still didn't believe it and continued to reason with him, "But your father and your mother are not tall. Height is inherited from your parents."
Ma Yunhao was really mad at her this time and cried, "I don't believe it, you are lying to me."
He ran back to the main room in anger, but did not find his mother there. Instead, his father was watching a chess game with great interest.
Xiao Min followed him and whispered in his ear, "The adults are busy, please don't talk yet."
Seeing that she spoke so seriously, Ma Yunhao could only suppress his irritation and wait quietly.
The room was very quiet. There were clearly seven or eight people in it, but it was so quiet that the only sound was each other's breathing.
At some point, a male voice suddenly broke the silence, "Dad, you have no way out!"
Jiang Chengwu turned around and glanced at his son, then said helplessly, "Yes, I lost."
Qian Shulan was worried that the two would quarrel, "My dear relatives, let's eat."
Jiang Chengwu then realized that they were here to attend a wedding.
After putting away the chessboard, Qian Shulan began to ask people to serve the dishes to the table.
Their table was the last one, and all the dishes for other tables had been served.
Even the daughters-in-law were eating in the east room with their children.
Sitting at the table were the Ma family's three members, the Jiang family's three members, Qian Shulan and Xiaomin, Fang Yonglin and Wang Danna, and the guests were Qian Weihan and Wang Shouli.
While eating, Ma Yunhao held his mother's hand and asked, "Mom, will I not grow taller in the future?"
Guo Mingxia smiled and shook her head. "As long as you are not picky about food, you will grow very tall in the future." After that, she picked up a piece of spinach, which he disliked the most, with chopsticks and gave it to him.
She used this method in the past to prevent her son from being picky about food.
Ma Yunhao pointed at Xiao Min, "But she said that my height is inherited from you. I won't be taller in the future."
Xiao Min lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly. After thinking for a while, she raised it again, "Aunt, am I wrong?"
How could Guo Mingxia understand this
Qian Shulan saw that she looked a little embarrassed and said hurriedly, "Genetics only accounts for a part. The bigger part is that you need to eat enough and not be picky about food."
Xiao Min blushed with embarrassment and said to Ma Yunhao next to her, "I was wrong. You must eat more in the future so that you can grow taller."
Ma Yunhao finally stopped struggling and patted his chest, "I will definitely grow taller and become a general in the future, and I will definitely defeat your brother."
Xiao Min couldn't respond to this. You beat my brother, should I praise you? I should be very sad.
After dinner, the guests left one after another.
Ma Yunhao held Xiao Min's hand reluctantly, "I will come to play with you again in the future. I will grow taller."
Xiao Min smiled and nodded.
Qian Shulan sent the person to the village entrance and took Xiao Min with her and walked back.
Qian Shulan was about to go to the chicken farm to take a look, but Xiao Min noticed Yuan Zeyang standing under a tree.
Her eyes lit up and she pointed at him, "Grandma, I'm going to go play with Brother Xiaoyang."
Qian Shulan touched her head and said, "Okay! Don't forget to go home."
"Okay!" After saying that, she skipped and ran to the tree.
The author has something to say: The reason why the heroine asked Liu Fangming to choose between the two is because she simply cannot take care of both. This time she hurt herself, and next time she might lose her child. She cannot have the best of both worlds in her situation.