Kong Xuefang got married at the educated youth compound. The female comrades from the compound came to her room as her family members and were all very envious of her clothes and appearance.

Kong Xuefang wasn't ugly to begin with. She wasn't very tall, but her skin was quite nice, not too dark, just a little yellow. She had almond-shaped eyes, a pouty nose, and a slightly pouty mouth, which made her look a bit young. The red shirt she wore made her skin look quite fair. Jiang Ruyu had also given her a tube of lipstick. She had shaped her own eyebrows, just by touching them with a matchstick, and then applied the cream that Jiang Ruyu had given her.

Most importantly, she has a good temperament and is very poised and confident.

"Oh my, Xuefang, you don't look so good when you're not dressed up, but you look so handsome now. You and Jiang Jun are a perfect match."

"Yes, your shirt is really nice, the color is perfect."

Kong Xuefang was showered with compliments from everyone, whether they were sincere or not. She accepted them all with a smile, saying, "Thank you for coming to my wedding. Here, have some candy."

Jiang Ruyu has already gone back. She is a relative of the groom's family and is supposed to come with the wedding procession. Although there aren't as many rules now, some procedures still need to be followed. People in rural areas still pay a lot of attention to these procedures.

Jiang Jun put on the new white shirt, black pants, and black leather shoes that Jiang Jianguo had brought him: "These were prepared by your mother and your eldest sister, and they fit you quite well."

Jiang Jun lowered his eyes and said nothing. The male educated youths also came to his side and offered their blessings.

Then comes the procession to fetch the bride. The custom is that the way they come and go cannot be the same, supposedly because it's considered unlucky to go back the same way.

Jiang Jun, along with Jiang Ruyu and the other men, entered the educated youth compound from the east side via a small path. After being given a perfunctory challenge by the female educated youth, they successfully took the bride away. (ps: Jiang Jun carried her away.)

This action caused the young men and women to howl like wolves. Kong Xuefang also shyly nestled into Jiang Jun's arms. Her face, which was not covered in makeup, showed a natural blush, adding a unique charm to her beauty.

With the Party branch secretary acting as the officiant, he said a few words of encouragement and blessing. The newlyweds then set up a portrait of a leader, bowed three times to Jiang Jianguo, and offered him a cup of tea. Finally, Jiang Jun couldn't hold back his tears and kowtowed to his father. Kong Xuefang followed suit.

Jiang Jianguo was originally very happy that his son was finally getting married, and he could finally put down his burden. However, he did not expect his two children to pull this stunt, which brought tears to his eyes.

"What are you doing? This isn't the custom anymore. Get up, good children. Come on, Dad has prepared big red envelopes for you."

With a choked voice, Jiang Jianguo pulled his son and daughter-in-law to their feet, while Jiang Ruyu helped her sister-in-law up. This gesture brought tears to the eyes of the onlookers.

The ceremony ended right after Jiang Jianguo gave out two large red envelopes. Jiang Ruyu took out a bag of fruit candies, put them in a winnowing basket covered with red paper, and took it out to scatter them. This is called scattering wedding candies, which is one of the reasons why young people nowadays like to get married, as they can eat candy and meat.

After the ceremony, the two banquet tables were set up. The educated youth from the educated youth compound helped set the tables and serve the dishes. Jiang Ruyu and Kong Xuefang were in charge of preparing the dishes, while Jiang Jianguo and Jiang Jun assisted.

Two tables were set up, and the banquet was quite nice. There was braised pig's head with green beans and eggplant, stir-fried pig's ears with chili peppers, and cold dishes of pig's snout and tongue, with cucumbers added as well.

Two large pots of stew were made with a rooster and potatoes, two dishes of stir-fried rabbit, stir-fried mushrooms, dry-fried green beans, braised eggplant, and finally, a tomato and egg soup. Eight dishes and one soup, a total of nine dishes, chosen for their auspicious meaning of longevity. In addition, there were steamed buns made from a mixture of two kinds of dough and rice made from a mixture of refined and broken rice, to ensure they would have enough to eat.

Everyone who was invited was a little surprised. This kind of banquet was considered very good in their hometown. However, considering that Jiang Jun's family was from Yanjing and that his family were all employees, they were not surprised. They had the means to do so.

Jiang Jianguo also brought out two bottles of Xifeng liquor: "I'm so sorry to trouble you all to come and celebrate the wedding of my son Jiang Jun and daughter-in-law Xuefang. We are very grateful for the care and support of you leaders and friends over the past few years. If there is anything I have done poorly in our hospitality, please forgive me."

"Brother Jiang, you're too kind. This meal and the occasion are truly generous," the production team's Party Secretary said with a hearty laugh.

"That's right, and this wine too. We usually drink bulk wine here, we can't afford to drink this brand of wine."

"Then let's not say much more. Eat and drink well, don't be shy."

The event didn't end until 2 PM. They still had to work in the afternoon, but since it was National Day, they could relax a little and finish work earlier.

The village secretary, brigade leader, accountant, and others seemed to have drunk too much and were walking a little unsteadily. They had drunk almost all of the two jin of liquor, but people from Liaoning Province are known for their drinking capacity, and they sobered up quickly without any major problems.

The educated youth said a few words and then left. The two tables of food were eaten cleanly, the plates and bowls were spotless, making the washing up much easier. "Aren't you going to the beach? Go ahead, I'll take care of the cleanup. You two were busy enough this morning." Jiang Jianguo wasn't interested in the beach and sent them all away.

Jiang Ruyu hesitated for a moment: "How about we don't go? You guys are tired enough today."

Jiang Jun and Kong Xuefang shook their heads and refused: "We're going. We agreed, how can we not go? Don't worry, we're fine. We didn't work today, so it was our day off anyway. It would be nice to go to the beach. I haven't been there in a long time. You're leaving tomorrow, so let's go beachcombing and make something delicious."

Kong Xuefang naturally couldn't let her sister-in-law down. She knew how good the girl had been to her, and although she didn't have the ability to repay her right now, she could still manage to go to the beach.

Jiang Ruyu was indeed very interested in the sea, and after hearing what her second brother and sister-in-law said, she didn't refuse anymore. She excitedly picked up her basket and followed them.

The beach wasn't far from Jiang Jun's production team; it was only a half-hour walk. It was just the right time to arrive, as it was low tide. Jiang Jun spotted an acquaintance and went up to greet him with his wife and sister.

"Gaozi, long time no see. You just came here to go beachcombing?"

The man named Gao Zi was indeed very tall. He smiled and punched Jiang Jun lightly, saying, "It's been so long since you've been here. Why are you dressed so formally today?"

"Hey, what a coincidence! Today is my wedding day. I didn't know if you were there, so I didn't call you. Don't be angry. I'll treat you to drinks after the harvest season." Jiang Jun laughed and playfully punched him, then introduced them: "This is my wife, Kong Xuefang, and this is my sister, Jiang Ruyu."

Gao Zi was initially a little unhappy that his brother hadn't told him about the wedding beforehand, but seeing his brother's wife and sister by his side, he decided to keep quiet: "You're so lucky! Your sister-in-law is so beautiful. You're so lucky. You'll have to drink three cups of wine as punishment someday."

“No problem, my sister has never seen the sea before, I’ll bring her to see it today.”