Chapter 400 The ceremony is complete, and they are led to the bridal chamber.

Distinguished guests arrived with gifts to offer their congratulations.

Behind Madam Shen, Shen Zheng and Afu carried a large trunk, clearly bringing many congratulatory gifts. They also handed a gift list to Zhao Youcai.

Zhao Youcai bowed respectfully and greeted them: "Madam Shen, Lord Shen, Young Master Shen, please come in."

Manager Yan coughed, nudged Zhao Youcai on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "It's the custom of wealthy families that if there's a gift list, the gifts must be read aloud. We can't be impolite."

Zhao Youcai really didn't understand these things, so he immediately stuffed the gift list into Manager Yan's arms: "Here you go."

Although he learned some characters from the children, he couldn't recognize many of them completely and preferred to read only half of them, afraid of making a fool of himself.

Shopkeeper Yan unfolded the gift list and read it aloud: "Two bolts of silk gauze, two bolts of brocade, a pair of vases, a pot of coral, a pair of jade bracelets..."

The gift list was short, but it was enough to show the thoughtfulness of the giver.

Cheng Wanwan exclaimed repeatedly, "Godmother, these are far too precious..."

Madam Shen held Cheng Wanwan's hand and said with a loving smile, "Ergou is also one of my godson, so it's normal for me to bring him some things. There are still many guests waiting, so let's go in first."

Most of the people who came to the wedding banquet were businessmen. Businessmen are not short of money, but they lack social status. They were fortunate to attend the wedding banquet of the wife ...

In addition, there were some guests whom Cheng Wanwan had not invited. They had heard that Sui Ru's family was having a wedding, but they had not received an invitation and were too embarrassed to come to the wedding banquet. So they immediately sent their stewards to offer their congratulations and brought very generous gifts.

The villagers gathered around to watch, all of them frozen in shock.

"My goodness, these people are all so rich."

"How does Aunt Dashan know so many rich people? These gifts must be worth at least several thousand taels of silver."

"Perhaps it's because Aunt Dashan has such a good temper, I never thought that Lady Sui was such a high-ranking official until now... So many dignitaries have come to offer their congratulations, and they are all so attentive. Lady Sui's official position is not low."

"Seventh rank is certainly not low. Luckily, we live in the same village as Aunt Dashan, otherwise we would never have the chance to see such a grand spectacle."

"..."

With a smile on her face, Cheng Wanwan welcomed everyone inside. As soon as the guests arrived, the sound of gongs and drums could be heard.

The wedding procession is back!

Old Zhao immediately arranged for his family to set off firecrackers. The sound of firecrackers kept going off on both sides of the road. Children covered their ears and followed behind the bridal sedan chair, clapping and laughing. It was extremely lively.

The crowd automatically parted to make way, and the bridal sedan chair stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.

The matchmaker stepped forward, lifted the sedan curtain, and helped the bride out. A red silk ribbon was held by the groom and then handed to the bride. The two walked together into the courtyard.

Matchmaker Zhao, in charge of the ceremony, announced loudly: "Incense smoke rises and lanterns shine brightly; the bride and groom ascend the flower hall together."

"I bow to Heaven and Earth!"

"Bowing to the parents twice!"

"Husband and wife bow to each other!"

"Send them to the bridal chamber!"

The entire wedding ceremony was not too complicated and ended quickly, with a group of women surrounding the newlyweds as they entered the bridal chamber.

The lintel of the new house was decorated with auspicious couplets, and large red "double happiness" characters were pasted everywhere, on the door, walls, and windows. The specially made new bed was placed against the wall, covered with red gauze curtains, and a large red "double happiness" quilt was laid on the bed. There were also mandarin duck pillows on the bed, and two red wedding candles were lit on the low cabinet at the head of the bed.

"Come, come, let's lift the veil!"

Matchmaker Zhao handed the scale beam to Zhao Ergou.

Zhao Ergou suddenly became nervous. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and gently lifted the veil, revealing a beautiful face.

She wore a red wedding dress and a golden bridal crown on her head, with gold and jade beads hanging from the top of her head, reflecting the fiery red candlelight. The light fell on the bride's face, and the girl's eyes and brows held a shy smile. She lowered her head slightly, and her hands were hidden in her sleeves, looking a little nervous.

The women in the bridal chamber laughed and joked, "Oh dear, the bride is shy."

"Er Gouzi is shy too, hahaha!"

"Don't waste time, let's drink the nuptial wine!"

The old woman brought over two cups of wine and placed them in the hands of the newlyweds, finally allowing their eyes to meet.

Zhao Ergou could clearly feel his heart pounding like thunder.

He quickly sat down on the edge of the new bed, reached out and intertwined his arm with Cao Yingying's, then tilted his head back and drank the entire glass of wine.

Cao Yingying had never drunk alcohol before, and the sip was too spicy for her. Suddenly, the matchmaker stuffed something into her mouth and asked, "Raw or cooked?"

She took a bite, and found a raw dumpling in her mouth. She said, "Raw..."

"Hahaha, well born, well born!"

"Maybe by the end of the year, Aunt Dashan will have a big, healthy baby boy!"

"Ergou, you'd better give it your all tonight!"

The women burst into laughter.

Zhao Ergou and Cao Yingying were so embarrassed they wanted to disappear into the ground.

This is considered a form of wedding night pranks; the more boisterous the pranks, the happier the newlyweds will be in the future.

After the ceremony, the groom is dragged out and forced to drink, while the bride sits alone on the edge of the bed waiting.

The banquet officially began in the courtyard. The main courtyard was filled with distinguished guests from the city, while the flat ground in front of the soap workshop was occupied by the villagers of Dahe Village. The dishes on each table were the same, with women carrying trays and bringing out the dishes that had been prepared in advance.

As one exquisite dish after another was served, even Lord Wu, who was used to seeing delicacies, was somewhat taken aback.

Is this really a banquet in the village? The dishes are comparable to those of a wealthy family in the capital. The only problem is that the plates used to serve the food are a bit shabby, but the color, aroma, and taste are all excellent. The presentation is also very sophisticated. There are some dishes that even he, a person from the capital, has never seen before.

"Here, there's more wine." Lu Yingxue helped serve the wine. "This is Pear Blossom Spring, and this is Daughter's Red. Everyone, please pour your own wine."

These were all top-quality wines that she had her family send from Huzhou. Such wines would definitely not sell in Dahe Village; they were specially sent for wedding banquets. Fruit wines were also prepared for the women who were not good at drinking. Every table was filled with delicious food and wine, and the aroma of the food and wine lingered in the air for a long time.

"My goodness, so many dishes! Which one should I eat first?!"

"These meatballs are so delicious! They're drizzled with sour fish soup, the taste is absolutely amazing."

"This mutton is absolutely amazing! I've lived this long and never eaten such delicious meat before!"

"What should I do? I think I'm full, but I haven't tried several dishes yet..."

"Then secretly grab some food and take it home to eat slowly."

"Hey you women, can't you stop embarrassing yourselves? So many important people are coming to the banquet, and you're secretly bringing them home. Aren't you afraid people will say that everyone in Dahe Village is a reincarnation of starving ghosts!"

"Can't we at least give Aunt Dashan some face?"

"..."