Chapter Seventy-Six: The Feast

With the marriage settled, Xiong Zijuan's initial hesitation dissipated. In her view, since Wang Tiezhu was going to marry into the family, they would be family from now on, and he would be her husband.

Since we're family, we shouldn't distinguish between "yours" and "mine."

That noon, there were fewer customers in the shop. Xiong Zijuan greeted Zhang Yili and Li Xiulan, took off her apron, and headed towards the dock.

She was thinking to herself that the new house was in her own yard, and she could just vacate her old room and tidy it up a bit.

But you always need to add some new bedding, new washbasins and foot basins to the new house; it can't be too shabby.

Wang Tiezhu is all alone and probably doesn't have much to his name, so this is something she needs to worry about.

She had to ask him if there was anything he particularly wanted.

It was lunchtime at the dock, and the laborers gathered in twos and threes under the shade of the trees, drinking cool water to relieve the heat.

Wang Tiezhu was also squatting beside a pile of burlap sacks, holding a rough porcelain bowl.

Seeing Xiong Zijuan walking over from afar, he paused for a moment, then quickly stood up, put the bowl aside, and somewhat awkwardly wiped his hands on his pants.

"Zijuan...what brings you here?" Wang Tiezhu greeted her, looking both surprised and pleased.

Xiong Zijuan walked up to him, looked up at him, and said, "I came to see you and asked you something. I'm thinking of buying some things for the new house, like new bedding, washbasins, and foot basins. Is there anything you want? Or are there any taboos or things you don't like?"

Upon hearing this, several laborers who were familiar with Wang Tiezhu perked up their ears.

Someone couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Then, good-natured laughter rang out.

"Oh my! Brother Zhu! Your wife is treating you like family!"

"Exactly! That's it! Brother Zhu, tell me quickly, what kind of washbasin do you want? Copper? Iron?"

"Your sister-in-law is so virtuous, Brother Zhu is so lucky!"

Wang Tiezhu's dark face suddenly turned bright red.

He was extremely flustered. He looked at Xiong Zijuan, then at his jeering coworkers around him, and stammered, "No...nothing's too particular...anything's fine...just do it...it'll be fine..."

He didn't need to make any demands. He was used to living alone and basically handled everything himself. He just felt that it was enough that Zijuan thought of him.

Xiong Zijuan then felt embarrassed. Hearing her coworkers' laughter, she realized she had been too hasty. Looking down at her shoes, she said to Wang Tiezhu, "Okay, I'll take care of it. You go ahead and do your work, I'm going back to the shop."

After saying that, he turned around and left in a hurry, leaving Wang Tiezhu standing there, scratching the back of his head and grinning foolishly, and was teased by his coworkers for a while.

July 19th arrived in the blink of an eye.

The Xiong family courtyard in Zhuohe Village was bustling with activity early in the morning.

The stove was hastily set up in the yard, and the head chef and his assistants were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground. The meat broth in the big pot was boiling, and the aroma wafted far and wide.

Tables, chairs, and benches were borrowed from various households and arranged along the courtyard, polished to a shine.

Anyone who attended Xiong Zixiang's wedding banquet last year knows that the Xiong family's feast was generous, with plenty of meat, good vegetables, and ample portions.

This time it's a marriage proposal, and I heard it's even more extravagant than last year's.

Upon receiving the news, the villagers arrived early with their gifts.

Some came genuinely to offer their congratulations, like Uncle Zhao, who brought a basket of fresh duck eggs. Others came because they thought of Xiong Zixiang, who now worked in the county government as a proper constable, and how he could help anyone in the village or elsewhere with their disputes or difficulties, hoping to build a good relationship with him.

Some of the more shrewd ones, seeing that the Xiong family's life was getting better and better, with their shop open and now they had added a strong laborer, thought that they might need something from the future and would try to curry favor with them.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Old Man Xiong had specially invited the village's literate accountant to sit and keep accounts. The red envelopes containing the wedding gifts were piled up in a winnowing basket, the copper coins jingling. The red envelopes were stacked one on top of the other, and they looked much thicker than when Zixiang got married last year.

Today, Madam Song specially wore the same dark red fine cloth dress she wore last year when Zixiang went to welcome her husband. Her hair was neatly combed and adorned with a silver hairpin.

She and Old Man Xiong stood at the gate of the courtyard to greet the guests, their faces beaming with smiles.

Whenever she saw someone bring a child, Mrs. Song would always bend down and, with a smile, slip a piece of candy wrapped in red paper into the child's hand.

"Here's a sweet treat!" The children, having received the candy, ran off happily.

On each table, there were two large plates of roasted nuts and seeds, piled high with peanuts and melon seeds, all set against red paper, making it look especially festive.

Zhang Yili originally wanted to go to the kitchen to help, but Song stopped him.

"You're a guest today! You're Zijuan's family! How can we let your own family lay a hand on you? Sit down!"

Zhang Liuyi had no choice but to sit at the same table as his relatives with the Zhang family.

Little Nan'er was held in Li Xiulan's arms, her eyes darting around as she looked at the people and delicious food in the yard.

Zhang Liuli grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them open while listening to the elders chat.

Aunt Wang was praising the lavish banquet the Xiong family had prepared to her relatives at the next table.

Zhang Dashan didn't talk much, and occasionally nodded as he listened.

The sunflower seeds and peanuts on the table were consumed very quickly; in no time, both plates were empty.

Just as Zhang Liuyi was about to get up to refill his bowl, a glance caught sight of an aunt from the Song family at the next table. While everyone was chatting and laughing, she quickly reached out and grabbed several handfuls of melon seeds, deftly stuffing them into her large pocket.

The movement was so fast and stealthy that no one would have noticed it if Zhang hadn't seen it.

Zhang Liuyi was taken aback at first, then a smile rushed to her throat. She still had a lot to learn from her elders' skills.

She quickly lowered her head, trying hard not to laugh out loud, but her shoulders couldn't help but shrug slightly. Afraid of being seen as impolite, she quickly picked up the empty plate and, under the pretext of refilling the roasted nuts, hurried to the basket where they were piled up.

With her back to everyone, she finally couldn't help but grin for a while before calming down and filling two plates with melon seeds and peanuts to take back.

When she returned, she went from table to table refilling the elders' teacups with hot tea.

The tea is coarse, but it's brewed strong to cut through the richness.

The sun was gradually setting in the west; the auspicious time had arrived.

Because it's a marriage where the bride marries into the family, the tedious procedures of welcoming and sending off the bride are eliminated.

As a long string of firecrackers crackled and popped loudly at the courtyard gate, Xiong Zijuan and Wang Tiezhu walked out of the main room side by side amidst the lively firecrackers and the gazes of the crowd.

Xiong Zijuan wore a bright red wedding dress embroidered with lotus scrolls. The fabric was new, but the pattern was simple and elegant. The delicate lotus scroll pattern on the collar and cuffs was obviously embroidered by her in a hurry.

Wang Tiezhu was wearing a brand-new red cotton long gown, which made him look much more energetic, but his movements were still a bit restrained.

The two walked to the center of the courtyard and stood in front of Old Man Xiong and Mrs. Song.

Looking at her daughter in her red wedding dress and the tall, honest man beside her, Song felt a lump in her throat. Thinking of her daughter's plight, tears welled up in her eyes.

She quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, forcing back tears, and said to the two of them, "From now on... you two, plus Xiaobao, support each other... and live a good life..."

After the ceremony, it's time for the traditional tea ceremony to formally address the deceased.

Wang Tiezhu, carrying a teacup, walked up to Old Man Xiong and Madam Song, knelt down on both knees, and said in a loud and excited voice, "Father! Mother! Have some tea!"

"Ah! Good! Good!" Old Man Xiong took the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and couldn't hide his smile.

Song took the teacup, took a sip, and almost burst into tears again, repeatedly saying "good."

Next came the family recognition ceremony. Wang Tiezhu served tea to each of Xiong's relatives and elders, addressing them as "relatives" and "kinsmen."

"Uncle!" "Aunt!" "Brother!" "Sister-in-law!"... With each call, a red envelope was stuffed into his hand.

In Wang Tiezhu's thick palm, a handful of red envelopes were quickly clenched tightly.

After the family introductions were completed, the newlyweds began to toast the relatives at the table.

Xiong Zijuan and Wang Tiezhu carried wine pots and cups, walking from table to table. Everyone stood up and said auspicious words.

"May you have a long and happy marriage!" "May you have a son soon!" Wang Tiezhu was not good with words, but he just smiled honestly and accompanied Xiong Zijuan to return the greetings one by one.

After a few rounds of drinks, we had almost finished eating.

The meat bowl on the table was empty, and the soup bowl was also gone.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Don't ruin this beautiful reunion! Hurry up, let's leave!"

Everyone understood immediately, stood up, said their farewells, and tactfully dispersed.

The neighbors who were helping in the courtyard began to quickly and efficiently clear away the dishes, chopsticks, and chairs.

The courtyard, which had been noisy all day, gradually quieted down, leaving only the clinking of cups and plates as people cleared away and the sounds of washing dishes in the kitchen.

Inside the bridal chamber, red candles burned brightly, their shadows flickering red.

The red double happiness characters pasted on the window frame were particularly eye-catching in the candlelight.

Xiong Zijuan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her heart beating a little fast.

Wang Tiezhu closed the door, turned around, and his tall figure was cast on the wall by the candlelight.

He walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, and carefully opened it. Inside were several greasy things wrapped in oil paper.

"This...this is..." Wang Tiezhu's voice was a little tight, and his face showed a hint of embarrassment: "I asked the old boatmen at the dock...they said...they said it's made from fish bladders...it's clean...it can protect against some damage..."

Haha, I was just saying how to prevent pregnancy but can't get a tubal ligation, lol.