Chapter 54 The room fell silent for a moment…

The room fell silent for a moment. Shen Lang continued hanging the garlands, as if he hadn't heard anything. After hanging the last few, he jumped off the chair, walked over to Jiang Can, and took over her task of popping up the balloons.

Zhu Zi: "I'll go downstairs and take a look."

Liang Kaiwen and Zhang Yuning arrived uninvited; Zhu Zi had not sent them invitations, nor had he invited them to come and help.

The bond we formed as children is gone.

But Liang Kaiwen couldn't not come; this was the only chance to repair their relationship.

When he arrived at the courtyard, everything he saw felt unreal. He used to play in this courtyard when he was a child. Back then, the courtyard had a dirt road and the houses were made of adobe. While other people's courtyards were rebuilt with brick and tile houses, the He family's courtyard remained unchanged.

Now, the house is built so grandly, a two-story building with red bricks and green tiles, with two vegetable plots in the yard, and the rest of the road is made of cement, so clean.

What's more, there's a brand new car parked in the yard. Is that Zhuzi's car? He bought a car?

His heart was in turmoil, and even breathing became difficult.

They were all inferior to him back then, how come they are doing so well now?

Zhu Zi walked out of the room. He was darker and more robust than before. Although he looked the same, he seemed different, more reserved, and someone you had to look up to.

Liang Kaiwen said with a smile, "Liangzi, is the wedding room ready? Yu Ning and I will come and lend a hand."

Zhu Zi looked at Liang Kaiwen but didn't get angry. On this joyous day, guests should be treated as guests. He said, "Everything is arranged. Your wife is heavily pregnant, so she should rest."

Zhang Yuning smiled warmly: "I'm fine."

She would never have smiled at Zhu Zi and the others like this before.

Liang Kaiwen: "Where are Lang Ge and his wife? Are they in the bridal chamber? Come on, let's go inside and get busy."

Zhang Yuning: "Jiang Can is in the bridal chamber too? How can she be pregnant and enter the bridal chamber? That's so unlucky! Could it be that she's not pregnant? They've been married for half a year, and there's still no news?"

Zhu Zi's face immediately turned cold. "If you're here to stir up trouble, then get lost. You're not welcome in our house."

Zhang Yuning's eyes immediately reddened. "That's not what I meant."

Liang Kaiwen quickly tried to smooth things over: "Yu Ning didn't mean anything by it."

Zhu Zi: "There's nothing I can help with today, you guys can go back first. It's not safe with so many people coming and going. If you'd like, you can come over for a drink at the wedding tomorrow."

Liang Kaiwen and Zhang Yuning's faces darkened at the same time. Liang Kaiwen forced a smile and said, "Zhuzi, then we'll come to the wedding banquet again tomorrow."

He pulled Zhang Yuning away.

Every step felt like being pricked by needles. He didn't know where Shen Lang lived, but he kept an eye on Zhu Zi. Even though he had received a huge sum of money from the demolition, he was still very busy and had rarely appeared in Liao County in the past two months.

He and Zhan Junzhuo were both busy working with Shen Lang.

The Liaoxian Cotton Mill has run out of stock, so what are they still selling?

He desperately wanted to know what they were doing!

He spent countless nights regretting that if he had believed Shen Lang and bought the enamel factory building, if he had continued to work for Shen Lang...

The more he thought about it, the more painful it became. He even couldn't help but think how much better it would be if he hadn't gotten married! He was still Liangzi, following Shen Lang around.

He'll come again tomorrow; he absolutely must see Shen Lang.

Zhu Zi smoked a cigarette downstairs, and after the smoke dissipated, he ran upstairs.

The balloons in the room were already glued on, making the whole room festive. The stair railings were also covered with balloons, and big red lanterns were hung in the yard. The power cord was connected, and when the lights were turned on, the whole yard was brightly lit.

Two tables were set up for the evening, one for the young people and one for the elders.

Six hot dishes and one soup.

The dishes are all served in large platters, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat. The soup is a hot and sour fish soup, which is especially delicious. Each person gets a big bowl, and you'll break out in a sweat after eating.

There wasn't much work to do after dinner, so Jiang Can and Shen Lang rode Zhu Zi's bicycle home. They left the car at Zhu Zi's house; it had already been decorated, so it was safer to park it in the yard, otherwise the mischievous children would damage the decorations.

When they got home, Shen Lang was a little down. Jiang Can thought he didn't want to do the advanced math problems, but he had to do them even if he didn't want to. Since they both had time, she quickly gave him some extra lessons.

Shen Lang felt that doing advanced mathematics was excruciating, but his low mood wasn't really due to that. He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers: "I'm sorry, our wedding was too rushed."

Jiang Can reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, then kissed him: "Be good, finish this page."

There's no room for negotiation when it comes to learning.

The 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Shen Lang and Jiang Can got up early. Before dawn, Shen Lang got up and went to the He family's house.

The He family consulted a fortune teller to calculate the timing: they would leave at 6:00, pick up the bride at 8:10, and return home by 9:40, without missing the auspicious time of 10:00.

There will definitely be people stopping the car on the road asking for wedding candy and cigarettes, so you need to allow enough time.

Jiang Can didn't need to go that early, but she still got up, memorized her English worksheets, and completed a few test papers. Around nine o'clock, she left home and rode with Xu Rao on her motorcycle to the He family's house.

The wedding car returned around 9:40. The bride was wearing a bright red wedding dress, red high heels, and a bright red veil. He Fengnian, dressed in a suit, carried her out of the wedding car.

The matchmaker began scattering wedding candies, steamed buns, and money.

Jiang Can and Xu Rao also squeezed to the front to see the bride, and then grabbed some wedding steamed buns and money.

The lucky money came in denominations of one jiao, two jiao, and five jiao. Jiang Can grabbed some from the ground, finding it particularly fun to compete with others for it. She grabbed two lucky steamed buns and two coins, one one jiao and the other five jiao.

Adults were scrambling for it, and children loved it even more; wherever Grandma Xi scattered the confetti, a bunch of kids would rush over.

When the auspicious time arrived, the bride and groom performed the wedding ceremony.

A group of people squeezed into the courtyard to watch the bride and groom. Xu Rao and Jiang Can stood on the outer circle eating wedding buns. The buns were small, with auspicious dots on the crust and dust on them. They tore off pieces of the crust to eat.

These are auspicious steamed buns; eating them brings good fortune!

Jiang Can even saved one for Shen Lang.

After the wedding ceremony, the groom carried the bride back to the bridal chamber. There was also a "teasing the newlyweds" activity, where the bride and groom were given apples to eat together, and then made to squeeze balloons. Shouts and cheers came from the room.

It was incredibly lively.

Jiang Can and Xu Rao were squeezed so tightly they couldn't see anything. In the end, they couldn't take it anymore and decided to go downstairs.

After the wedding night festivities were over, several young men carried the groom downstairs to tease him. Unable to make a scene in the room, they went to the back of the building to cause trouble, which was essentially a prank on the groom.

Throwing the groom high in the air, tying him to a tree, or something like that.

Shen Lang followed slowly behind. When he passed Jiang Can, he reached out and pinched her cheek. Jiang Can stuffed the wedding bun into his hands, and he ate it without even tearing off the crust.

The people who had just been joining in the fun went off to watch the groom being teased, leaving the second floor empty.

Jiang Can and Xu Rao went upstairs to talk to the bride.

The bride's hair was a bit messy at the moment, and she was combing it again. She had put on a red down jacket over her wedding dress; in the middle of winter, a down jacket is necessary to keep warm.

Xu Min greeted everyone generously and offered them wedding candy.

There was a bowl of wedding candy in the room.

Everyone praised Xu Min's wedding dress as exceptionally beautiful. Who in the average family would be willing to buy such an expensive dress, only to wear it for one day at their wedding! It's clear that the He family is truly wealthy.

Jiang Can and Xu Rao also knew Xu Min; they had eaten together before.

Xu Min is a kindergarten teacher. She is sweet-looking with two dimples when she smiles. She is also very gentle and speaks softly. She spends most of her time with the children and is very innocent and guileless.

It would be very easy to get along with a girl like that.

Around 11 o'clock, the banquet began. Jiang Can and Xu Rao ate with the bride on the second floor. Since everyone was young, they quickly started chatting.

Eight cold dishes were served in succession: cold pig's ears, cold pig's head meat, cold beef, cold beef tripe, fried small fish, cold cucumber, canned fruit, and fried peanuts.

One of the sisters-in-law from the He family brought out a copper pot: "The yellow wine has been heated up. Everyone should have some to warm up."

I also added red dates and goji berries when brewing the rice wine, so the wine flavor wasn't strong and it was quite sweet.

Everyone praised how delicious it was.

After a while, the hot dishes were served. There were eight hot dishes: stir-fried potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant; stir-fried cabbage with vinegar; braised chicken; boiled sliced ​​pork; spicy shrimp; braised fish; braised pork; and braised pork knuckle.

The soup is mutton soup and old-fashioned egg drop soup.

This banquet is so beautiful! No one else can afford to host such a lavish feast; it's all top-quality dishes! Most other families are lucky to have even two top-quality dishes at their banquets.

The key is that it's also incredibly delicious, and many people are asking who the chef is.

One table was filled with women, who were discussing the meal.

"Ersha made this! I just watched it. He's incredibly skilled at cooking, and it tastes so good. Ersha has really made something of himself now."

"Don't call him 'idiot,' his name is Fang Yuan!"

"My relative's daughter is returning to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Could we invite Fangyuan to host the banquet?"

“That’s definitely not going to work. I asked Fang Yuan, and he doesn’t take on catering jobs. He only has two days free because of Zhu Zi’s wedding. He’s the owner of a big restaurant now and earns a lot every day. He doesn’t have time to cater for people.”

"Who would have thought Fang Yuan would be so capable now! I'd never heard of Fang Yuan being able to cook before."

Fang Yuan is so capable now, and the key is that he's still single. Any unmarried girls of marriageable age in the family have their eyes on him.

The conversation then turned to the feast, which featured a lavish spread of meat and fish. The young man from the He family was truly promising; his success was all thanks to following Shen Lang.

"That car belongs to Shen Lang! I saw him drive it here yesterday. The old man and woman of the Shen family are really not right in the head; they drove away such a promising son."

They chatted warmly during the meal, but when the last dish, egg drop soup, was served, everyone seemed to receive a signal and started filling plastic bags with leftovers.

As for how many you can grab, that depends on your speed!

Those who managed to snag some delicious dishes beamed with joy, while those who missed out were a little disheartened. Ah, what wonderful meat dishes they had!

After the meal, everyone left one by one.

The groom's table was still drinking, so Jiang Can told Xu Rao to leave first, and she would wait for Shen Lang to go home together.

Xu Rao didn't refuse and rode off on her motorcycle.

An hour or so later, half of the people at the main table were drunk and passed out. The groom was carried back to the bridal chamber, and Shen Lang also got off the table. A girl ran over and reached out to help Shen Lang: "Brother Lang, are you alright? Let me help you."

Shen Lang frowned and pushed the person aside, saying, "Get away from me, get lost."

He was strong, and the little girl was pushed to the ground, looking aggrieved. "Brother Lang, you pushed me!"

Zhan Junzhuo laughed heartily, popped a peanut into his mouth, and pointed at Shen Lang: "Married men, stay away, understand? I'm unmarried, you can help me up."

The little girl burst into tears, covered her face, and ran away.

Zhan Junzhuo: "Tch, I thought he had a thick skin."

Shen Lang searched everywhere for her: "Can Can, Can Can."

Jiang Can had been watching closely, and after hearing the noise, she leaned over the second-floor railing to look down. Shen Lang smiled and reached out to her, saying, "Wife, let's go home."

Jiang Can said goodbye to Xu Min and went downstairs.

Shen Lang put his arm around Jiang Can's shoulder and walked out, saying, "Wife, let's go see a movie."

He wasn't actually drunk; he was perfectly sober. No matter what happened, Shen Lang wouldn't let himself get drunk to death outside. However, he had drunk quite a bit, and was currently clinging to Jiang Can.

Mrs. He was a little worried, "If you've had too much to drink, go to the guest room to rest first, and leave after you've sobered up."

Shen Lang: "I'm not drunk, Auntie. Let's head back now. We'll come back and drive the car later."

They even know not to drink and drive.

Liang Kaiwen, who had been waiting nearby, quickly came over. He wasn't invited to sit at the main table, but instead sat at a table next to it. He didn't drink a drop of wine, but just wanted to get back on board with Shen Lang. He said, "Sister-in-law, Brother Lang, I'll ride my bicycle and take you home."

Fang Yuan assigned the remaining men to his subordinates, then walked over with his backpack on, saying, "I don't need you! Master, I'll carry Brother Lang."

Zhan Junzhuo called out from the side, "Brother Lang, let's go to the movies together, it's on me!"

Shen Lang frowned. "Annoying. Nobody follow me. We're watching a movie." He put his arm around Jiang Can and walked out, still thinking about their kiss in the movie theater.

Jiang Can waved to Fang Yuan, telling him not to worry about it. Shen Lang then led him out of the He family's house. They were heading to the movie theater, and the route was correct.

After walking a few meters, the two noticed that Liang Kaiwen was following them at a distance. Liang Kaiwen said, "Brother Lang, sister-in-law, I'll take you home. If you need anything on the way, I can help you."

Shen Lang: "Liang Kaiwen, is this really meaningful?"

He hadn't said anything harsh, and the smile on his face hadn't faded, but Liang Kaiwen was genuinely frightened. His feet felt like they were welded to the ground, and he dared not follow any further.

Some things, once missed, are missed forever.

He will never have a chance to turn back.

Zhan Junzhuo leaned against the door, determined to remember this moment!

He, Zhan Junzhuo, will follow Brother Lang for the rest of his life!

When they arrived at the movie theater, Shen Lang wanted to book the entire theater for himself and Jiang Can.

The ticket sellers were stunned for a moment. Jiang Can felt embarrassed, reached out and pinched Shen Lang's waist, "I want two tickets for 'The Fugitive'." He then handed the ticket seller 30 yuan.

Movie tickets are so expensive! Renting out the whole theater would cost at least a thousand yuan!

Why would you book the whole place?!

Shen Lang felt wronged. It wasn't a romance movie they were watching, and they wouldn't even let him have the whole theater to himself. He even made a scene, telling Jiang Can to go home and wear a pink nightgown.

He wasn't actually drunk, he was just very clingy, holding Jiang Can's waist and resting his head on Jiang Can's shoulder. This movie isn't romantic at all; it's an action crime film.

The protagonist's wife is murdered, and the protagonist is wrongly accused of the murder. The plot is full of twists and turns, making it very thrilling and exciting.

Shen Lang wasn't curious about who the murderer was; he just wanted to secretly kiss Jiang Can.

However, this music and background are not suitable for a secret kiss.

Shen Lang felt even more aggrieved and whispered to her, "Can Can, you don't love me anymore."

Jiang Can: ...

She coaxed him, "I love you, I love you so much. You said you wanted to see a movie, so I'll come with you to see a movie."

Shen Lang whispered to her, "I want to see you in a pink nightgown."

She coaxed him, "The clothes aren't nice, and the quality is bad."

Shen Lang continued, "I want to see you in a pink nightgown." He moved even closer, his warm breath tickling Jiang Can's ear, making her feel itchy too. "Yes, yes."

Shen Lang: "And stockings."

Jiang Can glared at him; Shen Lang was so annoying after drinking too much.

Before the movie was over, Shen Lang wanted to go home and see his wife in her nightgown and stockings.

Jiang Can: "We paid for it, so let's finish watching it."

After finally finishing the movie, Shen Lang was either fiddling with Jiang Can's fingers or touching her cheek, completely mesmerized by her presence.

After finally finishing the movie, the two went home.

Shen Lang took out the pink lace nightgown from the closet. It was very thin, sheer, and short. He held it up and showed it to Jiang Can, saying, "Can Can."

Jiang Can couldn't take it anymore! "Shen Lang, you're not drunk, stop pretending!!!"

Shen Lang looked aggrieved, his eyes drooping, his expression downcast: "Can Can, you don't love me."

Who could bear to refuse someone looking like that?

After taking a shower and washing up, Shen Lang even locked Hu Zi in the study. He looked so sober; he didn't seem drunk at all.

Under Shen Lang's expectant gaze, Jiang Can changed into a nightgown.

Shen Lang picked her up and placed her on the sink, then kissed her neck.

...

The two left many marks in the bathroom and living room. The most exciting moment was when he pressed her against the window, through a curtain, her back slightly cool, with the piercing sounds of fireworks and firecrackers outside, and the sounds of children playing downstairs...

She bit her lip, trying not to let her voice escape.

After it was over, she begged him, "Ah Lang, go back to bed, please."

-

The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Jiang Can and Xu Rao purchased a large quantity of New Year's goods and went to the restaurant to distribute them to everyone.

Each employee received ten kilograms of pork, two large carp, and a box of apples, and was given a red envelope containing a month's salary as a bonus.

The pork is very fresh, it's the best quality pork belly, with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat. Such a large piece of meat will taste delicious no matter how you cook it. The carp was also just caught from the water, and they all weigh about two pounds.

The apples weighed about five pounds.

After receiving the supplies, we were given a holiday, and we returned to work after the third day of the Lunar New Year.

Everyone was overjoyed and thanked the boss together!

After distributing gifts to Huoyanshan Hot Pot Restaurant, Jiang Can went to Jiangji Restaurant to distribute Spring Festival gifts with Fang Yuan.

The same as the New Year's goods from Flaming Mountain.

Sister Peng was so happy she couldn't stop smiling. She got a portion, and her son Cui Boyang got a portion too—a huge pile in total! How could they possibly finish all that fish and meat! This year is truly a prosperous one!

She now holds a very high position in the family and has a lot of say. Her mother-in-law has to ask her for advice before doing anything! Her husband has also become diligent and obedient, even bringing her water to wash her feet.

When Boyang also started working at the restaurant, her status at home became even higher!

She knew that Huang Xiaoling wouldn't be in charge of the branch forever. Once she got her accounting certificate, the boss would definitely transfer her to another place, maybe even to Flaming Mountain, where Bo Yang would be in charge of the branch!

The future looks bright.

Sister Peng held Jiang Can's hand and said, "Boss, I don't know what to say. You're so kind."

Jiang Can patted her shoulder and laughed, "Rao Rao wanted to poach you last time, but I couldn't bear to. Sister Peng, keep up the good work, I'll give you a raise next year."

Sister Peng is smart and pays special attention to hygiene. Most importantly, she is obedient, making her suitable for a food factory to be in charge of food hygiene and safety.

Sister Peng was overjoyed: "Boss, wherever you tell me to stay, I'll stay. I won't leave no matter who tries to poach me."

She consulted a fortune teller, who said she had met a benefactor this year and would have a bright future!

Her benefactor is Boss Jiang; she will have a bright future.

We can't let anyone poach us, not even Mr. Xu.

Huang Xiaoling followed Jiang Can like a tail, saying to him, "Boss, I got first place in the final exam."

Her eyes were sparkling, as if she wanted praise.

She hadn't touched a textbook for many years, so picking it up again was actually very difficult. To get first place, she put in tremendous effort.

Jiang Can exclaimed, "I knew Xiaoling was the best!"

The food factory has an accountant!

Jiang Can prepared a Pixiu bracelet for Fang Yuan, a golden Pixiu and small gold beads strung together, which made Fang Yuan's eyes widen in amazement.

Jiang Can: Let's make a fortune together next year!

Shen Lang drove to Dongping City and also distributed New Year's gifts to the factory employees, who also took a holiday to celebrate the New Year.

Before we knew it, it was Lunar New Year's Eve.

After breakfast, Shen Lang and Jiang Can put up the Spring Festival couplets. It was quite a lot of work, as they had several houses and a lot of couplets to put up. In the end, they put up the couplets for the house they were currently living in.

After lunch, the two started making dumplings to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Shen Lang had already informed Fang Yuan that he didn't need to come over for the New Year! He and Jiang Can wouldn't be lonely or miserable during the New Year; they didn't need anyone to keep them company!

They have a nightlife!

A single man in the surrounding area didn't understand.

Xu Rao doesn't need to come either; she can stay home with her parents!

On New Year's Eve, Jiang Can cooked two coins and put them inside the dumplings. These were considered lucky dumplings, and eating them would bring good luck for the whole year to come.

We mainly ate dumplings for dinner, and also made two hot dishes and two cold dishes.

Dinner is served at 5 p.m.

After Jiang Can finished serving the dumplings, he placed the two dumplings with coins attached on top, one bowl for each of them.

Then light a large red candle and place it on the offering table, burn incense and paper money, set off firecrackers, and kowtow to the God of Wealth!

Jiang Can knelt down and kowtowed, his hands clasped together: "May your business prosper throughout the world, and your wealth flow as far as the three rivers!"

Shen Lang kowtowed and made a wish: "May the God of Wealth bless me with good fortune and wealth in the new year."

Tiger was also forced to kowtow by Jiang Can, and barked, "Woof woof woof!"

Jiang Can: "Dinner's ready!"

Tiger opened his mouth wide and grabbed a dumpling. It smelled so good!

On New Year's Eve, Tiger's main meal was dumplings, along with a piece of boiled beef and a piece of boiled pork liver!

Jiang Can and Shen Lang raised their glasses, which clinked together with a crisp sound. Jiang Can said, "This is the first New Year we've spent together."

As the two were eating dumplings, Shen Lang found a coin in his very first dumpling. He cried out in pain, his teeth chattering. This was the first time in his life that he had ever eaten a lucky dumpling during the New Year.

Jiang Can: "Good luck all year round!"

She was also eating dumplings, and after a few, she exclaimed in surprise, "I found a coin in one of them too!"

Yes, this was also the first time she had ever eaten "lucky dumplings".

Every year thereafter, they will be able to eat lucky dumplings, bringing them good fortune and blessings year after year.