October 28th, 5:00 AM.

The area in front of Li Weijun's new house was already brightly lit and bustling with people.

Many women were squatting under the makeshift shed, helping out; some were washing and chopping vegetables.

Last night, Li Chang led his men to steam eight large steamer baskets of buns, one hundred buns in each basket, steaming hot and keeping them warm on the stove.

I also fried two large basins of golden tofu puffs, one large basin of fried potato chunks, one large basin of fried yam chunks, and soaked a basin of glass noodles.

These are all the side dishes for steaming eight large bowls.

Li Chang and the others who were busy working basically didn't get any rest all night, and the fires in the three large stoves burned fiercely all night.

The lively atmosphere chased away much of the chill of the early winter night.

Zhao Sufang led Hao Yulan and others to deliver the dozen or so cabbage dumplings they had made the night before to the shed.

Before Li Weijun goes to pick up the bride, they will cook vegetarian dumplings for breakfast.

In Huichuan and throughout northern China, it is a tradition to eat dumplings on important occasions.

Today's wedding party includes Liu Shuping and Xiao Hong, Li Weijun and Li Kang, along with four other members of the same family.

The selection of who would go to fetch the bride was determined by Old Lady Jiang; all the brides were people whose zodiac signs did not conflict.

After everyone had gathered and each person had eaten a bowl of vegetarian dumplings, it was almost seven o'clock.

Li Weijun was wearing a brand-new navy blue Zhongshan suit, his suit was impeccably tailored, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a red flower on his chest.

He walked up to Li Jin and Zhao Sufang to say goodbye, "Father, Mother, your son is going to fetch the bride now."

Li Jin and Zhao Sufang were filled with mixed emotions. It felt as if their son was still learning to walk just moments ago, and now he was about to get married.

Li Jin suppressed his excitement and patted Li Weijun on the shoulder, "After getting married, you're an adult. From now on, you must be an upright person and live a good life!"

Li Weijun nodded, and the group got up to go and greet the bride.

Two oxcarts have been prepared today, with red blankets laid out on them. The female guests will ride in the back oxcart, while the front oxcart will be empty for the bride.

Before leaving home, Li Xiangqian first set off a string of firecrackers, and then set off firecrackers all the way to Liu Dagai's house at Guanyutai. He also set off firecrackers when passing bridges and intersections.

It is said to be for warding off evil spirits and disasters, but of course we dare not say that now; we just say it's simply for the sake of making a scene.

When we arrived at Liu Dagai's house, the gate was wide open, and lights were on inside and outside the house, with people coming and going.

At this point, no one blocked the door demanding red envelopes; everyone just egged Li Weijun on to sing a revolutionary song and then let him go.

Next was Liu Shuping. Regardless of what she was thinking, she warmly took Shan Yongju's hand, said some polite words, and indicated that they were about to take their new bride away.

Shan Yongju wiped away her tears, "Sister-in-law, you must treat my Yuxiu well from now on!"

Liu Yuxiu was wearing a new red dress, her hair was tied up, and a red velvet flower was tucked behind her ear.

She was initially happy, but when she saw her mother's tears, a feeling of sadness welled up inside her, and she also shed two tears.

It's a tradition for brides to cry before their wedding. Liu Yuxiu cried, and her family offered a few words of comfort. Then she ate dumplings meant to sever ties with her mother.

The dumplings had been cooked long ago and were served in a blue-flowered bowl with a large rim, topped with a pair of chopsticks. Someone was holding the bowl, waiting for this moment.

Shan Yongju took the dumplings, picked one up and fed it to her daughter, saying, "My dear daughter, you won't be with your mother anymore. You'll be working for your mother-in-law. Remember to be diligent and observant."

As they spoke, tears streamed down their faces, and they could barely eat their dumplings.

Liu Shuping couldn't take it anymore. "Sister-in-law, stop scaring the child! This isn't the old society anymore; there's no such thing as a mother-in-law mistreating her daughter-in-law. Besides, my sister-in-law isn't that kind of mean-spirited person!"

Others also tried to comfort her. Shan Yongju wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "Look at me, I'm speechless. Yuxiu, the Li family is a good family, and Weijun treats you well. I hope you will have a comfortable and happy life from now on!"

Even if Liu Yuxiu had many grievances against her parents in the past, she was now genuinely distressed.

So, as she boarded the oxcart and left her own gate, she cried again.

The ceremony will be held at 8:18.

Wedding ceremonies at this time were not as elaborate as those in later generations; they were very simple.

First, Li Jin and Zhao Sufang, Liu Dagai and Shan Yongju sat side by side on benches, while Li Weijun and Liu Yuxiu stood shoulder to shoulder in the center of the main room. The other spectators ate melon seeds while laughing and freely eyeing the bride.

Today's wedding emcee is Liu Changhai, a young man with a loud voice and a variety of talents.

"A newlywed couple stands in the hall, two elders sit before them. Today is an auspicious day, the man marries his wife and the woman marries her husband. May their love be as sweet as mandarin ducks and butterflies, and may their happiness last forever!"

After loudly reciting the celebratory words, Liu Changhai said with a grin, "Groom Li Weijun and bride Liu Yuxiu bow deeply to express their gratitude to the country and the Party!"

The two bowed deeply.

"A second bow, to thank our parents for raising us to adulthood!"

The two bowed again.

"Bowing three times to thank them for choosing you!"

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the two bowed to each other. One young man, dissatisfied that Li Weijun's bow was not deep enough, rushed up and pressed Li Weijun's head down, making him bow more deeply.

With that, the wedding ceremony was considered complete.

Xiao Hong helped the bride into the inner room and sat her on the kang (a heated brick bed). She then invited the female relatives from the Liu family's side to come in and sit down for a meal.

Although it's only a little past 8:30, the wedding banquet is about to begin, and peanuts, melon seeds, and wedding candies have already been laid out on the square table inside the house.

The banquet for newlyweds is called the "official banquet," while the banquet for relatives and friends is called the "regular banquet." The official banquet is served first and the food is more abundant than the regular banquet.

The aunties and older women who had just witnessed the ceremony were still a little reluctant to leave. They lifted the curtain, leaned against the door frame, and watched the bride with smiles on their faces.

Faces were peering through the windows, looking into the room.

The children stared intently at the candy in the plate, and whoever managed to get one immediately drew envious glances from the other children.

Before taking their seats, there is another procedure, namely the famous question of whether or not to give birth.

Zhao Sufang brought in a bowl of undercooked vegetarian dumplings and offered them to the bride.

Liu Yuxiu took a bite of the undercooked dumpling skin, and Wang Xiuhong immediately asked, "Is it raw or raw?"

This is a double entendre; ostensibly, it's asking if the dumplings are cooked through, but actually, it's a way to wish for good luck in having a baby.

Liu Yuxiu said shyly, "Yes!"

Everyone clapped and cheered, "Give your mother-in-law a big, healthy grandson next year!"

Then, Liu Yuxiu spat the dumpling wrapper she had just bitten off into a piece of red paper, wrapped it up, and put it under the kang mat, to be thrown away when she gave birth.

Once all the procedures were completed, the staff began serving the dishes with plates on them.

Cold dishes include: cold cabbage heart salad, braised mixed fish, fried peanuts, and mixed shredded vegetables.

Candied yam, stir-fried shredded pork with garlic sprouts, stir-fried eggs with garlic chives, and minced pork with vermicelli are four hot dishes.

Next up are the Eight Big Bowls: Steamed Pork with Rice Flour, Braised Pork Belly, Red and White Pork, Braised Pork Strips, Steamed Fish, Steamed Chicken, Steamed Meatballs, and Steamed Crispy Pork.

Finally, there was a shallow white steamed bun, which looked and smelled delicious, making everyone's mouths water.