The group broke through the crowd at the Yu family's gate and entered; inside were only Yu family members. At Xu Damao's invitation, Yan Jiecheng naturally offered cigarettes and candy.

Xu Damao noticed that a pretty girl next to him was Yan Jiecheng's brother-in-law, who was probably Yu Haitang. She wasn't as beautiful as rumored, but she seemed to have an outgoing personality and strong interpersonal skills.

After staying at Lao Yu's house for a while, the group hurriedly took the bride and her dowry quilts and washbasins and rushed back.

On the way back, Yan Jiecheng rode slower because Yu Li was with him, but Liu Guangtian was even slower. The unfortunate kid couldn't find anything to eat at Old Yu's house either. It wasn't that there wasn't any, but time was too tight, and they simply didn't have time for him.

Seeing that the poor kid was probably really uncomfortable, with his eyes wide open as he stepped forward and sweat pouring down his head like water, Xu Damao had no choice but to take out two candies from his spatial storage and give them to him.

“Guangtian, you must be very hungry. I have two candies here. Try licking them; it should make you feel better,” Xu Damao said.

"Thank you, Brother Da Mao."

The child was truly moved. Usually, his grandmother and uncles didn't care about him, and this morning no one had checked if he'd eaten, except for Xu Damao who gave him two candies. You see, those two candies would be enough for the New Year at Old Yan's house. Thinking about this, Liu Guangtian rode his bike, licking the candies, and then tears streamed down his face.

-------------------------------------

When the group brought the bride back, most of the relatives and friends had already arrived. Since there wasn't enough space in the front yard, they set up several tables in the middle yard as well. It's worth mentioning that Old Yan did quite well at the school; many teachers from Hongxing Elementary School came to offer their congratulations.

Xu Damao took some time to give a 5 yuan gift. In the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong both gave 5 yuan, while others gave between 1 and 3 yuan, depending on the closeness of the relationship. A few people were different. One was the Jia family, who gave 3 mao, arguably the lowest in the entire courtyard. Another was Sha Zhu, who didn't give anything. Because he was the head chef, according to custom he neither accepted money nor gave a gift.

"Section Chief Xu, hello, you're here today too." Xu Damao was looking at the gift book when someone greeted him.

"Hello, Principal Jiang. I knew you'd be here today. I live in the same courtyard as Teacher Yan; he lives in the front yard, and I live in the back. I went to pick up the bride today and just got back." Xu Damao smiled and shook hands with the visitor.

The person opposite me was Jiang Changkong, the principal of Hongxing Elementary School, a short, elderly man. Hongxing Elementary School was a subordinate school of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and was managed by the Education Section of the Logistics Department, which, according to administrative rank, would be equivalent to a deputy section chief. However, he was, after all, the leader of a separate unit, with nearly a hundred teachers, logistics staff, and miscellaneous workers under him, so he couldn't be simply categorized by administrative rank.

Because they both belonged to the logistics department, Xu Damao and Jiang Changkong had met a few times during meetings and had also eaten together, so their relationship was fairly good.

"Oh dear, if I had known you, Section Chief Xu, were here today, you should have been the officiant. I'll go tell Lao Yan right now. Isn't this like being in a treasure trove without realizing it?" Jiang Changkong said, heading towards Yan Fugui.

According to common Chinese custom, the officiant at a wedding is either a close and respected relative or a leader. If a leader is chosen, it should naturally be the highest-ranking leader attending the wedding banquet; otherwise, one wouldn't feel comfortable having anyone else present.

"No, Principal Jiang, don't push me into a fire pit. The officiant for this wedding must be a person of high moral standing, otherwise it's too frivolous."

"Look, I just got married myself, and I don't know any of the ins and outs of this. How can I possibly take on this responsibility? So, Principal Jiang, please be understanding today. I'll offer you two extra drinks at dinner later," Xu Damao quickly said.

Others may say what they will, but I can't take the lead. At least for the next ten years, Xu Damao can't do this kind of thing.

Seeing that Xu Damao truly didn't care about these things, Jiang Changkong finally gave up. Others might not know, but he was well aware of Xu Damao's abilities in the logistics department. He was buddies with the deputy director, and got along very well with the director as well. The key was that his old superior had now been transferred back to be the third-in-command of the factory, making him a definite future talent. He wanted to avoid offending him if possible.

After chatting with Jiang Changkong for a while, several people from the factory who knew him came over to say hello.

With no other option, Xu Damao could only stay to the side, helping to serve tea and water when things were busy, and chatting with his wife and others when he was free, trying to minimize his presence. After all, it was the Yan family's home turf today, and he couldn't steal the spotlight.

Xu Damao was having a great time here, but the Yan family inside was in a real mess.

Just now, Yan Jiecheng's cousin came over and said that his father sprained his ankle on the way and is now resting at a family's house on the way in Shunyi. He can't come today.

It's not a big deal if one guest can't come, but this person is Yan Jiecheng's uncle. According to current customs, the uncle is the most important person at a wedding. The banquet can only begin if the uncle arrives, and the uncle must sit at the head table in the main seat.

Yan Jiecheng's uncle lives in Huairou. He and his son set off early this morning, relying entirely on their own two feet since they didn't have bicycles. However, due to their age, their bones are not in good condition, and the old man sprained his ankle when they reached Shunyi.

The old man was also very understanding. Knowing he wouldn't make it to his nephew's wedding banquet today, he asked his son to come first and tell his sister that the banquet would proceed as planned and there was no need to wait. He then found a farmer's house to rest temporarily, intending to leave together with his son after the banquet.

"Dad, why don't we start the banquet as soon as the time comes? The time here is pre-selected, and Uncle said he won't blame us." Yan Jiecheng was eager to get married and consummate the marriage, so he thought he wouldn't wait for his uncle.

“That won’t do. You only have one uncle, and you’re starting the feast before he even arrives. Wouldn’t that make me go back to my parents’ home and be talked about behind my back? Besides, there’s still some time before the feast starts. Why don’t you ride your bike to pick him up?” Auntie San insisted, a rare occurrence for her.

Neither mother nor son could convince the other, so they could only turn their attention to Yan Fugui. But while Old Yan could be stingy, he was truly incapable of making this decision.

"How about I ask Lao Yi, Lao Liu, and our principal? They might have seen this kind of thing before and know how to handle it." Lao Yan had no choice but to hand over the decision-making power and consult other people's opinions.

Unexpectedly, after Yan Fugui explained the situation, the other three unanimously agreed that they had to go and pick him up.

In reality, this is what later generations call 'political correctness'—if you ask someone, they must answer in that way. You have to understand that thousands of years of customs and traditions exist; it's not something you can just do as you please.