Chapter 44 The upside-down wedding made her feel like she had become the "groom"...

Every year, the production team would only officially resume work after the Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar) and after worshipping the Mountain Goddess. At this time, the weather was still cold, and there wasn't much work to do in the fields. The main tasks were to transfer manure and plow it into the fields as base fertilizer for sowing wheat in the spring.

Like a large machine slowly restarting, people living in the fields gradually resumed their previous work. As time passed day by day, the weather gradually warmed up, and before they knew it, the first good day after the New Year arrived.

March 30th in the Gregorian calendar, which is February 13th in the lunar calendar, is an auspicious day for offering sacrifices, praying for blessings, getting married, and moving to a new house.

As the first auspicious day after the New Year, before the busy work in the fields became apparent, almost every production team had a happy event scheduled for this day.

Zhong Chunsheng, who has been involved in weddings and funerals for over twenty years, turned down all opportunities to earn extra money today. He simply sat in the main room all day, his old companion, the suona, standing quietly on a half-person-high cabinet beside him, as if silently keeping him company.

Zhong Chunsheng felt an indescribable sadness. He had played the suona countless times for other people's daughters' weddings, but when it came to his own daughter's wedding, he couldn't even play a high-pitched and cheerful suona tune.

How can a wedding be as lively as a normal wedding when you marry a dead person?

The sensible Zhong Xin walked over and silently patted his father on the back.

In another room separated by a wall, Deng Xia personally styled her daughter's hair into a bun, tucking the ends into the bun. The stark contrast between the girl's double braids and the woman's updo made Deng Xia, who had been holding back her tears, finally unable to hold them back any longer.

Zhong Ying stood up, put her arm around her mother's shoulder, and teased her playfully, "Look at this, who would believe it if word got out? Even the shrew and shrew of the Tonggan Production Team has moments when she sheds tears!"

The sadness quickly turned into anger. Deng Xia wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and pushed her daughter away irritably, "My daughter is getting married, what's wrong with me, as her mother, shedding a tear!"

Zhong Ying looked at Deng Xia, then at Miao Xiuyun holding her son in the room, and at Zhong Ni who had come to keep her company. None of them smiled. She said helplessly, "Oh, don't be like this. It's like I'll never be able to come back after I leave this room today."

Two dowry chests painted brown wood were placed on the ground, but they were missing the red paper cutouts of the character for "double happiness" that should have been pasted on the outside.

The two brand-new quilts on the bed symbolize a perfect pair. The cloth coupons that had been specially reserved were meant to be exchanged for brightly colored quilt covers printed with peonies and phoenixes, but due to this special wedding, they could only be exchanged for white cotton cloth.

Looking at these things, Deng Xia couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with grief again, "My poor daughter..."

Zhong Ying dared not joke around anymore and earnestly comforted her mother, who was almost crying like a child, "Just think of it as me moving to a different place. Anyway, we're still in the same production team. I'll come home for dinner tomorrow, okay?"

"My silly daughter, how can she be so free after getting married?" Deng Xia's heart ached as if it were being torn apart. "Her husband won't be willing, and her in-laws won't be happy either—"

“But the man is already dead,” Zhong Ying interrupted, straightening her clothes and looking down.

Before marriage, the groom's family often makes a new dress for the new bride as a token of their affection. This is usually a brand-new red sweater or a red cloth jacket.

The Li family felt guilty, after all, this marriage was special, so they made a new set of clothes for Zhong Ying, imitating the style of fashionable military uniforms, but instead of green, they used black polyester fabric that was more in line with her future identity.

When Zhong Ying tried on the clothes for the first time, she felt like something was missing in her hands. If she had a white enamel tea mug, she could easily cosplay as an old cadre.

Following her daughter's gaze, Deng Xia suddenly realized that she might be overthinking things. Given the sense of indebtedness shown by the Li family, if Zhong Ying wanted to run home on the second day of the wedding, they probably wouldn't stop her.

With her husband dead and her in-laws feeling guilty, the two layers of protection that would have been placed on the new bride were now meaningless. Deng Xia couldn't help but ponder whether the miserable life she had imagined her daughter would live in the future would really come to pass.

Miao Xiuyun reached out and took Zhong Ying's hand, saying, "Little sister, if you have any troubles, just go home and tell us. Your family will help you!"

Zhong Ni had long since become Zhong Ying's "brainless fan," saying, "Cousin, I believe you can definitely make a good life for yourself!"

"I will." Zhong Ying firmly believed this. She adapted well to the sudden change from the convenient and developed modern life to the rural life of the 1960s. She not only turned the tide of the death crisis, but also moved step by step towards the life she wanted.

In ordinary families, weddings usually take place in the afternoon or around dusk. When Zhong Ying was about to leave, it was already completely dark outside.

Li Ming and his eldest son, Li Gangshi, drove the production team's oxcart to the Zhong family's door. The Zhong family busied themselves loading the dowry chests, new quilts, and other dowry items onto the cart. The big black dog, Hongtang, jumped onto the cart by itself; it was the dowry dog ​​that Zhong Ying had specifically requested.

Zhong Ying showed no reluctance or sadness at leaving home as a new bride. She treated it all as a formality and cheerfully said to Zhong Chunsheng and Deng Xia, "Dad, Mom, I'll get in the car and leave now."

Having been comforted inside the house, Deng Xia was no longer so sad and simply nodded with tears in her eyes.

Zhong Ying breathed a sigh of relief and looked away, only to see Old Man Zhong start to shed tears.

"It's because your father is incompetent... If... your father could still play the suona and send you off at your wedding in a lively manner..." A man doesn't easily shed tears, but when he was heartbroken, the emotions that had been suppressed for so long could no longer be restrained and burst out. Zhong Chunsheng didn't care about anything else, and large tears overflowed from his eyes. He only had three children, and each one of them was the apple of his eye.

Zhong Ying was completely at a loss.

She's actually not very good at getting along with her "father".

In modern times, her father was rarely home, spending most of his time outside socializing and working. Later, through blind dates and a falling out, Zhong Ying and her father were practically estranged.

After transmigrating, Old Man Zhong became a taciturn and honest farmer. At this time, men are shy about expressing their feelings. Compared to Deng Xia's flamboyant protective behavior towards her child, he mostly did things like quietly feeding cucumbers in his private plot and taking over his daughter's well-pushing duties. These were all small, unnoticed things that could easily be overlooked if one wasn't paying attention.

It can be said that after cleaning up Zhong Ying's mess and compensating her son, Zhong Ying once again clearly felt "fatherly love" at this moment.

Zhong Ying smiled, but her eyes glistened with tears. "I forgot to comfort you, Dad. Okay, Dad, don't be sad anymore. It doesn't matter whether there's a suona horn to send me off or not. This is the life I want. I'm willing to live it. You should be happy for me. I will definitely make our lives better and better in the future."

Seeing the Zhong family's sorrowful state, Li Ming's conscience ached. Sitting on the oxcart, he cursed his son in his heart for the umpteenth time: "You stubborn brat! You've made me play the villain here!"

Unaware that his father was cursing him in his heart, Li Lin sat on the oxcart with a sullen face. It was customary for the groom to come and pick up the new bride, and he still came even though no one could see him.

After finally calming Old Man Zhong down, Zhong Ying lightly jumped onto the oxcart and sat down. She smiled knowingly at the unhappy old man, hugged Hongtang's dog head, and swung her legs as she headed towards the life she had fought for.

From the Zhong family to the Li family, it was only the distance from the village center to the village entrance. The oxcart quickly carried the new bride to the groom's house, and Old Man Zhong, Deng Xia, and others who had walked over were only a few steps behind.

Normally, firecrackers would be set off at the groom's house at this time of year for a wedding, but because of the special nature of this wedding, everything became quiet. The oxcart stopped, and people walked in peacefully.

Three square tables had already been set up in the Li family's courtyard, and some relatives and friends had arrived. There weren't many people attending the banquet; only relatives from the Li and Zhong families were present. The families in the production team who weren't invited weren't upset, after all, this wasn't a joyous wedding.

Liu Hongyan and her second son, Li Rongshi, threw a paper effigy shaped like a groom, which they had specially ordered from a paper craftsman, into the brazier. The flames consumed it and burned it to ashes, leaving only gray-black powder.

Zhong Ying controlled her expression to hide her surprise as she watched Li Linshi's clothes change from a white shirt and black pants to a red robe for a groom.

Humorous, the little fairy transforms.

Zhong Ying couldn't help but mutter to herself, and then she saw Liu Hongyan pick up a wooden memorial tablet and walk towards her.

Liu Hongyan stopped in front of Zhong Ying, choking back tears, and said, "Yingni'er, from now on, I'm entrusting my son to you..."

Zhong Ying quickly took it, and a strange feeling arose within her.

She suddenly had a strange feeling of role reversal. Zhong Ying's black military uniform actually reflected the current fashion trend: preferring military uniforms to red dresses, and de-gendering women's clothing. "Unisex clothing" is actually more like men's clothing. In addition, Liu Hongyan's act of handing her "son" over to her was a common practice at weddings, where the father hands his daughter over to the son-in-law. So Zhong Ying felt like she had become the "groom".

When you look at Li Lin again, she has a beautiful face and is dressed in a traditional red wedding robe, but she is gloomy and unwilling, looking like a "bride" who has been forcibly taken away.

Wait a minute, Zhong Ying thinks she can accept being "forced into marriage," but "abducted" is out of the question. Humans and ghosts aren't even the same species anymore, and her tastes aren't that extreme, even though Li Linshi's appearance is indeed to her aesthetic point.

“…From now on, just think of me and his mother as your parents. We will learn to treat you the way your parents treated you,” Li Ming said, still filled with remorse.

Zhong Ying stopped her rambling thoughts, came back to her senses, and smiled sweetly, readily changing her address, "Okay, Father, Mother."

Li Ming and Liu Hongyan's heavy hearts finally eased a bit. They could see that no one was really happy about the marriage; everyone was forcing smiles, except for Zhong Ying, whose smile was genuine.

What a good child! He is a kind and righteous child.

Li Ming led Zhong Ying to identify the people: "This is the boss, Li Gangshi, and this is his wife, Tian Mei..."

Li Gangshi is ten years older than Li Linshi and looks a lot like his father, Li Ming. However, he always has a smile on his face, and at thirty-two years old, the nasolabial folds of a middle-aged man are already faintly visible on his face.

His wife, Tian Mei, was also in her early thirties. Her delicate features were on a rather long, square face, and her eyes were upturned. She wasn't considered pretty, and even looked somewhat mean.

The couple currently have three children: their nine-year-old daughter, Li Xiuyun; their six-year-old son, Li Guangzong; and their four-year-old daughter, Li Xiuqing.

Judging from his behavior of tugging at his mother and demanding food, Zhong Ying felt that this nephew should not be called "Guangzong" but "Yaozu".

"The second son and Rou Ni'er are twins. This is Rong Shi's wife, Nie Jinfeng, and your third sister's husband, Qian Haishen..."

Zhong Ying obediently called out to them again, looking at them with clear eyes.

Li Rongshi and Li Rou are twins, both twenty-seven years old this year. They look about seven-tenths alike, both with handsome faces, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. However, Li Rongshi looks a bit fatter, with the appearance of a happy, post-marital man who has gained weight. His wife, Nie Jinfeng, has a clever and bright appearance, with her almond-shaped eyes being her most striking feature. The couple currently has only one son, who is just five years old and named Li Guangfu.

Li Rou appeared much thinner, while her husband, in comparison, was only of average appearance. The two brought their daughter, Qian Qian, who was not yet four years old, with them. Fortunately, the little girl resembled her mother more; she was a beautiful girl with delicate features.

Afterwards, Li Ming took Zhong Ying to meet Li Linshi's second aunt's family who had married into Shenjiagou, as well as Li Changgui's parents. Zhong Ying addressed them as "Third Uncle" and "Third Aunt"...

After getting acquainted with everyone, Zhong Ying's part of the wedding was over. Afterwards, Li Ming and Liu Hongyan took over from their son to greet the male and female guests at the banquet.

Tian Mei took Zhong Ying to the house next door.

"This will be your house from now on." Tian Mei unlocked the door and handed the key to Zhong Ying.

Pushing open the door and walking in, Zhong Ying's eyes lit up. This house looked slightly smaller than the Li family's house she had just visited, but about the same size as the Zhong family's house.

Tian Mei crossed her arms and looked at her new sister-in-law who was holding a memorial tablet. She felt a little scared and quickly told her what to say, "Remember to lock the door at night when you live alone. If you need anything, just shout over the wall. Your older brother and I live next door with our parents."

The Li family is a very traditional rural family. The eldest son takes care of his parents, so Li Gangshi's family lives with them. The second son, Li Rongshi's family, moved out when they got married and lived in the middle of the village, next to Liu Mancang and Fan Dani's family.

"Come over for breakfast after you get up this morning. Your second brother and his family also come over for breakfast every day. We have separate rooms but not separate households." Tian Mei said everything in one breath. "The food has already been set out in bowls and placed on the table in the main room for you. After you finish eating, you can rest. I'm leaving now."

“Okay, sister-in-law.” Zhong Ying said goodbye to her.

After Tian Mei left, Zhong Ying closed the door, cheered, rushed into the main room, and without even eating, casually placed the memorial tablet on the table, picked up a lit candle, and began to look at her house.

"Wow, the newly painted walls are so white, the room looks so much cleaner and brighter... The bed in the bedroom is so big, I can turn over in my sleep... This room is empty, I'll use it to store odds and ends from now on... New outhouse! So clean..."

Li Linshi watched as Zhong Ying frolicked around in the rooms, occasionally popping her head out. A hint of a smile finally appeared on his usually gloomy and cold face.

Oh well, as long as she's happy.

Zhong Ying was satisfied with her inspection of her residence. As she walked out of the house, she noticed that Li Linshi was still standing in the yard.

"You haven't left yet?" Zhong Ying looked surprised. "It's so late. I'm going to eat and then tidy up before going to bed. You should go back to the river."

She no longer had to sneak around; she could finally communicate with her deceased husband at a normal volume, without worrying about being seen or mistaken for talking to herself. Living alone was so great! Freedom!

Li Linshi's face fell again. You're so ungrateful, you use me and then throw me away!

“This is also my house,” Li Linshi said through gritted teeth.

Zhong Ying didn't necessarily intend to drive the ghost away. She looked around and said, "Then do you want to go to the well? Or do you need a room? Do you still need to sleep? Anyway, there are still empty rooms. If you need the main house, you can have it. I'll stay in the side room next door."

Zhong Ying thought she had spoken frankly and openly, as if it were just about sharing an apartment. She believed that being polite and open to discussion was the best long-term solution. However, she didn't know why the deadbeat seemed even angrier after hearing and seeing her words.

"You can live here by yourself," Li Linshi said angrily before turning into water and merging into the earth.

Zhong Ying scratched her face, puzzled, and sighed, "She has such a bad temper."

Putting the dead man out of her mind, Zhong Ying walked to the door and untied the rope around Hongtang's neck. "You don't need to be tied up at home. You can sleep in the room with me tonight, Hongtang. No one can control us anymore! I'm in charge of this house!"

The big black dog barked excitedly twice, as if in agreement.

"Come on, let's go eat together. Let me see what we have for you..."

Li Linshi hadn't actually left. Listening to Zhong Ying's words, he thought, "She's really strange. She insists on letting the guard dog sleep in the house with people. What if someone climbs over the wall and comes in? She won't even notice it immediately!"

He solidified his posture and sat on the edge of the well in the courtyard, his brows furrowed. His extraordinary hearing allowed him to clearly hear the cacophony of voices from the people on the other side of the wall. With so many people, chaos was bound to arise, and how could he feel at ease returning to the Ganlin River?

Li Linshi glanced at the brightly lit room, her graceful figure reflected in the window.

Fine, he can stay overnight.

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Author's note: The watchdog on the surface: brown sugar.

A real watchdog—