Chapter 135 A Whole Year

On January 12, 1973, the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the sky was exceptionally clear and cloudless. The air was a little dry and cold, but it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Hetang villagers.

An Zhixia stared at the watch on her wrist, and when the auspicious time came, she urged her brother to ride his bike out to pick up the bride. An Zhiqiu was wearing an iron-gray Zhongshan suit, black leather shoes, and a neat crew cut. His wheat-colored face had been blushing since last night, and his smile was silly, and his white teeth were almost frozen off.

With a kick of his long legs, the shiny new bike with big red silk flowers on it sprang out, and behind him was a row of neatly dressed male educated youth riding bikes.

Everyone couldn't help but count them one by one, and there were actually nine!

Xiahua people love to seek good luck, nine represents longevity, and including the groom means it is perfect, which means it has a very good meaning. The villagers realized at this moment that Fang Hongye was not a jinx, but a lucky star covered in dust. Looking at this pomp and circumstance, it is obvious that the man is very satisfied with the bride and is willing to work hard to make her look good.

An Zhixia was entertaining guests at home, and several children from the Fang family came to help. Aunt Hua and her daughters-in-law were also busy running around.

Almost half of the people in the village were crowded into the small courtyard, and some were even lying on the walls of Hang Xianglei and Nie Yichang's courtyards.

"Girl, I'm not late, am I?" Brother Hong hadn't arrived yet, but his unique laughter had already penetrated the hustle and bustle.

An Zhixia smiled and hurried over to them, and found that the president, Director Zhang, Sister Li, Brother Wang, five retired uncles, several other colleagues who frequently interacted with her and had good relationships with her, and even Uncle Yang were all standing at the door.

"Why are you all here?" She greeted them happily and led them directly to her room.

Fang Lixi and her two sisters came in with warm brown sugar water, politely calling for fruits. The adults smiled and praised the children, stuffing candy and biscuits into the children's arms.

"Brother Hong hasn't been in the county for more than half a month. Could he have come back specially to attend my brother's wedding?"

Brother Hong drank some water, took out the file bag from his bag and handed it over, "Not really. Once your files are approved, you can return to Beijing at any time. I will definitely come before you leave. It just so happens that your brother is getting married, so as the eldest brother, I have to show some appreciation, right?"

An Zhixia took the file bag with a smile, and took a look at it. It contained all kinds of procedures and work report certificates for the two siblings to return to the city. "Brother Hong is really an honest man. I just said it to you, but I didn't expect you to get it done quietly. We don't know how to thank you."

Brother Hong laughed and waved his hands, "No, no, I'm not as noble as you think. There are many things we can cooperate with each other in the future. I can't even do this little thing for my sister, how can I have the face to talk about other things? But," he frowned, "but I didn't know Zhiqiu was going to get married. I'm afraid it's not easy for my sister-in-law to work. It may take some twists and turns."

Some favors need to be saved until they are needed. If they are frequently used and blindly demanded, things will only be half the result with twice the effort. According to his idea, the brother and sister should first gain a foothold in Kyoto and let the noble see their value. Then, they will have the capital to negotiate and then plan this matter.

An Zhixia shook her head and chuckled, "Don't bother Brother Hong with this matter. I'm already in Kyoto, and if I can't find a job for my sister-in-law, I really don't dare to accept your olive branch."

Everyone laughed, but they felt sad. Finding a job and transferring a rural household registration to a city or Kyoto household registration, such a big thing, Director Ran Jia Xiaoan also said it easily, but he was not just talking nonsense, he really had the ability.

It’s great to be young and reckless!

"When are you planning to leave? I'll give someone a heads up and reserve sleeper tickets for you in advance," Brother Hong asked considerately.

An Zhixia squinted her eyes and thought about it. In fact, she had discussed this issue with her brother many times. Since they could go to Kyoto to celebrate the New Year this year, they must set aside time to take the bus, find a house, buy things and report to the unit. And her brother had just got married, so he couldn't just go back home and leave. He had to let the couple spend some time together.

"My brother and I plan to leave after the Little New Year. Brother Hong, can you help us see if there are any sleeper tickets for the 24th day of the lunar calendar?"

Brother Hong responded, and everyone talked for a few more words. When they heard the groom coming back with the bride, they all went out to watch the fun.

Uncle Yang was walking at the end, grabbing Brother Hong's clothes and whispering, "Yinpenzi, buy me a sleeper ticket as well, so I can sit next to them."

Brother Hong raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Uncle Yang, do you have relatives in Kyoto?"

"You look down on people, don't you?" Uncle Yang glared at him. "How broad can you be if you keep following that kid from the Li family? You better follow Xia girl and I'll make sure you end up in a good place!"

After saying that, he happily went to join in the fun. Brother Hong scratched his head. Who on earth was this person? How did he know the name of the noble family? No matter what, judging from the way the old man spoke and the tone of his voice, it should be beneficial to the An family brothers and sisters.

But he still secretly told An Zhixia something.

An Zhixia wasn't surprised at all. She smiled and said sorry for the trouble.

An Zhiqiu took Fang Hongye back home, walked around the house, and then took Brother Hong's car to the county town to get the marriage certificate. It was noon when they came back. The witness read Comrade Mao's quotations and two bright red marriage certificates. The newlyweds bowed to each other and scattered several baskets of wedding candies, wedding cakes, and peanuts to the guests. The wedding was over.

Even though everything was kept simple, the An family still set up six tables for a banquet to entertain the brother and sister's colleagues from the commune, educated youth with whom they had a good relationship, village cadres, and the bride's family's escort.

Nine dishes and one soup, with chicken, fish and meat, looked very high-quality, but in fact they were all produced by the commune itself, with only a little feed and labor. These were gifts sent in advance by the president to the An brothers and sisters for the New Year.

After the meal, the aunts who helped washed the pots, pans, and utensils and returned them along with the tables and chairs.

An Zhixia gave each person a red envelope of two yuan to express her gratitude. After everyone left, the courtyard returned to its tranquility. A row of bright red lanterns under the eaves and wedding characters posted everywhere added to the liveliness while keeping people's hearts agitated.

She pursed her lips and smiled. It had been a whole year since she came to this era. Although there were no dazzling lights and gorgeous clothes as before, her life was full of plain happiness, so beautiful that it made people want to stay at this moment and not want to move on.

"What are you doing? Why don't you come into the house?" An Zhiqiu went out to get some water. Seeing the girl staring at the lantern and laughing foolishly, he walked forward and took her into his arms with a smile, "You didn't get much sleep this morning, and you've been busy all day. I'm tired for you. Go to bed quickly, so as not to affect your growth..."

"Sister-in-law, look at what my brother said. He and I are only a few minutes apart, but it feels like a lifetime apart!"

(End of this chapter)