August 7, 1966, Sunday, the 21st day of the sixth lunar month.
It is auspicious for marriage, praying for blessings, seeking offspring, making alliances, and betrothal.
Lu Fangfang and Zhuang Mingcheng got up early in the morning.
The two men were wearing new military uniforms with red flowers pinned to their chests.
Lu Fangfang even wore light makeup, which was rare for her, and wore a butterfly hair clip that her husband had bought for her.
Despite limited resources, she still felt somewhat dazed when she looked at herself in the mirror.
At nineteen, she radiated youthful energy. After eating half a bear paw yesterday, her complexion was even better.
To be honest, she was even impressed by her own beauty.
"Fangfang, you look so beautiful today."
Zhuang Mingcheng stood behind his wife, and was amazed by her beauty.
He slowly leaned forward and kissed his wife.
"Stop messing around, I just finished drawing it. Go outside and take a look, your sister-in-law should be here soon."
Zhuang Mingcheng was reluctant to leave.
He stared at his wife for a while before going to the outer room.
"Meow~"
"Awoo~"
Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox seemed to know what day it was, running around excitedly.
Zhuang Mingcheng waved to them.
When the little ones ran over, he took the big red flower and tied it to the chests of Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox.
"This is much more festive, go ahead."
"Awoo~"
"Meow~"
Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox looked down, somewhat curious.
Seeing that Zhuang Mingcheng also had one on his chest, the two of them knew it was a good thing and excitedly ran to the yard.
After a while, the sisters-in-law arrived one after another, each carrying a gift.
In those days, the gifts were practical items, such as thermos flasks, enamel basins, fabrics, pillowcases, and canned goods.
Zhuang Mingcheng accepted them all with a smile.
After a while, the little kids from the family compound also ran in.
After they finished their wedding candy, they played around with the little flower and the little Tibetan fox.
The courtyard was noisy and lively.
Now is the time to break with feudal superstitions. The old customs have been swept away. Since the couple got married in the family compound, there were no other special customs. They planned to go directly to the auditorium and bow to the portrait of the leader.
As for wedding pranks and the like, those don't exist in this day and age, let alone in family compounds.
After a while, when it was almost time, the group's jeep drove up to the gate, and everyone immediately surrounded the two of them and led them out.
"Crackling and popping..."
Firecrackers went off. Zhuang Mingcheng opened the door of the jeep and let his wife get in first. He then walked to the other side and got in as well.
"Awoo~"
"Meow~"
Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox chirped excitedly and jumped into the car.
Worried that they would make noise, Wang Shufen quickly said, "Xiao Hua, Xiao Zang Hu, come down quickly, sister, hand them to me."
"Sister Shufen, it's alright, let them come up."
Lu Fangfang stroked the little flower and the little Tibetan fox, and couldn't help but smile.
These two little ones are their bridesmaids and groomsmen today, um...
It's a bit of a generational gap, but anyway, I have to bring them along today. This is something our leader, Gao Dajiang, said we're going to celebrate their success today.
"Okay then."
Seeing this, Wang Shufen shook her head helplessly.
The jeep slowly started moving, and she called to everyone as they walked together toward the troupe's auditorium.
"Little Lu looks much prettier than usual today, all dressed up. His little face is so rosy, it's incredibly tempting."
"That's true. I remember when Xiao Lu first came to the family compound, he was very thin and his face was pale. Now he looks like a completely different person. Deputy Commander Zhuang really has good taste."
“Look at the hair clip on Xiao Lu’s head, it’s a butterfly, it sways when he walks.”
"I heard that Deputy Commander Zhuang bought it from the provincial capital, and it cost him several yuan."
The women watched the jeep drive away, whispering amongst themselves, each one filled with envy.
They can afford hair clips that cost just a few dollars, but not many men in their families would think of buying them.
Seeing the grand spectacle today, the women were all speechless with amazement.
Very few people have ever ridden in this little jeep.
When they got married, it was in their hometown, but there were no cars to ride in, so the men in their families would carry them back on bicycles.
This is only for families with good financial conditions. Some even borrow bicycles. Those who are really poor have their husbands carry them home.
"Hey, I heard there are quite a few people in the auditorium today?"
"Yes, Deputy Regiment Commander Zhuang just finished a mission in the provincial capital. He called all the soldiers who accompanied him, as well as those who were not in the battalion, a total of one or two hundred people."
Chen Yanhong was still somewhat shocked as she spoke.
She works in the cafeteria and knows better than anyone that they cooked two large iron pots of bear bones last night, and they smelled delicious.
"Sister-in-law Yanhong, I heard that besides bear meat, we're also having dumplings today?"
Zhao Guilan, holding the child's hand, asked curiously.
Her family hadn't even eaten breakfast; they were all saving their stomachs, waiting to eat more at lunchtime.
"Not only dumplings, but we also benefited from the soldiers' good fortune. To celebrate their victory, the regimental commander killed more than a hundred quails, which were deep-fried in bear oil and were fragrant and crispy."
"I used the remaining bear oil to cook vegetables, and oh my, it smelled so good."
Upon hearing this, everyone swallowed hard.
They were craving bear oil when the Lu family was making it the day before yesterday, and today they can finally have a proper meal.
As if they could smell the aroma of meat, everyone quickened their pace.
Outside the family compound, a jeep was about to drive into the regiment when Lu Fangfang called out to the driver.
"Mingcheng, is there still time?"
"What's wrong?"
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