Chapter 111 A Lively Feast
The wedding banquet is ready in the open space in front of the two-story building.
The country road in front of the hotel was lined with rows of tables, covered with uniform red tablecloths and red plastic stools. Bowls and chopsticks were set on the tables, and a small gift box was placed next to each set of bowls and chopsticks.
The wedding banquet chefs in the small town were busy at the makeshift stove.
A large iron pot sits on an iron stove. The chef wields the spatula, stirring the dishes in the pot, with smoke rising and a fragrant aroma filling the air.
The waiters were chopping vegetables, preparing ingredients, and plating dishes nearby...
Wen Qing's father, a retired teacher, was helping to direct the setting of the tables.
Most of the guests were villagers from the town, and a few doctors and nurses from the health center, apart from those on duty, came over during their lunch break.
Everyone sat and chatted casually, while children chased and played among the tables, creating a relaxed and lively atmosphere.
Grandma Huo was moved to tears by the sight, realizing that she had actually brought together a perfect couple back then.
When Huo Nanchen was carrying Lin Xili and they were still more than ten meters away from the small building, a young man on the second-floor rooftop tied one end of a firecracker to a bamboo pole and placed the other end on the ground.
Huo Nanchen stopped in front of the door and gently put Lin Xili down. Lin Xili stood still and straightened her veil and skirt.
Wen Qing's father brought over an incense stick and lit the firecrackers.
"Crackling and popping—"
The firecrackers exploded instantly, scattering red paper scraps everywhere. The loud and festive sound echoed through the town.
The guests covered their ears, their faces full of smiles.
The children, both scared and excited, hid behind the adults, peeking through their fingers.
Huo Xining and Huo Xiyu also covered their ears, but their eyes were sparkling as they watched the string of exploding firecrackers.
Lin Xili stood beside Huo Nanchen, watching the red paper scraps fall in a flurry, and the smiling faces of people blurred by the smoke. She was about to begin her real married life with the man beside her.
After the firecrackers went off for about two or three minutes, enthusiastic applause and cheers followed.
Red confetti littered the ground, like a festive carpet.
Huo Nanchen took Lin Xili's hand, the two looked at each other, and then walked together into their shared home.
The living room of the two-story house was set up as a wedding hall.
A large red double happiness character is pasted on the main wall, and below it is an eight-immortal table covered with a red cloth, on which are placed peanuts, wedding candies and the like.
Grandma Huo sat in the armchair on the left side of the table, while Lin Weihua and Song Yuan sat on the right side.
All three were dressed formally; Grandma Huo wore a dark red blouse embroidered with gold patterns, while Lin Weihua and Song Yuan wore dark suits and cheongsams.
When Lin Xili came downstairs, she had changed into a red Xiuhe dress.
The dragon and phoenix patterns embroidered in gold thread meander along the collar and cuffs of the dress, the skirt is wide, the hair is styled into a bun and adorned with a gold hairpin, and small pearl stud earrings adorn the earlobes.
Huo Nanchen was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for her. When he saw her coming down, he reached out to help her with the last few steps.
The tea-serving ceremony begins.
Aunt Wang brought over a red lacquered tray with two white porcelain covered bowls on it, the rims of which were decorated with gold.
Lin Xili and Huo Nanchen walked up to Grandma Huo and knelt down on the prayer mat.
"Grandma, please have some tea." Lin Xili picked up a bowl and offered it to her with both hands.
Grandma Huo took the bowl, lifted the lid, took a sip, put down the bowl, took out a red envelope from her bosom, placed it on the tray, and said, "Live a good life."
Next, Jing Linweihua and Song Yuan.
When Lin Xili served the tea, his fingers trembled slightly. Song Yuan took the teacup, paused in her hand for a moment, and then brought it to her lips.
After finishing her drink, she took out a red envelope and gently touched her daughter's hand with her fingers as she placed it on the tray.
“Xi Li,” Lin Weihua said hoarsely, “come home more often in the future…”
Lin Xili nodded: "Okay."
After the ceremony, the two stood up. As their knees left the prayer mat, Lin Xili felt Huo Nanchen gently lift her up—a very subtle movement, but enough to provide support.
Fifty tables along the country road, each seating ten people, were packed full, and the dishes began to be served by the waiters.
Stir-fried seafood with vermicelli, double-braised chicken, roast goose, braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, steamed lobster with garlic, braised abalone with red bean and abalone sauce, braised sea cucumber with chestnut and abalone sauce, congee with scallops, flower crab and shrimp, steamed grouper with yellow pepper, mixed stew, lotus root, lotus seeds, lily bulbs and cashews, crispy orange-flavored vegetables, and bok choy in broth—a total of thirteen dishes.
Lin Xili and Huo Nanchen began serving tea at each table, with Aunt Wang following behind, carrying a teapot to refill the tea as needed.
Wen Qing and her best man followed behind, carrying bamboo baskets filled with wedding candies.
The first table was occupied by doctors and nurses from the health center. Dr. Zhang Jie stood up and said, "Nan Chen, Xi Li, congratulations."
"Thanks."
Next came the old neighbors of the town. Granny Li held Lin Xili's hand, squinting at her Xiuhe dress, "So beautiful, just like a person in a painting."
Grandpa Li patted Huo Nanchen on the shoulder and said, "Dr. Huo, you must treat your wife well."
"Uncle Li, you don't need to tell us, do you think we don't know what kind of person Dr. Huo is?"
Everyone laughed when he said that.
As we toasted each table, every sip of wine carried a heartfelt blessing.
Lin Xili held her teacup, while Huo Nanchen, a man of few words, simply said "thank you" each time he raised his cup.
The scene became much livelier when we got to the children's table.
Three tables were pushed together, and more than thirty children, ranging in age from three or four to ten, sat there.
Huo Xining and Huo Xiyu were also among them, sitting on red stools with bowls piled high with food in front of them.
As Lin Xili and Huo Nanchen approached, the children quieted down and stared wide-eyed.
Huo Xining stood up, a little sauce on his face: "Uncle, Auntie."
Lin Xili bent down and gently wiped the stains off her face with a tissue: "Is it delicious?"
"Delicious!" the children answered in unison.
Huo Xiyu pointed to the dishes on the table: "These dishes are all delicious."
Lin Xili and Huo Nanchen also served tea to the children, who then imitated the adults by raising their juice cups.
A little boy shouted, "May the bride always be beautiful!"
All the children at the table burst into laughter.
Lin Xuenuo and Chen Jinyue were taking care of the girl at the table. Lin Xuenuo was peeling shrimp for a four or five-year-old girl. Her movements were not very skillful, but she had lost her usual spoiled attitude and became more patient.
Chen Jinyue was distributing snacks, putting fried spring rolls and taro dumplings into each child's bowl.
Seeing Lin Xili approach, Lin Xuenuo stood up, her hands still covered in shrimp juice. She wiped them on her apron somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Sister."
"Thank you for your hard work," Lin Xili said.
Lin Xuenuo shook her head, looking at the well-behaved An'an beside her, "It's not hard work, I'm already practicing how to take care of children."
She paused, then looked at the other children. "These children are all very well-behaved."
Chen Jinyue also came over, handed over a cup of tea, and said in a gentle tone, "Xi Li, Nan Chen, congratulations."
Lin Xili took the tea, took a sip, and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
The guests ate and drank heartily, with the sounds of toasting, laughter, and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks all blending together.
The children's table occasionally elicited gasps and laughter.
Huo Xining and Huo Xiyu also loosened up and stopped being so well-behaved, grabbing food with the other children.
Lin Xili looked at the children at the table, her heart softening.
Huo Nanchen picked up a piece of fish for her; the meat from the belly was the most tender. "Have some."
In the distance, the mountains are verdant, and nearby, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, filling the air with the aroma of food and the sounds of people.
This is the wedding she wanted.
There were no luxurious hotels, no complicated procedures, only people offering sincere blessings and simple, warm meals.
She met Huo Nanchen in this warm little town, where she completed the most important ceremony of her life.
The banquet lasted until after 2 p.m.
The guests took their leave one by one, and when they left, they all went to the main table to say goodbye and offer their blessings.
The children had already eaten their fill and started playing in the open space.
Huo Xining and Huo Xiyu were taught hopscotch and hopscotch games by some new friends.
Wen Qing and Aunt Wang directed the process of dividing the leftover food into portions for the neighbors to take home.
Lin Xili and Huo Nanchen stood at the entrance of the small building, seeing off the last few guests.
Inside the house, Grandma Huo, Lin Weihua, and Song Yuan were drinking tea and talking in the living room.
Lin Xuenuo and Chen Jinyue helped with the cleaning, while Lin Junsheng and Wen Qing's father took care of cleaning up the trash. The wedding banquet hotel cleaned up the dishes, chopsticks, tables, and chairs.
At that moment, the string of seashell wind chimes under the gate—which Huo Xining had hung up—swayed in the evening breeze, making a delicate and crisp sound, like the lingering echo of all the happiness of this day.
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