143 Rare Events
Guan Yuehe thought she was an early riser, but she didn't expect Lin Yiku and her uncle and aunt to have gotten up even earlier.
After washing up, she glanced at the wall clock; it wasn't even six o'clock yet.
Courtyard No. 3 has become lively.
Some people even took the double happiness character to paste on the wall at the entrance of the alley.
Despite the noise on Sunday, the other neighbors didn't feel disturbed from sleeping in. Instead, they got up early to come and see the bride, and maybe grab a handful of candy and peanuts to share in the joy.
"Yuehe, come and have breakfast first." Aunt Fang had been smiling all morning, busy greeting her neighbors. To save trouble, her family bought steamed buns from a state-run restaurant for breakfast today.
Guan Yuehe took two steamed buns and praised, "Mom, this is the first time I've seen you wear a cheongsam. You look beautiful. Wear it like this from now on."
Turning his head, he exclaimed, "Dad, you look very smart in that suit!"
The compliments were so well-received that Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin's smiles practically stretched to their ears. The clothes were bought by Si Tian and Chen Lizhong together.
When the elderly couple first received the clothes, they felt they were too "high-profile" and weren't used to wearing them, so they wanted to change into something more ordinary. However, they still put on both new outfits this morning.
Guan Yuehe took the steamed buns into the house to find Lin Sitian, who was busy putting on makeup.
When there were few people in the room, Lin Sitian whispered to her, "Mom and Dad go to look in the mirror every morning. They say they don't like what they wear, but they love it."
"I can tell," Guan Yuehe chuckled to herself.
The elderly folks who came over only glanced at the bride, but their eyes were often drawn to Grandpa Lin and Grandma Fang. It seems like in the future, when weddings are held in Ginkgo Alley, the elders will probably want to get themselves dressed like this to keep up with the times.
Lin Sitian finally applied lipstick, changed into the new shoes she had brought last night, and twirled around the room twice. "How is it? Pretty, right?"
"nice!"
Guan Yuehe, Xu Chengcai, and Qin Zilan, who were standing at the door, spoke together.
Lin Sitian wore a red suit dress, a red plastic flower headpiece, and red leather shoes.
This is a wedding dress that has become particularly popular in the last year or two. Bright and festive, Guan Yuehe was immediately amazed as soon as she entered the room.
"You two are here so early?!"
"Come over and help as soon as possible." Xu Cheng said in a low voice, "Old Ding went to help Chen Lizhong, so I have to come over here."
Ever since Ding Laowu was beaten up by Lu Chang, life has been tough for the Ding family. All the money Ding Laowu had earned before had been taken away by people who came knocking on their door, and even the television he had bought was used to pay off debts, bringing them back to square one.
Ding Laowu has recovered from his injuries and wants to return to his old ways, but now that he has a bad reputation, it's not as easy for him to make money as before.
If Ding Xuewen were to return to Ginkgo Hutong and be encountered by Aunt Ding, she would probably make a huge fuss about him.
After discussing it, they decided that Ding Xuewen could help Chen Lizhong, so he wouldn't have to go to Ginkgo Alley anymore.
Even if they run into each other at a banquet, it doesn't matter. They just leave after the meal. If Aunt Ding asks, they'll say that Ding Xuewen went back to Northeast China. How could she possibly travel all the way to Northeast China to look for someone?
The TV station is not close to Ginkgo Hutong or Wuxing Automobile Factory, so it's not easy to run into someone whose work and life don't intersect.
Xu Chengcai said happily, "Sitian is married, and all that's left is Lao Ding, this old bachelor."
The oldest among them married the latest, and could indeed be called an "old bachelor".
Taking advantage of the fact that Ding Xuewen wasn't there and couldn't hear them, the group made fun of him.
"My mom says the four of us are all idiots, but he's the only real idiot, haha!"
"Stop laughing, Cheng Cai. You and Yi Ku go to the alley entrance to greet them. They said they'd be picking someone up at nine, but they'll probably arrive early."
Xu Cheng responded and got up to go out and help.
The people inside the house were also busy. The trunks and baskets to be taken to the new house were checked again to see which ones had been missed with double happiness paper-cuts, and those were pasted on.
Before nine o'clock, the alley entrance was already bustling with activity.
Neighbors from Ginkgo Alley who weren't invited to the wedding also came out to watch; it was the first time anyone had ever seen two cars come to pick up the bride for a wedding.
This is quite a rare occurrence in Ginkgo Hutong in recent years.
People are discussing how much it costs to rent a car as a wedding vehicle.
Someone was holding a wedding banquet in the new residential compound and rented a bus from the factory as their wedding car, which was already quite astonishing. I never expected someone would rent a sedan as a wedding car.
"Why are they all renting imported cars? It would be so much better to rent cars from our factory."
"You're really just bored. Other people can rent whatever they want for their weddings. Who are you to make those decisions?"
Some people were also discussing the items on the bus behind them.
"TV, washing machine, refrigerator... are they all being moved to the bride's house?" Aunt Hu was shocked. Do you really need to buy so many big items to get married these days? Or are they just gifts for the father-in-law's family? How can they possibly live together like this?
After much effort, Aunt Bai squeezed to the front and glanced at the bus behind the two cars. Inside the bus were several large appliances, as well as wedding quilts and basins. The space cleared out was probably for Lin Sitian's dowry.
She was also shocked; weddings are so expensive now?
However, Aunt Bai didn't think this was a gift for her father-in-law. "Will Sitian and her husband still live in Ginkgo Hutong after their marriage?"
But something felt off. If she lived here, wouldn't the Lin family repaint the house? She hadn't seen the Lin family busy with that.
Jiang Guiying explained, "The young couple is living alone outside, and all these things we bought will be delivered to their new home later."
Aunt Hu was about to ask: Since you don't live in Ginkgo Hutong, why don't you live with the elders on the man's side?
Then I thought of Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku, who were perfect examples of couples who didn't live under the same roof as their elders after getting married.
It's not unusual for Lin Sitian to go out alone with her husband after getting married.
The only unusual thing was the man's extravagant spending.
Guan Yuehe wanted to go out to see, but she couldn't squeeze out because the gate of No. 3 Courtyard was blocked by people.
But that didn't stop her from hearing from her neighbors about "cars," "buses," and "lots of big items."
Over the years, Guan Yuehe has accumulated some experience. Wedding customs are quite flexible and changeable; just follow what's popular at the moment.
The four essential items used to be the "three turns and one sound" (referring to a revolving door, a rotating door, a revolving door, and a radio), but things are different now. Televisions and washing machines are gradually replacing the old four essential items.
Guan Yuehe gritted her teeth and exclaimed, "Chen Lizhong is the biggest dog among the big shots!"
"I've finally achieved the life of a rich dog," Lin Sitian chuckled smugly.
Tsk!
Guan Yuehe really wanted to pinch her cheeks. But considering the rosy blush on her face, she decided to let her off the hook for now.
Outside, Tingting's voice was the loudest, "I'm the photographer! Elderly people, please make way for me!"
"Luckily, I had arranged for Tingting to take photos outside beforehand."
Xie Zhenhua received a project bonus some time ago, and immediately bought Tingting a camera.
Tingting was so excited that she showed it off in the alley every day. Aunt Xie was so envious that she said she had never used anything so good in her life. Tingting shoved the camera into her hand and let her use it, but she was afraid of breaking it.
Just as Guan Yuehe finished speaking, she saw Lin Sitian anxiously peeking out from behind the courtyard gate. The people getting married were busy watching the commotion.
She suppressed a laugh and quietly took a picture of Lin Sitian's appearance at that moment.
Hearing the smacking sound, Lin Sitian turned around blankly and saw Guan Yuehe laughing loudly. She was furious. "Ahhh, Yuehe! I told you to take nice pictures of me and you took these!"
Aunt Fang got a headache seeing the two of them still laughing and joking at this critical moment, so she pulled them back and told them to stay inside and wait.
Entrance to the alley.
When the groom arrived to pick up his bride, he was blocked at the entrance of the alley and couldn't get in. Song Gong'an, who was resting at home, and Chai Congguang from the security department stepped in to maintain order and asked the neighbors in the alley to make way for him.
Chen Lizhong's cousin and several college classmates breathed a sigh of relief; the neighbors here were so welcoming.
"Brother." Chen Lizhong greeted Lin Yiku loudly. This title was finally legitimate, which was no easy feat.
Chen Lizhong's cousin and classmates behind him were tense, ready to receive their brother-in-law's challenge. Unexpectedly, Lin Yiku glanced at his watch and said very patiently, "The wedding will start at nine o'clock sharp. There are still eighteen minutes left. Please wait a little longer."
So, during the ten or so minutes of waiting, Chen Lizhong was busy handing out wedding candies to his neighbors and was also directed by photographer Tingting to take a picture next to the wedding car.
Gu Yu felt that sitting on her father's shoulders wasn't high enough and she couldn't see clearly, so she ran to find her aunt's husband and finally saw everything clearly.
She held her uncle's head and whispered, "Uncle Chen is kind of handsome."
Lin Yiku: "..."
She was probably drawn to the impressive car and the attractive TV inside, wasn't she?
Oh, perhaps they still remember Chen Lizhong's skill in raising pigs.
—
Finally, the time came. Chen Lizhong strode through the gap in the crowd and entered Courtyard No. 3. He saw Lin Sitian peeking out and his eyes lit up. He immediately waved and greeted her.
Lin Yiku, who was following behind Chen Lizhong, and Guan Yuehe, who was following behind Lin Sitian, both sighed helplessly.
The two newlyweds met and kept looking at each other's bodies, looking like they were on a blind date for the first time, both awkward and clingy.
Guan Yuehe silently murmured "Eek" and "Tsk tsk" as she busied herself taking photos of them.
Xu Chengcai, who had appeared beside her at some point, laughed and said, "You were like this when you got married too, and you still have the nerve to laugh at Sitian."
"Do I have this?"
"You have it," Xu Cheng said with certainty.
Guan Yuehe glanced at Lin Yiku, who was wearing a military uniform.
So be it. Lin Yiku is so good-looking, it's normal for her to stare at him back then.
Lin Yiku seemed to sense something, looked over, and seeing that she didn't speak, she casually straightened her collar.
Xu Cheng, who was standing nearby, boldly let out a shout and pulled Qin Zilan, who was secretly laughing, away.
—
After picking up the people and dowry, Guan Yuehe and the others squeezed into a small car and drove around the city before heading directly to the small canteen of the Five Star Automobile Factory.
Meanwhile, Grandma Fang, Grandpa Lin, and their neighbors in the alley had already taken the factory bus to the small canteen ahead of time.
The Lin family has many relatives and friends, and the Chen family also has quite a few. The small canteen is just big enough to accommodate everyone.
At this point, it's really none of Yuehe's business anymore; the elders and the newlyweds are enough to entertain relatives and friends.
However, she and Lin Yiku made a last-minute decision to have Chen Lizhong and Lin Sitian take them to greet the Chen family's relatives and friends.
Unexpectedly, I ran into a few familiar faces, all of whom I had met at the Canton Fair.
After walking around, Lin Sitian hugged her arm and whispered, "Thanks to you and my brother, I got to show off for a bit."
Some of Chen's relatives are not close, but they have a lot of idle gossip.
After the two families met, they arranged the marriage. The nosy relatives inquired a lot about Lin Sitian's background. As soon as they heard that she was just a doctor at the factory hospital and came from a working-class family, they openly and secretly advised Chen Lizhong's parents to find another partner, while also praising how outstanding so-and-so they knew was.
Chen Lizhong's parents didn't bother with them and didn't even plan to send them wedding invitations, but they still came along on their own.
If it weren't for the fact that it was such a joyous occasion and they didn't want to cause a scene, Chen Lizhong's parents would have kicked him out long ago.
As soon as Guan Yuehe arrived, she heard Jiang Guiying muttering that three extra tables had arrived, and the food prepared was not enough. It was only thanks to Grandpa Ming's help in finding the purchasing manager of the canteen that there was enough food.
Upon hearing this, Guan Yuehe called Lin Yiku to go and support Lin Sitian.
Chen Lizhong also had a triumphant expression on his face, saying, "My brother and sister-in-law are really reliable."
He didn't listen to his relatives and go into the government; instead, he chose to work as a technician in a television factory. Some people thought he wouldn't amount to much in the future, and since he had no siblings to help him, he figured that would be his fate.
Hey! These people didn't even bother to find out the truth. He's not very successful, but his brother and sister-in-law are!
Lin Sitian frowned upon hearing this, thinking to herself: It sounds strange to call someone "sister-in-law".
"We're going to eat, you guys go ahead with your work."
After saying that, Guan Yuehe pulled Lin Yiku to sit down and eat with Ding Xuewen, Xu Chengcai, and Qin Zilan, leaving seats for Lin Sitian and Chen Lizhong.
"It's so lively!" Guan Yuehe exclaimed again.
The reason for this lively atmosphere is that both families are in good economic condition, the social atmosphere is more open now, and everyone can now eat their fill and stay warm.
Everything seemed to be thriving, flourishing, and full of flavor.
Xu Chengcai chimed in, "Yes, when we got married, we just gathered two or three tables of relatives and friends, read quotations from the great man, and that was it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Cheng and Guan Yuehe both looked at Ding Xuewen.
"Huh?" Ding Xuewen was puzzled. Why was he suddenly staring at him?
Xu Cheng and Guan Yuehe didn't say anything, they just stared at him and smiled.
Ding Xuewen laughed so hard he got goosebumps all over. He wondered what bad things these two, or rather, Si Tian, were saying about him behind his back.
—
After they had all finished eating, Lin Yiku and the two newcomers came over and sat down.
Lin Sitian and Chen Lizhong both smelled of alcohol.
Xu Chengcai whispered to Guan Yuehe, "You and Yiku are both good drinkers, why don't you go and toast with us?"
Of course, it's because drinking is bad for the child. If her and Lin Yiku's efforts over the past two days had already yielded results, that would be terrible.
Even if there are no results yet, we still need to keep trying. No alcohol.
Last night, when she went to deliver a gift to Lin Sitian, Lin Sitian knew that she and Lin Yiku were planning to have a child as soon as she heard her say that they no longer needed family planning products.
At that time, Dr. Lin seriously explained a lot of precautions to her. Among them was that she must quit drinking, smoking, and other bad habits while trying to conceive.
Xu Chengcai saw Guan Yuehe smile mysteriously, "It's a secret!"
Author's Note: The second update should be after midnight, don't wait!
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