Chapter 135 Welcoming the Bride
These words immediately caused an uproar in the already noisy courtyard.
The aunties who came to help were all smiles.
"This groom is in a bit too much of a hurry. He was supposed to come at nine o'clock, and it's not even eight o'clock yet."
"You arrived late, so you didn't know."
Another helper, an auntie, raised her chin, but her hands never stopped chopping meat.
"With a bride this beautiful, who wouldn't be eager to marry her?"
"That's true."
The rest of the group were all smiling, some kneading dough, others washing vegetables.
Compared to the relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen, the people changing clothes in the back room looked unusually reserved.
In their words, they were used to being rough around the edges, and this was the first time they had ever worn such formal and elegant clothes.
Just as everyone was wondering what to do with their hands and feet, they heard the news that the groom had arrived ahead of schedule.
The group exchanged glances, and then stood up in unison.
"Brothers, straighten your backs. When the door opens, let's not waste any more words. Let the son-in-law and his family do a hundred push-ups and two hundred squats!"
"Yes, that's right. Even Tang Sanzang had to go through eighty-one tribulations on his journey to the West!"
"We can't let the young master marry Miss Si Si so easily. I've prepared paper and pen; we need to have him write a guarantee on the spot!"
"That's a good option."
One of the young men, wearing glasses, smiled and took a notebook out of his pants pocket.
"Don't open the door yet. I've prepared a lot of questions. The son-in-law can only come in if he answers them all correctly."
The remaining men remained silent, but each of them clenched their fists, which were as big as sandbags, and their faces showed an attitude of wanting to kill the groom.
The door opened quickly.
Seeing the group strutting confidently toward the gate, Ninth Master was so anxious that he spat out the tea he was drinking.
"What are you all doing? Come back! All of you, come back here!"
Third Uncle also put down his teacup, strolled forward, and squinted at everyone.
"What's with those expressions? Are you trying to eat me?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions on their faces instantly froze.
Finally, a bold young man stepped forward and said, his neck stiff.
"Grandpa, my mother said that the easier something is to get, the less we cherish it!"
"We can't let the son-in-law get away with this so easily, and we certainly can't let him marry Miss Si Si so readily..."
Before he could finish speaking, his third uncle glared at him and said, "What do you mean by cheap? They're a perfectly respectable couple. When the door opens, everyone will be grinning from ear to ear!"
"Open it?" Everyone was dumbfounded.
"Yes, it should be festive! It should be welcoming! It should make you feel right at home! Your smiles should be brighter than those two stone lions on the city gate, understand?"
When the Huo family came to propose marriage that day, the third uncle said that he would not make things difficult for him in this matter.
So it's fine to leave them hanging for a while, but there's no need to make things difficult for them.
Seeing that these people's laughter was more like crying, Uncle San exclaimed that it was an eyesore.
He waved his hand and glanced at Ninth Master again, "Ninth Master, you teach them the rules. When they've learned them, you can open this door."
Outside the courtyard house.
After waiting for a while, everyone saw that there was no intention of opening the door from inside.
No one was annoyed; they remained smiling.
Accompanying Huo Tingzhou this time were his fourth uncle and eight groomsmen with very different personalities.
Two days ago, during the family banquet, Third Uncle told the Huo family about finding eight people to escort the bride.
After thinking about it, Mrs. Huo decided to find eight groomsmen to accompany her.
Firstly, it is important.
Secondly, Huo Tingzhou's performance on the day of the marriage proposal was simply too poor.
Mother Huo wouldn't feel at ease without finding a few people who are both literate and skilled in martial arts and eloquent to accompany her!
However, Huo Tingzhou is considered an older man who married late, while his cousins have long been married and their children are already old enough to run errands.
Therefore, finding eight suitable groomsmen in a short period of time is not an easy task.
In the end, it was Brother Huo who came up with an idea.
Their company is in charge of procurement, and there are just too many eloquent and unmarried young men there.
He can easily provide two people.
Since Brother Huo has taken action, the fourth wife and her husband naturally can't remain silent.
After discussing it, the two also found two top students who graduated from Tsinghua University at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Then there was Huo's father.
He found two strong and healthy young men at the General Military Region.
Suddenly inspired, Huo's mother followed suit and found two model opera actors from their cultural troupe.
Having a large number of people also has its advantages.
I knocked twice, but there was still no response from inside.
The two groomsmen that Brother Huo found immediately came in handy.
"Comrades, this is called 'good things come to those who wait,' and 'good doors are hard to open'!"
As the saying goes, "It takes more than a day to move metal and stone, and sincerity will open the door!"
"We're not just knocking on doors; we're knocking on sincerity, and more importantly, on our determination!"
As soon as one person finished speaking, the other immediately understood and continued.
"That's right. Liu Bei was willing to brave the wind and snow to visit Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage three times!"
"What's wrong with our groom knocking on the door a few more times in order to get his bride?"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone echoed his words, each one louder than the last.
The cheers drew frequent glances from the surrounding neighbors.
Before long, the entrance to the courtyard was crowded with adults and children watching the excitement.
Upon seeing this, the two groomsmen responsible for distributing wedding candies immediately took out peanuts, melon seeds, and orange candies.
They also gave each of the men watching a celebratory cigarette.
"I'm so sorry, congratulations!"
Everyone originally just wanted to come and join in the fun, but they didn't expect to get wedding candy and cigarettes.
They were all overjoyed, spouting a whole bunch of auspicious words.
Just then, the courtyard gate suddenly creaked open.
Everyone was prepared to be made to face difficulties.
Unexpectedly, when the door opened, they were greeted by a group of people smiling more brightly than morning glories.
Just as everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, the other side shouted in unison.
"Hello, son-in-law!"
Then, without saying a word, they ushered everyone inside.
It's called welcoming, but it's really no different from dragging someone away.
This sudden turn of events left everyone bewildered. As they entered the courtyard, their eyes were filled with confusion and unease.
Seeing that everyone was standing in the yard, Uncle Zhong quickly smiled and led them into the living room.
"Come on in, everyone, you've all worked hard. Come in, sit down and rest for a while, have some hot water to warm yourselves up."
As she spoke, she also gave each of the young men who came to fetch the bride a red envelope.
Similarly, Uncle Huo also helped the bride's side by giving each of the eight men who accompanied her to the wedding a red envelope.
Huo Tingzhou stood in the center of the courtyard.
His crisp air force uniform accentuated his already broad shoulders and narrow waist, making him appear even more dashing.
At this moment, his gaze remained firmly fixed on the east wing.
The joyous and bustling atmosphere in the courtyard couldn't distract him in the slightest.
Until the door opens—
"Third Uncle." Huo Tingzhou, surprised, quickly gave a standard military salute.
Third Uncle patted him on the shoulder, "Sisi has changed her clothes, you can go in now."
Huo Tingzhou pursed his lips and stood still.
He remembered his wife telling him before that she might symbolically block the door at that time.
Just a token gesture.
He even prepared the red envelope.
Third Uncle smiled and shook his head. He had already said what needed to be said that day, and the boy had made his promise.
Moreover, this is the gateway to happiness for the young couple; why would he block this on their joyous occasion?
"There are too many people today, so I won't entertain you. You should go in quickly and not keep Sisi waiting too long."
Having said that, Huo Tingzhou couldn't refuse. "Thank you, Third Uncle."
After giving another military salute, he took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
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