Jiang Mengxue didn't know what had happened, but she noticed that her mother's expression was not right, so she changed the subject and said, "Mom, tomorrow, Qingbei University will send all the food and vegetables for the banquet. Around 7 or 8 in the morning, I'll have my brother and the others pick us up so they can't find us and ask around."
Jiang's mother disagreed: "Girl, don't you think you have too much money and keep wasting it? The package you sent back earlier contained so much bacon, it's not enough for so many banquets. Why are you still buying more? And the food too, it's just been distributed at home, and the guests will bring their own food on the day of the banquet. How can we let the man buy anything for the banquet at the bride's house? It's outrageous. Hurry up, forget it, I'll ask your brother to go and tell them not to send anything."
Jiang's mother paced around the house anxiously, saying that she was going out to look for her sons to see who was free to make the trip.
Jiang Mengxue quickly stopped her mother: "Don't worry, Mom. We have connections at Peking University and Tsinghua University. They can give us food at a low price and we don't need tickets. Besides, we have a fixed amount of food at home. If we hold a banquet once, will we be able to survive for the next year? Besides, if we think that there is too much food, we can eat it all at home. It won't be wasted."
Jiang Mengxue did this simply because she thought it was their own business and didn't want the Jiang family to do it for her.
Although she has integrated into this big family, Jiang Mengxue is not willing to take advantage of others due to her personality, so she prepares everything for the wedding as much as possible.
Jiang's mother calmed down and thought about it. It was true that hosting a banquet would consume a lot of food, but it was the same for every family now. Close relatives could borrow some food and it would be over in a year. Those who were really in financial difficulty or didn't want to waste food could just treat everyone to a bowl of brown sugar water. Nowadays, guests would bring their own food to a banquet, and the host would just prepare the dishes. They couldn't invite guests once and have the whole family tighten their belts for the next year, so the host's dishes couldn't be too sloppy.
"Okay, then we have a deal. We have to calculate the money and give it to you on the day you return home. I can't let you two spend money on everything."
What could Jiang Mengxue say but to agree.
It was already evening, and Jiang Mengxue's two aunts and uncle had not arrived yet. They would probably come tomorrow. The two aunts came back with Jiang Dachun and his brothers. They took a walk around the brigade and felt very emotional when they recalled their childhood.
Back then, every day was filled with fear. Many people joined the army to fight the Japanese. Even Jiang's father and his brothers served in the army for several years. After liberation, they came back and now they still brag about how many Japanese they killed. Many families in the team also had guns, and Jiang's father and his brothers would bring them with them when they went hunting in the mountains in winter.
They didn't dare to recall their previous life at all. When they thought about the women and girls who were persecuted in the past, they would curse the Japanese for eighteen generations. After talking for a while, their eyes were red. They looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. What were they thinking about in such a good time?
Jiang Damei laughed at her sister: "You're already crying before we even talk a few words. What a promising person! The day after tomorrow is our niece's wedding day. You can't go back like this."
Jiang Ermei was unconvinced: "You're talking about how good you are, and you're still blaming me. Let's go back. Big brother and the others should be in the threshing ground. Let's go back with them."
Several children from a distance saw the two people coming and waved to them from beside their grandfather: "Auntie, Auntie."
The two were very familiar with everyone in the team, and as soon as they arrived, someone greeted them: "Big sister, second sister, you are back to see your niece off to get married. Your Xiaoxue is very successful now, and her partner is also promising. You just wait for your niece to buy you some candy."
"Of course not. Our Xiaoxue is the most promising one in this area. In the future, she will have the best life among the sisters of this generation." The two sisters became excited when they talked about their ambitious niece. They couldn't wait to talk about how Jiang Mengxue had always ranked first in exams since she was a child.
In other words, there are not many people in the threshing ground now. Everyone has gone home after receiving the grain. There are only a few families left, which does not arouse their interest.
After locking the grain warehouse, they took their children home. Father Jiang also called his two younger brothers. It was a rare opportunity for the two younger sisters to come back, and it was a rare occasion for the brothers and sisters to get together.
Today's meal is quite sumptuous. Since both my aunts are here, how can we just deal with it casually?
Mrs. Jiang cut a pound of pork, which was sent by the Liu family. The weather was quite cold now, so Jiang Mengxue rubbed some salt on it and kept it for a few days without it going bad.
"Where's Xiaoxue? Is she at home?" Jiang Damei looked for Jiang Mengxue as soon as she entered the yard.
Jiang Mengxue came out of the main hall. She felt a sense of familiarity the moment they met. "Aunt, I'm here. I got home a long time ago. My mother said you went to the village for a walk."
"I just happened to have something free to do, so I went to your uncles' houses and then went to the threshing ground and came back with your father and the others."
"The table is set for dinner. Someone come and serve the food."
Mother Jiang brought the steamed buns to the stools in the main hall and told everyone to clean up and eat: "Let's talk while we eat."
"Big sister, second sister, how is your brigade's grain production? How much grain can we get?"
Jiang Damei married in the Fengshou Brigade, which is more than 30 kilometers away from here. It takes most of the day to walk here. If you are lucky, you can take a bus earlier with some money. But the country people are reluctant to do so. They would rather be a little tired than spend a few cents more.
Jiang Xiaomei married nearby, in the Tuofeng Brigade next door, so she can basically come back home whenever something happens.
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