The next morning, Xuemei got up at around six o'clock. After Xuemei and Han Chen got married, they lived in the same yard with Liu's mother, so there was no need to wait so long today. What Liu's mother said to her last night was so beyond her cognition that she slept in a daze all night.
After Xuemei finished washing up, Liu's mother brought her a bowl of egg noodles. After eating, Xuemei began to dress up in her room.
After Xuemei finished combing her braids, she applied vanishing cream to her face and put on lipstick in front of the mirror. The mirror was a palm-sized piece of glass that Xuemei had found at a recycling station. She rounded the edges and had Liu's mother seal it with a condom so she wouldn't have to worry about scratching her hands when holding it.
This was Xuemei's first time using lipstick. Most girls just use the lipstick at home to pout their lips when they get married. Xuemei followed Han Chen's instructions and applied the lipstick in front of the mirror. She first applied the lipstick on the middle of her lips, then pouted her lips. After pouting her lips, she would look for any area that was missing, apply a little more, and then use her fingers to mix it up.
After Xuemei put on lipstick, she looked at herself in the mirror and found that her complexion looked better and her face looked whiter.
There's a reason why this lipstick is so expensive. Han Chen bought it yesterday at the county department store. He spent eight yuan on this small tube. He also brought back a box of vanishing cream for Xuemei, so the total cost was ten yuan.
Although Xuemei felt sorry for the price of the lipstick, she was still happy in her heart, and Xuemei also needed to show a happy expression so that Han Chen would be willing to continue spending money on her in the future and not dampen his enthusiasm.
After Xuemei finished, she pinned a small red flower that Liu's mother had specially made with red cloth on the chest of the military uniform. Liu's mother made two flowers, and Han Chen also had one.
After a while, Qingya came in with Juhua, Lanhua and He Jing. Luo Yao planned to come by bicycle and might not arrive until nine o'clock. After lunch, she would ride a bicycle back to the county town with Mingwen and his wife.
Mingzheng and Xinyan came back on the bus at around ten o'clock. After lunch, they rode their bikes home. Mingwen was on vacation now and didn't need to use the bike much.
At around eight o'clock, Han Chen brought Mingwu, Dai Dongfeng and others to pick up the bride. Outside, Mingwen brought Ruirui, Feifei and a group of people to block Han Chen in the main hall. They first made Han Chen drink a few glasses of white wine. After getting Han Chen's guarantee, Han Chen gave each person a few red envelopes and a few Daqianmen cigarettes before letting Han Chen and others into Xuemei's room.
In rural areas, wedding red envelopes are typically one, two, or five cents, though five cents is rarely given. Yesterday, Xuemei and Hanchen together gave thirty one-cent envelopes, ten two-cent envelopes, and five five-cent envelopes, then mixed them all together. Whoever got the biggest red envelope depended on luck.
After entering the room, Han Chen will have to undergo the test of Qingya and others. After the test is completed, they will give out red envelopes. After the red envelopes are given out, he can take Xuemei out of the room.
Because Xuemei was getting married so soon, after Han Chen picked up Xuemei, he rode his bicycle with her to the threshing ground. Mingwu followed behind on a tractor, carrying Xuemei's dowry of furniture, quilts, etc., and Han Chen's sewing machine as a betrothal gift, all of which had been placed there in advance.
The two brothers Ruirui and Feifei sat at the back of the tractor, took half a pound of sugar and a pound of roasted peanuts in shells, and drove the tractor for a while, and then they scattered some. Then the children in the village would run behind the tractor, trying to be the first to pick up the candy and peanuts. This was called picking up blessings in the village. The more children came, the more blessings the newlyweds would have in the future.
If you count all the gifts Han Chen gave you, there is more than just this. There is also the bicycle he is riding now, the watch on Xuemei's hand, and the radio for Liu's father. It can be said that everything is included.
After wandering around the village for more than 40 minutes, Han Chen took Xuemei home. After moving Mingwu and his men and everything on the tractor into the house, Xuemei stayed in her new home.
Liu's mother prepared all the dishes for the banquet: braised pork with preserved vegetables, stir-fried large intestine with pickled peppers and radish, leek and egg, bone and radish soup, shredded potatoes with vinegar, and stir-fried Chinese cabbage. Han Chen traded eggs in the village, and Xuemei had Han Chen trade her remaining food coupons for the staple food, having refused to let Liu's parents provide it.
After the banquet was over and most people had left, Xuemei finally emerged from her room. She had originally planned to help clean up in the kitchen, but Liu's mother and father disagreed, saying a bride shouldn't work for three days. Liu's father also gave Xuemei the betrothal gifts and gifts she'd received that day, and asked Han Chen to help carry them back to her room. The two of them would go back and sort things out so they could return the favors later. Liu's father had written down who brought what on slips of paper, and the red envelopes were all written with their names.
"Han Chen, you've worked hard today!" Xuemei said after sitting down at the desk.
"I'm not tired. You and your parents are tired today!" Han Chen also pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Okay, our family has worked hard for us. When the village distributes meat, we must all take some to nourish our family!" Xuemei said with a smile.
"Xuemei, this is what we should do. Let's register the gifts and money first. Dad said that we should make a copy for them!" Han Chen replied.
Xuemei took out a notebook and pen and said, "Then you open the red envelope and I'll take notes!"
Han Chen nodded, and the two of them began to speak while the other took notes.
…
After nearly an hour, Xuemei had memorized everything. She added up the total and said happily, "We made quite a bit of money this time!"
Han Chen looked at Xuemei's money-obsessed expression and said, "It's all yours! Give me the notebook and I'll copy it and send it to my parents!"
"Okay, then I'll sort out the things they brought!" Xuemei said, standing up.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
