The two of them would ride their bicycles around the village, throwing candy into the villagers' doorsteps.
Southeast is the one riding the cart in front, and Xue Mei is the one throwing candy behind. Each household throws six candies, which symbolizes good fortune.
The villagers felt a pang of sadness as they watched the young couple ride their bicycles past their homes. They recalled how their mothers used to walk around the village and ride in oxcarts.
Unlike the adults at home who are often melancholic and have sour tastes in their mouths, the children are waiting at the door to receive candy.
Six colorful fruit candies—we only eat a few throughout the year, but the candies are given to the adults in the family, who will then distribute them.
At 11:00 a.m., the four large square tables at the entrance of the Yan family courtyard were already full of people. Each table could seat eight people, and representatives from every household in the village had come.
Seeing a large bowl of meat, a large bowl of steamed buns made from two kinds of flour, a big fish, several large bowls of stir-fried wild vegetables with eggs, and a bowl of chicken soup on the table, their eyes lit up.
Chopsticks fell like raindrops, while the left hand snatched a steamed bun—a bun made from two kinds of flour, something the family only got to eat during festivals.
Wang Gou Dan, like a wolf snatching food, dumped the entire bowl of steamed buns into the flour bag he had brought. The other seven people, seeing this, all pounced on it.
The people at the next table seized the opportunity to snatch a large bowl of meat from this table, and everyone stuffed as much meat as they could into their own lunchboxes.
When the meat was gone, they grabbed the eggs. After everyone at the table snatched Wang Gou Dan's rice bag and finished distributing the steamed buns, they realized that only vegetables were left on the table. They were so angry that they started cursing loudly.
This outburst brought Yan Xiaoqiang to his senses, but today was his son's wedding day, and he couldn't afford to lose his temper.
She told Cuihua to bring out another bowl of meat, but she also glared fiercely at Wang Gou Dan. Wang Gou Dan shrank back, feeling utterly cheated today.
The food-grabbing incident ended just like that. Those who managed to grab meat and eggs carefully protected their lunchboxes while quickly eating the meat and eggs from the bowls.
Mrs. Ma curled her lip. These people must be reincarnated starving ghosts. It's someone's wedding day, and they're so uncouth.
The food on the four tables outside was completely devoured within ten minutes, and Yan Xiaoqiang shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Southeast was very happy, as it saved him some trouble. He stood at the door with Xuemei, raised his glass to the villagers who were about to leave, and thanked them.
My sister-in-law and brothers from my maternal family rushed over to take the large pot inside, wash it clean, and dismantle the shelves. These things, along with the tables and chairs, all belonged to the village and couldn't be lost.
Many hands make light work; the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks outside were quickly cleaned up, and the entrance was also tidied up.
Ma Da Sao and the village women cooked up more than a dozen large dishes in the kitchen, stir-fried several large bowls of wild vegetables and eggs, and provided plenty of rice and meat buns.
Yan Xiaonan and the girls from her maternal grandmother's family went around handing out wedding candies. One of her childhood friends teased Yan Xiaonan, "Nannan, when are you getting married?"
Yan Xiaonan rolled her eyes at him: "You should find a wife first."
Childhood friend....
At 2 PM, everyone finally left, having eaten and drunk their fill. His childhood friends patted Yan Xiaoqiang on the shoulder and said, "Qiangzi, this was the best meal I've ever had in my life. You're a true brother."
Cuihua urged her parents to hurry back home, as their home was far away and their oxcart was borrowed, which they had to return today.
Grandma Yan had already prepared return gifts: twenty catties of white rice, fifty catties of cornmeal, a large piece of roe deer meat, and a large bag of wedding candy and cakes.
Yan Xiaonan generously gave each child two chocolate-covered liqueurs, making them so happy they didn't know what to say.
Cuihua pulled her father out and gave him fifty yuan, which was a gift from her father to Southeast.
Grandma Yan knew that the Chen family was preparing to marry off their youngest son and needed money, but they gave such a large sum of money to Southeast. Grandma Yan was naturally moved.
So he told Cuihua to return the betrothal money, and that things would get better once things settled down. Old Man Chen's eyes welled up with tears. Cuihua was lucky to have married into a good family.
Watching the oxcart depart, Cuihua happily entered her home. Southeast, Southwest, North, and Yan Xiaoqiang had already begun moving tables and chairs towards the village committee.
Xuemei also came out to clean and tidy up. From today onwards, Xuemei will be a true member of the Yan family, so she puts her heart into her work.
Tonight's wedding night was just a formality; the two talked for a while in the bridal chamber before Xue Mei returned to her own room, realizing she was still too young.
On August 30th, Yan Dongnan was going to register at the school, which was located in the county where Zhao Weiguo lived, making it convenient for Yan Dongnan to return.
Grandma Yan planned to take the whole family to the county town for a stroll. The North, South and Southwest were so excited that they couldn't sleep at night. Yan Xiaonan deeply understood the principle that money makes you strong.
Now, not only is university tuition free, but the notice also states that there is a monthly stipend of thirteen yuan, which is enough for Yan Dongnan to live on his own.
Grandma Yan was so happy that she kept praising the country for being so considerate of its people.
Xuemei was reluctant to see Dongnan leave, but going to university was a good thing, and Xuemei was clear-headed about that.
It's summer now, so all you need to bring is a light blanket and summer clothes; one bag is enough to hold them all.
But with so many people in the family going to the county town, they would definitely have to stay overnight, so the village chief, being very astute, wrote a letter of introduction specifically for sending college students to school.
When Yan Dongnan left, most of the villagers from Mushroom Village came to see him off. After all, he was the first college student from the village to go out to study, and from now on, Yan Dongnan would be a resident of the county town.
Uncle San drove the oxcart for the Yan family again today. We must be eager to do such an honorable thing, so that we can boast about sending college students to school in the future.
Upon arriving at the station, Yan Xiaoqiang secretly gave his third uncle a yuan, which pleased his third uncle so much that he went around the village praising the Yan family and their many capable members.
Yan Xiaonan hated riding in this kind of car in the summer because it was smelly and stuffy, so she prepared in advance by putting a lot of floral water in her handkerchief.
It was the first time for Bei Nan and Xin Xi to ride a car, and their excitement vanished in the harsh environment. If they opened the window, sand would blow into their faces; if they didn't, the stench was so bad it made them want to vomit.
After several hours of waiting, they finally arrived at their destination, and the two of them seemed to have just come back to life.
The train station is half an hour away from the agricultural university, and they passed by the small hotel where they used to stay, so they went there first.
Coincidentally, she ran into the same waiter from last time. Xuemei quickly took out some wedding candy and handed it to him. The waiter felt a little sad when he saw the candy, as his relationship had ultimately broken up with her.
After reading the letter of introduction handed over by Yan Dongnan, it turned out that this young man had been admitted to university, and this whole family had come to send him off to school.
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