The wedding party has arrived.
The Xu brothers, Jinlai and Baolai, disregarded everything else and hurriedly tugged at their shirts and trouser legs, trying to make themselves look more presentable.
Then I went from the balcony into the living room.
In just a short while, the young men who were there to welcome the bride had already rushed upstairs with Lu Kai.
Xu Yebing and a few other younger boys blocked the doorway, clamoring for wedding candy.
The young men following behind Lu Kai were prepared; they took out candies from the cloth bags they were carrying and gave each of them a few pieces.
Everyone who sees it has a share.
Those who were watching received candy and immediately beamed with joy, exchanging wishes for a long and happy marriage, such as "growing old together," "having a son soon," and "a harmonious union for a hundred years."
The children, having received the candy, moved aside.
Lu Kai led his men in, and Xu Yinlai greeted them with a beaming smile.
"Second Brother! I've come to pick up Pearl!" Lu Kai was giving Xu Yin face today and called him Second Brother for the first time.
Xu Yinlai's face was beaming with joy as he rubbed his hands together: "Alright, alright! Pearl's in the inner room, I'll go call her—"
Lu Kai waved his hand: "I'll go pick her up!"
Miao Cuihua was already standing at the door. Today she was wearing a maroon jacket, which Xu Zhenzhu had specially made for her. Her hair was also combed and shiny. She stood at the door, beaming with joy.
Lu Kai called out, "Mom!"
Miao Cuihua was so excited that she nodded and wiped away her tears while leading Lu Kai into the inner room.
Xu Zhenzhu saw Lu Kai enter through the mirror and then slowly turned around.
For a moment, I saw a hint of amazement in Lu Kai's eyes.
The young men behind Lu Kai also chimed in, "What a beautiful bride! Brother Lu, you're so lucky!"
A blush rose perfectly on Xu Zhenzhu's face, and she lowered her head shyly.
Lu Kai looked very smug and smiled slightly at Xu Zhenzhu: "Zhenzhu, I've come to pick you up!"
Xu Zhenzhu reached out her hand, and the two of them stood hand in hand in front of Miao Cuihua. Lu Kai then spoke again, "Mom, I'm taking Zhenzhu away—"
Miao Cuihua nodded, her eyes reddening. Her daughter, whom she had cherished and raised with utmost care, would now belong to someone else's family.
How could she bear to! She wanted to say a few words to tell Lu Kai to treat Pearl well, but she lacked the confidence. In the end, she could only wipe away a tear and choke out, "Go!"
One of the slightly older young men who came with the wedding party stepped forward and said with a smile, "Auntie, don't cry. Your sister-in-law has fallen into a lucky nest by marrying into our Brother Lu's family. The good days are yet to come!"
Beside her, Shen Yue'e chimed in, "Mother, today is a joyous occasion; we should be happy for our little sister!"
After much coaxing and persuasion, Miao Cuihua finally smiled again.
Xu Zhenzhu and Lu Kai walked downstairs side by side.
The neighbors craned their necks and stood on tiptoe to see, and indeed they were a perfect match.
The young couple were both wearing brand-new green military uniforms, each with a red flower pinned to their chest; they looked like a perfect match.
After going downstairs, Xu Zhenzhu and Lu Kai got into the wedding car.
Xu Yewei and several of his teenage children surrounded the car, trying to squeeze in as well.
If you get to ride in a car like that, you can brag about it to your friends in the brigade for half a year.
Upon seeing this, the driver dared not start the car and awkwardly turned to look at Lu Kai and Xu Zhenzhu.
Lu Kai's expression was also unpleasant, but since it was an auspicious day, he didn't want to lose his temper. He patiently looked at Xu Zhenzhu and said, "Zhenzhu, do you think we should go over first so as not to miss the auspicious time? How about we have our family members go with us?"
A hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashed across Xu Zhenzhu's face. She had said long ago that only her second brother was needed to escort the bride. Her eldest and third brothers' families were too large and had never seen the world. Now that they were making such a scene, weren't they just embarrassing her?
Just as he was about to speak, Xu Yinlai caught up from behind, pulled the children apart, and said with a smile to Lu Kai inside, "You guys go ahead first, don't waste time, we'll follow behind! I know where it is!"
Lu Kai still had to give the Xu family some face, so he left two young men who were there to pick up the bride behind and then signaled to drive off.
The car started, leaving behind a trail of exhaust fumes, and sped away.
The second canteen of the machinery factory.
Mr. Lu had already made arrangements with the canteen, and because the guest list had been shortened, the banquet was held in the second canteen of the machinery factory.
The second canteen is usually used to entertain visitors and leaders. It is half the size of the first canteen, but it is enough to accommodate about ten tables.
Today is a day off, but the workshop doesn't close; the workers work in shifts.
But those in the office will have a day off today.
Xu Ningyan did indeed do it this morning; she went to eat her fill.
I only cooked a small pot of porridge for breakfast, which I shared with Gu Zhiyuan and his lackey, along with the dog.
Gu Zhiyuan originally wanted to remind Xu Ningyan that going to a banquet at this time would mean forgetting about eating your fill and getting home, let alone getting your money's worth.
It's better to eat something beforehand to tide you over, so you don't get hungry later.
Seeing Xu Ningyan's menacing look, as if she wanted to devour the Lu family into poverty, Gu Zhiyuan touched his nose and wisely shut his mouth.
Since clinging to Xu Ningyan's coattails, the lackey has never had such a light breakfast.
After finishing its portion of congee, and seeing that there was no more to come, it couldn't help but bark twice.
If it could talk, it would definitely ask: "Human, are we going to run out of food?"
Xu Ningyan patted the lackey's head seriously: "Good boy, wait for your sister to go to the banquet, and I'll bring you something delicious when I come back!"
Since they had the day off, the two of them did a thorough cleaning of the house, and the vegetables in the garden were almost ready.
Taking advantage of this free time, I pulled up all the withered melon vines and vegetable stems.
However, they managed to find a few old pumpkins and winter melons in some nooks and crannies.
I turned the soil over again, let it dry for a few days, and then I'll see what else is suitable to plant.
Because the place is small, we finished almost everything in one morning.
The two checked the time, went back to their room to wash up, and changed into clean clothes.
When Xu Ningyan came out, Gu Zhiyuan was already waiting at the door with his bicycle.
Xu Ningyan easily got into the back seat, and Gu Zhiyuan pushed off with his feet, slowly riding towards the machinery factory.
Before they had gone far, Gu Zhiyuan heard Xu Ningyan's stomach rumbling.
He slowed his pace, turned his head, and asked, "Hungry?"
Xu Ningyan frowned and touched her stomach, forgetting that she was in the middle of her growth period. She had eaten little in the morning and had been working all morning, so she was already hungry.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm hungry, that's perfect, I can eat more later!"
Gu Zhiyuan frowned, gripping the handlebars with one hand and pulling a bag of biscuits from his front pocket with the other, offering it to Xu Ningyan: "Have some to tide you over, the meal won't start for a while. Besides, I've heard there are only four dishes for lunch—"
Xu Ningyan's surprised voice even split into two: "Four dishes?"
Gu Zhiyuan nodded, then moved his hand holding the biscuit slightly, signaling Xu Ningyan to take it quickly.
Xu Ningyan almost snatched the cookies away fiercely, tore them open, stuffed one into her mouth, and said angrily, "How can the Lu family be so stingy? Only four dishes!"
Gu Zhiyuan chuckled lightly, his expression ambiguous, and remained silent.
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