Back home, Xu Ningyan decided to eat light meals for the next couple of days and brought out a pot of seafood congee from her spatial storage. It was made with shrimp and crab and was so delicious it would make your eyebrows fall off.
Sitting in the courtyard, Xu Ningyan and his lackey sat side by side, sharing the porridge.
"You take a spoonful, I'll take a spoonful—" One person scooped a bowl of porridge first.
Then Xu Ningyan began to divide the shrimp and crab: "Shrimp heads, yours; shrimp meat, mine. Crab shells, yours; crab roe, mine. Crab shells and legs, yours; crab leg meat, mine—"
After distributing the food, he pushed the bowl in front of the lackey and said, "Alright, eat up!"
The lackey glanced at the shrimp and crab meat in Xu Ningyan's bowl, pushed his own bowl towards her, and barked at her bowl.
Xu Ningyan laughed: "Okay, okay, here's some shrimp, how about that?"
As he spoke, he picked up two shrimp and placed them in the dog's bowl.
The lackey then buried his head in his food with satisfaction.
The man and the dog ate until their bellies were round and full, and they were both very satisfied.
Xu Ningyan then searched through her spatial storage and found cosmetics that were appropriate for the era she would need for tomorrow.
I only have an eyebrow pencil, a bottle of pearl primer, and a box of blush. I don't dare to take out anything else, like eyeshadow, mascara, or lipstick.
At that time, you could buy imported lipsticks in Friendship Stores in Beijing or Shanghai, but in most parts of China, you were lucky to have a box of rouge.
Many rural girls, when getting married, would wet a piece of red paper, dab it on their lips, and then smear the rest on their cheeks; that was considered extra grooming.
Having prepared all of these, I rummaged through my storage space and found a bed sheet with a floral pattern, wrapped in two pillowcases. This was a wedding gift for Lin Hong.
If Gu Zhiyuan were still alive, he definitely wouldn't have taken out the bed sheets and pillowcases, for fear of arousing suspicion.
But since Gu Zhiyuan was in Beijing, she was able to fool him. Anyway, she could just blame Gu Zhiyuan for the things that were hard to find on the market, saying that he had asked someone to buy them in Shanghai before, and that he probably didn't know about them.
Having prepared all that, Xu Ningyan went to bed early, knowing she would have to get up very early the next day.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Xu Ningyan got up, washed up, changed into a white short-sleeved shirt and black pants, and headed to the Lin family home with gifts and cosmetics in hand.
When they arrived at the Lin family's house, the courtyard was bustling with activity.
Although the Lin and Zhou families had agreed that the wedding banquet would be held at the county committee's canteen at noon, many relatives were coming, so the Lin family still had to take care of their own breakfast.
When relatives come at this time, they don't just sit and wait to eat; they are quick and efficient.
Last night, a large earthen stove was set up in the yard. This morning, the women who know how to cook were already washing rice and pots, and cooking porridge in the Lin family's kitchen.
On the cutting board outside, the dough that had been fermented in advance was being kneaded obediently in the hands of the aunt who was cooking. Baking soda was added, and after kneading and shaping, it was divided into small balls and made into steamed buns.
A large pot borrowed from the canteen was placed on the earthen stove. The water was almost boiling, and all that was left was for the steamed buns to be steamed.
There was also an auntie cutting pickled vegetables in a corner.
This kind of pickled vegetable, cut into thin strips, mixed with fresh red chili strips, can be eaten sandwiched in steamed buns or with porridge; it's the perfect accompaniment to rice.
Lin's mother was wandering around the main room like a headless fly when she saw Xu Ningyan arrive. She hurriedly invited him in and then went to knock on Lin Hong's door.
Lin Hong tossed and turned in bed for most of the night, unable to fall asleep. When she finally felt sleepy, her younger cousin kept her up all night grinding her teeth, making so much noise that she didn't fall asleep until almost dawn.
I was fast asleep when my little cousin opened the door.
Lin's mother, who was initially reluctant to let her daughter get married, turned her disappointment into frustration when she saw her daughter sleeping soundly on her back, oblivious to everything else.
I was thinking of squeezing it by hand, but it's so hot and I'm not wearing much. I didn't want to leave any marks on it.
Lin's mother also had a solution. She went out for a while and came back with a handkerchief soaked in freshly drawn well water. She covered Lin Hong's face with the handkerchief, and Lin Hong immediately jumped up from the bed.
She was about to complain, but when she saw Xu Ningyan and her little cousin laughing to themselves, she finally remembered that she was getting married today.
She gave an awkward smile, not daring to say anything, and quickly washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed her clothes.
In Lin Hong's room, there were several boxes, all of which were part of her dowry that would be delivered today.
There were also several white enamel basins with red flowers and hot water bottles with red "double happiness" characters pasted on them.
After Lin Hong finished tidying up and sat down, Xu Ningyan handed her the wrapped floral and auspicious bed sheets and pillowcases: "This is a wedding gift for you. I wish you a long and happy marriage!"
As he spoke, he winked at Lin Hong.
Lin Hong opened it and was immediately stunned.
My little cousin next to me stared wide-eyed. She had never seen such bright and beautiful bed sheets and pillowcases before. They were bright red and printed with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water, with a big "double happiness" character in the upper right corner.
Even Lin's mother and several other aunts, who had just come in to bring breakfast to the three of them, were momentarily stunned, and several of them couldn't help but go up and touch the pair of pillowcases and sheets.
The bed sheet was a rare plum red, very festive, and it felt thick and smooth to the touch, clearly not a cheap product.
Lin's mother, being more discerning, touched the bed sheet and asked Xu Ningyan, "Little Xu, you've gone to so much trouble! These are old Shanghai citizen's bed sheets and pillowcases from the Guangchang Factory?"
You can't make such good products anywhere else.
Xu Ningyan nodded: "I heard Lin Hong mention Minguang's bed sheets before. It's a pity that our department store didn't stock this pattern last time. I asked Brother Gu to have someone bring these back from Shanghai. They're perfect for a wedding."
Lin Hong was so happy that she hugged the bed sheet tightly and wouldn't let anyone else touch it, afraid that it would get dirty: "You understand me the best!"
Unlike Lin Hong, who was just happily grinning, Lin's mother knew that this Minguang bed sheet was not cheap. In the department store, a sheet this size, and not even a Minguang one, would cost twelve dollars and eighty cents plus 15 feet of cloth coupons.
And this pillowcase with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water is also 1.6 yuan.
Xu Ningyan is really generous; this wedding gift is worth about twenty yuan.
That's roughly equivalent to a regular worker's monthly salary.
If this were a close relative, it would be far too generous, let alone Xu Ningyan, who is just an unmarried young woman. She would never dare to accept such a lavish gift.
She then said, "Xiao Xu, Auntie knows you and Xiao Hong are very close, like sisters! But you're a young, unmarried girl, why would you need to give such an expensive gift? We appreciate your kindness, but we can't accept the bed sheet, it's too valuable! However, I'll take the pillowcase on Xiao Hong's behalf!"
Lin Hong then realized, "That's true. How much do you earn in a month? I can't accept such an expensive gift! But I really like these sheets. How about this, consider it as if you brought them back from Shanghai for me?"
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