The wedding was lively yet simple.
The officiant was Ms. Yang's husband, Deputy County Head Ding, who read the marriage vows. The newlyweds, witnessed by everyone, took their vows in front of the portrait of the great man, becoming revolutionary partners.
Then the newlyweds bow to everyone, and the ceremony is complete.
Because it was the canteen in the county government compound, everyone was quite reserved.
Even if some people drink, they are still relatively restrained.
The bride, Lin Hong, looked stunning today, if not breathtaking.
From the men's perspective, all they think is that the bride looks good today.
But in the eyes of the women, who hasn't seen what Lin Hong looks like on a normal day? Even though she has the bride buff today, it's not like she's been reborn, is it?
They all surrounded Lin Hong, asking which magical hand had dressed her up like this.
Several young women, especially those who were getting married soon, were determined to uncover the mastermind behind it all.
Lin Hong never knew she was so popular. People came up to her and started talking to her, but after three sentences, they revealed their purpose and asked who did her makeup.
Unable to bear the harassment any longer, Lin Hong immediately pushed Xu Ningyan forward, thinking, "Better to sacrifice a friend than myself!"
Immediately, the young women and wives who had been surrounding Lin Hong abandoned her and turned their attention to Xu Ningyan.
Xu Ningyan was surrounded by a cacophony of voices, their chatter giving her a headache, and she hadn't even been able to hear what they were saying.
They had to lead the people outside the cafeteria, where the crowd dispersed, before they could hear and understand clearly.
It turns out they were all asking how Lin Hong did her makeup and braids today.
Most of the relatives and friends from the Zhou family who are attending today's wedding are from dual-income families and are all well-off.
Especially for young girls, if they have jobs or pocket money and are financially well-off, they naturally have higher aspirations.
Moreover, women's pursuit of beauty is ingrained in their nature, and they will always look for opportunities to show it.
Lin Hong's outfit today is not only beautiful, but also tasteful. Who wouldn't be tempted?
Upon hearing that Xu Ningyan was the one who did Lin Hong's makeup and hair, the girls were incredibly enthusiastic, inviting Xu Ningyan to do their makeup and hair for their weddings or blind dates as well.
Xu Ningyan vehemently declined, saying, "What a joke! There are at least eighty or ninety girls surrounding me, if not fifteen or sixteen."
Everyone's looking for her, how can she possibly manage? Does she even need to work anymore?
When everyone heard this, they felt it was a bit unreasonable, since the person in question had a regular job and couldn't possibly quit their job to do your makeup.
Several people backed out.
There were also those who were stubborn and really liked Lin Hong's makeup today. After much persuasion, Xu Ningyan finally relented and agreed to consider it, provided it didn't interfere with her work.
Although there was no definite answer, everyone was fairly satisfied and were all thinking to themselves that when the time came, it would all come down to their own abilities and sincerity.
Xu Ningyan finally managed to get rid of the group of beauty-loving girls, only to find that most of the guests had already left.
Only the host family and the helpers remained.
Xu Ningyan then found Lin Hong to say goodbye.
Lin Hong was also a little dizzy at this moment. When she was seeing people off, she followed Zhou Zi'an and Zhou's parents to recognize relatives. At this moment, her mind was still full of thoughts like, "This is your second uncle, this is your third maternal uncle, this is your fifth paternal uncle, this is so-and-so..."
Next, she had to go back to the Zhou family home, and it wouldn't be until evening before she and Zhou Zi'an could return to their small home.
Lin Hong didn't have the time or energy to entertain Xu Ningyan, so she waved to her and slipped two small red envelopes to Xu Ningyan.
Xu Ningyan was taken aback. Lin Hong explained that this was something that should be given to those who accompanied the bride and those who accompanied the bride, as a way to share in the joy.
Xu Ningyan then answered the call, patted Lin Hong on the shoulder sympathetically, and slipped away.
When I got home and opened the red envelopes, I found that each one contained a dollar.
This is quite a generous gesture; it's likely that Lin Hong secretly prepared a large red envelope just for her.
He happily put away the red envelope, then strolled around the yard, wondering where the lackey had gone; he hadn't returned yet.
It's so hot, I suddenly crave the soda sold at the alley entrance.
I strolled out, intending to buy two sodas, lower them into the well in a basket to chill them, so they would be at the perfect temperature by dinnertime.
As soon as I reached the alley entrance, I saw several middle-aged women sitting under the big elm tree at the alley entrance, chatting and enjoying the cool air.
He spoke with great enthusiasm.
Xu Ningyan walked closer and listened, and wondered why the sound was so familiar.
"Do you know what big news happened at that cotton mill?!"
"What news? Is it as big as the last time the machinery factory caused a scene?"
"I heard there's a couple at the machine factory with three children—two sons and a daughter—who treat their daughter terribly! They abandoned her at the age of three and left her to fend for herself in their hometown. She was bullied by their relatives there and almost lost her life! Everyone thinks they only love their sons and don't like their daughter!"
"But it turns out that's not true at all! That girl isn't their child at all! She's someone else's child who's being fostered in their home."
"Huh? Is that so? Whose daughter is that?"
"They say that someone entrusted this little girl to their family for temporary care, giving them ten yuan a month for living expenses. Even the woman in that family got a job, which was found for them by the little girl's family! All they asked was that the little girl be treated well! But the couple took the money and the job and sent the child to the countryside to suffer, where she was hungry and cold, and almost lost her life!"
"Well, the other day, the family that fostered the child back then came back and found out the truth! Of course, they're not having it! They weren't just anyone who could arrange a job for that woman back then. I heard they quietly took the job back!"
"Not only that, that family has now made a scene at the cotton mill, forcing the couple to pay compensation!"
"That must have cost a lot of money, right?" an older woman asked.
"Do the math. They say they've been supporting her for over ten years, let's say ten. If the living expenses are 120 yuan a year, that's 1,200 yuan in ten years. And that woman's job, even if it's the lowest level wage of 22 yuan a month, that's 264 yuan a year, and 2,640 yuan in ten years. Just these two items together would be close to 4,000."
You wouldn't believe it until you did the math, and the results were shocking.
Several middle-aged women exclaimed in surprise, "So many?"
"Yes! But the family that fostered the child is reasonable. They said that although they didn't pay for raising that little girl back then, they still raised her for over ten years. They should pay them back two thousand yuan!"
"Two thousand!" That's quite a lot. Most families in the city only have a few hundred yuan in savings at most, so two thousand is an astronomical figure.
"Did the couple take it out yet?" The older women were concerned about this.
"I heard that family initially planned to renege on their promise, but they couldn't even stay for two days. I don't know what tricks the foster family used, but now they're scrambling to raise money all over the world! My second aunt, who works at the cotton mill, told me that the family has emptied their savings to pay off the debt, and it still doesn't seem to be enough!"
...
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