Chen Hong ultimately arranged for his second sister to be the bride's husband's wife. According to local custom, when a brother gets married, his sister-in-law can be the bride's wife's wife. It is believed that if the sister-in-law is the bride's wife's wife, she will be more likely to prosper. Whether this is true or not is not important. What is important is that everyone wants a good omen for their wedding. Following local customs to hold a wedding is precisely a symbol of good fortune.
At 10 a.m., Su Ying, the younger sister, helped her older sister down the stairs. As they walked from their home to the car, Su Ying placed her sister's hand in Chen Hong's and said, "Brother-in-law, I'm entrusting my sister's life to you. I hope you'll treat her well for the rest of your life."
"Don't worry, sister, I'll cherish your sister as much as my own life. I won't let her suffer any injustice because of me."
After Chen Hong finished speaking, he helped Su Wei into the car, and then got in and sat next to his wife.
At this moment, her younger brother brought over a basin of water, which Su Ying took and splashed in front of the car door.
There's a saying that a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; the water poured out when a daughter gets married symbolizes that once a daughter is married, she's gone.
The custom of splashing water on a daughter before her marriage signifies that from now on, she is no longer part of the family and can never go back. Her husband's family is her lifelong home, while her own family will only be a relative.
If she divorces her husband after two years of marriage and comes back, then the water she poured out when she got married will have been wasted. In a sense, spilled water cannot be taken back; sometimes, spilled water can still be retrieved.
No, it wasn't taken back; it ran back on its own. Not only did it come back alone, but it will probably bring a doll with it.
Getting back to the main topic;
Su Wei felt a pang of sadness as she listened to her sister splashing water in front of the car, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
This was no ordinary splash of water; it clearly indicated that she was no longer a member of this family, and from then on, Chen Hongcai would be her home and her lifelong support.
Although she understood many of the reasons, she still couldn't help but feel disappointed, since her family home was where she had lived for more than 20 years.
Chen Hong raised his hand to wipe away his wife's tears. Amidst the sound of firecrackers, Li Yuqiu started the car and left the Su family's gate. The two cars drove out of the village and headed towards the city.
The float returned to the factory's residential area and stopped at the entrance of Chen Hong's apartment building. Chen Hong's second sister got out of the car and opened the door. He picked up his wife from the car and carried her upstairs.
Dongqing carried his wife upstairs back home, where Chen Hong's parents and relatives were waiting to welcome the newlyweds home.
Next, Su Wei knelt down to pay respects to her parents-in-law, calling them "Dad" and "Mom," and from then on, she became the daughter-in-law of this family.
Her parents-in-law each gave her a red envelope. In those days, weddings were very simple; it ended after she paid respects to her parents-in-law.
The rest is about relatives and friends going to restaurants for meals. This is in the city. In the countryside, there is no such thing as taking guests to restaurants. Instead, people hire two chefs at home to cook a few tables of food and drinks.
After paying their respects to their parents-in-law, Chen Hong's parents left the house.
As soon as Chen Hong left with his parents, his cousin-in-law pressed Su Wei down on the bed and took off the pair of shoes she had worn on her wedding day.
There's a saying about taking off a bride's shoes: a bride can't wear the shoes she wore on her wedding day back to her parents' home. Usually, when a new bride arrives at her parents' home, her shoes are taken off, meaning she can't walk back home wearing her wedding shoes.
On one hand, it's about following the rules; on the other hand, it's about taking advantage of others. Taking off the shoelaces and wearing them yourself is the real reason.
The shoes worn on a wedding day aren't unwearable afterward; they can be worn at home, but not when visiting the bride's parents. However, in the 1980s, everyone wanted to take advantage of others, and customs were just a fig leaf. Without this custom, how would she take off the bride's shoes?
At lunchtime at the restaurant, many people from the machinery factory called Su Wei "sister-in-law." This was the first time she had ever been addressed like this, and she felt very uncomfortable, but she still accepted it with a smile.
After marriage, she became Chen Hong's wife. It's normal for others to call her sister-in-law. When they go back to their hometown, some people even call her aunt or grandma. The new bride is in an adjustment period.
Time flies, and autumn has arrived in the blink of an eye. Chen Hong and Su Wei have been married for nearly three months, and she is more than two months pregnant. At this time, her body is no longer suitable for traveling long distances and staying up all night with Li Yuqiu.
Shortly after the marriage, her in-laws used their connections to transfer their daughter-in-law Su Wei's household registration from the countryside to the city and put her on their own household registration book. From then on, she became an unemployed young woman receiving government-subsidized food rations.
The purpose of transferring her household registration was to arrange a job for her. Her parents-in-law finally arranged a formal job for her at the street office, but given her current situation, she couldn't leave Li Yuqiu to go to work.
Li Yuqiu said, "Ordinary people can't get into the subdistrict office. You're already more than two months pregnant, so it's not suitable for you to come with me on these trips. Just focus on your work. I'll find another driver."
Su Wei finally agreed. The money she earned wasn't much, and she longed for a formal job. Working under Li Yuqiu would always mean being an employee, while only working in a government agency would be considered a formal job.
These days, it's easy to find a driver, but it's hard to find a female driver. Li Yuqiu eventually found a 23-year-old young man who had just been demobilized from the army and was a driver in the army.
He was the son of a farmer. Unlike those with urban household registration who could be assigned jobs after being demobilized, he could only farm in the countryside after being demobilized. This was the case for rural youths who returned after being demobilized in those days.
This young man is named Fang Wei. He is 1.76 meters tall and has an average appearance.
Li Yuqiu was, after all, a 21-year-old girl. Her parents had no reason not to object to her having a young man drive for her. Her mother said, "Your dad is only 50. Let him drive for you. He'll learn to drive after a few trips!"
Li Yuzhu said, "Mom, please don't worry about it. My sister isn't young anymore. A 21-year-old girl should be looking for a boyfriend. It's not a good thing to have Fang Wei drive for her. We can't let her stay at home forever."
Although Li Yuzhu's words weren't explicitly stated, everyone could understand that young men and women inevitably develop feelings for each other when driving together for a long time. If Fang Wei was her type, they would become family in the future.
How could her parents not understand their eldest daughter's intentions? In the end, they nodded in agreement. The mother said, "Qiu'er, I really don't feel at ease with you two driving in the same driver's seat. A woman's chastity is the most important thing in her life. Please don't do anything out of line with Fang Wei. Do I need to spell it out any further?"
Li Yuqiu said, "Don't worry, Mom, your daughter has her own opinions."
Li Yuzhu and her younger sister grew up together, and she believes what her sister says.
The next day, Fang Wei went out on a trip with Li Yuzhu. Of course, his salary was not as high as Su Wei's; he was paid 300 yuan a month.
Bonuses depend on performance. If someone performs well, they get a bigger bonus, and vice versa. The amount of the bonus also depends on the boss's mood. If someone is lazy, they might not be needed after a while.
A salary of 300 yuan was quite a lot in 1986. No migrant worker could earn 300 yuan a month anywhere, and there weren't many migrant workers who could earn 100 yuan a month.
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