Chapter 240 Welcoming the Bride
With the two pigs sent by the Liu brothers, how could we possibly worry about the banquet? We can just go all out and cook whatever we want!
On the morning of the 8th, Sheng Liancheng invited the head chef from the forest farm canteen over and asked him to arrange the banquet.
"Master Li, everything is here. You can arrange it as you see fit. If anything is missing or needed, just tell me and I'll go find it."
Sheng Liancheng pointed to the yard, where there were two pigs, one big and one small, two basins of pig offal, and two large wooden buckets containing wild boar meat, roe deer meat, venison, pheasant, and rabbit, and said quite generously.
"Oh dear, where's all this meat? What's missing? As long as you don't mind, Lao Sheng, I guarantee I'll make sure it's cooked perfectly for you."
The head chef in the cafeteria is surnamed Li. He's an excellent cook, but he doesn't usually have much opportunity to showcase his skills.
When he saw the materials prepared by the Sheng family today, he was overjoyed. He walked around with his hands behind his back and had a general idea of what to expect. He immediately found some paper and began to discuss the menu with Sheng Liancheng.
"Pickled cabbage with braised pork belly, crispy pork belly, stir-fried pork slices, braised venison with scallions, spicy stir-fried roe deer meat, chicken and rabbit stew with mushrooms and potatoes, aspic and pork liver platter, four-happiness meatballs, dried tofu rolls, and aspic and pork hock and pig head meat platter."
Master Li pointed to the names of the dishes he had written and told Sheng Liancheng and his wife about them.
"When my family treats me to a meal, they serve candied sweet potatoes and honey-braised three delicacies."
Then, those big bones and stuff, we can put them in a stew with sauerkraut, and maybe some pork intestines or something, to treat the people who came to help today. What do you two think?
These days, it's not easy to hold a banquet, especially in winter and spring. The dishes available are usually the same three: radishes, cabbage, and potatoes, with hardly any fresh vegetables.
Meat was rationed, and fish was out of the question; no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't catch much.
When many families hold a banquet, it's considered quite good if they can put together six dishes.
It's truly unique for the Sheng family to be able to easily put together ten dishes, most of which are meat.
Chef Li felt that these ingredients shouldn't be wasted, so the menu was quite substantial.
"Oh, that's perfect, Chef Li. Let's do it your way. I have about ten tables, so you can prepare twelve or thirteen, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Sheng Liancheng and his wife thought the menu was too demanding, but they were definitely going to accept it.
The host family agreed to the menu, and now Chef Li was really in charge, directing the wives who came to help to get busy in the yard.
First, stew the meat that needs to be stewed, chop the meat that needs to be minced, and leave the frying ingredients for last.
April wasn't so cold anymore. A row of sheds was set up in the yard, and three large pots were placed under the sheds, all steaming, and the aroma wafted around with the steam.
The Sheng family had good connections in the forest farm, and Sheng Xiping's marriage was a joyous occasion, so many people came to help.
The women helped with cooking and steaming buns, while the men borrowed tables, chairs, pots, pans, and other household items.
For a time, the Sheng family's courtyard was incredibly lively.
Everyone worked until evening, and the Sheng family prepared a delicious meal to entertain them. After eating and drinking their fill, most of the helpers left.
Those who were closer to the bride and groom, after dinner, helped make a lot of dumplings to eat for the wedding party the next morning.
April 9th, the 28th day of the second month in the lunar calendar, is the wedding day of Sheng Xiping and Zhou Qinglan.
The Sheng family's place was bustling with activity from early morning.
Sheng Xi'an, Sheng Xikang, and the others all took leave from class. They were all dressed in their new clothes for the New Year, looking clean and tidy, just waiting to go and fetch the bride.
Sheng Xiping's buddies were also dressed in particularly high spirits. They were the ones who were expected to carry the load today, so they couldn't let him down.
Whether it's picking up the bride or sending her off, the custom is to go on an odd-numbered day and return on an even-numbered day.
There's also a local saying: "If the aunt doesn't send off the bride, the uncle won't marry her."
In other words, the groom's aunt cannot be among the wedding party, and the bride's aunt cannot be among the wedding party.
The Sheng family didn't have many relatives here, except for Sheng Xiping's maternal uncle, Zhang Shouzhi, who came, so Zhang Shouzhi had to lead the wedding procession.
The Sheng family also invited Liu Changde and Qin Qiuyan, along with Sheng Xi'an and Sheng Xikang, and Wang Jianshe, Chen Weiguo, and others to form an odd-numbered wedding procession.
At eight o'clock in the morning, after everyone ate dumplings at the Sheng family's house, they went out together to welcome the bride.
Logically speaking, these are all within the same forest farm, and it's not far from one end to the other; you can walk there.
To show how much the Sheng family valued their new daughter-in-law, Sheng Liancheng specially consulted with Liu Changde and borrowed a horse-drawn carriage from the Dajianchang farm. They decorated it with red ribbons and went to fetch the bride.
At the old house, the Zhou family members didn't get much sleep last night. They got up early this morning to have Zhou Qinglan change clothes and get ready.
Nowadays, wedding procedures are not as complicated as in the old society, especially for brides. They don't need to have their faces opened, their hair styled, or wear any makeup.
All you need to do is change into a new outfit, comb your hair, and wear a red flower.
Zhou Qinglan's hair reached her waist, so she simply braided it, tied it up, and pinned it to the back of her head, then inserted a circle of red hair flowers into the bun.
The red and black plaid wool coat that Sheng Xiping made for her had already been retrieved. The Zhou family also made her new clothes: a red satin cotton-padded jacket and red cotton-padded trousers.
According to tradition passed down from the older generation, the bride must wear thick cotton-padded trousers on her wedding day, regardless of whether it is winter or summer.
Of course, very few people actually get married in the summer; most people get married in the winter, when wearing cotton-padded trousers is just right.
The two families agreed that Zhou Qinglan would wear a red cotton-padded jacket and red cotton-padded trousers during the wedding procession and ceremony.
After the banquet ended and the feast began, Zhou Qinglan changed into the clothes made by the Sheng family and came out to offer toasts.
This way, both the husband's and wife's families are respected, and it looks good too.
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