In addition, the Gao family prepared their own dowry, which was quite generous. At this time, having such a dowry meant they were among the wealthiest families in the village.
Gao Jie's eyes were also red, and she tried her best to hold back her tears. She walked to the kang (a heated brick bed), bowed to everyone, and said nothing. It was Gao Jie's aunt who couldn't help but step forward, hug her daughter, and cry. Only then could she understand that her mother had felt the same heartache and reluctance on the night before her wedding.
Seeing the mother and daughter like this, the Gao father and son also turned their heads away and secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of their eyes.
The parents couldn't help but feel relieved again, thinking that their son had really found them a good son-in-law. Sometimes they even had the illusion that Sicheng was their real son.
Just then, Junjun and Lele picked up the candy on the table and ran to Gao Jie's side, tugging at her clothes and calling out, "Auntie, give us candy, don't cry."
“Our little one knows how to coax his aunt now, quickly grab another candy to coax his great-aunt.” Yunqi took two more candies from the table and placed them in their hands, gesturing for them to coax Aunt Gao as well.
Perhaps because they had played with Gao Jie for an afternoon and were quite familiar with her, and Gao Jie's aunt had been busy with other things and only hugged them briefly at the beginning, they hesitated for a moment when they received the candy.
"Grandma, have some candy." This obvious preferential treatment made Gao Jie laugh.
"Our little darlings are so good." Aunt Gao happily accepted the candy from their hands. Just as she handed over the candy in one hand to Aunt Gao, they raised their hands high again, staring intently at their aunt, as if they wouldn't put their hands down until Gao Jie accepted their candy.
Gao Jie knelt down and kissed their little faces, then held out her hands in front of them. When they placed the candy in her palms, she opened her arms and hugged them, whispering, "Thank you, my little darlings, you're so great!"
Hearing their aunt's praise, Junjun and Lele happily turned to look at their mother. Seeing that their mother was also giving them two thumbs up, they smiled happily.
Because of the two little ones' adorable antics, everyone took advantage of the atmosphere and began packing the dowry for tomorrow.
Following old tradition, the Gao family prepared four awnings and four beddings. Fortunately, they had made some preparations before the disaster, and with the items they exchanged with the Yun family, they really wouldn't have been able to gather all of them. As for the large items that were part of the dowry in the past, they were simply impossible to obtain now. Uncle Gao also brought out 100 jin of glutinous rice seeds from the cellar. These glutinous rice seeds were a specialty of Gaojia Village; before the disaster, their glutinous rice was famous throughout the country. Now, if other places wanted to grow it, they really had to come to Gaojia to exchange for it.
Besides these, there are also some pots and pans. When you pack them all up, it really looks like there are quite a lot of things. I wonder if the Liu family will be smart enough to send more people over tomorrow, otherwise carrying all these things back to Pinghe Village will not be an easy task.
To add to the festive atmosphere, they even exchanged some red paper with others, cut it into bright red "double happiness" characters, and pasted them on the packed dowry, doors, and windows, making the whole family look joyful.
Early the next morning, the villagers came one after another to help. At this time, the gifts for the feast were practical items from home, and some even brought a bag of grain.
Everyone busied themselves with great enthusiasm, while Si Cheng was assigned to wait at the village entrance for the Liu family to arrive.
The Liu family is an outsider in Pinghe Village. Their family is not very large, so this time, in addition to inviting their cousins from other branches of the family, they also invited a few friends to come along. Each of them carried a full basket on their back.
Upon arriving at the entrance of Gaojia Village, they saw that Sicheng had already lowered the suspension bridge and was standing there waiting for them.
"Brother Cheng." Liu Fengya became a little nervous when he saw his brother-in-law waiting for him at the village entrance.
"You're here." Si Cheng looked Liu Fengya up and down again. He'd thought Liu Fengya was quite agreeable before, but today he seemed so awkward. He couldn't help but mentally assess him. Slicked-back hair and powdered face (Dude, you forgot that most guys these days are pretty boys, unless they're naturally dark-skinned.) Servile and obsequious (He's just trying to please you.)
Liu Fengya felt uneasy under Cheng Ge's gaze. He couldn't understand why Cheng Ge, who was usually quite friendly to him, was looking at him with such a chilling expression today.
The young man who came with him noticed Cheng Ge's scrutiny. He had previously envied Liu Fengya for marrying Cheng Ge's sister, which made him even closer to Cheng Ge. Now, he couldn't help but look at Liu Fengya with pity. With such a brother-in-law watching over him, he wouldn't dare say a harsh word to his wife in the future.
Si Cheng looked him up and down again before turning around and leading them into the village.
After a night, many people in Gaojia Village learned that Brother Cheng, who had gone to Majia Village with them to fight bandits, had arrived in their village. Many people flocked to Uncle Gao's house just to catch a glimpse of their idol.
Seeing Si Cheng leading the people of Pinghe Village over, they couldn't help but call out "Brother Cheng" from the roadside, and Si Cheng nodded in response to each of them.
This whole ordeal made everyone look at Liu Fengya with even more sympathy.
However, Liu Fengya completely ignored them. He was about to marry the girl he liked, and as long as he treated her well, he didn't have to worry about Brother Cheng causing him any trouble.
Although no betrothal gifts were required, the Liu family still slaughtered a large, fat pig, bringing half of it along with dried fish and other items they had been smoking recently. Bai Liangfen also brought a complete set of jewelry for her daughter-in-law, items she had prepared long ago and could finally give away.
The Gao family was very pleased to see the gifts laid out on the ground and invited them all into the newly erected tent. Since it had been agreed that the wedding would be carried over from here the next day, they would stay here for one night and then head back together the next day.
In addition, the Liu family sent over pork, making the wedding banquet a lively affair. At this time, wine was relatively scarce, so everyone only had a taste. As a result, the groom was not drunk, and after the meal, he could even follow Gao Liang and the others to tour the village.
That evening, the Gao family entertained their new son-in-law. This time, Liu Fengya wasn't so lucky. Gao Liang had brought back some strong liquor from the county town last time, and this time, to get his brother-in-law drunk, he reluctantly brought out several bottles, and together with Si Cheng, they got him completely drunk. His companions, though wanting to help, dared not speak after being glanced at by Si Cheng a few times, and could only silently cheer him on in their hearts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com