Chapter 54
After delivering the wine to his maternal grandmother and uncle, Meng Yuxiu went to his aunt's house.
During those three days, he went out early and returned late almost every day to notify relatives in all directions. He also went to the county town to call the teachers of Class 1 and Class 7, as well as Pan Xiaodong, the preserved egg tofu maker, and others.
Three days later, Meng's father led his son to Xiaoshi Village to propose marriage.
In this remote rural area of that era, the betrothal gifts given by the Meng family were considered extremely generous. Meng's parents and a dozen or so close relatives hired a tractor, got off the tractor, and walked in a grand procession from the village entrance all the way to the Han family's house.
When the villagers of Xiaoshi Village saw the group carrying a brand-new floor-standing oscillating electric fan with red "double happiness" characters pasted on it, and also holding chickens and ducks, they couldn't help but express their envy, praising the Meng family for their generosity and the Han family for their good fortune.
When there's a happy occasion in the village, everyone loves to join in the fun, so even those who weren't working in the fields went to the Han family's house with the betrothal party.
Upon arriving at the Han family home, Meng's father handed over 800 yuan, adorned with the character for "happiness," to Han Hong as a betrothal gift in front of relatives and villagers.
Before this, due to the haste, Han Shuo had always felt that his marriage to Meng Yuxiu was not only unbelievable, but also unrealistic and unrealistic.
However, only after this process was completed did he truly realize that the marriage was finally settled.
After the Meng family left, Han Hong immediately began preparing his dowry.
To be honest, Han Shuo was a little dumbfounded when he thought about the dowry. He had never imagined that these two words could be used to describe his own life.
He watched Han Hong, who hadn't even finished junior high school, sitting at the table after dinner, writing things like quilts and washbasins on a piece of paper with a pen, and couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye.
"Brother, just prepare whatever you need. You don't need things like washbasins and mouthwash cups, right? He has those at home."
Han Hong disagreed with Han Shuo's suggestion, arguing that this was a serious matter and should not be prepared casually.
However, since it was Han Hong's first time marrying off her younger brother, she didn't know what the dowry should include, so she asked the knowledgeable older women in the village to help her.
As soon as the older women arrived, the house became lively. Han Hong moved stools and made tea, and everyone started talking at once.
Han Shuo sat to the side listening to the older women talking to Han Hong about how they needed to prepare at least six quilts: two towel blankets for summer, two thick cotton quilts for winter, and quilts for spring and autumn.
He also talked about things like washbasins, teacups, towels, and all sorts of everyday items.
Han Shuo's head was buzzing. After the aunties left, he picked up Han Hong's notebook and looked at it. He found that the dowry list was so detailed that even slippers and socks were not missed. He flipped through three whole pages before he reached the end.
Han Shuo was dumbfounded. "Why do we need so many? My classmate told me that we only need to prepare a few quilts, right?"
Han Hong laughed and said, "Others are others, and our family is our family. Every family is different. Alright, don't worry about this. I'll take care of it."
After Han Hong finished speaking, he put away his notebook.
Next, he started collecting cotton in Xiaoshi Village to make cotton quilts, and then found a cotton carder in the village. On market day each week, he took Han Shuo and Han Ting to town to pick out the other items on the dowry list.
The weather in July was hot, and considering Han Shuo's current physical condition, Han Hong originally did not plan to take Han Shuo to town. However, Han Shuo had no appetite, and looking at his sickly face, Han Hong thought for a moment and said he would take him to town to eat a bowl of wontons.
So the two brothers took Han Ting and got up early to take the village tractor to the market. After arriving in town, they each ate a bowl of wontons before slowly browsing the shops and buying things.
Han Hong has a lot to buy today: enamel washbasins, enamel mouthwash cups, thermos flasks, towels, and he also needs to pick out a few pieces of fabric for the cotton quilt cover after it has been fluffed.
In short, everything except the spittoon was bought individually; everything else came in pairs.
When they arrived at the fabric shop, Han Hong, a tall and strong man, tilted his head back and picked out the colorful fabrics covering the wall. After selecting them, he would touch the fabrics to feel their texture.
It was almost noon when they finally finished buying everything on the dowry list.
There were too many things, so Han Hong wouldn't let Han Shuo carry them. He had Han Shuo stand in the shop with Han Ting, and then he went to the tractor parking area in town to find some villagers to help him load all the things he bought onto the tractor.
As the wedding day drew closer, Han Shuo's quilts were all ready. Han Hong asked several elderly women with many children and grandchildren to take some time to cut and sew the purchased fabric into quilt covers.
It's probably the same for every family with a child getting married: busy, happy, yet crowded.
In the Han family's small house, the second floor was piled with brightly colored cotton quilts, while the first floor was full of pots and pans. After going to the market that day, Han Hong went several more times and bought a lot more.
Han Shuo walked down the stairs, and there was almost nowhere to put his feet.
Han Hong closed the door and called Han Shuo to sit at the table. Then he took something wrapped in red paper from his pocket and handed it to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo recognized this; it was given to Han Hong by Meng's father during the betrothal ceremony.
Han Shuo unfolded the red paper and counted the banknotes inside; all eight hundred yuan was there.
He didn't understand what Han Hong meant.
Han Hong said, "Keep it yourself."
Han Shuo said in surprise, "This was given to you by their family."
Han Hong laughed and said, "Why is it for me? We don't do that kind of thing in our family."
Han Shuo stared blankly at the mess on the ground.
He always thought that these things were bought with the betrothal gifts given by Meng Yuxiu's family, so even though Han Hong bought a lot, he couldn't stop him and didn't care. Anyway, the money came from the people, so he just assumed that Han Hong used the money to exchange for things and then took them to the Meng family.
But he didn't expect that Han Hong didn't spend a single penny of the money.
Han Shuo hurriedly asked his brother, "Where did you get the money to buy so many things?"
Seeing his younger brother so anxious, Han Hong patted Han Shuo on the shoulder to comfort him, saying, "Don't worry, I still have some savings."
Han Shuo clearly didn't believe him. He frowned and looked at his brother, "Don't borrow money for this kind of thing."
Han Hong laughed, "Am I that concerned about saving face? Don't worry, I still have some money on hand."
Fearing that Han Shuo would worry, he slowly continued, "Our family doesn't have much money, but I've still saved up the money for your and Tingting's wedding."
"real?"
"Really, it's just that you and Tingting's money can't be touched, so I'm usually quite stingy with you guys."
"That won't do! Our family isn't well-off to begin with, and you're spending so much money." Han Shuo tried to shove the money into his brother's hand, but Han Hong pushed it back.
"Listen to me, you can keep the bride price yourself."
Around 9 p.m., everyone had finished enjoying the cool evening air, closed their doors, and prepared to rest.
This man, usually rough and not good at speaking softly, spoke earnestly and warmly to his younger brother in this quiet moment, sharing the most profound yet comforting words from the bottom of his heart.
“Listen to me, although Xiao Meng’s family is well-off, a teacher’s annual salary isn’t that high. His parents also work in the fields or occasionally run a small business. They must have saved up for quite a while to give such a large dowry, including an electric fan and a watch.”
“Our family isn’t the kind that asks for a bride price. A bride price is just a formality and a token of our goodwill. I can tell that Xiao Meng’s parents are reasonable. They definitely share the same idea as me, which is that they hope you two will have a good life together in the future.”
Seeing Han Shuo lower his eyes and remain silent, Han Hong took the money from Han Shuo's hand, then folded the red paper on the outside again, and stuffed it into his pocket.
“You’re an adult now and you’re getting married soon. After you get married, you and Xiao Meng will have your own little family. Once the baby is born, there will be many expenses, so you need to save this money for yourself.”
Han Shuo raised his eyes and looked at Han Hong, who was pretending to be relaxed and smiling, but he felt extremely sad inside.
He had always thought that before leaving this world, he should leave some money for Han Hong and Han Ting so that their lives could be more comfortable and easy.
He had always thought that he had to do something for them.
However, before he could do anything, his family was already making preparations for his marriage.
Ever since the Meng family came to propose marriage, Han Hong has been sitting at the table almost every night doing accounts, trying his best to prepare the best things for his younger brother within his limited means.
Han Shuo looked around again at the things his family had prepared for his wedding. Every single item was brand new and vibrant, instantly creating a festive atmosphere for anyone entering. But behind this atmosphere lay years of hard work by Han Hong.
Looking at Han Hong's face, which was not yet thirty but looked more weathered than his peers, Han Shuo felt a slight pang of sadness.
He choked up, his voice breaking, "Brother, have I been a burden to you?"
Hearing his younger brother's silly words, Han Hong couldn't help but laugh and said, "What are you saying? What burden is there? I'm overjoyed that you're getting married. Okay, stop crying. You have a child now."
Han Shuo's eyes gradually welled up with tears, and he asked again, "Brother, are you really happy? Aren't you angry that I did something like this?"
Han Hong chuckled and ruffled his hair, saying, "Silly boy, of course I'm happy. And I don't blame you."
Han Hong sighed, "I'm just worried about you. I'm worried that you're not mature enough and that you'll regret it later. But since it's already happened, I just hope that you can live a good life from now on."
"Alright." Han Hong patted his head with a smile. "I'm really happy. Actually, I've been observing Xiao Meng for a while now. Although he's not mature, I can tell he's a responsible person, so I'm quite relieved."
Han Shuo lowered his eyes and nodded vigorously.
"Keep the money safe and hide it away. Don't let Xiao Meng and the others know about it yet. Take it out when you need it urgently later."
Han Shuo couldn't help but laugh out loud through his teary eyes.
If Han Hong was happy, then Han Shuo was also relieved. At least in the short time he was away from this world, there was one more thing that could make his brother happy.
Getting into university is one thing, and getting married is another.
At the very least, he hoped his brother would be happy.
It was getting late, so Han Hong told Han Shuo to put the money away. Then, while tidying up the table, he muttered to himself, asking Han Shuo if Xiao Meng was coming over tomorrow.
Generally speaking, with a marriage as rushed as Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu's, the groom's family must have been incredibly busy. But ever since the betrothal ceremony, Meng Yuxiu has been coming over every few days.
Now Han Hong is particularly fond of this brother-in-law. Every time Meng Yuxiu comes, he is all smiles, and after seeing him off in the evening, he lingers at the village entrance for a while to chat.
Han Shuo knew that his brother was probably planning to go to town to buy some meat again tomorrow, to save for when Meng Yuxiu came to visit. So he said to his brother, "Don't keep buying meat, just give him some food."
Han Hong mumbled "Okay, okay, I know" to himself. But Han Shuo sometimes slept in late, and by the time he woke up, his brother was already back from town with meat.
Hearing this from the side, Han Ting clung to Han Shuo and asked affectionately, "Uncle, why did Brother Meng come to our house again?"
Han Ting had been hearing his father and Han Shuo call him "Xiao Meng" all the time, so he knew who Xiao Meng was. But he was too young to understand why that older brother kept coming over.
Han Hong was startled when his son's little body suddenly pounced on Han Shuo's stomach. He quickly pulled him away, saying, "Tingting, you need to be more careful about what you do at night from now on. Your uncle is pregnant now."
Upon hearing this, Han Ting slowly opened her eyes wide to look at Han Shuo's stomach.
Han Shuo felt incredibly embarrassed listening to Han Hong tell his nephew this. He pulled Han Ting's arm and hugged him onto his lap, saying, "It's okay, brother, I'm not that weak."
"We still need to be careful."
Han Ting stared at Han Shuo's belly, tilted her head back and asked, "Why is there a baby?"
"..." Han Shuo was too embarrassed to answer again.
Han Hong rubbed his son's head and said with a smile, "Because your uncle is getting married to Brother Meng, you can't call him Brother Meng anymore. You have to call him Uncle."
“Uncle…” Han Ting stammered.
"Yes! Your uncle will be moving to another place from now on, and won't be living at home anymore." However, as soon as Han Hong finished speaking, Han Ting burst into tears.
"Why are you crying?" Han Shuo quickly lifted Han Ting's face.
Han Ting cried so hard his throat was almost visible. He sat on Han Shuo's lap and kicked his short legs sadly.
"Don't cry, Tingting," Han Shuo comforted her. "Your uncle hasn't left, has he?"
"I won't leave!" Han Ting grabbed Han Shuo's clothes, as if afraid he would run away now and never stay in this house again, and cried loudly, "I don't want Brother Xiao Meng to come!"
Han Hong hadn't expected his son to react so strongly, and for a moment he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He coaxed him, "Alright, alright, your little Meng brother isn't coming. He's very busy right now, he doesn't have time to come. Alright, alright, go to sleep now."
Han Ting stopped crying, but refused to sleep with Han Hong that night and insisted on sleeping with Han Shuo instead.
Although Han Hong told Han Ting that Meng Yuxiu was busy, Meng Yuxiu was indeed busy now.
While Han Shuo and the others were already in bed, the Meng family's house was still brightly lit.
The Meng family's house has been built for many years. Originally, Meng's mother planned to repaint the walls, but now there is no time, and Han Shuo is pregnant and cannot renovate.
So all I could do was clean the house thoroughly.
Early this morning, Meng's father woke Meng Yuxiu up and asked him to help clean the house. Meng Yuxiu was not one to sleep in, and since this was his own happy occasion, he immediately got up and washed up as soon as his father called him.
After the family finished breakfast, they tidied up the second floor. They sold the unused items that could be sold and threw away the unsold ones. Among these rooms, Meng's mother paid special attention to cleaning Meng Yuxiu's room.
She had Meng's father and Meng Yuxiu practically empty the room, then grabbed a rag and meticulously cleaned the floor, leaving no corner untouched. After they finished wiping, Meng Yuxiu mopped the floor several more times.
When the villagers saw that the Meng family's courtyard was filled with tables, chairs, and cabinets, they all joked, "Teacher Meng, Teacher Yang, are you clearing out the whole house?"
Mencius' mother laughed and replied, "Oh dear, if we don't clean these places, they'll be too dirty to clean."
Having lived in the house for many years, we had a lot of belongings, and after cleaning it all up, we had to move everything back in. So, after a busy day, the family didn't get to eat a hot meal until eight or nine o'clock in the evening.
Just after they finished eating, Chef Zhang, who was skilled at preparing wedding banquets in the village, came to Meng's father's house to discuss the wedding banquet menu. Meng Yuxiu then moved a chair over and sat down to listen.
Master Zhang asked Meng's father, "How many tables are you planning to have, Teacher Meng?"
Mr. Meng looked at the list recorded in the notebook. There weren't many relatives from the Han family's side, about two tables in total. There were quite a few from the Meng family's side. Besides relatives and friends, most of the villagers had come, plus the teachers and classmates that Meng Yuxiu had invited, who also made up one table.
"I estimate there will be about twenty tables," Meng's father said.
Chef Zhang asked, "If it's about twenty tables, then we'll have to set them up at the neighbor's house next door."
The Meng family lives in a detached house with their own courtyard. If the banquet were held at a neighbor's house, it wouldn't be lively enough.
Meng Yuxiu asked, "Can we set up a few tables in the courtyard and the rest in the open space outside the gate?"
Master Zhang thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "That's fine. You can put two tables in this small courtyard, one table in the living room, and the rest can be put in the open space outside."
Mencius' mother said worriedly from the side, "Then I hope it doesn't rain."
Mencius' father said, "If it rains, just put it at the neighbor's house."
Now that the number of tables was set, Meng's father continued to discuss the menu with Chef Zhang. Similar to other rural families hosting banquets, the menu mainly consisted of braised pork hock, braised pork belly, chicken, duck, beef, and fish, but Meng's father also planned to add a plate of boiled shrimp.
Upon hearing this, Master Zhang laughed and joked with Meng Yuxiu, "Little Xiu, your banquet is truly lavish!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu could only laugh, his ears turning red.
Meng's father chuckled and glanced at his good-for-nothing son.
After Mr. Zhang left, the family prepared to wash up and go upstairs to sleep. However, before going upstairs, Mr. Meng called Meng Yuxiu over to talk.
"Now that you have a wife, you're not a child anymore. I'm too lazy to bring up the past, but from now on, whatever you do, you have to think it through before you act, understand?"
Meng Yuxiu nodded hurriedly.
Mencius' mother chimed in, "Now that you're a father, you have to consider your wife, children, and family before you do anything. Don't act as carelessly as before."
"I know."
After Mencius' parents finished educating their son, they went upstairs to rest.
Meng Yuxiu closed the door, turned off the lights on the first floor, and went to his room.
His room looked like it had been freshly washed today; even with the lights off, it smelled wonderfully clean.
The thought that Han Shuo would be sleeping in this room in a week filled Meng Yuxiu with a subtle excitement. The closer the wedding day got, the less he could sleep at night.
However, once I wake up in the morning, I can be full of energy all day long.
He stared at the dark ceiling with his eyes open, reached out and touched the bed next to him, and couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of his lips.
But as he touched it, something suddenly occurred to him. He paused for a moment, then got up, slipped on his slippers, opened the door, and went next door.
"Dad, Mom," Meng Yuxiu knocked on the door, "Are you asleep?"
Meng's parents happened to be awake and were lying in bed discussing the wedding banquet. When they heard their son's voice, Meng's father invited him in.
Seeing his son standing at the door in a vest and shorts, Meng's father asked, "What's wrong?"
Meng Yuxiu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Dad, could you make me a bed?"
In fact, Mencius' parents had thought of this long ago.
Meng Yuxiu's room has a single bed. Meng Yuxiu is 1.9 meters tall, and even he has a hard time turning over on it, let alone when Han Shuo comes over.
That day, when Meng Yuxiu went to his maternal grandmother's house to deliver wine, Meng's father had already found a carpenter in the village and asked him to help make a double bed as soon as possible.
But seeing that his son was up so late at night and had come all the way here to talk about this, I remembered all the things that kid had done.
So Mencius' father pretended to be annoyed and asked, "What kind of bed do you want to make?"
Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips, somewhat embarrassed but hesitantly saying, "A bigger bed, perhaps..."
"Tell me, how big is 'bigger'?"
Meng Yuxiu secretly rubbed his fingers together, avoiding direct eye contact with his father, "Just... a double bed..."
"...Ideally, there should be room for two people to lie down, and also room for a child."
Meng's father scolded helplessly, "Do I need you to tell me?! I would have gone and beaten him already!"
Mencius' mother smiled and said, "Go back to sleep quickly, there are still many things to do tomorrow."
Meng Yuxiu then happily helped them close the door.
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