Chapter 18 Getting Married Together
Cheng Jiajia had no idea about what was happening at the department store, nor did she know that she had once again incurred someone's hatred.
Even if she knew, she wouldn't care. Even if she did nothing, she wouldn't end up well. After all, the original owner of the body in the book never offended the female lead, yet she still had her man stolen and even died to make way for her.
And Yu Junsheng, his death was so perfectly timed, so coincidental, it aroused suspicion. Cheng Jiajia expressed some doubt about it, but now there's no way to verify it.
Fortunately, fate has now changed, and she and Yu Junsheng have made different choices.
When they made this choice, it was destined that she and Yu Junsheng would be on the opposite side from Jiang Qiubai and Zheng Haiyang, and that they would never be able to get along harmoniously.
If that's the case, what is she afraid of?
These two had better not try anything with them, or she wouldn't mind letting them experience the power of a "stepping stone" backfiring.
...
Time flies, and soon, when Cheng Jiajia finished making her two sets of clothes, it was time for her and Yu Junsheng to hold their wedding banquet.
Early in the morning, Aunt Hao got up early and brought two other women from the courtyard to Yu Junsheng's house to start getting busy.
As soon as it was light, Yu Junsheng rode a borrowed bicycle with a group of young men to the food factory's residential compound to pick up his bride. Yes, it was a borrowed bicycle. Nowadays, a bicycle costs more than a hundred yuan, not to mention bicycle tickets are extremely rare; most families really can't afford to buy one.
Their compound considered itself respectable; the Ren family, one of the upper-class residents, owned a bicycle, which caused quite a stir in the compound when they bought it. However, they wouldn't lend it to Yu Junsheng, and Yu Junsheng, naturally, wouldn't make a fool of himself, so he borrowed it from a friend.
The wedding procession itself wasn't difficult. After all, the Dong family couldn't wait to get Cheng Jiajia away, so how could they possibly cause any trouble? What if this brat thought marriage wasn't good and insisted on staying at their house to cultivate some kind of mother-daughter relationship with her mother?!
They really don't want her deadbeat father coming after them again! Waaah!
Yu Junsheng picked up Cheng Jiajia despite the Dong family's disapproving looks. Cheng Jiajia smiled and remained unaffected; these little rascals couldn't spoil her good mood.
She plopped down in the back seat, and Yu Junsheng's steering wheel immediately started twisting and turning, twisting and turning, until it finally managed to stay straight.
Cheng Jiajia, who was swaying and spinning along with the others and almost screamed, was speechless.
She managed a forced smile. "I never knew you could ride a bike."
Yu Junsheng proudly raised his head, "You're underestimating me, aren't you? It's just a bicycle, right? You'll learn after a couple of laps, it's that simple!" As for the few times he'd fallen while learning to ride a bicycle these past two days, Yu Junsheng wouldn't tell Cheng Jiajia. In his little wife's eyes, he had to be amazing. Uh, Yu Junsheng was also someone who paid great attention to his image in his wife's eyes.
Cheng Jiajia, “…” How about we take a look at your serpentine movements before we speak?
Good heavens, ever since she got in, the driver's handlebars have been swerving back and forth. Heaven knows how terrified she was; she was afraid she would become the first bride to be thrown off the car by her groom during the wedding procession, becoming the laughingstock of the neighborhood for the next few years!
Luckily, there were no cars on the road, otherwise, with his terrible driving skills, the two of them would probably have had a close encounter with a car long ago.
Fortunately, Yu Junsheng had practiced hard for several days, and although he went through several twists and turns, he managed to stabilize the situation.
Cheng Jiajia breathed a sigh of relief; she wouldn't become a laughingstock anymore!
Yu Junsheng, who was pedaling hard, had no idea that he had been seen through. As he pedaled, he thought to himself, "I should buy a bicycle in the future and see how happy my wife is when she rides it!"
As they passed a patch of uneven ground, Cheng Jiajia, fearing a repeat of the previous ordeal, quickly grabbed the person in front of her around the waist before feeling relieved.
Feeling the soft touch behind him, Yu Junsheng's face turned bright red, and he had a strange feeling in his heart. But before he could savor it, they reached a flat area and the touch behind him disappeared, leaving him slightly disappointed.
Whether it was Cheng Jiajia's imagination or not, she felt that the road ahead became much more difficult. Along the way, she never let go of Yu Junsheng's waist with her hands.
...
These days, people value simplicity and a frugal lifestyle. Revolutionary weddings are all the rage, with no fancy formalities. The couple simply recited two excerpts of the "Supreme Directive" in front of witnesses, then bowed three times to the portrait of the leader, and that was considered the end of the ceremony.
At noon, we ate lunch together.
It's called a wedding banquet, but it's really just a place for relatives and friends to come over for a meal, get to know the newlyweds, and have some fun.
Aunt Hao put a lot of effort into the meal, making sure nothing was wasted. She used pig's head and offal, stewed it with cabbage, and added some fatty meat and pork skin when cooking the cabbage, radish, and potatoes, creating a three-and-a-half-table meat feast. In addition, she brought grain liquor from the supply and marketing cooperative. The feast looked presentable and not shabby, yet it didn't cost much money and was very practical.
However, three tables were prepared. Yu Junsheng's colleagues and friends sat at one table, the neighbors in the courtyard sat at another table, and the remaining table was empty. This was not only a waste of food, but also quite embarrassing.
Originally, Aunt Hao thought that three tables would be full, but who knew, who knew... Thinking of this, Aunt Hao glared fiercely at the noisy opposite side.
That's right, Zheng Haiyang is such a shameless person. He actually arranged his wedding banquet with Jiang Qiubai on this day, clearly trying to compete with Yu Junsheng.
If everyone holds a banquet at the same time, then if one person goes to one house, the other won't be able to go. This is forcing the neighbors in the courtyard to choose sides.
It was obvious that they wanted to use the neighbors in the courtyard to ostracize Yu Junsheng and embarrass him.
It was obvious that Zheng Haiyang, the security guard at the machinery factory, was much more popular in the compound than Yu Junsheng, the unreliable scrap collector. The contrast between the lively banquet on one side and the quiet, deserted one on the other was quite awkward.
Aunt Hao was furious and secretly resolved to help Yu Junsheng get revenge.
Suddenly, Aunt Hao saw someone walking this way and immediately smiled, "Oh, Lao Bai, you've come at just the right time! Everyone's been waiting for you to start the feast!"
Aunt Bai was taken aback, then waved her hand awkwardly, "Hehe, I'll go to the west wing. You guys enjoy your meal, hehe." Aunt Bai gave an awkward smile and quickly turned to go to the west wing. She was going to the Zheng family for meat; that cunning Yu Junsheng couldn't possibly prepare anything delicious. She wasn't stupid!
Aunt Hao's face fell.
A little while later, she saw Zhu Ziqiang from the front yard coming this way again. She greeted him warmly, "Little Zhu, are you coming over for dinner?"
"Ah, Aunt Hao, haha, I'll go check on Brother Haiyang." Zhu Ziqiang awkwardly scratched the back of his head. What a mess! Why did everything have to be done on the same day? It's going to offend so many people!
However, if he had to choose between the two, he would naturally choose Zheng Haiyang, who also worked at the machinery factory. After all, Zheng Haiyang clearly had a bright future, while Yu Junsheng... Zhu Ziqiang shook his head. He couldn't blame him! Haiyang was a generous man. He had said there would be a sumptuous feast. Zhu Ziqiang took another deep breath of the aroma of meat in the air, swallowed hard, and hurried towards the Zheng family's house.
Aunt Hao angrily cursed, "You heartless bastard! I never knew Zheng Haiyang was this kind of person before. He really is his son!"
If it's not his mother's child, whose child is it?
Yu Junsheng suppressed a laugh and comforted her, "Aunt Hao, don't be angry. Isn't it a good thing they're not coming? We'll save on food. As long as the people we invited are here, that's fine."
Cheng Jiajia didn't mind, "Yes, Aunt Hao, you can take the extra food home in a lunchbox for dinner later, so you don't have to cook anything else."
Isn't this the effect Zheng Haiyang wanted by deliberately choosing this day to hold his wedding banquet?
What he didn't know was that Yu Junsheng and Cheng Jiajia were actually quite happy that those people didn't come, since it saved them a meal. It would be disgusting if they ate their food and then went back and talked about him and Cheng Jiajia behind their backs.
However, an unexpected guest arrived: Fu Jiaojiao, Zhu Ziqiang's second wife from the front yard.
"What, you're starting the meal before all the guests have arrived?"
"How could that be? Everyone's waiting for you." Cheng Jiajia said with a smile. She thought the couple was quite interesting, each going to one of their respective homes.
As soon as Fu Jiaojiao arrived, she offered a 50-cent gift and even gave Cheng Jiajia a pair of pillowcases, saying proudly, "This is something no one else has!"
This "other people" naturally refers to the Zheng family in the west wing.
Cheng Jiajia blinked, a little confused about what was going on between the couple. One clearly didn't want to get to know them better, while the other immediately presented such a generous gift. She was hesitant to accept it. After all, she and Fu Jiaojiao hadn't known each other before, and this sudden offer of something so valuable made her suspicious. Cheng Jiajia glanced at Yu Junsheng, wondering if the two of them had some kind of connection.
Yu Junsheng shook his head. He wasn't familiar with Fu Jiaojiao and hadn't spoken to her much. Who knew what she was up to?
Fu Jiaojiao noticed her hesitation and said unhappily, "What? You don't want to accept it?"
Cheng Jiajia gave an awkward smile and said, "We're all neighbors, you can just come over for dinner, why bring such an expensive gift?" She had heard that Fu Jiaojiao's mother-in-law was no pushover, and the two of them had been arguing a lot lately. If Fu Jiaojiao found out that she had given her family such an expensive gift, the old lady would probably come to make a scene tonight.
"Hmph, I'll give it to you if I want, what's it to you? It's my gift to you, so just accept it!" Fu Jiaojiao raised her head and forcefully stuffed the pillowcase into Cheng Jiajia's arms.
Sister, the more you say that, the less I dare to accept it!
Cheng Jiajia quickly returned the item, saying, "Comrade Fu, this is inappropriate, really inappropriate. You're giving me something so valuable, does your mother-in-law know?" Did you hear that? I'm afraid your mother-in-law will come and cause trouble!
Naturally, Fu Jiaojiao understood. Her face immediately fell. "Fine, don't take it! You have no taste!" She angrily snatched back the pillowcase, glared at Cheng Jiajia, and turned to leave without even eating a bite of the food.
"Hey, why did Xiao Fu leave without eating?"
Cheng Jiajia said innocently, "Who knows? This person just suddenly got angry."
Aunt Hao didn't think much of it. "Maybe she's just in a bad mood lately. There's been a lot of commotion at her house too."
Cheng Jiajia raised an eyebrow, meaning that Fu Jiaojiao had lost her battle with her mother-in-law.
Cheng Jiajia didn't take it to heart. After all, the two of them weren't close, and she didn't want to become a part of someone else's family feud. As for the 50 cents gift, she would just give it back to the Zhu family next time.
Cheng Jiajia and Yu Junsheng continued eating noodles and toasting the guests. Although there weren't many people, they all genuinely hoped the young couple would have a good life. The atmosphere was harmonious and lively for a while.
...
On the other end, however, the atmosphere wasn't as lively as Aunt Hao had imagined.
In the west wing, some people came to the Zheng family out of consideration for Yu Junsheng, such as the Ren Wenhua family and the Qin Weimin family from the Third Courtyard. They had conflicts with Yu Junsheng over the house, so they couldn't stand seeing him doing well and were deliberately trying to make things difficult for him on his wedding day.
Others, like Zhu Ziqiang from the front yard, the Bai family mother and daughter, and most of the neighbors, chose to come to the Zheng family's house specifically for the meat. After all, oil and fat were scarce at this time, and everyone was craving meat; they certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to eat it.
But when the dishes were served, everyone was dumbfounded when they saw the table in front of them. What was this?
One bowl of noodles in front of each person?!
And what's that dark, lumpy thing in this noodle dish? Is it edible?!
Didn't your family say there would be a lavish feast? Where's the meat? Huh? They even gave each of them 20 cents as a gift, and all they got was a bowl of noodles?!
Someone took a bite of the dark, gooey stuff, and exclaimed, "...Yay!"
"Damn it, this stinks!"
"...Ugh! It really is!"
"I've never seen anything so despicable!"
Instantly, everyone's faces turned grim.
Tell me, if you don't want to hold a banquet, then don't. They won't say anything. But you held one, accepted everyone's gifts, and then tried to fool people with these things. Do you think people are stupid?
"Zheng family, I've never seen such a sham feast! What kind of banquet is this? Are you trying to fool us all?"
Zheng Haiyang and Jiang Qiubai also looked grim; they hadn't expected Chang Dafeng to pull such a stunt.
If word gets out, they'll be humiliated to death.
Absolutely, absolutely, it will become the laughing stock of the compound for the next few years!
Jiang Qiubai quickly apologized with a smile, "Please calm down, everyone. This was my mother's fault. Her cooking skills are poor, and she wasted perfectly good food, making everyone uncomfortable. We apologize to everyone."
Zheng Haiyang looked at Aunt Chang with a questioning gaze, while Aunt Chang's eyes darted around guiltily. These eggs were indeed leftovers from when she entertained Jiang Qiubai a few days ago. Although they had a slightly foul smell, Chang Dafeng couldn't bear to throw them away. Remembering that Jiang Qiubai hadn't had any problems eating them last time, she simply fried them with salt and soy sauce and buried them in the noodles.
Isn't she trying to save money? There are dozens of people at several tables in this courtyard. If she used fresh ingredients and meat, how much money would that cost?
They have no relation to these people, so why should they spend so much money on them?!
Do they even deserve it?!
Thinking that her son was truly unaware of the cost of living and had no sense of thrift, Chang Dafeng's initial guilt subsided.
She was only doing it for her son's good, what did she do wrong!
She didn't let her own family eat it, what's wrong with that!
Yes, she did absolutely nothing wrong!
Once she figured it out, Chang Dafeng regained her composure. She wasn't like Jiang Qiubai, that coward who only knew how to smile obsequiously; she was an invincible old shrew who had fought her way through the entire compound!
Chang Dafeng immediately put her hands on her hips and angrily retorted, "Eat if you want, or get the hell out of here! What's wrong with this feast? This is pure white flour, so precious! You should be grateful that it's given to you, so what are you complaining about! You're not happy about being freeloaded?! If my family weren't so generous, would you even be able to eat here?"
This displeased some people, who angrily retorted, "Zheng family, what do you mean by that? Are you saying we're getting a free meal at your house? I gave you 20 cents; you can get a bowl of plain noodles anywhere. Why would I need to freeload at your house?" Even though they had come to freeload, they hadn't gotten any meat. Since they hadn't gotten any, why was Chang Dafeng being so rude?!
Seeing his mother about to roll up her sleeves and start a fight, Zheng Haiyang quickly pulled her back to prevent her from making a further fool of herself.
He then reassured everyone, raised his glass, and said with a smile, "My family has not been very hospitable today. We'll treat you all to a proper meal another day! Come on, everyone, let's have a few drinks first. Today is my wedding day, so please give me some face!"
At least there was a bottle of wine at each table, which was rare. His mother hadn't completely humiliated him, and Zheng Haiyang breathed a sigh of relief.
Although everyone was dissatisfied, they still had to give Zheng Haiyang face, after all, he was still working in the security department of the machinery factory. At that time, the security departments of various factories were not like the security guards of later generations; they were armed and had law enforcement powers, and their status was correspondingly high. Regardless of whether they had committed any crimes, it was better to be on good terms with such people than to offend them, so everyone went along with it.
Zhu Ziqiang was the first to raise his glass to smooth things over, "Hahaha, Haiyang is right, how can a grown man not drink at a banquet? Come on, let me start with three glasses as a toast!"
Unexpectedly, he spat it out after taking a sip. "Pfft... What kind of wine is this? It's as weak as water!"
"puff!"
The hot-tempered man couldn't take it anymore and slammed his fist on the table, yelling, "Damn it, this is outrageous! Give me my money back!"
"Yes, refund me!"
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