The new son-in-law, Zhou Liang, held Liu Lanfang's hand tightly and whispered words of comfort to Song Manhua.
"Mom, don't worry. I promise I'll treat Lanfang the same way I treated her before."
"You can rest assured to leave her to me. We will definitely live a good life together, and I promise I will not let Lanfang suffer any injustice."
Song Manhua patted Zhou Liang's hand, choking back tears and unable to speak.
"Good child, I'm relieved to hear you say that."
"Alright, go ahead, don't waste time."
According to local custom, after a wedding banquet, the doors must be kept open and someone must stay at home to watch over the house.
Song Manhua stayed behind to guard the house and entertain guests.
The groom brought four young men with him today, who arrived on two bicycles.
Zhou Liang led Liu Lanfang onto his bicycle, which was decorated with a big red flower, and the wedding party of relatives and friends began to help carry things.
The dowry items were carried out one by one from the inner room: enamel basins, thermos flasks with bamboo baskets, small chests, flap-top wardrobe chests, luggage bags, nylon stockings, flashlights, towels, a small square table, a dressing table, a newly made quilt...
The Liu family also gave the groom a new coat as part of his dowry, and the fabric was made from the curtain that Su Qingci had given him.
Su Qingci roughly estimated that almost all of that curtain was used on Liu Lanfang.
All the dowry was carried out of the house by the wedding party of relatives and friends as if showing it off.
The onlookers were filled with excitement, and they were chattering amongst themselves.
"The brigade leader's family really has a high opinion of Lanfang!"
"It's been so many years since people from all over the country have had new clothes. You can imagine how rare cloth coupons are these days."
"With this kind of status, she'd be more than qualified to marry into the city."
"Yes, look, there are flashlights too. They're not cheap; you need a coupon, and they're often out of stock."
"This would be considered top-tier even in the city!"
"You're kidding me. These days in the city, people are into things like 'three turns and one radio' and 'forty-eight legs' (referring to bicycles, watches, radios, and other similar products)."
"This is considered decent in our rural area, but it still can't compare to what you see in the city."
"You know, just taking out any one of the three turns and one sound equipment could bankrupt our rural commune members."
"Look, look over there! Wang Feng and Xue Xixi don't look very happy at all!"
"Keep your voice down. Isn't this normal? You're happy that your sister-in-law is getting married and taking so many things with her?"
"So what if they're unhappy? We saw them walk in the door when they came in. One of them was carrying a tattered bag with two sets of old clothes in it."
"Besides, this was purchased by the brigade leader and his wife and the Four Cleanups; the two older brothers didn't get anything."
"Look at what you're saying, the family hasn't even separated yet, and all the money is in Song Manhua's hands, so what are you going to add?"
In addition to the two bicycles brought by the man, Liu Dazhu's family also had one, plus the three bicycles from Song Jingzhou, Su Qingci, and Wang Dachui, and they also rented an oxcart from the team.
The wedding procession was quite impressive, with a ten-mile-long procession of red bridal decorations.
The procession had barely started moving when some people at the back, fueled by alcohol, began to cause trouble.
The one who started the trouble was Song Man'e's unmarried youngest son.
Song Man'e had two sons and two daughters. Her eldest son, Wu Zhong, was married. Her younger son, Wu Cheng, was unmarried. Her eldest daughter, Wu Ping, and her second daughter, Wu Jiao, were not yet engaged.
Considering her own plans, Song Man'e chose Wu Zhong and Wu Ping to accompany her on her wedding journey.
Wu Cheng, the second son, was very unhappy. No matter how much they argued, it shouldn't be Wu Ping's turn. He was the son of the family, and this opportunity to shine had been taken by a little girl.
Wu Cheng hiccuped, glancing resentfully at Song Man'e. His eldest son already had two children, and he was only a year younger than his eldest son, yet he still hadn't found a wife. His mother's favoritism was utterly boundless.
Song Man'e knew what her youngest son was thinking, but she felt even more uneasy.
This youngest son was spoiled from a young age. When he grew up, he engaged in cockfighting, dog walking, harassing young wives, peeping at widows taking baths, and dared to do anything, ruining the reputation of the entire Wu family.
As a result, even now that her two daughters are of marriageable age, few men dare to come to her door to propose marriage.
There was actually another reason why he wasn't allowed to join the wedding procession.
The youngest son gets rowdy after drinking a little cat urine, and the older sister doesn't want to offend anyone during her family's happy occasion.
Wu Cheng, emboldened by the alcohol, staggered to his feet and saw Zhong Linfang standing alone beside him, which sparked his interest.
His family wouldn't let him get married, so he had to find a way himself.
In this day and age, women value their reputation the most, and he knows this girl.
They weren't relatives, but seemed to be a close classmate of Lanfang's cousin.
Fueled by alcohol, Wu Cheng opened his arms and embraced Zhong Linfang.
"My little wife~"
"Ahhh~"
Zhong Linfang screamed in fright and pushed Wu Cheng away with all her might.
Shen Chuntao, who was standing nearby, quickly pulled Zhong Linfang away, and Wu Cheng then embraced Shen Chuntao.
When Su Qingci and Song Jingzhou arrived at the scene, Liu Siqing, with red eyes, was shielding Zhong Linfang behind him, raising his fist as if to charge forward.
Wu Jiao and Song Man'e, their faces ashen, blocked Wu Cheng's path and began to hurl insults at Liu Siqing.
"This is your second cousin. He's drunk, why are you arguing with him?"
"Big sister, you should hurry up and take care of Siqing. He's made something of himself now, and even I, his second aunt, am no match for him."
"Look at how badly Wu Cheng has been beaten; his lip is bruised. Is this how you treat your guests?"
"Man'e! What do you mean by 'the Four Cleanups attacked him'? Wasn't he the one who attacked the Four Cleanups first?"
"Yes, I saw it. Siqing saw Wu Cheng acting like a hooligan and came over to stop him, but Wu Cheng punched him in the head."
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