The sound of trumpets could be heard in the distance, and the Zhang family lit firecrackers to welcome the bride. The firecrackers crackled and sent up puffs of white smoke.
The guests heard the firecrackers and crowded toward the door, eager to catch a glimpse of the bride. The noise and shoving blocked the path to the entrance. Some of the still-young children surrounded Shumei, making it impossible for her to move. Even so, she remained beaming.
Zhang Jizong decisively gave Shumei a princess hug, carrying her through the crowd into the room. Shumei shyly leaned against Zhang Jizong's arms, repeatedly whispering for him to put her down, but Zhang Jizong seemed unmoved. The guests also squeezed in with a lot of noise, and some young people even screamed and whistled.
"Groom, please let the bride down quickly. She is going to jump over the fire basin." Huang Yaoniang, who squeezed in from the crowd, said to Zhang Jizong while panting.
This time, Huang Yaoniang got a great bargain. She didn't have to run around to different houses and use her words to try to bring Shumei and the other girl together. She could easily earn the matchmaking fee from them.
There was a small burning brazier at the gate, and Huang Yaoniang helped Shumei step over it.
Friends and family members chanted in unison: "The bride steps over the fire, bringing wealth and children to the family next year; she honors her parents-in-law without irritation, and a harmonious family brings prosperity." The bride steps over the fire basin, behaving gracefully and tenderly; the husband and wife are like close friends, cherishing and respecting each other's elders.
Everyone yelled in unison and rhythmically, as if they had rehearsed it. It was simply practice that made perfect; it was a custom every bride followed.
Shumei stepped over the brazier and followed Zhang Jizong into their new home.
The new house was filled with joy. Every piece of furniture was covered with a big red "囍" character, from the wardrobe and wooden bed to the thermos and sewing box.
The furnishings in the new house were very simple, with a wooden bed more than half a meter high, a simple wooden wardrobe, and a wooden double-ended cabinet. On the double-ended cabinet was a bulky black and white TV. Such TVs were rare in that era, and no one knew how Zhang Jizong got it.
The bed was covered with brand new sheets and quilts, all in bright red and purple, with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns printed on the quilt. Zhang Jizong and Shumei sat stiffly on the bed, their faces filled with happiness.
Two middle-aged women brought two bowls of sugared eggs and handed them to them. Each of them had a bowl, and in each bowl were two white and tender boiled eggs. They smiled and ate happily. While they were eating the eggs, the two women chanted a lot of auspicious words beside them.
After the two finished eating the eggs, Zhang Jizong quickly took out two red envelopes from his pocket and gave one to each of them. The two of them took the red envelopes with a smile.
"Good things come in pairs, bride and groom. Look, we've been talking so much that our mouths are dry. Shouldn't the red envelopes also come in pairs?" The woman was really greedy. She shamelessly asked Zhang Jizong and Shumei for red envelopes again.
On this happy day, everyone wanted good luck, so red envelopes were inevitable as long as others asked for them. Although Zhang Jizong was very reluctant, as he was short of money and had a limited number of red envelopes on him, he still took out the red envelope with a forced smile.
A group of ignorant children, seeing their adults receiving red envelopes, rushed into the room and surrounded Zhang Jizong and Shumei to ask for red envelopes.
"Give me the red envelope of prosperity and good fortune."
"May the bride and groom be happily married, and may they have a son soon. May good things come in pairs, and may the red envelopes come in pairs."
"Bride and groom, happy events continue, and red envelopes continue."
These children chattered auspicious words and asked for red envelopes. Such young children, who could barely read, spoke in a very coherent manner. I guess their parents must have taught them that!
"Children, go out and play, go out and play..."
Zhang Jizong's mother kept trying to persuade them, but these little guys were really unwilling to give up. They surrounded them and made a lot of noise, as if they would not give up until they got the red envelopes.
They had anticipated this scene long ago, so they had already prepared their share for these annoying little brats. Zhang Jizong's mother, Wu Ju, drove these children away probably to avoid this part!
Helplessly, Zhang Jizong had to take out the small red envelopes prepared for these children from his pocket and hand them to them one by one.
"Alright, alright, everyone, get out! The banquet has begun, let's all go out and eat! The bride and groom still have to go and toast! Quick, quick, everyone, get out! Be good, be obedient!" Wu Ju quickly coaxed and herded the group of children out, slamming the door shut, fearing another wave of them. "Oh my god! You really think you're cash cows! You must have been bewitched by those greedy adults. Really, they even take advantage of children..."
On this happy day, Wu Ju kept chattering with a stern face because of this little thing. Zhang Jizong looked at Shumei, and Shumei smiled at him awkwardly. He felt really embarrassed and quickly interrupted Wu Ju.
"Mother..."
"Okay, the banquet has already started outside. You should come out quickly. You still have to toast to relatives and friends and introduce them to Shumei. Be quick." Wu Ju also realized that she had lost her composure. On such a happy day, she shouldn't offend her son over such trivial matters.
After Wu Ju left, Shumei finally breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense nerves finally relaxed for a moment.
"What's wrong? Are you tired?" Zhang Jizong thought Shumei was tired, so he quickly massaged her shoulders.
"No, I'm just a little nervous. Okay! Didn't mother tell us to get out quickly? Let's go! Mother and the others will get anxious waiting for us." Shumei grabbed Zhang Jizong's hand on her shoulder and spoke softly.
"Oh my! You can yell 'Aniang Aniang' so smoothly. Have you been practicing it secretly behind my back for a long time?"
"Alright! You're still acting like a spoiled brat, aren't you? Just wait and see how I deal with you."
As Shumei spoke, she tickled Zhang Jizong's belly. Zhang Jizong was fearless, but he was afraid of being tickled. Every time, Shumei would exploit this weakness and subdue him completely.
Look, Shumei made him roll on the bed again, "My dear wife, please spare me! My dear wife, please spare me..."
"I told you to be a chatterbox, I told you to be a chatterbox..."
Shumei was so excited that she couldn't give up so easily. Of course, Zhang Jizong was unwilling to sit still and wait for death, so he launched a counterattack. The two of them wrestled together on the bed, laughing and joking.
At this moment, Wu Ju pushed the door open and entered. This happy scene caught her eyes, and she was so angry that her eyes almost popped out. She tried her best to suppress her anger and turned her face away. Zhang Jizong and Shumei climbed out of bed awkwardly, both looking a little helpless, especially Shumei, whose cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.
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