Chapter 72
Ye Manzhi had worked with Zhang Qinjian for quite some time and had some understanding of him.
As early as when he was the deputy director, he kept a tight grip on his purse. Even Director Mu couldn't get money out of him.
If you want to spend money, you have to fill your piggy bank first.
It was because he saw through this that Ye Manzhi came up with the idea of opening a service station.
Streets can engage in industry but cannot engage in commercial activities. As Zhang Qinjian said, that is the job of the Commercial Bureau.
A food service station is similar to a restaurant. Once it opens, it is likely to be reported.
However, Zhang Qinjian was very decisive about filling the slush fund. He even took the risk of being reported and agreed to open a service station!
Director Zhang said, "Let's keep it open for now. If someone reports us, we'll shut it down. If no one cares, we'll keep it open."
Because he wanted to buy pots, pans, and utensils, he approved 10 yuan of start-up capital this time.
It’s a full 5 yuan more than when the coal furnace factory was built!
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Well, at least the service station project is going to work out.
Liu Jinbao admired her ability to get money out of Lao Zhang. Although he only got the benefit of reimbursement of train tickets on a per-trip basis, he was already very satisfied.
Therefore, he not only took on the task of finding a store for the service station, but also took the initiative to arrange a gift for Director Ye.
When someone in the company gets married, colleagues usually chip in a little and then buy a decent gift together.
Liu Jinbao made a list of items, all of which were small items that were not too expensive and could be used in daily life.
He gave the list to Ye Manzhi and asked her to choose a gift from it.
"People stop giving gifts if other friends and family have already given them, or if the family has already bought something," Liu Jinbao said. "My sister received five washbasins when she got married. Director Xiao Ye, don't be polite. These items are all about the same price. Just pick what you can use."
Ye Manzhi felt that Jin Baoer was very thoughtful. She had already received four thermoses and was really afraid of receiving another one.
But she actually didn't want everyone to contribute, mainly because she felt embarrassed to ask new colleagues to give gifts right after starting work.
If she encountered such a thing, she would definitely feel unlucky.
But if she refuses, she may feel embarrassed to accept gifts from other people when they have weddings in the future.
Then those who have given gifts to others before will suffer a loss.
Interpersonal relationships are complicated, and Ye Manzhi didn't want to be treated specially, so she chose a dressing mirror from the list that no one had given her yet.
At worst, I can give my colleagues some more wedding candies and cakes.
*
The day before the wedding, relatives sent their children to the new house to roll around in bed.
There are five children in total: the two children from the eldest sister's family, Niuniu who is not even one year old from the second sister's family, Maiduo from the fourth brother's family, and the eldest grandson from uncle Wu Zhengrong's family.
Sitting on the two-meter-long bed, I looked particularly small.
The newlyweds were not allowed to meet before the wedding, and Ye Manzhi was not present when they were having sex. However, according to the eldest sister who stayed at her parents' house that night, Wu Zhengrong remained calm and smiled as she gave each boy who had sex with her a big red envelope of two yuan.
"The last time those two of us made love, they only charged me fifty cents. My brother-in-law is so generous!" The eldest sister raised her chin towards her and asked meaningfully, "Do you know why I came back?"
"Why?"
Ye Manzhi was also puzzled. After rolling around in bed, the eldest sister asked her brother-in-law to take the child away, but she stayed alone.
"Tsk, what else could it be? I'm afraid you'll make a fool of yourself in the wedding night tomorrow because you won't know anything."
Ye Manzhi was surprised and said, "Didn't our mother tell me?"
She remembered that it was Chang Yue'e who had secretly talked to her when her eldest sister got married. At that time, the three sisters lived in the same room, and Chang Yue'e drove her and her second sister out.
"Mom was so subtle about it that I didn't quite understand it at the time, so when it was your turn to get married, I took it upon myself."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
"What's that expression on your face? Do you still despise me?" The eldest sister tapped her forehead and asked suspiciously, "Ye Lai Ya, isn't it too late for me to tell you this now?"
The couple has been married for more than half a month. It is not impossible that they could not control themselves and did something.
Her younger sister is bolder than her. She even dared to kiss a man when they were dating.
Ye Manzhi was stunned for a moment, then understood what her elder sister meant. She immediately emphasized righteously, "Of course it's not too late. Wu Zhengrong and I are both decent people. What are you thinking?"
The eldest sister thought to herself that being serious is also fake seriousness.
But she kept a serious face, drove Ye Lihua, who was in the way, off the bed, and then pulled her sister aside, whispering this and that, giving her a very serious and careful premarital education.
Ye Manzhi was so flustered by what she said that her cheeks flushed red. She wanted to cover her elder sister's mouth and tell her to stop talking.
"What I said is much more practical than what our mother said. You really don't know how to appreciate the blessing you have." The eldest sister pinched her red cheeks and said, "You should digest it yourself. I'm going back first and will come back tomorrow morning."
Ye Manzhi's face flushed red, and he stopped in a trance after sending his elder sister to the door of the room.
It’s not that she and Wu Zhengrong have never done intimate things, but she always felt as if there was a layer of window paper covering her eyes, making it hazy and unclear.
Now that her elder sister has revealed the truth, she really needs some time to digest it on her own.
Ye Manzhi was already nervous about tomorrow's wedding, and after receiving premarital education, it became even more difficult for her to fall asleep.
She held Ye Lihua, who had just taken a bath, and rubbed the kitten for a long time, making it yawn, but she was still not sleepy.
She got up from the bed and decided to write a thought report to the Party organization. Halfway through, she felt sleepy, so she quickly lay back on the bed, covered herself with the quilt and went to sleep.
…
Ye Manzhi slept late the day before, but was woken up by Chang Yue'e before six o'clock on the wedding day.
"Isn't the auspicious time a little after ten? Why are you getting up so early?"
Ye Manzhi lay on the bed and didn't want to move. She usually got up at 7:30 to go to work!
Chang Yue'e asked "Aunt Wei" to calculate the date for her marriage registration. That day happened to be the day she was promoted to deputy director. Chang Yue'e felt that "Aunt Wei" had some connections, so she asked "Aunt Wei" to help calculate the wedding date and auspicious time.
Of course, this kind of thing is not something that can be told to outsiders. She announced that the wedding would be simple and her son-in-law only needed to come to her house in the morning.
But privately, he specifically instructed Wu Zhengrong to be there to pick up the bride at 10:28.
For this reason, Wu Zhengrong has to check his watch almost every day, for fear of violating his mother-in-law's taboos.
Chang Yue'e grabbed the bride who was lying in bed, patted her on the butt and said, "You're getting married, why are you still so ignorant! Dongmei is already here!"
"Dongmei is here?" Ye Manzhi quickly sat up. "Why is she here so early?"
Zheng Dongmei works as a hairdresser in a barber shop on the street. Her haircutting skills are average, but she is an expert at combing hair.
Many newlyweds ask her to do their bride's hair during their wedding.
Zheng Dongmei is now so famous that even brides from other streets go to her.
Ye Manzhi originally planned to just comb her hair casually, but Zheng Dongmei still remembered the favor of being sent to the drama troupe as an apprentice. After hearing that Ye Manzhi had obtained the marriage certificate, she took the initiative to volunteer to comb her hair on the wedding day.
"That girl is quite reliable. She said she wants to see your wedding attire first and style your hair accordingly."
Upon hearing this, Ye Manzhi hurriedly got up, washed, and ate a few mouthfuls of breakfast. Then, she invited all the female comrades who had come early to help into her room.
Although the wedding process is simplified, the bride still has a lot to prepare before leaving home.
In addition to those who do your hair, there are also those who do your makeup.
Ye Manzhi only put on makeup when performing, drawing thick eyebrows and making her cheeks red. She thought it was not good-looking and did not want to wear makeup.
But my third sister-in-law said she could help with the makeup, and she even tried out a few makeup looks at home in advance.
She felt that it was almost the same whether she had any makeup on or not, but she looked more energetic than when she was bare-faced.
Ye Manzhi would like to call it "Wong Tai Sin's magical power."
So, she is quite looking forward to today's bridal makeup.
Huang Li took out her makeup tools and then looked at her dress carefully.
My sister-in-law's aesthetic taste is still quite good.
Huang Li has been here for quite some time and has attended several weddings.
The brides' outfits were varied, some wore cheongsams, some wore Lenin suits, and some wore work clothes.
But without exception, they are all very loose and baggy, even the festive red cheongsam is as loose as the one worn in opera performances.
However, Ye Manzhi made this wedding dress herself. It consisted of a light-colored shirt on the upper body and a bright red long skirt that reached her calf.
The shirt fabric may have been pressed at the bottom of the box for a long time. The color is between beige and off-white. Huang Li thinks it looks a bit like champagne.
The light-colored shirt was tucked neatly into the red skirt, vaguely outlining a slender waist. Although it was not as slim-fitting as the clothes of later generations, compared with the loose dresses of others, her clothes were already very fashionable.
Even if it is put in decades later, people will at most call it retro.
Huang Li was a modern woman in the modern era, and had accumulated a wealth of makeup tips, but unfortunately, after entering the 1950s, she had no use for them. This time, taking advantage of her sister-in-law's wedding, she really showed off her skills.
Ye Manzhi had a pair of distant mountain-like eyebrows. Huang Li only made slight adjustments to her eyebrows and then used a matchstick to curl her eyelashes, making her eyes look more lively and bright.
When the female comrades present were amazed by Matchstick's operation, Huang Li was also very satisfied with his own performance.
Unfortunately, the bride herself was particularly disappointing. When her mother was combing her hair, Ye Manzhi's eyes started to turn red as soon as she said "comb to the end with the first comb". When she said "comb to the end with the second comb", her tears were already flowing.
There were also several young girls in the room, including Lin Qingmei, crying along with her. By the time Chang Yue'e finished singing the hair-combing song, the bride had already thrown herself into her mother's arms and sobbed, and the makeup she had put on with great difficulty was completely unsightly.
Huang Li: “…”
*
When Wu Zhengrong brought the wedding procession to the Ye family to pick up the bride at 10:28 on time, Ye Manzhi had already cried three times.
In the end, it was the Chang family's aunt who drove all the little girls who were crying out of the room, which allowed the bride to control her emotions.
Huang Li put on makeup for her again, and then Zheng Dongmei put a small red flower in her hair and on her chest.
Wu Zhengrong distributed three pounds of mid-grade milk candy to the little kids blocking the door.
When he finally got around the little door god and walked into the room, he saw his new bride, who was wearing a red dress and a red flower, and was more beautiful than any flower.
He fixed his gaze on the bride for a long time, and then, amid the crowd's jokes, he extended his hand and said, "Comrade Ye Manzhi, I'm here to pick you up. Shall we set off now?"
The two of them often held hands in private, and for Ye Manzhi, holding hands had become a habit.
However, when Wu Zhengrong appeared in her room wearing a neat military uniform with shoulder straps, collar badges, party emblem, and military medals, she couldn't help but think of the premarital education last night.
Her cheeks immediately became hot and she didn't dare to look him in the eye.
She had originally thought that she would pretend to be shy in front of outsiders on her wedding day, but this time, she didn't have to pretend to be shy at all.
Amid the crowd's cheers, she shook hands with him for a few seconds and then quickly let go, and was surrounded by the crowd as she walked out of the room.
Normally, before a girl goes out with her husband, her parents should give her some instructions.
Unfortunately, Ye Shouxin was even less capable than his daughter. Looking at his eldest daughter whom he had raised for nineteen years, tears rolled down his eyes which had already swollen like walnuts from crying.
Even though she was teased by her neighbors and coworkers, she couldn't control her tears. She only said to her son-in-law, "You must treat my daughter well," and then turned her back and couldn't say another word.
Ye Manzhi had seen this kind of behavior of Old Ye before, when her second sister got married, and she had secretly laughed at him. But now, seeing her own father crying so hard that he was about to die, she felt both amused and heartbroken, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
Fortunately, there is Chang Yue'e at home who can take charge at critical moments.
He took his daughter's hand and told her to live a good life with her son-in-law in the future. He said that he was a leading cadre now and should not always act like a child at home.
Then he changed the subject and said, "However, you and Zhengrong were introduced by the organization, and you dated for a while. He knows what kind of person you are. So after you get married, you don't have to deliberately change. You should be the same as you are at home. Just live a good life."
Everyone: “…”
That's true, but it doesn't sound right.
You could at least say a few more polite words!
Seeing that the newlyweds were about to leave, Old Ye was still wiping his tears and didn't say a single decent word to his daughter and son-in-law. Everyone laughed at Old Ye, but in their hearts they also sighed that Old Ye loved his daughters and was a sentimental person.
Seeing this, Wu Zhengrong stepped forward, put his arm around his father-in-law's shoulder, and led him into the nearest room.
Outsiders didn't know what the father-in-law and son-in-law talked about in the room, but when the door opened again, the tears in Ye Shouxin's two big walnuts had stopped.
Patting his son-in-law on the shoulder, he said, "It's getting late. Many guests have gone directly to the dining hall. You should hurry over to greet them!"
Wu Zhengrong smiled at his father-in-law and mother-in-law and said, "Mom and Dad, I'll bring Ya over first. After you're done packing, take your relatives and friends to the feast as soon as possible!"
Ye Manzhi was curious about what he had said to Old Ye, but she didn't dare to ask too much in front of so many people.
I could only follow him down the stairs along the red wedding characters on the corridor and stairwell, and get on his bicycle amid the crackling sound of firecrackers.
Nowadays, bicycles in the city and tractors in the countryside are used as decorations in weddings.
Wu Zhengrong asked his new wife to sit in the back seat of the car, pushed the bicycle, and circled the courtyard. Behind him was a long wedding procession, including unmarried young men from the military representative office, several of his cousins and classmates, and chattering children who were joining in the fun.
The wedding procession circled around the yard and distributed a lot of wedding candies, as a way of announcing to the neighbors that they were getting married!
The wedding was held in the second canteen of Factory 656.
Chang Yue'e and Wu Xiaogu originally wanted to hold their wedding banquet in Courtyard No. 16, but both sides invited too many guests. In addition to relatives and friends, there were also colleagues from both sides, especially Wu Zhengrong. He had to invite not only the factory leaders, but also the leaders of the provincial military region and some of his comrades.
If we hold a wedding banquet in this small courtyard, we will probably have to turn the table four times before all the guests can enjoy the banquet.
So, after hearing that several young engineers had used the canteen to hold a banquet, Wu Xiaogu decided to let them borrow the canteen's venue and ask the chef to help prepare the banquet, and then subsidize the factory with the money.
The Second Canteen had helped organize several weddings and was quite experienced. At this moment, a red banner was hung on the wall opposite the main gate, with the words "Wedding Ceremony of Comrade Ye Manzhi and Comrade Wu Zhengrong" written on it.
On the glass of the food window, there are many red wedding characters and ribbons pasted on it to suit the occasion.
After Wu Zhengrong parked his bike, he whispered, "What time did you get up today? Are you hungry now?"
"I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry," Ye Manzhi glanced into the cafeteria and urged, "Let's go and welcome the guests!"
"With Qin Xiang and Liu Jinbao here, why are you so anxious?"
Someone needs to take care of the wedding. The family will be responsible for entertaining relatives and friends, while Qin Xiang and Liu Jinbao will be responsible for guiding and receiving colleagues from both parties.
The two newlyweds only needed to greet guests at the cafeteria door and shake hands with everyone. They didn't have to worry about gift money or gift books. They were the most relaxed people at the wedding.
Ye Manzhi was so nervous that she ignored the feeling of hunger. However, after being affected by his nonchalant look, she suddenly felt a little hungry.
"How about we find something to eat?"
"Um."
Wu Zhengrong took his wife to the kitchen and broke off a chicken leg from the roast chicken for her. "Eat it."
"..." Ye Manzhi said speechlessly, "If I eat the chicken leg, won't there be one less chicken leg on the table later?"
"It's okay. In case any colleagues come uninvited, Brother Wu specially ordered five extra roast chickens for us."
“…”
While the couple was hiding in the kitchen and secretly eating roast chicken, their families arrived one after another.
Ye Shouxin didn't see the two newcomers and was pacing anxiously at the door. "Didn't they come here by bicycle? Why are they still nowhere to be seen?"
Without saying a word, Wu Xiaogu ran to the kitchen with a clear purpose and caught the two people who were secretly eating the special meal.
"The ten tables of leaders and guests outside haven't eaten yet," Wu Xiaogu scolded, "and you guys started first!"
Wu Zhengrong remained calm and said, "I didn't eat enough this morning. Let Lai Ya eat something with me!"
Wu Xiaogu: "..."
Three steamed buns and two bowls of porridge in the morning, can’t they fill your bottomless stomach?
She was too lazy to argue with the young people at this time. "You two should go out and entertain the guests. The wedding is about to begin!"
Wu Zhengrong took out a handkerchief and asked Comrade Xiao Ye to wipe the oil off her mouth. After she had tidied herself up, he took everyone out and greeted his grandparents, the factory leaders and military district leaders who were present, as well as District Chief Mu who came specially to be the witness.
There were two wedding emcees on site, one was Director Yin from the factory office, and the other was Lin Qingmei.
Ye Manzhi felt that Qingmei had the ability to handle big occasions, and there were many leaders and colleagues among the guests attending the wedding today.
She asked Qingmei in advance if she wanted to take the opportunity to show her face. Qingmei also thought this was a rare opportunity, so she agreed to the job of wedding emcee without hesitation.
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong were invited to the stage by the two emcees and stood side by side.
Director Yin loudly said, "Comrades, please be quiet! I declare that the wedding ceremony of Comrade Ye Manzhi and Comrade Wu Zhengrong officially begins! First, let's proceed to the first item of the wedding: salute to the portrait of Chairman Mao!"
Below the wedding banner hung a huge portrait of the Chairman.
Upon hearing this, the newlyweds turned around and bowed three times to the Chairman.
Then, amid the applause of the audience, he faced the guests again.
Lin Qingmei applauded and said, "Now we will proceed to the second item of the wedding. At the request of the guests, please allow the bride and groom to perform a performance!"
Wu Zhengrong: “…”
How did he remember that the second item was the officiant’s speech, followed by the newlyweds’ statement, and then the feast could begin?
Ye Manzhi was mentally prepared for this kind of segment. She had attended her classmates' weddings, and now young people's weddings all have performances.
She and Wu Zhengrong reached out to take the loud speaker almost at the same time. Amid the good-natured laughter of the guests, Ye Manzhi took the loud speaker first. After whispering a few words with Wu Zhengrong, she said to the crowd, "I didn't expect there would be a performance today. Since everyone wants to see it, how about we sing a song for everyone?"
Someone in the audience shouted, "Yes!"
"Then let's sing 'On the Peaceful Land of the Motherland'!"
Ye Manzhi usually likes to sing Soviet songs with cheerful tunes.
But on an occasion like today, with both factory leaders and military district leaders present, it is more appropriate and more powerful to sing revolutionary songs.
She tapped her hands gently, exchanged a glance with Wu Zhengrong, and then sang in unison: "On the peaceful land of our motherland, life is improving day by day. Young people have lofty ideals. Old people are getting younger and younger. We workers are the most enthusiastic in our work. Production discipline is being improved day by day. Farmers have been organized. Every year we have a good harvest."[1]
This song is often played on the radio station of Factory 656. It is listened to every day and every month, and almost everyone in the factory can sing it.
After the couple finished singing the first part, the guests present quickly joined them in singing along.
The singing of hundreds of people was so majestic that it almost blew the roof of the cafeteria off.
Chang Yue'e, who was in the audience, sang along for a while, threw away the peanut shells in her hand, and whispered to her father, "Dad, this son-in-law is a good choice, isn't it? Look at how well our Lai Ya and son-in-law match each other! Our Lai Ya is so beautiful!"
Lai Ya’s dress is so beautiful, the red color is so bright. Standing next to the straight-legged young officer, they are a perfect match, truly a match made in heaven!
Grandpa Chang agreed absentmindedly. As he glanced at the factory leaders' table, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are Zhou Zhenye and his wife here? Both sides have called off the engagement, so why invite him to Lai Ya's wedding?"
Grandpa Chang still feels resentful towards the Zhou family, thinking that he was blinded by dog shit and arranged such a marriage for his granddaughter, wasting more than ten years of good time.
"Old Ye and I didn't invite him. I wish I had nothing to do with the Zhou family forever. Who would invite him?" Chang Yue'e curled her lips and said, "Maybe it was my son-in-law who invited him. They are all factory leaders. Maybe they invited him because they couldn't save face."
Ye Shouxin tried to clear his son-in-law of any involvement. "Laiya said it wasn't Zhengrong who invited them, but Zhou Zhenye didn't have an invitation. He probably was afraid that since all the other leaders were here, his absence would be too conspicuous, so he came uninvited."
The wedding on the stage was still going on. After the couple performed their show, it was soon time for the witness to speak.
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong temporarily walked off the stage and handed the loudspeaker to Director Shen and Deputy District Chief Mu.
When going down the stairs, Wu Zhengrong habitually wanted to hold her hand, but Ye Manyi dodged as if she had been electrocuted.
"..." Wu Zhengrong tilted his head and asked in a low voice, "Director Xiao Ye, what's wrong with you today? You wouldn't let me hold your hand, and you wouldn't let me look at you. I looked at you so many times on the stage just now, and you didn't even look at me."
“…”
Ye Manzhi thought to herself, it was all because of her elder sister's premarital education. Now she felt hot whenever she got close to Wu Zhengrong...
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