There were twenty girls in their late teens, so the process was a little slow, but we finished taking photos in half an hour, and it turned out to be a big group photo.
The aroma of meat fills the air. Zhang Hongmei sent Hu Zi to ask Li Cuihua, who replied that they could eat in an hour, which would allow them to finish taking photos of the children.
The remaining twenty-four children consisted of ten girls and fourteen boys. The photography was also very fast.
They took group photos of the boys and girls separately, and finally Zhang Shouyi, Zhang Hongmei, and all fifty-seven children took a big group photo together.
It took Xiao Li quite a while to find the right distance before he finally managed to take a relatively clear photo.
"Boss, I'm going to exchange the submitted papers. This paper is finished."
"Let's go, we still have five volumes left?"
"Yes, there are five more volumes."
"Xiao Li, when we bow and toast later, we need to take more pictures. You only need two rolls."
"Yes, I'll go change it right away."
The children all followed Xiao Li to the yard to find Wang Ying. They were all curious about what "submitting the film" meant and where it was placed in the camera.
“Hongmei, I finally understand why you like Liujiatun. The people here are very honest and kind. I didn’t expect that they still maintain the communal dining system here.”
"Hehe, maybe it's because the people in our village are easy to take care of. It's so nice that someone else is taking care of our meals. I'm happy to do that too."
The two entered the courtyard, and Wang Hong greeted them warmly, asking, "Can we still take pictures?"
"Sure, we can take a group photo of every family in the village. Let's try to get a big group photo of our whole village."
"That's great! These young wives are too embarrassed to come and ask you directly, so they keep asking me if they can all take photos."
Wang Hongxi was relieved. As long as they could take photos, that was fine. Firstly, everyone was reluctant to spend money at a photo studio, and secondly, it was inconvenient. Now, even the elderly in the village could have photos. To put it bluntly, who knows when someone will pass away? This way, the younger generation can look at the photos when they want to in the future.
Seeing that it was almost time, Zhang Hongmei figured that Zhang Shouyi and his companion had gone back to pick up the old lady, and that dinner would be ready when they returned.
The old lady was already prepared, and she followed the two of them to the cafeteria without even letting them into the house.
When they arrived at the canteen, even the old lady thought it smelled delicious. Everyone in the village was there at this time. When they saw the old lady coming, they all greeted her.
When Wang Hongxi saw the old lady coming, she immediately went to greet her. "Second Madam, please sit down."
Zhang Hongmei accompanied the old lady. "Great-grandmother, uncle, I think that when each family takes a family photo, we should set up a room in the brigade headquarters and have Xiao Li tell everyone how to arrange it. That way, it will be faster. Otherwise, we won't be able to take the photos tonight and we'll have to postpone it until tomorrow."
“Okay, I think that’s fine. Hongxi, now is the time. You take a few people and call Xiao Li to go together. Get ready by dinnertime.”
"Okay, I'll go right away." Several people nearby heard this and volunteered to do the work, since it was something that would benefit themselves and everyone else.
Liu Maocai was directing everyone to tidy up the middle of the courtyard, as a simple ceremony was to be held later.
Zhang Hongmei sighed inwardly; Zhang Shouyi really wasn't afraid of trouble.
Because of the increased population and the fact that there is enough food this year, six more large pots have been added to the canteen, and they came in handy today. The meal consisted of four dishes: pork and vermicelli stew with potatoes, smashed cucumber, radish and pork broth stew with tofu, and pork offal stew with bean curd slices. The steamers on top of the stews were filled with rice. A total of 300 jin (150 kg) of rice was steamed today, and all the pots had three-tiered steamers.
Almost all the dishes were cooked at the same time, and Wang Hongxi and the others returned. It was then his turn to preside over the ceremony.
Wang Hongxi stood in the cleared space in the middle, where there was only one table with a portrait of Chairman Mao on it.
"Everyone, please be quiet. Today is a good day. It's the day that Hongmei and Zhang Shouyi are getting married. As Hongmei's family, Liujiatun is honored to hold this ceremony for them today, and I, as a member of the family, am very happy. Now, let's invite the newlyweds over."
Zhang Shouyi had just moved closer to Zhang Hongmei. After hearing Wang Hongxi's words, he took Zhang Hongmei's hand and led her to the center.
"Now we advocate thrift and simplicity, so let's focus on the most important aspects."
Please, the two newlyweds, make your promises before the portrait of the Chairman.
Zhang Shouyi pulled Zhang Hongmei to stand in front of the portrait, saying, "Hongmei, just repeat what I say."
"Um."
"I am Zhang Shouyi."
"I am Zhang Hongmei."
"The two voluntarily married and solemnly swore an oath before the Chairman to be comrades who would be useful to the country and the people."
"The two voluntarily married and solemnly swore an oath before the Chairman to be comrades who would be useful to the country and the people."
"We will prove it with our actions."
"We will prove it with our actions."
After they finished speaking, they bowed to the portrait of the Chairman.
Then Zhang Shouyi tugged at Zhang Hongmei, and the two turned around to face everyone.
"I, Zhang Shouyi, here today in front of all the villagers, swear that from now on I will treat Zhang Hongmei with the same warmth and care that a comrade would receive, and we will support each other for the rest of our lives."
I don't know who clapped first, but then a round of enthusiastic applause followed.
Zhang Shouyi, holding Zhang Hongmei's hand, bowed to everyone.
The ceremony, which couldn't be simpler, was completed, and Zhang Shouyi felt that he had received the blessings of the entire village, which made him extremely happy. This was exactly what he had been asking for.
Zhang Hongmei straightened up and said, "I sincerely thank everyone. I came back when I was five years old. It was everyone's help that allowed me to survive. There is one more thing I want to tell you all. I am leaving to go abroad, but I will hurry back to serve my country."
Thank you all for taking care of me over the years, allowing me the opportunity to go out and see the world. You are all my family, my dearest family, so please give me time and opportunities to repay you in the future.
After Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, she bowed deeply to everyone.
Zhang Shouyi also bent down. He was genuinely grateful to these uneducated but upright villagers; this was true simplicity and kindness.
Liu Maocai also walked over and stood in front of the two of them. "As the girl's parent, I have a request for you, which is that you must continue to treat our girl this well and tolerate her bad temper."
Zhang Shouyi said righteously, "Please rest assured, and watch my performance. I will treat Zhang Hongmei even better than I treat myself, and I will forgive her even if she is wrong."
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