Xia Liang saw his father entertaining guests in the main room. Since there was a television, he didn't have to do much; he just needed to pour water and make tea, and arrange a plate of melon seeds and peanuts on the table. He also brought another plate of candy. The children were overjoyed to see White Rabbit candy. Although they had eaten many wedding candies, most were just cheap fruit candies costing a few cents per pound. White Rabbit milk candy, however, cost five yuan per pound and required ration coupons. So, not only the children, but even the adults were tempted. Soon, the White Rabbit candy was gone, and the mischievous children stuffed handfuls into their pockets. Xia Liang also found two plates filled with peanuts, melon seeds, and milk candy and took them to the kitchen. While the guests needed to be well entertained, those helping in the kitchen also needed to be treated well. When Xia Liang's aunt saw her carrying in milk candy, she immediately said, "Oh, Xia Liang, your family is doing well now, you're even buying milk candy to entertain guests." Hearing her sarcastic tone, Xia Liang was impatient but didn't want to argue on this joyous occasion. So, she smiled at her aunt and said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, it has to be done right. What? Didn't you buy White Rabbit candy for my cousin's wedding?" Yes, she was doing it on purpose; only Wang Chunhua was allowed to cause trouble, but she wasn't allowed to object. Sure enough, Wang Xiaocui, the eldest cousin's wife, looked rather displeased. She had married down from her station to Xia Fu, expecting her mother-in-law to at least treat her badly, if not look down on her. But on her very first day, her mother-in-law was subtly inquiring about her dowry, claiming she was young, incapable of managing money, and demanding she hand over her dowry for safekeeping, saying that future expenses would be high after having children and she needed to save money. "Pah!" Wang Xiaocui thought to herself, "Does she think I'm stupid?" Although young, she had witnessed her mother being mistreated by her grandmother and her uncles and aunts constantly trying to take advantage of her family because her parents didn't have sons. So she wasn't unfamiliar with such sordid things. Thinking back to her own wedding day with Xia Fu, the banquet her mother-in-law held was nothing compared to Xia Rong's wedding today—it was incredibly shabby. Then she thought of Zhou Xiaohui, whom she had just met, wearing a brand-new polyester outfit made by her second aunt. She also heard from Zhou Xiaohui's relatives that Xia Rong had given a dowry of 666 yuan, along with a set of three turns and a radio. Thinking about all this, she felt a deep sense of unequal fortune. The more Wang Xiaocui thought about it, the angrier she became. When she got home, she would definitely urge Xia Fu to separate from the family, and then have her father find him a job in the city, keeping a firm grip on his salary. Wouldn't that be enough to control this old hag?
Although the guests in the main room were engrossed in watching television, the enticing aroma wafting into their nostrils made some restless. After all, in this day and age, eating meat was a rare treat, reserved for holidays and festivals. But now, in Xia Rong's kitchen, there was stewing chicken and mushrooms, pickled fish, braised pork, and a large braised pork knuckle that Xia Liang had just bought from a state-run restaurant. An impatient child ran to the kitchen and asked Zhao Danxiang, "Grandma, when can we eat?" Zhao Danxiang smiled and patted the child's head, "We can eat soon. Are you starving?" The child said, "Yes! My grandma told me this morning that we were going to a wedding banquet and that there would be meat to eat, so she didn't make breakfast and told us to save our stomachs for meat tonight. I'm starving, and eating lots of candy didn't help." These childish words made everyone in the kitchen burst into laughter. Only the child's grandma blushed and grabbed his collar, pulling him out of the kitchen. Of course she was embarrassed. Although most people have this kind of thought nowadays, and many people do it, everyone keeps it to themselves. This was the first time it had been said so openly, and it made his grandma blush with embarrassment.
At 4:30 PM, the main event of the day finally arrived: the feast. There were four tables in total. Mr. and Mrs. Xia Youshun, having helped the Xia Rong family a great deal, were highly respected by them. As they were not only the village chief but also his great-uncle, they were naturally seated at the head table. Grandma and Grandpa Xia, as the grandparents, were also at the head table. Next were Mr. and Mrs. Xia, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, Zhou Xiaohui's uncle and brother, and of course, the main guests of the day, Xia Rong and Zhou Xiaohui. Xia Liang sat at one table with his aunt and uncle, another table with Xia Liang's uncles and aunts and Xia Rong's friends, and yet another table with Zhou Xiaohui's relatives. For a moment, the tables were quiet, save for the soft sounds of chewing. Everyone was enjoying their meal. Indeed, faced with such a large feast that was rarely seen, even Wang Xiaocui, the butcher's daughter, couldn't help but swallow hard. Today, Xia Liang's family prepared nine dishes, including braised chicken with mushrooms, pickled fish, braised pork knuckle that Xia Liang bought, braised pork ribs with radish, four-happiness meatballs, cucumber salad, candied sweet potatoes, fried peanuts, and stir-fried pork liver. This wedding banquet is indeed very impressive.
Just as Xia Liang was sighing that Grandma Xia had at least known her place and hadn't made any fools of herself, Grandma Xia, sitting at the head table, seemed to have a telepathic connection with Xia Liang. She felt the wedding was too bland and wanted to stir things up. She coughed twice and said, "Second daughter-in-law! Look at this banquet you've put on! It's true, without an elder to manage things, you're unreliable. When your eldest nephew got married, your father and I helped your sister-in-law organize it, and it was much better than this!" Grandma Xia said this for two reasons: first, her second daughter-in-law, whom she had always suppressed, was now living a very good life, in a spacious brick house, better and bigger than theirs in the countryside, and she wanted to put them down; second, she wanted to save face in front of the new bride's family, since they were city people and her family was from the countryside, and she didn't want them to look down on them. As for the family's wedding banquet, it was long over, and they hadn't even attended, so how would they know if it was good or bad? Xia Liang noticed that her eldest cousin's hand, which was gripping chopsticks, had turned white, and her face was dark and unpleasant. Her aunt also seemed slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything to refute her mother-in-law. Xia Youshun and his wife, who were sitting at the main table, exchanged glances, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
Zhou Xiaohui chuckled and said, "Auntie, we are already very satisfied with today's wedding banquet. Seeing how much Arong values my Xiaohui, we are very pleased. Even when my own family got married, we didn't go to this extent." The others echoed her sentiments as she tried to smooth things over. After all, it was a wedding banquet, and it wouldn't look good if things got too messy. However, Zhou Xiaohui's aunt didn't think so. She had boasted to her sister and daughter about how well her daughter had married, but Zhou Xiaohui had found someone better than her son-in-law in the blink of an eye. Although he came from the countryside, he was indeed excellent in other aspects and much better than her son-in-law. She had been thoroughly humiliated. Today, this old woman had given her the satisfaction she wanted, so she wouldn't blame her. Everyone heard her say, "That's strange. Why didn't the in-laws invite you to help with the wedding arrangements when Xiaohui and Xia Rong got married? Do they think the food in the countryside can't compare to the delicious food in the city?" Zhou Xiaohui's uncle tugged at her sleeve, but she gently shook him off and ignored him. Xia Liang spoke up at this moment. If she didn't say anything, she would probably be accused of being unfilial. "Auntie, you're mistaken. We were thinking of bringing my grandparents up here to help with the arrangements, but they're getting old, and the long journey wouldn't be enough for them. My parents aren't as experienced as my grandparents, but they've helped with many weddings in the village. Plus, my aunt and my third aunt came to help today, so we let my grandparents rest. As for the food, we're from the countryside, and some of the vegetables we have today are homegrown. The meat is from the grain station, so it's not inferior to what you get in the city." Xia Liang stared at her intently, smiling, but her eyes held an undeniable authority. Zhou Xiaohui pulled her hand and made her sit down, and Xia Liang smiled and gave herself a way out: "Oh, I see." And just like that, the matter was over. Old Mrs. Xia was glared at by Old Mr. Xia and didn't dare say anything more, just focusing on eating.
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