The next day, Xia Liang went to the factory to get a marriage report from the leaders, and Gu Yanxiao also returned to the county town.
A few days later, Gu Yanxiao's vacation was over, and Xia Liang's marriage application had been approved. She went to work as usual until one day the office phone rang. It was Gu Yanxiao, who told Xia Liang that the marriage application was ready and asked when she could come back to get the marriage certificate. He then asked when he would be available. Xia Liang thought that her sister-in-law wouldn't give birth until April of next year, and she would have to take another day off, which would be quite troublesome. So she told Gu Yanxiao, "Let's get married in early April next year. By then, my sister-in-law will have given birth, and I can be home to help with chores."
Time flies, and it was early April 1971 in the blink of an eye. Xia Liang took her leave slip and boarded the train home. After another long day of travel, she arrived home late at night. Gu Yanxiao had left the previous morning and would probably arrive the next morning. When Xia Liang got home, she saw that her whole family was there. Zhou Xiaohui had stopped working recently and was staying home to prepare for childbirth, while Zhao Danxiang was taking care of her daughter-in-law. Seeing that her daughter was only arriving now, she asked with concern if she had eaten. When her daughter shook her head, Zhao Danxiang quickly went to the kitchen and made a bowl of noodles with two poached eggs on top. After eating, Xia Liang felt completely revitalized. Seeing her sister-in-law's belly protruding high, she asked Zhou Xiaohui with concern, "How are you? Is it very hard?" Zhou Xiaohui nodded, "In the beginning, it was fine. There were no dietary restrictions, and I could eat whatever I wanted. But later on, I couldn't eat this or that, and my legs would cramp at night. She's also restless in my belly, always kicking me." Although she was complaining, the maternal love in her eyes was undeniable.
After arriving in the county town, Gu Yanxiao went straight to Xia Liang's house. Zhao Danxiang was delighted to see her son-in-law and ushered him into the house. Seeing his travel-worn appearance, she said with concern, "Come in and sit down. A-Liang is in the main room too. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare some food for you." Gu Yanxiao said, "Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I'll eat at home later." Zhao Danxiang couldn't bear to let her beloved son-in-law go hungry, so she quickly waved her hand, "No trouble at all. Come in and sit down. I'll cook you some noodles." Saying that, she ignored Gu Yanxiao and went straight to the kitchen. Gu Yanxiao entered the kitchen and saw his beloved sitting in a chair reading a book. The television was on, and his brother-in-law's wife was watching TV. Gu Yanxiao greeted her, "Sister-in-law." Xia Liang got up to help him take his luggage down, then pulled him to sit in a chair and went to the cupboard to get some malted milk powder to make him a cup.
After finishing their noodles at Xia's house, Gu Yanxiao dragged Xia Liang out of the house and headed straight to the street office. The two got married smoothly. The marriage certificate was like an award certificate to Xia Liang, who looked it over curiously. After receiving their marriage certificate, Xia Liang originally planned to go directly to the department store, but Gu Yanxiao said there was no need to rush, since the certificate wouldn't expire anyway. He then dragged her back to the county committee compound. Her parents were at work, and Aunt Wu wasn't home either. Gu Yanxiao had a key to the house, so he opened the door and went in. As soon as the door closed, Xia Liang was pressed against it, her breath taken away. Xia Liang felt like she couldn't breathe. Gu Yanxiao suddenly stopped and pushed her back half a step, allowing Xia Liang to catch her breath. Instantly, Gu Yanxiao pulled her into the bedroom.
When Gu Weiguo and Han Yulan returned home from get off work, Aunt Wu was already there. Seeing her son come out of his room, they knew he would be back soon, but they didn't know the exact date. Han Yulan smiled and said, "Son, you're back?" Her son put his index finger to his lips and shushed her, saying softly, "A-Liang is sleeping inside." As he spoke, he took out his marriage certificate and waved it in front of his mother. Han Yulan, who had initially raised her hand to hit him, withdrew it upon seeing the marriage certificate. She took it and examined it closely, her smile widening. She then instructed Aunt Wu in the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes.
When Xia Liang woke up, it was already past six o'clock. The Gu family of three were sitting on the sofa watching TV. The TV volume was very low. Gu Yanxiao saw Xia Liang first, got up, and led her to the sofa. Han Yulan asked with concern, "Did I wake you up?" Xia Liang blushed and said, "No, Auntie, I slept for a long time." As she spoke, she secretly glared at Gu Yanxiao. Seeing his wife's adorable appearance, Gu Yanxiao chuckled and said, "Still calling me Auntie." Xia Liang was a little flustered. Then she heard Han Yulan say, "I haven't given you the change of address fee yet, of course you have to call me Auntie." She patted Xia Liang's hand and said, "Wait here, I'll go get it. I've been preparing it for a long time, just waiting for your wedding." She then turned and went into the bedroom to get the change of address fee. In this casual and relaxed atmosphere, Xia Liang changed her address and received two large red envelopes.
The next morning, the Gu family arrived at the Xia family home with the betrothal gifts. Xia Dahe and Xia Rong hadn't gone to work yet. Upon opening the door and seeing the entire Gu family, they ushered them in. Gu Weiguo spoke first, "Good morning, father-in-law!" Xia Dahe, having learned of his daughter's marriage to Gu Yanxiao the previous night after her return, smiled and said, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, hello there too, please come in and sit down." He saw Gu family members pushing bicycles and carrying sewing machines; some were Gu Yanxiao's friends, having called on friends to help with the many gifts they needed. Xia Dahe had previously thought their profession might be unusual and they wouldn't care about such things, but seeing the Gu family's hospitality, he realized he had been overthinking it.
A large group of people entered the Xia family courtyard. The parents of both sides met again. They had previously discussed the marriage, but now that the wedding was over, they were only now making up for the lack of betrothal gifts. Gu Weiguo apologized, saying that his son was not considerate, having taken Xia Liang away before even giving the betrothal gifts. However, he insisted that the proper etiquette could not be neglected, hence the late payment. The two families then discussed the location of the wedding banquet and the guests to be invited, debating how many tables to book. Xia Liang remembered that her aunt, Xia Xiaogu, couldn't attend her brother's wedding because her mother-in-law's mother had passed away. She was determined to invite her aunt to her own wedding, as Xia Xiaogu had been a great help in getting her a job in the city, and Xia Liang liked her aunt very much. She told Gu Yanxiao that she would go with him to invite Xia Xiaogu later, and Gu Yanxiao nodded in agreement.
The Gu family's betrothal gifts today were quite substantial: a sewing machine, a bicycle, a radio, and although they had originally planned to prepare a television, they thought the Xia family already had one, so they also prepared a camera, some other miscellaneous tonics, and a cash gift of two thousand yuan. After the Gu family left, Xia Dahe opened the gifts and was nearly speechless with astonishment. The six hundred-plus yuan his own family had prepared for his daughter-in-law was already considered a substantial amount, but now his son-in-law's family was giving even more. However, considering his son-in-law's status and position, he couldn't help but feel relieved.
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