Chapter 13
According to the original owner's memory, there is also a gift money for banquets in the countryside, one or two yuan, and five yuan if the relationship is better. It is roughly equal, and you can even make some money if you are lucky.
The family had almost prepared all the meat and vegetables. If there was not enough, Zhen Zhen took some from the space and was able to barely hold up the table. However, she had spent so much money on her adopted son in vain, and in the future she would have to use him as a donkey in the production team.
The weather was getting colder, so Zhen Zhen took out a black wool sweater from the space, put a beige down vest inside the cotton jacket, and put some hot packs inside so that she wouldn't be too cold.
After a rain, all the leaves fell off the trees, the mountains were withered, and everyone in the village hid in their homes to spend the winter.
A few days ago, Zhen Zhen and Daya picked a lot of chestnuts and peanuts. Now they had nothing to do, so they just stayed in the room and made tea around the stove.
There is a coal stove in the countryside. Chestnuts are cut into a cross and placed on the grill together with peanuts. Oranges are roasted with the skin on. A corn is inserted into the grill with a fire tong. Occasionally, the corn is replaced with sweet potatoes and oranges are crushed to make fruit tea.
Zhen Zhen likes to grill but doesn't eat much, whereas Daya likes to eat more. The two grandparents and grandchildren are surprisingly satisfied with the meal.
After the 20th day of the Lunar New Year, people from the village came to help one after another, and Jiao Huilan even made a room full of coarse-grain cakes.
She wiped her hands and looked outside, "Mom, I'm already twenty-three, and Daguo and Eryong haven't come back yet."
"What's the hurry?" Zhen Zhen didn't even raise his head.
Jiao Huilan thought that she didn't want to rush, but she heard that the slag heap was a mile away from the nearest creek, which meant that the two brothers would have to walk two miles back and forth carrying two buckets of water. It was freezing cold, and they had to dig for coal in the water with their hands, and they were afraid that their hands would become disabled from digging back and forth.
Actually, it’s nothing for Daguo, he just has to endure some hardships, but Eryong is the groom!!
She's getting married tomorrow, but she hasn't come back today. What if she can't make it in time for the wedding?
Hearing what Jiao Huilan said, Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "If you can't come back, then don't come back. It's no big deal. Look how anxious you are! Who said that the groom must be present at the wedding? Even if he's not there, we should eat and drink as usual, and go to welcome the bride. It won't be a problem at all!"
Jiao Huilan was stunned. What her mother said sounded fine, yet it seemed like something was not right.
On the morning of the 24th of February, Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong had not returned yet. Jiao Huilan had not slept well the whole night and was very worried.
"Mom, is there anything wrong?"
Dachuan was also anxious, "We are about to go to pick up the bride, but the groom hasn't come back yet, what should we do?"
Zhen Zhen was relatively calm. "Daguo's work is stable. They must have been delayed by something. I guess they must be on their way back. Dachuan, you have a car, could you please ride over to meet them?"
Dachuan borrowed a 28-ton truck to help with the wedding. He nodded and said, "Auntie Zhen, I'll go right away."
Zhen Zhen then remembered that there was something else he had to do.
"Huilan, I have something for you to do. I forgot to invite your grandparents and the first wife's family. To be honest, it's my fault. Eryong's marriage is a big deal, and your father in heaven wouldn't want us to have no contact until he dies. I want you to go and invite them."
Jiao Huilan didn't expect her to say such words. She thought that her mother was really different. In the past, as long as her mother could eat her fill, she would definitely scold them. But now she can actually take the initiative to make peace.
In fact, she was thinking about this last night. She thought her mother should invite someone to visit, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.
Hearing Zhen Zhen say this, I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.
"Mom, I'll go right away!" Jiao Huilan smiled.
As soon as the sky brightened, people from the village began to flock to the Meng family. They were all there to help with the banquet. This was the custom in the countryside: whenever there was a wedding or funeral, the villagers would come to help.
Old Mrs. Meng was sitting on the bed, getting angry. "We've given the money and the steps, but this little bastard didn't even think of sending his son to mediate. This means he really doesn't want us to go!"
Old Mrs. Meng's father was also unhappy. Meng Eryong was his grandson after all. How could a grandfather not attend his grandson's wedding?
Tell this to others and they will make you a laughing stock!
Old Man Meng smoked his pipe and said, "That's enough! If she doesn't come to see you, you won't go? It's my grandson's wedding, shouldn't I go to the banquet? Besides, you gave him twenty yuan! No matter who doesn't go, you should go!"
Old Mrs. Meng thought about it and realized that it was true. She had spent money, so why should she look at Zhen Guizhi's expression?
She called out, "Boss! Boss's wife! There's a wedding going on over there, you two can go over and see if there's anything you can do to help."
Mrs. Meng was just waiting for Old Lady Meng to speak. It would be inappropriate not to go on such a day. Besides, although the two families had quarreled and had conflicts, so many years had passed and they lived in the same village. If she didn't go, how many people would laugh at her?
The eldest brother Meng also agreed with his mother. The second brother died gloriously, so as the older brother, he should take care of him a little.
Mr. Meng has two sons and one daughter, and is also a grandfather. It took half an hour to bring all his sons, daughters, grandchildren.
As soon as I reached the door of my house, I saw Jiao Huilan walking towards me with a big belly.
"Grandpa, grandma, uncle and aunt," Jiao Huilan greeted them one by one, and then greeted a few young people, "Eryong is getting married today, and my mother asked me to invite you to the banquet."
Old Lady Meng and Old Man Meng looked at each other in disbelief. Why would that evil woman Zhen Guizhi take the initiative to invite them? Could this be a scam?
Jiao Huilan smiled and called the younger generation, "Let's go! Let's go see the bride and ask her for candy!"
The villagers were well aware of the grudge between Old Lady Meng and Zhen Guizhi. As soon as Old Lady Meng and her family walked to the door, someone came over to chat and reconcile.
Old Mrs. Meng exchanged a few pleasantries and went into the kitchen.
"Mom." Zhen Zhen smiled.
Old Mrs. Meng responded in a strange tone. The last time she heard her call her mother, she spent twenty yuan. She didn't know what the price would be this time.
Although the kitchen was full of dishes, Old Lady Meng didn't believe that Zhen Guizhi could really prepare a banquet.
This little slut only knows how to eat, drink and have fun, put facial oil on her face, and is willing to spend money on clothes and shoes, but buys some rice for the family as if it were her life. Old Mrs. Meng suspected that her twenty yuan was all spent by Zhen Guizhi.
"You spendthrift woman! I want to see what you've prepared!"
She was worried, so she lifted the cloth covering the steamer. It must be radishes or sweet potatoes, right? Or cabbage?
Who would have thought that there was actually a large pot full of meat, and another pot full of fish. The whole room was filled with chicken, duck, and fish!
Old Mrs. Meng was silent.
She is such a spendthrift woman. Who would use such good meat for a banquet? Didn't you see that there were more than a dozen children coming when one person came to give gifts? She must be left with nothing left after this.
Holding a wedding banquet was a big event in the village, and Li Decheng had already designated a piece of land for her, next to the woods at the gate of the Meng family and to the left of Zhang Cuihua's house.
Li Decheng organized the villagers to build a windproof shed, and each family brought in usable tables and chairs, teapots, cups, and wooden barrels, and finally managed to put everything together by piecing together everything.
Originally, it was planned that Jiao Huilan would be the chef, but Zhen Zhen was afraid of tiring her out, so he invited a famous chef from the next village.
When Mrs. Meng saw her standing at the door, she asked unhappily, "Who are you waiting for? You're stretching your neck like a goose."
"Nothing. Now everything is ready, except the groom." Zhen Zhen smiled.
"Who's missing!" Old Mrs. Meng cried out like a goose. When she heard that Meng Eryong hadn't come back yet, she almost fell over with her eyes blacked out.
Seeing that the auspicious time was approaching, Meng Eryong finally showed up amidst everyone's eager anticipation. Zhen Zhen originally thought that he saw a refugee, but Meng Eryong's skin was washed clean, and he even had some hair oil on. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that his hair was frozen after he had just washed it.
"You bastard, where have you been? Why did you come back only now?" Zhen Zhen cursed with true feelings.
Meng Daguo smiled at him, "Mom, I came back this morning. I felt that my body was too dirty, so I borrowed a bath ticket and went to the bathhouse with Eryong to take a bath and rub his back. Eryong hadn't taken a bath all winter, so his body was so dirty! So I took too long to rub the dirt, and I almost missed the time."
Meng Eryong: “…”
Meng Eryong was in a good mood for his wedding. He changed into the clothes that Dachuan borrowed for him, a military coat on the outside, and a small red flower pinned on his chest.
"Mom, is my coat a little dirty?"
Zhen Zhen took a look and said, "Well, it doesn't affect your handsomeness at all!"
Meng Eryong was delighted, "Mom, are you serious?"
"Of course it's true. Go to the village entrance and pick up the bride! The banquet is ready. I will definitely give you an unforgettable wedding."
According to custom, the principal of the primary school would ride a bicycle to pick up the bride, and the groom only had to wait at the entrance of the village.
When Meng Eryong heard his mother say this, his heart warmed and he inexplicably thought of his father again.
He did not have a deep impression of his father, and he believed that the three brothers were the same in this respect.
That dad! He only exists in other people's mouths! Everyone says his dad is capable and powerful! He has a position in the army, and they say his dad is a people's hero! But for the three brothers, dad is a stranger whom they only see once a year.
Even though we only saw each other once a year, it feels different now that we can no longer see each other.
It seems that a man's shoulders only become broad-minded when he gets married.
Meng Eryong patted his mother's shoulder and left.
The chef needed people to pick vegetables, but none of the aunties from the village who came to help could be found. So Mrs. Meng sat down, lowered her head and helped silently.
Boss Meng was helping with accounting outside, and the couple were helping silently, looking quite down-to-earth.
It was the first time that Zhen Zhen met so many relatives and she was very tired. Fortunately, the bride came in and the place became lively.
Tao Aihong was wearing a red cotton jacket made by Zhen Zhen. She looked pretty energetic, except that her face was smeared with paint like a red butt.
Hey! Another daughter-in-law!
Zhen Zhen couldn't help but let out a long sigh. She was only 25 years old!
How could I have such good fortune to have two daughters-in-law at once!
No one in the village had any expectations for today's banquet. When other families were getting married, they would start raising pigs a year in advance to use for the banquet. But the Meng family was different. They just got married as soon as they said they would. Naturally, rumors were inevitable.
Of course, it is not uncommon to get married with a big belly, but the main concern is that the banquet will not be good.
Someone said early on:
"It will definitely be three hot dishes and two cold dishes. I can't expect any meat, but I'll be content if I can make some radishes, tofu, and cabbage for you to eat!"
Everyone agreed with this. Everyone knew about Zhen Guizhi's character. How could she have any delicious food to treat everyone if she held the wedding in such a hurry?
When the chef said the food was about to be served, everyone sat in their seats without moving.
It was not until Chef Li from the next village brought four stacks of biscuits and pastries that the chicken and fish were served in order, followed by four-happiness meatballs, braised pork with cabbage, braised basil, and shredded sweet potatoes.
Especially the cabbage and pork stew with fat in the soup and the fatty pork belly emitting an enticing aroma, which made the villagers stare at it.
Zhen Guizhi actually prepared eight hot dishes and five cold dishes. Is this the standard for family banquets at cadres' homes?
Most of the eight hot dishes were hard dishes, and the last one was the hot dumplings, which really aroused the villagers’ greed!
Food had to be snatched away during meals. The villagers ate so little that they didn't even have time to pay attention to the bride's toasts. Tao Aihong hadn't expected the dishes to be so rich. Her stomach was growling with hunger, but she still had to cheer herself up and toast to others.
Halfway through the banquet, someone was grumbling that the gift of one dollar was too little. Given the standard of the dishes, one dollar was indeed not enough.
Someone secretly went to the accountant and asked him to add a dollar as a gift.
There was no food left over from the banquet, no exaggeration. Even the soup was wiped up with cakes, which made it easier to wash the dishes.
When most people had left, Meng's family stayed to help clean up. They dismantled the shed, returned the tables, chairs and utensils, and Mrs. Meng helped wash the dishes. With the help of Jiao Huilan, the capable little snail, the house was cleaned up quickly.
Tao Aihong was almost fainting from hunger. Jiao Huilan brought in a bowl of dumplings. She stuffed her mouth with one, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
Jiao Huilan smiled innocently, "I didn't do anything. My mother bought the meat and the flour."
According to rumors, Zhen Guizhi was a notorious evil woman. Before Tao Aihong got married, Zhao Ying told her not to be too soft at her husband's house. If she was too easy to bully, Zhen Guizhi would bully her. She had to rely on the eldest grandson of the Meng family in her belly to set rules for her mother-in-law.
Tao Aihong felt that what her mother said made some sense, but everything in the house was bought by her mother-in-law. She ate and drank at her mother-in-law's expense and expected her to support her. How could she have the right to set rules for her mother-in-law? How could she have that ability!
She had always eaten coarse grains at her mother's house and could not even have dumplings during the Chinese New Year, because her mother said that her brother had a broken leg and needed to recuperate, so all the delicious food should be given to her brother.
I didn't expect that the Meng family, who is so poor, could afford such a good banquet and such delicious dumplings.
Tao Aihong ate forty dumplings before she was half full. Seeing Jiao Huilan coming to clean up the dishes, she felt a little embarrassed and said, "I don't usually eat much, it's just the baby in my belly that wants to eat."
Jiao Huilan smiled and said, "It's a blessing to be able to eat after pregnancy. Some people have morning sickness for six months and have never had a good day."
Tao Aihong put her hands on her belly and pursed her lips. "My mother said that I'm pregnant with a boy. Boys eat a lot. There's really nothing we can do about it."
Jiao Huilan held the plate, her expression darkened instantly. Mother must like the second son's wife very much, right? As soon as she came home, she brought a grandson with her, unlike her, who had two daughters. With the comparison, did mother dislike her and Daya?
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