"I bow to my parents!"
...
The ceremony is complete.
"Send them to the bridal chamber!"
...
With Master Xu's command to "send them to the bridal chamber," the wedding ceremony for the newlyweds came to an end.
The courtyard of Li Lanzhen's house was full of people, with the children standing at the very back and the adults standing at the outside.
Everyone's face was beaming with a genuine smile.
Han Yinan, Su Chen, Han Yisong, and Miaomiao, along with several other children, distributed malt candy to everyone.
Each child received three pieces of maltose candy, and each adult also received one piece of maltose candy.
They kept saying, "Today is my uncle's big day, let's share in the joy and sweeten our mouths."
Outside the door lay a trail of red firecracker debris, while inside, the boys were picking up any remaining small firecrackers that hadn't yet been lit.
He found a small, unlit firecracker, held it high as if he had found a piece of silver, and jumped and bounced with joy, showing it off to his friends.
Han Mingxiang escorted Han Shulan, who was covered with a veil, into their small courtyard and helped her sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the east room.
A group of women and children followed behind.
The crowd laughed and urged him to lift the veil quickly, as they wanted to see the bride.
The children shouted, "Lift the veil! Look at the bride!"
Li Lanzhen gave him a silver metal rod and told him to use it to lift the veil.
The moment the veil was lifted, Han Shulan's shy face was revealed.
The children clapped and cheered, "What a beautiful bride!"
The adults chuckled. Han Shulan's hair was styled in a bun, adorned with a silver plum blossom hairpin.
She also wore a pair of plum blossom earrings.
The red wedding dress, though simple in style and made of cotton, made her face look as beautiful and shy as a peach blossom, with a festive appearance.
The two drank the nuptial wine, and several young wives came up and peeled peanuts for Han Shulan to eat.
They brought me dumplings again, but made Han Shulan eat raw dumplings, and then jokingly asked loudly.
"Bride, are you going to have the baby or not?"
Han Shulan blushed, frowned, and said blankly, "Given birth!"
This caused everyone to burst into laughter!
After the commotion subsided, Han Mingxiang took Han Shulan's hand and, surrounded by everyone, went to the dining room.
The dining room was also decorated in a very festive style.
A large red "double happiness" character was pasted on one wall, and three chairs were placed against the wall. Li Lanzhen sat in the middle chair, with Liu Zhaodi and Han Shunde on either side of her.
In front of the chair were two large cattail cushions.
As soon as they entered the dining room, Master Xu called for the newlyweds to come forward and serve tea to their parents.
Han Mingxiang pulled Han Shulan's hand and knelt on the prayer mat.
Shanxing and Lihua, who were standing nearby, handed them tea.
First, Han Shulan picked up a bowl of tea and handed it to Li Lanzhen with both hands.
With a blush, she said shyly, "Mother, please have some tea."
Li Lanzhen responded loudly, took the tea, and took a sip.
Haha! (Laughing) It's so sweet.
Her words made everyone in the dining room burst into laughter.
Li Lanzhen took out a twisted silver bracelet from her bosom.
He took Han Shulan's hand and put the bracelet on her wrist.
She patted the back of her hand and said, "From today onwards, you are our family's daughter-in-law. Live a good life with Mingxiang. If he bullies you, come and tell your mother, and I will get justice for you."
Liu Zhaodi, who was sitting next to Li Lanzhen, heard what Li Lanzhen said and saw the shiny silver bracelet on her daughter's wrist.
Thinking to himself, he realized that the silver bracelet was probably solid, as it looked large and heavy. He once again marveled at how his daughter had found such a good family.
She glanced at Li Lianzhen, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Knowing that crying today is unlucky, he quickly wiped his tears clean and grinned.
Then Han Mingxiang handed a cup of tea to Han Shunde, and then handed another cup of tea to Liu Zhaodi.
He called out loudly, "Father, Mother, please have some tea!"
The two people accepted the tea and agreed.
"Sigh! Sigh, alright, you two should live your lives well from now on."
Han Shunde took a small bundle from Han Zhaoxiong, who was standing next to him, and handed it to him.
"Mingxiang, this is a long gown your mother-in-law made for you. Study hard and live your life well."
The two accepted the elder's blessing, kowtowed, and stood up.
Xu Nizi shouted loudly.
"Everyone, line up and come get a lucky egg first!"
May all children grow up round and plump like eggs, and may our lives be full of happiness and fulfillment!
The children clapped and gave her a thumbs up.
Two baskets of hard-boiled eggs were placed on the table, but this time no one distributed them to anyone.
Just line up and go get the lucky eggs.
First, the children went over to get the lucky eggs.
What Li Lanzhen and the adults in the village did not expect was...
All the children took the smallest eggs.
What remained in the basket were green-shelled duck eggs and plump white goose eggs.
Han Dazhong, who was sitting at the table, saw this scene and came over to ask the children.
"Why are you all picking the smaller eggs? The boiled goose eggs are big and white, why don't you take those? Children should take the big lucky eggs."
A group of little ones stepped forward. Han Yibo stood tall and proud, holding a warm egg in one hand, and told Han Dazhong in a righteous and righteous manner.
"Grandpa, you're wrong! Our teacher taught us to respect the elderly and care for the young."
Linglong also said, "We should be filial to our parents and respectful to our older siblings."
Douhua smiled stiffly, "We're the smallest, so we took the smallest egg."
His own grandson glared at Han Dazhong, saying, "We should save the biggest one for the elders, and the medium-sized one for the older brothers and sisters."
The children's words left the adults stunned for a moment.
Li Lanzhen was the first to clap, and instantly, thunderous applause erupted.
Applause is a reward and praise for the children.
Han Shunde stepped forward and spoke to Master Xu and Lu Boyan.
"Thank you both, teachers! You have taught us so well!"
The banquet began.
The children sat together, with the older ones taking care of the younger ones as they ate and drank.
The adults sat together, chatting and laughing.
Seeing such a joyous scene, Li Lanzhen was disappointed that there was no wine.
She hadn't thought of this problem at all; she should have bought some liquor in Youzhou Prefecture.
Next time I go to Youzhou City, I'll buy more wine and store it in my spatial storage.
Next year, let's see if we can brew some fruit wine. I guess most people are reluctant to use grains to brew grain wine.
Although there was no alcohol, a bowl of bright red, sweet and sour candied hawthorn skewers was served at the end of the meal.
Ever since Li Lanzhen made candied hawthorns once, Xue Nizi and the others have learned how to make them.
Then all the women learned it too.
Some people make a few candied hawthorns for their children at home, just to lick their lips and soothe the kids.
The dishes served on the table this time were prepared by Xue Nizi and the others in the main kitchen for Han Mingxiang's wedding.
Everyone, adults and children alike, gets a candied hawthorn skewer, with four hawthorn berries on each skewer.
The red fruit was coated with a layer of crystal-clear, glass-like icing.
Take a bite, and it's crunchy and sweet and sour.
The adults still couldn't bear to eat it themselves, so they gave it to their own children.
However, the children didn't want the candied hawthorns in the adults' hands, and instead urged the adults to eat them.
The banquet lasted from noon until the afternoon.
They chatted and laughed, ate and drank, and each person had a bowl of pheasant and potato soup and wild vegetable pancakes in the evening. After eating and laughing their fill, they took their children and went home.
Han Mingxiang, holding Han Shulan's hand, also returned to their own courtyard.
After closing the courtyard gate, Han Shulan went into their kitchen first, then fetched some warm water and brought it into the east room.
"Brother Mingxiang, come and wash up."
Han Mingxiang took the basin of water from her and placed it on the basin stand.
He turned around and pulled Han Shulan into his arms.
He lowered his head and asked her, "Wife, what did you call me?"
Han Shulan looked up, her big eyes fixed on Han Mingxiang, and said, "Brother Mingxiang."
Han Mingxiang shook his head, his eyes fixed intently on Han Shulan's rosy lips.
She said in a hoarse voice, "Call me husband."
Han Shulan met his burning gaze, her heart pounded, her face flushed and hot, and she no longer looked up at him.
"Hurry up and call me husband, or I'll punish you."
Han Shulan nestled in his arms and whispered as softly as a mosquito.
"My husband."
Before she could finish speaking, Han Mingxiang lifted her chin and pressed his lips tightly against her rosy lips.
The moonlit night tonight is bright and serene.
In the east room, red quilts, a warm kang (heated brick bed), and a red wedding dress scattered about...
A pair of red candles flicker, just like a newlywed couple, their hearts burning with passion...
(2000 words omitted here.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com