Chapter 25
As a sister who loves sister-con, Jiang Yao never expected that Jiang Zhen would actively push her into the wall of marriage.
She was still in a daze, but Old Lady Lu had already raised her hands and feet to agree, and Lu Qing and the siblings Zhou Yang and Zhou Xin also hugged each other excitedly.
Zhou Yang jumped up excitedly, shouting, "My uncle is so great. Sister Yaoyao will be my aunt in the future. She will definitely cook delicious food for me."
As for the other party, Lu Che, after being in the same daze for a while, the corners of his mouth began to crack, and then it became wider and wider, and finally he laughed like a fool. If this look was seen by people outside, his image as a troublemaker would probably be ruined.
Jiang Yao originally had some complaints about this "arranged marriage", but seeing Lu Che so happy, she seemed to no longer resist.
"My dear uncle, although this marriage was arranged in a hurry, it is definitely a good thing." The old lady could not wait to change Jiang Zhen's address and said, "You will be returning to the barracks in three days. It may be too late to prepare a banquet. Why don't we let them get the marriage certificate first, and then we can hold a good banquet during the New Year or when you are free to come back next time."
"Although our Lu family is not as good as before, we are definitely sincere in marrying Yaoyao. We can't say that the ceremony is grand, but we have everything that others have, and we won't let Yaoyao feel wronged."
"No need." Jiang Zhen refused: "I am a soldier of the country. I have to go whenever the country needs me. It's hard to say when I will have a vacation, so you don't have to wait for me."
"Also, Yaoyao, as a military family member, should actively practice our military's fine traditions of hard work, simplicity, diligence and thrift. Getting a marriage certificate is a must, and the banquet should be simple, just a token of your appreciation."
“Life is for yourself, not for others. No matter how glorious you are in front of others, it is not as real as having enough food and clothes for yourself.”
Having said that, the old lady did not insist. Her eyes were slightly moist, and she said to Lu Che with some emotion: "Maybe you suffered too much when you were a child, and God took pity on you and gave you such a good wife like Yaoyao, and such a reasonable brother-in-law like her eldest brother. You are really lucky. What are you still doing here? Why don't you thank your eldest brother-in-law quickly?"
"Brother, thank you." Lu Che bowed respectfully.
Jiang Zhen quickly raised his hand and said, "No need, just take good care of Yaoyao in the future." After that, he said to Jiang Yao, who had been an "outsider", "Pack your luggage and we will return to the provincial capital. The wedding can be simple, but it must be held at home, so that parents can watch their precious daughter get married."
At the end, the iron-clad man's voice became slightly hoarse again. His parents passed away suddenly when he was still in the army. Although they did not tell him anything, he knew what his parents wished for.
Jiang Yao knew that he was thinking of Jiang's father and mother, and she felt a little emotional. She nodded and said, "Okay."
Pingshan Commune is not far from the provincial capital. It only takes three or four hours to drive there from the county bus station. Lu Che can definitely take a car to pick up the bride, but it will just take some time.
However, to marry the girl he loves, crossing mountains and rivers is not a problem, let alone taking two buses.
It was almost noon, and Jiang Zhen and Jiang Yao hurried back to their room to pack their luggage.
As soon as Jiang Yao took out the suitcase, Lu Che arrived.
He closed the door gently and hugged her from behind, "Yaoyao, will you marry me?"
Jiang Yao found it funny. "I'm packing my luggage now, ready for you to marry me. It's too late to ask this question."
"I'm sorry, I was so excited and happy just now that I forgot to ask if you were willing." Lu Che came back to his senses from his excitement and said, "If... you don't want to, I... am willing to wait for you."
The words were spoken haltingly and reluctantly, and Jiang Yao couldn't help but laugh, "I see you're not really willing to say 'I'm willing to wait for you'."
Lu Che, who was exposed, stopped pretending and said, "I dream of marrying you, so of course I don't want to wait. But as long as you feel it's difficult, I can still wait."
"You dream of marrying me?" Jiang Yao asked curiously, "When did you have this dream? What was it like?"
She had just wanted to tease him, but when she saw his expression suddenly become strange and his eyes filled with guilt, she immediately realized that this dream must be unspeakable.
"Well... you don't have to wait. I'll marry you." Jiang Yao took the initiative to skip this topic. She raised her head, kissed him on the lips, and said, "But I have to set three rules for you."
When Lu Che heard this, his eyes were filled with smiles, and he said, "Don't even mention three chapters, five or ten chapters will do."
"Come on." Jiang Yao said, "Just do the following two things. I value quality over quantity."
"First, you must be good to me as always. Now you do all the heavy work at home, and you will be mainly responsible for it in the future. Don't stop doing your best after you marry me. I'm not a lazy person, but I really can't do heavy work. I'm responsible for cooking and other chores, and I will do it well."
"No problem." Lu Che agreed without blinking. A wife is to be loved, not married to do work for her.
"Second, of course I hope you will be faithful to me, but if I have children and my figure is out of shape and my appearance is old and ugly, and you no longer like me and fall in love with someone young and beautiful, I hope you will tell me the truth..."
Before Jiang Yao finished speaking, she was interrupted by Lu Che, who said with a sullen face: "What nonsense are you talking about? I will definitely be devoted to you. Also, you will get older as you grow older, and I will also get wrinkles. We are the same, so how can I say I don't like you. And don't say anything about me falling in love with someone else..."
"Don't interrupt me. Wait for me to finish." Seeing that he was about to ramble on and on about his loyalty, Jiang Yao stopped him in time. "You decide what to do, but I still have to say the ugly words first."
"I can accept that if you change your mind one day, we can just divorce, but I cannot accept you having affairs during marriage. If I find out, I will kick you out of the house."
Jiang Yao spoke the last four words word by word, gritting her teeth to show her determination.
Lu Che listened and suddenly felt unwell.
"Cleansing?" He looked down at his pants with a complicated expression, and murmured, "It's too cruel."
Jiang Yao followed his gaze and realized that someone had misunderstood. She punched him in anger and said, "What are you thinking? When I say you'll be kicked out of the house, I mean you'll become a pauper."
"..."Being a pauper is better than having no balls, bah bah bah... What is he thinking? He will not let himself become a pauper. Moreover, he has to work hard to give her a better life.
"Okay, go away. I have to pack my things quickly, otherwise it will be too late." After saying that, Jiang Yao pushed him away and continued to pack.
Lu Che wanted to help, but he didn't know where her things were or what to pack, so he could only stand by and help her, and ask her about her marriage.
"How much is the general gift for marrying a wife in your provincial capital?" Lu Che asked.
"I don't know how much the bride price is in Qingyuan?" Jiang Yao asked back.
The original owner's memory did not give an answer. She had watched many period dramas with her grandfather before, but she really had no idea what the price of the bride price was these days.
Lu Che: "Usually it's one hundred to two hundred, but if I marry you, it definitely can't be this standard, I plan to give you five hundred. What do you think? Why don't you ask our brother for his opinion?"
"I'll ask him on the way. It's too late to ask now." Jiang Yao said.
"Okay." Lu Che agreed, and then said, "The three major items for a wedding are a watch, a sewing machine, and a bicycle. You already have a watch, so let's not buy two more. As for the sewing machine and bicycle, I don't have tickets for the moment, and even if I did, they might not be available. My aunt hasn't been home for two years, and I estimate she will come back to see my grandma at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. She's from Hong Kong, so let her buy them for us, so she can get them first."
"Okay, you can handle this." Jiang Yao was worrying about her clothes. She was more concerned about what to wear on her wedding day. She called Lu Che over and asked, "Which one do you think will look good on me?"
Lu Che walked over to take a look and said seriously, "You like it, right? You look good in anything, but it's best to wear something new and red for your wedding."
"…Forget it, just pretend I didn't ask." She was stupid enough to ask for the straight man's opinion.
Lu Che ignored the disgust on her face and asked, "You have to notify us in advance if you want to treat someone to a drink. Are you going to treat the educated youth from Qingyuan?"
Jiang Yao thought for a moment and said, "Please invite Zhu Xia, Wen Qian, and Zhou Qiong."
"Just three?" Lu Che said casually, "We don't have many relatives, so we can't invite many people. If you want to invite, you can invite more, like Jiang Chao, Zhao Pengfei, etc."
"Come on." Jiang Yao rolled her eyes at him and ruthlessly exposed him. "You just want to show off in front of your love rival. Do you think I can't see it? Just invite Zhu Xia and the other two. I don't know the others very well. If you really want to invite one of them, you have to invite all of them."
"You can treat everyone." Boss Lu said generously.
"No." Jiang Yao said, "Du Yuejiao and I don't get along. I suspect that she is the one who caused this incident today. I don't want to have such a happy wedding day and invite someone I don't like to annoy me."
"Du Yuejiao? Is she the younger sister among those educated youth? What's going on?" Lu Che's face sank.
Jiang Yao: "I'm not sure right now, and I can't tell you clearly for a while. We'll make plans after we treat you to a drink."
Lu Che: "Okay."
Jiang Yao packed up for a while and was almost done. Just as she was closing the box, Lu Che suddenly pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Yao struggled and said, "My brother will be here any minute. Even though we are getting married, it wouldn't be good if he saw us."
"Since you are going back to the provincial capital this time, we won't be able to meet again until three days later. That means I can't kiss you for the next two days. Let's kiss quickly while my brother is still packing."
Having said that, Lu Che lowered his head and kissed Jiang Yao on the lips without caring whether she agreed or not.
After they kissed for a while, Jiang Yao pushed Lu Che away. Lu Che didn't want to, so Jiang Yao reminded him, "You know best what will happen if you keep kissing. It's too bright in the daytime, and everyone is here. It won't be good if anyone sees us. Besides, my brother and I are going out later. Are you hiding and not coming to see us off?"
Lu Che knew exactly what kind of behavior he had in front of his wife. To avoid embarrassing himself in public, he had to stop thinking about it, but he still hugged her tightly and said with emotion: "Yaoyao, you are really going to be my wife. I still feel it's unreal. Tell me, is this all true?"
"It's all true." Jiang Yao looked at his silly look and found it funny and heartwarming. He was a little stunned, but if he didn't like her, he wouldn't be like this.
They stayed together for a while longer, and Jiang Zhen had packed up his things and was ready to leave.
Jiang Yao saw him taking all the luggage and asked, "Brother, aren't you coming here the day after tomorrow?"
"I'm not coming." Jiang Zhen said, "After I send you off to marry, I will leave the provincial capital and go back to the army, otherwise I will be too late."
The old lady listened, and quickly took Jiang Zhen's hand and said, "Brother-in-law, please be careful on the road. Come back to see Yaoyao more often when you have the chance. Don't worry, our Lu family will take good care of Yaoyao. Also, your parents are gone, and this will be your home from now on. As long as you come back, you will definitely be able to have a hot meal."
"Okay, thank you, grandma." Jiang Zhen said, "We will be a family from now on. Although I am far away in the military camp, if you need any help, just let me know. I will definitely help if I can."
Everyone said a few more parting words, and Jiang Zhen and Jiang Yao were about to catch the bus.
It was quite far from Qingyuan to the county bus station, so Lu Che took Jiang Yao there on a bullock cart and wanted Jiang Zhen to get on as well, but he refused.
By the time we got on the bus to the provincial capital and then took a bus back to the Jiang family's house in the provincial capital, it was almost dark.
This is Jiang Yao’s first time returning to “her own” home.
The house had been uninhabited for several months. Fortunately, the original owner covered all the furniture in the house with something before going to the countryside. In addition, the Jiang family’s house was not big, so it was not too difficult to clean up now.
After the brother and sister cleaned up, Jiang Zhen asked Jiang Yao to take a shower while he went to the state-owned restaurant to buy food.
It is autumn now. Although it is very hot during the day, it is cool in the morning and evening. Jiang Yao needs to take a hot shower. Fortunately, Jiang Zhen boiled the hot water as soon as he came back.
The provincial capital has running water, so Jiang Yao doesn't have to worry about not having enough water and takes a comfortable bath.
When she came out of the bathroom, Jiang Zhen had just bought some food.
"The state-owned restaurant is about to close, and only the buns are left. You can make do with them." Jiang Zhen said.
"It's great to have buns." Jiang Yao sat down and Jiang Zhen handed her a bun. She took it and the brother and sister started eating happily.
"Yaoyao, will you blame me for marrying you off so hastily?" Jiang Zhen said suddenly.
Jiang Yao didn't expect him to say that. She was stunned for a moment and then smiled, "It's not strange, it's just quite sudden. I thought you would be reluctant to let me get married so early, brother?"
"I really can't bear to let you go." Jiang Zhen sighed and said, "I'm a soldier now. I belong to the country and my life belongs to the country. Apart from sending you some money and tickets every month, I can't take care of you anymore."
"It would be better if my parents were here. Qingyuan is not far from the provincial capital, and they can take care of you if anything happens. It's a pity that they are no longer here. I think Lu Che is someone I can trust, so I entrusted you to him."
"If anything happens to me in the future, you won't be alone, so I can rest assured."
"Brother, what did you say?" Jiang Yao's eyes were red. "You should be a good soldier, defend the country and take care of yourself. Don't say those unlucky words, otherwise I will worry about you every day. Can you let me feel at ease?"
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. I said the wrong thing." Jiang Zhen smiled and said, "Then tell me honestly, are you willing to marry Lu Che?"
"I'm willing to do it!" Jiang Yao thought for a moment and grinned.
Although this marriage was a spur-of-the-moment decision, when traveling to this era, one must follow the trend of this era, and a flash marriage is acceptable. Although Jiang Yao was a little nervous, she had never been married before, so how could she judge whether it was good or bad?
Although it was a bit impulsive, she didn't regret marrying Lu Che no matter what the future held.
She doesn't pursue passionate love. No matter how many vows are made, they will eventually turn into daily necessities. Love is not about what you say, but what you do. She has not known Lu Che for a long time, but she firmly believes that he can give her a long-lasting marriage.
The next day, Jiang Zhen took Jiang Yao to pay homage to his parents early in the morning.
After they came back, they went to the department store together. Jiang Zhen wanted to buy Jiang Yao a new dress for the wedding, but Jiang Yao thought the style was not good-looking, so she bought some cloth and made it herself at home.
This piece of dark red fabric was actually not very good, so Jiang Yao could only think about the design. After thinking it over, she finally decided to make a slim dress for herself.
The fabric had no pattern, so she used needle and thread to create some patterns.
Whether it is making a dress or showing the pattern, it is a matter of exquisite skills. Fortunately, she went to Jiangnan during her annual leave two years ago, lived in a small town, learned from the locals, and the Jiang family had a sewing machine, so she worked hard and finally finished the dress the day before the bride was picked up.
The bride's dress has been prepared, but I wonder if Lu Che's groom's dress has been prepared. Although he is handsome and has a good figure, clothes make the man, especially on a wedding day, which only happens once in a lifetime, so he can't be too shabby.
She had asked him to get her a white shirt, a pair of black trousers, and a pair of leather shoes, but she didn't know what he had done.
Forget it, forget about him. She would try on the dress first and let Jiang Zhen help her see how it looks.
"Brother, how is it? Does it look good?" Jiang Yao changed into her dress, opened the door and walked out.
Jiang Zhen raised his head when he heard the voice, and for a moment his chest was filled with mixed emotions.
"Brother, what happened? Does it look bad? Why aren't you talking?" Jiang Yao was anxious.
"It looks good." Jiang Zhen's voice was full of reluctance, "It's just that Lu Che got a bargain."
"That's right." Jiang Yao happily turned around twice, "Brother, my handicraft is pretty good, right?"
"Very good." Jiang Zhen asked in confusion, "When did you learn how to make clothes? I remember that our mother asked you to learn it, but you were too lazy and didn't want to. You even said that you didn't have to make clothes yourself when your mother was around."
"That's... I learned it from my mom a few years ago. You haven't been home for a long time, so you definitely don't know." Jiang Yao lied.
Jiang Zhen didn't doubt him. Thinking of some of the big items at home, he said, "You may not live in this house for a year in the future. Things like sewing machines and tape recorders, you should move to Lu's house to use. If they are not used for a long time, they will break down."
"Okay." Jiang Yao nodded in response.
Jiang Zhen: "If Lu Che brings someone here tomorrow, then take him back tomorrow. If he's alone, then after you get married, you two can take some time to come back and move over."
"Okay." Jiang Yao said, turned around and went back to her room to change clothes.
The marriage was hasty. The original owner had a few familiar classmates in her memory, but Jiang Yao was not familiar with them. Moreover, she was marrying far away, and it was impossible for her sisters who came with her as a dowry to go to Qingyuan with her, so she planned to just get married simply tomorrow.
As for wedding customs, she didn't understand them, and Jiang Zhen didn't understand them either, so they simply forgot about them. However, the Jiang family had lived here for many years, and when she got married, she had to give wedding candy to the neighbors.
After Jiang Yao changed out of her cheongsam, she went out carrying the wedding candies she had bought yesterday.
Many neighbors nearby watched Jiang Yao grow up. They were happy at first when they received the wedding candies, but when they heard that she was going to marry into the countryside, their smiles paused.
Jiang Yao could see emotions of pity, reluctance and even contempt on their faces, which she had expected.
Some people waited until she left and then made sarcastic remarks about her behind her back, saying that she couldn't endure hardship and had no self-respect for associating with the peasants.
Several aunts from several families who used to be on good terms with the Jiang family came to her house to persuade her to think it over carefully.
"Yaoyao, we all know that working in the countryside is hard, but you can't sacrifice your whole life for this. Auntie's words are rough but true. You should hold on for a while, wait until you are recruited back to the city, and then find a man in the city, and you will enjoy your life in the future."
"Yes, I also heard that Director Zhao's son is dating an educated youth, but you can't just find someone casually because of this. Your mother used to be good to us, and we can't watch you jump into the fire pit."
“…”
Several aunts took turns "attacking" her. Although none of them supported her marriage, they all wanted her best from the bottom of their hearts.
Jiang Yao listened carefully, and then said, "Aunt, I know you are all doing this for my own good. But I want to say two things. First, I have long disliked Zhao Pengfei, and it's not because he is in a relationship that he is desperate to marry me off. Second, although Lu Che is from the countryside, he has a good character and is a positive person. Besides, my brother has already met him, and you should all know how much he loves me. If he were not a good person, would my brother let me marry him?"
"...It seems to be... that's the reason."
The aunts tried to persuade her for a long time but failed, so they had to give up.
But getting married is always a happy thing. Since there are no elders in the Jiang family, the aunts discussed and decided to come together tomorrow to send Jiang Yao off and make it lively.
"Then I thank you aunts... Come early tomorrow!"
The next day, Jiang Zhen went out early in the morning to pick up Lu Che at the bus station, and the aunts brought their children to the Jiang family's house, filling the house to the brim.
Suddenly, the atmosphere of the Jiang family's daughter's wedding was aroused. At about nine o'clock, the children waiting outside could be heard shouting, "The groom is here to pick up the bride..."
The author has something to say:
Congratulations to Mr. Lu, congratulations to Mr. Lu!
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