Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11993

Hong'er smiled with satisfaction, then touched the big red wedding ball hanging on the carriage. "Alright, then I wish you a long and happy life together, a harmonious and loving marriage!"

"Thank you so much!"

With everything in order, finally, amidst the deafening roar of firecrackers and the auditory and visual effects of fireworks, the trumpet and suona horn teams from both sides played music together, and the two couples started off simultaneously, one to the left and the other to the right. Supported by the groom's family's wedding procession and the bride's family's wedding procession, they each stepped into their new lives and embarked on the next stage of their lives...

Once both groups had gone far away, the firecrackers had long since died down, and the sounds of trumpets and suonas had gradually faded into the distance, at the entrance of Xiao Erfang's courtyard, Yang Yongjin and Cao Bamei, a married couple, stood supporting each other, still like an anchor point, looking to the left and then to the right.

When all the noise subsided, when only a mess remained on the ground, when the two daughters they had carefully raised for more than ten years got married on the same day... the couple felt a mix of emotions. They knew that today was a joyous day and they should be happy for their daughters, but their faces held different thoughts.

Her mouth was smiling, but tears were uncontrollably streaming down her face...

"Second Brother, let's go play some cards!" Yang Yongqing came over, put his arm around Yang Yongjin's shoulder, and led him into the courtyard behind him.

Yang Huaming, Da Bao, Kang Xiaozi, and the others also followed with smiles.

Everyone deliberately stayed in the small room because they saw that Yang Yongjin and his wife were in low spirits. So they stayed under the pretext of playing cards to keep Yang Yongjin company and help him alleviate his loneliness and solitude.

As for the women from Old Yang's family who came to help, they were busy preparing the morning's feast.

After everything is cleaned up, two more tables will need to be set up, as they haven't eaten yet.

Therefore, at this moment, only the women who had finished eating had time to come and comfort Cao Bamei. These women were Yang Ruoqing, Wang Cuilian, Yang Huamei, as well as Madam Sun and Madam Da Sun.

Liu had already eaten, but she wasn't going to stay there. Like a little child, she followed the wedding procession from Sixi's family to Sixi's house in the village to watch the excitement.

Yang Ruoqing and Yang Huamei exchanged a glance, and then went to Cao Bamei's side together.

"Eighth Sister, don't be sad. Your daughter is married. No matter how close she is, or even if she marries to the ends of the earth, she will still be your daughter, no doubt about it!" Yang Huamei said with a smile.

Yang Ruoqing smiled and nodded, "That's right, Second Sister-in-law, don't be sad. Soon you'll hear firecrackers going off over Si Xi's house, and you'll see Xiu Hong anytime, anywhere!"

Hearing their words of comfort, Cao Bamei felt a little better. She looked up at them and smiled, saying, "I was busy with other things earlier and didn't have time to greet you two aunts and great-aunts. I'm sorry for the neglect and rudeness!"

At this moment, Cao Bamei was addressing the two women, Xiuxiu and her sister, as "aunt" and "great-aunt" according to their generational order, showing respect for the two married daughters of the Yang family.

Yang Ruoqing smiled and shook her head: "We're family, let's not talk like outsiders."

Yang Huamei deliberately patted her stomach and said, "We don't need to be served. We can make whatever we want to eat. It's so much more enjoyable!"

Today, Yang Huamei was indeed telling the truth and was truly delighted, because not only did she and Xu Yuanming bring their three children to the banquet, but even Xiao Hei had been invited by Yang Yongjin to eat there beforehand.

Yang Huamei was very satisfied and happy just because Yang Yongjin hadn't forgotten to call Xiao Hei along.

So, even after the banquet, Tan, Old Yang, and Sister Hua took the three children to the east room of the old house to rest. Yang Huamei didn't plan to leave for the time being, intending to stay and talk to Cao Bamei to ease Cao Bamei's disappointment at having just married off her daughter.

Because the women in the front yard and main room were busy clearing the tables and bowls and then reheating the dishes for dinner, Cao Bamei came over to the kitchen and called out to Zhao Liuer and Xiao Mo: "Reheat all the dishes for everyone to eat. Everyone is tired."

Why did Cao Bamei give such instructions? This involves a customary but unspoken rule.

For example, some expensive ingredients at a banquet, such as beef, mutton, eel, turtle, and rabbit, which are available at this time of year, may only appear in the first batch of meals to make an impression. After the guests have left and only the women and children who came to help out are left, when it's their turn to eat, they may only have pork, fish, or meat bones reheated.

Beef, mutton, eel, soft-shelled turtle, and rabbit may not be cooked because the host family may continue to entertain other guests at noon or in the evening. At that time, beef and mutton will still be served to make an impression, since they are much more expensive than pork, fish, and chicken, so they need to be used sparingly.

Therefore, those who cook at other people's banquets will proactively consider this for the host family, even if the host family is too embarrassed to ask for food. They will preserve what should be preserved, so the women and children who come to help usually eat the leftovers from the banquet.

This is how it's been done for generations; the best food is reserved for the first batch of guests, and no one objects.

Similarly, Zhao Liuer and her sister-in-law Xiao Mo, who were in charge of heating up the food in the kitchen, originally had the same idea and wanted to reserve some for Cao Bamei's family.

Now, Cao Bamei has actually taken the initiative to find them and specifically reminded them of this matter in front of others.

"Second sister-in-law, you're so generous. We understand," Zhao Liuer replied with a smile.

Xiao Mo smiled, her gaze casually sweeping over Yang Ruoqing and Yang Huamei beside Cao Bamei, without saying a word.

After Cao Bamei led Yang Ruoqing and Yang Huamei to Xiuxiu's boudoir in the backyard, in the kitchen, Xiao Mo asked Zhao Liuer in a low voice, "Third sister-in-law, even though second sister-in-law said that, should we do the same?"

Looking at the remaining ingredients like eels and turtles in her hand, Zhao Liuer realized that compared to the remaining portions of pork and chicken, these were rather few, with each item weighing only about two or three pounds at most.

It was served on plates, a total of two or three plates, enough for two or three tables.

The women and children who will be eating later should fill two tables. If these dishes are served as instructed by Cao Bamei, then only one table's worth will be left for Xiao Erfang.

"Judging from the way the men are playing cards in the main room, there will probably be two or three more tables of people eating lunch today," Zhao Liuer said.

Little Mo immediately understood what Zhao Liuer meant: "Then let's heat up some other dishes and make do!"

Zhao Liuer nodded, then glanced again at the remaining amount of beef, mutton, turtle, and eel. "If they really cared, they would have prepared more of these ingredients. This is clearly a full-scale plan. If we really heat them up and eat them, we won't be able to afford the lunch feast. Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law will blame us for not planning ahead for them."

"Besides, when Second Sister-in-law gave us those instructions, Aunt Mei and Qing'er were with her. Perhaps those words weren't meant for us at all." Upon hearing Zhao Liu'er's words, Madam Mo suddenly realized that Second Sister-in-law's words were actually meant for Aunt Mei and Qing'er, to show her magnanimity.

"But Third Sister-in-law, if this happens, there won't be a single piece of beef, mutton, eel, or turtle on the table for us women and children who are helping out. I'm afraid the others will have something to say." After a pause, Little Mo continued, "When Second Sister-in-law sees the food on the table, she'll probably just blame us. What do you suggest we do?"

Xiao Mo's worries also touched on Zhao Liu'er's sore spot. Indeed, if her second sister-in-law did all the good work, then the two sisters-in-law would have to take the blame for offending people.

“Third Sister-in-law, we can’t do business at a loss. We’ll contribute our money and effort,” Little Mo said.

Zhao Liuer gently bit her lip, and then an idea came to her. She leaned close to Xiao Mo's ear and whispered a few words.

Xiao Mo's eyes lit up. "Third sister-in-law, it has to be you. Okay, let's do it this way."

Meanwhile, in the backyard, Yang Ruoqing and Yang Huamei accompanied Cao Bamei on a tour of the boudoirs of the Xiuxiu and Xiuhong sisters, before finally sitting down in Xiuhong's boudoir.

Yang Ruoqing withdrew her gaze. After walking around the two boudoirs, she noticed that the rooms were somewhat messy and empty.

The chaos was caused by the scattered candy shells, melon seed shells, peanut shells, and other snacks on the ground. After all, the boudoir had been crowded with relatives and friends who had come to watch the excitement, as well as other villagers and children from the village.

As for the spaciousness, it's because apart from the bed, tables, chairs, dressing table, wardrobe, and other items, everything else that could be taken away as part of the dowry had already been taken, including the two brand-new quilts that had been tied to the bed earlier!

Cao Bamei poured tea for Yang Ruoqing and Yang Huamei, and then brought them some snacks and put them on the table. "Aunt Mei'er, Qing'er, have some tea and something to eat."

Yang Ruoqing shook her head, "I ate a full breakfast, so I can't eat anything right now."

Yang Huamei is the same.

Cao Bamei didn't insist, but she took a piece of pastry and ate it herself. To be honest, Cao Bamei had already gotten up and started working before dawn.

By now, more than three hours had passed, and Cao Bamei had only drunk two sips of water and hadn't eaten a single bite of food. She was truly hungry.

"Sigh, that's the problem with raising a daughter, it's a mix of joy and sorrow." After finishing a whole piece of pastry, Cao Bamei regained some strength and opened her mouth to speak.

Neither Yang Ruoqing nor Yang Huamei spoke; they both smiled and stared at Cao Bamei, giving the latter the right to speak, because at this moment, Cao Bamei needed someone to confide in the most.

"I'll raise a daughter, hoping she'll find a good husband, get married, be a good wife and mother, and have her own little family and life."

“If a girl reaches marriageable age but hasn’t found a husband yet, her parents will be so worried that their hair will turn white.”

“But if I really find someone and get married, the house will be empty again, and I’ll be worried about it a hundred times.”

Having said that, Cao Bamei glanced at the empty room of Xiu Hong and said with a helpless smile, "Look at this room, it looks like it's been robbed, sigh!"

As Cao Bamei spoke, she shook her head, her expression a mixture of sighing and relief, her feelings quite complex.

Yang Huamei smiled and reassured Cao Bamei, "What's the big deal? It's just a bit quiet today. In a couple of days, when the daughters bring their husbands back to visit their parents, it'll be lively again, won't it?"

Yang Ruoqing also said, "Yes, it will be even more lively when the grandson is born."

Cao Bamei smiled so much her eyes narrowed. "That's true. Men should marry when they're old enough and women should marry when they're old enough. Just like other people's daughters are, our daughter should be the same. Okay, I'm not sad anymore. It's okay if it's a little quiet. At least there's Xiao Sanzi and Yongxiao here. It's quite lively."

When Yang Huamei heard that Yongxiao's name was included, a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes, and she looked at Yang Ruoqing for clarification.

Yang Ruoqing felt there was nothing inexplicable about this, so in front of Cao Bamei, she directly said to Yang Huamei, "It's like this, Aunt. Yongxiao didn't go to the Wang family with Xiuxiu today. When Xiuxiu and Wang Wei return to their parents' home, Yongxiao will go with them."

The reason is obvious: to give Xiu Xiu and Wang Wei, the newlyweds, some time alone. How can they have their wedding night if they have a child with them?

In addition, although it was no secret among the Wang family and their relatives and friends that Xiuxiu was remarrying with a child, it was still a bit awkward to actually bring the child on her wedding day.

The Wang family felt uneasy about the situation, but due to the power of the Yang family, they didn't dare to voice their own thoughts.

At this time, it was still the Yang family that had elders like Old Yang and Tan, who were over eighty years old and approaching ninety. The old folks were shrewd and knowledgeable.

On the eve of Xiuxiu's wedding, Old Yang and Tan called Yang Yongjin and Cao Bamei over and discussed the matter with them.

It means that if the other person is too embarrassed to bring it up, the woman should be more proactive.

Bringing a child along when you pick up your new bride, what kind of image is that? It's not good-looking at all.

So when Yang Yongjin and the others discussed it with Xiuxiu, Xiuxiu also felt that it would be better to leave Yongxiao at her parents' home for the time being.

Xiuxiu's considerations differed from others. She was the child's biological mother, and she didn't care about appearances. What she cared about was her wedding day. As the bride, she would be very busy and wouldn't have time to take care of Yongxiao.

On the day of the wedding, the Wang family will definitely have a lot of relatives and friends coming to congratulate them, eat, drink and set off firecrackers. Most of these people are unfamiliar faces to Xiuxiu. She is already exhausted from dealing with them, so how can she spare the time to take care of Yongxiao?
Yongxiao is mischievous at his age, and with no one by his side, in such an unfamiliar place as the Wang family's house, surrounded by strangers, how could Xiuxiu feel at ease?

So Xiuxiu immediately decided to leave Yongxiao at her parents' home for a few days.

“Qing’er is right, Aunt Mei’er, that’s exactly how it’s arranged. On the day of the return visit, we’ll see how things go. They might bring Yongxiao back, or they might not, and it might be postponed.” Cao Bamei followed Yang Ruoqing’s words and continued to explain to Yang Huamei in more detail.