60s: I have a store

Chapter 557 A new beginning

The moonlight gently shines on Zhoujiazhuang, covering this joyful village with a hazy veil.

The bustle in the dining hall gradually died down, and the villagers returned home with satisfied smiles. However, the sweet moment for the newlyweds had just begun - the bridal chamber prank officially kicked off.

Erzhu and Xiulan walked towards the new house hand in hand, surrounded by the crowd.

The light of the torches illuminated their faces and also reflected the excitement and expectations of the people around them with particular clarity.

When they reached the door of the new house, Zhou Dafu, who had been waiting there, suddenly blocked their way, holding high a wooden scale tied with red silk, and chanted loudly: "The scale lifts up the red veil, and the couple will love each other till old age! Erzhu, it's time to ask the bride to 'pass the weighing test'!"

Erzhu understood what he meant, turned around, took out a handful of wedding candy from his pocket and threw it to the crowd.

While everyone was scrambling to grab the things, he respectfully took the scale from Chow Tai Fook and carefully lifted up Xiulan's red veil.

The moment the scale was lifted, the candlelight made Xiulan's cheeks blush, and the crowd cheered: "What a perfect couple!"

When crossing the threshold, the older generation specially placed a saddle and a brazier at the door.

Xiulan lifted her skirt slightly, and with the help of Erzhu, she first stepped over the saddle which symbolized "peace", and then stepped over the fire basin which symbolized "prosperity".

In the heat of the flames, someone shouted, "Cross the fire basin to drive away bad luck. As the days go by, the light of the torches illuminates their faces and also reflects the excitement and expectations of the people around them with extra clarity.

Erzhu held his head high and chest out, his face full of pride. From time to time he looked down at the shy Xiulan beside him, his heart filled with happiness.

Xiulan blushed and lowered her head, almost hiding in Erzhu's arms, leaving only a pair of affectionate eyes showing, secretly looking at everything around her.

"Erzhu! You must take good care of the bride!" Zhou Dafu shouted drunkenly, holding a torch, but his steps were a little unsteady. He staggered and almost fell into the ditch on the side of the road.

This funny appearance caused everyone to burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the quiet night sky and startled the birds sleeping in the treetops.

The door of the new house had already been decorated with red silk and bright wild flowers by the skillful wives in the village, making it look brand new.

A big red "囍" character was pasted on the door, fluttering gently in the wind, as if sending blessings to the newlyweds.

Erzhu gently pushed open the door, and the scene inside the room stunned him and Xiulan - the bed was covered with red dates, peanuts, longans and lotus seeds, which meant "early birth of a son, and many more sons."

The flickering candlelight makes the whole room warm and romantic.

As soon as Erzhu and Xiulan stepped into the room, several guys who were Erzhu's best friends came in laughing.

"We can't close the door in such a hurry! We haven't even started the bridal chamber yet!" One of the guys said with a grin, throwing a handful of candies into the air.

Colorful candies fell to the ground, causing everyone to bend down to pick them up, and the house was instantly filled with laughter.

"It won't do for the bride to be so shy!" A young man named Aqiang said with a sly smile, "Let's play a little game first to let the bride and groom warm up!" Everyone started to make a fuss and asked Erzhu and Xiulan to sing a song together.

Erzhu's face flushed. Normally he was good at working in the fields, but he was tone-deaf when singing.

He cleared his throat, mustered up the courage to sing, and as soon as his out-of-tune voice came out, everyone burst into laughter.

Xiulan was feeling shy and anxious, and gently hit Erzhu's shoulder. However, Erzhu continued to sing seriously, and made faces at Xiulan from time to time, which made Xiulan couldn't help laughing out loud.

The singing stopped, but the laughter of the crowd had not yet faded away when another young man came up with a new idea.

He took a red string, tied a red date in the middle, then held it high and asked Erzhu and Xiulan to bite the red date with their mouths at the same time.

Erzhu and Xiulan stood face to face, and could clearly feel each other's warm breath.

They approached the red dates cautiously, but every time they were about to bite them, the young man holding the red string would suddenly pull the dates higher.

Erzhu and Xiulan missed their targets again and again, their foreheads bumped against each other, their noses touched, causing the people around them to laugh so hard that they fell over.

After several attempts, Erzhu finally bit the red date. He was about to show off proudly when Xiulan pulled him back.

It turned out that the naughty Xiulan secretly snatched the red dates while he was not paying attention, stuffed them into her mouth, and stuck out her tongue at Erzhu.

Erzhu was stunned at first, but then he reacted and chased Xiulan with a smile. The two chased each other in the house like a pair of happy birds, and a sweet atmosphere filled the air.

Next, everyone asked Erzhu and Xiulan to feed peanuts to each other.

Xiulan's hands were trembling slightly. She finally picked up a peanut, but because she was too nervous, the peanut fell to the ground.

She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, and Erzhu considerately helped her block the sight of people around her, and gently comforted her: "Don't worry, take your time."

Xiulan raised her head and looked into Erzhu's gentle eyes, and the tension in her heart gradually dissipated.

She picked up the peanuts again and gently fed them into Erzhu's mouth. Erzhu chewed the peanuts happily and said exaggeratedly, "It's so sweet, sweeter than honey!"

The atmosphere in the bridal chamber was warm and cheerful, with everyone laughing and cheering one after another.

But everyone knew that a night of spring was worth a thousand gold. Plus, there were thirteen couples getting married at the same time, so the people making trouble in the bridal chamber had to be divided into thirteen groups, each with only a few people.

About half an hour later, everyone gradually quieted down and sent their blessings to Erzhu and Xiulan.

"Erzhu, be nice to Xiulan!" "Bride, just tell me if you have anything to say. We are all family!" Everyone spoke at once, their words filled with sincere blessings.

Erzhu and Xiulan thanked them one by one, with happy smiles on their faces.

After everyone left, peace returned to the bridal chamber.

The flickering candlelight cast the figures of Erzhu and Xiulan on the wall, leaning against each other.

Erzhu gently embraced Xiulan and whispered in her ear: "In the days to come, I will definitely make you happy."

Xiulan leaned in Erzhu's arms, feeling his warm embrace, her heart full of longing for the future.

At this moment, all the shyness and nervousness turned into endless sweetness. In this quiet night, they opened their own happy chapter together.

As the night deepened, the lights in Zhoujiazhuang went out one by one, leaving only the chirping of insects echoing in the night.

The next morning, as soon as the first ray of sunlight climbed up the treetops, Zhou Yimin got up early, opened the store space, bought today's flash sale products, and then looked at them carefully. He didn't expect that his luck was so good today!

There are 100 kilograms of pork, 100 barrels of gasoline, 100 kilograms of olive oil, and 100 kilograms of strawberries.

Suddenly he remembered that he had to take Xie Yumei to school later, so he washed up and hurried to Xie Yumei's residence.

Moreover, Zhou Yimin was still concerned about the new teacher, fearing that she would want to leave because she could not adapt to the life there.

Although Zhoujiazhuang is richer than other rural areas, it is still far behind the city.

Arriving at the door, Zhou Yimin straightened his clothes and knocked politely. There was a sound of footsteps in the room. After a while, Xie Yumei opened the door, still with sleepiness on her face: "Comrade Zhou, it's so early..."

"Comrade Zhou, come in and sit down." Xie Yumei stepped aside to let him in.

The house was in tidiness, but Zhou Yimin noticed at a glance that the stove was deserted, without any smell of human heat.

"Comrade Yumei, why don't you have breakfast?" he asked with concern.

Xie Yumei's face changed slightly, she stammered and couldn't speak, her eyes avoided and she didn't dare to look him in the eye.

Zhou Yimin looked around and suddenly realized that he had forgotten to prepare food for her.

In Zhoujiazhuang, food is kept by the village. On weekdays, everyone eats in the dining hall, and money plays a minimal role here.

Thinking of his negligence, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: "Comrade Yumei, I'm really sorry, it's my negligence, please wait for me!"

Without waiting for Xie Yumei's response, Zhou Yimin turned and ran out.

Xie Yumei looked at his departing back with a bewildered look on her face, while Xiaobao rubbed his sleepy eyes and tugged at her clothes: "Sister, I'm hungry..."

Xie Yumei could only comfort him at this time: "Xiaobao, wait a minute, we will go to have breakfast!"

Just when the two siblings were still thinking about how to solve breakfast.

Not long after, Zhou Yimin came back panting, carrying a large bag of flour on his shoulder and a bag of milk powder in his hand.

"Take these first. The two cups of flour are enough for you and Xiaobao to eat for a while, and the milk powder will help Xiaobao to supplement his nutrition." He put the things on the table and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Although Zhou Yimin could take out better things, he didn't know Xie Yumei well enough, so he couldn't take those things out rashly.

Moreover, these things are considered good things in this period of hunger.

Xie Yumei looked at the things on the table and her eyes instantly turned red.

These materials are extremely precious in this era, and I don’t know how much salary it would take to buy them. She quickly declined: "Comrade Zhou, I can’t accept such precious things, you should take them back!"

Zhou Yimin waved his hand and said firmly: "Comrade Xie Yumei, even if you don't want to take him in, you have to think about Xiaobao. Children are growing up and cannot lack nutrition. These are nothing to me. If you really want to repay me, teach the children in our village well!"

Xie Yumei looked at Xiaobao, who was staring at the milk powder bag eagerly. Her thin body made her feel distressed. She bit her lip and finally nodded: "Thank you... Comrade Zhou."

"That's right! Don't be so formal in the future, just call me Yimin. After you finish breakfast, I will take you around the school and meet other teachers." Zhou Yimin said with a smile.

Xie Yumei also said at this time: "Then I'll trouble you, Yimin, and you can just call me by my name!"

She was still very grateful to the man in front of her, and it was not an exaggeration to call him her "lifesaver". If it were not for Zhou Yimin's help, she would probably have to stay in the shelter run by the street office for a long time.

Xie Yumei probably wants to find a family willing to accept Xiaobao, marry into the family, watch Xiaobao grow up day by day, and finally get married and have children, thus fulfilling her mother's last wish.

However, all this became completely different after meeting Zhou Yimin. She got a job that was enough to support herself and Xiaobao. At that time, she could make choices instead of being chosen.

There is still a big difference between the two.

Zhou Yimin turned around and took out six cornmeal buns as if performing magic: "Yumei and Xiaobao, try the cooking of our village canteen."

After saying that, he handed it over.

Xie Yumei didn't bother to be polite with Zhou Yimin. She took it directly and started eating it with Xiaobao.

Although I had a big meal last night, I was already hungry after such a long time. Now that I have something to eat, what am I waiting for?

In less than five minutes, six cornmeal buns entered Xie Yumei and Xiaobao's stomachs.

After resting for a while, Zhou Yimin took Xie Yumei and Xiaobao to school.

Along the way, villagers kept greeting Zhou Yimin enthusiastically: "Good morning, Yimin!" "Where are you going, Yimin?"

Zhou Yimin responded one by one with a friendly smile on his face.

Xie Yumei saw this and was secretly surprised - to be so loved in the village, Zhou Yimin must have done a lot of practical things for everyone.

When I arrived at school, I heard the sound of reading aloud coming from the classroom.

Zhou Zhigao was giving a lecture at the podium. When he saw Zhou Yimin and the stranger coming, he said to the students, "Students, please think about what the teacher just said first, and then we will do a random check."

Then he walked out of the classroom quickly.

"Yimin, why are you here?" Zhou Zhigao wiped the chalk dust off his forehead and his eyes fell on Xie Yumei.

"Brother Zhigao, this is the teacher I invited from the city, Comrade Xie Yumei." Zhou Yimin briefly recounted Xie Yumei's experience.

After listening to this, Zhou Zhigao's eyes were full of admiration. He extended his hand and said enthusiastically: "Welcome Comrade Xie to join us! The children in our village are so lucky!"

Xie Yumei quickly held his hand and said a little stiffly: "Please take care of me, Teacher Zhou. I don't have enough experience and I still need to learn a lot from you."

The three of them stood under the locust tree outside the classroom and talked about the teaching plan and the situation of the children in the village.

Zhou Zhigao introduced the school's curriculum and student characteristics in detail. Xie Yumei listened carefully, nodding and taking notes from time to time.

"By the way, Comrade Yumei, what courses have you studied before?" Zhou Zhigao asked.

"I had good grades in math, physics and chemistry in high school, and I also like literature, so teaching Chinese and math should be no problem," Xie Yumei replied.

Zhou Zhigao's eyes lit up: "That's great! We are in need of a math teacher. The children have little exposure to geometry and algebra, so we need someone like you!"

As he was speaking, there was a commotion in the classroom.

It turned out that a student had solved the difficult problem left by Zhou Zhigao and shouted out excitedly.

Zhou Zhigao smiled and said, "It seems that the children are waiting impatiently. I will go back to class first. Comrade Yumei, can you also come in and listen to the situation and get familiar with it?"

Xie Yumei nodded and followed Zhou Zhigao into the classroom.

The sunlight shone through the mottled windows onto the desks. The children looked at the new teacher curiously, their eyes full of anticipation.

Xie Yumei stood on the podium, looking at the pairs of eyes seeking knowledge below the stage, and a warm feeling surged in her heart - perhaps, this was the home she had been looking for.

Zhou Yimin stood in the back row of the classroom, looking at Zhou Zhigao who was giving a lecture and Xie Yumei who was listening attentively, with a gratified smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)