Exciting 1979!

Chapter 262 Three women and one drama
When Wei Ming told Gong Xue that he was going back to Beijing to attend a wedding, she considered that "Midnight" had not yet officially wrapped up filming and that she might still have to wait for orders in Shanghai.

Unexpectedly, the General Political Department's Art Troupe was to be dissolved, and the General Political Department's Drama Troupe, where she worked, would be separated from the main troupe, which involved some changes. Gong Xue received a notice from her unit that she needed to go back to report for duty if she was not currently filming.

Now that she had returned to Beijing, she felt it was necessary for her to attend, since the two grooms were Wei Ming's friends and one of the brides was Wei Ming's cousin.

Since she had already said it, Wei Ming could only agree. He personally helped her choose an elegant and beautiful dress, and teased her, "You can't dress too well, or you'll outshine the other two brides."

This really worried Wei Ming, because he had promised Sister Lin that she would attend the wedding. So, Gong Xue from the South and Zhu Lin from the North were about to have their first-ever head-on collision.

Fortunately, Wei Ming and Sister Xue's relationship is no longer what it used to be, so they have a certain ability to withstand risks. If they are cautious, they should be able to get through this.

What is a good brother? A good brother is someone who knows you've done something terrible, but is still willing to support you unconditionally.

"Ming-ge, tell us what to do," Biaozi said righteously.

Wei Ming: "Listen to me, I'm going to make the following arrangements, first..."

~
After leaving Mei Wenhua's new house, Wei Ming went to Zhu Lin's house in another building, unlocked the door and went in. When it got dark, the door opened and Zhu Lin was in a good mood when he saw the men's leather shoes at the door.

She received a call from Wei Ming after finishing her work at the Beijing Film Studio, so she rushed over immediately.

"I saw some 'double happiness' characters pasted on the walls when I passed by Building 1 just now," Sister Lin said.

"The ceremony will be held in the courtyard tomorrow. My dad somehow got to know Wang Gang from the Central Broadcasting Station and asked him to be the emcee," Wei Ming said, gently putting his arm around Sister Lin as he talked about the wedding tomorrow.

"You need to film tomorrow, right?" Wei Ming asked expectantly. It would be best if she couldn't come tomorrow because of filming.

"We need to re-set the set tomorrow, and it's Sunday, so they gave us actors a day off," Zhu Lin said happily. "Perfect timing."

Wei Ming said sincerely, "That's great, but I'm a friend of both grooms and Yunyun's cousin, so I need to be responsible for welcoming and seeing off the guests. I'll be quite busy tomorrow, so I've arranged for Long Xiaoyang to take you to the wedding."

"Your clever cousin, right?"

"You still remember him? That's good." Wei Ming said with a smile. Back when they went to Yunnan to look for relatives, Zhu Lin was sick with a fever. Both his uncle and Xiao Yang met with Zhu Lin and even had a meal together.

An hour later, looking at Zhu Lin lying on the bed like a lump of mud, Wei Ming felt a surge of confidence that "I can take on two of them."

He kissed Sister Lin's blushing cheeks: "I'm quite busy today and have to go back. You can rest here tonight."

Zhu Lin expressed her understanding, hugged Wei Ming affectionately, and then let him leave.

There's no need to go to Gong Xue's side; Wei Ming has already made a phone call.

Xuejie had hoped to return to the courtyard house after going back to Beijing, but it's currently occupied, making it inconvenient for her to go. It will be fine once her uncle and the others return to Sichuan.

Wei Ming had mentioned on the phone that he would be quite busy tomorrow, and that Liu Rulong should entertain her then, as he was the right person to do it since he was her future brother-in-law.

Fortunately, both women had someone watching over them.

Ah Long is also good friends with Biaozi and Xiaomei, so he stayed at the new house in Tuanjiehu tonight and will help out early tomorrow morning.

In addition, Liu Zhenyun, Liang Zuo, and other Peking University students and colleagues who were familiar with the two also came. They watched an 18-inch color TV for a while in the evening, and after the TV was over, they played mahjong and cards. There was plenty of food and drink.

Back when Biaozi and Xiaomei were school security guards, the two college students didn't look down on them. Now that they've become big bosses, each owning an apartment and a motorcycle, and spending lavishly, Liu Zhenyun and Liang Zuo remain calm. They feel a little envious, but it hasn't developed into jealousy or hatred.

After all, they have their own ideals and aspirations, and are full of expectations for their future.

The chubby Liang Zuo pushed up his glasses and asked Liu Zhenyun, "Didn't they say Teacher Wei returned to Beijing? Why haven't I seen him?"

Liu Zhenyun ate fried peanuts: "He's from my wife's family, so he'll definitely stay there. He might even stop us from coming in tomorrow."

Liang Zuo laughed and said, "It's you. I'm with Biaozi tomorrow, so I won't run into him."

The two made a clear division of labor: Liu Zhenyun would go with Mei Wenhua to pick up the bride tomorrow, while Liang Zuo would go with Biaozi.

Speaking of Wei Ming, Liang Zuo had a lot to say: "My mother just came back from Shanghai a while ago and got together with Teacher Wei to revise the manuscript again. This time he is going to publish a long novel in Harvest. My mother only read the first few tens of thousands of words and said that if there were a national award for outstanding long novels, this novel would have a chance to win first place."

Liu Zhenyun knew about this novel, but hadn't read it yet: "It should be published in January, I need to find him quickly and write a review in advance."

Since receiving his first novel royalties, Liu Zhenyun began to build his strength in the field of novel writing, but he received more rejections than publications, and the publication platforms were all small publications in his hometown, which were not respectable.

So if you want to get published in a major magazine, you still have to write book reviews by Professor Wei.

~
They guessed correctly; Wei Ming was on his way to the Beichizi courtyard house.

I just ran into Li Chengru on the road and we chatted for a bit.

His company, Jingshan Garment Factory, is an important partner of Oriental Plaza, so he was invited to attend the wedding of the two bosses tomorrow.

This was Wei Ming's first time returning to the courtyard house since returning to Beijing. The door was closed, as he was worried the puppy would run away.

After he pushed his motorcycle inside, he saw that the whole family was there, including Wei Hong, who had come over after school and was playing with the puppy with her two younger siblings.

After greeting his elders, Wei Ming suddenly noticed a new eight-immortal table in the living room. It looked antique and seemed to be a Ming Dynasty style.

Where did this table come from?

Old Wei laughed and said, "I bought them. When I first came here, I saw that you didn't have much furniture, so I went around buying some from the neighborhood."

As he spoke, Lao Wei took Wei Ming to another room to see the other furniture he had bought.

"How about this bookshelf? I think it's even prettier than the one in the Overseas Chinese Apartment. And these stools, they make you feel really classy."

Wei Ming was surprised. After all, he had bought a lot of old furniture before. He might not be an expert at dating, but he could easily tell the material. It was either huanghuali or zitan.

These pieces of furniture that Lao Wei bought should easily fetch over ten million yuan in the future.

"Dad, how much did you spend on these?"

"A little over two hundred yuan," Old Wei said.

Wei Ming: "..."

It's much cheaper than buying furniture yourself, probably because he's not good at bargaining and seems to have money.

Wei Ming then asked, "Did you buy it casually, or did you carefully select it?"

"Hehe, how would I know how to choose?" Old Wei laughed. "I met an old man a while ago, and I asked him to help me buy some furniture. He said these are all good pieces of furniture, and I won't regret buying them."

So that's how it is. He's met a master. There are indeed many masters in this field in the capital, and Old Wei is a likable person who is good at dealing with people, so it's not surprising that he would give some pointers when he was in a good mood.

Old Wei continued, "That old man said he worked at the Forbidden City. I met him at the entrance of the Forbidden City, so I thought he could trust me. Judging from your expression, you definitely didn't buy the wrong thing."

An old man who works at the Forbidden City?

Wei Ming asked, "Do you know how to address an old person?"

"He said his surname was Wang, something like that, and he was over sixty years old. Anyway, I just call him Old Wang."

"Wang Shixiang?" That was the first name that popped into Wei Ming's mind.

Old Wei immediately said, "Yes, yes, that's the name. You recognize it?"

At this moment, Wei Hong stepped in: "Brother, who is Wang Shixiang?"

Wei Ming: "A noble young master from a prominent family, a spendthrift who wasted his life on frivolous pursuits, and also a representative of a prodigal son who turned over a new leaf. He was a famous expert in cultural relics and a great collector. The land where Peking University Affiliated Primary School is located was bought by Peking University from his family."

Wang Shixiang's greatest achievement is his research on ancient furniture, and he has published several books on Ming and Qing dynasty furniture. Old Wei has come to the right person to buy furniture from him.

Wei Ming is interested in buying a larger two- or three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). If his father can maintain his friendship with Mr. Wang despite the age difference, he won't have to worry about finding Ming and Qing dynasty furniture with a consistent style in the future.

After walking around the yard, Old Wei called the little yellow dog over and asked Wei Ming to name it.

Wei Ming pondered deeply: "Since its fur is yellow, why not call it Ginkgo?"

Although it was a male dog and the name sounded somewhat effeminate, it was powerless to resist, and from then on, "Ginkgo" became its dog name.

Xiao Hong smiled and patted the dog's head: "Ginkgo, be a good boy. I'll bring the sheriff over to play with you in a few days."

~
November 30th, the 11rd day of the tenth lunar month, a Sunday, is auspicious for visiting relatives and friends, weddings, and opening a business.

Considering that the Xu family didn't have many relatives in Yanjing, Wei Hong invited her roommates. Early in the morning, before dawn and before the groom had even arrived to pick them up, several female students from Peking University came over to join in the festivities.

This involves not only Wei Hong's face, but also Wei Ming's face.

As the representative of the bride's family, Wei Ming quickly arranged for the girls to have some Ping'an County specialty tofu pudding, which Xu Shufen made herself. It was savory and incredibly authentic.

In Ping'an County, it's customary to eat tofu pudding for weddings and funerals, but in Ya'an, they eat noodles, and both are prepared.

Then Wei Ping'an arrived with his family. He smiled and swallowed hard, saying, "I could smell the aroma of tofu pudding from my hometown right at the door!"

Old Wei laughed and said, "My mother made the wedding dishes when you got married, and this time your sister-in-law made them. She has surpassed her mother."

Hearing Lao Wei talk about his grandmother, Wei Ming thought of his grandfather who was far away in Hong Kong and could not go home. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be able to go to Hong Kong next year.

In his letter, Lao Gui also expressed concern for Uncle Ping An. He said he would ask him in person when he got there whether he should tell Uncle Ping An that he was still alive, as he felt a little embarrassed to keep it from him.

He moved closer to Xizi and Lele, put his arm around their shoulders, and said, "I've found you a job to earn some pocket money."

A child star and a singer, but they really didn't have much money, and they perked up as soon as they heard this.

In the new house, it is customary for young boys and girls to roll around on the bed sheets, symbolizing the wish for many children to be born.

The two little ones were both excellent in appearance and spirit, and Wei Ming had arranged this job for them in advance, so he could get two big red envelopes later.

The courtyard gate is now locked from the inside. Yunyun has changed into her wedding dress, and her aunt is doing her hair and makeup, her eyes filled with tears of happiness.

They took wedding photos, but on their official wedding day, they changed into more traditional clothes. After all, Mei Wenhua was going to ride a motorcycle across half of Beijing, and it wasn't appropriate to be too flashy in a place like Yanjing.

"Crack!"

The sound of firecrackers came from outside the door, which meant that the wedding procession had arrived.

Several female college students immediately became excited and ran to the door to wait and test the groom.

On one side, those dealing with Mei Culture are all female college students, while on the other side, it's a completely different story.

The guards protecting Huang Qiuyan were all her female teammates from the sports school and martial arts team, each one of them incredibly fierce.

Under their coercion, Comrade Zhao Debiao was taking turns challenging himself with all eighteen kinds of weapons. They actually brought the weapons over for Biaozi to perform, and if he didn't perform well, he wouldn't be allowed to pick up the bride. Huang Qiuyan, who was inside the house, was getting anxious.

Liang Zuo, the chubby boy, was stunned from behind. He thought to himself, "Brother Biao must have married a tigress."

However, when Liang Zuo saw Huang Qiuyan dressed in red, he felt jealous and resentful, even though he only slightly envied Biaozi for making money.

No way, why would Biaozi marry such a beautiful bride?!
~
The occupancy rate of these two commercial buildings around Tuanjiehu is not very high, and they are usually quiet and deserted, but today they are unusually lively.

In addition to the ubiquitous wedding decorations, a platform was set up in the open space in front of the building, filled with tables and chairs, with a passageway in the middle, the Zhao family on the left and the Mei family on the right.

With Biaozi and Xiaomei's parents both present, Old Zhao has completely retired from the third-tier city and is now just waiting to hold his grandson next year.

The Mei family had more influence and more friends from all walks of life. The Zhao family was not to be outdone. Old Zhao invited many of his colleagues from his workplace, and Biao's mother also invited people from the garment factory.

Following the signs, everyone found the tables at the Zhao and Mei families and sat down.

~
After getting out of bed, Zhu Lin peeked out through the curtains and felt it was time for her to make her appearance.

As soon as she came downstairs, she heard the sound of firecrackers. She had heard them before dawn, which was the signal to set off to pick up the bride. Now it meant that the bride had been brought back. She wondered who would return first, and whether Xiao Wei was there.
Ah Long was waiting at Tuanjiehu. His contact was Gong Xue, but he unexpectedly saw Zhu Lin first, so he quickly turned his head away from her.

Now Biaozi has brought Yanzi back. Yanzi is in a hurry to get married, so she ran out and interrupted Biaozi's performance, which is why she came back quickly. On the contrary, the other side is lagging behind.

Ah Long waited for a while but Mei Wenhua still hadn't returned. However, he did see Gong Xue and quickly went over to call her "Second Sister," then arranged for her to stay at the Zhao family's place.

"Old Zhao's family doesn't have many guests. Second sister, you're a big star, so please help them out," he explained.

Immediately afterwards, the second bride was brought back. With Wei Ming's guidance, Long Xiaoyang, who had come with the group, quickly found Zhu Lin, who was looking around anxiously, and took her to the Mei family's area to settle her in.

“Sister Zhu Lin, we meet again. Do you remember me? I’m raising quails back in my hometown now…” Xiao Yang cleverly chatted with Zhu Lin to distract her.

Wei Ming immediately took the two children upstairs to the new house to roll around on the bed and get red envelopes, avoiding contact with the two women.

Just as Zhu Lin and Gong Xue were looking at the strangers around them from different areas, a commotion suddenly broke out not far away.

Someone shouted, "Zhang Yu, it's Zhang Yu!"

(End of this chapter)