Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 395 Geng's Parents

When there's no one to write a gift, the three people who are writing gifts will pick up their chopsticks, put a piece of sausage or meatball in their mouths, and then drink some hot tea—quite a carefree affair. Those writing gifts are generally not allowed to drink alcohol, for fear of causing trouble if they drink too much; it must be about money.

Once the person who wrote the gift has paid, they can take their seat and find any empty seat. Generally, there is no distinction between men and women, but most people will choose to sit at a table with more people of the same sex or find someone they know.

Each table was set with melon seeds and fruit. In Northeast China, there's no custom of giving cigarettes as gifts. A more generous host might open a few packs of cigarettes and put them on a plate for guests to take. On Xiaowei's side, there was only one pack of loose cigarettes on the table; this was to prevent someone from simply stuffing the whole pack into their pocket.

Geng Hui's parents looked quite old, around fifty years old, with half of their hair turned white. They looked like they had suffered a lot. At this moment, they were wearing new clothes and corsages, greeting the guests with smiles on their faces. Their smiles were very sincere, and they were clearly happy from the bottom of their hearts.

They know their own daughter best. Having such a shy personality had worried the old couple to no end. And now, all of a sudden, she's getting married. Her husband is handsome, over six feet tall, and a government official. His family is also well-known and respected. How could they not be happy? Their hearts are filled with joy. These past few days, they've been waking up laughing.

Geng Hui is two years older than Xia Maosheng. In this day and age, she is definitely a grown woman. How could her parents not worry if she stays at home all day?

The front door of the restaurant was closed, and everyone was busy in the back. Chef Zhai led several trainees, sweating profusely as they plated and poured sauces. Sister Zhang led her trainees in preparing and plating dishes, Ding Chunyan led several trainees in serving food, and another waiter led several trainees in handling bowls, chopsticks, cigarettes, alcohol, and saucers. The advantage of having many trainees was immediately apparent: there was no shortage of people to do the work.

Li Bing's steamed bun and dumpling shop was open for business as usual. She stood by the back door watching the commotion, occasionally sneaking over to steal a few meatballs or a slice of meat, only to be scolded by Sister Zhang every now and then, leaving behind giggles as she ran away. In the shed next to the open space, several large stoves made from gasoline drums were burning red-hot, and the steamers on top were steaming, filling the air with the aroma of meat.

Li Wen stood at the entrance of the cake shop, watching enviously. She was tempted to watch Li Bing steal food, but the distance was too great, and she didn't have the home advantage. Master Li, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, stood by the cake shop entrance watching the commotion. The wedding customs here were completely different from those in his hometown; he was simply curious.

The car parked in front of the restaurant, and a group of people got out laughing and walked toward the dance hall. Xiao Wei looked up at the sky and said to Xia Maosheng, "Luckily, it's been sunny these past few days. If it rained, this whole area would be muddy. We'd have to quickly put cement on it, otherwise it would be really difficult to get things done in the future if it rains."

Xia Maosheng said, "Find a few workers, and I'll go get the cement you need. Have Jian'an deliver the sand."

Xiao Wei said, "Buy it. It won't cost much and it's not worth it." Right now, private individuals have to find ways to get cement, sand, and the like from the government, either by asking or buying them. There aren't any private businesses that specialize in this industry.

Xia Maosheng, head bowed, put on his corsage and said, "Okay, let's calculate how much we need and make it thicker." Geng Hui, who was next to him, had already put on her corsage, and one of her classmates was helping her put the corsage in her hair.

In this era, there are no photo studios, professional makeup artists, or wedding planning companies. There are no elaborate wedding dresses or towering high heels. There's no excessive pretense, no ostentatious displays of wealth or ostentation. People haven't yet formed hierarchical social classes and excluded each other. There's no blatant comparison or envy. This era is the last glimmer of genuine sincerity.

People of this era haven't had their brilliance obscured by money.

Xia Maosheng and Geng Hui finished getting ready, looked at each other, and when they were sure there were no problems, they walked together toward the auditorium. Chen Hui, Chen Xiao, Xiao Wei, and Xiao Hong accompanied them. Their classmates and friends had already gone over to write down their gift lists and find places to sit.

When they arrived at the place to write down the gift list, Xiaowei placed the Xiali car key, which was tied with a red silk cloth, on the gift table and said, "Chen Hui, Chen Xiao, Zhang Wei, and Wang Xiaohong, the four of us will each bring a Xiali car."

The three people writing the gifts were stunned for a moment, looked at each other, and the one in charge of collecting money picked up the key and said, "How do we call this one?" The one in charge of bookkeeping reacted quickly, picked up a brush and started writing, asking, "Is it Chen Hui, Chen Xiao, right? Is it this Xiao? Zhang Wei, Wang Xiaohong, and Xia Li, what are these two characters?" Xiao Wei explained them one by one.

The bookkeeper wrote "One Xiali sedan" horizontally under the four names. He told the person collecting the gifts, "Just call it that." The person returning the gifts stood up and lit cigarettes for the four people; at a wedding, no one is separated by gender, and the host's cigarettes are always lit, even if you don't want to. The person returning the gifts asked, "How much did this car cost?" Xiaowei lit a cigarette in his hand and said, "Fifty-four thousand."

The person calling out the gifts shouted loudly, "Chen Hui, Chen Xiao, Zhang Wei, and Wang Xiaohong, the four of you are giving a gift: a Xiali sedan!" He held up the car keys tied with a red ribbon so everyone could see them clearly: "Fifty-four thousand yuan! Fifty-four thousand yuan!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a flurry of excited chatter as everyone turned to the table and began discussing the matter. Geng's parents, who were talking to an acquaintance, paused for a moment, their expressions turning somewhat grim. After exchanging a few words with their friend, they quickly walked toward the table.

The decision to include the car as a congratulatory gift in Geng Hui's gift account was the result of several people's discussion. Xia Maosheng was a cadre and had to prove the source of the car. He couldn't say that he earned it through his own business. However, the gift couldn't be listed under Xia Maosheng's name, since his aunt's status was special and it would be easy for others to find fault with it.

Geng's parents came over and glanced at Xiaowei, Chen Hui, and the others. Geng's mother pulled her daughter aside a few steps and whispered, "What happened?"

Geng Hui asked, "What? What happened?"

Aunt Geng asked, "That car? Who are these people? Xia's friends? Why are they sending such a big gift?"

Geng Hui turned to look at Xiao Wei and the others and said, "Yeah, Xia's good friends. They're doing business together. Xia originally wanted to buy the car herself, but they gave it to her as a gift. It's okay, 50,000 yuan isn't a lot of money for them."

Geng's father said, "How did this get written in our name? What's going on? This is ridiculous." Once it's in the account, we have to return the favor, and this is tens of thousands of yuan! How are we going to repay it?

Geng Hui said, "We can't write about Xia's family. People will say, 'You all know what Xia's aunt does. What's wrong with writing about our family?' We don't need you to return any gifts. You don't need to return any gifts from us. Just collect the money and spend it. Then give me the gift account and you can take the money."

Mr. Geng was taken aback and looked at Mrs. Geng. Mrs. Geng pulled Geng Hui a few steps to the side and said, "Did Xia tell you that? He'll pay for the meal?"

(End of this chapter)