The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 71 Wedding

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When Yang Ming and his family went to pick up the bride, the house was filled with joy. Twelve large wedding photos had been moved into the house and hung on the walls, filling several large rooms. Many people looked at the newlyweds in the photos and exclaimed in admiration. Many unmarried men and women made up their minds that they would also have such photos when they got married.

When the rooster crowed, relatives and friends began to busy themselves with giving monetary gifts. The largest gift was given by Zhang Yingning, a huge file folder with a prominent "province" character in the lower right corner. Zhang Yingning simply handed the folder to Zhang Shufang without recording it in the accounts.

Looking at the stacks of banknotes, Zhang Shufang was overjoyed. "My son is getting married once, and all the money I gave as wedding gifts will come back!" she thought. "Wait a minute... I only have one son, unlike other people who have many children. It's such a pity... If divorce weren't considered unlucky, I would make sure Mingming and Qingqing get married once a year. That way, I'd probably get all the money back."

Zhang Shufang's mood fluctuated between worry and joy. Zhang Yingning called her several times, but she didn't hear him until Zhang Yingning tugged at her arm. "What's wrong?"

"Little sister, do you have a place to sleep at home? I haven't slept all day..." Zhang Yingning yawned. She was getting old and couldn't keep up with herself like she used to be. She couldn't go a day without sleep.

The house was packed with people, both inside and out; there wasn't even a place to stand.

"Let's go to Mingming's new house and take a nap together. I'm sleepy too." Zhang Shufang pulled Zhang Yingning to the west room.

As noon approached, the banquet preparations were underway, and relatives and friends were gathered in small groups, some chatting, others curled up on the kang (heated brick bed) or sofa for a nap, exuding a lazy and relaxed vibe.

Yang Zhengfang was squatting against the wall talking with Lao Huang and Lao Liu at that moment.

"Brother Yang, don't worry, I'll accompany you to the guests today. Your family is coming, and I'll make sure they eat and drink well..." Old Huang said, patting his chest.

"Hehe, we two brothers are experts at drinking. Tell me, how many of them do you want us to get drunk?" Old Liu was even more ruthless, his words laced with hostility.

"As long as you eat and drink well, that's fine, as long as you eat and drink well..." Yang Zhengfang smiled, his eyes crinkling.

On the country road leading to Yangjia Village, two middle-aged men were slowly riding bicycles towards the village.

"Is this Yangjia Village? Look at all the festive cheer, there must be a wedding going on somewhere!"

"Old Tao, shall we go for a drink? To share in the festive spirit?"

"Is this okay?"

"What's wrong with that? Just give a gift, right? I've heard that weddings and funerals in the countryside are especially interesting."

"Let's go join the fun..."

So the two of them pushed off with their feet and increased their speed.

Uh...

A car horn sounded, and a black Hongqi sped past the two men. In the back seat was Zhang Jianhui, dressed in a neat suit. This guy had finally squeezed out some time, but he didn't have much time. Their mayor had an important meeting these past two days and really couldn't do without him. He had to get back before midnight to prepare tomorrow's draft.

Inside the outer room, the rice cooker was bubbling away, and the aroma of rice, along with the steam rising from the vent, filled the room.

In the east room, Liu Yun leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed) watching TV, while her son Xia Xiaoyang was running around everywhere, catching cats and birds, and even bungee jumping on the quilt. He was having a great time. It was only because the little guy was light that he managed to collapse the kang.

"I said, can you just shut up for a bit? If you want a beating, just say so..." Liu Yun was almost driven crazy by her son. This little thing hadn't stopped since yesterday, causing a ruckus in the house. If she said anything to him, he would quiet down for a while, and then he would start causing trouble again.

"Aunt Liu, have you seen my mom?" Little Bao'er stood at the doorway without anyone noticing, looking timidly at Liu Yun.

"What's wrong? Can't you find your mother?" Liu Yun asked gently.

"Hmm! Mom isn't home today." Xiao Bao'er's eyes were a little red.

"Your mother doesn't want you anymore, your mother doesn't want you anymore..." Xia Xiaoyang shouted.

Xiao Bao'er immediately started sobbing, lowered her head, and silently turned and left.

Liu Yun knew about Liu Sao's family situation and that the mother and daughter depended on each other for survival. Seeing the little girl cry because of her son, she was filled with rage and anger. She pressed her son down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and gave him a good spanking, making the little girl cry loudly.

Xiao Bao'er left his godfather's yard, sobbing, and sat on the doorstep of his own house. He started to sob, and tears fell like broken silver beads.

After disciplining her son, Liu Yun chased after him and saw the little one crying. Feeling a pang of sadness, she knelt down in front of her and wiped away her tears. "Baby, Auntie hasn't finished talking to you yet. Your mother went out. She told me she wouldn't be back until tonight. She asked Auntie to make you lunch. Come on, let's eat together..."

Liu Yun tugged at Xiao Bao'er, but Xiao Bao'er didn't move at all. The little guy just stared at her, "Really?"

"Of course it's true, Auntie never lies..." So, Liu Yun coaxed and tricked Xiao Bao'er into going home. In fact, she had no idea what Aunt Liu had been doing.

"Nan Nan, I heard your aunt is going to cooperate with our boss, and they've even signed a contract! Is that right?" Aunt Tie was carrying a water hose, watering the vegetables and fruit trees. The water was still warm, coming from the hot spring pool.

After about a month of growth, the vegetable and fruit trees have grown quite a bit. Some vegetables with short maturation periods are almost ripe, while the fruit trees have grown to the thickness of a little finger. It is expected that by next spring, they will be as thick as a thumb and will basically be able to bear fruit. It must be said that these optimized fruit trees and vegetables are growing really fast.

"Yes! They're going to start a clothing company together." The young girl, Liu Nannan, sat down on the edge of the field to catch her breath. She had just used a hoe to clear away the weeds that had just sprouted.

"I wonder where Zheng Dahan has gone. That kid is so strong, but he just doesn't work properly. When the boss comes back, I'll definitely tell him to deduct half a month's wages," Aunt Tie complained.

There's only so much work to do in the fields, and no one is assigned what to do. If someone is short-handed, the work is spread out to the remaining people.

"Da Han went to the county town. My aunt wasn't feeling well, so he took her there. I took over his chores for him..." Zheng Dayong said.

"You said it yourself, young man. You should work more so you can build up your strength. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if you couldn't carry your wife when you got married..." Sister Tie laughed, making Zheng Dayong blush.

The convoy sped along the highway, with the cameraman's car at the very front. This served two purposes: to film the convoy's journey and to clear the tollbooth checkpoints in advance, preventing traffic jams that could force the convoy to stop.

"It's so comfortable..." Sitting on the sofa bed, with the veil tossed aside, Wei Qingqing stretched her limbs casually. The wedding car was so spacious and comfortable that it made her want to take a nice nap.

"You really know how to enjoy life more and more, even the wedding car is made like this..." Riding in the wedding car with Wei Qingqing was Sun Fangfang, who was brought in as a matchmaker, but she knew nothing about being a matchmaker, she just had this title.

"Hmph, envious, aren't you? Why don't you divorce Zhang Yang and remarry him? I'll definitely lend you this wedding car so you can have a go at it too," Wei Qingqing said smugly.

"I can't be bothered with you." Sun Fangfang rolled her eyes.

There was a third person in the car, the little boy who was carrying the bundle. This little boy was Wei Qingqing's cousin's child. The little guy sat very obediently in the corner, not daring to make a sound. Looking at his aunt's lazy appearance, he was a little scared. The main thing was that his aunt's clothes were too majestic. (Children are generally afraid of things with a traditional Chinese flavor. For example, when I was a child, I was afraid of monks and Taoist priests. When I saw their cassocks and Taoist robes, I felt scared. Because Chinese tradition is about capturing the spirit. Many things are made to resemble the spirit rather than the form. In this way, when people see them for the first time, they don't know what they are, but they can really feel the charm and majesty, and then be intimidated. In fantasy terms, it is a mental attack.)

"If you two are sleepy, take a nap. We'll be busy until very late today..." Suddenly, a small window opened on the front of the car, and Yang Ming leaned out and said.

"You two are getting married, it has nothing to do with me, let Qingqing sleep..." Sun Fangfang took two big peaches from the coffee table, ate one herself and gave the other to the little one.

"By the way, are you sending my family back tonight?" Wei Qingqing asked, turning around.

"Of course we'll send it. Didn't we say that, except for the wedding being moved to the afternoon, everything else will proceed as normal?" Yang Ming said.

"I just felt like, weren't they going back too late?"

"There are fewer cars at night, and if they drive fast, it only takes four or five hours to get there. They can get back to the city by 11 p.m. at the latest," Yang Ming said.

"That works too..." Wei Qingqing lay down on the sofa bed and began to doze off. She needed to be well-rested to deal with the tedious rituals and social engagements that evening.

When the convoy returned to Yangjia Village, it was an hour earlier than expected, just three minutes before four o'clock. However, everyone had already considered that the time might be earlier or later, so there was no panic.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, the motorcade stopped at the gate. At this time, a scarlet carpet had been laid out on the street outside the gate, leading all the way to the wedding hall, which was Yang Ming's main room.

Yang Zhengfang, Zhang Shufang, and a group of elders from the Yang family happily stepped forward, opened the car doors one by one, and welcomed all the wedding guests. Yang Zhengfang held the hand of Wei Jianguo's brother and spoke to him affectionately. Wei Jianguo's brother, Wei Jianshe, was the mayor of Hulu Township in Pingguo County, S City. He was eloquent and the two spoke in harmony.

The wedding car opened, and Sun Fangfang was the first to get out, followed by the little guy who was carrying the bundle. Zhang Shufang happily gave the little guy a big red envelope and then took the bundle from him.

It is said that in some places, when a new bride enters the house, the parents-in-law cannot stand by and watch. Instead, they go inside and hide until the new bride enters the hall, at which point she comes out to receive the newlyweds' respects. This is because the new bride's aura is at its strongest on her wedding day, and dressed in bright red, she is protected from all evil spirits and ghosts. People whose zodiac signs clash with hers should also stay away to avoid having their luck disrupted and being plagued by bad luck. However, in modern society, there are not many people who are superstitious about this. It was almost completely eradicated during the anti-old culture movement.

There was a large brazier at the entrance. Stepping over the brazier would wash away all bad luck, and the days to come would be prosperous. Wei Qingqing's red veil was already on her head. Two people with good fortune helped her down from the car. Yang Ming bent down and carried her on his back, stepping directly over the brazier into the courtyard, and then into the wedding hall.

It is said that in some places, the bride's younger brother carries her across the fire basin, or the groom leads her across, while in others the bride steps across herself; the customs vary from place to place.

The sofas and coffee tables in the main room had all been moved away. Only a large red double happiness symbol was pasted on the north wall, and on an altar table were placed sacrificial animals, fruits, incense burners, and red candles. These were for worshipping heaven and earth. On either side of the altar table were two chairs, which were the seats for the elders.

The newlyweds stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers, making the room somewhat dark.

The emcee gives a speech, the newlyweds offer incense, and the ceremony begins...

"First bow to heaven and earth..." Behind the master of ceremonies, an elderly woman with white hair quietly directed the operation from behind the scenes. It had been pre-arranged that if the old woman poked him in the lower back, he would shout out.

Amidst the rising smoke, the newlyweds knelt before the table and bowed.

"Second bow to the parents..." The master of ceremonies felt another poke in his lower back and quickly called out.

Yang Zhengfang and Zhang Shufang emerged from the crowd with smiles, sat down together on chairs, and accepted the newlyweds' kneeling obeisance.

This time, the couple couldn't wear their ceremonial robes to pay respects to their parents. They could wear the twelve-chapter robes all over the world, but they couldn't use them to pay respects to their parents. In traditional customs, this was not a good omen; the level was too high, and the elders couldn't bear it. Someone had already brought two bright red coats and covered the couple completely. Then, the couple respectfully kowtowed to their parents. Then, someone brought tea, which the newlyweds accepted and offered to the elders. The elders had already prepared red envelopes, and after drinking the tea, they gave one to each of the young couple.

"Husband and wife bow to each other..." The master of ceremonies felt a light poke in his lower back and quickly called out again.

They removed their bright red coats and bowed to each other together.

"Send them to the bridal chamber..."

The newlyweds, witnessed by heaven and earth and their parents, finally completed their wedding ceremony. Next, they will unveil the bride and drink the nuptial wine.

"Alright, alright, the banquet outside is ready, the bride's family members, please take your seats..." The emcee began to arrange seating for the bride's family members.

While the newlyweds were paying their respects to heaven and earth, two people were whispering in a corner.

"Look at that wedding! It's so festive, like something out of a movie. I just looked closely at the bride and groom's clothes; they're real twelve-chapter robes. No wonder they had to wear bright red overcoats before bowing to their parents—it's such a high-level ceremony, how could anyone bear it?"

"The Twelve-Chapter Robe is the highest-ranking among the Crown Robes."

"Old Li, I remember you bought a set of Nine Chapters robes, right?... "

"Of course, I sold that one set for two million, and that was still at a loss."

"I wonder how much their outfits cost?"

"Their clothes are brand new, they're not worth much."

"Open your big, blind eyes, will you? Look at the jade ornaments on their clothes, and you'll know how much this Twelve Chapters robe is worth."

"Jade ornament? This? Mutton fat jade? The carving is exquisite. If it were on the market, it could easily sell for at least 800,000..."

"Eight hundred thousand for a piece of broken jade? Are you kidding me? Who's so foolish as to be so gullible?" As the two were talking, a woman's voice suddenly rang out behind them, startling them. They quickly turned around to look.

"You..." One of the two suddenly recognized the person who had suddenly appeared.

"Tao Yangdong, right? What are you doing sneaking around here? I get the feeling you two are scouting this place for a robbery?" The person who came in was Sun Fangfang, and this girl didn't hold back at all.

"Big sister, it's really fate that we meet again..." Tao Yangdong gave a wry smile.

"Old Tao, do you know each other?" another person suddenly asked.

"Yes, I know her. This is the sister of the owner of the car I told you about..." Tao Yangdong smiled awkwardly and looked at Sun Fangfang. "Sister, this is a friend of mine. He deals in jade and gemstones. His name is Lao Li..."

"Hehe, hello, hello, my name is Li Tinggui..." the man with Tao Yangdong said with a smile.

"Hello!" Sun Fangfang smiled and nodded at him.

"Big sister, the groom is..." Tao Yangdong realized the groom looked familiar.

"You guessed right, the groom is my godfather. You're not still thinking about his car, are you?" Sun Fangfang said with a smile.

"How could that be? Even if you really sold me the car, I couldn't afford it! I just came to the countryside with Lao Li. We passed by Yangjia Village and happened to see a wedding, so we gave a gift to share the joy. I didn't expect to run into an acquaintance," Tao Yangdong said with a smile.

"Thank you then, please enjoy your meal..." Sun Fangfang greeted them twice and disappeared into the crowd. It turned out that the bride was about to have her veil lifted and the couplets were about to be drunk, which meant the banquet was about to begin. As the matchmaker, she couldn't be left out and had to go eat with them.

"What a small world..." Tao Yangdong shook his head and sighed.

"Yes..." Li Tinggui also said.

Yang Ming, holding the scale, lifted Wei Qingqing's veil. The shy new bride, blushing, linked arms with her groom and drank the nuptial wine under everyone's watchful eyes.

The banquet officially began, and the new bride was the first to pick up her chopsticks. Her family members, who had been sitting down for a long time, then started eating. They were starving after a long day of running around.

The most important guest was Wei Jianguo. He was the only male guest of his generation to attend, and according to the custom of not having different tables for different generations, he occupied a table by himself, accompanied by Lao Huang. The younger generation was accompanied by Zhang Yang, Zhao Dongge, Zheng Dongfang, and Zhang Jianhui. These guys all had a good capacity for alcohol and were very talkative, urging others to drink and serving food with exceptional enthusiasm. Yang Ming was also accompanied by several elders, going from table to table toasting each other.

After entertaining the bride's family, it was already 6:30. The convoy, now fully fueled, carried the bride's family, who were full and satisfied, and set off again amidst the sound of firecrackers. This time, the convoy would take the family back and wouldn't need to return; their mission was accomplished.

As darkness fell, relatives and friends, who had been hungry all day, finally took their seats. The newlyweds, dressed in bright red evening gowns, came out of the room together, toasting each table and kowtowing to the elders. They were busy until midnight. Everyone had been working non-stop all day and was exhausted. Even the final wedding night games were a bit lackluster, allowing the couple to get through them easily…

Finally... only Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing remained in the room.

"Phew! I'm exhausted..." Wei Qingqing kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, tidied up the red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds scattered on the bed, then shook out the quilt, wearing only her undergarments and skirt, and crawled into the quilt.

"I'm exhausted, this day has been so hectic..." Yang Ming was also exhausted, mainly because he had drunk too much. Although he had a high alcohol tolerance, he couldn't handle the presence of so many relatives and friends, and he was already quite drunk. He took off his coat and crawled into bed wearing only his undershirt.

"I miss Bao'er. What do you think about taking Bao'er with us on our trip?" Wei Qingqing said.

"Hmm! That works too..." Yang Ming mumbled, still half asleep.

"With Bao'er around, it's more fun to play together..."

"..."

"They have a seven-day holiday for National Day. We'll play for two days and then come back, so it won't interfere with her classes. Their teacher is really something, always coming up with something unexpected. They said the autumn break would be combined with the National Day holiday, but suddenly school started again. Otherwise, Bao'er could have attended our wedding..."

"..."

"...Hey, are you even listening to me?" Wei Qingqing looked up and saw that Yang Ming was already asleep. She pouted and said, "Really...he's actually asleep..."

In the dead of night, in Zhengjia Village, on the heated kang bed at Liu's house, Liu was lying in bed wearing only an autumn coat, gently patting her daughter. Neither of them was asleep; they were whispering to each other in the same bed. Liu Nannan, however, had already fallen asleep and was snoring softly like a kitten.

"Mommy, where did you go today?" Little Bao asked softly, snuggling in his mother's arms.

"Mom didn't go anywhere, she just went up the mountain to check on our little saplings. Next year, our peach trees will bear peaches, and we'll sell them for lots and lots of money. Mom will also buy Bao'er a big TV just like the one Daddy has, okay?"

"Mmm!" Little Bao'er hummed softly, burying her little head against her mother's chest.

"Bao'er, do you want a little brother?" Aunt Liu suddenly asked.

"No, the little boy is so naughty. During the day, Xia Xiaoyang said that his mother didn't want Bao'er anymore..." Bao'er said.

"Hehe, how could Mommy not want you?" Aunt Liu smiled and gently stroked her daughter's head.

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(End of this chapter)