Chapter 8: A Rural Wedding

  Chu Jiaqiang's second uncle hastily reported to the village chief about Chu Jiaqiang's plan to stay, hoping that the village chief could persuade him. The villagers present were all stunned - giving up a high-paying job in the city and coming back to plant fruit trees? Was it Chu Shengmin who had spoken incorrectly, or was it them who had misheard, or did Chu Jiaqiang have a problem with his brain?

  "Hey Village Chief Uncle, say something! Our village has a precedent for growing fruit." Chu Shengmin urged the old village chief.

  The old village chief fell silent for a moment, then looked up and said: "Good! Jiaqiang has a kind heart. Whether it succeeds or not, whether it can help the village, everyone can accept this kindness. If there are difficulties in the future, just mention them to Village Chief Grandpa, and this old body will still be of some use."

  "Old uncle you..." Chu Shengmin said hastily.

  Lao Village Chief interrupted him: "Shengmin, I know your concerns. Jiaqiang has already said that he will stay in the countryside for two years. It's good for young people to have the courage to venture out, and we should support them. Lao Ba did manage an orchard, but he is who he is, and Jiaqiang is Jiaqiang. Everyone has their own methods and experiences."

  The old village chief saw more clearly than Chu Shengmin, the Chu family was the most educated in the village and also the richest. In addition to spending the past few years in the city, he had many connections and a bit of influence. Maybe he could really stir up some momentum, which would bring boundless benefits to Chujia Village. As the village chief, everything was prioritized for the benefit of the village, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he wouldn't give up.

  "Thank you, Village Chief Grandfather, for your support!" Chu Jiaqiang hastily said, thinking to himself: This time, Second Uncle is completely out of luck!

  Chu Jiaqiang also had a plan in mind, preparing to find a buyer after some time and sell the peaches from the orchard. Giving Second Uncle and others a reassurance pill to eat, while also giving the villagers a glimmer of hope.

  The peaches and pomegranates in the old house's orchard are all delicious, really sweeter and crisper than those outside. Plus they're big, have beautiful skin, and look good for sale, so there must be buyers, it's just that the price is still up for debate.

  As they chatted, they heard the mischievous kids outside shouting: "The bride is here! The bride is here!" "Quickly look! The bride is so beautiful!" "Uncle Da Xiong looks so handsome today!" And so on. Actually, these little brats don't even know the definition of beauty or handsomeness, they just think that if the bride dresses nicely she's beautiful, and if someone wears a suit on TV they're handsome.

  Chu Jiaqiang and others also walked out, just to see Chu Jiahao holding an umbrella, covering the bride with himself, walking towards home. The groom holding an umbrella in Chujiacun is also a tradition, representing sharing weal and woe together.

  Chu Jiaqiang looked at the familiar face and couldn't help but feel happy. Chu Jiaxiong had become mature, and the little girl who used to be small was now elegant and refined.

  Behind it was a tractor king with a huge red double happiness character on its head, the tractor king is an upgraded version of the tractor, its appearance is like that of a truck in the 60s and 70s, both its appearance and passenger capacity have been greatly improved. This is also the most expensive and best truck or bus in Chujiazhuang Village, anyway, it's what everyone takes to go to market on ordinary days, it's Chu Shengyi's breadwinner, who is the son of the old village head.

  There is a big bed on the car, and there are also quilts, pillows, and a large wardrobe. These are all dowry given by the bride's family.

  When the bride and groom are about to arrive at the gate, the firecrackers that have been hung up will be lit immediately. The bride and groom cannot dodge, and can only cover themselves tightly with an umbrella. This represents the hardships on the road of marriage, which must be faced.

  As the firecracker exploded, those little kids covered their ears and shrieked. Chu Jiaqiang found it amusing - children's voices were originally high-pitched, and with so many of them screaming together, they almost drowned out the sound of the firecrackers. Many of the dogs tucked their tails between their legs and cowered in the corners, too afraid to move, while others hastily fled. The big black dog had a bit more courage, but still retreated slightly, barking furiously at the red firecracker papers swirling through the air.

  As soon as they arrived at the door, the two of them didn't rush in and stopped at the entrance. At this time, Chu Jiaxiong's parents took out big red envelopes tied with red thread and hung one on each of their necks. Now each of them had received two big red envelopes, which made those little kids extremely envious.

  One little boy said to his mom: "Mom! When I get married, you have to give me a big dowry! Otherwise, I won't get married."

  The woman slapped him: "You're young and dare to threaten me? Are you getting too big for your britches? When the time comes, it won't be up to you to speak."

  Everyone burst out laughing, and the children chimed in: "Ah Jian, when are you getting married?" "Who's the bride?" and so on. Seeing this, Chu Jiaqiang felt great and enjoyed rural life even more. He also thought to himself that he would find a wife and have one or two kids someday, and then his life would be complete.

  Everyone followed the bride and groom into the house, to the hall. Chu Jiaxiong's parents were sitting in front of the hall, slightly to one side, leaving a space in the middle. The most important step in the wedding - the ceremony - had arrived. There were also the most onlookers, of course, except for the old village chief who was hosting, the bride and groom, and Chu Jiaxiong's parents, everyone else was just here to join in the excitement.

  The way of worshiping the ancestors in Chujiazhuang is different from the traditional Chinese way. Although it's also three bows, it's not like "one bow to heaven and earth..." but rather three bows facing forward, the front hall actually represents heaven and earth, so naturally they also bowed to the high hall, without the couple bowing to each other. Only the old village chief stood aside, seeing that everyone was ready, he immediately opened his mouth, amplified his voice, and intentionally prolonged it slightly.

  "The groom and bride, kneel!" The groom and bride both knelt down upon hearing this.

  "Kowtow!" The old village chief shouted again, and the two newlyweds immediately kowtowed.

  "Kneel!" "Kowtow again! Twice!" The groom and bride did as they were told.

  "Rise!" "Kneel again! Three knocks on the head! Rise!" Seeing the two stand up, the old village chief finally shouted: "Enter the new house!" This is equivalent to the traditional "entering the bridal chamber", which means that the bride and groom enter their own bedroom together, adapting to their new home.

  The ceremony is over, but the wedding steps are not yet complete. There is one last step - recognizing relatives! That is, the groom takes the bride to meet his own relatives. After the newlyweds adapt to the room, they come out hand in hand.

  The Chu family's father and mother brought out a large red wooden plate, on which were placed many peanuts, candies, and cigarettes. This is what is given to relatives when recognizing kinship: children give candy, representing sweetness; women give peanuts, representing many children and good fortune; men give cigarettes, without any special meaning. When distributing them, there are also rules to follow: the groom gives out cigarettes, the bride gives out candies and peanuts.

  At this time, married people or elders will give red envelopes to the bride and groom.

  Chu Jiaxiong first pulled the bride towards Chu Jiaqiang, who smiled slightly, knowing his part in the play had arrived.

  "This is Big Brother!" Chu Jiaxiong introduced, seeing Chu Jiaqiang, his tone was full of excitement. The bride also followed and called him Big Brother. She also knew that this person was the only university student in Chujiacun for the time being, and she had heard about Chu Jiaqiang before, when he was admitted to a famous university, several surrounding villages were shocked.

  "Great! Big brother wishes you a long and happy life together, until your hair turns white with age!" Chu Jiaqiang handed each of them a big red envelope he had prepared earlier. Inside the envelope was 900 yuan, symbolizing longevity.

  900 yuan in red envelopes is absolutely a big deal at Chu's village. If the villagers knew, it would definitely cause another commotion. Normally, they are 2 yuan, 5 yuan, and 10 yuan, which is rare. During Chinese New Year, giving their own children this amount, 50 or 100 yuan is already the limit. Just now, Chu Jiaxiong's parents gave 100 yuan, and 900 yuan is something they dare not imagine.

  Although everyone didn't know how much money was inside, that red envelope looked so big and thick, they knew it wouldn't be a small amount, and they all sighed in admiration, "It's no wonder you're a college student."

  "Thank you, big brother!" they both thanked in unison.

  Cigarettes are not Xujiaqiang's portion, because he has something to do. As brothers and sisters, they have to help with the big red plate. There is also a little meaning here, implying that brothers are as close as hands and feet.

  Everyone present will get to know each other, the two newcomers already have their necks full of red envelopes, and those little kids are staring with wide eyes.

  "Big brother, let's leave for now." Chu Jiaxiong said reluctantly, today he still couldn't have a few words with his big brother.

  "Haha! You guys go ahead and busy yourselves, we brothers have a long future together. Big Brother isn't planning on going out anymore, he'll just stay in the village and see if he can help out in any way." Chu Jiaqiang laughed and said.

  Chu Jiaxiong was both shocked and delighted: "Big brother, you really aren't going out?" The bride also stared with her beautiful round eyes.

  Chu Jia nodded: "Mm! Not bad! You go ahead and busy yourself for now, we'll have a couple of drinks later."

  "Alright! Later I'll have a few good drinks with big brother." Chu Jiaxiong said solemnly.

  "Haha! I wouldn't dare let you drink too much, or your wife would come after me for revenge!" Chu Jiaqiang laughed loudly.

  The words instantly made the newlyweds blush.

  Next is the wedding banquet! Six dishes per table, six six big auspicious, just good intention. Although there are not many dishes, the quantity is sufficient. Rural people don't care about the number of dishes, but they must eat their fill.

  A dish of greens, this dish is just for show, it's better to have both meat and vegetables. A chicken dish, each plate has half a chicken's worth. A peanut stew with pig's feet, the aroma is enticing. A mushroom stew with old duck, this dish is actually the most nutritious, with many mountain ingredients added in, the flavor won't be bad. A portion of pork that country people often eat, stir-fried with some wood ear mushrooms. The last dish is a child's favorite, sour and sweet fish, not only does it look good, but the taste is also great. Also, there's a jar of homemade old wine, a large bottle of Coke or Sprite.

  Because there were so many people, we could only set up twice, but some kids wanted to drink Coke so badly that they appeared at both tables.