Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 488: Tea
The convoy stretched out in a long line, with the small jeep at the head. It went up the river embankment along the main road, then turned east, passing Team 12, Team 11... and finally Team 6, before reaching the town area of ​​Nanhu Commune.

The appearance of the little jeep attracted a hawk and a myna bird to circle above the convoy. The myna bird even landed on the roof and squawked loudly, "Little Chen is here! Little Chen is here!"

Chen Fan lowered the window and tapped on the roof of the car. "Say a few auspicious words."

The myna bird immediately changed its words, saying, "Good luck and prosperity, Happy New Year."

Chen Fan's face darkened. "No, it's not this one, it's for marriage."

Mynah, "..."

You're making things difficult for me, Xiao Ba!
It simply took flight, chanting, "Good fortune and all things going well. Good fortune and all things going well..."

As Chen Fan watched Xiao Ba fly higher and higher, he couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. Well, that's fine too.

Sitting in the back, the young couple were already laughing so hard they were practically falling over. Zhang Wenliang had previously found it amazing that Chen Fan was not only skilled himself, but even the myna bird he trained was like a spirit. Now, however, he realized there was still room for improvement.

After passing Team 6, drive a little further and you'll reach the ferry terminal connecting the commune to the county town. Turn the steering wheel to the right and go down the slope; you'll soon arrive in the town.

The convoy paraded through the town, passing through the main street of Nanhu Town, which was crowded with onlookers. After leaving the town, it returned to Team 5 of Lujiawan along the village road.

As soon as they entered the village, someone shouted, "They've been brought back!"

A few seconds later, firecrackers went off, and Chen Fan calmly shifted into first gear and pressed the clutch to pass.

The cyclists behind them all had their shirts open and hats pulled up, and they were all sweating profusely. Although they were still beaming with joy, their faces clearly showed signs of fatigue.

Seriously, they probably wouldn't be this tired even if they walked this far.

After the smoke cleared, they quickly sped up to catch up and finally arrived just as the newcomers got off the bus.

The parking spot was not the brigade headquarters, but in front of Zhang Wenliang's house. The onlookers consciously avoided this area and mostly crowded onto the open space two meters above the pond, which was the open space in front of the brigade headquarters.

At this moment, a large crowd of people filled three sides of the pond, chatting and laughing, creating a lively scene.

Chen Fan parked the car, and Zhang Wenliang got out. Without saying a word, he slightly bent his knees and reached behind him.

With a flushed face, Yang Xingxiu moved along the chair and, in full view of everyone, climbed onto Zhang Wenliang's back.

In Yunhu, the custom is that from the moment the bride steps off the sedan chair to the moment she enters the bridal chamber, her feet cannot touch the ground. Regardless of whether the groom carries her on his back or in his arms, he must guide her into the bridal chamber himself. In some other places, when the bride leaves her parents' home, her brothers carry her on the sedan chair, and her feet cannot touch the ground either. However, there is no such custom in Yunhu.

Later, in some places, the groom carried the bride instead of the father-in-law. That was not an early custom, but a vulgar wedding prank that came about later. From ancient times to the present, from south to north, there has never been any reason for the father-in-law to carry the daughter-in-law into the house. That is nonsense.

As for the long-standing rule of "not seeing the sky with one's head and not touching the ground with one's feet," no one follows it anymore.

Otherwise, these days, if you cover your wedding with a red cloth, you'd probably get a beating.

An elderly woman stood at the door, and seeing the newlyweds already in place, she immediately shouted, "The new bride is coming in!"

On either side of the gate, a dozen or so men, all at least 40 years old, immediately got into position. The next second, a suona horn rang out into the sky, followed by the deafening sound of gongs and drums, and a cheerful folk melody resounded throughout the village.

As the music played and firecrackers crackled, Zhang Wenliang carried his wife inside when suddenly a loud shout came from behind him.

"Pigsy is carrying his wife on his back."

A burst of laughter erupted around them, and several groups of children weaved in and out of the crowd, chanting, "Pigsy is carrying his wife! Pigsy is carrying his wife!"

Zhang Wenliang's legs immediately went weak and he almost fell to the ground. He turned around and glared at the person, saying, "You just wait!"

Chen Fan grinned, completely unconcerned. "Hmph, from now on I'll be someone who's under someone's control. Do you still dare to cause trouble?"
Once the newlyweds enter the house, the people who accompanied the bride and groom have finished their work, but the people who escorted the bride and groom become busy.

The older women who came with the Yang family jumped off the back of the bicycle, stumbled a bit, and once they warmed up their legs, they rushed to the trunk of the jeep and took out the dowry quilts.

Chen Fan followed them into the Zhang family's gate.

Inside the main room, a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a single-cassette recorder, all adorned with large red flowers, were arranged in a row. These were two of the "two-turn-one-ring" items that Secretary Yang had bought with the ration coupons earlier, and they had been delivered early in the morning.

As for the watch that was the last one, it was worn on Yang Xingxiu's wrist.

Zhang Wenliang carried Yang Xingxiu into the bridal chamber. Yang Xingxiu immediately jumped off his back, ignoring the crowd of onlookers outside, and pulled him to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Are you tired?"

Looking at his new wife, Zhang Wenliang grinned like a fool, "I'm not tired, it's all hot."

There was another burst of laughter outside the door.

At this moment, the Yang family members who were escorting the bride entered the house carrying a wedding quilt. Without saying a word, they unpacked the bundle and spread the quilt on the still empty wedding bed.

In Yunhu, when people get married, no matter how poor the groom's family is, they must prepare a new bed, and no matter how little the bride's family brings as dowry, they must provide two wedding quilts.

Yang Xingxiu brought not just two wedding quilts, but several.

The two older women first laid out two cotton quilts, then pulled open the bright red sheets and laid them out, all while chanting auspicious words, "Laying out the bed, laying out the bed, may you have many children and grandchildren, may you have a son first and a daughter later, may you be blessed with both fortune and honor, and may you always be auspicious."

After laying out the sheets, I placed four quilts on the bed. These quilts were originally folded, but now I had to unfold them and refold them because the folding methods were different.

When it was brought, it was folded in the "tofu block" style. Of course, I'm not referring to folding the quilt into a tofu block, but rather the method of folding the quilt.

Now it needs to be changed to horizontal stacking.

First, lay the blanket flat, then fold the two horizontal edges a little bit, then fold it in half again, and then fold it in half again.

These ladies are all skilled at housework; they pulled the blanket apart, and then...

"Oh dear, this red envelope is mine!"

"Haha, I snatched two!"

"There are still some there, mine."

...and so on.

Yes, that's right, red envelopes were stuffed into the dowry!

It doesn't matter how much or how little money you have; the main thing is to bring good luck.

Accompanied by the chant of "Make the bed, make the bed, joy and happiness, everything is joyful, happiness and good fortune," the four quilts were folded again and piled up at the head of the bed. The Zhang family then quickly brought over a winnowing basket and placed it on the bed, which contained peanuts, red dates and candies. Everyone knows the meaning of this, so I won't go into it.

The ceremony isn't over yet. When the newlyweds enter the house, a welcoming feast is naturally held. In Yunhu, the way the groom's younger brother or sister does this is to bring in a basin of water to wash the bride's face.

Today, it's Zhang Cuie who's in charge, since she's the youngest in the Zhang family this generation.

Zhang Cuie wore a light yellow mid-length trench coat given to her by Teacher Chen, and a bow hair clip given to her by Teacher Chen. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl in the room, almost overshadowing the bride.

Chen Fan: I didn't even know back then that these things couldn't be given away!

Fortunately, everyone in the village knew he didn't know the proper etiquette, so they just laughed it off and no one misunderstood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to explain himself no matter what. Zhang Cuie carried a small enamel basin filled with water into the house, grabbed a towel, wrung it out, and without Yang Xingxiu having to do it herself, she held the towel and wiped her new sister-in-law's face. Then she grinned foolishly, "Hello, Sister Xingxiu..."

Zhang Wenliang immediately patted the back of her head lightly, "Silly girl, what do you want me to call you?"

Zhang Cuie immediately realized what she meant and quickly changed her address, "Hello, Third Sister-in-law, I wish you and Third Brother a long and happy marriage, a lifetime of love and happiness, and many children. May your life be sweet and blissful."

Yang Xingxiu happily took her hands, saying, "No wonder you learned from Teacher Chen, your voice is so sweet."

He then pulled a large red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand, saying, "This is from my sister-in-law, take it."

Zhang Cuie smiled broadly, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

After the "washing away the dust," Yang Xingxiu was considered a member of the Zhang family, and the new house was temporarily put into use.

It was already noon, and outside the house, the Zhang family invited their guests to have lunch in the courtyard of the brigade headquarters.

According to the rules, only one person from each household is allowed to attend the banquet, so despite the Zhang family's repeated calls, those who were not going to eat still went home on their own.

The host's invitation is just a polite gesture; if someone actually goes over to eat, although no one will say anything to their face, there will definitely be a lot of whispers and gossip behind closed doors.

Of course, if the host sends two or more people to lead the guest to the seat of honor, it means they are genuinely inviting the guest, and that's a different story.

Chen Fan gave a gift, and it was the "highest standard" available at the time, a full "1 yuan"!
Even if it's a gift from a close uncle or aunt, it's just a favor, nothing more.

However, a few years later, this standard, which had been used for more than a decade, was no longer sufficient. It first rose to two dollars, then to five dollars, and by the 1990s, it had started at 50 dollars. It was not until the new millennium that it stabilized at 200 dollars.

But don't expect a single banquet to cost two thousand; back then, it was quite common for families to go out to eat together.
And the banquet was even more expensive!

Fortunately, banquets are not expensive now. Although Lujiawan made a fortune this year, it still maintains its "hard-working and simple" style. Secretary Yang and Captain Zhang set the standard for Liu Jujiang at 6 yuan per table.

He had already given money as a gift, and as the wedding car driver today, he naturally deserved to sit at the head table.

However, when Captain Zhang invited him to sit at the main table, he refused and decisively jumped to the side to sit with Captain Yang.

Look at the table; in the middle is a pot of braised turtle. Since the turtles were caught by myself in the pond, I'm not calculating the cost of the ingredients, only the cost of the seasonings.

After a quick examination, Chen Fan noticed that the turtles this year were all quite small!

Looking at the other dishes, there was braised carp, stir-fried eel segments, stir-fried pork liver, stir-fried pork kidneys, stir-fried pork, stir-fried chicken pieces, braised pork with pickled vegetables and soybeans, fish cake with three delicacies, stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings, fish skin jelly, and finally a bowl of egg drop soup.

Chen Fan didn't believe that a total of 12 dishes would cost only 6 yuan, unless the ingredients weren't even included in the price!
Putting aside other things, a plate of stir-fried chicken made with about a pound of chicken, plus some side dishes, costs 3.6 yuan in a restaurant. And that bowl of braised pork belly, with at least half a pound of meat, costs more than a yuan.

或者按照小份菜算钱，炒肉丝1毛3、红烧鲫鱼1毛3、炒青菜3分、……，抛开份量算价格，这桌菜6块钱的标准倒也能说得过去。

After everyone was seated and all the dishes were served, the wedding banquet officially began after the host said a few words and the newlyweds bowed in thanks.

Captain Yang raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Fan's, laughing, "Company Commander Zhang's wedding today is truly grand. I haven't seen such a lively wedding in many years."

Tang Xianjun, the team leader of Team 7, was busy picking up food with his right hand and making a gesture with his left hand, "In 15 years, the last time it was this lively was when so-and-so from Team 9 got married, it was quite a lively affair."

When Team Leader Zhong Zihong heard that it was his team, he immediately turned around and laughed, "That's nothing compared to the excitement further ahead."

Chen Fan was very curious about these things and immediately asked, "What were weddings like in the past?"

Someone nearby replied, "No matter what it looks like, it certainly won't be as impressive as you driving a small Jeep as your wedding car today."

Yang Chuanfu nodded first, then clicked his tongue, "It's a pity we didn't put up a 'double happiness' character, otherwise it would have been more fitting."

Zhong Zihong laughed and said, "Take it slow. If it were a year ago, who would dare to hold a wedding like this?"

Chen Fan blinked. "So, how were weddings done before?"

Yang Chuanfu put down his wine glass, looked around at everyone, and said with a smile, "Teacher Chen is a writer, so he probably wants to gather some material to write articles in the future."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xianjun immediately said, "I know this well, let me tell you."

The others looked at him with smiles, saying nothing, clearly acknowledging his familiarity with the situation.

Chen Fan also stared intently at him.

Tang Xianjun took a sip of wine and said, "If you want to talk about when the most grand wedding was held, it was in 55. Before that, we didn't have the means, and after that, it wasn't allowed. So, the weddings in 54 and 55 were the most elaborate."

He got so excited that he put down his chopsticks and gestured as he said, "On the wedding day, the matchmaker has to follow you from beginning to end, because the excitement depends entirely on her."

The bride's family must dress her up very early in the morning, and there's even a hair-combing song while she's getting ready. Then there's a farewell song for saying goodbye to her parents, followed by the veil being put on, getting into the bridal sedan chair, the sedan chair setting off, walking on the road, leaving the sedan chair, passing through fire, entering the house, carrying the "descendant bucket,"...

He suddenly stopped, looked at Chen Fan and smiled, "Teacher Chen, do you know what a 'descendant bucket' is?"

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table waved their hands.

Yang Chuanfu looked at him with disgust, "We're eating, why are you bringing that up?"

Tang Xianjun laughed and said, "That thing is auspicious too, haven't you used it before?"

Chen Fan glanced left and right, then said thoughtfully, "So it's a toilet?"

Tang Xianjun immediately gave a thumbs up and laughed, "That's right, it's a toilet."

He gestured as he said, “Toilets are one type, and there are also foot basins and buckets. Back then, wealthy families were very particular about things. The ‘descendant’ bucket was made of top-quality wood and was carved and painted red. It was quite something.”

Yang Chuanfu shook his chopsticks helplessly, "Hurry up and move on to the next one."

Tang Xianjun chuckled and then recounted everything from the bride entering the hall to the wedding ceremony, the wedding night, the wedding banquet, and finally the grand wedding feast. It was a long and detailed account.

Chen Fan listened with great interest, thinking to himself that he should ask Master Lu again sometime, since he was sure to be very familiar with this kind of folk custom.

Soon after, the bride and groom came over to offer toasts, and the courtyard became lively.

After several rounds of drinks, some guests finished their meal, said goodbye to the host, and went their separate ways.

However, some people remained seated and did not move.

Chen Fan's table was one of them.

Chen Fan looked around. "Why have so many people left?"

Yang Chuanfu was also a little drunk at this point. He lit a cigarette, nodded his chin toward the newlyweds, and said, "We'll have tea later."

After saying that, he turned to look at Chen Fan and smiled, "You're not married yet, so you don't need to have tea. You can sit over there for a while."

(End of this chapter)