Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 752 Final Preparations for Cui Yuan's Wedding

the other side.

Today is the wedding day of Cui Yuan and Liu An.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was like it was soaked in syrup, overflowing with a rare festive spirit.

Cui Yuan touched the brand-new blue cloth jacket on the kang (a heated brick bed) – the result of three sleepless nights of work by Aunt Wang next door to Liu Antuo.

Although the fabric was the most common work cloth, it was made stiff, and the stand-up collar and Chinese knot buttons were finely stitched, which made his usually pale face look more energetic.

Liu An was also awakened by his mother, Tian Hua.

Tianhua took out a bright red floral corduroy overcoat that she had treasured for many years from the bottom of the trunk; it was the decent dress she wore when she got married.

"My dear girl, from today onwards you are a member of the Cui family."

Tian Hua's voice choked as her rough fingers ran through her daughter's long, black braid. "When you get there, be diligent and live a good life with your brother Yuan."

Liu An rolled her eyes: "Mom! What are you talking about? I'm just getting married, it's not like I'm never coming back."

"If you can't bear to part with me, I will come to see you every day from now on."

Tian Hua's eyes, which were brimming with tears, immediately stopped when Liu An interrupted her.

"You're a young lady, why do you keep saying such things?" After saying that, she lightly slapped Liu An.

"Ugh! What are you doing, Mom! This is such a bad day!" Liu An pouted.

"This will teach you a lesson. You're not young anymore, and you're already married, but you're still acting like a child." Tianhua tapped her daughter's forehead.

"Okay!" Liu An pouted, unconvinced, then turned to look at her makeup and styling in the mirror. It looked pretty good.

Just after ten o'clock, the courtyard became noisy.

Master Liu Huazhong was the first to arrive. His gray Zhongshan suit was washed until it was faded but buttoned up neatly. He carried a bulging cloth bag in his left hand and a bamboo basket in his right.

"Yuanzi, An'an! Things are tight these days, so this little bit of cornmeal and brown sugar is just for your master to eat."

The sound of footsteps trembled slightly as Senior Brother Shen Mu strode in carrying a small burlap sack: "These are millet sacks from my hometown in Northeast China! They're great for making porridge!"

Li Kailang followed closely behind, carrying a cloth bag, from which snow-white flour spilled out.

Bai Xiuwen also came in carrying a small bag of rice.

Other relatives and friends also arrived one after another, each bringing some food with them.

A basket of sun-dried sweet potatoes, a clay pot of oily pickled vegetables, and a bag of fried peanuts.
The amount of food that everyone brought was not much, but it was a token of their goodwill.

Holding a wedding banquet at this time, inviting everyone to gather together for a meal, is a huge expense, and no one will want them to suffer a loss.

Relatives and friends arrived one after another, and the courtyard instantly became lively.

The small courtyard in front of the main house was swept clean and shiny, with two simple square tables set up and covered with red cloth. Although simple, the celebration was not diminished.

Relatives and friends chatted and laughed, and the food they brought made the banquet seem exceptionally simple.

"The auspicious time has arrived!" Shen Mu's roar had barely faded when a string of firecrackers crackled and popped outside the courtyard.

Liu An helped his mother out of the room, her red coat blazing like a fire against the ashen courtyard.

Cui Yuan strode forward, and their hands touched.

Master Liu Huazhong straightened his slightly hunched back and stood solemnly in the central courtyard: "Today, everyone has come to attend the wedding of my disciple and niece. On behalf of the two children, I bow to them!"

He bowed deeply to all four directions, and applause erupted amidst responses of "it should be" and "it is right."

"Although Yuanzi has only been learning from me for a little over two years, she is steady-handed and meticulous. An'an is my own niece, sensible and reasonable! From now on..."

The ceremony was extremely simple.

There is no such thing as bowing to heaven and earth first, and bowing to one's parents second.
There was no exchange of tokens, no red tape.

But when Cui Yuan lifted the sleeve of Liu An's red jacket and tied the red rope handed to her by her master around her wrist, the cheers in the courtyard almost overturned the roof tiles.

"it is good!"

"congratulations!"

Congratulations on your marriage! May you grow old together in happiness!

Everyone offered their blessings.

The wedding ceremony concluded, and preparations began for the banquet.

The kitchen was filled with steam.

Several relatives helped with the preparations, using all the grain that everyone had brought.

Knead the wheat flour and corn flour together into a yin-yang shape, roll it out, and cut it into strips the width of chives.

Stir-fried radish and cabbage with field flowers, and drizzled with three drops of sesame oil on pickled vegetable shreds.

The white flour that Li Kailang sent was shaped into thirty ingot-shaped dumplings. When the steamer was lifted, the aroma made people's stomachs rumble.

The fried peanuts also came in handy at this moment.

Soon, the banquet was ready.

Everyone held their bowls and chopsticks, slurping the noodles.

Shen Mu squatted on the steps, holding a large bowl and drinking soup, his Adam's apple bobbing like a drum.

Liu An's younger brother, Liu Qiang, chewed the dumplings carefully, oblivious to the oil dripping from between his fingers. After finishing, he licked the bottom of the bowl clean and stared at Cui Yuan with a silly grin: "Brother-in-law, when are you going to hold your nephew?"

Liu An's cheeks flushed red, while Cui Yuan silently added dumplings to her bowl.

In no time, the small courtyard was bustling with activity.

Everyone chatted and laughed, and although there wasn't much fancy food, everyone enjoyed the meal.

The bustling activity at the Cui family's house made the desolation of the other families in the courtyard seem all the more apparent.

Jia family.

Hearing the cheers coming from the back room, Madam Jia Zhang did not feel so good.

Lying crookedly on the kang (a heated brick bed) with his leg wrapped up, he spat through the window, "Poor pauper! Not even a piece of meat!"

Thinking of the beatings in the juvenile detention center, she pounded her chest and wailed, "My poor grandson! I don't even know who he's being beaten by!"

Qin Huairu stood in the shadows, clutching a rag, wondering if Banggeng had suffered, since he had never left her side before.

Its sudden disappearance makes it all the more precious.

I wanted to see the Korean drama, but when I thought of what Yi Zhonghai said, "You can tell a person's future from the age of three, and their character from the age of seven," I hardened my heart.

As Qin Huairu heard the sound of firecrackers, she suddenly remembered herself eight or nine years ago: a red coat, a bridal sedan chair, and sweet, soft wedding buns.
Now all that's left is an ice-cold heated brick bed and three hungry mouths.

In the front yard, Yan Bugui clicked the beads on his abacus, gazing at the back house.

He originally planned to give 50 cents, which would allow him to both bless the person and get a free meal – wouldn't that be wonderful?

Unfortunately, Cui Yuan refused to accept him, didn't invite him, and didn't even let him in the door!
Yan Bugui's scheming skills are now known throughout the courtyard. If he goes, his whole family might go with him.

Cui Yuan hadn't planned to invite so many people, and besides, there wasn't much food; if Yan Bugui's family came, they'd eat the whole place.

“Another one got married!” Yan Jiecheng lay on the bed, gazing wistfully at the ceiling, while bursts of laughter reached his ears.

"Ah~"

Of the younger generation in the entire compound, very few are still unmarried.

Li Kailang, Chen Tongjing, and the others in the back room are not included.

Li Kailang and Chen Tongjing are both younger than him, and their jobs are better than his. How can he compare? After a few sighs, Yan Jiecheng quickly composed himself.

"Who cares? I'll get married then. Anyway, my good days aren't far away. Just five more months, it'll be over soon. I've endured almost two years, so what's a little more?"

After the afternoon banquet ended, the courtyard returned to tranquility.

Tianhua led the people to wash the pots and pans, and Cui Yuan also put away the grain that everyone had brought.

Liu An took off her bright red coat, folded it neatly, changed back into her patched old clothes, and helped her mother wash the chopsticks and spoons.

With everything settled, Tianhua gave Liu An her final advice: "Live a good life with your brother Yuan from now on."

"Okay, Mom!" Liu An couldn't stand her mother's nagging anymore, so she said a few words to Cui Yuan and Aunt Cui before leaving.

Cui Yuan and Liu Anjin finally have their own new home. Liu Anjin is still reminiscing about the wedding and says to Cui Yuan:

"Brother Yuan, let's go see a movie."

Cui Yuan nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to you today."

After attending Cui Yuan and Liu An's wedding, Bai Xiuwen went home, told Xu Sinan, and then headed straight to the scrap yard.

He was going to make final preparations.

On the first day of August, station manager Wang Chengcai approached him and talked about the exhibition on turning waste into treasure.

"Xiaobai, the exhibition dates are set. It's next Monday, which is seven days from now. The 'Turning Waste into Treasure' exhibition will be held at the Cultural Palace for half a month."

"There will be a cultural troupe performing at the opening of the exhibition, and leaders will come to inspect it. Whether it succeeds or fails depends entirely on this exhibition."

"While you still have time, prepare as much as you can. This will last for half a month, so prepare as much as possible to avoid any problems that may arise."

"Don't worry, stationmaster, I will do my best!" Bai Xiuwen nodded emphatically.

This exhibition was very important to both of them, and they had been preparing for it for two or three months.

Bai Xiuwen first went to the repair room of the scrap yard to see if there was anything he had forgotten to take.

The 'treasures' to be exhibited at the exhibition have been taken over one by one these past few days. Now we're just taking one last look to make sure there's anything we haven't taken yet.

Besides the baby, there are also some documents to take out, including the materials and scripts that Wang Chengcai asked him to memorize. These materials represent the results of his work over the past half month and are equally important.

As the saying goes

After that, my workplace will be there, and I'll probably be there all day, so I won't have time to come here.

"I've taken everything I needed, there shouldn't be anything I forgot." Bai Xiuwen checked several times to make sure he didn't find anything he'd forgotten.

We headed straight to the Cultural Palace.

The Cultural Palace no longer looks as spacious as it did a few days ago when the exhibition was first set up.

The various booths have already taken shape, with "treasures" of all sizes and shapes carefully placed on the stands, shelves, and even specially constructed miniature landscapes, each labeled with its name, source from the waste recycling station, and function.

The air was filled with the fresh smell of paint and wood, and faintly mixed with the unique smells of rust, paper, and old plastic that are characteristic of the recycling station.

Bai Xiuwen took a deep breath, and the mixed smell seemed to have a magical power, instantly dispelling much of his fatigue.

As he passed through each exhibition area, Bai Xiuwen couldn't contain his curiosity.

They used discarded bicycle chains, bearing balls, tin cans, and other materials to weld together abstract animal and plant shapes, which are full of power.

Some lamps are made by polishing the bottoms of broken glass bottles and piecing them together to create a dazzling display.

These things are not very practical, but they are full of creativity.

When Bai Xiuwen first saw these 'treasures', inspiration spontaneously arose in his mind.

I wish I could go back to the junkyard immediately and use these ideas to create 'treasures', but I don't have enough time, so I have to put it aside for now.

Wang Chengcai laughed and said, "Turning waste into treasure, besides its practical value, aesthetics and sentimentality also count as 'treasures,' right?"

This insight broadened Bai Xiuwen's thinking, turning waste into treasure, and the scope seemed wider than he had expected.

It exists not only in the reshaping of physical structure and function, but also in the re-creation of emotional connection and aesthetic value.

This multi-dimensional collision is what makes the exhibition truly exciting.

He silently made a mental note: When introducing the product, in addition to explaining its function and production process, one should also point out the "past life" of the material itself and the "emotional warmth" it has gained after being given new life.

They quickly walked back to their own exhibition area.

The location isn't the best, but it's still pretty good.

The first batch of core exhibits, brought from the scrap yard, has been properly installed.

The most eye-catching one is naturally the foot-operated manual coal crushing and making machine.

Next to it is an energy-saving coal combustion device made of wire mesh and old iron sheets welded to the bottom of an enamel basin.

The results of turning waste into treasure are all on display here, with space reserved next to each item for displaying explanatory materials.

Wang Chengcai happened to be there too, meticulously checking the exhibit list with a small notebook in hand.

"Xiaobai, you've come at the right time! I see that the main exhibits are all there, and I've checked them against your list. The safety check has also been done, everything is fine."

"Thank you for your hard work, Station Master." Bai Xiuwen put down the heavy file bag. "I still need to make sure these 'precious items' are properly stored."

He opened the file folder, inside were stacks of neatly organized documents:

The text on the display panels details the raw material composition, design concept, and key technologies for turning waste into treasure for each core exhibit.
There's also an interactive Q&A plan, a thin booklet, but the content is comprehensive.

This involves extracting over a dozen core questions and answers that might be asked, covering topics such as production methods and cost estimations.

He distilled a few concise core answers for each question to make it easier to respond.

Station Master Wang is right, "A bad pen is worse than a good memory," a quick glance at a crucial moment can save your life.

This can't be displayed; I have to keep it myself to avoid being asked questions and not knowing the answer.

There were also a few small cards that seemed to introduce the exhibition, with a brief introduction to the exhibits and some data.

Most importantly, of course, is the presentation script. This is not a script that you have to memorize, but a well-organized logical tree diagram.

He marked out the points that different viewers might be interested in and what the key points needed to be emphasized. He memorized this script for more than half a month. Even Xu Sinan got tired of hearing it and could recite it by heart.

Wang Cheng had anticipated this information, and he naturally had a part in its creation.

"Great! This preparation is thorough!"

"The leaders' inspection route after the opening ceremony will be fixed, but for our own booth, we'll have to rely on your words and these materials to bring our treasures to life, explain them clearly, and make them resonate with everyone!"

He patted Bai Xiuwen on the shoulder, "You must be exhausted these days?"

Bai Xiuwen shook his head slightly: "It's alright. I don't feel tired when I feel confident."

Wang Cheng nodded. "Me too."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

This is a major event for them, and no amount of hard work or toil is too much.

The two didn't chat much before getting right to work, placing different written descriptions in front of the exhibits.

After confirming that no core components or key information of the exhibits had been missed, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

People from other exhibitions also arrived one after another to make preparations, and the Cultural Palace was already bustling with activity.

Everyone is making final preparations and waiting for tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)