Three Women in the Cage

Chapter 26 Welcoming the bride

This morning, the weather was warming up, the air was filled with a comfortable smell, and there was a harmonious and somewhat exciting atmosphere everywhere.

"Hey, everyone start to get busy. All the men should go outside to help, set up the tables and stools, and build the shed. Yu'er and I will prepare the ingredients inside. People from the neighboring villages will be here to help soon, so start the preparations," Zhang's mother happily called on everyone in the family to get busy.

"Sanmao, you are the groom today, so dress yourself well and don't embarrass yourself," Zhang's father patted Zhang Sanmao's shoulder, with satisfaction that could not be hidden on his face.

Soon, the neighbors who came to help also came. These people were all frequent guests at banquets, and they were very skillful. Soon, the ingredients were laid out in pots in an orderly manner, ready to be put into the pot before the meal started.

Under the shed outside, there were tables lined up, about twenty of them in total, which was quite grand.

Guests arrived one after another, and slowly there began to be some noise. Zhang's father, Zhang's mother, and Zhang Sanmao had already started to greet the guests outside. Next to them was a man who wrote gift money. He was taking the gifts one by one and writing the amount on the gift book.

"Yu'er, go outside and put some melon seeds and candies on the table for the guests who arrive first to eat and add some festive atmosphere," Zhang's mother said casually.

"Hanhuan, come, let's go out with mommy to put out the candies." Yang Yu took the hand of Huanhuan, who was over one year old, and coaxed her outside.

At this time, the outside was already bustling with activity. Almost all the guests had arrived. Father Zhang and the others were greeting them with smiles on their faces. The atmosphere was filled with joy everywhere.

As bursts of firecrackers rang out and the dinner was served, people began to take their seats slowly, and soon more than 20 tables were filled with guests.

Yang Yu had already carried Huanhuan on his back, carrying a bowl of rice, and went outside to greet the guests. He went to each table in turn, licking the rice, and after filling a bowl, he went to get another one. When they were all filled, he continued to walk around to ensure that those who needed more were served promptly.

After a while, people carrying plates of hot dishes came in quickly, shouting loudly, "The dishes are here, take the dishes to each table," and then walked to each table.

"Second sister-in-law, add another bowl of rice here," a voice suddenly rang out. "Hey, right over," Yang Yu hurried over following the voice. Just as she finished adding her bowl, someone else called out, "Hey, add this way," and Yang Yu quickly went over again, shuttling back and forth like this.

"Sister-in-law, you have the baby and you should eat first. The baby must be hungry," a neighbor said, not wanting to see Yang Yu busy. Then, the neighbors chimed in, "Yes, yes, let the baby eat first. Come and eat. Feed the baby." As everyone kept urging her, Yang Yu said sheepishly, "It's okay. You guys eat. I just gave her some food. She's still full." Then, she headed to the kitchen. She was actually a little hungry. She didn't have the baby to feed, but the whole family was busy, so she didn't want to be lazy and start gossiping. They didn't like her and her daughter to begin with.

Entering the kitchen, they were constantly placing the dishes from the large basins into bowls one by one. Because each dish had to be placed in twenty bowls, there were more than a dozen dishes, so the staff seemed a bit busy. Seeing Yang Yu come in, Zhang's mother hurriedly urged, "Yu, come and help with the plating. We are all busy and there are still a few dishes to be served."

So Yang Yu started to help serve the dishes again. While they were taking the dishes out, he quickly served some food and took it to the inner room. He pulled Huanhuan to sit down, quickly fed her a few mouthfuls of food, let her eat by herself, and then ran back to the kitchen to help.

After the dishes were served, the helpers could rest and eat. Yang Yu followed suit and ate a few bites. Then he went to check on Huanhuan. Huanhuan had finished her meal in the back room and had fallen asleep on the table. Yang Yu picked her up and put her in bed. When he came out, he heard someone outside shouting for the helpers to come out and clean up the dishes. The kitchen started to bustle with activity again, and Yang Yu had no choice but to clean up as well.

While they were packing up, the wedding procession began to line up and prepare to set off. The group marched towards the bride's house in a mighty procession accompanied by the beating of gongs and drums.

The remaining guests in the yard, some sat chatting and laughing, some played cards around a few tables, and some ate melon seeds to join in the fun, creating a festive atmosphere.

After everything was cleaned up, it was time to prepare for the dinner. Several large pots were constantly burning with blazing fire, and pots of vegetables were constantly stir-frying on the stove. Yang Yu helped to wash and cut the vegetables, and everyone in the kitchen was busy.

When the dinner was about to begin, a sudden shout broke the lively atmosphere, "The wedding procession will be here soon, everyone should take their seats quickly, get the firecrackers, gongs and drums ready, and get ready to welcome the bride."

Suddenly, those who were playing cards stopped, those who were chatting stopped, and those who were cracking melon seeds stopped. Everyone couldn't sit still and was eager to get closer to the bride. They were all excited and thrilled.

The sounds of gongs and drums could be heard from afar. The people setting off firecrackers immediately stood in the front, followed by the people beating the drums. The other guests crowded in the back, stretching their heads and shouting, "Quick, quick, the bride is coming!" They were all laughing and shouting, it was very lively.

As the wedding procession approached, firecrackers rang out and gongs and drums began to beat. The bride, standing in front, was wearing a red wedding dress and was supported by her groom as she slowly stepped into the yard. Immediately, the guests in the yard cheered. A group of children rushed over and stopped the bride and groom to ask for red envelopes. Some guests cheered on the side, and the bride and groom were sent into the bridal chamber amidst a shove.

Then there was another round of shouting, "Friends and relatives, please take a seat, the meal will be served soon." As everyone sat down, people coming and going to add rice and serve dishes came in, and shouting was everywhere.

After the guests had all taken their seats and begun to eat, another shout was heard, and the bride and groom were ushered out. After Zhang's father and mother took their seats, the bride and groom bowed to heaven and earth and were served tea. The guests ate and watched with delight, shouting and cheering, creating a noisy atmosphere.

After paying respects to heaven and earth, the bride was escorted back to the bridal chamber, where the groom came out to greet the guests. After dinner, and after a group of people had a good time in the bridal chamber, the guests gradually dispersed, and only then did the room finally quiet down.

Yang Yu was tired, truly exhausted. Huanhuan had fallen asleep on his back, and now he could finally rest and have a good meal. He went to the kitchen, casually prepared a bowl of rice, and then immediately started to clean up the dishes. There was so much stuff to wash and organize, and by the time he finished, it was already very late. Yang Yu returned to the bedroom, put Huanhuan down from his shoulders, held her in his arms, and lay on the bed. He felt like his whole body was falling apart, and his stomach ached slightly.

But tiredness and sleepiness had already swept over her, and without having time to think too much, she fell asleep.

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