Reborn in 1966

Chapter Twenty-Four: Installing the Cabinets

The arrival of the Tian family to "assemble the dowry" caused quite a stir in the village. The Tian family didn't have many children, and Tian Lingling was the only girl of her generation. She was doted on by everyone in the Tian family. Marriage was a major life event, and although the village secretary Tian didn't want to be in the limelight to avoid suspicion, he couldn't resist the aunts and older women who brought gifts from each other. So, when the Tian family used two handcarts to carry the dowry to the Shen family around nine o'clock in the morning, it attracted a lot of people to watch.

The two female guests invited were both very cultured and tactful people from the same village. They could exchange a few words and make jokes when they met, so when the eight female guests who were installing cabinets arrived, the small courtyard of the Shen family was filled with bursts of laughter.

Early in the morning, Shen's father accompanied Tian's sixth grandfather to buy the things needed for the banquet. The sixth grandfather directed several young men from the province who came to help to set up a shed by the south wall of the courtyard and build two large stoves. Before long, the courtyard was filled with an enticing aroma. Pei Yin, who was sitting in a wicker basket under the sycamore tree, sniffed and felt her salivary glands become even more active.

Everyone did their part. An eight-immortal table for entertaining guests had been set up in the main room. On the table were melon seeds, candies, teapots, and teacups. One long bench was placed on each side of the house, and two chairs were added. The table was just right for ten people to sit down.

The Tian family was brought by an older woman named Tian Lingling. This woman spoke frankly and seemed quite satisfied with everyone bustling about in the Shen family courtyard, indicating that the Shen family was very pleased with the marriage. There were only three days left, and they were already so busy. This older woman and the grandmother arranged the furniture brought from the Tian family in the bridal chamber, and put the small pastries they had brought in red bundles into drawers and cupboards, sealing them with red paper.

After they finished doing all that, the female guests sat down in the main room. They chatted about village affairs or told jokes, and bursts of laughter filled Pei Yin's ears. Pei Yin thought to herself, "They say three women are worth a hundred ducks. This room full of women, and married women who aren't shy at all, must be worth hundreds of ducks!"

Peiyin sat in the wicker basket, feeling the joy and happiness of the people coming and going. She felt quite happy too. Marriage is a big event, especially in the countryside. Often, a wedding causes a sensation throughout the entire village. Not to mention the people who come to see the new bride on the wedding day, just the banquet alone requires inviting people two or three days in advance. It's not just some relatives who have to come to the wedding feast; almost the whole village has to attend. These weddings and funerals are all about reciprocity. If you come when my family has an event, I must be there when yours has an event. Otherwise, after several decades, many people who have lived in the countryside would say that social relationships are so weak now. Why? Because these social interactions are gone. Each family lives their own little life behind closed doors. Where is the warmth of this now, where the whole village comes to witness the wedding, contribute money, drink the wine, and send blessings?

Leaving aside the fact that Pei Yin was contemplating these important matters, everyone who entered the courtyard saw a ten-month-old girl wearing a light floral padded jacket under the sycamore tree. Her features were exquisite, her skin fair, and she would generously offer a big, sweet smile to anyone who came. The sweetness of this smile often touched the softest part of people's hearts. So, before she even got a seat, Pei Yin was carried around to visit her second uncle's new house, saw her second uncle and aunt's "Yanfang," which means new furniture, and was even given a small, long noodle by a female guest from the Tian family.

In rural weddings, these molded pastries are indispensable. Pei Yin had seen her grandmother, mother, and Aunt Shengquan set up a griddle in the yard to make them. The dough had to be made a little stiff. A piece of locust wood was made into wooden boards of various sizes, and then various models were carved on the boards, such as small fish, flower baskets, birds, and various flowers. The dough was put into the mold, flattened, and then the dough was knocked out. Finally, the dough model was placed on the griddle and baked.

There were also small sugar dumplings made from bread. The thin dough was filled with a little brown sugar mixed with flour, and the folded edges were pinched into a flower shape before being baked on a griddle. Grandma gave Pei-Yin one, and Pei-Yin ate it for a long time, thinking it was the best pasta she had ever eaten. It had the fragrance of wheat and the sweetness of brown sugar. She couldn't forget the taste for a long time after eating it. So much so that many years later, Pei-Yin would still talk about that sugar dumpling with her older siblings. However, she could never find the taste of that time again.

Pei Yin was held by everyone from the moment the guests arrived. Among them was a new bride from the Tian family who had been married for just over six months and was not yet pregnant. The older woman from the Tian family who brought her along joked that Ai Dong's wife should hold Pei Yin properly, because maybe in a few days Ai Dong's wife would be pregnant with a big, healthy boy. Although Ai Dong's wife was married, she was still quite open-minded. Hearing the teasing from the older women, her face flushed, but she still took Pei Yin from someone else's arms, bounced her around in her arms a few times, and then held her steadily.

With her fake loli appearance, Pei Yin overheard many private conversations among the guests of the Tian family.

An old woman whispered to her sister-in-law, "Even though the Shen family is not doing well now, their family traditions haven't changed."

The woman, who had only married into the family in the last two years, asked softly, "Auntie, what do you mean by that?"

The old woman whispered, "Don't be fooled by the fact that the Shen family has always kept a low profile. Back in the day, they were a renowned family of farmers and scholars. Even though this old lady Shen is now a rural woman, her family produced a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) back then. She herself is literate, and her children are even more so. Take Shen Shengqin, for example. He looks so listless, like you can't get a word out of him even if you hit him with a stick. But that's how he is now. Back then, he was a very good student."

My sister-in-law said, "No wonder. I was wondering why Lingling, with such good qualities, would insist on marrying Shen Shengqin instead of someone from the city."

The old woman said, "That's right. Lingling grew up with this group of boys since she was little. How could she not know their skill levels?"

Pei Yin curled her lip. Could our Shen family be an ordinary family?

Both Aunt Shengquan and Chen Qiuping are very eloquent. They can praise people to the skies, and when it comes to the bride's dowry, they can talk about it in a very colorful way, making both the bride's and groom's families smile from ear to ear.

When seating arrangements are made, it is very important to strictly distinguish between host and guest. You must not sit in the wrong place, otherwise you will be laughed at for being rude and lacking manners.

My great-uncle often helps the villagers with weddings and funerals, so he knows exactly how to do it. Plus, since everyone is from the same village, they often joke around and tell jokes, so there's never a dull moment. Therefore, the husband's family did their best at the banquet, and the wife's family also cooperated fully, and it finally went very smoothly until the end.

After seeing off the people who were installing the cabinets, Grandma stood at the door and rubbed her back. Shengqin quickly took Grandma's arm and said, "Mom, you've really worked hard today."

Grandma said, "I'm not tired at all. My youngest son is about to get married, and my heart is filled with joy. No matter how tired I am, I don't feel tired at all."

Holding Shen's mother, Pei Yin reached out to her grandmother and called out "Oh oh oh". Her grandmother took her hand, tapped Pei Yin's nose, and said with a smile, "Today, our Pei Yin is a little star too. Look, she doesn't act naughty at all when she's talking and eating with us."

Mr. Shen said, "Mother, you should go and rest. I'll hold Peiyin."

Grandma said, "No need. I haven't held this little darling all day, and I feel really uneasy. Shengsi, you and Shengqin should see if you can prepare another meal to properly entertain your sixth and fourth uncles. They've been helping out all day."

After the bride's dowry is brought into the new house, the newly made furniture for the wedding is placed in the bridal chamber. At night, a child must sleep in the bride's bed. It is said that doing this will make it easier for the bride to conceive after the wedding.

It's usually the boys who sleep in the new house, but sometimes they let their own little girls sleep there. Grandma originally wanted Peitian to sleep in the new house, but Peizhi wanted to go too because she thought it was interesting. So Grandma let her second uncle take the two children to sleep in the new house. The second grandmother said with a smile, "That's good. Maybe we'll have twins after they get married."

Pei-Tian and Pei-Chi were very excited about sleeping in their second aunt's new bedding. Even though it was late, they could still hear the sounds coming from their second uncle's new house.

Peitian's voice said, "Second Uncle, Second Uncle, tell me one more story and I'll go to sleep, just one."

Peizhi chimed in, saying, "Second Uncle, really, just tell me another one, like the story of Little Soldier Zhang Ga. I promise my Third Brother and I will go to sleep after hearing it."

Pei Yin was still eavesdropping when she heard Shen's mother and father whispering in her room, "These two kids have been busy all day but they don't seem tired. I think their second uncle is going to be driven crazy by them."

Mr. Shen shifted his body, let out a long sigh, and said, "We can't sleep well in a new place, let alone in a new house where everything is new and exciting. Don't blame the two kids for staying up so late."

Mother Shen said, "Today I saw that the people from the Tian family were very satisfied, so all my hard work these past few days has not been in vain."

Mr. Shen said, "We're all from the same village, and our two families have a good relationship. We can't invite those who cause trouble to this kind of occasion. It's all about getting along well with each other."

Before drifting off to sleep, Pei Yin was thinking that no matter what the new bride was like, it was important to have good in-laws. Back in her day, some people refused to get into the wedding car because the groom wouldn't buy them a new TV. Thinking about it now, it was all just pointless fuss.

The next morning, Fourth Grandfather came with Shen's father, Second Uncle, several children, and a few helpers to carry the tables, chairs, benches, cups, bowls, plates, and spoons that had already been agreed upon for borrowing.

My great-uncle used a small notebook to write down what he borrowed from whom, what it looked like, and that he had to return it after using it.

Except for the new house, which couldn't be used for the banquet, all the other rooms in the house were used for the banquet. They even arranged two tables at the house of Aunt Quan, who lived not far away.

Starting at noon, the family had to prepare for the wedding banquet for the villagers. Because of the lighting problem, my great-uncle planned to only have a banquet at noon and skip the evening. Since there was no electricity, lighting so many candles was unsafe and a bit wasteful.