Reborn in 1966

Chapter Twenty-Six: Before the Ceremony

Mr. Shen said, "Why did you let Ruolan sleep alone in that room?"

Mother Shen said, "Ruolan may look gentle and weak, but she has always been strong-willed. Since she said she has lice, she definitely doesn't want to sleep on our kang. For such a proud and strong child, it's already clear that she can't say it. Let's just go along with her wishes."

Mr. Shen said, "You're right. Sigh~ I still remember how Ruolan looked playing the piano in that white dress back then, and look at her now..."

Shen's mother said, "That's right. I still remember when Professor Meng's son brought Ruolan back to China. She was such a little girl, like a little dumpling. Look at her now, it's such a tragedy."

Mr. Shen said, "No matter what, as long as we're alive, that's all that matters. As long as we have people, we have hope."

Shen's mother said, "How did Ruolan come all this way? I wonder how much hardship she endured along the way."

Mr. Shen said, "Don't think about it anymore, go to sleep. We'll ask him properly tomorrow and we'll know."

The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Shen were awakened by the sound of sweeping in the yard. Looking out the window at the barely bright light, Mrs. Shen said, "Let's get up quickly, it's probably Dad sweeping the yard again."

Mr. Shen said, "Well, it will be fine in a couple more days. In a little while, you can look around and find a suitable outfit for Ruolan. After breakfast, I'll take it to Professor Meng first."

When Shen's father opened the door, he found that it was Meng Ruolan sweeping the yard.

Mr. Shen quickly snatched the large broom from Meng Ruolan's hand and said in a low voice, "Why are you up so early, child? You're at the age where you're growing. If you don't get enough sleep, you won't grow tall."

Meng Ruolan smiled and said, "Uncle Shen, it's alright."

When Shen's mother came out and saw Meng Ruolan in the yard, she quickly pulled her into the house and said, "Ruolan, Auntie found some old clothes for you. They're a bit too big for you. I'll alter them for you later. After breakfast, your Uncle Shen will take you to see your grandfather."

Meng Ruolan said, "Auntie, thank you."

Shen's mother said, "I'll boil a big pot of water first, so you can take a good shower. Professor Meng must be so worried if he finds out you've come all this way. Let's dress neatly and cleanly before we go to see your grandfather."

Meng Ruolan nodded.

Before Shen's mother could finish boiling the water, Pei Hua and Pei Jun got up. When Pei Jun saw Meng Ruolan, he said in surprise, "Aren't you Meng Ruolan? What are you doing here?"

Meng Ruolan smiled and said, "Hello, Shen Peihua and Shen Peijun."

Peihua said, "Meng Ruolan, when did you arrive? It must have been several years since we last met. I heard from your grandfather that you were in the capital."

Meng Ruolan said, "A lot has happened. I'll tell you about it when I have the chance."

Shen's mother helped Meng Ruolan take a bath in the backyard, put on her own clothes, and then, with Shen's father's help, went to the primary school to find her grandfather, Professor Meng. Meanwhile, the people in the Shen family courtyard continued to fry, cook, and prepare the banquet under the guidance of the head chef, Sixth Grandfather.

Another busy day. Tomorrow is National Day, which is also the wedding day of my second uncle, Shen Shengqin, and Tian Lingling.

Tomorrow, many relatives will be coming to attend the wedding ceremony and drink the wedding wine. We need to prepare to pick up the bride early in the morning, so the whole family is going to bed early.

When Shen's mother asked about taking Meng Ruolan to see Professor Meng that morning, Shen's father said, "Professor Meng thought he was dreaming. The two of them hugged each other and cried on the spot. It took several teachers to comfort them and stop them."

Shen's mother said, "Didn't Ruolan say why she traveled such a long way to find this place by herself?"

Mr. Shen said, "Ruolan's account was very vague. She only said that she heard Hu Jiming mention this place, stole a map from the school library, and asked around all the way here. She finally found Shenjia Village, but she didn't know where Professor Meng was. It was getting late, so she didn't dare to complain to him. She was so hungry that she saw that we had a wedding banquet, so she thought she would find something to eat first."

Shen's mother said, "She's a clever child too."

The next day, before dawn, Grandma got up, found the clothes that she and Grandpa could only wear during the New Year, used an enamel mug to hold hot water to iron them flat, and put them on. She also cleaned the yard and tidied up the new house. The whole family happily prepared to go and pick up the bride.

Mother Shen cleaned up her east wing room and put on clean clothes. She even put on a new floral cotton dress over Pei Yin's thin cotton-padded jacket and trousers. This dress was made by Aunt Shengquan and had been ready for a long time. She was just waiting to wear it today.

The campaign to "destroy the Four Olds and establish the Four News" and to change customs and traditions now advocates for a revolutionary, modern wedding. Weddings no longer involve sedan chairs to fetch the bride; instead, bicycles are commonly used. There are no longer feng shui masters to help with choosing auspicious times. It's said that many weddings take place on Labor Day, Army Day, and National Day. The newlyweds, witnessed by family and friends, bow deeply three times to Chairman Mao to express their revolutionary loyalty, then bow to the revolutionary masses attending the wedding to express their gratitude. Finally, the couple bows to each other, and the important part of paying respects to the parents is no longer included.

This is the wedding process back then. The requirements in the city were strict, and it is said that banquets were not allowed. The strictest period was probably in 1968. This new trend has not yet spread here. Weddings in the countryside are still the same as before. You can have a celebratory banquet and relatives and friends can get together and have a good time. I guess it will not be like this in the future.

My great-uncle helped set up a ceremony venue outside the courtyard. In any case, we should set a new standard and follow the instructions from higher authorities. Of course, the instruction that wedding banquets are not allowed has not yet reached us. It seems that weddings will soon be prohibited from having banquets.

It was already late August, and the temperature was a bit low, especially in the mornings; some people were already wearing padded jackets. Pei Yin, held by Shen's mother, stood outside the courtyard watching her fourth grandfather and several young men hang a piece of white cotton cloth on the wall, then put a portrait of Chairman Mao on it. She overheard her second uncle telling his family that some places had already started requiring morning and evening reports, and Pei Yin guessed that Shenjia Village would soon follow suit. Pei Yin couldn't help but think of her college classmate's uncle, a fanatical follower of a certain Li, who claimed to be his spiritual mentor. It was said that at his most obsessed, he would put Li's portrait in the most conspicuous place in his house and would carefully report everything he did to his mentor every day. When her classmate's aunt complained to her family, she said it was just like the morning and evening reports of that era.

Today, all the visitors were relatives. They started arriving after breakfast.

The younger sister-in-law, who lived nearby, was the first to arrive.

The whole family of Shen Shengxuan, the younger sister, came. It was the first time Pei Yin had met her uncle, Zhao Tiezhu. He was not tall, but looked rather sturdy. He didn't talk much and had a shy smile on his face. As soon as he arrived, he helped Shen's father with various tasks.

Before long, Shen Shengqiong, the eldest aunt of the second grandmother's family, arrived at the Shen family with her five children and husband.

When the second grandmother saw her eldest daughter and her family return, she wiped her eyes with joy. As soon as the children arrived, they went to play with children of similar age. Zhang Taihe and Zhang Tainian followed Peihua to help the adults with chores, such as carrying tables and chairs or carrying household items. After Aunt Qiong met her parents with her husband, she went to talk to Shen's mother, who was holding the child.

Of all the children in the Shen family, it seems that this aunt is suffering the most. Because of her family's bad class background, she had to go on stage and participate in the criticism meetings held by the commune and village. When the production team arranged production, she was always assigned the worst and most tiring jobs.

This was the first time Pei-Yin had met this aunt. Because of the autumn harvest, she had been exposed to the sun all day, and her face was a dark, oily black. Her eyes were bright, and she had short hair that reached her ears. Perhaps all the hard work made her look a little tired. She looked older than her parents, but she wasn't actually that much older. It was the hardships of life that made her look much older. However, Aunt Qiong's smile was very warm. There was no bitter smile from suffering, only a calm smile.

Mother Shen led Aunt Qiong to the east wing, where Pei Yin sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked curiously at this somewhat legendary aunt.

Aunt Qiong smiled as she looked at Pei Yin, who was scrutinizing her. She then pulled Pei Yin into her arms and said, "Pei Yin, is this your first time meeting your aunt? Look at your curious little eyes."

Mother Shen brought Aunt Qiong a bowl of water and said, "Sister, take a rest first. We won't be able to sit and talk like this when we go to pick up your wife later."

Aunt Qiong said, "Okay, Peiyin is almost a year old, right?"

Shen's mother said, "Yes, he'll be one year old in November. Shengjue is so young, I don't know if he can come today."

Aunt Qiong said, "She will definitely be able to come. The baby is already four months old, so she should be able to come over soon."

In April, my second aunt's youngest daughter, Aunt Shengjue, gave birth to a boy, bringing the family to four children: two boys and two girls.

Mother Shen said, "Sister, my eldest sister came back a few days ago and stayed for two nights. She didn't have time to visit you."

Aunt Qiong said, "How is my eldest sister now? I haven't seen her for many years."

Shen's mother said, "They were sent down to the cadre school with my brother-in-law. Fortunately, it's not too far from us. My sister said that many people who made mistakes were sent down to the cadre school. They have to work in the fields every day. I guess it's very hard."

Aunt Qiong sighed and said, "Thinking back on those days when we were together in the capital, it feels like a dream."

Shen's mother glanced outside and whispered to Aunt Qiong, "My eldest sister said that we shouldn't worry about saving face or take those insults and abuse too seriously. The most important thing is to survive. As long as we're alive, there's hope."

Aunt Qiong nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, that's what I think too. We have several children in our family. I've already talked to the children's father, and no matter how hard or tiring it is, we have to raise our children well." She had a faint smile on her face, which made Pei Yin feel a little sad. Such a talented and beautiful woman had to do all kinds of dirty and hard work, like digging up grave bricks and carrying manure, because of her husband's family's class background.

Peihua came in and called to his mother, saying that his second uncle had gone to pick up his new wife and would be back soon.

Shen's mother and Aunt Qiong got up, straightened their clothes, and went to the front gate to prepare to welcome the bride.

Pei Yin was held by Aunt Qiong and stood outside the gate, watching the busy people coming and going. It felt like she was in a rural village in the 1980s, but it wasn't.