Chapter 158: Chapter 158: My Cousin's Wedding (Part 2)
The bridal party was led directly to the threshing floor next to my uncle's house. Half of the floor was filled with the dowry, which was being displayed for all to see.
Feng Yiping looked at it and saw that there was everything from the everyday to the decorative, from the small, such as teapots, fruit plates, and washboards, to a bucket painted red with the character for happiness.
The bigger items include tables, various boxes, a set of cabinets, and a large wardrobe. Oh, it has a name at this time, called a dressing room, because there is a large mirror embedded in the front door of the cabinet. This is the fashionable furniture in the countryside nowadays.
There were also some other things, such as baskets and baskets that are used in rural households, and they were all filled with grains, beans, peanuts, sesame seeds, etc. Of course, this also has a meaning, but Feng Yiping was very worried about the people carrying these burdens, they were very heavy!
The groom's party went around the dowry and of course praised it, saying that the dowry of the Erbo family was solid and beautiful. Of course, these were just empty words, just listen and laugh.
Most people were told to rest, while the groom, accompanied by a few eloquent brothers, set off on his new journey with a red envelope, as well as wedding candy, fruit, cigarettes and other gifts.
There was no choice, because his family was waiting for the bride to go to the wedding hall and start the banquet. The time for the wedding ceremony had been calculated by a fortune-teller, and there was no room for delay, as it would be considered an ill omen. The people from the bride's family would also lose their temper if there was any delay.
However, the next part of the journey was really not easy. He had to squeeze his way through the crowd of women surrounding Yuhua's house, enter the house, and then escort Yuhua out.
This 10-metre stretch of road was probably the most challenging part of the day for him.
Along the way, he had to throw out sweets, fruit and cigarettes, and deal with any difficult situations. The most important thing was to be careful of being groped.
In the countryside, women who had started a family and had children were not ordinary and fierce on such occasions. They openly and brazenly flirted with the poor men, pinching their arms, feeling their faces, squeezing their breasts, and that was not even the worst of it.
In short, these men were quickly overwhelmed by the army of women, and all they could be seen doing was blocking their way left and right, smiling and bowing, saying kind words, and handing out gifts to beg for mercy. However, no one watching could hear what they were saying, as all they could see was their mouths moving.
Most men in their rural area have to go through this when they want to marry a wife. At the front door, a group of men gather around, arms folded, watching the fun. Some of them have probably already gone through this ordeal, and now they are laughing heartlessly and loudly as they watch another brother suffer.
After overcoming five obstacles and slaying six generals, he finally entered the room. Of course, it didn't end there. Inside, there was still a woman waiting for him. After a while of loud noises, he gave a red envelope and said all the right things before he was allowed to take out Sister Yuhua, who was dressed in red.
This scene is actually reciprocal. Now the husband's family is making things difficult for the new husband, and when Sister Yuhua arrives at her new home, someone will similarly try to make trouble in the bridal chamber and make things difficult for the new wife.
Sister Yuhua couldn't stop crying as she walked, while her second aunt leaned against the door, wiping her tears away with her hands. Several of her sisters-in-law were also red-eyed, surrounding her and trying to comfort her.
When I was young, Feng Yiping couldn't understand or get used to this scene. What's the point of crying during a happy occasion? I thought it was pretentious and artificial. It was only when I grew up that I slowly began to understand.
To be honest, objectively speaking, apart from the rare cases where a man marries into a family, the vast majority of women are born with more pressure than men, because they are destined to adapt to at least two families throughout their lives.
Especially for those like Sister Yuhua, they don't fall in love on their own, but marry through matchmakers. After marrying, they have to live with their in-laws. They go from being their biological parents' daughter to becoming their in-laws' daughter-in-law. They are torn between their feelings and the uncertainty and lack of certainty about the future. It's normal to cry.
As for the second aunt, her sadness is much more understandable.
The two young girls who are supporting her on both sides are gently persuading her, taking out the handkerchiefs they have prepared long ago to wipe her tears. After walking a few steps, they reach a crowded place, and Yuhua stops crying. Of course, her eyes are still a little red.
In the countryside, there is also a saying about crying on the wedding day. People will say that a girl who cannot cry and keeps smiling is either heartless or missing her man.
But it is not good to cry too much either. Firstly, this is always a happy occasion and it affects the atmosphere. Secondly, mainly the people from the bride's family who welcome the bride will inevitably have thoughts. Is this a sign of unwillingness, or are they worried that she will suffer when she goes to our place?
Following the newlyweds, everyone moved. The Feng family was busy carrying the dowry, Feng Yiping carrying a tall washbasin stand on his back, standing at the front. His eldest uncle came over first and said, 'No matter what happens, don't look back, don't turn around!'
Later, Feng Zhanchang and his fourth uncle also came to say the same thing, and his cousins also gave him the same advice one after the other. His ears were starting to hurt from all the advice. There was no way around it, there were many customary taboos for weddings in the countryside.
For example, right now, if he, the leader of the bridal party, walks halfway and turns around to face the way he came, it's not a good sign. It means that the young couple will go back the way they came and there's a possibility of divorce in the future.
So Feng Yiping is determined. For Sister Yuhua, even if he falls, he will face forward.
When the auspicious hour arrived, the drummers and musicians started playing, the firecrackers were set off, and Fourth Uncle gave the signal. Feng Yiping led the way, with the basin stand facing away from him, while those carrying the dowry behind him also exerted themselves, surrounding the couple and walking together up the hill.
The journey went smoothly, and Feng Yiping did exactly what the elders wanted. He didn't even turn his head to look back, let alone to the side.
The journey to the bride's home was not long. Once they had arrived at the hillock, they found a flat area and Uncle Feng Yiping was stopped by Fourth Uncle. One of the groom's uncles took the basin rack from Feng Yiping and handed him an envelope at the same time. The two sides began to hand over the items, and from here on, the dowry was taken over by the groom's entourage.
Oh, yes, the red envelope is only given to the one carrying the basin rack.
Another burst of firecrackers sounded, and a group of people from the bride's family set off to see the bride off. This group of people did not feel good when they arrived on the other side, including the few women who followed them. It was very normal to be forced to drink.
Watching the couple go away to the sound of the drums and gongs, the people in the village and the onlookers chatted about their experiences today, and walked back in groups of two or three. Next, they waited for the banquet to start.
The waiters, including Feng Yiping, joined the large group in the kitchen and ate a big bowl of egg noodles with a lot of pork. For the rest of the day, they could only watch as others ate, and they were busy serving without saying a word.
After 3 pm, the guests who had brought gifts went home one after the other, and the hungry waiters joined the others who had been busy the whole time to set up three more tables.
Before leaving with the waiting uncles, he deliberately asked Feng Zhenchang again, 'Dad, when are you going back?'
'I still have some things to do tomorrow, so I'll go the day after tomorrow morning!'
In that case, he won't be able to go to school. Well, "will you come visit me?" Just in case, he played a little defensively.
'I'm afraid I won't have time. The two days I've been back, I've asked my brother-in-law to help with the morning shopping. He's also busy, and if I didn't have things to do tomorrow, I'd want to go now.'
Feng Yiping pretended to look unhappy and aggrieved, but in fact he was overjoyed! Before graduating from junior high school, his parents really couldn't meet with the teacher, otherwise the many days off he had taken on the pretext of going to the provincial capital would definitely be revealed.
As for Dong Ming's brother and sister, they would not return to the provincial capital until three days later, after their younger sister had returned from her wedding.