Chapter 93 Welcoming the bride
1959 10 Month 1 Day.

"Little girl, have a dream. I dreamed that my mother-in-law came to make a bet, with real gold bars, wrapped in gold ingots, a pink skirt with a golden phoenix, embroidered shoes, and a butterfly dream."

According to the marriage rules of the old capital, the dowry must be delivered the day before the wedding.

Giving the dowry is the woman's responsibility, and it usually takes place one or two days before the auspicious date.

All the dowry was packed into boxes and food boxes and hired to carry them, two people at a time, and escorted to the man's home by the groom's brothers.

The day before, the bride's family invites four, six or eight male guests to deliver the dowry, and the groom's family also invites people to welcome the dowry. The items are counted by the number of people carrying them. The second time, only a few things that women usually use are prepared, and shoulder-carrying people are hired to deliver them, without carrying them. If there are more people carrying them, drums and music will be played in front of the dowry, and the groom's family will welcome them with drums and music. However, recently, some people also send the dowry on the wedding day.

It's just that in the new society, this step has been simplified. Zhou Weiguo drove with Liu Zhiye's two younger brothers and went directly to Gan Ning's house to bring him back.

After the Liu family received the dowry, the groom Liu Zhiye had to go to the Gan family to "thank the dowry" on the same day. He had to kowtow to thank the Gan family, but he did not stay there. After kowtow, he went home.

Each box in the dowry has a red envelope placed on the four corners. Some contain copper coins, while others contain dimes. There is no objective standard for this, it just symbolizes some joy.

The second day of the tenth National Day.

Early in the morning, the courtyard became bustling with activity as preparations for a special wedding were being carried out in full swing.

Today, in this courtyard, a special wedding is about to take place.

Originally, the organization planned to organize this wedding for Liu Zhiye, but he politely declined.

He is well aware that in this special period, people have begun to tighten their belts and live a frugal life. As a leading cadre, he should set an example and the trend of lavish spending is not in line with the current situation.

He chose to do it himself, which undoubtedly caused discussions among people around him. In such an environment, his unique choice will undoubtedly attract all kinds of comments.

But his persistence just demonstrated his noble character and became a breath of fresh air in this special period.

Liu family in the east courtyard.

Sha Zhu, his apprentices Ma Hua and Liu Lan built a temporary stove in the yard.

"I say, old ladies, please be quick. After picking these vegetables, there will still be more in the house." While he was busy with the work in his hands, he urged the aunts who were helping him to work faster.

In Liu Zhiye's parents' room, Liu's father was verifying the guest list with his third uncle Yan Bugui to ensure that no distinguished guest was missed.

"Jingzhai, come here, are there any names missing that need to be added?" Yan Bugui handed the guest list carefully written with a brush to Liu Jingzhai.

"Great! So beautiful! Old Yan, these smooth and flowing calligraphy are beyond my reach. They are truly amazing," Liu Jingzhai exclaimed sincerely.

forecourt.

Yan Jiecheng ran out of the Chuihua Gate in a hurry.

behind him.

Liu Zhiye shouted, "Slow down, kid. You look so impatient..."

"Hahaha……"

Zhou Weiguo, Xu Damao, Yan Jiefang, Liu Zhitai, Liu Tielin, Guo Yunpeng, Liu Guangtian, Liu Guangfu, Officer Li from the police station and a group of energetic young people are also here to help.

They surrounded Liu Zhiye and looked at him, looking so heroic in his brand new white police uniform.

"Brother! You look really energetic today."

"Of course you are. You should go out and ask around. Is there any other energetic guy like our brother on the whole street?" Everyone nodded with envious looks on their faces.

Liu Zhiye looked particularly energetic in his white police uniform, with a confident smile on his face, as if declaring his determination and courage to everyone.

"Hey! Hey! Keep a low profile..."

They are boasting here.

Aunt Liu hurried in, her tone revealing a bit of nervousness and anticipation, "Zhiye, are you ready? The auspicious time has arrived, you should set off." Her voice was full of concern and nervousness that could not be ignored.

When the auspicious date arrived, the groom personally led the ceremonial procession to pick up the bride, and set out at the time specified in the "Tongshu", which seemed particularly solemn and sacred.

"Okay! Brothers!" Liu Zhiye looked like a mountain king coming down from the mountain to snatch a bride, appearing very domineering.

"Yes!" These energetic young men also shouted in unison, their voices uniform and full of joy and anticipation.

"Let's pick up the bride!" Four young people, today both the driver and the wedding guests, plus boys and girls whose parents are still alive, are ready to embark on this wedding journey full of laughter and joy. As usual, the bride's car (palanquin) cannot be empty, so a young child with both parents must sit in it to press the sedan, and hold a teapot in his hand, commonly known as the "teapot bearer".

In the teapot, put a little water, a piece of tofu, and a bat-shaped red velvet flower on it. Because the second character of tofu and bat is the same as the word "Fu", it symbolizes double blessings. Also, cover the teapot with a square piece of red silk for later use. Because the sound of silk is similar to music, it symbolizes lifelong happiness!
Before the car started (before the sedan was started), Yan Jiecheng and Guo Yunpeng would first fumigate the car (the sedan), and use a mirror and a "Constitutional Book" to shine a few times into the car (the sedan) to drive away evil spirits.

This is not a superstitious activity, it's just a sense of ritual.

After the car started, it slowly drove out. Xu Damao lit the firecrackers triumphantly. He had an argument with Liu Guangtian about this.

"Crackling, crackling..."

When the neighbors heard the noise, they all came out to watch the fun.

"Wow! Whose wedding is this? So extravagant, using three cars to pick up the bride."

"Not so good, it's really a knife pulling the butt - I opened my eyes today."

"I heard it was Director Liu from Yard 95!"

"It's this one! That's amazing, there's nothing to say, it's this one." He said while giving a thumbs up.

……

"The eldest girl is the eldest, the second girl is the second, and the youngest girl will send me a message when she goes out. Put up a big tent and paste wedding characters. There are twenty pairs of ox-horn lanterns. The bride has two buns and the bride's wings are big. The eight-round jacket has a big opening, and the four-wheeled carriage has two horses."

Three jeeps covered with red flowers came all the way to Jingdong's family compound. Since we had arranged in advance, we came all the way to the Gan family's small villa.

The door was already closed in advance.

Liu Zhiye, along with his two younger brothers, Liu Zhitai and Liu Tielin, his subordinate Zhou Weiguo and Li the clerk, were knocking on doors outside.

The voice of Gan Ning's sister came from inside.

"Want to come in? Of course. Brother-in-law, please give me a red envelope first!" Gan Ning's sister Gan Zi said with a smile. She is the youngest daughter of Gan Ning's uncle, a lively and lovely girl.

Liu Zhitai handed in the red envelope as prepared in advance.

There was no difficulty inside, and it was quickly opened, and the trumpeters played festive music. This gave Liu Zhiye, who had experienced wedding pranks in the future, a false alarm, and he did not expect it to be so easy.

Liu Zhiye led a few brothers and rushed in. After seeing a large group of relatives and friends blocking the living room, Liu Zhitai took out a handful of red envelopes and threw them at them, which is commonly known as "stars all over the sky".

Gan Ning's uncle Gan Weiguo was the steward of the Gan family. He received Liu Zhiye's wedding guests and the wedding procession and entertained them with tea and wine.

The prepared "descendants' bowls and chopsticks" are placed in front of the bridegroom, and the bridegroom is asked to take them to the groom's family. The "descendants' bowls and chopsticks" must not be knocked or damaged, otherwise the man and woman will not live long, so both parties think it is a big deal and are especially careful.

At this time, the man will hand over the red velvet flower and square red silk brought by the child "carrying the teapot" to the woman's family. The woman's family will then invite two female relatives and friends, a total of four people holding the four corners of the red silk veil, and pass it in front of the newlyweds, saying auspicious words such as "peace all year round, a happy marriage for a hundred years, grow old together, good luck and good fortune"

Then put the red velvet flower on the bride, and then put the "red silk veil" on her head.

At this solemn and sacred moment, Liu Zhiye and Gan Ning, a couple, both knelt devoutly in front of Gan Weimin and Professor Cui, and respectfully offered them the carefully brewed tea.

"Dad! Mom! Please have some tea." Liu Zhiye smiled and handed the teacups to his father-in-law and mother-in-law who were full of expectations and blessings.

"Okay! Okay! Zhiye, Gan Ning will be handed over to you from now on. May you and your husband love each other forever, grow old together, and be happy forever." Gan Weimin was deeply moved, with a light of relief and joy flashing in his eyes.

"..."

At this moment, Liu Zhiye and Gan Ning felt unprecedented happiness and responsibility. They knew that they would shoulder the burden of the family, work together for this warm family, and stick to their love for each other to the end.

Gan's father and mother said a few words of blessing, and then everyone received a big red envelope. This scene was full of love and respect, as well as joy and blessings.

Finally, because the bride was unable to touch the ground, Gan Ning was carried into the jeep by her brother Gan Yong.

Gan Ning's elder brother Gan Yong was a mighty and majestic man who attracted much attention. His cousin Gan Meng was also a man of great bearing. They escorted the bride together and were praised by many guests.

My sister-in-law Fu Chunhua is beautiful and charming, like a blooming flower. My cousin Ganzi is gentle and elegant, with graceful manners.

The two of them served as Gan Ning's bridesmaids.

"Crackle, crackle" there was another burst of festive firecrackers.

After saying goodbye to the Gan family, they got on the jeep together and drove back, attracting countless eyes along the way.

(End of this chapter)