Seeing that they were chatting happily, Auntie came in with a kettle and poured each of them a bowl of boiling water. She also asked everyone if they needed more food. Only the village chief Shitou and the vegetable farmer added a portion. After everyone finished eating, they chatted for a while. Afraid of delaying the tractor driver's return trip and because it was getting late, we paid the driver the return freight and sent them off.
"Auntie, this is the first time I have a guest at home today. You really made me look good. Thank you very much. In the future, when we have money and open a big hotel, we will have to ask you to come and manage it." After seeing off the guest, he entered the carpentry. Yang Liufang in the small courtyard thanked his aunt.
"Thank you first, Auntie. I originally wanted to cook some vegetables for you, but Auntie is too tired from rolling out the noodles this morning."
"It's already good! Auntie, you've been tired for the whole day. Clean up and go back to rest early. We'll have dinner at 7:00 tomorrow morning."
Day after day, although villagers continued to make some tables, chairs and benches, repair chopping boards, pot lids and the like in preparation for the New Year, this did not affect the progress of the old horse dealer's furniture at all. The head of Shitou Village hired workers from the village to carry wood and rotated them 15 times. Every time a new worker was rotated, he said he would work as a furniture factory worker and eat commercial food. The villagers actively participated. There were only two young men in charge of spray painting. From the beginning, they had to teach each other step by step. Yang Liufang and the village chief Shitou kept watching. They gradually became more proficient and are now able to complete the spray painting of small furniture independently.
Wang Shan and Li Tongfu still did not stop going to the countryside to sell goods. Because it was winter, the socks, gloves and needlework business were doing very well, and some families had already started buying towels for the New Year. On the 26th, the two went to Hongtu Village to hand over the second batch of soap. In the evening, Li Tongfu told Yang Liufang that his personal savings now amounted to more than 15,700 yuan. Yang Liufang was very happy after hearing this, but he didn't show it. He thought that he would get better and better and make more money in the future.
On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, Li Tongfu was ready to return to his hometown of Wenzhou after visiting his hometown for the last time. He entrusted Zhang Feng to buy him a ticket at the station in advance, saying that it was difficult to buy tickets during the Spring Festival travel period, and he happened to be going back, so he had no choice but to grab a high-priced sleeper ticket. Yang Liufang was busy making furniture, and he had only taken the train once in his life. When he heard that there were so many people buying tickets during the Spring Festival, he would definitely have to squeeze into the train again. Thinking about his experience of trying to squeeze into the train when he came to Xizhou, it made him nervous. Wang Shan became anxious when he heard that Zhang Feng was going home.
"Oh, what if he gets married after he leaves?"
"What does your marriage have to do with others?" Yang Liufang was a little confused.
"Oh, Eda also wants to ask you to use his car as the first driver to arrange the wedding with him. It's not convenient to hire someone else's car that you are not familiar with."
"Oops, I forgot about this!" Yang Liufang slapped his head in frustration.
"Brother, when you go to Zhang Feng to pick up the ticket, you must ask him to find a way, even if you find someone familiar with you to drive over."
"Well, I'll take care of it. Wang Shan, you see, my brother and I have to go back together. He is busy with furniture, and I can't leave the two elders of the family alone. So I'm really sorry that I can't attend your wedding."
"Brother Fu, you took me to make money. Xiao Yang made furniture for me so cheaply, and now you worry about my car for my wedding. I can't thank you enough. Fulfilling filial piety is a must. Go back and say hello to my second elder for me. , Xiao Yang spending the New Year here in Emeng (us) also reassures them."
"Brother, take out 5,000 yuan from my bank account and buy some specialties for the two elders and my master's family. Give the rest to the two elders for me. Consider me filial to them."
"Brother, it's all nonsense. I'm here. If you want to honor me and apply for an ID card when you go back next year, take it back with you."
"No, I'll do it."
"Oh, your father and mother are not my godfather and godmother? After all, I am also an elder brother." Seeing that the two of them were about to quarrel, Wang Shanlai tried to persuade him: "Why don't you two brothers have half of each other? Anyway, you are both rich and don’t care about this.” The two accepted Wang Shan’s plan and stopped arguing.
Li Tongfu has nothing to bring back except his bankbook and a book. He plans to prepare the gifts and specialties he brings home at the Xizhou City Wholesale Market. Wang Shan drove a carriage to see him off, and Yang Liufang also got on it. After he was sent out of the village, he was told to go back and inspect the leather. Wang Shan also gave special instructions about using the carriage, and the three of them reluctantly parted ways.
On the 24th, Wang Shan was entrusted by his father to drive a carriage and ask Yang Liufang to take workers to spray paint the doors and windows of his home. When Yang Liufang arrived, he found that the cave dwelling had been repainted. The village chief Shitou was already there, and he skillfully directed the workers to unload the trucks, scrape the putty, and spray the paint. Yang Liufang also helped with the putty scraping.
On the night of the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, a young soldier in uniform drove Zhang Feng's light truck to Wangshawan. He went to the entrance of the village and asked Wang Shan's family, saying he was here to win some love. No one in the village knew that the young village chief Wang Shan was getting married tomorrow, and someone trotted ahead to lead the way straight to the village chief's house. Qin Jiajun drove behind him. The closer he got to the village chief's house, the more festive the atmosphere became. Big red words of "happy" had been pasted on the tree by the roadside. When they arrived at a gate with a big red word for happiness, the leading villagers shouted: "Chang Cong (Village Chief), Cong Chief (Village Chief), someone from the army is here to attract Shanwa's favor."
"Ouch, you are so stupid, how can you alert the troops! Let's go, the village cadres will come out to greet you." While arranging his clothes, he led the village's accountant, women's director, etc. to come out to greet him, shouting: "Shanwa , Shanwa, the troops are coming, come and greet them."
Wang Shan, who was debugging the radio, was confused after hearing this. Didn't he mean Zhang Feng's car? Why did you switch to the army?
When he went out, he saw his father shaking hands with a young man in military uniform. He recognized it as Qin Jiajun. He had visited Yang Liufang and his second brother-in-law when they were poisoned by spray paint, and they had met once. He hurried over and gave Qin Jiajun a hug.
"Ouch, Brother Qin, why did Xiao Yang alert you to this trivial matter?"
"Oh, we are all brothers. Zhang Feng asked me to find a driver. I was worried. After all, it is your big happy event, so we can't delay it! So I asked for leave from the leader and drove here myself."
"Thank you, Brother Qin!"
"Shanba, please quickly invite the leaders to come in for some noodles. It's so cold in this weather."
"Brother Qin, please come in and have a bowl of wedding noodles. It's relatively simple. Don't mind. I'll find a place for you after dinner. You can rest early. We'll set off to welcome the bride early tomorrow morning."
Qin Jiajun was led into the courtyard illuminated by six bright horse lanterns. He saw that the windows had been covered with red paper, and the door of the cave dwelling was also pasted with bright red words "happy". He was placed at the table of village cadres, sitting next to the village chief, and soon a bowl of hot steamed noodles was served. After eating the wedding noodles, Qin Jiajun was arranged to rest in the village meeting room where Yang Liufang had slept. Although he still slept on a bed made up of tables, the quilts were all new.
The next day he got up early and went to Wang Shan's house. Before I even reached the door of my house, I saw that the front of the truck I drove last night had been tied with red silk wrapped with big red flowers. Happy word. When I walked in and took a look, there were already "repaying favors" in the carriage, which were clothes, shoes, and fabrics given to the woman's parents. There were also two bamboo baskets containing flower buns and melon seeds wedding candies, and a piece of meat tied with red silk. There are two boxes of liquor and two cigarettes, all tied with red silk. Behind the truck is a tractor, which is also wrapped in red silk with big red flowers and the words "happy" on it. However, in accordance with local rules, a little lamb dedicated to the family god is tied in the carriage.
Seeing that Qin Jiajun had arrived, today's happy event manager, who was also the deputy village chief, hurried over to welcome him in and asked him to prepare breakfast. According to local custom, it was still steamed noodles. After he sat down, he saw groups of women in the yard, already busy preparing the big banquet dishes for lunch. Qin Jiajun finished his noodles and was about to go out when the chief manager gave him two packs of cigarettes.
"Brother, I don't know how to smoke."
"Haha, this is a happy smoke. It's prepared for those who want to help." He accepted it. Back in the car, the auspicious time has come. After a burst of firecrackers, a woman wearing a red coat and a red scarf walked out of the yard, carrying Wang Shan with a red silk ribbon and big red flowers draped diagonally, and three others. A strong relative of the same clan with a red flower on his chest. Walking up together, Wang Shan took the woman with red makeup and sat in the passenger seat and the middle seat, and said to Qin Jiajun: "Brother Qin, this is Aunt Er, the grandma who is getting married today."
"How about marrying grandma!" Qin Jiajun greeted, making the woman in red makeup and Wang Shan laugh. When he saw three other people getting into the carriage, he asked, "Can we set off?"
"Let's go!" The married grandma ordered, and the Qin family army started the truck, pulled the gifts, and the tractor behind, a group of people, and two vehicles, and steadily headed towards Zhaomacuan.
