svetikya Chapter 288 Marriage
Chapter 288 Marriage
"Yes, it's family business." Father Zhou picked up a piece of braised pork with a smile, "Master He's cooking skills are so good, no wonder the big leaders all praise it."
Little Mudan suddenly poked her head out of Yu Li's arms and asked in a baby voice, "Is grandpa a higher official than the factory director?"
The whole table was silent. Father Zhou laughed and picked up the little girl: "Grandpa, I'm just a clerk." He took out a White Rabbit candy from his pocket and said, "Here, have some candy."
Sha Zhu stared at the candy and suddenly remembered that when supplies were in short supply last year, this "White Rabbit" was a special supply. He then looked at Zhou's father's simple clothes and his calloused hands, and suddenly felt at ease - this was a man who really got things done.
After three rounds of drinking, Zhou's father stood up and said goodbye. When he sent him to the gate of the courtyard, he suddenly whispered to Sha Zhu: "Old He, Qisheng is a stubborn child who insists on relying on himself. You have to bear with him..."
Sha Zhu patted his chest and said, "Don't worry! We in the He family value character the most!"
The black car slowly drove out of the alley, and Xu Damao emerged from the shadows in the corner: "Silly Zhu! You've climbed too high!"
"Get lost!" Sha Zhu kicked him. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll treat you like a carrot carving!"
Back in the house, Yu Shui was holding the set of "The Complete Works of Marx and Engels" and couldn't let it go. Zhou Qisheng squatted on the floor to help her sort the books, the warm light reflected on his glasses.
"Brother..." Yu Shui suddenly looked up, "Uncle Zhou..."
Sha Zhu waved his hand: "Never mind that. Remember, we are marrying Zhou Qisheng as a person, not his father's position."
Yu Li chuckled: "Oh, our brother Zhuzi has become more aware!"
The morning sun shines through the window lattice and onto He Yushui's dressing table. She is wearing a brand new army green uniform, with a Mao badge on her chest, and her jet-black braids are neatly combed. Today is the day she and Zhou Qisheng get married. There is no sedan chair, no firecrackers, only a warm heart.
In the center of the courtyard stood a square table covered with red cloth, with a bust of Chairman Mao in the middle. On either side of the statue were two Little Red Books tied with red ribbons, looking solemn and simple.
Zhou Qisheng was also wearing a neat Zhongshan suit with a Youth League badge on his chest, standing nervously at the gate waiting. His parents were unable to attend due to work reasons, so they only asked someone to bring a pair of enamel pots printed with "Serve the People" as a wedding gift.
"The newlyweds are in place!" the old man who served as the master of ceremonies shouted solemnly.
Yu Shui walked out of the inner room holding Sha Zhu's arm. Sha Zhu wore a blue cloth jacket without oil stains, which was rare today, and his eyes were a little red. Yu Li stood by holding Xiao Mudan, quietly wiping her tears.
Zhou Qisheng and He Yushui stood side by side in front of the portrait of Chairman Mao, holding up the Little Red Book in their right hands.
"Dear Chairman Mao," Zhou Qisheng's voice trembled, "I, Zhou Qisheng, and Comrade He Yushui have become revolutionary partners today. We promise to respect and love each other, make progress together, and fight for the construction of socialism for the rest of our lives!"
Yu Shui then swore: "I, He Yu Shui, will be a good revolutionary partner, be frugal, support my husband's work, and contribute all my strength to the cause of communism!"
The neighbors in the courtyard spontaneously applauded. Xu Damao wanted to say something sarcastic, but Qin Jingru pinched him hard, causing him to grimace in pain.
After the ceremony, Sha Zhu brought out a large tray: "Come, come, have some wedding candy!"
They were called wedding candies, but they were just ordinary hard candies, with two for each student. But the children were still cheering and carefully flattening the candy wrappers and putting them in their textbooks as bookmarks.
Yu Li took out the "three turns and one ring" that she had prepared long ago - this was the dowry she had secretly saved for many years: a sewing machine, a bicycle, a watch, and a semiconductor radio.
"Sister!" Yu Shui waved her hands in shock, "This is too expensive!"
"Keep it!" Sha Zhu waved his hand, "Your brother is now the canteen director, so he doesn't need this!"
Zhou Qisheng was so moved that he didn't know what to say. He could only bow deeply and said, "Brother Zhuzi, Sister Yu, I will definitely treat Yushui well."
The simple wedding banquet began. The dishes were simple: cabbage stewed with vermicelli, potatoes and pork, a plate of scrambled eggs, and the staple food was steamed buns made of two-grain flour. But everyone enjoyed the meal, and even the third uncle Yan Bugui did not complain for the first time.
At the dinner table, Zhou Qisheng took out a piece of paper and said, "Rainwater, I wrote a little poem for you."
Yu Shui took it with a red face, and saw the following words written neatly on it:
"I don't like red makeup, I like weapons.
Let us fly together on the road of revolution.
Today I swear before the Chairman,
"We will always be together, looking towards the sun."
Sha Zhu came over to take a look and was delighted: "Good boy! You are worthy of being on the People's Daily!"
As the sun sets, the newlyweds bow three times to Chairman Mao's statue, and the wedding is complete. There is no wedding night prank, no red tape, but the rain and Zhou Qisheng's tightly held hands are more dazzling than any gold or silver jewelry.
The sea breeze from Victoria Harbor blew across the terrace of the Peninsula Hotel with a salty and humid smell. Lou Xiao'e, wearing a well-cut white cheongsam with an exquisite pearl brooch on her chest, quietly looked at the sea in the distance.
Next to her, a little boy of about three or four was standing on tiptoe, trying to reach the cake on the table. The boy had delicate eyebrows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and when he smiled, he looked exactly like Sha Zhu.
"Xiangbei, slow down." Lou Xiao'e stopped him softly and reached out to hold the child on her lap.
"Ms. Lou, sorry to have kept you waiting." A middle-aged man in a gray suit came over with a gentle smile on his face. He was Chen Zhiming, a small businessman in the textile business. He was much poorer than the Lou family, but he was a down-to-earth and reliable person.
Lou Xiaoe smiled slightly: "Mr. Chen."
Chen Zhiming looked at the little boy with a gentle gaze: "This is Xiangbei, right?"
The boy shrank timidly into his mother's arms. Lou Xiao'e gently stroked his back: "Call me uncle."
"Hello, uncle..." Xiangbei's voice was soft, with the unique erhua sound of Beijing dialect.
Chen Zhiming took out a small tin car from his pocket: "A gift for you."
The boy's eyes lit up and he looked up at his mother. Lou Xiao'e nodded, and he took it carefully: "Thank you, uncle."
The wedding was simple, signed at the law firm. Although Lou's father and mother were not very satisfied with their son-in-law's family background, they acquiesced to the marriage when they saw that he treated Xiangbei as his own son.
In the evening, Chen Zhiming prepared a simple family dinner at his new home in Kowloon Tong. Lou Xiaoe helped Xiangbei put on a brand new suit and a red bow tie.
"Mom, are we going to see Dad?" Xiangbei suddenly asked.
Lou Xiao'e's hands trembled, and her bow tie almost got crooked. She squatted down and looked her son straight in the eye: "Xiangbei, Uncle Chen will be your father from now on."
"But..." The little boy tilted his head, "Didn't you say I have a father in Beijing?"
Outside the window, the neon lights of Hong Kong lit up one after another, dyeing the night into colorful colors. Lou Xiao'e looked at the northern sky, as if she could see the familiar courtyard through thousands of mountains and rivers.
"That dad..." She held her son in her arms, her voice as soft as a sigh, "He has his own family."
Xiangbei nodded, not quite understanding, and his attention was quickly attracted by the cream cake on the table. Lou Xiaoe looked at the child's innocent smile and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
On the wedding night, Chen Zhiming found Lou Xiao'e, who was in a daze on the balcony.
"What's wrong?" He handed over a cup of hot tea.
Lou Xiao'e took the teacup, the hot steam filled her sight: "Xiang Bei he..."
"Don't worry," Chen Zhiming said solemnly, "I will treat him as my own son. In the future, whatever our children have, Xiangbei will also have."
In the distance, the lights on Taiping Mountain twinkled like stars. Lou Xiao'e looked at this unfamiliar prosperity and gently leaned on her husband's shoulder.
In a courtyard house in Beijing, Sha Zhu was holding Little Mudan and looking at the stars.
"Dad," the little girl suddenly pointed to the brightest star in the sky, "What is that star?"
Sha Zhu squinted his eyes and looked at it for a long time: "That is... the morning star."
He didn't know that at this moment in that city in the south, there was also a person who was looking at the same starry sky.