National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1327 The Right Day

June 1987, 6, Saturday, lunar calendar, the second day of the sixth month.

It was a really nice day, with clear weather and white cirrus clouds in the watery blue sky.

But there is only one thing - it’s hot!

The highest temperature of the day was 33 degrees.

Moreover, it was not even nine o'clock in the morning and the temperature had already soared to 28 or 29 degrees.

It is clearly midsummer now with this kind of weather, so it is not appropriate to hold any wedding ceremonies.

But if you really check the almanac, it really is clearly written - it is a good time to get married, move, set up beds, travel, break ground, do business, move into a new house, and meet relatives and friends.

Do you think this is weird?

And on this day there were actually some people who were not afraid of the hot weather and were still busy.

Look, big red wedding characters are posted in front of several doors of Yunyuan, and the main entrance of Weijia Hutong is also decorated with lights and colorful decorations.

Even early this morning, Yunyuan specially sent people to deliver wedding candies to the neighbors in the two alleys door to door. They also gave advance notice and apologized for disturbing everyone because they were afraid that receiving guests today would cause inconvenience to everyone.

As a result, residents living nearby, whether in front of Weijia Hutong or behind Shijinhuayuan Hutong, all knew that there would be excitement to watch today.

So the sounds here are not only cicadas chirping and the hawkers shouting in the streets, but also the nursery rhymes that have been passed down in the capital for countless generations.

"Little girl, have a dream. Dream of your mother-in-law coming to make a betrothal gift. Real gold bars, wrapped in gold ingots, pink skirt with golden phoenix. Embroidered shoes, butterfly dreams..."

"The eldest girl is the eldest, the second girl is the second, and the youngest girl, please send me a message when she goes out. Set up a tent and post wedding words. Twenty pairs of ox-horn lanterns, two buns for the bride's wife, and wings for the bride's escort. Eight-ball jackets are used for the grand ceremony, and a four-wheeled carriage is pulled by two horses..."

"The moon shines through the east window. Whose daughter has the best dowry? A gold-leather chest, a silver-leather trunk, a tiger-skin chair, an ivory bed. Ingots of powder, sticks of incense, and two hundred sheets of cotton rouge..."

  Traditional wedding ceremony in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China: the bride-marrying wife and the bride-sending wife in front of the wedding hall

(In a traditional wedding - the procession of sending the wedding presents)

The lingering charm of ancient folk customs can be passed down from generation to generation through the mouths of children, relying on these songs that are vivid, colorful, and catchy.

However, at the entrance of Weijia Hutong, there was not only such leisure and pleasure.

Those who are really busy making a living have oily heads and angry hearts.

"Excuse me, please help me. How do I get to Courtyard No. 18, Weijia Hutong? Oh, yes, it's the place called Yunyuan. Oh, it's further inside, okay, thank you..."

In front of a vegetable stall at the entrance of the alley, three flatbed tricycles carrying goods stopped for a moment.

After the leader found out the direction, the three drivers, with sweat all over their heads, pedaled hard forward again.

Those six legs, all covered with dark tendon meat, continued their mechanical movements slowly, unconditionally.

The speed of several cars is not even as fast as a normal person walking at a brisk pace, which makes people anxious just watching.

But to be honest, it’s not that they don’t work hard, the key point is that the cargo is too much and too heavy.

These tricycles are filled with wicker baskets filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Just by looking at the tires of several tricycles that have been swollen by the cargo, you can tell that this job is not easy and most people cannot handle it.

Fortunately, there was shade from the trees once we entered the alley, and the place was indeed easy to find.

As soon as they entered the alley, they saw red silk decorations on the south wall. Following the guidance of these decorations, they walked almost half of the alley. When they saw the gate of Yunyuan, which was decorated with a flower archway and colorful silk with the words "Three Stars Shining High" because of a wedding, the drivers knew they had found the right place.

But to be honest, I was also shocked.

If for no other reason, they were all only in their thirties or forties, and had never seen such a scene in their entire lives.

(Wedding flower archways and hanging decorations in Tianjin during the Republic of China period)

So, he started talking to these coachmen and the two staff members who were responsible for welcoming guests standing at the gate of Yunyuan.

When one of them rode a bicycle and was responsible for leading these rickshaw drivers who were arriving for the first time to the big iron gate where the vehicles could pass, the leading driver could not help but ask.

"Hey, brother, what level of place is this?"

"You're kidding. We don't have any class here. We're just a hotel with a garden, a foreign-related hotel that receives foreign guests."

This driver was quite good at imagining things and he self-righteously praised Yunyuan highly.

"Oh, I thought so. You guys are the same as Diaoyutai. Hey, you have such a fancy thing at the door. Are you going to hold a celebration to welcome foreign guests? Which country is it today that has such a big show?"

The staff also know that they can't be too serious, as the more they try, the harder it will be to explain.

"Oh, you're so funny. Didn't you see that big Chinese character for "happiness"? This is called a wedding archway. This was a special custom for weddings in the past. In addition, traditional wedding ceremonies require hanging colorful decorations, hanging colorful balls, and pasting Chinese characters for "happiness" on the main door of the wedding. For those who are as particular as us, even the side doors on both sides of the archway and the courtyard walls along the street are decorated with colorful decorations and pasted with Chinese characters for "happiness".

The driver now understood what was going on and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Eh? I've never seen it before. To be honest, this is the first time I've seen it. Yes, it's really exquisite. If it were in the past, it would be considered the standard of a prince. But...but isn't it a bit wrong at this time? It's so hot, why doesn't he feel hot? Who gets married on this day..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. They have their own ways. As long as the host and the guests don't mind the heat, that's fine."

Maybe he wanted to ask someone for a favor, even though he was just ignored by the small talk.

But the driver did not dare to express his dissatisfaction. Instead, he complained in a self-deprecating way.

"Hey, that's right. The poor are the ones who get the most out of it. They don't have to work so hard pulling carts like us. Inside, with the electric fan blowing, eating and drinking, and watching the hustle and bustle, it's naturally not hot. Hey, brother, please excuse me. You have to take us to find a tap when we go in. It's so hot, and it's not easy for us to pedal from Yongdingmen to here. If we don't fill up, we really can't stand it."

Unexpectedly, the other party's response was better than the drivers had imagined, much better.

"Why are you still so upset? Don't worry, there's tea in there, plenty of it. And it's good tea."

"Really? It would be great to have hot tea. Actually, it doesn't have to be that good, we're not picky, anything foamy is fine." "How can that be possible? Our chairman said today that no one who comes to help should be treated unfairly. We can't let people work in vain. And not only will you have tea, each of you will get a portion of wedding candy, and each of you will take away a red envelope of ten yuan."

"What? There's still ten dollars left for wedding candy! Oh my god, there's such a good thing in the world! Are you kidding me?"

"No. Why would I lie to you in this hot weather? Would I let you have a false happiness and then invite myself to be scolded? Then I am simply sick and have a very bad heart."

"No, no, I don't mean that. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, brother. I've never seen anyone treat others so generously. This is too... too embarrassing..."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Don't be polite. It's just like you said. It's such a hot day. Anyway, our chairman is kind and has a good heart. She just wants everything to go smoothly and everyone to be happy. She doesn't care about these things. Look at our long line of wedding tents along the street. They are everywhere. You can see them when you enter the yard. The wedding tents inside are much more gorgeous than those outside..."

"Hey, your words are scary. If it's true, it's incredible. Let me ask you one more question. What country is your chairman from? What family is he married to?"

"You're asking this? Our chairman is from the United States. She's a Chinese, very rich old lady who doesn't have an accent. It seems like she originally came from Beijing to go overseas. As for the family getting married, do you know the Japanese star Matsumoto Keiko? This big star married a Beijinger and became a Beijinger. The groom is one of the major shareholders of our hotel and Pierre Cardon. They are having the wedding today. Oh, by the way, they also paid for the Huimin Reading Club."

"That's right, no wonder. There are so many foreigners, but I've never seen them treat us poor people like this. We Beijingers are kind and righteous. Anyway, I can't see the host in person, so I'll just say a few good words behind his back. Please congratulate me on my behalf..."

"Okay, okay. I'll also bring our chairman to thank you. You guys, thank you for your hard work. See, we're almost there. Once we get into the yard, you just need to take a few more steps and get our goods to the kitchen door so we can unload them safely."

"That's right, that's right, don't worry. Don't even mention sending it to the kitchen door, we'll put it wherever you say..."

Perhaps it was because the other party promised too much, far beyond their expectations. Although the drivers pursed their dry lips, they no longer felt thirsty.

Not only that, since they had already seen the big iron gate and knew they were about to ride into the garden, the drivers actually felt a hidden excitement in their desire to find out what was inside.

It's like taking a power pill, my strength increases dramatically.

It seemed as if suddenly even a truckload of goods had become lighter.

Unloading the goods won’t be a problem at all, as you don’t even have to take a breath.

  What does it mean to be particular?

Isn't that what it means to be particular?

In the past, no matter whether it was a government office or a private residence in the capital, whenever there was a wedding or a banquet, the whole town would celebrate together.

Not only did neighbors come to congratulate, but poor people also often brought gifts in various forms to ask for titles, positions, and rewards from their relatives.

The real wealthy and powerful families, as the head of the family, never looked at others with a frown, but always agreed readily and generously.

They are all for the purpose of ensuring that the wedding goes smoothly and successfully, and that everyone is happy.

And the most important thing is that you must not treat these four types of people poorly: those who deliver water to your home, those who empty the dirt, those who clean the toilet, and those who watch the street at the door.

If nothing else, their workload will inevitably increase during the wedding period.

  Just like this time, the rickshaw drivers were already so tired that they were cursing in their hearts, how could they be in a good mood?

The more I compared, the more I wanted to curse. But now that I got the lucky draw, not only did my resentment disappear, but I also turned it into auspicious words.

Not only did he promise that it was nothing and that the job would be done efficiently, he also acknowledged the kindness of his master.

Therefore, what mattered in the past was not how extravagant or complicated the procedures were.

What is truly commendable is the word "comprehensive".

The word "courtesy" is always maintained in the midst of everyone's happiness, and everyone is treated harmoniously and respectfully.

It may not be possible to guarantee that she will not be hated or envied by others, but Yunyuan has indeed achieved the goal of making most people study well.

This is so nice, everyone feels comfortable.

  Isn't this the purpose of holding a wedding, right?

Otherwise, the more ostentatious you are and the more money you spend, the more people will hate you, and that is called being rich but unkind.

What you earn is not fame, but infamy.

………………

It must be said that on this day, the biggest difference between Yunyuan and usual days was that it had lost the tranquility of the past with birds singing and flowers blooming, and was now filled with a busy and intense scene everywhere.

In fact, just as the tricycle entered the big iron gate, many chefs were also busy in Yunyuan’s kitchen.

Those who need to chop onions chop onions, those who need to smash garlic smash garlic, those who need to chop meat chop meat, those who need to make soup make soup...

Dozens of people were carrying out preparations in an orderly manner.

Just by looking at the wet towels around their necks, you can tell how they feel, which is actually not much better than those rickshaw drivers.

But the higher treatment was not only reflected in the fact that there was enough tea, but also the red envelope was 50 foreign exchange coupons per person, and there were several large ice basins filled with ice to cool down the sour plum soup and mung bean soup for everyone.

Even several packs of wedding cigarettes were prepared, but they had to be smoked outside.

  Who made them the soldiers of Tan Palace?

And they are the main force that can make this wedding banquet a highlight today!

The treatment must naturally be outstanding.

However, there will always be brave men when there is a big reward. At this time, it is said that no ordinary chef in the kitchen is lazy.

Everyone inside and outside was wiping their sweat while working hard.

They are the two chefs in charge of today's wedding banquet.

Master Pang, who came from Kouzi Kitchen, and Master Li, who retired from Fengze Garden, were both meticulously taking inventory of the things that would be used today and checking whether the semi-finished products they had prepared last night were suitable.

Because they were both fat, they had large palm-leaf fans in their hands. They were talking in the yard while fanning themselves.

After ordering the main ingredients such as meat, eggs and river fish, Master Pang was the first to say with a smile, "Master Li, I'm not saying anything wrong. It's just that our Manager Ning is unconventional, otherwise, some ingredients really can't be found anywhere else. Take this palace yellow chicken and Jingxi rice for example, he found them at the Agricultural University and just rushed over the night before. If you change someone else, will they be able to get such good things? The chestnut tree mushrooms are not bad either. When I was tasting the dishes last night, I casually fried a plate of them and it was really tasty. I feel relieved now. I was worried that most of the dishes in our banquet would be made of ordinary ingredients and wouldn't be very outstanding. Now I am a little more confident."

"Yes, you are right. These things were hard to find in the past, let alone now. Especially chestnut mushrooms. Dried goods like this are the best. Fresh mushrooms can easily cause harm, because they are wild. They are often edible, but they may contain small amounts of hallucinogenic ingredients. But dried goods are definitely fine and absolutely safe."

(A wedding photo of the daughter of Wang Rongbao, a famous figure in the Republic of China. The photo was taken in a place similar to a garden)