Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 400 Sister-in-law’s dowry
At twelve o'clock at noon, the sun hung high in the center of the sky, bringing some warmth to the cold weather.

As soon as Xu Qing, his third brother Feng Ming and others came back from helping Patriot pick up his bride, the sound of firecrackers kept ringing in the alley, and people surrounded him in an instant.

One is that everyone wants to see what the bride looks like.

No matter the guests, relatives, friends, or everyone in the compound, none of them had seen the patriotic daughter-in-law.

After all, Aiguo had never brought Liu Aiqian into his compound before, so the first aunt and second aunt naturally wanted to take a look.

Secondly, it was the dowry items from Liu Aiqian's family, which opened everyone's eyes.

A nine-inch black and white TV, a sewing machine, and other items were not included. Just these two items were expensive.

The cheapest TV set these days costs 400 yuan, and although a sewing machine can be cheaper, it still costs more than 100 yuan.

Together with the others, the dowry alone is worth a lot of money.

Everyone standing in the alley, except for a few who were factory directors like Xu Qing, almost everyone else was stunned. While looking at the bride carrying Patriot on her back, and at the valuable dowry, they all couldn't help but Di An felt that the status of a patriotic daughter-in-law was unusual.

The daughters of ordinary families don't have such a big deal. Even if they give away things as a dowry, who can have such a big deal? If nothing else, just a TV set, how can an ordinary family afford a dowry?
Televisions are rare items. Let alone buying one for your daughter as a dowry, ordinary families cannot afford it.

For a moment, everyone present was envious.

I envied Xu Aiguo's good fortune. He married a daughter-in-law, and his family conditions were extremely good. He was willing to bring out a TV to give to his daughter as a dowry. Why didn't such good things happen to him?
Qin Jingru stood on tiptoes next to Qin Huairu, standing on the steps of the main gate of the courtyard. She saw the bride with Patriot on her back, raised her head and stretched her neck and whispered: "Sister, look, Patriot's wife is so beautiful. I also got a lot of things as a dowry, including a sewing machine, a radio, a pair of cabinets, two washbasins, and a TV."

After Qin Jingru finished speaking, she was startled. She hurriedly rubbed her eyes and looked at the TV set as part of her wedding with a look of disbelief on her face.

Qin Huairu craned her neck and moved her eyes from the bride on Patriot's back to the TV set aside, feeling shocked.

I remember that during the National Day, when the third uncle Yan Bugui married Yan Jiedi, he only had two washbasins as a dowry.

Compared with Xu Aiguo's daughter-in-law's family, the third uncle simply married his daughter with two rags.

However, what everyone didn't know was that Liu Aiqian's father was a teacher. Not only did he give her a dowry, he also received a patriotic gift of 200 yuan some time ago and gave it to his daughter intact.

When Aiguo carried his daughter-in-law on his back and trudged to the gate of the courtyard from the crowd of people gathered for the occasion, Xu Hongzhi, who had put on a new suit early, shouted sweetly to Xu Aiguo and Liu Aiqian with a bright smile, " Hello second uncle, hello second aunt!"

After the little guy finished speaking, he held Aiguo in his left hand and Aiqian in his right hand, and led the two newlyweds into the courtyard.

The first aunt, second aunt, third aunt, Qin Jingru, Qin Huairu and Yu Li were all smiling from ear to ear.

Yu Li's daughter, on the other hand, reached out and tugged on the corner of her mother's clothes, looked at the beautiful groom and bride, and finally her eyes fell on her brother Hongzhi.

Because she thinks brother Hongzhi looks better today.

Before the sound of firecrackers in the alley stopped, the firecrackers in the courtyard started going off again. People in the alley also entered the courtyard, and the courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.

Aiguo and Aiqian returned to their backyard under the guidance of their nephew.

The grandparents sitting in the house saw that their grandson Aiguo had married his daughter-in-law back. The two old people were full of joy and hurriedly asked Aiguo to bring his grandson's daughter-in-law to him and take a good look at her.

Following Yi Zhonghai's presidency, the two old men held the hands of Aiguo and Aiqian, and said some blessings.

Xu Guangjin, Xu Xuemei, and Xu Xuehong, three siblings, stood aside, feeling happy in their hearts.

The three nephews are all promising and have beautiful wives. As elders, they are full of joy. At Yi Zhonghai's suggestion, they also sent their blessings to the two newlyweds.

Then Yi Zhonghai invited several branch factory directors from the compound to deliver congratulatory speeches.

As for the deputy directors of Wang Minsheng, Sun Deyou and Liu Caigui who came from the fifth factory, their status is not low, and their official positions are not small. If you put them at ordinary people's weddings, just pick them out, they are also very important people. .

But today, it was not their turn to get married patriotically.

These few people could only stand aside and applaud with Feng Wenjun and others.

The house was crowded with people, and Silly Zhu stood outside the door, squeezing in the crowd and looking towards Xu Qing's home, wiping the sweat on his forehead with a towel.

Although it was the middle of winter, he was standing in front of the stove while cooking. He had been busy all morning without stopping, and now he was feeling hot all over. If it hadn't been for the patriotic wedding today, he would have wanted to take off his cotton-padded jacket.

Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng were not far from Sha Zhu, and they were also looking into Xu Qing's room.

Because of their low status and seniority, they couldn't enter Xu Qing's house at all, so they could only stand outside and watch.

In Xu Qing's house, there were either factory directors or deputy factory directors, as well as section chiefs such as Feng Wenjun and others, as well as the first uncle Yi Zhonghai, the second uncle Liu Haizhong and the third uncle Yan Bugui, all of whom had seniority in the courtyard. people.

Lao Zhang stood next to Yi Zhonghai, listening to the emotional congratulations of several branch factory directors. He turned around and saw Yi Zhonghai indicating that he would say a few words later, hurriedly waving his hands secretly.

He is Master Xu Qing, not Master Aiguo. Even though Aiguo worked in the No. [-] Workshop and taught some things, he was not allowed to be Aiguo's apprentice after all. How dare he speak at Aiguo's wedding today.

This is not the marriage of apprentice Xu Qing in person.

Besides, Lao Zhang is not good at words, and he is even more afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to give up. After Director Wei of the Sixth Branch Factory finished speaking, he said some concluding remarks, then glanced at Sha Zhu, knowing that the wedding banquet was ready, he invited everyone to go to the courtyard to drink the wedding banquet.

In the large courtyard, there are three courtyards in the front, middle and back. At this moment, the first aunt, the second aunt and the third aunt are there.Mrs. Jia Zhang, along with Yu Li, Qin Huairu, Qin Jingru, Xiaodang and Huaihua, have already arranged the tables, chairs and benches.

There are more than a dozen tables spread out from the backyard to the front yard.

The tables in the backyard were all occupied by officials and senior people in the courtyard. Seated in the middle courtyard and the front courtyard were Er Mazi, Ma Jiefang, patriotic colleagues and other relatives and friends.

Silly Zhu now arranges for the first aunt and Yu Li, and the third aunt and others start to take out the food. Ma Jinghong, Xiaoya and the two aunts help with the work.

When holding a happy event at home, you must first entertain the guests.

The little boy Xu Hongzhi was sitting next to his grandfather and grandma, holding chopsticks and eating delicious food with a look of excitement on his face.

Today's wedding banquet has a lot of meat and vegetables. A few days ago, Xu Qingzao said hello to Director Liu of the state-owned store, whom he has known for many years, and asked him to leave 25 kilograms of pork. The day before yesterday, when he left his master, Lao Zhang's house, to pick it up alone, I divided it once using my ability, and 25 kilograms of pork became fifty kilograms.

As for what was delivered early this morning, Xu Qing was worried that there was not enough meat yesterday, so he asked for another ten kilograms.

But in the morning, Silly Zhu said that the fifty kilograms of pork and eight chickens were enough. Xu Qing put the ten kilograms of pork delivered that morning into the cupboard of his kitchen. After secretly using his ability, he didn't go any further. Take out.

As for Si Zhu, who has been a cook for many years, his prediction was also very accurate. Fifty pounds of pork, plus eight chickens, made "eight big bowls" of meat and vegetables alone, not counting the cold dishes.

On each table, there are sixteen plates, eight meat dishes, four cold dishes and four vegetarian dishes.

This can be said to be the wedding banquet with the most meat and vegetables that has been held in the compound since the end of the disaster.The previous third uncle, Yan Bugui, married his daughter, and the second uncle, Liu Haizhong, married his youngest son. Both wedding banquets included a piece of meat, which could not match the patriotic arrangement Xu Qing made for his brother today.

As for the cigarettes and wine at the wedding banquet, not to mention, the cigarettes are all peonies with handles, and the wines are all bottled erqu.

Xu Qing has considered Moutai, but these days, Erqu is the favorite of people in the [-]th city.

Generally speaking, when cadres and families hold weddings, more people like to drink Erqu.

Mrs. Jia Zhang was sitting at the door of her house in the courtyard, holding the chopsticks and stuffing the braised pork into her mouth. She grabbed Xiaodang and Huaihua, who were still helping to serve the dishes, and asked them to stop busy and sit down to eat the meat.

Being able to satisfy the craving for meat beautifully, Jia and Zhang, as a grandmother, no longer want to see their two granddaughters, so they still prefer her. After all, they are also members of her own family.

But Xiaodang and Huaihua are educated and sensible people, knowing that this is not the time for them to sit down, so they continued to work with Qin Huairu, and after a while, the mother and daughter sat down to eat the patriotic wedding banquet feast.

Xu Damao and Qin Jingru sat with Jia and Zhang's family, and Yan Xiecheng's family of three.

Today is a patriotic wedding, and there are many people who come to the courtyard in addition to their high status.

The three of them could only squeeze into one table.

Jia Zhang ate voraciously, swallowing the meat in her mouth before chewing it twice, and holding the chopsticks in her hands even harder to pick up the meat. Seeing Xu Damao holding the wine cup, his brows raised, feeling that Jia Zhang It was as if Shi had never eaten meat in eight lifetimes.

"Aunt Zhang, please take it easy, no one will compete with you."

After Xu Damao finished speaking, Yan Jiecheng also looked at Jia Zhang with disgust and said:
"Aunt Zhang, this table of meat and vegetables is for you to eat alone. Can you eat it?"

Mrs. Jia Zhang, whose mouth was full of oil after eating, didn't pay any attention to Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng. Without even raising her eyelids, she took the chicken on the plate in front of Qin Jingru with a chopstick and put it in front of her and placed it on the small table. In the bowl, while chewing the braised pork in his mouth, he said:

"I can't eat it, but my two granddaughters can eat it. It's winter, so if we don't eat it while it's hot, what will happen if it's cold?"

Yu Li and Qin Jingru looked at each other, and upon hearing Jia Zhang's words, they became more and more disgusted.

Letting it cool down is just a matter of cooling it down. Why should your family keep it all to yourself?
When Qin Huairu saw this, she looked embarrassed and touched Jia Zhang with the head of her chopsticks, wanting to remind her mother-in-law to pay attention.

But Jia Zhang was so jealous that she didn't care about that.

The meat counts only when it reaches your mouth, and nothing else matters.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Qin Huairu had no choice but to stop caring and let her do whatever she wanted.

It wasn't until Aiguo brought his daughter-in-law Ai Qian over to toast that Jia Zhang became more restrained.

More than 40 minutes later, the banquet was coming to an end. Except for the sound of voices in the backyard, the middle and front yards were filled with the noise of drinking and fistfighting.

Today there is good smoke, good wine, and good food. Everyone is enjoying the meal and enjoying it, and now they are doing fist pumps to add to the fun.

As for Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng, together with Er Mazi and Ma Jiefang, the four of them were getting excited about boxing. As soon as Er Mazi shouted "Six Chiefs", Jia Zhang interrupted:
"You guys don't need to eat the food while you are fighting. I will bring these dishes to my house."

Xu Damao's face immediately darkened, he patted the table and said: "Aunt Zhang, you have seen us rowing and drinking. You bring the food to your house. What shall we eat?"

"You guys can't get enough of punching and drinking. What kind of food do you eat? In this cold day, the food is cold. Are you afraid that you will have a stomachache later?"

After Jia Zhang said this, she raised her hand and took away the dishes in front of Xu Damao.

Xu Damao blocked it with his arm, "Aunt Zhang, it's our business to have a stomachache. You don't need to worry about it. Just go and do whatever you need to do, and don't hang around in front of our brothers."

When Jia Zhang saw Xu Damao smelling of alcohol, Er Mazi, Ma Jiefang, and Yan Jiecheng staring at her with their mouths smelling of alcohol, she no longer dared to take away the dish she was holding, and put it down reluctantly. With a dark face, he turned around and entered the house.

At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Xu Qing sent his master, Lao Zhang, and his wife away. Finally, not a single guest who came to the compound was left.

Xu Aiguo's wedding also came to an end.

At this time, the wind started blowing fiercely in the courtyard, and the stirred courtyard was instantly chilly.

Xu Qing asked his third brother Feng Ming to drive Aiguo and Ai Qian to the wedding room in the small courtyard, and also asked his two aunts and second father to take him there.

He himself, his wife Jinghong and Xiaoya, tidied up the yard.

Xu Damao drank a lot today and was lying in pieces in his house, fast asleep. Qin Jingru saw that there were only three people cleaning Xu Qing's house, so she and Qin Huairu took the initiative to help and clean together.

The second uncle, who lived in the same backyard, stood at the door of his house with a cigarette in his mouth and looked at it. After thinking for a moment, he turned and walked towards the small house where his youngest son Guangfu lived.

In fact, it is the house built by Liu Guangtian before, and now it is lived by Liu Guangfu and his young couple.

When Liu Haizhong saw that his son and daughter-in-law were there, he gestured to look outside into the courtyard and said:

"You two have nothing to do, go out and help your brother Xu Qing and your sister Jinghong."

Liu Guangfu chewed melon seeds and said, "Dad, Xu Qing's family has more people than ours now, so there's no need for us."

Liu Guangtian's daughter-in-law was sitting on the kang, nibbling on an apple, and didn't pay any attention to Liu Haizhong's father-in-law.

Liu Haizhong originally planned to let his son and daughter-in-law go out and help each other today, so that he could leave a good impression in front of the Xu Qing family and save the ugly situation caused by his second son Liu Guangtian. What would happen to his family in the future? Let's go to Xu Qing. At least he can be read well.

But seeing that his son Guangfu and his daughter-in-law were unmoved and turned a deaf ear to his father's words, he suddenly became angry.

With a groan, he turned around and walked out, not wanting to take another look.

Yan Bugui, who was in the front yard, persuaded his son and daughter-in-law. Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li walked from the front yard to the back yard and helped Xu Qing clean up the yard.

The second aunt opened the door curtain, glanced into the courtyard, turned to Liu Haizhong and said: "Old Liu, Xie Cheng and Yu Like from the old Yan family have come to our backyard, and they are helping Xiao Qing's family clean with Qin Jingru and Qin Huairu. , you just went to Guangfu’s place and didn’t you let Guangfu and his daughter-in-law go to the courtyard?”

Liu Haizhong sat on the edge of the kang, furious, "I told you, but the bastard didn't listen."

The second aunt heard the words, sighed deeply, put down the door curtain, and said nothing.

At night, Xu Qing sat in the warm room and whispered to his grandparents:
"Jinghong got pregnant again some time ago."

When the two old men heard this, they quickly pulled their granddaughter-in-law to their side and asked:
"Jinghong, you should work less in the future. If you have anything to do at home, let Xiaoqing do it. Take good care of the baby. When the baby is born next year, remember to send photos to me and your grandpa. If you are not busy, take the time to bring it back to the village."

Ma Jinghong smiled and nodded, and said: "Grandma, in fact, Patriot's wife is also pregnant, and she is more than two months old. Brother Qing and I saw Patriot and were not married two days ago, so we didn't dare to tell you and my aunt and others earlier."

The old man looked in disbelief. He looked at Xu Qing, then at Jinghong, Xiaoya and Feng Ming. He was stunned for a while and asked, "Really?"

(End of this chapter)