NOVPUB
Chapter 153: Chapter 147 Got Married
There were only two days left before the wedding, and Shen Yunfang thought about Li Hongjun’s leg, and wanted to use the wolf skin she had to make him a mattress.
She planned to stuff a layer of cotton underneath, then stretch the wolf skin on top, and put on a duvet cover outside, so it wouldn’t look unseemly and would be easy to wash.
Fearing she wouldn’t do a good job or finish in time, she called over a few familiar sisters-in-law to help make it.
"At the beginning of the year, Yunfang was learning to make a quilt from me quite seriously. I found it odd then why she practiced with such bright reds and greens. Turns out she had been preparing for a long time," Dashuan’s wife teased her. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"Hehe, you didn’t see it, did you? Just now, I noticed several pairs of shoe insoles in the chest that are definitely not Yunfang’s size," Erzhu’s wife joined in with the teasing.
"Oh sisters, please be kind with your words. If others heard this, they’d think I was worried about getting married," Shen Yunfang laughed along.
"Isn’t that just worrying about getting married? You’ve been preparing for a year ahead."
Chattering and laughing among themselves, all of them skilled with their hands, in just two days they not only helped her finish the mattress but also made two sets of clothes for Shen Yunfang. One set was the Li Ning attire to be worn over her cotton-padded jacket. She didn’t buy bright red fabric, thinking that Li Hongjun would definitely wear his military uniform; her wearing red alongside him would make a perfect match. That’s why she specifically chose deep blue fabric when buying, so she would just need a red scarf around her head to be festive enough.
The other was a woolen trench coat for spring and autumn. Shen Yunfang had bought the fabric a long time ago but hadn’t made it up until now. It would be perfect to wear come spring.
On the morning of the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Li Hongjun got up before dawn, dressed neatly, and then took a pre-arranged horse carriage to Gaijiatun to pick up his bride.
After 8 a.m., he entered Gaijiatun, and when the children saw the big red flower tied around the horse’s neck, they knew it was for picking up the bride and happily followed the horse carriage to Shen Yunfang’s house.
"Here they come, here they come. I heard he’s driving a horse carriage to retrieve the bride," Second Aunt commented outside, sounding somewhat disdainful.
Her daughter’s husband had come to retrieve his bride on a 28-inch bicycle.
Shen Yunfang, inside the house, heard this but didn’t get angry. Li Hongjun was still injured; even if he wanted to ride a bicycle, he couldn’t, and besides, her family had one, so there was nothing to show off.
As soon as the horse carriage arrived at the doorstep, firecrackers were lit, and after a crackling burst of noise, Li Hongjun, wearing his uniform and using crutches, entered the house.
The sight was somewhat pitiful, making the onlookers, including Shen Yunxiu, scoff.
Seeing the girl sitting on the kang bed with a red scarf around her head, Li Hongjun smiled and said, "I have come to marry you."
Afterward, due to Li Hongjun’s injury and Shen Yunfang’s lack of parents, the ceremonials were rushed through carelessly, something Shen Yunfang didn’t mind.
The horse carriage that retrieved the bride followed by the carriages from Gaijiatun took Shen Yunfang and her relatives and friends off to Taoshu Village.
"What time did you set off? How come you arrived so early?" Shen Yunfang, swaddled in the thick cotton quilt atop the horse, softly inquired.
"I couldn’t sleep, so I got up early and rushed over here. I wanted to marry you and take you home as soon as possible." Li Hongjun’s dark complexion did not betray any blushing. Could he say that he was so eager for his bride that he couldn’t sleep? Of course, he couldn’t.
But who was Shen Yunfang? How could she not understand his little male concerns? Not wanting to crush him, she pretended to be ignorant. What could she do if he couldn’t sleep? That was simply torturing himself. With his body in its current state, even if they were to marry today, he had better not count on consummating the marriage. Forget about his legs, at least let the wound on his stomach heal first. Otherwise, a whole night’s exertion might tear the wound open again, and if it bled all over the bed, that would really be too embarrassing to even think about.
By the time the procession reached Taoshu Village, it was already past noon. At the Li Family’s house, there was a ritual for the bride to address her in-laws with new titles. After the bride had called them "father" and "mother," the feast would begin.
Shen Yunfang helped Li Hongjun off the horse carriage, and Li Fugui was outside welcoming the guests from Gaijiatun who had come for the bride’s escort. The two of them slowly entered the western room where the elder couple of the Li family resided.
Wow, the room was full of people.
Shen Yunfang recognized a few, and by doing so, she could deduce who the unfamiliar faces were.
Sitting in the middle of the kang was none other than Li Wangcai and Qiu Shuping, and next to them was a couple—the man was Li Hongxing, which meant the woman must be the elder sister-in-law of the Li family, Wang Dan. Along the edge of the kang sat two men and a woman; the youngest should be Li Hongqi, the Li family’s youngest boy. The girl, about her own age, should be her young aunt-by-marriage, and the older, smiling man was likely Liu Jianguo, the eldest son-in-law of the Li family.
"Come, come, the bride has entered the house. It’s time for her to address her parents-in-law and receive her red envelope."
Shen Yunfang kept a smile on her face as she stepped forward, first calling Li’s father "Dad." Li’s father smiled and handed over the prepared red envelope, which Shen Yunfang graciously accepted. Then she turned slightly and called out "Mom" to Qiu Shuping, who also held a red envelope. However, unlike Li’s father, she wasn’t as forthcoming, and instead began lecturing Shen Yunfang on the virtues expected of a woman married into the Li family.
"You’re without father and mother, and no one outside to teach you these things, so I might as well take this opportunity today to explain some rules for the daughters-in-law of the old Li family. First and foremost is to respect your elders. Whatever good food you have, you must let the elders have the first bite. You young ones don’t know how to live life yet. When you earn money later..."
Li Hongjun’s veins on his hand started to throb by the third rule. Shen Yunfang, more straightforward, questioned him loudly, "Hongjun, what’s wrong? Your complexion looks so bad. Are you tired? Come on, I’ll help you inside to lie down for a bit."
Leaving a room full of the Li family members behind, she supported Li Hongjun out of the western room. She thought she was being intimidated, hmph, she’d see if she was the type to be trifled with.
"Oh dear, Mother, it seems that the temper of the second sister-in-law isn’t too good, huh?" Wang Dan started to make snide comments after the couple left.
Li Hongxing gave his wife a tug, as the atmosphere had already become unpleasant. And here she was, fanning the flames—what if a fight broke out later?
"What are you pulling me for? I didn’t say anything wrong." Wang Dan would actually welcome discord between her mother-in-law and her second sister-in-law. Ever since her parents-in-law mentioned that her uncle-in-law would be demobilized and return home to farm, the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. The second son came back injured and couldn’t work, and now it seemed they in the eldest family would have to toil like oxen to support the entire household—this was something she would not stand for. After pondering for a few days, she felt that this was the perfect time to push for a separation. Free from burdens, she and Hongxing could work efficiently and maybe save some money for their own children.
Old man Li coughed, knowing that now he must take charge. With so many relatives and friends coming for the feast, if his wife couldn’t behave appropriately at this time, the reputation of the Li family would be disgraced.
"Hongjun’s wounds aren’t healed yet, and it must have been tiring going all the way to Gaijiatun to fetch the bride. He should rest now. Alright, let’s not worry; everyone, go out and help your elder sister with the preparations. It’s time for the feast, and we don’t want our relatives and friends to have any reason to gossip."
