bookrebus Chapter 288 The Wedding, Marrying Lin Mei
Chapter 288 The Wedding, Marrying Lin Mei
In the innocent and simple 80s, weddings were simple yet heartwarming celebrations. Brides and grooms didn't have the dazzling array of wedding dresses and gowns available today; their attire was simple and pure.
The groom wore a carefully chosen new outfit, crisp and well-fitting, revealing his hopes and expectations for the future. The bride wore a brightly colored, hand-sewn new dress, with a vibrant red flower or carefully written "Groom" and "Bride" calligraphy on the chest, like two beating hearts, tightly connected, shimmering with the light of happiness.
This attire, though lacking in extravagance, is full of deep affection and sincerity, allowing people to feel the purest joy and blessings.
The wedding was held on this day, and the banquet was simple and straightforward, yet full of warmth and hospitality. Every household would find a decent restaurant in the town or county, pre-order tables of steaming hot dishes, and wait for the arrival of relatives and friends.
This was an auspicious day, the day of the wedding. Lin Mei, dressed in a red dress embroidered with gold, slowly walked into the gate of the Li family's self-built house.
All the villagers came, and the air was filled with a festive and expectant atmosphere. Every step was taken to the rhythm of tradition and blessings. With a burst of joyous firecrackers, a ceremony full of profound meaning and warm customs began in a lively manner.
The wedding procession brought the newlyweds, and the wedding party happily and warmly welcomed Lin Mei into her self-built house, which faces south.
The waiter, wearing a red flower, shouted:
"Today the Cowherd meets the Weaver Girl, next year the Jade Mother will give birth to a golden boy. Groom, who is the Jade Mother?"
"It's my wife."
"Excuse me, bride, who is the Golden Boy?"
"It's my husband."
Lin Mei was very shy, and the bride's voice was barely audible, yet it still drew laughter. Li Ju'an wore a blissful smile.
Lu Zhiqiang quickly shouted, "Wrong, wrong! Jintong is your future child..."
Song Lanhua, dressed in clean and presentable clothes, smiled kindly at her daughter-in-law, holding a copper washbasin in her hand. The clear water in the basin rippled gently, carrying the family's continuous hope. With an almost pious gesture, she gently scooped up the basin of water, her movements tender yet solemn—this was the so-called "scooping up the grandson."
To outsiders, this was not just a simple ceremony, but a beautiful wish for many children and grandchildren and a prosperous family. Every drop of water seemed to contain the power of life, foreshadowing that the bride would bring new vitality to the family.
Immediately afterward, Zhang Cui stepped forward. She was the daughter-in-law of the second uncle's family, and Li Ju'an's cousin-in-law. In her hand, she gripped a sharp axe, its blade gleaming brightly in the sunlight. In the black soil of Northeast China, the word for "axe" is a homophone for "fortune," making this gesture not only a wish for the bride's future happiness but also an expectation of lasting blessings for the entire family.
With a smile on her face, Zhang Cui, the cousin's sister-in-law, carefully handed the axe to the bride. Her eyes showed both welcome to the new member and a firm belief in the harmonious and happy future of the family.
The youngest son of the second uncle's family, the mischievous young man who still causes his second aunt a lot of worry, walked into the courtyard carrying a heavy sack of sorghum. That sack was filled not only with sorghum, but also with boundless aspirations and hopes for the future, symbolizing continuous progress and prosperity for the family, like the rising sorghum stalks, reaping abundant rewards.
My cousin's every step was so firm, as if he were announcing to everyone that this family was about to usher in a new and more glorious era.
Finally, the most heartwarming and mysterious moment arrived: "sitting in blessing." Li Ju'an and Lin Mei were led to their bridal chamber, where soft bedding had already been laid out. The axe, symbolizing good fortune, was placed under the bedding, as if it were a sacred token protecting the newlyweds.
Amidst laughter and cheerful chatter, relatives and friends scattered handfuls of peanuts, dates, and chestnuts onto the kang (a heated brick bed). The plump fruits bounced and made crisp, melodious sounds, like notes of happiness dancing and echoing in the air. Each fruit carried the beautiful wish for the newlyweds to have a child soon and a sweet life, filling the entire room with a warm and sweet atmosphere.
Li Ju'an stared intently at Lin Mei. Amidst the laughter and chatter of the surrounding guests, he touched Lin Mei's beautiful, smooth face and suddenly said, "Wife, you are so beautiful."
The difference between a new bride and a young girl is that a bride's face is smooth and hairless. On the wedding day, a woman with both sons and daughters is chosen to use thread to remove all the hair from the bride's face. So now, Lin Mei's face is smooth and clean, truly appearing poreless, with incredibly delicate skin.
Lin Mei lowered her face shyly, gently pushed him, and said, "You're getting your face twisted, it hurts!"
Her coquettish and shy demeanor made Li Ju'an even more fond of her, and he wished he could immediately hug his wife and roll around on the kang (a heated brick bed) a few times. He said, "This facial scrubbing hurts."
Lin Mei playfully shoved him, and while everyone around was scattering peanuts and dates, she whispered in his ear, "Ouch, and you even ate eggs."
In this local custom, after the bride has her face shaved, she must eat an egg. There's a reason for this: the egg is first rolled on the bride's face, symbolizing that she will have a healthy and chubby child. Then, a needle is secretly inserted into the egg. The groom must carefully bite into the egg; if the needle tip comes out, it means a boy; if the needle eye comes out, it means a girl.
Li Ju'an took a bite of an egg, and Lin Mei, fearing he might bite the needle, told him to take a small bite. He laughed and took a big bite, then used his tongue to pick out the needle completely, with both the tip and the eye intact.
The old women around them who were helping with the facial hair removal all laughed and joked that the groom was very anxious and wanted both a son and a daughter.
Wedding photographer Brother Li captured all these heartwarming moments.
He held up a large, bulky camera, like a silent traveler recording time, moving between guests and newlyweds, capturing every fleeting moment of warmth, adding an indispensable supporting element to this grand drama of life.
As time marches on, the 1980s saw wedding videographers, but at the beginning of the 2000s, a new trend quietly swept into this ancient land. The emcee, a profession imbued with modern flair, guides each couple into the hall of matrimony with either humor or deep affection.
As times have changed, wedding venues have shifted from traditional country courtyards to luxurious star-rated hotels. Later, wedding planning emerged, and this new industry sprang up like mushrooms after rain, providing comprehensive services from venue setup to event planning, ensuring that every wedding becomes a unique work of art.
However, the role of the "wedding attendant" was very important at Li Ju'an's wedding. Also called "deputy director," the attendant was responsible for managing the wedding process, with the wedding photographer assisting. The bride was expected to express reluctance to part, therefore she did not wear a smile.
The videographers and photographers are responsible for these wedding videos, which are accompanied by popular, slow, sweet songs that are melodious and can touch people's hearts.