The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month was the official day of Xu Shide’s wedding.
When we got up early in the morning, the courtyard of the Xu family was extremely lively, with people coming in and out to help and congratulate each other in an endless stream.
The road from Dongjiangyan to Qingling Bali is not that far.
At eight o'clock in the morning, a four-horse sledge stopped in front of Xu's house. It had been borrowed after discussing with the brigade in advance.
The groom's wife, Xu Shide, is survived by his uncle Zhou Anping, his aunt Li Shi, his younger brother Xu Shixiang, his cousin Zhou Wanxing, his younger sister Xu Shiqin, and his cousin Zhou Lirong.
Accompanied by the matchmakers Jianshe Niang, Chunming Niang, and several young men in the village, they drove the horse and sledge all the way to Qingling.
As soon as the bride-to-be went out, the Xu family rushed to prepare for the noon banquet, and congratulatory guests also came to the door one after another.
The natal families of Xue Xiulin and Wei Mingrong also arrived at this time, and they were naturally very happy to meet their relatives.
Even Zhou Changhe, who lives in Donggang, came with his son Zhou Qingguo and brought generous gifts.
"Second aunt, second uncle, congratulations."
Zhou Changhe met Xu Chenghou and his wife and came forward with a smile to congratulate them.
"Hey, Changhe, how do you know about Xin'er?" Zhou Guilan was a little surprised by the arrival of Zhou Changhe and his son.
You must know that the two families are not actually related to each other, they are just from the same hometown, and their daily interactions are not too close.
When the eldest son Xu Shixian got married, Zhou Changhe came here. When Zhou Changhe's father passed away, Xu Chenghou went to express his condolences.
Later, when Xu Shian and Xu Shiyan got married, there was no notice.
The main reason is that the Xu family has too many sons, so it’s not a good idea to notify them every time. It’s not easy for any family these days, how can they always come to collect gifts?
"Well, I heard someone say that a few days ago.
Second aunt, you are too outspoken. When these younger brothers got married, you didn’t even send me a message."
Zhou Zhanghe said with a smile and motioned for his son to come forward.
"Second aunt, this is Qingguo, do you still recognize it?"
Zhou Qingguo came forward and saluted neatly, "Hello, second aunt, hello second aunt, I am Qingguo."
"Hey, is this Qingguo returning from his job?
Quickly let my second aunt take a look. She is stronger than she was before she joined the army. Look at this, she does have the air of a strong man who protects the family and the country. Okay, okay."
Zhou Guilan has met Zhou Qingguo several times and can still recognize him. Seeing how promising his junior is, Zhou Guilan is also happy.
"By the way, do you have any work arrangements when you come back?"
"Second aunt, my work has been arranged. I am in Donggang Commune, where I am the militia company commander and security assistant." Zhou Qingguo answered honestly.
"Okay, okay, pretty good. Come on, let's go into the house and chat."
Xu Chenghou and his wife were very happy. They led Zhou Zhang and his son into the house and found a place to sit down and chat.
The Xu family has made many friends over the years, and many people came to congratulate them. They could not always accompany Zhou Zhang and chat with his father and son.
Fortunately, Zhou Zhang and Zhou Anping were all familiar with each other, and it was quite lively for everyone to chat and laugh together.
Zhou Qingguo is a young man. He had nothing to talk to the older people, so he went out to see where he could help.
As a result, I happened to see Xu Shiyan walking out with a table under his left arm and a few stools in his right hand.
"Third uncle, what are you doing?" Zhou Qingguo hurriedly stepped forward, took the stool, and asked casually.
Xu Shiyan turned his head and saw Zhou Qingguo, "Hey, Qingguo is here?
I moved a few tables to my neighbor's house in the West Courtyard. The place at home is small and I can't hold a banquet, so I borrowed the space of Jin Hai's house in the West Courtyard to use it."
The Xu family has three rooms in total. Even if the east and west rooms are both north and south, there won't be enough room for tables.
So we discussed it with our neighbors in advance and borrowed their space to hold a banquet.
The person who went out to borrow tables and chairs just now didn't understand that there were fewer tables at the end of Jin Hai's house and more here. So he had to move tables, benches, etc. to that end.
"Oh, that's what happened, then I'll go with you."
Zhou Qingguo followed Xu Shiyan and walked to his neighbor's house in the west.
"By the way, Third Uncle, my mother found the house you were looking for for you."
While walking on the road, Zhou Qingguo suddenly remembered this matter and hurriedly told Xu Shiyan.
"Just east of the Martyrs' Tomb, by the woods, there are three adobe houses.
There is a large open space next to it, a hill behind it, and a large slope to the east."
"In that family, the old couple used to have a daughter, but then the old couple disappeared, and the daughter married an educated youth who came to the countryside.
The couple had a good relationship and gave birth to three children.
Isn't this the resumption of the college entrance examination? The educated youth was admitted to the university in our provincial capital, and his family happened to be from the provincial capital.
So I want to sell my house and go back to the provincial capital with my wife and children."
As the two of them walked, Zhou Qingguo told Xu Shiyan about the situation of the house.
Xu Shiyan lived in Donggang for so many years in his previous life, and he knew which house it was when he heard it.
When Xu Shiyan moved to Donggang in 1987, he lived in the house in front of the Martyrs' Tomb, not far away.
I've also heard others mention the house behind.
It is said that the woman sold her house and returned to the provincial capital with her man happily, but she was rejected by her husband's family.
Fortunately, the man was not bad, he was good to his wife and children, and the woman was also very capable, so she found a temporary job in the university cafeteria.
The couple rented a house and lived outside. A few years later, the man graduated and was assigned to work in a hospital, and the woman set up a stall and started a small business. After that, her life was pretty good.
That house is indeed as Zhou Qingguo said, the surrounding area is quite large, and several more houses can be built to the west.
"That's great. How much does his family cost?"
Although the place is large, it is not in the center of the town. It is close to the woods and is already on the edge. It is an adobe house, so the price is not expected to be too high.
"The asking price is four hundred and fifty. My mother said that if we talk about one thing, we can get it for about four hundred."
The price Zhou Qingguo mentioned was similar to Xu Shiyan's estimate. Xu Shiyan nodded.
"Okay, you go back and tell my second sister-in-law and let her help me talk about it.
I'll go there after the new year, and if it works, I'll make a decision directly."
For more than 400 yuan, it is a very good deal to buy three rooms with a large open space around them.
We will live in the adobe house for the time being, and then we will build five large tile-roofed houses on the west side. After a few years, the adobe house will be rebuilt as well.
When the time comes, there will be eight large houses in a row, with spacious living spaces, and a few warehouses left. How great would it be?
In his previous life, Xu Shixian followed Xue Xiulin back to the city, settled in Donggang Commune, and then built a house in front of the tomb of the martyrs.
While waiting for Xu Shiyan to move in 1987, Donggang had been converted into a town and had a large population, so it was not easy to get land for homesteads.
It happened that there was a piece of vacant land to the west of Xu Shixian's house. Xu Shiyan gave his brother some money, bought the land and built four houses.
It is precisely because of this incident that a few words were left behind.
Xue Xiulin later said that his house was occupied by Xu Shiyan.
They also said that Xu Shiyan moved out of the big house because he had something to do with their family, and that Xu Shiyan didn't know how to be grateful.
This time Xu Shiyan moved away first and bought a piece of land to build a house by himself. His registered permanent residence is not with his parents. Do you believe they will have anything to say in the future?