The real excitement in the Hong family's old house was around ten o'clock, because the old neighbors from Furuli arrived.
In order to pick up everyone, Hong Yanzheng and Xu Manli hurried back to Furuli after breakfast. When the bus arranged by Hong Yanwu arrived at 8:30, they hurriedly got together and went to each house to inform the minister.
please.
Of course, people are very active in this kind of thing, and Shui Qing from the West Courtyard is also there to help and greet everyone.
But the five fingers are not all aligned. The common people are inherently unorganized and undisciplined, and they are most likely to get anxious when encountering a big situation. And they are raising families, so how can we avoid chaos?
Sometimes a child needs to pee, sometimes an adult forgets to bring a gift, sometimes someone comes out wearing a hurdle vest, turns around and goes back to put on a shirt, and sometimes someone remembers that there is still hot water sitting on the gas stove and quickly goes back and turns off the heat.
It was as if a handful of salt noodles were sprinkled in a frying pan, and it started churning all of a sudden. Some people were in a hurry, others were jumping around, and they were going back and forth endlessly in and out of the car.
Fortunately, there were wedding cigarettes and wedding candies, and the driver was not bothered. At about 9:10, everyone finally gathered, and the car started and drove to the wedding banquet site.
There are many housewives in the West Courtyard. Their daily activities are limited and the content of their lives is extremely monotonous. The collective activities they have participated in in their lives are probably the "revolutionary activities" in the "movement". They have never experienced peace and mutual understanding.
What it's like for acquaintances to travel together in a car.
So even though it is just an ordinary "40" bus with a short distance and familiar street scenes along the way, for them, the experience is almost the same as taking a "concierge car" for visiting foreign heads of state.
The guy was talking and laughing happily along the way.
Some people praised the Hong family for their thorough etiquette, which made Hong Yanzhuang's face get hot. Some people were eager to see the true appearance of the Hong family's old house and had no chance to ask Xu Manli about it. Some people brought up old things again and asked themselves to ride there.
The incident of getting married wearing a donkey came to mind, which made everyone laugh uncontrollably.
In short, there was never a moment of silence in the car. What these aunties and sisters-in-law showed was excitement and joy that I had never seen before. They looked a little happier than the host family.
But when we actually arrived at the scene, we were all dumbfounded and speechless. Not for anything else, but because of the grandeur of the Hong family, the scene was too big.
It's okay outside the courtyard gate, except that the "Double Happiness" signs on both sides of the gate look a bit bigger than those posted by other houses, but there's nothing wrong with it. It's natural for two intimate guests to guard the door and let the guests in.
But things start to change as soon as you enter the courtyard. There is "color" on the screen wall in front of you. Five big red hydrangeas hang upright on the four brick-carved characters of "Fu Lu Shou Xi"
Above all, it can be said that it takes the lead.
Going further inside, what's even more remarkable is that the two wall ridges from the screen wall to the hanging flower door are all decorated with colorful ribbons and hung with long and short silks.
The breeze blows slowly and flutters, and the red color is really flamboyant and beautiful.
The final shock came from the hanging flower gate. There were at least ten distinguished guests standing at the door, not to mention the record of receiving gifts in sequence. The most important thing was that as soon as they stepped through the door, the "red" became dazzling and dazzling.
Head.
The eaves of all the verandahs are actually decorated with colored silk, and all the pillars are also wrapped in red silk. In addition, under the verandahs on both sides of the "Second Gate", there are amazingly long ceremony tables and tea tables. The courtyard is neatly decorated.
Thirty "official seats" are all covered with red tablecloths.
It's so red and so gorgeous, how can we not make these flat-headed people shocked on the spot? It's a pomp and grandeur that they can't even dream of.
Not to mention being silent for a while, they were a little at a loss. They looked at each other and sometimes vomited involuntarily. Everyone felt ashamed of their meager gifts.
Fortunately, Hong Lucheng, Wang Yunlin and Li Fu came over in time. Their high-spirited appearance and decent clothes could not hide their enthusiasm.
Hong Lucheng respectfully greeted the male guests by saying "give face", "show love" and "give face", while Wang Yunlin greeted the female guests affectionately and said words of thanks for "causing everyone trouble".
They were still so humble, so kind, and not at all arrogant or proud of their wealth. This relieved everyone's discomfort, and everyone began to express their joy.
However, joy is joy, and surprise cannot be eliminated. Admiration is also inevitable.
For example, Uncle Bian couldn't help but say, "Lao Hong, what a scene you guys are doing. I've only heard of rich people in the past, but never seen them. This time it opens my eyes."
Qiuzi's mother also said, "Yunlin, your house is like a dream. How much will it cost? We can't afford it even if we just sell it."
Unexpectedly, Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin actually said that they claimed to have benefited from the government's return of their private houses.
It is said that they are actually invited to work on a running table. It is because the son has many friends who come to help and the land is large, which makes them look generous and decent.
What is different from others is that it is decorated with colorful decorations and hung with some red silk. These things are expensive to use alone, but it is more economical to consider using them for Hong Yanwu and Hong Yanru in the future.
After saying this, the old neighbors couldn't help but nod frequently, and the psychological pressure was relieved a lot. So everyone started laughing after the wrong message. There were also some self-righteous comments from some people.
But after the polite words were finished, seats were placed one by one, and everyone left the Hong family to go about their business, someone with understanding saw a new way out.
Because among other things, the wedding candies on the plate were either made of gold paper or silver paper, and chocolate accounted for half of them. When I took the cigarettes scattered on the plate, they turned out to be peonies. When the teapot was brought up, I tasted the flavor of the tea.
,Hi, it smells so good.
God knows how much these things cost. As the saying goes, you can tell when you see the slightest thing. Then the drinks at the banquet at the back couldn't be any worse.
So soon, the neighbors had a different idea. What they just said was just polite and modest.
Astonishment, amazement, and discussions inevitably abounded. It was the first time that these ordinary people realized the true meaning of a wealthy family.
If it's different, it's still different. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, that's the truth.
In fact, to be honest, the Hong family is really frugal and low-key. Not only did they not build a wedding tent, but they also used "soft colors".
Li Fu even asked Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin about this matter. At that time, the old man said excitedly, "I didn't expect that this kid Xiao Wu could actually find someone who can build a tent and tie colors. How about we join forces?"
It's a pity that we may not be able to see each other again in the future. Why don't we spend more money? It only costs a few bucks to build a flat shed."
Unexpectedly, the old couple finally said, "Lao Li, this is not a matter of spending a little money. Nowadays, those materials are not easy to find. The shed masters are also old. The old craftsmen have to step up to build that thing.
It’s so busy and unbearable, and it’s easy to get angry. It’s also troublesome for people to stay up late and watch. Besides, that’s all a thing of the past. Now it’s really too eye-catching and causing trouble. Let’s not show off that trick and look for that one.
It's troublesome. Just don't even use "hard colors" to save trouble.
As a result, this matter was not accomplished, which made Li Fu feel quite regretful.
Otherwise, if a "囍"-shaped pergola with railings, a patio, a corner cloud, a glass window, a hanging screen, a flower wall, and pillars is erected in the courtyard, a gate and two doors will be added.
The "Flower Archway" was put on the "hard color" in front of the house, and the "full house" auditorium and wedding room were set up in the courtyard.
It makes people unable to move their eyes, as if they are on the set of a movie.
But this is still just ordinary.
Because when Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin got married, they actually built a three-story ring building in this courtyard like a classical palace.
The entire shed was erected on the roofs surrounding the second entrance courtyard of the Hong family, which was equivalent to connecting two more floors of the original building.
Not only are there wooden ladders on both sides of the pavilion, but there are also corridors leading out from all directions, making it extremely convenient to walk up and down. Moreover, the carved beams and painted pillars are beautiful, the space is reasonably divided, and the functions are all available.
For example, the corridor is surrounded by colorful carvings and red-painted pillars, all hung with gold-lettered couplets. Doors and windows are installed at the back. Several hydroelectric gas lamps are hung under each corridor for night lighting.
There is also a large fan-shaped plaque hanging on the upper end of each hall, like the north tower with the words "A Match Made in Heaven" written on it. It is a banquet hall for entertaining relatives and friends.
The south building is a stage where "Qian Kun Opera and Harmony" serve as a stage, where you can sing Peking Opera, Kun Opera, "Octagonal Drum", and perform "all kinds of juggling" such as juggling and acrobatics. Guests only need to sit on the corridor of the north building and in the courtyard downstairs to watch the show.
The "Harmony of Qin and Se" in the west building and the "Harmony of Flute and Flute" in the east building are both separate teahouses for guests to eat snacks, drink tea, and play cards. The four corner towers are each equipped with a kitchen, tea stove, washroom, and clothing storage.
at.
This not only makes full use of all the space, but also has an additional benefit.
Since there is no effective area occupied by sheds in the courtyard, in addition to making way for the corridor leading to the auditorium and the wedding room, wooden platforms as high as one side of the stone platform for the house were built on both sides. Official seats were set up on the platform.
It's for viewing.
When the sedan chair is launched, forty-eight sounding instruments, including eight-sided or sixteen-sided drums, are arranged in two opposite rows under the viewing platform and played.
After the Hong family married Wang Yunlin, the wedding sedan passed through the central corridor and through the rows of loud drums and loudspeakers, and was carried into the main auditorium. The guests on the wooden platforms on both sides and upstairs could also be clearly seen.
The wedding sedan enters the door, enters the courtyard, and steps over the charcoal basin to smoke the evil spirits.
This is already very close to the style of a Western-style church wedding. It does not lack the liveliness unique to our Chinese people, but also has a more solemn sense of ceremony.
Therefore, this is the style that truly crowns the official family, the gentry, the merchants and the wealthy. It can be called a truly colorful and colorful atmosphere. It is worthy of being named one of the "Eight Great Houses" of the Hong family.
Only someone as understanding as Li Fu can understand how different the present is from the past.