The Educated Youth Settlement. Girls’ Dormitory!
Feng Qian looked at the elegantly dressed Tang Xue and exclaimed in admiration, “Xiao Xue, you’re so beautiful—you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen!”
Tang Xue blushed slightly and replied, “I’m not nearly as good as you say!”
Sun Lu, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, “Qian’s right—Xue, you really are the most beautiful bride we’ve ever seen!”
Zhong Na added, “It’s not just that you’re beautiful—your dress and shoes are gorgeous too. Honestly, Li Yi really treats you well!”
“Xiao Xue, I heard that the Li family not only paid a hundred yuan as a dowry to marry you, but also bought all the necessary household items—is that true?” Zhang Xinyao asked.
Tang Xue nodded and said, “Yes, it’s true. They got everything ready a few days ago!”
“That must have cost a fortune. I’m so jealous of you!” Feng Qian said, her eyes sparkling.
“Xiao Xue, I heard the Li family hired a famous chef from the county seat to prepare the banquet. A single table of dishes costs 18 yuan—is that true?” Sun Lu asked as well.
“Yeah, he went to the city himself to arrange it!”
The “he” Tang Xue was referring to was, of course, Li Yi.
“Wow, with cigarettes and alcohol included, wouldn’t that cost over twenty yuan per table?” Zhong Na exclaimed in surprise.
“A table seats at most ten people. Even if everyone chips in two yuan as a gift, they might not even break even!”
“Yeah, that’s way too extravagant. Xue, why didn’t you try to stop him?”
“Right, Xue, you should’ve stopped him. It’s basically spending your own money…”
Tang Xue smiled and said, “I did try to stop him, but he said he wanted to give me a perfect wedding, so it was no use!”
“Li Yi really treats you so well—he spoils you rotten. I’d be satisfied if my future partner were even half as good as your husband!” Sun Lu said.
Tang Xue felt a sweet warmth in her heart and immediately replied, “You’ll definitely be happy too!”
“Xiao Xue, how do you think Li Yi is going to pick you up for the wedding? Is he riding a bicycle or driving a big red mule?” Feng Qian, the liveliest of the group, asked again.
“I don’t know—he hasn’t told me!” Tang Xue replied honestly.
“I bet it’s a bicycle!” Sun Lu said.
“I bet it’ll be a big red mule cart—a red mule is so festive!” Zhong Na said.
“I bet it’s a black horse-drawn carriage…”
Just as they were talking, a piercing firecracker suddenly went off outside the door, followed immediately by a burst of crackling firecrackers.
Hearing the noise, the female educated youth knew the Li family had come to fetch the bride. They immediately went to the door to watch the commotion—and to “block the door” as part of the tradition!
Blocking the door wasn’t meant to actually stop them; it was just a local custom, done for the sake of the festivities.
But as soon as the young women stepped outside, they saw an army-green jeep speeding through the main gate of the knowledge youth settlement.
Not only was the vehicle adorned with festive “Double Happiness” characters, but a massive red silk flower—also made of silk—hung from the hood.
Zhang Xinyao, Feng Qian, and the others were stunned—they’d never seen anything like this before!
These days, weddings were usually quite simple: those with better means would pick up the bride on a bicycle; those with less would borrow a mule-drawn cart; or they might simply have the bride carried on horseback back home.
And for someone like Tang Xue, who was marrying into a village, most people didn’t need anything at all—they’d simply have their husband lead her home.
But the Li family? They actually used a car—it was truly a sight to behold!
Just then, Li Yi got out of the car. Before the female educated youths could make a move to block the door, he pulled a few packs of Big White Rabbit milk candies from his small cloth bag and handed them over.
This was a local custom: when the bride’s family blocked the door, the wedding party had to offer a small gift to secure passage.
On one hand, this was done to liven up the occasion; on the other, it was meant to let the in-laws know that the bride wasn’t easy to marry and should be treated well.
Faced with Li Yi’s “sugar-coated bullets,” the young women immediately chose to surrender.
And just like that, Li Yi entered the dormitory without the slightest effort!
At that moment, Tang Xue was sitting on the kang wearing her wedding gown. Her hair was pulled up high into a mature woman’s bun, signifying that from now on, she was a married woman.
Tang Xue looked exceptionally beautiful today. Although she still wore no makeup, she was utterly captivating.
Li Yi walked up to the bride, handed her the bouquet of flowers he was holding, knelt down on one knee, and declared loudly, “In a past life, I made a vow before the Buddha, hoping to become a small tree standing by the path you walk every day. I will hang my love and longing from every branch, hoping that one day you will fall in love with me!”
“In this life, I make my one thousand and first wish: that one day, you will don a festive wedding gown, hold a beautiful bouquet, and become my happy bride. Beautiful Ms. Tang Xue, will you help me fulfill this wonderful wish?”
Such a romantic proposal stunned everyone present—including Tang Xue!
Chinese people are reserved; though they understand love, they aren’t accustomed to expressing it verbally.
Plus, with society not yet as open as it is today, no one would dare to do something like this.
But Li Yi did it—he was determined to declare his love for Tang Xue right in front of everyone.
Tang Xue was initially taken aback, but she was soon moved to tears.
With a slightly trembling voice, she said, “You… you get up! I do, I do!”
Li Yi immediately stood up, placed the bouquet in Tang Xue’s hands, and then took out a bright red veil to place on her head.
This was the modern equivalent of the traditional bridal veil, though nowadays it had been replaced with a red veil.
Next, Li Yi brought over the newly purchased little leather shoes and personally helped Tang Xue put them on.
Then, he picked up his bride and walked toward the door.
Tang Xue had already heard the roar of a car engine and guessed that Li Yi might have arranged for a car to come and pick her up.
But when she saw the freshly decorated Jeep, she was still taken aback.
At the same time, she was deeply moved.
She hadn’t had high expectations about marrying Li Yi from the start, but in just one month, Li Yi had won her over.
From the moment he agreed to marry her, he had been preparing for this wedding.
Now it was clear that every detail of the wedding reflected his immense dedication.
In comparison, she felt like she was getting something for nothing; aside from being the bride, she didn’t seem to have contributed much.
So Tang Xue silently vowed to love this man before her with all her heart for the rest of her life; he was the one who truly held her dearest in his heart.
As Li Yi helped Tang Xue into the car, Wang Anguo, who was driving, and her brother-in-law Yang Wenguang, with the help of several female educated youth, loaded all of Tang Xue’s packed luggage into the vehicle.
The two men then returned to the car and started the engine.
Meanwhile, Feng Qian and the others quickly locked the door and headed toward the Li family’s new home.
…….