In 1935, the land of eastern Henan was originally a warm spring. Just after the vernal equinox, the warm sun stripped off the thick cotton clothes on people's bodies. Unexpectedly, the good times did not last long, and the "cold spring" came uninvited, forcing people to reluctantly put on more clothes. This spring was destined to be a strange and eventful season.
On the eighth day of the third month of the lunar calendar, the temple fair had just ended. The Liu residence, which was located in the west gate of Longxiang Village, welcomed a festive day. The bride was Liu Yuzhu, the second son of Master Liu, Liu Yaozong. Although this guy was dark and short, lazy, and idle, he had touched some matchmaker this year. Not only did he have good luck in love, but he had also found a well-educated, virtuous, and beautiful woman. Jealousy caused a poor scholar in the village to sigh. A fine horse often carries a foolish man, and a clever woman often sleeps with a foolish man!
The Liu Residence was one of the largest families in the Dragon Horse Village. The three-door courtyard was built very elegantly and grandly. The main room and the side rooms were all made of blue bricks and black tiles. The eaves were raised from the ridge, and the pillars were carved and painted. The pillars were surrounded, and it was as beautiful as an immortal palace. Early in the morning, the entire residence was decorated with lanterns and red embroidery. Six red lanterns were neatly hung under the gate tower. A pair of thick red doors were pasted with large red characters. On both sides of the door, there are wedding couplets: mandarin ducks perched on Jiayu, fairy flowers and branches of Ruimu; The blue gold-plated horizontal plaque of the Liu Residence hanging directly above the gate had been surrounded by red silk. The two tall and mighty stone lions on both sides of the door also had red marks on their necks.
The Liu family was a famous and prosperous family in Longxiang Stronghold. Liu Yaozong's grandfather was a scholar in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. He was a second-grade official in the court and a major official in the border area. However, after a few generations, the family declined. By Liu Yaozong's generation, they had already become a poor family. When Liu Yaozong was young, he had read a lot of poetry and books. He wanted to take the exam to revitalize his family business, but he was unlucky and failed many times. He opened up a new path and devoted himself to farming and business. After more than ten years of hard work, he had made great achievements. He owned more than ten hectares of fertile farmland and had a lot of money. He opened dozens of shops in Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Xi'an. He could be said to be rich. Old Master Liu made many friends, was righteous, and was good at giving, thus earning him the nickname of "Great Philosopher Liu". Although he was over sixty years old, his body was still very strong. At this moment, he was wearing a red satin robe and mandarin jacket. He was in high spirits as he led the wives of several families to welcome the congratulatory people at the main door.
The guests who came to congratulate them were the relatives and men of the Liu family (the clan relatives who did not wear five clothes), as well as the local squires and sages. Hu Liren was also among them. He was in his fifties, with a fat head, big ears, and a big belly. Hu Liren's grandfather and grandmother were originally servants and maids of the Liu family. Because the two of them had an affair, they were kicked out by Liu Yaozong's grandfather. The two of them built a shack at the foot of the village wall and lived a difficult life. As the saying goes, when you're poor, you think of change. When Hu Liren's father was alive, he made a name for himself by selling livestock. In Hu Liren's generation, the three brothers were doing well. The second brother, Hu Liyi, became the security captain in the county. The third brother, Hu Li, was admitted to the Central Military Academy Luoyang Branch and was now an army officer. Hu Liren was focused on managing his family's business. In terms of wealth and popularity, he had developed into the second most powerful person in the Dragon Horse Village, second only to Liu Yaozong. When Hu Liren was poor, he had his tail between his legs. After he became rich, he began to swell up. When he saw the Liu family, he was angry. He always wanted to find an opportunity to vent his anger for his grandfather's humiliation, but it was all a pillar in the wall. There was still competition in the dark. Today was a joyous occasion for the Liu family. With Old Master Liu's bearing, he naturally did not forget about him, the second-in-command.
When Old Master Liu saw Hu Liren come to the door, he hurriedly bowed and said,"Brother Hu, it's my honor to visit you despite your busy schedule. Welcome!”
Hu Liren cupped his hands." Brother Liu, you're too polite. Today is a joyous day for the Liu family. How can you not come and ask for a cup of wine?"!”
"I've already prepared Du Kang wine for you. Liu Ling will only be drunk for three years, but I guarantee that you'll be drunk for six years!”When the two met, they always bickered. Master Liu took the initiative.
"Are you cursing me? If I get drunk for six years, I'll definitely drag you along to serve me wine!”Hu Liren was not at a disadvantage.
Today was a joyous day for the Liu residence. Old Master Liu was afraid that he would anger Hu Liren and spoil the festive atmosphere, so he did not continue. He waved his right hand forward and said,"Please come in-"
As Hu Liren walked through the door with his hands behind his back, he did not forget to mock Liu Yaozong."The day chosen today is not bad. Unfortunately, it's late spring. I'm afraid the bull's eyes will freeze.”
This seemingly inexplicable sentence was actually scolding Old Master Liu because Old Master Liu was wearing a pair of presbyopic glasses. Old Master Liu was not easy to deal with. He immediately replied,"As the saying goes, cold spring brings ripples. It's time for the water turtle to come out and grit its teeth!"
Hu Liren asked for a snub and walked through the door resentfully.
Near noon, Yuzhu's bridal procession entered the west gate with great momentum. Under the accompaniment of the song "Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix" by the "Old Loudspeaker"(Trumpet Squad), Yuzhu wore a top hat with flower arrangements on her head, a red satin robe, a green mandarin jacket with red flowers on the ground, and a red color on her shoulders. She rode a tall horse and walked arrogantly at the front of the bridal procession. He was all smiles as he kept greeting the crowd on both sides of the street, bowing and bowing.
There was no age for a daughter-in-law to marry for three days. Moreover,"beating up scum"(teasing, joking jokes, mostly with "meat") was a custom here, and the groom became a lost cause. Many of Yuzhu's old friends and the sisters-in-law of the neighbors all spoke with a hint of "dirty".
On the street, a man with a duck accent shouted,"Yuzhu, this time, if you marry a 'urine-jar'(a dirty name for women), you won't have to 'chop rafters'(jerk off) anymore!”
The entire street burst into laughter. Because in this stockade, the meaning of this seemingly bandit slang was well-known.
Immediately after, an old bachelor's voice was heard.""Yuzhu, you really have a lucky woman. Why did you insult the beautiful Diao Chan?!”
"Who's greedy? It's useless even if you're greedy!”Another voice came from the crowd to interrupt.
This caused the entire street to burst into laughter. Yu Zhu's face was red, and he seemed to be annoyed."Tianyun, you donkey bear! I won't forgive you later." Tianyun was the old bachelor who had teased him just now.
A meticulous sister-in-law noticed that Yuzhu's ear was "injured". She laughed and teased,"Yuzhu, why haven't you entered the bridal chamber yet, and you're already in Shangqiu (homonym for 'injured ball'), how are you going to get on your horse now that it's dark?!”
This caused the crowd to laugh for a long time. Yu Zhu's face was as embarrassed as Guan Yu's. He hooked his head in front of his chest and mocked himself,"This is called good luck! Good luck!"
Before the ambulance that was supposed to pick up the bride had even stopped in front of the Liu residence, the firecrackers started crackling. The people who were watching the show swarmed up and surrounded the RV. Someone jeered,"Look at what the beautiful wife looks like.”Then, someone lifted the curtain. After the curtain was lifted, people were surprised to find that the bride in red had her hands and feet firmly tied.
At this moment, someone pulled off her red veil and saw the bride with a white handkerchief stuffed in her mouth and her nose constantly humming. The bride was very beautiful and could be said to be the best among women! Her head was like a crescent moon, and her eyes were like water. She had a butterfly clip on her greasy hair, a thin layer of official powder on her face, rouge on her cheeks, a bean-sized beauty mole between her eyebrows, cherry red lips, and a pair of red silk embroidered shoes. Her phoenix eyes were filled with panic and anger, adding a bit of coldness.
The people who were watching the show were noisy and discussed animatedly. Some said that the Liu family was bullying others and that it was wrong to marry them. Some helped Yuzhu speak up, saying that since there was an engagement, she would be a member of the Liu family sooner or later. Even if she snatched the bride, no one could control her. A bunch of old bachelors had envious looks on their faces as they clicked their tongues and said," A good cabbage was eaten by a pig, and a steamed bun fell to the ground by a dog's fortune…"
Housekeeper Liu Cheng was afraid that something would go wrong at this time, so he urged the emcee to quickly host the wedding. Amidst the laughter of the crowd, a few children picked up the hot plowshares with wooden sticks and held burning torches. They quickly circled around the carriage three times and three times in reverse, implying that they were chasing away demons and ghosts and clearing the way for the bride. The two bridesmaids helped the bride out of the car. When the bride crossed the brazier, she was no match for her. In the midst of tugging and pulling, the brazier was kicked over by the bride, causing the onlookers to sigh endlessly.
Liu Yaozong and the three madams sat upright in the central room. When they saw the bride being tied up and brought in, their faces changed in anger. They reprimanded loudly,"Yuzhu, why did you kidnap her? Hurry up and untie me!"
Yu Zhu fell to his knees with a thud.""Father, it's not that I want to snatch the bride away. We have a legal engagement. Her family is willing, but she's the only one who's unwilling.”
The bride, who had been untied, looked aggrieved and angry."They're willing, but I'm not. This is called kidnapping a woman. I have to sue you!”
It was really beyond Master Liu's expectations that things had come to this. He wanted to persuade the bride, but before he could say anything, a bewitching "half-old lady" with pearls around her head said,"I'm the bride's aunt and came with the convoy. In-law, can I say a few words?”
Old Master Liu said,"So it's in-laws. Please speak."”
"This marriage is because I've climbed up the social ladder. To be able to be in-laws with Master Liu is my Zhao family's blessing." My Zhilan (referring to the bride)'s parents died early. Zhilan was raised by me, so I decided her marriage. In-law, as the saying goes, a married girl is like water that has been poured out. Since my daughter has entered your Liu family, she is a member of your family!”
The third aunt of the Liu family, Tai Caixia, curled her lips and whispered to the second aunt,""Eh, this girl can't be a 'little after-marriage'(referring to an old lady who can't be married), and she still wants to cling to our family?”
Old Master Liu rolled his eyes at Third Aunt and said to the "old lady","Since in-laws agree, we have nothing to say. It's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. The wedding will proceed as usual.”
The bride named Zhao Zhilan still wanted to resist, but under the control of the two bridesmaids and the loud shouts of the emcee, she was forced to complete her prayers and was sent to the bridal chamber on the west side of the main room.
Once the ceremony was over, Liu Yaozong, who was sitting on the armchair in the hall, let out a long sigh. Old Master Liu was an open-minded gentleman. With his nature, he would never approve of his son snatching the bride, because he did not want to fall into the bad reputation of bullying others and snatching women. However, it was a fact that the bride had tied him up with a rope, which surprised him a lot. However, after hearing the confession of the bride's aunt, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground. He believed that it was a temporary measure that Yuzhu had no choice but to do. As for the bride's disobedience, it might be because she could not change her mind at the moment. He believed that as long as today passed, the raw rice would be cooked, and the bride would not be able to kick anything. Thinking of this, he closed his eyes and revealed a comforting smile.
However, before he could smile, a bell-like voice suddenly came from outside the door."Father, it's wrong of you to condone your son to snatch a woman!”
Old Master Liu suddenly quivered. He took a closer look and realized that it was his precious daughter, Liu Yuwan, who had entered the central room like a whirlwind. He was furious." Damn girl, you scared me. Let me ask you, why are you siding with outsiders? Do you feel good when your brother is single?"”
Liu Yuwan glared at her father angrily. My brother can't build his own happiness on the suffering of others! It was the Republic of China now, and kidnapping a bride was illegal!”
Liu Yaozong's anger rose." Damn girl, you've educated me in the past two years. Let me tell you, we have an engagement, and her family has agreed. What kind of law is this?!”
"It's against the law if the bride doesn't agree!" Liu Yuwan retorted.”
"I raised you for nothing, and you're speaking for an outsider? You have no conscience!"
"Didn't you always say that one should be righteous and not bully others? I think you're a person who doesn't mean what you say!”
The veins on Old Master Liu's forehead squirmed like earthworms. He jabbed the walking stick in his hand fiercely on the ground and roared,"What an ingrate. Get lost!”
The Second Mistress, who was sitting at the side, gave Yu Wan a meaningful glance."Xiong girl, look at how angry your father is. Go out and persuade your sister-in-law!"
Liu Yuwan ran out angrily.
Liu Yaozong started to complain about the Second Madam."Look at how much you've spoiled her!!”
Liu Yuwan was Liu Yaozong's eldest daughter, born to his second wife, Madam Li. She was naturally beautiful, tall, had an oval face, bright eyes, white teeth, and skin as white as snow. She was currently studying at the provincial Kaifeng Women's Normal School. She was cheerful and lively, had a positive mindset, advocated a new culture, did things in a hurry, and was full of youthful vitality. She didn't plan to come back for her brother's wedding, but because she had joined the school's " Sickle and Axe " secret progress organization and needed to contact the students of Nanyang County Normal School for a meeting, she recommended herself and applied for leave from the school teachers. According to her, going home was like shooting a rabbit with grass-killing two birds with one stone. She could contact the students of Nanyang Normal School and attend her brother's wedding. Why not? When she returned home from Nanyang, she was happy for her brother when she heard that he had married a well-educated woman. However, when she saw the bride tied up and dragged home, she was extremely angry, so she went to argue with her father. She did not expect that things would go contrary to her wishes. Her father was so uncivilized. She decided to meet this " sister-in-law " and understand her true thoughts.
At noon, the Liu family's wedding banquet began. The scene was very grand and extravagant. The front courtyard was filled with eight immortal tables, and the tables were filled with all kinds of delicacies and delicacies.
After Old Master Liu gave an impassioned welcome and speech of thanks, he invited the guests to eat and drink. For a moment, the sound of people drinking and playing matchmaking could be heard. After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, the guests were all red in the face, their voices were out of tune, and their expressions were crazy.
The jade pillar was the focal point of people's toasts, especially his group of old friends. They all poured him a small black bowl. Yu Zhu realized that there would be a fierce battle today and was mentally prepared. He didn't want to miss the opportunity of the wedding night, and he also wanted to avoid the torturous " nuptial chamber " at night. So, he kept a trick up his sleeve. He took out an ancestral mandarin duck pot behind his father's back. This kind of pot had two guts inside and could hold two different kinds of wine. Yu Zhu had a servant serve him with a pot. He poured wine for others, but he poured water for himself. Therefore, Yuzhu did not reject anyone and did not get drunk. After those guys who were toasting were all drunk, Yu Zhu also pretended to be drunk. His legs went soft, and he lay on the ground on his back,"drunk" and unconscious. The butler called for the servants to carry him into the bridal chamber.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。