Jiang Si was sitting quietly in the middle of the bed at the moment.
Behind her were eight wedding quilts piled high, and the wedding shoes were neatly placed at the foot of the bed.
Although Jiang Si didn't put on much makeup today, Huo Tingzhou still got distracted.
Seeing that his eyes were always on her, Jiang Si held his face and whispered, "Be good. Don't look now. You can look at me tonight."
There were so many people outside. They would be laughed at if someone saw them.
Huo Tingzhou was already used to Jiang Si's "startling remarks". He knew clearly that his wife was just coaxing him.
But he still couldn't help imagining some inappropriate scenes.
However, it was their wedding day today, and there wasn't much time for them to be alone.
Huo Tingzhou only sat there for about ten minutes when Uncle Zhong and Huo's fourth uncle carried several dishes into the bridal chamber.
There were four dishes, namely braised pork knuckle, steamed yellow croaker, steamed chicken, and meatballs.
There were also two small bowls of rice.
Different from the custom in Beijing where the bride and groom have to eat half - cooked dumplings and answer the question "Will you have children?", in Shanghai, the bride has to have a "farewell meal from her mother's family" before leaving home.
This is the last meal a daughter has in her parents' home.
Generally, the bride only takes a few symbolic bites, and the remaining food is left at her parents' home.
Apart from the implication of having endless good fortune, it also means that the bride's parents' home will always have enough to eat and will always be her backer.
After the farewell meal, it was almost time for the bride to leave.
Those who came to the small courtyard to help and those who came to the wedding banquet were all people with close relationships.
So after the gate was closed, all the necessary wedding ceremonies were carried out.
But once they stepped out of the gate, their every move would be watched by others.
Originally, Grandma Ye planned to let the young couple walk to the car together, but Huo Tingzhou picked Jiang Si up in his arms at this time.
Grandma Ye was stunned for a moment and then looked at Huo's fourth uncle, "This..."
"It doesn't matter,"
Huo's fourth uncle said with a indulgent look on his face, glancing at the young couple.
"It's this kid's wedding day today. He can do as he likes. Let him be."
Anyway, all the necessary ceremonies had been completed, and this extra step didn't matter.
The car was parked right outside the quadrangle courtyard. It wouldn't cause any big problem even if the neighbors nearby saw it.
After all, every family would hold a wedding ceremony someday, and no one would be so stupid as to cause trouble for others on such an occasion.
But as it turned out, one should never speak too confidently.
As soon as the gate of the quadrangle courtyard was opened, an old woman in a plain cotton - padded jacket and black trousers rushed out from one side of the gate in a hurry.
She was moving so fast, and the Jiang and Huo families were busy greeting each other at that time.
Most importantly, no one had expected that someone would dare to take the risk of "snatching good fortune and warding off bad luck" in such a strict situation.
By the time everyone reacted and wanted to rush over to hold the old woman down, she had already reached in front of Huo Tingzhou.
Before she could stand still, Huo Tingzhou lowered his head and said to the person in his arms,
"Wife, hold my neck tightly."
Then, holding Jiang Si with one hand, he freed the other hand and pressed the old woman's shoulder like an iron clamp.
It was a joyous wedding day, and Huo Tingzhou didn't want to argue with this person.
So he just used a little skill to push her aside.
But the old woman had a guilty conscience. Immediately, she lay down on the ground, baring her teeth and shouting,
"Ouch, it's terrible! These days, even soldiers can beat people."
"I'm in so much pain. My old arms and legs can't stand such rough treatment."
"Everyone, please judge for me. I was just passing by in front of him."
"He just attacked me. Isn't this bullying a widow and her children?"
Hearing this, everyone's faces darkened.
Jiang Si was also amused by this woman's act of shifting the blame.
Although she didn't fully believe in such things, the sayings passed down from the older generation must have some reasons.
Wasn't there a saying that "the end of science is theology"?
She herself had traveled through a book. What else couldn't happen?
Moreover, this old woman was wearing such plain clothes, and there were several red silk threads tied to the buttons of her upper garment.
In the South, this was called "filial piety red", which meant that she was in mourning!
On such a joyous wedding day, it was bad enough that she was causing trouble, and she even slandered her husband for beating her.
Enough was enough!
Jiang Si said directly, "Auntie, so many people are watching here. It was clearly you who didn't follow the rules and rushed straight at us. My husband is a soldier.
"The duty of a soldier is to maintain order and protect the people.
"He just gently stopped you to prevent you from accidentally bumping into us.
"But what did you do? You slandered a soldier for beating someone out of thin air.
"Do you know what it means to slander a soldier and undermine the unity between the army and the people?"
The old woman: "I didn't..."
Jiang Si: "You did. You not only slandered a military family member, but also went around bumping into people while in mourning. In a small sense, you're being disrespectful. In a large sense, aren't you promoting feudal superstition?"
Once someone mentioned that the old woman was in mourning, everyone understood what was going on.
Soon, someone in the crowd recognized her.
"Aren't you Granny Cai from the front street? I say, Granny Cai, how can you forget the pain once the wound is healed?"
"What happened to her?" Everyone looked over curiously.
The person didn't beat around the bush and said loudly, "It's nothing much. Last month, someone on their street got married. This Granny Cai tried to grab good luck but failed and was beaten by the host family."
After saying that, he gave Granny Cai a disdainful look. "It's not even been ten days yet. Why are you causing trouble again?"
These days, the common people have a natural sense of admiration for the military.
Once they heard this, it was unbearable!
Some people who were emotionally excited started scolding Granny Cai wildly. "Looking at the speed you rushed out just now, you don't seem to have old and feeble limbs at all. And the few shouts you let out just now were also full of energy. How come you just lay on the ground and wouldn't get up when someone gently blocked you!"
One person started, and then another old man said, "You've lived such a long life. You should always have a conscience in what you do."
"Those military comrades are shedding blood and sweating outside to defend our country! How can you have the nerve to cause trouble for them?"
"Can you feel at ease grabbing this so - called 'good luck'?"
Finally, he also said, "If 'good luck' could really be grabbed, then the whole world would be in chaos."
There were also many families in the crowd who were going to hold weddings this month. They were extremely disgusted with Granny Cai's actions.
"No, we can't just let her off like this. Come on, let's go to the neighborhood committee."
Seeing that none of these people were speaking up for her, Granny Cai didn't dare to make a scene anymore.
Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, she quickly got up from the ground.
Her legs were moving as fast as if they had a small motor installed. In a short while, she had disappeared from sight.
It can only be said that a pitiable person must have something hateful about them!
Fortunately, this little episode didn't affect the mood of the young couple.
Before getting in the car, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou solemnly thanked everyone for what had just happened.
They also distributed another round of wedding candies and cigarettes to the neighbors.
This made everyone feel a bit embarrassed.
Due to this incident, a little time was wasted.
Fortunately, they managed to return to the family compound before ten - ten.
From afar, they saw the figures of Grandpa Huo and other branches of the Huo family.
Uncle San said, "It's so cold today. Why aren't you staying inside?"
Grandpa Huo greeted them inside with a smile. "I'm so happy today that I can't sit still inside."
This was really the case. Uncle San and Uncle Zhong hadn't slept well these past few days because of the happiness.
As they chatted, they walked into the house. As for Jiang Si, of course, Huo Tingzhou carried her back.
"Come on, come on, dear in - law, please take the seat of honor."
Uncle San nodded and wasn't polite with him.
When the in - laws met, there was inevitably a lot of chatting.
At this time, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou walked up to the two of them with tea in their hands.
Huo Tingzhou held the teacup with both hands and said respectfully, "Grandpa, please have a sip of your grandson - in - law's tea."
Looking at the tea he handed over, Uncle San was stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter.
"This boy is so happy that he's confused. How can he call the wrong person?
