RYEY – Chapter 54 The Wedding (Part 3)

As the village head, Chen Weidang naturally had to preside over the wedding. Besides, Li Huan had already sent gifts the previous night—since he accepted them, he was duty-bound to do his part.

The bride and groom each wore a big red flower on their chests. Facing the portrait of the Great Leader, they bowed three times, and under the applause of everyone present, the simple yet solemn wedding ceremony was complete.

“Bride, sing a song!”

No one knew who shouted it first, but others quickly echoed the call. Cheng Qiao’s face flushed redder. She had always been tone-deaf; if she sang, she would definitely go off-key.

Li Huan smiled and started singing “Waves Upon Waves on Honghu Lake.” He squeezed Cheng Qiao’s hand gently, signaling her to follow along. With him leading, she naturally hummed along.

Standing outside, Chen Chunhua heard Li Huan sing for the first time. She hadn’t expected his voice to be so magnetic—it felt like her ears were about to get pregnant.

Even though Cheng Qiao was only softly humming behind him, her delicate female voice blended perfectly with Li Huan’s. Whether in height, looks, or even voice, the two seemed like a flawless pair.

Chen Chunhua’s heart stirred again. She pulled out the small round mirror she carried and looked at her own pretty face inside it. Instantly, her confidence soared.

Hmph, so what if Cheng Qiao was pretty? She wasn’t any worse! Her gaze was fixed on Li Huan—dressed in a navy-blue Dacron Zhongshan suit, black trousers, black leather shoes, his hair slicked back with pomade, looking handsome and elegant. Her feet shifted restlessly.

Li Huan was supposed to be hers. If not for Xu Laidi, how could Li Huan have been drawn to Cheng Qiao? Now that fox spirit was stealing him away. No, she had to take him back.

Just as she took a step, Zhaodi grabbed her arm hard, the painful pinch snapping her back to her senses.

“Ma…”

“What are you trying to do? Once the reservoir is built, Wang Tuozi will come to marry you. You may not care about your face, but our Chen family still does!”

“Ma, why do you have to speak so harshly?”

“My words are harsh? If you dare to do something shameless, then you’ll hear words far harsher than these. As a young girl, you must know the meaning of modesty and decency!”

Chen Chunhua looked at Zhaodi with resentment, unable to believe this stern woman was the mother who had always doted on her. In her heart, she swore that once she left the Chen family, she would never return to her maiden home.

Zhaodi noticed the sudden flash of cold light in her daughter’s eyes and felt a pang in her heart. She knew now that she had raised this girl in vain—but what could she do? It was her own fault for spoiling her too much since childhood.

The educated youths at the commune acted like Cheng Qiao’s family, bustling around to help, arranging seating according to the village’s seniority.

Seeing a big bowl of braised pork and a large tray of coarse grain steamed buns at every table, everyone knew that the rascal and Cheng Qiao had really spent a fortune this time.

The nosy aunties were already counting on their fingers—between the betrothal gifts, dowry, building a house, and holding the banquet, Cheng Qiao’s three hundred yuan must have been completely spent.

When the village head picked up his chopsticks, all the villagers quickly followed suit. Skinny Monkey noticed Qiu Min still hadn’t moved and hurried to grab food for her.

By the time Qiu Min snapped out of it, only two empty bowls were left on the square table. Even the broth at the bottom had been sopped up with buns.

“This…”

“Hurry and eat, or the rest of your food will be snatched too!”

Skinny Monkey had just grabbed four coarse buns with both hands and snatched three pieces of braised pork like lightning. By the time he reached again, the meat dish had already been taken away.

After lunch, everyone prepared to leave—they had to resume work on the reservoir tomorrow. It was heavy, exhausting labor, so they needed proper rest.

Han Chunmei, along with the female educated youths and some aunties, stayed behind to help return the borrowed tables and benches and wash all the bowls and chopsticks before cheerfully heading home.

Some young men gathered, plotting to make mishead in the bridal chamber. Since that only happened at night, they needed to plan carefully—how could they tease the rascal so much that he lost face?

Cheng Qiao had no idea another “performance” awaited her that evening. Looking at the two large and two small chests, she couldn’t help but smile.

She opened them, and while no one was around in the bridal room, she secretly took a thick mattress from her space and spread it on the empty heated brick bed. The bed had been left bare specifically to await the bride’s dowry.

She then laid a brand-new checkered sheet over it, smoothing every corner, before adding two pillows topped with bright red pillow towels.

She pulled out the thick quilt from the chest and folded it neatly at the foot of the bed. Since it was too warm for such heavy bedding now, she laid out a thin quilt instead.

Noticing the wardrobe in the corner, Cheng Qiao walked over. Uncle Niu had just built it—it was sturdy, polished smooth, and coated with varnish.

She carefully placed her clothes inside, occasionally pulling out undergarments and small items from her space to tuck into the corners.

That’s when she noticed a bundle of clothes already inside. Opening it, she found the thermal underwear she had previously bought for Mother Li and Li Le.

She immediately understood Li Huan’s intention—these were meant to be gifts for his mother and younger sister, to strengthen their relationship with her.

“Wife, can I come in?”

Li Huan knocked from outside. Cheng Qiao quickly slid the latch open, but before she could speak, he swept her into his arms. Feeling her softness against him, his face grew a little strained.

“Wife, what are you doing?”

“I was tidying things up. Why didn’t you give these to your mother and sister?”

“What ‘your mother’ and ‘your sister’? Say that again properly. If you get it wrong, I’ll have to punish you.”

“Sorry—it’s our mother and our sister.”

Cheng Qiao hurriedly admitted her mistake. But even with her admission, punishment still awaited her—Li Huan slid the latch shut, pressed his lips against hers, and kissed her deeply.

“Mmph~”

“Mm~”

Skinny Monkey froze, his hand still raised to knock on the door. Then he quickly pulled Qiu Min away.

“Why didn’t you say anything? You must make Brother Huan reform himself, he can’t ruin Cheng Qiao!”

Qiu Min panicked and tried to turn back, but Skinny Monkey tugged her along. Seeing she still wanted to go, he whispered a few words in her ear. Qiu Min froze, glanced at the bright sky—the sun was still high overhead.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you back.”

“But…”

Without giving her a choice, Skinny Monkey pushed her bicycle along. Though unwilling, Qiu Min had no choice but to follow. It was at least half an hour’s ride back to the county, and as a young girl, she couldn’t risk being stubborn.