Chapter 257: Something Must Be Wrong When Things Are Out of the Ordinary
Peace Slope Village
After Deng Shirong spoke sincerely, Liu's father quickly responded, "I understand, but I didn't expect you to be Dashi's uncle. For him to have an uncle like you, who cares for him so deeply, is truly a blessing!"
"I'm the only uncle these children have, so naturally, I want them all to live well," Deng Shirong replied with a smile. Then he added, "There's one more thing I'd like to mention. My second nephew just bought a truck at the beginning of the month to start a transportation business. Tomorrow, he'll drive his brother to pick up the bride. Do you think he should drive directly to the house or just to the village entrance?"
According to the marriage customs of this era, the groom doesn't come to the bride's house to pick her up. Instead, the bride's family escorts her out, and the groom's side meets them halfway to take her to the wedding. This was the standard practice in Double Prosperity Territory.
But Deng Shirong, familiar with the wedding customs of later generations, knew that in the future, grooms would bring a wedding car procession to the bride's house to pick her up. If the bride lived far away—say, in another city or province—she would be brought to a restaurant in a nearby town or county the day before, and the wedding car would pick her up from there on the wedding day.
Now that they had a car, Deng Shirong thought it would be a nice touch to drive directly to the bride's house, a small but meaningful reform of the wedding customs.
Upon hearing this, Liu's father hesitated. "Uncle (a local term of respect), there's no precedent for picking up the bride at home, is there?"
Deng Shirong smiled. "Relatives, marriage customs change with the times. For example, in the old society, when a daughter got married, her family had to cry at least twelve times, and she had to sing a farewell song to her parents and brothers as she left the house. But after liberation, didn't that custom gradually fade away?
If you're walking to pick up the bride, it's better to follow tradition. But if you're driving, I think it's appropriate to come directly to the house. That way, Liu Mei can leave in style. How wonderful would that be!"
The relatives and friends sitting nearby, who had initially wanted to ask Deng Shirong to help find matches for their children, stopped discussing matchmaking after learning he was the groom's uncle. Now, hearing that the groom's side would drive to pick up the bride, they couldn't help but chime in with encouragement.
"Uncle is right. Marriage customs change with the times. If there's a car, why not drive directly to the house? It's so impressive!"
"When people from the next village came to pick up the bride, they rode bicycles straight to the house. Now that there's a car, why not agree to such a grand gesture?"
"I also think it's better to drive directly to the house. If you pick her up halfway, who's going to see it?"
"..."
Liu's father, already swayed by Deng Shirong's words, was further convinced by the relatives and friends. He nodded and said, "Alright, let's have them pick her up directly at the house!"
Liu's mother and Liu Aihong soon learned about the discussion. When they found out that Deng Shirong, the matchmaker, was actually Bu Dashi's uncle, they were equally surprised.
Of course, this was just a small twist and didn't affect the marriage. The only difference was that Deng Shirong's status became even more respected!
...
The Next Day
The Liu family prepared several tables of food and wine early in the morning. If they had followed the old customs, they would have started the feast right away, and after eating, the bride would have been escorted out.
But this time, everyone had heard that the groom would drive to the house to pick up the bride, so it wouldn't be proper to start eating immediately. They had to wait for the groom to arrive and eat together; otherwise, it would seem rude.
As for Deng Shirong, he rode his bicycle to the village entrance to wait for his nephew's arrival.
At around 9:40 a.m., the uncle and nephew met at the village entrance.
Deng Shirong briefly explained the situation and then asked, "Dashi, how many red envelopes did you prepare?"
Bu Dashi replied, "I only prepared six red envelopes."
Deng Shirong pulled out dozens of small red envelopes from his pockets and handed them to his nephew. "Take these. There's not much money in them—just 1.8 yuan each. When you pick up the bride later, give them to everyone you meet so they can share in the joy. As for the red envelopes you brought, give them to the bride as planned."
Bu Dashi took the red envelopes and nodded. "Okay, I understand!"
"Alright, that's all for now. Just act according to the situation, and I'll remind you if needed," Deng Shirong said before riding his bicycle ahead to lead the way.
Two minutes later, the brand-new truck stopped in front of the bride's house.
In this era, while people occasionally saw cars passing by on the road, few of the guests had ever been in close contact with one. Now, with a brand-new truck parked in front of them, everyone was curious and gathered around to take a look.
Bu Dashi, the groom, was busy going through the formalities under his uncle's guidance. Meanwhile, Bu Zhongshi stayed behind to answer questions about the truck from the bride's relatives and friends, satisfying their curiosity.
Soon, Bu Dashi completed the necessary procedures, sat down for a quick bite, and then distributed a round of red envelopes. After earning enough face, he picked up the bride and the escorting guests, and they all headed home happily with the bride's dowry.
As for Deng Shirong, he chose not to ride in the truck. Instead, he followed behind on his bicycle. After all, the bumpy dirt road wasn't easy to navigate, and the truck wasn't moving very fast, so he could keep up without trouble.
Seeing their daughter leave, Liu's father and mother felt both happy and a little sad. They were happy that their daughter was getting married in such a grand manner and that their son-in-law had brought them so much face. But they were also sad because, after the wedding, their daughter would belong to another family, and it was hard for them to accept that.
...
Treasure Mountain Village
After the bride and groom paid their respects to the ancestors at the Grand Ancestor Hall, all the relatives, friends, and villagers began to make a fuss, urging the bride to open her dowry box.
In this era, when a bride got married, she would have a dowry box. If the family was well-off, the box would be high-end. If not, it would be more modest. Liu Aihong's dowry box was quite presentable. Though not luxurious, it was specially made by a carpenter, not just a simple box put together by her father and brother.
Since she was marrying into a good family, her parents wanted to ensure she had a respectable dowry to save face in her husband's family. So, when everyone urged her to open the box, she did so openly, revealing the fabrics and dowry money inside.
Watching the bride unpack her dowry was always an entertaining part of the wedding. Almost all the guests would gather around to watch. As soon as the bride agreed to open the box, someone would help count the fabrics and money inside.
Liu Aihong's dowry included dozens of feet of fabric, with nearly 20 feet of high-end material, which was quite impressive for the time.
As for the dowry money, her parents had spared no expense, giving her 288 yuan—a very respectable amount in this era.
The rest of the wedding proceeded similarly, so there's no need to go into further detail.
...
Peace Slope Village
An aunt sat at her doorstep sewing clothes while chatting with an old lady who had come to visit.
The hottest topic in the village that day was naturally Liu Aihong's wedding. After exchanging a few words, the two women naturally turned to discussing Liu Aihong.
The old lady sighed with emotion. "Ahongmei is so lucky. She's the first in our village to have such a grand wedding. The man she married is also in such good condition. I heard he's a chef at a big restaurant in the county town and earns dozens of yuan a month!"
The aunt smiled and said, "You might not believe it, but I had a hand in Ahongmei marrying so well!"
The old lady was surprised and asked, "Is that true? You had a hand in it?"
The aunt paused her sewing and smiled. "Of course it's true. When the matchmaker first came to our village, I chatted with him for a while. He asked if there were any beautiful girls with good personalities in our village. I said yes, and then I praised Ahongmei a lot.
When he left, he joked with me that if the matchmaking was successful, he'd give me half a pig's butt! I didn't expect that not long after, the matchmaking actually succeeded. I was quite surprised."
The old lady was amazed. "So, it's really thanks to you that Ahongmei married such a good man. Today's their wedding day. I wonder if you'll get that half pig's butt."
The aunt laughed. "I was just joking. Did you take it seriously?"
The old lady chuckled. "That's true, but I should mention this to Aihong's mother so she remembers your contribution."
The aunt shook her head with a smile. "There's no need to tell Aihong's mother. I was just being honest at the time. In our Peace Slope Village, Ahongmei is the only one who's both beautiful and kind-hearted. It's only right that she married well."
The old lady nodded in agreement. "That's true. Ahongmei is a good girl. We're all happy to see her have such a grand wedding."
As they were talking, the brand-new truck with the character "囍" (double happiness) on the front drove into Peace Slope Village again and stopped nearby.
Then, people began jumping out of the truck bed one by one. They were the groomsmen who had escorted Ahongmei to her wedding. Each of them was holding a piece of five-flavored food and wore a smile on their face.
From the driver's seat, a man also stepped out. He was holding half a pig's butt and a bag of candies and biscuits. He walked quickly to the aunt and said with a smile, "Dear, I said before that if this matchmaking succeeded, I'd give you half a pig's butt. I'm here to fulfill my promise. I hope you don't think it's too little!"
The aunt was shocked and hurriedly declined. "Cousin, I can't accept this. I was just joking with you, but you're really giving me half a pig's butt!"
Deng Shirong stuffed the half pig's butt and the bag of candies into the aunt's hands and said with a smile, "Please don't refuse. Accept it quickly. I'm actually the groom's uncle. Without your words that day, I don't know how long it would have taken to find such a good match for my nephew. You deserve this half pig's butt."
The aunt politely declined a few more times, but seeing Deng Shirong's sincerity, she finally accepted it with a smile.
She truly hadn't expected that a few sincere words would lead to such a successful matchmaking, indirectly making her a half-matchmaker and earning her half a pig's butt. This magical experience became a rare and cherished memory in her life.
After handing over the gifts, Deng Shirong exchanged a few more polite words before getting back into the truck and heading home with his nephew.
...
That Night
Treasure Mountain Village
Bu Dashi and Liu Aihong had a short, friendly sparring session.
During the break, the two, still a little unfamiliar with each other, began to share their feelings.
After some casual conversation, Liu Aihong asked, "Dashi, how many days of vacation do you have this time? When will you go back to work in the county?"
Bu Dashi smiled. "My uncle gave me a week off. I'll stay home for a few days, and then I'll take you to Bobai."
Liu Aihong was surprised. "Your uncle gave you the vacation?"
Bu Dashi laughed. "I forgot to tell you—the restaurant in the county is actually owned by my uncle."
"What?!" Liu Aihong's eyes widened in shock.
She had seen the restaurant in the county when she and Bu Dashi were dating. At the time, they were both amazed by its size, far larger than any restaurant in Double Prosperity. They had speculated that it might be owned by a wealthy businessman from Hong Kong.
But they never imagined that such a grand restaurant was owned by their matchmaker uncle. It was almost unbelievable.
"Dashi, you're not joking, are you? That restaurant in the county is really owned by your uncle?"
Seeing his wife's shocked expression, Bu Dashi said proudly, "Of course it's true. How could I joke about something like this? If my uncle didn't own the restaurant, do you think I, a newcomer who's only worked there for a few months, could have arranged a job for you?"
Liu Aihong suddenly understood. No wonder her uncle had been so confident when he first came to propose the match and mentioned arranging a job for her at the restaurant. It turned out he was the owner. For him, getting her a job there would be as simple as saying a word.
Though she understood, Liu Aihong still found it hard to believe. "Dashi, the restaurant your uncle opened in the county must have cost a fortune, right?"
Bu Dashi nodded. "Of course. My uncle invested over 300,000 yuan in that restaurant."
Although Liu Aihong knew that such a large restaurant would require a huge investment, she was still stunned by the figure. In an era where earning more than 300 yuan a month was enviable, investing over 300,000 yuan to open a restaurant was almost unimaginable.
That's 10,000 times the amount!!!
"Dashi, what does your uncle do? How is he so rich?"
Bu Dashi, who deeply admired his uncle, proudly explained, "My uncle is a very capable man. He used to be the master of the tile kiln in the Help And Correct Brigade. Two years ago, he partnered with others to contract the brigade's tile kiln. The business has been doing well, and he easily makes a few thousand yuan a year.
In addition, my uncle also owns an orchard where he grows lychees and watermelons. This year alone, he made over 6,000 yuan from selling lychees and watermelons!
Of course, even with that income, opening such a large restaurant in the county would be impossible. But my uncle's courage is unmatched. The money for the restaurant was actually borrowed from a credit union."
Hearing this, Liu Aihong couldn't help but admire from the bottom of her heart: "Uncle is truly amazing!"
Bu Dashi nodded in deep agreement. "That's right. There's no one more capable than my uncle in this area. You were chosen by my uncle, and as long as we work hard and honestly for him in the future, he'll definitely treat us well."
Liu Aihong agreed repeatedly, feeling a surge of excitement. With such a powerful uncle supporting them, their future was bound to be bright.
The resilience of young people's bodies is remarkable. After chatting for a while, Bu Dashi regained his energy, and the two played their second friendly match of the night.
Compared to the first match, Bu Dashi showed significant improvement in the second one.
By the time they played their third friendly match late into the night, they were finally able to go back and forth, showing clear progress.
...
One Week Later
Suifeng Restaurant
Bu Dashi and his wife distributed wedding candies to the other employees of the restaurant. Those who received the candies naturally offered their congratulations.
During the meal, Zhang Xiuping smiled and said to Liu Aihong, "Cousin, September is almost over. Take the next couple of days to rest. Let Dashi accompany you around the county town and show you the house you bought. You can start working on the first day of next month. How does that sound?"
Liu Aihong thanked her happily. Although she had been eager to start working in the county town, she still wanted to familiarize herself with the environment first.
The weather in Guangxi can be incredibly unpredictable. It changes as quickly as a woman's mood. Just yesterday, it felt like summer, with everyone wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts. But today, the temperature dropped by more than ten degrees, plunging straight from summer into winter.
When Deng Shirong saw the sudden drop in temperature, he knew that the rare, decades-long cold spell was arriving. The most concerning part was that the cold weather wouldn't let up until spring, making it an unusually long and harsh winter.
Fortunately, he had warned the villagers in advance. More than half of the villagers in Thatchfield Village believed him, while others were skeptical but still took some precautions. Only a small number of people dismissed his warnings entirely.
Over the past month and a half, under the care of his niece and nephew-in-law, the 1,000 lychee trees in Deng Shirong's orchard had undergone several anti-freeze measures. They were well-prepared to survive this year's extreme weather.
...
6:00 PM in the Afternoon.
After dinner, the villagers gathered to watch TV as usual. The cold weather did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.
Deng Yunjun, sitting on a bench and holding a chimney, said with some relief, "Uncle Jiu, it seems the wisdom passed down by our ancestors is truly accurate. In previous years, the temperature didn't drop this early. At the very least, it wouldn't start cooling until after the beginning of winter. But now, it's dropped suddenly in late September. It's definitely unusual!"
Deng Shirong nodded. "As the saying goes, 'Something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary.' This year's weather is definitely different from previous years."
Deng Yuncai added, "It's rare for the temperature to drop so sharply at the end of September. I wonder if it'll just be cold for a few days and then warm up, or if it'll stay cold for a long time."
Deng Yunqiang, whose lychees had also been protected with anti-freeze measures, said with a relaxed expression, "Whether it's just a few cold days or a prolonged cold spell, it shouldn't affect our village much."
Deng Yunfeng, who had built a sturdy cowshed to protect his more than ten cows from the wind and rain, wasn't too worried either. He echoed, "Exactly. Thanks to Uncle Jiu's warning, we've all made preparations. Whether it's cold or warm, it won't affect us."
Those who had taken precautions were all relaxed when discussing the weather changes. However, the few who hadn't taken the warnings seriously were feeling uneasy.
Fortunately, they had only planted sweet potatoes as usual. Even if the crops were frozen, the loss wouldn't be significant. So, they were still in the mood to watch TV.
...
The Next Day.
It rained, and the temperature dropped even further, with the lowest temperature reaching 4 degrees Celsius.
On the third day, the lowest temperature dropped to 2 degrees Celsius.
In just three days, people went from wearing sleeveless shirts to bundling up in thick cotton jackets. The change was so sudden that it left everyone stunned.
Once the temperature dropped to 2 degrees, most idle villagers stayed indoors, huddling around fires to keep warm. If they did go out, it was only to visit neighbors' homes to warm up. No one lingered outside.
As for the workers, they continued to work as long as it wasn't raining. The cold weather couldn't stop them from earning a living.
Of course, at night, as long as it wasn't raining, many people still braved the cold to gather at Deng Shirong's house to watch TV.
Although the TV was placed under a wooden shed outside, a gust of wind would send shivers through everyone. But with so many people crowded together, except for those on the outermost edges, most felt quite warm.
After a few days of cooling, frost began to appear, and sweet potatoes across the Bobai area started freezing in large numbers.
As the cold spell continued, not only were sweet potatoes affected, but tobacco leaves planted in various regions also began to freeze and die on a massive scale.
Then, the Dragon Lake Pepper Farm and Wendi Pepper Farm, two county-run farms, suffered significant losses. Due to lax management and insufficient attention to the cold weather, over 1,000 mu of pepper trees were frozen or killed, resulting in huge economic losses.
In addition, oxen in the county also began to freeze to death one after another.
(End of this chapter)