Wedding in Beijing

Zhao Dongchuan rode his bicycle, taking Tian Runye through the streets and alleys of the Capital... At this time, the Capital's main roads had traffic lights, though most of the traffic consisted of bicycles and buses, with very few cars.

Zhao Dongchuan stopped his bicycle and waited for the traffic light with the crowd.

This inevitably made him think about how he had gotten here... This scene felt strangely familiar!

Soon, as the green light appeared, the stream of bicycles started moving again.

After returning from his uncle's house, they began their leisurely stroll.

Zhao Dongchuan occasionally drove into an alley with Tian Runye, experiencing the culture of the Capital's alleys, watching the old men chatting in front of their doors, and admiring the various small courtyards.

Then he took out the camera he had prepared earlier and snapped photos.

Runye was naturally surprised; she hadn't seen a camera in his luggage. Where did it come from?

"This was a gift from a friend from Hong Kong... I helped him with a big favor..."

To give the camera a plausible origin, he had to tell another lie!

"Alright..."

Although Runye had some questions, she didn't press further... For the next few days, Zhao Dongchuan took Tian Runye sightseeing in the Capital.

He accompanied her to the Forbidden City... to the Badaling Great Wall... to the Temple of Heaven, and so on.

They took many photos, leaving behind images of their youth.

During this time, Runye spoke on the phone with Tian Futang, who was far away in Yuanxi Shigejie Commune.

Runye's parents, after much consideration, still felt it would be inconvenient to come. Not only was the journey long, but Runye's father also couldn't leave his village duties.

Tian Futang also agreed with Zhao Zhengguo's suggestion, and in the end, he even instructed Runye over the phone to behave well and to serve her in-laws properly after marriage, which left Zhao Dongchuan speechless.

In the ingrained rural mindset, it was natural for a daughter-in-law to serve her in-laws, but he did not agree with this notion.

Coming from a later era, he didn't see it as a matter of who served whom, but rather as mutual support among family members.

This part will be skipped.

After Zhao Zhengguo received confirmation, he and Guo Ping began to get busy, informing their respective relatives and friends... The banquet, naturally, would be held in this courtyard house... Zhao Dongchuan and Tian Runye were responsible for purchasing the necessary items.

Weddings and banquets in those days were relatively simple; no family was wealthy, but for Zhao Dongchuan, this was nothing... He had so much money it was practically molding.

He bought a lot of meat, grain, vegetables, and the tobacco and alcohol needed for the banquet.

Zhao Zhengguo hired a master chef from among the neighbors.

Weddings at this time were very simple; it was just about inviting everyone for a meal. Plus, Runye was from out of town, and her parents and family weren't present, so the procedures were relatively simplified.

There was no other way; in those days, transportation was inconvenient, and coming to the Capital was a very troublesome affair.

Zhao Dongchuan also had his father, Zhao Zhengguo, invite a respected elder from the neighborhood to be the officiant, while a well-read relative served as the emcee... On the seventh day of the first lunar month in 1977, an auspicious day for marriage, cleaning, ground-breaking, and praying for blessings... On this day, Zhao Dongchuan wore a brand-new Zhongshan suit with a red silk ribbon on his chest, while the bride, Tian Runye, wore a red flower on her chest and was temporarily staying at a neighbor's house in the same courtyard, serving as the temporary bride's home, waiting for him to pick her up.

On this day, his uncle's family, his grandparents, and his aunt's family, whom he hadn't seen much, all came.

They arrived early to help... Even Guo Ping's relatives came; they traveled from Hebei, which wasn't too far.

After some commotion, Zhao Dongchuan, accompanied by the temporary female guests from the bride's side, picked up Tian Runye from the neighbor's house.

At this moment, she was wearing a brand-new pink embroidered cotton-padded jacket, coffee-colored pants, a pair of women's leather shoes, and a jade pendant gifted by his grandparents around her neck.

This outfit and shoes were bought by Zhao Dongchuan at a state-run store, costing a considerable amount of money.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Zhao Dongchuan led the bride into their temporary bridal chamber.

He didn't have his own house, so using his parents' house as the bridal chamber was only natural.

Zhao Dongchuan also arranged for the children in the courtyard to scatter flowers along the way... to create an atmosphere, at the cost of three White Rabbit milk candies per child.

The balloons, the '囍' (double happiness) characters, and the streamers decorating the house and courtyard were all put up with the help of the courtyard residents.

No matter how many disagreements there might usually be, at a time like this, everyone who could lend a hand would come to help, and vice versa.

Such auspicious occasions could bring some good fortune, and since the Old Zhao family spent a lot of money and the food at the banquet was good, everyone who came to help could enjoy a good meal, which made them even more enthusiastic.

In the room, Zhao Dongchuan looked at the radiantly joyful and exceptionally charming Tian Runye. He could no longer hold back and embraced Tian Runye in a passionate kiss, only stopping when Runye was breathless.

"Hehe, I couldn't resist, couldn't resist..."

Zhao Dongchuan chuckled, scratching his head and wiping his lipstick-stained lips with his hand.

Tian Runye was now limp in his arms, her face flushed with shyness, without the slightest strength, unable to speak.

"Are you hungry... I've prepared something for you to eat..."

Saying this, Zhao Dongchuan took out several steaming hot meat buns from his pocket—actually from his spatial storage—and handed them to Tian Runye.

"Oh, hot buns..."

Having been busy since early morning with makeup and getting dressed, and unable to see outsiders, Runye hadn't eaten properly. Now, with hot buns, Runye disregarded her image and grabbed a bun to eat directly.

Watching Tian Runye eat happily, Zhao Dongchuan patted her head and smiled as he left the room. He still had to entertain the relatives and friends; so many guests were waiting for him, the groom.

His uncle and his father were already outside toasting guests. His mother was in the back kitchen with the female relatives, helping the hired chef prepare the dishes.

Zhao Dongchuan picked up a bottle of wine and, holding a glass, rushed out.

Three tables were filled with family relatives, one table with Zhao Zhengguo's colleagues, two tables with Guo Ping's relatives, and three tables with the courtyard neighbors, making a total of nine tables.

Including tobacco and alcohol, each table cost about thirty yuan, so a banquet would cost at least three hundred yuan... And that didn't even include the tickets needed!

Zhao Dongchuan, carrying the wine bottle, first made a round, exchanging pleasantries with family and friends.

Feeling that the time was right, he went inside and, together with Tian Runye, toasted everyone.

His own parents, of course, also held them both and offered a series of blessings.

Upon seeing the bride, everyone praised her.

They said the bride was beautiful, very radiant, and so on. This was certainly not flattery; today, Runye, wearing a pink embroidered cotton-padded jacket, with a light dusting of powder on her face and flowing hair, looked stunning, which was why Zhao Dongchuan couldn't resist and took a bite of her.

This wedding banquet, which started in the morning, finally ended in the afternoon.

As everyone dispersed, Zhao Dongchuan and Tian Runye helped clean up the aftermath... They were busy for a long time, only finishing by evening.