Free Web NovelChapter 298: Chapter 298: Video Recording
Gu’er chatted with Lin Shan and the others for a while. Chen Damin got up, looked at the group sitting in the living room, and smiled. "Ah, Gu’er’s here. Make yourselves comfortable. I’m just going to wash my face, then I’ll come talk with you all."
Gu’er called out, "Uncle." Li Hua nodded at him.
By the time Chen Damin returned after washing his face, Liu Yue Mei was also up. She came out with her hair a mess, yawning as she walked. When she saw the people in the living room, her eyes shot wide open.
"So, Gu’er, you came back after all? I thought you were going to get married over there and not come back. I was just saying... Gu’er, I have to say, you look really beautiful all dressed up. You could give a fairy a run for her money."
Liu Yue Mei had originally intended to say a few critical words to Gu’er, but seeing the looks from Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao, she swallowed her unpleasant remarks and praised Gu’er instead. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Gu’er just smiled. She knew what kind of person her aunt was and didn’t see any reason to take it to heart.
Chen Ping came out too. She was neatly dressed, clearly not having just woken up. She smiled and offered Gu’er a few words of blessing.
Once everyone was up, Chen Fengjiao and Chen Ping went to make some food. Li Hua offered to help, but Chen Fengjiao wouldn’t let her. Gu’er, of course, wasn’t allowed to lift a finger. All she had to do today was be a beautiful bride.
Gu’er only ate a little and didn’t dare to drink much water, worried about the awkwardness of needing the restroom.
Right after they finished eating, people started to arrive—neighbors, colleagues, and others. Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao welcomed them with cigarettes and candy.
Because it was getting crowded, Gu’er went into her small room. But even so, people kept coming in to see her.
With every visitor, she had to smile and make small talk. Gu’er felt that getting married was much more tiring than working.
Around ten o’clock, Gu’er heard someone shout that the cars had arrived to pick up the bride.
Her face flushed. ’That must be Sun Jiaming and his party.’
Weddings were actually quite simple in this era. Sometimes, the bride would just wear a red jacket, and the groom would take her away on his bicycle. They would hand out some cigarettes and candy at the groom’s house, have a small celebration, and that was it—they were married. Those who were better off would host a meal. The less fortunate wouldn’t even do that. The gifts were simple, too—a washbasin, a kettle, things like that—and the wedding was considered complete.
In the village, it was even simpler. In her past life, Zhang Da had taken her from the Zhou family’s home to the Zhang Family’s. He told everyone she was his wife, and that was it. There was no meal, nothing at all—they were considered married.
This time around, Gu’er had initially discussed with Sun Jiaming about keeping things simple, suggesting just a meal for close friends and family would be enough. But Sun Jiaming said that marriage was a once-in-a-lifetime event. He didn’t want her to feel wronged and wanted to have a lively, grand celebration.
Li Zhi, Dingzi, Liu Yuan, and the others also chimed in, saying they wouldn’t stand for a simple wedding. That’s why the Sun Family’s betrothal gift delivery to the Lin Family had been so grand. They had also told Chen Fengjiao that on the wedding day, all of the Chen Family’s relatives and friends were invited to the reception at the restaurant.
Normally, only the groom’s relatives attended the wedding banquet; the bride’s side would just give their gifts without being invited to the meal. But with Sun Jiaming’s generous offer, Chen Fengjiao felt it gave her a lot of face, so she invited everyone who could make it to come to the restaurant that day.
The food at a restaurant wouldn’t be bad; it was certainly better than what they usually ate at home, so quite a few people planned to attend.
Gu’er didn’t object to Sun Jiaming’s idea. Although it was rare in this era to invite the bride’s family and friends to the wedding banquet, it became more common later on. Since Sun Jiaming was giving her this face, she was happy to accept it.
"The groom’s party is here. Should she wear a veil or not?" someone asked.
"No need. This isn’t the old days. What’s the point of a veil?" another person answered.
Gu’er sat there with a red face. ’Is Sun Jiaming here? Soon, we’ll bid farewell to my parents, and then I’ll truly be his wife.’ The thought made her feel both flustered and sweet.
Weddings back then didn’t involve the kind of difficult hazing that came later, so the Lin Family’s side welcomed Sun Jiaming and his party into the house.
Li Zhi and the others were holding lots of cigarettes and candy, handing them out to everyone, who in turn offered auspicious words.
Someone helped Gu’er out of the room.
Gu’er lifted her eyes to look at Sun Jiaming and his party.
Li Zhi and the others had also dressed up carefully for the occasion and looked very sharp, but Gu’er’s eyes immediately found Sun Jiaming.
Sun Jiaming was wearing a jacket that had also been custom-made. It was black with gold thread embroidered on the collar and cuffs, decorated with a red pattern. A large red flower was pinned to his chest, making him look very festive.
Sun Jiaming had a buzz cut, his face was scrubbed clean, and with his thick brows and large eyes, he looked vibrant and full of spirit.
Looking into his smiling eyes, Gu’er felt a sweetness spread through her heart, as if she had just drunk honey.
Liu Yuan looked at Gu’er, then at Sun Jiaming, and finally at Li Zhi. ’Gu’er is beautiful, Jia Ming looks so sharp, and Li Zhi seems full of spirit too. If Li Zhi can do it, so can I.’ He would bless Jia Ming and Gu’er from the bottom of his heart and wish them a lifetime of happiness. With these thoughts, Liu Yuan smiled and went back to handing out cigarettes and candy, letting everyone share in the joy of Sun Jiaming and Gu’er’s wedding.
Someone led Gu’er to Sun Jiaming’s side.
Gu’er lowered her head slightly. She felt her heart pounding so hard it was about to leap out of her throat.
"Wow, they have a photographer!" someone whispered.
"A photographer is nothing! Didn’t you see? That thing that guy over there is carrying on his shoulder... what’s it called... a video camera! It can record video. I heard it can even record all of us," another person said.
Gu’er was a little surprised. She knew Sun Jiaming had hired a photographer, but she hadn’t expected a videographer as well. Video cameras were ridiculously expensive back then; she had no idea if they had borrowed or bought one.
’Still, having a video recording is a good thing. When they were old, she and Sun Jiaming could sit together and watch what their wedding was like.’
The video camera caused a bit of a stir, but no one got disorderly. People back then didn’t really know how to get rowdy at weddings. Besides, the groom’s side was generous with cigarettes and candy, so the bride’s side didn’t give them a hard time. The atmosphere was quite good.
"It’s almost time! Have the bride kowtow to her parents. They’ll have to leave soon," someone shouted.
At this shout, everyone understood it was time for the farewell ceremony. People made way for the videographer and photographer and called for Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao to sit on the sofa.
"Sister, you come too."
Chen Fengjiao went to pull Li Hua over.
"No, no, I shouldn’t sit."
Li Hua quickly shook her head. She hadn’t expected Chen Fengjiao to pull her over.
"Come on, Sister. You’re Gu’er’s mother too. You deserve to receive their bow."
Chen Fengjiao pulled at Li Hua, her tone sincere.
Li Hua hesitated.
"If you don’t go, then I will! I’m her aunt, after all. They say the mother’s brother is the most important relative, so by that logic, they should kowtow to me too."
Liu Yue Mei said loudly, looking eager to try. She really seemed ready to go sit in the middle.
Her words made Li Hua even more unsure of what to do.
Chen Fengjiao held her tightly and pressed something into her hand. Li Hua looked down and saw it was a red envelope, and a thick one at that. It must have been prepared for her by Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao to give to Gu’er and Jia Ming in a moment.
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Been busy all day until now, my legs are aching. There will be one more Chapter tonight, and extra Chapters tomorrow.
