The days passed with Li Xiu sending vegetables to Zhou Lian every few days, and soon it was their wedding day. The day before, Li Xiu took Zhou Lian to the commune to get their marriage certificate. He also had her household registration transferred to his. Seeing the word "spouses" under their relationship status in the household registration book, Li Xiu was ecstatic. He felt like he was floating as he escorted his bride-to-be back to her parents' home, ready to come and formally welcome her the next day.
The wedding day was managed by Aunt Li and Aunt Li. Before dawn, Li Xiu's courtyard was already bustling with activity. The members of the Lao family had all arrived. Grandma Li kept watch over Second Brother Li's family in the west room to prevent them from causing trouble for Li Xiu. The relatives and friends who came to help all exchanged knowing smiles when they saw the situation, but no one said anything out of line. After all, Li Xiu was a success now. No one was stupid enough to think there was any benefit in offending him.
Aunt Li led the other aunts of the family as they bustled about the kitchen. Li Xiu had ordered a feast of substantial dishes, and many guests were coming—more than a dozen tables were arranged. They had to get all the food prepared before the new bride's arrival.
Aunt Li was leading Li Hua, Li Gui, and the others in seating the arriving relatives. The tea, cigarettes, hard candies, and melon seeds all had to be prepared in advance.
Eldest Li was hosting the relatives from their clan and the elders from the village who were senior to Li Xiu.
Third Brother Li and Ge Ye were busy with all the arrangements for picking up the new bride and her arrival.
Li Bo and Ge Ye's son, Jianshe, were the bed-rolling boys.
Li Bao, Li Guo, and seven other unmarried young men of the clan were to go with Li Xiu to pick up the new bride, but Li Hua and the girls were not among them.
Li Xiu had borrowed bicycles from the village chief and Ge Ye, and then borrowed another six from around the village. Almost every bicycle in the village was here. They would use nine bicycles and two of the village's ox-carts to go pick up the bride.
They set off as the sun rose. The new bride had to arrive before noon, or it would be unlucky. With Eldest Li, Aunt Li, and the others looking after things at home, Li Xiu could relax as he led his younger brothers to the Zhou Family Village to pick up his bride from her parents' home.
The weather was on their side—it was a beautiful, sunny day. They reached Zhou Family Village a little after nine. Seeing the red paper "Happiness" characters pasted on the closed gates of his father-in-law's home, Li Xiu went to knock, full of glee.
Zhou Lian's second and third brothers led a large group of young men from the Zhou clan in blocking the door. When they heard the knock, a voice from inside shouted, "First, you have to recite a long passage from the quotations!"
The Li men chuckled. They had to recite, or they wouldn't get through the gate. Li Guo and Li Bin—Li Bin being the grandson of the Li family's fifth grand-uncle—each recited a long passage before they were allowed to pass.
Once inside the courtyard, they saw the dowry on display. On top of a large, red wardrobe were four quilts—two with green backgrounds embroidered with large red "Double Happiness" characters, and two with red backgrounds embroidered with a dragon and phoenix. There was a pair of buckwheat pillows covered with red pillow towels showing mandarin ducks playing in water, a red wooden washstand holding two ceramic "Double Happiness" basins filled with peanuts, chestnuts, and red dates. Also included were a pair of "Double Happiness" thermoses, a pair of red plastic buckets containing a set of bowls and dishes, nine pairs of red-lacquered wooden chopsticks, and a pair of large wicker baskets decorated with "Happiness" characters, filled with all sorts of small items: a ceramic "Double Happiness" spittoon, a red-lacquered sewing basket, a dozen or so pairs of cloth shoes of various sizes wrapped in red paper...
The young men of the Li family were secretly filled with envy. Nowadays, when a daughter was married off, the dowry usually consisted of just two quilts and some wooden furniture. A well-off family that doted on their daughter might, at most, add a pair of ceramic basins. It wasn't that families didn't love their daughters, but they were often willing but unable to provide more. With so many children in a family, they had to make sure their sons could afford to get married.
In truth, the Zhou family was also struggling. Zhou Lian's second and third brothers, who were two years apart, were both engaged. The second brother was waiting for Zhou Lian to marry so he could use her bride price to fund his own wedding. The third brother was waiting for Zhou Xiang's bride price. Every family was struggling these days. A family without daughters would have to go into debt, but it was hard to marry a good wife if you were in debt. No matter how much Zhou Kun doted on Zhou Lian, he had to prioritize his sons.
Zhou Lian's dowry had been purchased with money Li Xiu had slipped her. Everyone in the village knew that Li Xiu had built a big house and acquired the "three big items"—a bicycle, a watch, and a sewing machine—just to get married. If Zhou Lian's dowry was too meager, it would give people something to talk about. Li Xiu would never let his wife become the subject of gossip for the village busybodies. Seeing the shining eyes of the young Li men, Li Xiu nodded in satisfaction.
The crowd escorted Li Xiu into the main hall. Li Xiu handed a red envelope full of money to Mrs. Zhou, who then tucked it into the pocket of Zhou Lian's clothes. This was the bride's "waist-pressing money," which symbolized that she would not be wronged in her new family and could hold her head high. There was no fixed amount for this money; it could be a lot or a little. A few dollars was the minimum, but a larger amount depended on the sincerity of the groom.
Li Xiu had packed 99 yuan in the envelope. Zhou Lian's close friends started to playfully heckle, "Auntie, see how much is in there!" "If it's not enough, we won't let you take her!"
Mrs. Zhou laughed. "Alright now, stop making a fuss. It's getting late, and they have a long way to go. Don't cause any delays." The moment she felt the thickness of the envelope, she knew it was a hefty sum. Given how much Li Xiu doted on her daughter, it was likely 99 yuan. That was too conspicuous to show off. 'It's enough that we know,' she thought. 'There's no need to be so flashy.' She then called for Zhou Lian's eldest brother to carry her out on his back.
The eldest brother, who had been waiting at the side, squatted down and lifted Zhou Lian onto his back to carry her out. Li Xiu just grinned foolishly, watching Zhou Lian in her red padded cotton jacket and pants as she rested on her brother's back. Mrs. Zhou followed them out, saying, "When you get to your new home, be filial to the elders, get along with the neighbors, and take good care of your husband." These were the words every mother repeated to her daughter all the way to the door on her wedding day.
Zhou Lian's eldest sister-in-law was waiting at the gate with a basin of water. Once Zhou Lian was seated on the back of Li Xiu's bicycle, she splashed the water onto the ground, a gesture symbolizing that a married daughter is like spilt water—she no longer belongs to her birth family. The Zhou family had also arranged for two ox-carts to transport the dowry, which could then bring back the friends and relatives who had come to see the bride off. Li Bao arranged for the female relatives escorting the bride to ride on the backs of the other bicycles, while everyone else fit perfectly into the two ox-carts. With Li Xiu in the lead, the grand procession headed back. This scene would be talked about in the surrounding villages for a long time; after all, a wedding procession with nine bicycles was practically unheard of in the countryside back then.
They arrived at the village around eleven o'clock. The young men of the Li clan waiting at the entrance quickly lit firecrackers to welcome the new bride. The crowd escorted them all the way to Li Xiu's home. At the doorway, Li Xiu lifted Zhou Lian into his arms to carry her into the main hall. All the way from the entrance to the hall, two of Li Xiu's cousins flanked them, one on each side, scattering a path of soybean sprouts and sesame stalks from their baskets. Li Xiu had to walk on this path as he entered the house. In the center of the main hall were two cattail cushions. The newlyweds stood on them and bowed first to the portrait of the Chairman, then to the Li family elders: Grandma Li, Eldest Li and his two brothers, and their three wives, including Aunt Li.
Ordinarily, they would only have bowed to Grandma Li and Second Brother Li and his wife. But Li Xiu, speaking through Grandma Li, had insisted, saying that his eldest and third uncles were no different from his own father. Since his marriage marked him starting his own household, he had to thank his uncles for their care. This was how the ritual of bowing to his uncles came to be. He could have paid his respects to them separately, but Li Xiu specifically wanted them all together to annoy his own father and mother, using the excuse that they couldn't delay the auspicious time. Finally, the newlyweds bowed to each other. Li Xiu then carried Zhou Lian to the new bed, which had already been prepared by the bed-rolling boys. He took off her shoes and had her sit on the bed—the new bride's feet were not supposed to touch the ground on her wedding day, or it would be bad luck. Li Hua and Li Gui stayed in the bridal chamber to keep their new sister-in-law company while Li Xiu had to go out and toast the guests.
The banquet tables were all set. Li Xiu instructed Li Guo to go to the kitchen, get the prepared food, and take it to the bridal chamber so Li Hua and the others could eat with Zhou Lian. Once he saw that everything was settled, Li Xiu led the young men of the Li clan to begin making toasts, table by table.
The wedding feast didn't end until the sun was nearly set. Li Bao and the others arranged for Zhou Lian's family to head back, while Eldest Li and Third Brother Li saw to the groom's relatives. Ge Ye handled the villagers. Aunt Li and the other women stood at the gate, giving each guest a small bag of auspicious fruits and wedding candies. Grandma Li led Li Hua and the others in cleaning up the kitchen, distributing the leftover food among the family members who had helped. Li Xiu, accompanied by Li Bo and Jianshe, went to the bridal chamber to keep his new wife company. After everything outside was tidied up, the Li family elders came into the bridal chamber to offer a few words of blessing. As for the traditional nighttime wedding games, Li Xiu managed to send his cousins away with just a few boxes of cigarettes and candy. By the time everyone had left, it was nearly dark. Li Xiu closed and bolted the main gate, then brought a bucket of hot water into the room for Zhou Lian to wash up. He himself went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.