Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

The winter sun shines through the window, filling the room with a breath of life.

"Da da da...", love flows in my heart.

Yu Li worked for half an hour before showing the finished product to Li Xiaodong.

It turned out to be a sewing machine cover.

Li Xiaodong: “…”

...

After purchasing the big-ticket items, the next step is to apply for a license.

Driving without a license will inevitably be caught by the traffic police.

Li Xiaodong and Yu Li rode their bicycles to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

They first took out a handful of White Rabbit candies from their canvas bags and distributed them to the staff, then handed over letters of introduction and household registration books.

The staff ate candy, took a quick glance, and then completed the marriage procedures for them.

Holding the marriage certificate that looked like a big prize, they walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau and strolled down the street hand in hand.

The breeze blows, the leaves sway, and the light and shadows are mottled.

"Do you know what this is?" Li Xiaodong shook the marriage certificate in his hand.

"Marriage certificate?" Yu Li was puzzled.

"This is a legal driving license, almost the same as a driver's license... hehe..." Li Xiaodong glanced at his playful little wife.

Yu Li recalled the previous conversation, understood what her husband meant, and said shyly, "Hate~"

...

----------------------

"Brother Liu, Xie Cheng's wedding will be held on the fourth day of next month. You must come then."

"I watched Jie Cheng grow up. He's getting married? That's great. Where will it be held? Donglaishun or a tavern?" The third aunt looked a little embarrassed.

"Here is the invitation. It is written very clearly. Please read it yourself." The third aunt handed over the invitation, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Oh, there's an invitation! Uncle Three is really cultured and particular...hiss...a gift of six dollars!" Liu Cheng took the invitation, glanced at it quickly, and immediately gasped.

With only six dollars in gift money, each family could only send one person to attend the wedding, and the wedding banquet was held in the front yard...

The Yan family's careful calculations are so clear. Do they think everyone is a fool?

"Brother Liu, we have been neighbors for many years. Your third son still works for the Yan family. You wouldn't..." The third aunt gritted her teeth and repeated Yan Bugui's words.

"...Ah, haha!" Liu Cheng scratched his head and laughed awkwardly twice, "If I'm free that day, I'll definitely go."

The third aunt continued, "Our old Yan has checked, and the fourth day of next month is a Sunday, so you must be free."

Liu Cheng: “…”

After seeing off the three aunts, Liu Cheng returned home in anger and showed the invitation to Mrs. Liu.

Mrs. Liu put down the fire chopsticks in her hand, stamped her feet anxiously, and urged Liu Cheng: "The old Yan family did this just to take advantage of us, didn't they? Why did you agree to it?"

"As a woman, don't yell.

Do you think I'm a fool!

A gift of six dollars is too heartless.

People in our compound usually spend two dollars on weddings.

But we all live close to each other, so we can see each other every day.

They've sent us an invitation, and it would be inappropriate for us not to go."

Liu Cheng had no choice but to sit at the door and smoke his pipe.

The rising smoke obscured his weathered face, and the years had carved many wrinkles on his face.

He was a porter, earning only $31 a month, and had to support his blind mother and six children, so his life was very tight.

Seeing her husband's expression, Mrs. Liu realized that it was impossible to refuse directly.

She put on her cotton jacket and went out: "The Yan family will definitely invite more than just our family. Let's go to the old camphor tree and listen to what everyone has to say."

"That's right, that's right, that's right. We will do what others do."

Arriving at the atrium, they both immediately felt they were in the right place.

Many people had gathered under the old camphor tree. They were all troubled by the Yan family's invitation for similar reasons as theirs.

If I go to the banquet, the gift money will be too heavy a burden; if I refuse, I can't save face and seem cheap.

Even Liu Haizhong, a seventh-level blacksmith who earned more than 70 yuan a month, was so angry that his mouth trembled.

"Old Yan is really too unreasonable. When other people have weddings, they give gifts casually just for the sake of festivity.

But he insisted on asking each family to pay six dollars. Why? Because he is educated? Or is he a stinking intellectual? "

Liu Haizhong particularly looked down on Yan Bugui.

——Of course, the main reason was that his cultural level was not high, so he failed to be promoted to a leadership position.

But Yan Bugui just liked to show off his cultural accomplishment in front of him.

"I agree with my second uncle." Xu Damao, who has always been on good terms with the Yan family, also thinks that Yan Bugui has gone too far.

The six-dollar gift was enough for a banquet at Lao Mo's restaurant.

For a moment, the people under the old camphor tree were all angry at the Yan family's behavior.

However, there was nothing they could do.

In this era, face is very important. Even if a family is so poor that they are on the verge of starvation and the whole family has only one pair of pants, they will still try their best to scrape together money to attend the weddings of relatives and friends, otherwise it will be considered disrespectful.

Yan Bugui's move really killed two birds with one stone.

Just as everyone was sighing, He Yushui bent down to pick up a dead leaf, took a deep breath and said, "It would be great if Xiaodong also got married on the fourth day of next month. That way we would have a reason not to attend the Yan family's wedding banquet."

This sentence touched everyone.

"Snapped!"

The one who reacted the fastest was Xu Damao, who slapped his thigh hard.

"Yeah, why didn't I think of this? Since both families are getting married at the same time, we can only choose one, and the Yan family can't say anything. Shazhu, you have a good relationship with Li Xiaodong, go and ask him."

Sha Zhu covered his thigh and grimaced in pain: "Xu Damao, you bastard, did you do this on purpose?"

"Haha, I was so excited that my hand slipped, my hand slipped..." Xu Damao took advantage and couldn't stop smiling.

"I think you deserve a beating!" Sha Zhu didn't buy it. He rolled up his sleeves and was ready to go forward to argue.

Liu Haizhong stood between them and said, "Stop arguing. This is related to the harmony and stability of our compound. Shazhu, you should ask Li Xiaodong right away."

"Forget it this time, we'll settle it together next time!"

After saying this, Sha Zhu turned around and ran towards the Li family's backyard.

...

In the room.

Li Xiaodong was drawing a blueprint. When he heard Sha Zhu's words, he frowned slightly and said, "Didn't I say that our family is in financial difficulty and can't hold a wedding banquet?"

Sha Zhu looked at the bicycle, radio and sewing machine in the room, pursed his lips and said nothing.

Yu Li, who was tidying the room nearby, wiped her hands and came over to agree, "Brother Zhuzi, Xiaodong and I don't like luxury. I've made up my mind. When Xiaodong goes out to deliver goods, I'll go with him. It's a travel-style wedding."

“Travel wedding...”

Sha Zhu was speechless and had to leave to find other people to convey Li Xiaodong's ideas.

Everyone was emotional after the last hope was dashed.

After criticizing Li Xiaodong for not considering others, they sighed and became dejected.

It's like the chives grown by my aunt, which haven't been watered for two months.

"Snapped!"

Xu Damao's brain was working quickly. He patted his thigh vigorously and said, "Doesn't Li Xiaodong need money to hold a banquet? We can help him raise the money."

Lou Xiao'e twisted his waist hard and said, "I knew it would be like this! If you want to pat your legs, pat them yourself."

"It hurts too much to hit yourself..." Xu Damao glared at her.

"Then I won't feel any pain? I think you need a lesson!"

The couple was arguing and was about to fight.

Liu Haizhong quickly stopped them, turned to everyone and said, "I think Xu Damao's suggestion is very good. In the end, everyone will benefit from it, so it's not a waste."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"A table of good food doesn't cost much. Each family only needs to pay a little more than one dollar."

"I just passed by the front yard and saw Master Yan bought a lot of big radishes."

"Master Yan is so stingy, it will be hard for us to find some meat in the dishes."

"Hey, you're still thinking about eating meat, didn't you see Jia Zhang jumping up and down? She must be going with a wash basin."

"I think it would be more appropriate to pool money to help Li Xiaodong host the banquet."

"Just think of it as everyone pooling their money together for a big meal to satisfy the kids' cravings!"

...

Between two evils, choose the lesser one. Compared with the six-dollar gift money, organizing a banquet for Li Xiaodong seems more acceptable.

Liu Haizhong was very happy to see that everyone agreed with his suggestion.

He had long wanted to demonstrate his influence in Siheyuan.

However, he was suppressed by the eighth-level fitter above him and blocked by the elementary school teacher Yan Bugui below, so he was unable to get a word in.

This time, as the second uncle, he finally got the chance.

"That's settled then. I'll go talk to Li Xiaodong."

Liu Hai stepped forward, carrying everyone's expectations, and arrived at Li's house, conveying everyone's thoughts to Li Xiaodong.

"So, you raise money to organize my wedding, and I don't have to pay a penny?" Li Xiaodong was also astonished by his way of thinking.

Isn’t this the crowdfunding behavior of the previous life?

Liu Hai stepped forward and assured, "Not only will I not ask you to pay for it, I won't even ask you to help me. Although I am your second uncle, I have a high reputation in this courtyard. I will definitely make your wedding go smoothly. You and Yu Li can just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor."

Hey, this is really pie in the sky.

Indeed, as long as I choose to lie down, you can no longer exploit me.

Li Xiaodong asked: "If I don't accept it, wouldn't that be disappointing everyone's expectations?"

"Of course, everyone in our hospital is looking forward to holding a wedding for you!" Liu Haizhong nodded vigorously.

"If I don't accept it, wouldn't it destroy the harmony and stability of our courtyard?" Li Xiaodong continued to ask.

"That's beyond doubt, this is the voice of the public!" Liu Haizhong almost cried.

Can't this guy be a little more humane?

Li Xiaodong sighed deeply and lay down, showing helplessness and compassion: "Well, I wanted to respond to the call and uphold the spirit of frugality. Since everyone is so enthusiastic, it is difficult for me to refuse. After all, I have always valued unity!"

"For the sake of everyone, I am willing to sacrifice myself and violate my principles once."

"..."

Liu Haizhong always felt that Li Xiaodong was getting too aggressive.

However, without Li Xiaodong, this matter would indeed be difficult to proceed.

He smiled awkwardly and said, "Xiaodong, Second Uncle remembers your efforts."

---

Now that you have decided to prepare for the wedding, you naturally have to follow traditional customs.

In the afternoon, Li Xiaodong and Yu Li went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought an enamel washbasin, spittoon and thermos with the word "happiness" on them, all in bright red. They also selected two festive quilt covers with patterns of mandarin ducks playing in the water. They chose the fifteen-color brocade that is a specialty of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Before liberation, only the wealthy could enjoy it, but now working people can also enjoy this luxury.

These items, together with the double bed, constitute the standard configuration of the “four major items”.

For an ordinary family, this is enough to marry a bride.

Considering the wealthy background of the Yu family, Li Xiaodong purchased an additional two kilograms of Cuban sugar.

Back at the courtyard, Li Xiaodong took Yu Li to give out wedding candies door to door.

"Brother Wang, this is my wife Yu Li, come and try some wedding candy."

"Uncle and aunt, have some wedding candy. I wish you a son soon."

They didn't even miss the Yan family.

When holding a wedding banquet, you have to show courtesy and reciprocity and not make others feel disrespected.

"Uncle and Aunt, Jie Cheng, remember? This is my wife Yu Li."

……

Awkward silence appeared on the faces of the three people at the same time, and the atmosphere was extremely awkward.