The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

Darong's mother was a little worried when looking at the stack of money. In that era, one thousand yuan was more valuable than ten thousand yuan today. After all, Darong's betrothal gift was only two thousand yuan.

"Darong's father, please get up and take a look. Where did so much money come from?" Darong's mother quickly woke up Darong's father who was a little drunk.

"What's wrong? What does it mean?" Darong was obviously still a little confused after getting up from the bed.

"Da Rong and I were packing our things just now, and she took out a stack of money from the pile of dowry. Take a look." Darong's mother took the money and the envelope to Darong's father.

When Darong’s father saw so much money, he sobered up instantly.

Darong's father took the money and envelope from Darong's mother. After taking out the money, he looked at it under the light and then tore open the entire envelope.

"It really was sent by him." Darong's father looked at the name inside the envelope and frowned slightly.

"Who is it?" Darong's mother looked at Darong's expression and knew that something must be wrong.

"It was Old Ge from the building materials factory. He had come to me before... to ask me to do something, but I didn't agree. So when he came today, I didn't think much of it."

"You can't take this money. Let's go to Darong's house tomorrow after he leaves home."

Although Darong's father didn't say what it was about, Darong's mother knew it very well. As long as she accepted the money, she would have to do something for them.

Before dawn, Darong's mother woke Darong up and asked her to get ready. Erdaohezi is in the countryside after all, and although the old custom of kidnapping the bride has been abandoned, it is still customary to bring the bride home early.

"Get up early and pack your things so you don't have to be in a rush when the car arrives." Darong's mother whispered to her while helping Darong get some water to wash.

Darong stood up and nodded gently. As far as she could remember, she couldn't seem to remember the last time her mother personally fetched water and combed her hair.

Darong’s mother has never been able to express her emotions. She has never said that she loves her children, but which mother doesn’t love her children?

She almost couldn't sleep all night. The image of Darong's busy life since childhood kept flashing through her mind. No one saw her tears because she said she couldn't cry on such a happy day.

Darong was often asked to help others put on makeup, but when it was her turn, she washed her face twice before she finally achieved a satisfactory look.

"Mom, I want to wear the pink one. It looks better on me." Darong looked at the bright red suit that her mother had already taken out, but she still preferred the pink one.

"Who wears pink for a wedding? Stop being naughty again."

Darong's mother has actually changed a lot. Ever since Zhong Yunxing supported Darong in putting on makeup and dressing up, she no longer controls Darong's clothes as strictly as before.

But today is the wedding day. In that era, people had to wear festive red clothes when getting married. Darong's mother still couldn't let go of this old custom.

"People's wedding photos are all white..."

Although Darong muttered softly, she still chose to obey her mother's request and put on the bright red suit.

"Rong, you are an adult after you get married. When you are at someone else's house, you should work more and talk less. After all, you live under the same roof. Don't let your mother-in-law find fault with you..."

Darong's mother started to educate Darong about the old ideas of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, which made Darong feel somewhat helpless.

Although she was not a rebellious child, she had grown up in a different environment and could no longer accept the behavior of a young wife who "did not talk back when scolded or hit".

After Darong had packed up everything, it was still dark outside. She sat on the sofa and listened nonchalantly to Darong's mother's nagging. At that time, she did not realize how much reluctance and love her mother had hidden in these boring nagging.

"Mother-in-law, father-in-law, congratulations to you two!"

Following a clear and crisp female voice, Zhong Yunxing's sister-in-law and the people who came to pick up the bride happily entered Darong's yard.

"Congratulations, his sister-in-law has worked so hard!" Darong's mother politely greeted Zhong Yunxing's sister-in-law.

At that time, it was not popular for the groom to pick up the bride in the southern suburbs. Usually, the groom's sister-in-law or aunt of the same generation would come to pick up the bride with a betrothal gift.

The eldest sister-in-law who came today is Zhong Yunxing's eldest sister-in-law of the same generation. She is open-minded and efficient. All the younger brothers and sisters who came into the Zhong family since her were welcomed into the family by her.

"It's just a small sleeper car..."

When Darong was about to get on the bus, she vaguely heard these words, but because there were so many people around her, she couldn't hear who was speaking.

At that time, there were only a few cars in the entire Nanjiao Town. Zhong Yunxing's family was of average condition, and they could only get together six cars through the help of others.

Except for the sedan that Darong was riding in, the others were Huang Dafa and Xiao Xiali borrowed from various units and factories.

Darong is most afraid of riding in a car, but she dares not open the window to let in the wind. She gets up early and does her hair and makeup in the morning, and she can't let it get messed up before she arrives.

Fortunately, the southern suburbs are not big, and even though Erdaohezi is not in the town, it only takes about ten minutes to drive there.

From the moment Darong's lead vehicle turned into the village, strings of firecrackers on both sides were lit one after another, and the sound of firecrackers was heard continuously.

It was not until the car stopped at the gate of the courtyard that Darong saw Zhong Yunxing, dressed in a neat suit, through the gap in the smoke.

Darong sat in the car, looking at a group of young men outside who were forcing Zhong Yunxing to bow to the car door. Some were laughing, some were making noises, and everyone was staring at the bride inside through the car window.

Darong was in a daze that day. She just obediently followed the instructions of the elders beside her and completed the entire wedding process.

The next step was toasting and pouring tea during the banquet. Darong didn't know how many relatives she had toasted. She just followed Zhong Yunxing and Zhong's mother in a dull manner, peeling candies, pouring wine, toasting, and drinking at each table...

By the time they had finally toasted the last table, Darong felt that she was completely full and just hoped that she could sit down and rest for a while.

"Sister-in-law, come quickly."

After Darong walked back into the yard, Zhong Yunping ran over, took her hand, and led her into the west room.

"Please sit down for a while. I'll give you some snacks."

Darong sat on the sofa gratefully and took the snacks handed to her by Xiaoping. Although she couldn't eat at the moment, she was very lucky to be able to sit down and rest for a while.

"Sister-in-law, please sit down. I'll go outside and keep an eye on things. If I find you, I'll come and call you."

The west room is the wedding room of Zhong Yunxing and Darong. At the moment, all the relatives are eating and drinking at the buffet outside, so naturally no one comes in to disturb them.

Darong sat on the sofa, took off her high heels, and gently rubbed her ankle which had already been sore.