Reborn in 1977

Chapter 487: Wedding

January 24th, the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, Tuesday.

It was the big day for Zhang Wenliang and Yang Xingxiu.

These days, city people get married either on Sundays or holidays, generally avoiding workdays. One reason is to avoid gossip about handling personal matters during work hours. Another is that fewer people attend banquets on workdays, resulting in a significant loss in gift money.

But the countryside is different. Every day of the year is both a workday and a holiday. They can hold weddings whenever they want… except during busy farming seasons like spring plowing, double harvests, and autumn harvests!

Choosing such times for weddings would not only invite criticism behind their backs but also result in direct scolding of the entire family!

Zhang Wenliang chose a good time. Although not as idle as the winter months in the north, it could still be considered a relatively free period.

So, the day was exceptionally lively.

Almost every household in the 5th team sent someone to offer congratulations, quickly occupying most of the brigade headquarters' courtyard.

Well, using the brigade headquarters' courtyard for weddings and funerals is a tradition of the 5th team of Lujiawan, just like the 10th team of Lujiawan always holds weddings at the village school. It's considered a reasonable utilization of resources.

Zhang Wenliang wore a brand-new Zhongshan suit, with a brand-new thick cotton coat over it, a Lei Feng hat on his head, and a cigarette in his hand, constantly offering cigarettes to newly arrived guests.

If female guests and children came, the women of the Zhang family would come forward to distribute candy.

When the villagers were almost all present, people from other villages also began to arrive one after another.

The Zhang family had many members, so Zhang Wenliang was not short of helpers, but they couldn't be considered best men, at most "ushers."

Whenever a guest arrived, a member of the Zhang family would lead them inside. At the same time, Zhang Wenliang would offer a cigarette and greet them, which was considered completing the formality, and then they would wait for the next guest.

There were also rules for guests from other teams. They didn't just send anyone. Generally, it was the team leader and the militia squad leader. The team leader represented the team, and the militia squad leader was Zhang Wenliang's subordinate, so it could be considered half official and half private.

Soon, Team Leader Yang and the militia squad leader of the 6th team also arrived. After a round of greetings, they were led into the courtyard.

The weather was not bad today. The sun was shining, which was rare. The people from their own team sat directly in the courtyard, while the team leaders and militia squad leaders from other teams were led to the back.

Team Leader Yang followed a member of the Zhang family into the temporarily vacated office. He immediately saw Chen Fan sitting on the back of a chair, watching the excitement through the glass with his hands in his pockets.

Well, many people born in the 70s and 80s should have sat like this. They would first stand on the chair and then sit on the back of the chair with their buttocks. Their bodies needed to lean forward slightly, and they must not lean back, otherwise, there was a risk of falling.

The advantage was that they could sit high and see far, with a very good view.

After entering the door, everyone dispersed to find someone to chat with. Team Leader Yang, with a cigarette clipped to his ear and another in his mouth, swayed and walked up to Chen Fan, "You and Company Commander Zhang are so close, why don't you go out and help him entertain?"

Chen Fan had already seen Team Leader Yang come in through the window. When he came over, he first took out a cigarette and handed it over, and said with a smile, "I am also a guest today. Brigade Commander Zhang has arranged it. I am only responsible for helping with the wedding procession today, and I don't need to do anything else."

Team Leader Yang shook his head, "What a pity."

Chen Fan blinked, "What a pity?"

Team Leader Yang, "It's a pity that you weren't invited to be the chef. The dishes you make are much better than what Old Liu makes!"

Chen Fan curled his lips, "Haven't you eaten enough of what I make?"

Team Leader Yang laughed, "It's not like I eat it often."

After a pause, he asked with some curiosity, "I heard Xiaoju say that Huang Li is learning cooking from you. A few days ago, she even thought about coming over with Liu Jujiang to help out, so she could accumulate some experience, but you rejected her. Why?"

Chen Fan shrugged, "If she wants to make big pot dishes, then I certainly won't stop her. But if she wants to learn stir-frying from me, then she can't come to learn, otherwise, it will mess up the basics, and she won't be able to learn too complicated dishes in the future."

When Team Leader Yang heard this, he became interested, pulled a chair and sat next to him, and asked, raising his head, "Is there any saying in this?"

Chen Fan smiled, "You have also eaten the dishes I made, what is the difference between them and what Liu Jujiang makes?"

Team Leader Yang frowned slightly, thought for a while and said, "What you make is a little more delicious."

Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly, "This answer can also be considered correct."

After a pause, he explained patiently, "Actually, it's very simple. Making big pot dishes doesn't require too precise knife skills, and the requirements for taste are not high. Generally speaking, being able to cook the dishes thoroughly and make them flavorful is considered qualified.

Look at how Master Liu cooks, such a big potato, he just cuts it in half with one knife, and smaller ones are even thrown directly into the pot. The same goes for adding seasonings. Regardless of whether it's meat or vegetarian, hot or cold, there are only a few seasonings, but the cooking techniques are different.

Some need to be stir-fried, some need to be braised, some need to be fried, and some need to be pan-fried. After the various ingredients are processed and cooked to taste, they can be plated and served."

Team Leader Yang listened and thought, nodding constantly, "That's right, when he prepares banquets, he pours seven or eight kinds of ingredients into a wooden basin, then washes them twice with water, scoops them up and drains the water with a sieve, then cuts them into pieces and strips randomly. The same goes for meat and fish, either large pieces or large slices, the main thing is to have enough quantity and heavy flavor, the key is to be good with rice."

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at Chen Fan, "The dishes you make are different. The potato shreds are as thin as sewing thread, and the cucumber slices have edges and corners. The meat is also thinly sliced, and the meat shreds, tsk tsk, I think it's very laborious, it's rare that you still cut them so finely."

Chen Fan chuckled twice, "So, stir-frying is very different from big pot dishes. First of all, it starts with knife skills. If the foundation is bad at the beginning, it will be difficult to correct it in the future.

Since Huang Li is following me to learn cooking, of course I have to be responsible for her. Although there are not many ingredients now, and the only opportunities to practice are the three meals a day, I can ensure that her foundation is solid. When her knife skills are mastered, I will teach her how to identify and process ingredients."

Hearing this, Team Leader Yang was slightly stunned, "Shouldn't you be teaching her how to cook?"

Chen Fan laughed again, "After learning the basics, directly learning how to cook is the method of a cook, that is, whatever dishes the master teaches, he will only be able to make those dishes, without his own ideas, unable to innovate, or not much innovation.

If you want to be a good chef, you must understand the ingredients and understand why the previous chefs wanted to match and innovate dishes in this way, so that you can innovate and progress continuously based on the characteristics of various ingredients."

At this time, Team Leader Yang felt that he understood a little, "I remember when I was in the literacy class, the literacy teacher who came from the commune said something about fish and fishing, that is, one is to directly give fish, and the other is to first teach how to cast a net, so that students can catch fish by themselves, it seems to be the same principle as your teaching method?"

Chen Fan nodded with a chuckle, "Yes, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish."

Team Leader Yang pointed at him and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, that's it."

He took a puff of cigarette, grinned and smiled, "When I came out, Lao Huang was still worried that you had an opinion on Huang Li, thinking that she took the initiative to help Liu Jujiang cut vegetables, which made you unhappy, this time he should be relieved."

While saying that Lao Huang should be relieved, he also felt relieved in his heart.

Xiao Chen is indeed a master who teaches his apprentices with his heart. If Yang Mei follows him to learn winemaking, she will definitely be more promising than Lao Tang from the 7th team in the future!

The two chatted for a while about the team's income this year. At this time, someone from the Zhang family began to call out, "Comrades, it's time to eat."

As soon as the voice fell, a team of people came with trays to serve meals to the guests sitting in the courtyard.

Chen Fan had overheard their wedding process. The morning was for welcoming guests. At this time, there was no formal banquet. What was served to the guests was a bowl of noodles.

Of course, it could also be steamed buns, porridge, and fried dough sticks, in short, it would not be too rich.

This welcoming of guests was also done by both families, with the man and woman each receiving relatives and friends at home.

After inviting relatives and friends to have breakfast, they would wait until about 9 am, well, this depended on the auspicious time and the distance of the wedding procession.

When the auspicious time arrived, the man's family could set off to welcome the bride.

There's a specific custom for wedding processions: "Never retrace the same path."

Sometimes, even if the two families are next door, the groom's party must first pick up the bride and then take a large detour back to the groom's house. The reverse is also acceptable, but the return trip must not follow the original route.

This symbolizes that the bride, once married, will not "return to her maiden home," which, of course, doesn't mean she can't visit her parents, but rather refers to divorce.

Chen Fan, squeezed among a group of squad leaders, quickly finished two bowls of noodles, then held a teacup and smoked a few cigarettes. Seeing that the auspicious hour had arrived, Zhang Wenliang hurried over to invite him.

The groom must personally invite the wedding procession to depart; no one else can do it on his behalf.

At Zhang Wenliang's call, the people in the courtyard began to move.

Chen Fan took the lead and walked out, everyone automatically stepping aside to make way.

Outside the courtyard gate, a clean little jeep was parked, the warm sunlight shining on it, reflecting glimmers of light.

Chen Fan opened the door and got in, wiggled his body a few times, and cleared his throat twice, "Driver ready."

Zhang Wenliang grinned from ear to ear, pulled open the passenger door, and was about to get in.

But Chen Fan waved his hand repeatedly, "What are you doing sitting here? Go to the back."

Zhang Wenliang's eyes widened, "Why?"

Chen Fan glared at him even harder, "Hey, if you sit here, is the bride supposed to sit alone in the back later?"

Zhang Wenliang shrank his neck and decisively switched doors to get in.

Chen Fan started the car, honked the horn twice, and the crowd watching the excitement immediately cleared the road.

As the car slowly moved forward, the bicycle procession behind also set off.

These people were basically the ones who accompanied Zhang Wenliang to take the driver's license test last week. Besides a few relatives of the Zhang family, there were also the militia squad leaders from each team, who could be considered Zhang Wenliang's old guard.

Watching the procession slowly pass by, the commune members began to discuss.

"A jeep leading the way, followed by so many bicycles, this wedding procession must be the only one in the entire commune, right?"

"More than that, I'm afraid you can't find a second one in the whole county."

"That's not necessarily true. There are still quite a few units in the county with cars. Wouldn't they lend one out when the family members of their leaders get married?"

"Even if they lend one, would there be so many bicycles behind it?"

"Counting the bicycles, it might really be the only one in the county. Bicycles are scarce. How many units can put together so many cars? Having two or three would be good enough."

"Two or three? Hmph, when my eldest son got married, we borrowed an old bicycle from the brigade headquarters to pick up the bride. The dowry was loaded on the back, and the eldest daughter-in-law sat on the front crossbar, and wasn't that quite a sight!"

"Haha, that was indeed quite a sight back then. When we got married, we borrowed a horse-drawn cart from the team."

"Life is getting better day by day. A dozen years ago, some people even walked to pick up the bride. Later, at least it was a donkey-drawn cart, and then bicycles. Today is even better. Not only are there a dozen bicycles, but Teacher Chen has even driven a car back. The Zhang family has a lot of face."

"Hey, hey, do you think we can borrow Teacher Chen's car if someone else gets married in the future?"

"Borrow Teacher Chen's car? You wish! I heard from Brigade Leader Zhang that Teacher Chen is now a cadre of the Provincial Writers Association, and he's in charge of many writers. What status do you have to dare ask him to be your driver?"

"That's right. Teacher Chen has a good relationship with Zhang Lao San (Zhang Wenliang's generation, ranked third). That's brothers helping each other. What's your relationship with Teacher Chen? You still want to trouble him? You must not be awake!"

"Well, I did get up too early. I'm still a little dizzy."

… …

Chen Fan drove the car onto the dike. Taking care of the bicycle procession behind, he didn't drive fast. Even so, he arrived in the territory of Team 4 after a few minutes.

Zhang Wenliang wiggled his butt, leaned on the back of the front seat, and looked around with a displeased expression, "Did we arrive so quickly?"

Chen Fan glanced at the rearview mirror, "What's wrong, do you think it's too short?"

Zhang Wenliang clicked his tongue, "Yeah, it's only been a few minutes. I didn't feel anything at all."

Chen Fan, "That's easy. You watch me later."

In the village of Team 4 below, the Yang family was ready. Seeing the little jeep coming, someone immediately shouted, "The new son-in-law has arrived!"

As soon as the words fell, several bamboo poles were raised high, followed by a crackling burst of firecrackers.

In the thick smoke of firecrackers, the motorcade slowly stopped on the open space in front of Secretary Yang's house.

Before Chen Fan could pull the handbrake, Zhang Wenliang couldn't wait to push the door and get out. He tugged at his cotton-padded jacket and straightened his chest, the badge of Mr. Li shining exceptionally brightly.

Yunhu didn't have the custom of wedding pranks. Seeing the new son-in-law get out of the car, relatives of the Yang family loudly shouted auspicious words to welcome him.

Secretary Yang stood in the main room, his smile so wide that the corners of his mouth were almost reaching his ears.

Zhang Wenliang stepped over the threshold, strode forward, bowed ninety degrees vigorously, and shouted, "Dad."

Then he turned around and shouted to Aunt Yang next to him, "Mom."

The two old people smiled happily and responded, "Eh."

Secretary Yang pointed to the room next door, "Go and bring her out."

Zhang Wenliang straightened up, nodded with a silly smile, "Okay."

He turned and walked towards Yang Xingxiu's room.

Chen Fan had already occupied the advantageous position at the door, watching intently.

Inside the room, the bride sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a bright red jacket and blue pants, with black leather shoes on her feet.

Several relatives were with her.

When Zhang Wenliang came in, the two looked at each other with silly smiles, but no one spoke?

Chen Fan blinked. He originally felt that the atmosphere was not warm enough without anyone making a fuss.

But when he saw the appearance of the two newlyweds at this time, he couldn't help stomping his feet with joy, "Hahaha, you should say something."

Zhang Wenliang looked back at him and realized that the doorway of the room was already crowded with people, all grinning and laughing.

He was immediately embarrassed, but he was also a man who had seen the world. At this time, he came back to his senses, walked over generously, and extended his right hand, "Xingxiu, let's go."

Yang Xingxiu didn't hesitate, stood up without saying a word, and grasped the outstretched hand, but her face was already flushed.

When Zhang Wenliang led Yang Xingxiu out, Secretary Yang asked them to stand still, express their views and offer tea to the portrait of Mr. Li on the wall.

After a set of procedures was completed, the Yang family entertained the wedding procession with refreshments, and then they were ready to return to the Zhang family.

At this time, the Yang family relatives put several quilts wrapped in red cloth into the trunk of the jeep. These were Yang Xingxiu's dowry.

When the two newlyweds got into the car, the wedding procession set off again, and a few more cars joined the bicycle team behind.

That was the sending-off team arranged by the Yang family. They would accompany the bride to the groom's house, and after eating the banquet and wedding tea, the groom's family would send them back.

When they came, they took the dike road, but now they naturally couldn't take the dike road again. Chen Fan drove the car onto the main road in the middle of the Lujiawan Brigade, but instead of heading south, he went north all the way.

Although the bicycle team behind was a little strange, no one said anything, just pedaling hard, closely following behind the jeep.

After walking for a while, the two newlyweds who were immersed in joy realized that something was wrong.

Zhang Wenliang quickly said, "Xiao Chen, did you get the direction wrong?"

Chen Fan, "Bah, bah, bah, what nonsense are you talking about? Today is always the right direction!"

Zhang Wenliang immediately reacted and smiled sheepishly at his new wife.

Yang Xingxiu didn't get angry, just gave him a look.

Chen Fan smiled, "Didn't you just say that you didn't enjoy the ride? Now we'll go from Team 12 to the dike, drive all the way to the commune, and then go back from the commune. Will that be enough?"

Zhang Wenliang's eyes lit up, "That's enough!"