I'm back in 1990

Chapter 271: Passing on the Dowry

This winter is particularly cold. Since late November, temperatures in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River have repeatedly fallen below minus five degrees Celsius.

Perhaps it can't compare to the frozen landscapes and snow-covered plains of the north, but for those who have lived here for a long time, this winter has been extremely difficult to adjust to.

On December 15th, at nine o'clock in the morning, with the outdoor temperature at minus three degrees Celsius, Huang Xiaochuan excitedly rubbed his hands together, occasionally rubbing his face which was numb from the cold, as he watched everyone load the dowry onto the car.

The neighbors all gathered to watch the spectacle, and the cold weather did not dampen their curiosity.

Most of them crossed their hands and tucked them into their sleeves, looking at the various dowry items adorned with red double happiness symbols and commenting on them. Those who were familiar with Aunt Qian Jiazhen gathered around her and praised the abundance of the dowry.

Although her aunt was very modest, her uncontrollable smile revealed her true feelings. Without exaggeration, no one in this town was happier than Qian Jiazhen.

The man is capable and good at making money. Although he likes to boast, show off, and drink, he gives her every penny of his earnings. His two daughters are also very sensible and have never caused her any worry since they were young. Now they have found a good match. Although they are not from a wealthy or noble family, as long as the son-in-law is of good character, that's enough.

Although she didn't have a son, she had a filial nephew. Tell me, which family in the whole town could have such a nephew? He was no different from a biological son, and he even wanted to take her to Shanghai to retire. Friends and relatives who knew about this were all envious of Qian Jiazhen's good fortune. The old mansions in Shanghai! They used to be places where rich people lived.

Thinking of this, Qian Jiazhen looked at Huang Xiaochuan and saw that his face was red from the cold. Qian Jiazhen quickly touched Huang Xiaochuan's face.

"Little monkey, are you cold? I'll go back and find a scarf for you."

"I'm not cold. I'm wearing so many layers, I won't get cold." Huang Xiaochuan chuckled and patted his clothes.

At this moment, Grandma came out of the house and brought Huang Xiaochuan a head covering. It was knitted by his aunt for Grandma. Although the style was old-fashioned, it was very warm.

"Put it on quickly, it's too windy outside today, or your face will get chapped."

Huang Xiaochuan, who is 1.8 meters tall, had to bend down and let his grandmother put the hood on him. Then he looked at the rearview mirror of the Dongfeng truck. It looked really rustic, but it was very warm. Now his face was no longer cold.

Seeing that the dowry was almost finished, Huang Xiaochuan's grandmother and aunt took turns giving him instructions.

"Drink less alcohol at lunchtime."

"If they give you a red envelope, you have to accept it. You can't say no. That's the rule. You're the uncle, so you have to maintain your dignity."

"If someone stops your car, just give them cigarettes or candy. No matter how much trouble they cause, you can't lose your temper. That's just how the custom is."

"When you visit your brother-in-law's house, you should know how to greet them."

"Your brother-in-law will give you a return gift to take back, don't forget to take it!"

Listening to his grandmother and aunt's words, Huang Xiaochuan kept nodding in agreement.

After loading is complete, we will have to wait a little while because the auspicious time has not yet arrived.

When the auspicious time arrived, someone lit firecrackers, and the convoy set off amidst the crackling sounds of firecrackers.

The lead vehicle was Huang Xiaochuan's Lexus SUV, followed by three blue Dongfeng 140 trucks, loaded with household goods, furniture, appliances, motorcycles, and other items. These were Zeng Hong's dowry. Of course, real estate and other valuables couldn't be loaded onto the trucks; they were kept in Zeng Hong's small red suitcase, which she would bring with her on the wedding day.

It takes less than half an hour to drive from the town to my brother-in-law's house. When the convoy with big red "double happiness" characters appeared in the sight of my brother-in-law's relatives, firecrackers immediately went off. The sound of firecrackers echoed through the sky, and double-bang firecrackers flew in the air. This was the groom's family welcoming the arrival of the dowry.

Along the way, there were naturally some local women who stopped the car to ask for cigarettes and candy. Huang Xiaochuan readily fulfilled all their requests, as his aunt had already prepared these things, and even more than usual.

Huang Xiaochuan even brought a cameraman to film the whole process. Now that they had the means, they decided to arrange it all.

The car could drive right up to the front door of the eldest brother-in-law's house. As soon as the car stopped, someone warmly helped open the car door to welcome Huang Xiaochuan.

Tang Jianhua, the eldest brother-in-law, warmly received his brother-in-law and also introduced Huang Xiaochuan to his parents and relatives.

The two sides exchanged polite greetings and pleasantries. Afterwards, Huang Xiaochuan was ushered into the house by a group of people and sat down in the main hall, where an octagonal table had already been set up and was waiting for him.

My brother-in-law, Tang Jianhua, lives in the county town. It used to be a township, but after the city expanded, it was included in the urban area. Like the houses of local people in southern Jiangsu, his house is a three-story building. The front is not big, only about four meters wide, but it is quite deep, more than thirty meters in front and behind.

However, only the front third has been built into a small building; the back two-thirds are still the old houses with courtyards inside.

The eldest sister's husband's uncles and other uncles were responsible for receiving Huang Xiaochuan, the younger brother from the bride's family who was bringing the dowry, while someone else unloaded the dowry from the car.

Huang Xiaochuan sat casually in the south-facing seat, chatting with his brother-in-law's uncles and aunts, eating tea and snacks, and drinking sweet soup, displaying the demeanor of a great-uncle.

One thing that made Huang Xiaochuan feel really good was that his hands were sore from receiving so many red envelopes. Ever since he got off the bus, his brother-in-law had given him a red envelope, and then his brother-in-law's parents and other relatives kept giving him red envelopes. Huang Xiaochuan couldn't keep up with them all. Now, the big pockets of Huang Xiaochuan's winter coat were full of red envelopes. He thought it would be really fun to sit on the bed with Yu Xiang and open the red envelopes when he got home that night.

"Little Huang! I heard you're a college student? That's awesome!" Tang Jianhua's uncle praised Huang Xiaochuan, giving him a thumbs up.

Several uncles also chimed in, praising Huang Xiaochuan's handsome appearance. In addition, a group of young wives and older women who had been blocking the doorway watched Huang Xiaochuan and laughed non-stop, making even the thick-skinned Huang Xiaochuan a little embarrassed.

To avoid awkward silences, Huang Xiaochuan took the initiative and chatted with his older brother-in-law and other elders who were with him.

The main questions were: What do your uncles and aunts do? How is their income this year?

In fact, Huang Xiaochuan was quite familiar with them. In his previous life, whenever he went to his brother-in-law's house, these people would come to keep him company and they would drink together many times.

My brother-in-law's uncle used to be a bricklayer, but now he has become a small contractor with several apprentices, building houses for people all over the place. The small house that my brother-in-law lives in was built by him and his team.

Now that people's incomes are higher, they are naturally no longer satisfied with their original houses. Families in counties and even towns have started to build houses on a large scale, and many new houses have sprung up, creating a thriving scene.

With increased demand, my brother-in-law's uncle naturally had more business. He was one of those who benefited from the development of the times, and the cigarettes he pulled out were all Hongtashan. You should know that Peony cigarettes were considered good cigarettes at that time, and Hongtashan was even more high-end.

My brother-in-law's uncle and I are in the timber business together. We work hard all year round and make a decent living. We've built a new house and it looks like our daughters and sons will be getting married soon.

My brother-in-law's second uncle contracted dozens of acres of fish ponds. During this period, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can always make money. You can earn about 60,000 to 70,000 yuan a year, which is quite good. You should know that Lao Huang's annual salary plus bonus is less than 6,000 yuan.

At noon, according to custom, the groom's family warmly welcomes the bride's family's guests. During this period, a dish called "Chao Tou" (炒头) was popular in Suzhou counties and villages. The host family would hire an experienced and reputable village chef to prepare it. The essential dishes were "Four Complete Eggs": a chicken with a complete egg, a duck with a complete egg, a pig's trotter with a complete egg, and a fish with a complete egg, symbolizing a harmonious marriage. Meat and vegetable dishes were freely combined. The host family carefully budgeted, trying to make the banquet as presentable and impressive as possible, ensuring that relatives and friends arrived satisfied and left happy. Any leftover chicken, duck, fish, and meat were shared among everyone, a kind of "CD-ROM operation" in that era.

After the meal, Huang Xiaochuan's brother-in-law's family would give him a return gift to take home, signifying that all the formalities had been observed. Only then would today's dowry ceremony be considered a complete success. After a hearty meal, Huang Xiaochuan, burping from the alcohol, headed home.

That evening, Yu Xiang asked about it.

"Was the dowry procession lively today?"

Actually, Yu Xiang originally wanted to go with Huang Xiaochuan to see what was going on, but she couldn't get leave, so she had to give up.

"It'll be quite lively. My second sister is going to celebrate her dowry at the end of the month. It's a Sunday, and I'll take you with me."

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