Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 169

The longevity noodles were prepared in advance by the He family, symbolizing the wish for their descendants to live long and healthy lives.

The two symbolically took a bite each, and then drank from the same cup, with a red string at each end holding a wine cup.

The bride's wife gives the wine to the groom, and the bride's wife gives it to the bride. Each drinks half a cup, and then they exchange cups again. After drinking the nuptial wine, all the joints in the bridal chamber are complete.

A feast was set up in the room outside the bridal chamber, which is commonly known as "setting up a round meal" or "reunion meal".

The bride and groom sit at the head table, while the bride's wife, the bride's sister-in-law, and other close female guests sit in the same seats.

The banquet at the outdoor tables also began at the same time.

He Yuzhu only ate two bites of food before getting up to offer a toast.

Over the past two or three years, He Yuzhu's reputation for braised meat has grown increasingly well-known. He has also introduced his braised meat to many restaurants and made many friends.

These restaurants all have something to ask of He Yuzhu. Today is He Yuzhu's big day, so they all give him face and most of them come to congratulate him in person. Even if they can't come in person, they will send their managers or owners to congratulate him.

Yi Zhonghai was utterly shocked as he watched He Yuzhu toast the bosses. When did this silly Zhu acquire so many connections?

Those were all prominent figures in society, and they all addressed He Yuzhu as brothers, sharing their joy and blessings.

"That silly Zhu has become a big boss!"

Liu Haizhong nodded: "Yes, I didn't expect Zhuzi to know so many bosses."

Yan Bugui noticed that the people were dressed in high-end and luxurious clothes, but he didn't recognize many of them, so he asked, "Who are those people?"

Yi Zhonghai pointed and said, "Those are people from the eight major buildings and eight major halls, a few bosses from the eight major bureaus, Director Li from our street, the head of the police station, and the director of Qianmen Street."

Yan Bugui was startled; these were all important figures.

Liu Haizhong was already green with envy. Although he had good skills, he had never even become a team leader and was still just an ordinary worker.

On the contrary, look at Sha Zhu. Although he has been in society for less than two years and is still an ordinary citizen, he has already established his own business and owns an independent two-courtyard house.

I also got to know many big bosses, as well as the director of the neighborhood committee and the police officers from the local police station.

The deaf old lady was also somewhat bewildered. Although she considered herself a person of importance in the courtyard, outside the courtyard, who would recognize an old woman like her?

The deaf old lady suddenly felt that the food in her mouth no longer tasted good. She realized that she had been the one who instructed Yi Zhonghai to do the thing between He Daqing and the widow.

Although He Daqing has not pursued the matter since his return, the deaf old lady has become increasingly worried and anxious.

He kept wondering if He Daqing would take revenge soon, and if misfortune would befall him.

Jia Zhangshi had been waiting for this day. How could an ordinary family have such a lavish feast as the He family when celebrating a wedding?

The table was covered in meat, and Granny Zhang had been eating non-stop ever since she sat down. She ate whatever was expensive, and even whispered to Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu sitting next to her:

"Hurry up and eat. We need to eat our money back. If we don't eat, we'll be wasting our time."

Chapter 124 Granny Zhang Arrives Uninvited, Xu Huizhen Finally Becomes a Wife

Although Jia Dongxu knew that his mother was just like this, and it wasn't the first time, he still felt embarrassed.

Qin Huairu, standing next to her, also looked disgusted, but what could she do? This was her mother-in-law. She could only pretend not to hear and eat her meal with her head down. And to be honest, this was the best dish she had ever eaten.

Zhang Pozi ate and drank without a care in the world, determined to take advantage of He Yuzhu this time.

Although everyone knew Zhang Pozi's temperament, many still showed disdain, which was truly shameful.

Although Jia Dongxu knew his mother had this kind of personality, he was still very embarrassed.

The two tables in the courtyard were watching He Yuzhu's success with mixed feelings. They watched as He Yuzhu settled down, built a career, made many friends, and was poised to become a powerful figure in society.

Xu Damao stared at He Yuzhu with eyes full of resentment. Xu Wude nudged him with his arm and whispered, "You, I think you should just let it go. Don't go near Sha Zhu in the future. He won't care about you unless you cause trouble."

Xu Damao snorted, it was unclear whether he had listened or not.

He Yuzhu quickly arrived at the two tables in the courtyard to offer his toast, only to find that Granny Zhang and Jia Dongxu were also there, as were Qin Huairu and the baby Banggeng she was carrying.

He was a little puzzled. Hadn't he told He Daqing not to notify them? Why did the Jia family still come?

"Zhu Zi, congratulations!" Yi Zhonghai stood up and congratulated him.

"Thank you, Uncle Yi."

He Yuzhu glanced at the gift list just now and saw that Yi Zhonghai had given a generous gift of ten yuan. You should know that ordinary acquaintances would only give fifty cents or one yuan as a gift.

Even close relatives like aunts and uncles only give two or three yuan as a gift, so Yi Zhonghai giving ten yuan is quite a lot.

Liu Haizhong and Xu Wude, who followed behind, also gave a generous gift of ten yuan. It's unclear what the three of them were thinking.

Fortunately, Yan Bugui and the others below behaved normally. The neighbors all gave one yuan, except for Granny Zhang, who came uninvited, who gave fifty cents as a gift.

Bu Heyu toasted the elderly men, and they exchanged words of blessing.

Jia Dongxu stood up and said somewhat helplessly, "Zhuzi, I sincerely wanted to come and congratulate you, but I didn't have any other intentions. It's just that my mother is like this, and I can't control her, so please bear with her."

Although He Yuzhu was displeased, he still smiled and said, "It's alright. Guests are guests, and they should eat and drink their fill, come happily, and leave satisfied."

After saying that, he looked at Granny Zhang with great disdain.

Granny Zhang wasn't afraid of He Yuzhu at all; it was his wedding day, and he couldn't very well beat her up.

Granny Zhang snorted and glared back at her.

He Yuzhu was helpless and didn't offer her a toast, simply skipping over her.

What made He Yuzhu happiest was that Xu Wude was sensible enough not to bring Xu Zhaodi along, otherwise it would have been even more awkward.

The deaf old lady suddenly asked, "Zhu Zi, you're settling down here from now on, aren't you going back to the courtyard house?"

"Yes, it's quiet here. Besides, my father still lives in the courtyard house. If I were to take my wife back, there wouldn't be enough room. We can only go back to visit everyone during holidays."

Although the deaf old lady knew the outcome, she was still very disappointed. What she valued most was that Sha Zhu would take care of her in her old age. After all, the boy was a chef, and after getting rid of He Daqing, he could cook delicious food for her and Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai took a liking to Jia Dongxu and accepted him as his apprentice, but still managed to get He Daqing to go to Baocheng to support the widow Bai.

Who knew that only two years later, He Daqing returned, married a girl from the countryside, and had a son.

Then He Daqing and Sha Zhu became distant from him, and he also fell out with Yi Zhonghai, causing all his plans to fall through.

After toasting everyone, He Yuzhu hurried to the next table.

In the afternoon, He Daqing led the family to worship the ancestral tablets, which signified the addition of a new member to the He family. The bride's marriage was a significant step, as she was now a member of the He family.

After paying respects to the ancestors, it is necessary to establish names and ranks, which is commonly known as distinguishing seniority. This means that Xu Huizhen needs to know the seniority and age of He Yuzhu's family.

Fortunately, the He family was not large. Xu Huizhen kowtowed to her parents-in-law, received a red envelope, and then greeted He Yushui.

He Yushui asked with a smile, "Sister Huizhen, can I call you sister-in-law from now on?"

Xu Huizhen said shyly, "Yes, you'll have to call me sister-in-law from now on."

I'm filled with emotion. Yesterday she was just a young girl, and today she's become Brother Zhu's wife, what others call an older sister, a woman.

After the wedding ceremony, it was time for the wedding night festivities. He Yuzhu and Xu Huizhen stood in the middle, surrounded by a group of fellow disciples and friends, all making a ruckus.

Someone took out an apple tied with a rope and placed it between the two of them, asking them to eat it. But at the last moment, the rope would be suddenly moved away, hoping to make them kiss.

He Yuzhu was agile and never fell for the trick. Er Yong replaced the apple with hard candy, and had Xu Huizhen bite one half with her teeth, and then let He Yuzhu bite the other half.

Although Xu Huizhen knew there was this hurdle, she still blushed deeply, her face turning completely red, even her long, fair neck.

She knew that begging for mercy would be useless at this point, and the best thing to do was to let them do whatever they wanted, hoping that this ordeal would be over soon.

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Isn't it just that you want to see us kiss?"

"Yeah, hurry up and kiss her."

"Kiss, kiss..." everyone was cheering.

"Alright, alright, just don't ask me to kiss you."

He Yuzhu reached out and hugged Xu Huizhen tightly, saying, "Wife, I want to kiss you."

Xu Hui was even more embarrassed. How could anyone ask such a question in front of everyone? She made a mental note of it and would settle the score with this silly Zhu later.

The onlookers cheered even more. Tian Zao grew impatient. With one hand on He Yuzhu's head and the other on Xu Huizhen's head, the two gradually drew closer.

He said, "You stinky Zhuzi, you tricked me last time, and now it's your turn to get married after only a few days. I can get my revenge."

Tie Dan chimed in, "Yeah, hurry up and kiss him!"

He Yuzhu had no choice but to comply, lowering his head to press his lips to Xu Huizhen's luscious red lips, savoring the sweet taste of the rouge.

Everyone laughed, and the wedding night festivities finally came to a successful end. He Yuzhu chased everyone out, leaving only the two of them in the bridal chamber.

He Yuzhu held Xu Huizhen's small hand and called out, "Wife!"

"Master?" Xu Huizhen hesitated.

Then she said shyly, "You big bad guy, you were just asking me that."

"Fine, you're already calling me bad right after the wedding ceremony. Looks like I'll have to resort to family discipline."

"Family rules? Our family still has that?" Xu Huizhen asked blankly.

"You've never seen this before, have you? I'll show you the power of family discipline."

As He Yuzhu spoke, he picked up Xu Huizhen and carried her to the large bed.

Xu Huizhen gasped, knowing that the final step—consuming their marriage—was about to be completed. She leaned her head on He Yuzhu's shoulder and suddenly said, "Turn off the lights."

He Yuzhu reached out and pulled the light cord, turning off the incandescent bulb. However, the two large red candles on the table remained brightly lit, making everything in the room clearly visible.