Life continued to move forward. After Yang Tao came to terms with everything, she was able to get along with Chen Yichen as usual again.
On June 23rd, Master Duan the carpenter finally delivered the furniture. Besides the pieces Chen Yichen had ordered, there were also three small stools made from leftover wood. After work that day, with the help of the family, everything was arranged according to Yang Tao’s preferences.
The bed was placed horizontally against the left side of the back window. Yang Tao considered the bed a private space, but since they only built a single room—and because the plot of land was too small—there was only enough space in front for two small vegetable patches. Building a courtyard wall would make the yard too cramped, so they didn’t build one.
As a result, the bed was directly facing the door. Anyone passing by the entrance could see inside, which made Yang Tao uncomfortable. So she placed the wardrobe and dining cabinet about 1.5 meters in front of the bed, forming a screen-like partition that blocked the view from the door.
The wardrobe doors opened inward toward the bed side for convenience, while the dining cabinet opened outward toward the table area. The table was placed against the left wall, with stools arranged around it. Buckets and other items were placed in the kitchen area.
The household items they had bought in the city were also moved in and properly arranged. Chen Yichen also brought over some of his unused belongings from the educated youth dorm.
During this time, Chen Yichen hosted a meal for all the other educated youths at the dorm and invited Yang Tao as well. Most of them were not familiar with her, but everyone offered blessings. A few made sour remarks, which were quickly deflected by others. Chen Yichen also kept protecting her, so Yang Tao didn’t respond—but she silently kept score.
The night before the wedding, Grandma and Yang Tao’s mother went into her room and chased her three cousins into the main hall.
Grandma first told her to respect her parents-in-law after marriage.
“Xiao Chen’s family values you and that’s why they gave such a large betrothal gift. After you marry, live well with him. If one day you go back to his family and live with them, you must respect them properly…”
Grandma spoke at length about respecting elders, getting along with one’s husband, and building a stable family, before finally turning to the dowry.
“The 500 yuan Xiao Chen brought was used for your dowry. About 80 yuan went into preparations. Here, I’ve set aside 366 yuan as your private dowry money. The remaining 50-some yuan I’ve decided to keep. After you marry, you’ll still eat at home, so consider it as food subsidy.”
As she spoke, Grandma handed over a stack of money.
Yang Tao accepted it, and Grandma left. Before leaving, she told her mother to explain some matters about being a new bride.
By the time her mother finished speaking, Yang Tao’s face was red like a boiled shrimp.
She could only think that women in this era—on one hand they were conservative, but when it came to certain topics, they could also be surprisingly direct.
Not long after her mother left, the other girls returned to sleep. They were curious about what Grandma and Aunt had said, but Yang Tao brushed them off.
Lost in thought, she barely fell asleep before her mother came to wake her up again.
In this era, marriages were not judged by the marriage certificate, but by the wedding banquet itself. So the whole family took it very seriously—even her two aunts, whom she had never met before, came early in the morning. Villagers who were not working that day, children, elders, and even some girls about to be married also came to watch the excitement.
The family invited Third Aunt (the team leader’s wife) to help “open the face” for Yang Tao. She didn’t know exactly how it was done, but after it was finished, she felt like she looked noticeably better in the mirror.
After that, Third Aunt helped her arrange her hair. Yang Tao then said she would do her own makeup. She applied a thin layer of powder, lightly drew her eyebrows, added eyeliner, and put on lipstick. Finally, feeling it wasn’t festive enough, she dabbed some lipstick on her hand and patted it onto her cheeks as blush.
After finishing, everyone praised her—saying she looked more delicate and spirited. Even Yang Xiaomei, a girl from the same village who was getting married next month, asked her to help do makeup. Yang Tao didn’t immediately agree, only said she’d see if she had time.
She then changed into the outfit she had worn for the photo shoot: a white blouse and black long skirt, and pinned on the bridal flower that Grandma had made the day before.
“Third sister is so pretty. I also want to be a bride someday—I’d get new clothes and good food too,” said her youngest cousin Yang Ping, eyeing the fermented egg dish in Yang Tao’s hand.
“Already thinking about marriage at your age? How about marrying my grandson? I’ll cook good food for you too,” an old lady teased.
The room was full of laughter. Because the wedding home was close to her natal family, Yang Tao didn’t feel much reluctance.
…
Around nine o’clock, firecrackers sounded outside, and everyone rushed to the door to watch.
Chen Yichen arrived with two educated youths to fetch the bride. The children pretended to block the door for a moment, but were quickly “bribed” with red envelopes and candy, and the group entered easily.
First, he took Yang Tao out, and the two went to the elders’ room to formally bid farewell. Then they were surrounded and escorted to the new house at the back. The dowry prepared by the Yang family was carried over by the clan brothers.
In the new house, they received guests and onlookers, offering melon seeds, peanuts, and candies. The crowd chatted until nearly noon before gradually dispersing.
Because life was difficult in this era and times were special, wedding banquets were never held for the entire village. Usually only close relatives attended—often just one or two representatives per family. The Yang family did the same, inviting only close relatives and village cadres such as the team leader and accountant, totaling five tables. The banquet was held at the Yang household since there was more space there.
After the afternoon work break, once the team leader and guests arrived, the ceremony officially began. The team leader gave a few words of blessing, and the couple read a passage aloud, expressing their commitment to build a good family together. Then the banquet started.
The wedding process was simple. During the meal, Chen Yichen and Yang Tao went table by table to offer tea, and afterward they sat down together to eat.