Return To 1977 Chapter 655: Pomp and circumstance
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The real excitement in the Hong family's old house was around ten o'clock, and that was because the old neighbors from Furuli arrived.
To pick up the big guys, Hong Yanzheng and Xu Manli hurried back to Furuli after breakfast. As soon as the bus arranged by Hong Yanwu arrived at 8:30, the two of them hurriedly got together and went from door to door to notify each other.
Of course people are very active in this kind of thing, and Shui Qing from the West Courtyard is also there to help and greet her.
But the five fingers are not even on one side. Ordinary people are inherently unorganized and undisciplined, and they are most likely to get anxious when encountering a big situation, and they are raising families, so how can they avoid chaos?
One moment a child needs to pee, another moment an adult forgets to bring a gift, another moment someone comes out wearing a hurdle vest, turns around and goes back to put on a shirt, a moment someone remembers that there is still hot water sitting on the gas stove, and hurries back and turns it off again fire.
It was as if a handful of salt noodles were sprinkled in a frying pan, and it started to stir in an instant. It's called being in a hurry, being in a hurry, and going back and forth endlessly in and out of the car.
Fortunately, there were wedding cigarettes and wedding candies, so the driver didn’t feel bothered. At about 9:10, everyone finally gathered and the car started and drove to the wedding banquet site.
There are many housewives in the west courtyard. Their daily activities are limited and the content of their lives is extremely monotonous. The collective activities they have participated in in this life are probably the "revolutionary activities" in the "movement". I have never experienced the feeling of traveling in a car with people I know well.
So even though it is just an ordinary "40" bus, the distance is short, and there are familiar street scenes along the way, but for them, it feels like riding in a "concierge car" with visiting foreign heads of state. Equivalent.
That guy was talking and laughing happily along the way.
Some people praised the Hong family for their thorough etiquette, which made Hong Yanzheng's face feel hot. Some people are eager to see the true appearance of the Hong family's old house and have no chance to ask Xu Manli. Some people brought up old stories again, recalling the time when they got married while riding a donkey, which made everyone laugh uncontrollably.
In short, there is never a moment of silence in the car. These aunts and sisters-in-law showed excitement and joy that they had never seen before. It looks a bit happier than the main family.
But when we really arrived at the scene, everyone was dumb and speechless again. Not for anything else, but because the Hong family's grandeur and scene were too great.
The outside of the courtyard gate is okay, except that the "Double Happiness" signs on both sides of the gate look a bit larger than those posted by other houses, but there is nothing wrong with it. It was natural for the two acquaintances to stand guard at the door and let the guests in.
But as soon as we entered the courtyard, things started to change. There is "color" on the screen wall in front of people. Five large red hydrangeas hang squarely on the four brick-carved characters "Fu Lu Shou Xi", which can be said to be the first to win.
Going further inside, what’s even more remarkable is that the two wall ridges from the screen wall to the hanging flower door are all decorated with colorful ribbons and hung with long and short silk.
The breeze blows slowly and flutters, and the red is really flamboyant and beautiful.
The final shock came from the hanging flower gate. There were at least ten distinguished guests standing at the door. I won’t go into the record of receiving gifts in sequence. The most important thing is that as soon as I stepped through the door, the "red" turned into eyes full of red. Dazzling and dazzling.
The eaves of all the verandahs are actually decorated with colorful silk, and all the pillars are also wrapped in red silk, coupled with the astonishingly long ceremony tables and tea tables under the verandahs on both sides of the "Second Gate". There are thirty neat "official seats" in the courtyard, all covered with red tablecloths.
It's so red and so gorgeous, how can we not make these flat-headed people stunned on the spot? It's a pomp and atmosphere that they can't even dream of.
Not to mention being silent for a while, I was a little at a loss. There are times when they look at each other and vomit involuntarily. Everyone was ashamed of their apparently meager gifts.
Fortunately, Hong Lucheng, Wang Yunlin and Li Fu came over in time. Their high-spirited appearance and decent clothes could not conceal their enthusiasm.
Hong Lucheng respectfully greeted the male guests by saying "compliment," "love," and "give face," while Wang Yunlin greeted the female guests affectionately, saying that she would "cause trouble for everyone." Words of thanks.
They are still so humble, so kind, and not at all arrogant or proud of their wealth. This relieved everyone's discomfort, and everyone began to express their joy.
However, happiness is happiness, and the surprise cannot be eliminated. Admiration is also inevitable.
For example, Uncle Bian couldn't help but say, "Lao Hong, what a scene you guys are doing. I've only heard of rich people in the past, but never seen them. This time it opens my eyes."
Qiu Zi’s mother also said, “Yunlin, your house is like a dream. How much will it cost? We can’t afford it even if we just sell it.”
Unexpectedly, Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin actually said that they claimed to have benefited from the government's return of their private houses.
It is said that they are actually invited to work on a running table. It is because the son has many friends who come to help and the land is large, which makes them look generous and decent.
To say that it is different from others, it is decorated with colors and some red silk. These things are expensive to use alone, but it would be much more economical to consider using them for Hong Yanwu and Hong Yanru in the future.
After saying this, the old neighbors couldn't help but nod their heads, and their psychological pressure was relieved a lot. So everyone mistakenly believed it and started laughing again. There are also some self-righteous comments from some people.
But after the polite words were finished, seats were placed one after another, and everyone left the Hong family and the old couple to go about their business, someone with understanding saw a new way out.
Because among other things, the wedding candies on the plate are either gold or silver paper, and half of them are chocolate. When I took the cigarette scattered on the plate over, it turned out to be peony. When the teapot is brought up, taste the tea. Hey, it's fragrant.
God knows how much these things cost. As the saying goes, you can tell the subtle things. The drinks at the banquet at the back couldn't have been worse.
Soon, the neighbors’ minds changed. What I just said was just polite and modest.
Astonishment, exclamation, and discussion inevitably abounded. For the first time, these ordinary people realized the true meaning of wealthy families.
It's still different. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, that is the truth.
To be honest, the Hong family is really frugal and low-key. Because not only did they not build a wedding tent, they also used "soft colors".
Li Fu also asked Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin about this matter. At that time, the old man said excitedly, "I didn't expect that Xiao Wu could find someone who can build a tent and tie colors. We can't. It would be a shame if we didn’t build it, we might not be able to see it again in the future. Why don’t we spend more money to build a flat shed?”
Unexpectedly, the old couple finally said, "Lao Li, this is not a matter of spending some money. It's hard to find those materials nowadays. The shed masters are also old. You have to stand high to build that thing. Masters are so busy that they can't tolerate it, and it's easy to get angry. It's also troublesome for people to stay up late and watch. Besides, that's a thing of the past. Now it's too eye-catching and troublesome, so let's not do it. , don't bother with that. Just don't even use "hard color" to save trouble.
As a result, this matter was not accomplished, which made Li Fu feel quite regretful.
Otherwise, if you build a "囍"-shaped pergola with railings, a patio, a corner cloud, a glass window, a hanging screen, a flower wall, and pillars in the yard. In addition, the "flower archway" was put up in front of the main gate and the second gate, and the "full house" auditorium and wedding room were set up in the courtyard.
It makes people unable to turn their eyes away. It feels like they are on the set of a movie.
But this is still just ordinary.
Because when Hong Lucheng and Wang Yunlin got married, they actually built a three-story ring building in this courtyard like a classical palace.
The entire shed was erected on the roofs around the Hong family's second entrance courtyard, which was equivalent to connecting two more floors of the original building.
Not only are there wooden ladders on both sides of the pavilion, but there are also corridors leading out from the front, which are accessible from all sides, making it extremely convenient to move up and down. Moreover, the carved beams and painted buildings are beautiful, the space is reasonably divided, and the functions are all available.
For example, the corridor is surrounded by colorful carved barriers and red-painted pillars, all with gold-lettered couplets hanging on them. Doors and windows are placed behind them. Several hydroelectric gas lamps were hung under each corridor for night lighting.
There is also a large fan-shaped plaque hanging on the upper end of each hall, like the north tower with the words "A Match Made in Heaven" written on it. It is a banquet hall for entertaining relatives and friends.
The south building is a stage where "Qian Kun Opera and Harmony" serve as a stage, where you can sing Peking Opera, Kun Opera, "Octagonal Drum" and perform "all kinds of juggling" such as magic and acrobatics. Guests only need to sit under the corridor of the north building and in the courtyard downstairs to watch the show.
The "Harmony of Qin and Se" in the west building and the "Harmony of Flute and Flute" in the east building are both separate teahouses for guests to eat snacks, drink tea and play cards. The four corner towers are respectively the kitchen, tea stove, washroom, and clothing storage area.
This not only makes full use of all the space, but also has an additional benefit.
Because there is no effective area occupied by sheds in the courtyard. In addition to making way for the corridor leading to the auditorium and the wedding room in the courtyard, wooden platforms as high as the stone platform on one side of the room were also built on both sides. There are official seats on the stage for viewing the ceremony.
Forty-eight sounding instruments, including eight-sided or sixteen-sided drums, are arranged in two opposite rows under the viewing platform and played when the sedan chair is launched.
Wait until the Hong family marries Wang Yunlin back. After the wedding sedan enters the door, it passes through the middle corridor and the rows of loud drums and rattles, and is carried into the main auditorium. Guests on the wooden platforms on both sides and upstairs can also clearly see the grand scene of the wedding sedan entering the door, entering the courtyard, and stepping over the charcoal basin to smoke.
This is already very close to the style of a Western church wedding. It not only lacks the excitement unique to our Chinese people, but also has a sense of steady ceremony.
So, this is the style that truly crowns officials, gentry, merchants and wealthy households. It can be called a real colorful and flowery atmosphere. Only then is he worthy of being named one of the "Eight Great Houses" of the Hong family.
Only someone as understanding as Li Fu can understand this. How big of a difference is there between now and in the past?