The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Soon it was Bao Ya's wedding day. Early in the morning, Ninth Grandma came over to comb her hair.

As Grandma Su watched Ninth Grandma recite a hair-combing song while combing Bao Ya's hair, her eyes welled up with tears. Bao Ya had been brought home and raised by her since she was two days old, and now she had grown into a beautiful young lady.

The area outside the house was already bustling with activity. Uncle Da, Uncle Er, and Uncle Lin Laosan were outside greeting guests, while the village aunties and grandmas came in one after another to congratulate Bao Ya. After everyone had left, Grandma Jiu had already combed her hair.

Bao Ya looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips were red and her teeth were white; she looked very pretty. Her long, thick, black hair was styled into a bun at the back of her head, adorned with a red flower. She looked festive.

Looking back at Grandma Su, her eyes were red-rimmed, her lips were pursed, and she didn't speak, as if tears would fall if she spoke.

"Grandma, why are you crying? I'll be back in a few days. Once I've made some money in the city and bought a big house, I'll bring you to live in the city, and we'll never be apart again."

Oh dear, this heartless girl! The old lady was laughing and crying at the same time. She quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. On such a wonderful day, she couldn't just keep crying.

"You silly girl, you're talking nonsense. Who brings their maternal grandmother to live with their in-laws? You need to control your temper in the city and stop getting into fights so easily. It's not like in our village. What if you get beaten up by someone all by yourself..."

The old lady has been thinking about this matter a lot these past few days. She regrets marrying Bao Ya off so far away. It would have been better if she had stayed under her nose, at least she wouldn't be bullied.

Grandma Jiu, who was standing nearby, twitched at the corner of her mouth. It was the first time she had ever heard her family tell their daughters to avoid fighting before they got married.

Aunt and Su Ruyi came in and saw that Bao Ya was all dressed up. The two of them, with tears in their eyes, gave her a long lecture.

Bao Ya didn't quite understand their thinking. It was only twenty miles from Nanshan Brigade to the city, which she felt was just a matter of stepping on the gas. But they looked at her as if she would never be able to come back.

A moment later, firecrackers went off outside. Jiang Yuan had come to pick up the bride. A group of young people rode bicycles and stopped at the gate. Two young men walked by, scattering candy from their bags to the people around them.

Jiang Yuan, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, was ushered into the house by a group of people. When he saw his well-dressed wife, he scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

Today, Bao Ya wore the crimson fabric jacket he had sent her last time. It fit her perfectly, cinching her slender waist. She wore black straight-leg trousers and black leather shoes.

At this moment, her aunt suddenly took a red scarf and covered her head with it, then tied the bottom up, making it look like her whole head was wrapped in red.

"There's a breeze when you're riding a bicycle, so it'll stay in place if you tie it up."

Okay, this is a red scarf, not a red veil.

Just as Bao Ya was about to walk out, she saw Simao run over and squat down in front of her.

"Sis, come up here."

He was going to carry her across. Her aunt took her hand and helped her onto Simao's back.

Jiang Yuan walked ahead, steadied the bicycle, and Simao carried her out, then placed her on the back seat.

Bao Ya turned around and saw a huge crowd outside the courtyard; it seemed the entire village had come. Lin Bao Ya felt proud of her influence. Hearing a group of children calling her from behind, she quickly waved to them.

Even as Jiang Yuan rode his bicycle out of the village, Bao Ya was still a little dizzy; she was getting married.

Following behind were a dozen or so young men on bicycles brought by Jiang Yuan, who rode and shouted as they went:

"Brother Yuan, slow down. If you go back now, you won't be able to get into the bridal chamber."

"Hahaha……"

Behind them were three donkey carts from the village. The first one carried the betrothal gifts from Jiang Yuan, as well as Bao Ya's dowry. The next two carts carried the people who had come to attend her wedding: her uncle and aunt, Simao, Aunt Pang, and several other uncles, aunts, and older women. Old Lady Su and the Lin Laosan couple stayed home to look after the house.

Bao Ya gently patted Jiang Yuan's back and said:

"Slow down, the donkey carts behind can't keep up."

"Okay, I'll go slowly."

Hearing Bao Ya's words, Jiang Yuan slowed down. He was filled with sweetness the whole way, and the corners of his mouth never left his lips. He had finally married the girl he had longed for.

At the crossroads of the commune, Bao Ya pointed to a large rock by the roadside and said to Jiang Yuan:

"Look there, there used to be a hooligan who would squat on that rock every day. I would see him every day after school."

Upon hearing her words, Jiang Yuan's smile froze, and he thought to himself, "Are you sure that's a hooligan?"

Forty minutes later, we arrived at the meat processing plant's residential compound. As soon as the bicycle turned into the alley, firecrackers started going off not far away, and everyone covered their ears and stood aside to watch the excitement.

Bao Ya turned her head and looked. The courtyard entrance was crowded with people, and there was a big red "double happiness" character pasted on the gate. That must be Jiang Yuan's house.

The bicycle stopped, and Bao Ya got off. Someone took the bicycle from her, and Jiang Yuan led her into the house first. Once inside, Bao Ya immediately took off the red veil from her head; the veil had made her vision blurry the whole way.

The group of young men got off the cart, locked it, and waited at the door. When the donkey cart arrived, they helped unload the goods from the cart and carry them into the house.

Liao Chunhua couldn't stop smiling when she saw the things on the donkey cart.

The sewing machine and radio that were sent were brought back, along with two large camphor wood chests and two new cotton quilts.

Judging from the way the two people were carrying that box, there must have been a lot of things inside.

Liao Chunhua smiled happily, while the surrounding neighbors were astonished. It was truly rare to see a country girl with such a large dowry.

Jiang Laoshan and Jiang Erge were busy greeting guests in the courtyard. After Su Daqiang led his whole family, along with the neighbors who had helped out in the courtyard, all arrived, the bustling crowd in the courtyard gradually quieted down, and the wedding ceremony officially began.

There were no fancy emcees or elaborate wedding stage; the portrait of the great man, hanging neatly on the wall of the main room, became the core of the entire ceremony.

The bride and groom were pushed to stand in front of the portrait, and everyone in the courtyard held their breath; even the children had their mouths covered by the adults.

First, led by Director Yang of the street office, the two of them straightened their backs, raised their right fists to their ears, and recited the oath word by word in front of the portrait. Their voices were not loud, but they were exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard. Even the sound of the wind outside the courtyard wall seemed to stop, leaving only the oath and the occasional chirping of cicadas intertwined.

After the oath was taken, Bao Ya was sent back to her room, while preparations were underway for the banquet outside.

Back in the house, Bao Ya first checked the thing at her waist. Hmm, it was still there. She wondered if she should put it in the box first, but finally decided it would be safer to keep it on her person and hide it in the box after everyone had left in the afternoon.

Then she began to look around the room. This was the east room, which was more than four meters wide from east to west. The west wall was a fire wall, and next to the fire wall was a kang bed made of elm wood, about two meters by two meters, which seemed very large.

Two low cabinets were placed against the east wall, with a camphor wood chest that he had brought himself on top of them. There was about a meter's distance between the foot of the bed and the low cabinets.

South of the low cabinet were, in order, a cupboard and a wardrobe. Under the south-facing window were a sewing machine and a radio.

Every piece of furniture in the room was decorated with the character for "double happiness," and even the trunk and sewing machine that came with him were covered with it.