"Wu Lang, Manman, Caiyun, Xiao Qi, it’s ti to go ho for dinner!"
The children hastily stood up, glanced at each other, stuck out their tongues, and hurriedly carried the ice sleds ashore.
"Sis, why are you here?" Lian Manman ran over to Lian Zhizhi and asked with a smile.
"If I didn’t co, you would play until it got dark and wouldn’t even think about coming ho. Don’t you ever feel hungry?" Lian Zhizhi said with a smile, looking at her brothers and sisters’ rosy cheeks.
"Sis, does Mom know... um..." Lian Manman looked at Lian Zhizhi.
"Mom thought you were in the shop, and she sent to find you there," Lian Zhizhi said.
"Sis, so you didn’t find us in the shop and ca here?" Xiao Qi asked.
"Could you really stay put in the shop for such a long ti?" Lian Zhizhi pinched Xiao Qi’s face, "I didn’t go to the shop; I ca straight here and sure enough, I guessed right."
The children all laughed.
"Sis, please don’t tell Mom that you found us here when we get ho, okay?" Lian Manman negotiated with Lian Zhizhi.
Xiao Qi hugged Lian Zhizhi’s thigh, Zhang Caiyun looked around, and also went to cling to one of Lian Zhizhi’s arms.
"Oh my, I really can’t do anything with you guys," Lian Zhizhi said, "Okay, I won’t tell. I’ll say I found you in the shop."
"Yay!" The children cheered.
"I’ll return the ice sled to the shop. You guys walk slowly; I will catch up in a bit," Wu Lang thoughtfully suggested.
Back at ho, Lady Zhang either pretended not to know or truly had no suspicions. She didn’t ask anything and simply told the children to take off their shoes and warm up on the kang bed.
Dinner was served in the Upper Room, with two additional tables set up for the busy helpers.
The next day was the official wedding day, and for children like Lian Manman, it was also the day they got to feast. The shop opened as usual in the morning, but they prepared fewer stead buns and baozi than usual so they could close early and head to the town.
When Zhang Qingnian arrived, he drove a horse carriage, which was just perfect for taking Lady Zhou, Lian Xiuxiu, and Old Master Lian to the town. With the whole family going to the town, Lady Zhou asked Lady Gu to stay and watch the house.
Manman had only been to the back alley of this town house before; this was her first ti entering through the main entrance. Apart from that back alley courtyard, the house only had two courtyards, but it did not lack in rooms. In the town, it was considered a mid-to-high-end residence. Both the central courtyard and the front courtyard were set up with tables, and there were quite a lot of guests.
When the auspicious ti arrived, the bride’s sedan chair was welcod inside. Erlang was dressed in a bright red wedding robe, with a big red silk flower on his chest, which highlighted his smiling face. He was beaming with joy, but also seed a bit silly.
"Your Erlang looks so blissfully foolish," Lady Wang laughed.
The newlyweds were welcod into their bridal chamber, and Manman, along with a bunch of familiar and mischievous children, squeezed inside. They were handed a handful of dates, peanuts, and lon seeds then promptly "persuaded" to leave by the bride’s sister-in-law and the matchmaker.
"This isn’t fun, the bride is sitting there and they won’t even lift the veil," complained Zhang Caiyun after they were out.
Lian Manman fixed her gaze intently on Zhang Caiyun.
"Manman, what’s with that look? It’s giving the creeps," said Zhang Caiyun.
"Sister Caiyun, everyone else is complaining about the bride not lifting her veil, and what else could you possibly complain about?" Lian Manman said hauntingly, "Wasn’t it you who ran over there and brazenly lifted the bride’s veil?"
Zhang Caiyun just laughed.
"Can’t deny, the bride your family married in isn’t bad-looking."
Before the banquet started, the pair wanted to find a sheltered spot to wait, and as they turned a corner, they saw the curtain to the bridal room being lifted and Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law escorting a few young wives from Thirty Mile Camp out.
"That girl who lifted my sister-in-law’s bridal veil, the one in the flower jacket with the long braid, which household from Lian Family is she from?" asked Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law.
"She’s not from the Lian Family; she’s a niece from the Fourth Household on her mother’s side, surnad Zhang," said a wife who had frequent interactions with the Lian Family with a laugh.
"Oh," sighed Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law, seemingly much relieved.
Lian Manman heard them talking about Zhang Caiyun and secretly craned her neck to peek around, witnessing everything and chuckling to herself. Zhang Xiue and her sister-in-law must have been scared to have such a fierce little auntie like Zhang Caiyun around; otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked specifically.
Another burst of firecracker sounds, and the banquet began. Lian Manman then escorted Zhang Caiyun to her seat, sitting together with Lady Wang. Zhang Qingnian sat at the n’s guest seating area in the front courtyard. There was wine at the n’s tables, but not at the won’s.
"Manman, co sit with us," invited Lady Wang and Zhang Caiyun for Lian Manman to join them at the table.
Lian Manman shook her head; the Lian Family had a rule that their own family mbers couldn’t participate in the al if they were hosting the event. Leaving her seat, Lian Manman turned and entered a room next door. Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu, Lian Zhizhi, Lian Duoduo, Lian Yaya were all sitting inside the room. There were plenty of hands bustling about, so Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang went off to help out, while the girls stayed inside the room.
"Where have you been?" Lady Zhou asked when she saw Lian Manman co in, "Has the al started outside? Is it full yet?"
"The al just started, it’s almost full," replied Lian Manman.
"Help out to take a look," said Lady Zhou as she got down from the kang (a traditional heated bed platform).
Lian Xiuxiu and the others also got down from the kang, helping Lady Zhou out of the room. The seats were nearly all taken, with just two empty tables on the side that had no dishes served yet because they were unoccupied.
"Two extra tables have been added," whispered Lady Zhou.
At that mont, Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law led two wives and five or six older children out of the bridal room and took a seat at one of the empty tables. She then called over the guest managers to quickly serve the dishes for that table.
At wedding banquets, guests from the bride’s side were called the "new relatives," and they were given special regard. Seeing that it was the bride’s sister-in-law, the guest managers agreed imdiately and got the dishes out swiftly.
Lady Zhou’s face dropped.
"A bunch of kids taking up a whole table, no sense of propriety!"
**...****
The grandmother is about to clash with her grandson’s mother-in-law’s sister! In large families, there is much entertainnt to be had.
Begging for pinks, begging for pinks, begging for 220 pinks to post the fourth update.
******...*******
Ruoyan’s completed novel recomndation for farming genre:
Title: "Rebirth: When Flowers Bloom and the Moon is Full" (Includes exclusive extra stories; completion of main text and extras) (Direct link below; clicking will take you there)
Introduction: Transmigrated as a woman wrongfully accused of losing her chastity, with a little bun in tow, a sweet life with an economical and practical man. (To be continued. If you like this work, welco to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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