Chapter 7 Section VII

Guangning City is only a dozen miles away from Yaowangmiao Town. As soon as He Ruohan's sedan chair left the city gate, the loud drum music faintly floated across the field in early spring and entered the streets and alleys of Yaowangmiao Town. As soon as Xiao Congfu heard the sound of drums in the direction of the city, he knew that Cheng Shaozhong and his party had gone back to the city to welcome the bride, so he quickly directed Cheng Shaobo to blow the suona and beat the gongs and drums, and at the same time let Fan Xiaojin's sedan chair get up.Therefore, the eight-carrying sedan chair followed Cheng Shaobo's tall horse all the way, along the four roads in the town, east, west, north, south - detours - so we had to go around all the front and back Yaowangmiao towns, one was to show off in the town, The second is that only in this way is the same distance as going from the city to Yaowangmiao Town, and the two sedan chairs can meet at the center of the town at the same time, and then be carried to the Cheng family's old house together.Of course, with such a walk around, the large and small pharmacies, banks, teahouses, restaurants along the street, as well as the residents and common people in the streets, alleys, and alleys, adults and children, will all be attracted to see the groom wearing red and colorful clothes, riding The tall horse led eight men who carried the sedan chair, one foot higher, one foot lower, one step left, one step right, twisting their buttocks, stretching their necks, bouncing the sedan chair, and swaggering through the market, also watching how a group of eight trumpeters playing suona The cheeks are rounded, the eyeballs are protruding, sometimes facing the sky, sometimes facing the ground, sometimes turning to the left, sometimes turning to the right, shaking the suona dripping with saliva, woo-woo-wa-wah, playing the tune step by step.Behind them, four men carried a red cowhide drum as big as the mouth of a well, walking sideways like a crab.A drummer man holding a thick mallet in both hands. His arms were bare and he was sweating profusely beating the drum. While beating the drum, he shook his head and closed his eyes tightly. He looked deeply intoxicated, which made people worry about him. If the neck is not done well, it will be broken by his head that is tilted forward and backward.Finally, when Cheng Shaozhong, who came from the county, and Cheng Shaobo brothers, who had been around the town for a week, met in the central square of the town, the drum music of both sides competed even harder.At that time, the four drumsticks of the big drums on both sides flew up and down, like a dragon flying out of the sea, turning over like a kite, boom boom boom boom boom boom boom, it shook people's hearts and made the ground tremble.2816 suonas, trumpet to trumpet, screaming, swallowing, squeak, blah, blah, blah, blah, the sound fills people's ears, also fills the streets and alleys, the entire Yaowangmiao Town .It made those naughty teenagers follow behind the sedan chair and shout: "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooish Fireworks and firecrackers, for a while, smoke billowed, sparks splashed, and there was a loud crackling sound.The crisp sound of a thousand small whips beeping, beeping, beeping, muffled, gurgling, gurgling, dingling, dingling, dinging, dinging, dinging, dinging, booming... The pungent smell of gunpowder and the noisy sound of drums overwhelmed the wedding ceremony. Pushed to the climax, suddenly stopped abruptly.Then the bridegroom got off the horse, opened the car curtain, and lifted the bride, who was covered with a head covering and embraced spokes, porcelain vases, bronze mirrors, etc., out of the car with both hands, and gently placed on the red carpet in front of the car.Then the bride, supported by the bridesmaids, pulled the concentric knot in the groom's hand and approached the house step by step. The red carpet under their feet changed section by section as they moved forward, until they were brought into the inner room. go.Along the way, two people from the man's family, holding whole grains in their hands, kept throwing grains at the bride to express their hope for a good harvest.When arriving at the door, the bride has to jump over the brazier and the saddle, in order to hope that the life after marriage will be prosperous and safe.

... Niu Yuchun watched helplessly as Fan Xiaojin, who was covered by a veil, was carried off the sedan chair by Cheng Shaobo, and was supported by the bridesmaids to do various "stories" step by step, and finally walked through the gate of Cheng's house. , Sitting alone on the well platform, took out his pipe and smoked.The moment he put away the cigarette purse, he caught a glimpse of a cow embroidered on it, and couldn't help but feel moved. This was Fan Xiaojin's token of love for him. On the cow's head, a hibiscus flower was specially added, which originally symbolized that the flower and the cow would be together forever. Yes, now, the flowers bloomed into Cheng's house, and he was the only cow left, and his eyes became a little moist.

Suddenly, Niu Yuchun heard footsteps approaching behind him, and when he looked back, he couldn't help being stunned. The visitor was wearing a felt hat and an open fur coat, with a sack full of things in his left hand and a horsewhip in his right hand, striding towards him. "Cousin?" Niu Yuchun recognized this as his cousin Han Yutang who was running the Dan Gang outside. "Chunzi! I feel bad for my friend to be married away?" Han Yutang was the only one who knew about Niu Yuchun and Fan Xiaojin's relationship, because Niu Yuchun begged him to bring Fan Xiaojin an oriental flower cloth in other places.Niu Yuchun didn't speak, just lowered his eyelids and looked at his toes.

"Cousin, let me help you out today!" Han Yutang said as he took out a box wrapped in red paper from the sack, and said to Niu Yuchun, "You send this box to the old Cheng's family, just say one Someone passing by on horseback asked you to give it to the old Cheng family, this is a congratulatory gift from Zhao Yizhuo, the master of Luyang Mountain." "What's on the head here?" Niu Yuchun asked suspiciously. "Don't ask, just do as I tell you." As he spoke, Han Yutang took out two more oceans from his pocket and patted them in Niu Yuchun's hands, staring into Niu Yuchun's eyes and saying, "Be sure to tell that this is Lu Yang." Sent by Shan Zhao Yizhuo!"