Chapter 705 - 608: Wedding Banquet
Chapter 705: Chapter 608: Wedding Banquet
Gu Shaojun only had three days of leave. He had to be back at his post in the military by the third day of the New Year, which meant he was supposed to set off on the second.
Grandpa discussed it with him, asking if he could leave on the afternoon of the second day instead. In Grandpa’s mind, since he was driving his own car, he could control the speed. He could just drive a bit faster on the way. Car accidents were not common in the eighties, so people had a simpler way of thinking.
Gu Shaojun’s response was, naturally, "Yes."
And so, Grandpa happily decided they would hold a wedding banquet on the second day of the New Year—slaughtering a cow, a sheep, and a pig for the occasion!
Secretary Mo and the clan elders came over to help plan and arrange everything. On the morning of the first day of the New Year, they sent out the fastest-running young men to inform all their friends and relatives. The preparations began that afternoon. They only said it was a wedding banquet for Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man, without specifying whether it was for an engagement or a marriage. But in the countryside, a celebration of this scale could only mean one thing: a wedding. So, people prepared their gifts according to wedding customs.
This, as it turned out, matched Gu Shaojun’s joking words from New Year’s Eve.
Even though his troops were usually stationed in suburban and mountainous rural areas, making him familiar with various countryside customs, experiencing a village wedding banquet firsthand still left him stunned. The lively, joyous, and grand display completely overshadowed city celebrations several times over!
Fortunately, he and Xiao Man didn’t have to worry about a thing. All they had to do was be the bride and groom, and from time to time, Grandpa and Grandma would lead them out to greet the guests, toast them, and say a few words of thanks.
For the occasion, Xiao Man wore a bright red cashmere coat over a woolen winter skirt—fashionable and festive. Gu Shaojun hadn’t brought a suit with him and felt that casual wear wasn’t formal enough, so he simply put on his military uniform. His posture was ramrod straight, and he looked heroic and handsome—the very picture of a flawless groom. Paired with the delicate, beautiful, and radiant bride, they looked like a match made in heaven. The two of them were admiring themselves in the mirror and then each other, pleased as punch, before happily heading downstairs hand-in-hand. But then they saw Gu Shaozhen, standing there dressed to the nines in a sharp suit and a proper bow tie, his eyes sparkling as he grinned at Xiao Man. Gu Shaojun’s face instantly darkened. He strode over in a few steps, dragged his foolish brother directly into a room, and locked the door.
Later, Gu Shaoqin and Da Zhi got the key from Grandma and opened the door. The aggrieved Boss Gu complained, "What did I do to provoke him? Am I not allowed to attend the wedding feast?"
Da Zhi just chuckled. Gu Shaoqin sighed. "Third Brother, you’re a smart guy. Do I really need to spell it out for you? This is Big Brother and Sister-in-law’s wedding banquet. You already look a bit like him, and you’re dressed even more like a groom than he is. Did you really think he’d let you walk around and show off? What if a guest mistakes you for the groom?"
Gu Shaozhen scoffed, flicking a speck of non-existent dust from his lapel. "Should have said so earlier. We’re the same height. I could’ve let him wear the suit."
"A wedding is one of the most important events in a person’s life. Who would want to wear someone else’s clothes? Besides, is your build really better than Big Brother’s? You’re still so skinny right now, you look like a weakling. There’s no way Big Brother could fit into your clothes." Gu Shaoqin was speaking the honest truth.
Gu Shaozhen stared at his infuriating cousin, speechless. He grumbled internally, ’So what if I lost a couple of pounds? I can slowly gain it back.’
’It’s all because of this injury. I wonder if Big Brother told my new sister-in-law about it. What am I going to do if I really can’t have a son in the future? Ugh, now *this* is a major life event. It’s so frustrating!’
Around ten o’clock that night, the overnight guests had all dispersed to rest, and the house and courtyard grew quiet. Gu Shaojun was preparing to set off for his military base. He and Xiao Man were in their room, sharing a farewell kiss and embrace. He explained that once he was back at the base, he would probably have two days of meetings, after which he’d have to head to the border front. There would be no more leave, so Xiao Man should stay in Gongdao Village for a few more days to be with Grandpa and Grandma. He also reminded her to be careful on her way back to Beijing. Although Shaozhen and Shaoqin would be with her, Shaoqin was still young and might not be thoughtful enough about certain things. As for Shaozhen, he was acting a bit strange, probably because his injury hadn’t been fully diagnosed yet—a total buffoon. Xiao Man should keep an eye out on the road, though of course, she only needed to take care of herself.
Xiao Man nodded absently, nestling in his arms and hugging his waist tightly, unwilling to let go. She really wanted to ask him to take more leave and stay with her for a few more days, but she knew how strict military affairs and discipline were; she couldn’t be willful. Gu Shaojun stayed until midnight before leaving, having calculated his timing down to the last possible moment. This was only possible because he was a Cultivator. Once he was on the road and there was no one around, he could cast a Spell to ride the wind and travel at high speed, allowing him to reach his base by the specified time tomorrow. If he were an ordinary person, he never could have saved so much time and would have had to hit the road by noon.
Xiao Man had Gu Shaojun take out the Jade Bottle from his Storage Ring that held the Spiritual Spring, refilled it to the brim, and added some elixirs, Space Fruit, and other food ingredients.
It was almost time. People were waiting downstairs to see him off. The two of them walked down hand-in-hand, and in the main hall, everyone gathered around for another round of reminders and farewells.
Grandpa, Secretary Mo, Mo Jiabao, and Mo Chengfu walked Gu Shaojun to the door and watched him get into his car. Grandma and Yu Wumei had already packed the trunk full of raw and cooked meats and fresh vegetables. The back seat and every other empty space were stuffed with New Year cakes, zongzi, and sticky rice cakes, along with two large twenty-kilogram plastic jugs of homemade yellow millet wine and wild grape wine for Gu Shaojun to take back to the base for his comrades to try.
Yu Wumei said with a smile, "It’s not much, but it’s a taste of home. After all, you held your wedding feast in your old country home, so let your comrades share in the happiness!"
Gu Shaojun was touched. He thanked them for their hard work and waved goodbye to his relatives. He took one last look at Xiao Man, who was standing in the crowd next to Grandma, then started the car and drove onto the highway. The car’s headlights receded into the distance and soon disappeared. Xiao Man sighed softly and turned to go back inside with Grandma and the others.
The next day was the third of the New Year, and they still had to host guests for two more meals. There were designated people to set the tables and serve the food, so Xiao Man helped Xinghua with odd jobs in the kitchen. Gu Shaozhen, the man of leisure, wandered around, and sure enough, some guests actually mistook him for the groom. Unable to explain his way out of it, he had no choice but to go back to his room and sulk. ’Big Brother is married, Second Brother is married, so it should be my turn next, but... Ugh!’
「On the fifth day of the New Year」
Xiao Man finally took Gu Shaozhen’s pulse and told him, "According to our village customs, it’s bad luck to see a doctor from the first to the third day of the New Year. Otherwise, for the rest of the year... well, you know!"
Gu Shaozhen was speechless. ’You little superstitious thing,’ he thought. ’No wonder you kept me hanging for so many days. I was starting to think Big Brother forgot to tell you.’
The results of the pulse diagnosis were just as Xiao Man had expected: Gu Shaojun had given Gu Shaozhen a Repair Pill and the Spiritual Spring in time to treat him, so Gu Shaozhen’s internal injuries were no longer a major issue. However, he would need a new prescription and would have to continue treatment for another six months to a year. During this period, he was forbidden from being intimate with women. After he fully recovered, he would be just the same as he was before the injury.
When Gu Shaozhen heard this, he was overjoyed. "Really? I... I can get married and have a son?"
Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him. "You have to promise not to touch a woman for this entire year first. Otherwise, you could get married a hundred times and still not be able to father anything!"
"Hahaha! Little Manman, you’re hilarious. I don’t want to get married a hundred times; once is enough! And as for women, I just won’t touch them. I absolutely won’t touch anyone before I get married, so don’t you worry, Sister-in-law!"
"What’s it got to do with me? What do I have to be worried about?"
"How does it not have to do with you? If I can’t have a son, your son will have one less brother, won’t he?"
Xiao Man was speechless. He made a good point, and she found she couldn’t refute it.