Chapter 56 “Let’s get the bride—”

Chapter 56 "Let's get the bride—"

"Let's get the bride—"

Zheng Jiamin charged ahead, with Wang Qiutong right behind him, followed by the educated youths, including Liu Zhenghao, Lu Yuanzhi, and Gou Dandan. Fu Mingze was squeezed in the middle, his eyes showing a touch of helplessness.

Since the villagers usually didn't invite the educated youths to weddings, they were especially thrilled about this rare chance, even more so than Fu Mingze. Fu Mingze thought that if Zhao Zhengyang and his brother hadn't held him back, he might have barged into the bridal chamber and made off with the bride.

With this group causing a commotion at the front, Fu Mingze, the groom, found it much easier. Aunt Chen and others let him through, easily slipping past the defenses and into the bridal chamber.

In the bridal chamber, only Zhao Tingting, who hadn't met Fu Mingze before, remained. The young girl turned red the moment she saw Fu Mingze: "Brother-in-law is so handsome!"

Well, she immediately switched sides, eagerly finding the bride's shoes and handing them to Fu Mingze.

By the time the others outside caught on and rushed in, the groom was already crouched by the bed, calmly slipping the shoes onto the bride.

"Mission complete, let's get the bride out of here!"

Zheng Jiamin shouted at the door of the bridal chamber, making everyone jump. Fu Mingze grabbed Shen Moer's hand and took off, with Shen Moer keeping pace. Under Zheng Jiamin's lead, the educated youths formed a defensive posture. What should have been a wedding procession turned into a scene of covering a comrade's escape.

Only after the group dashed out of the courtyard, jumped onto a few bikes, and cheerfully pedaled toward the commune did Zhao Zhengyang and the others suddenly realize: "We're supposed to be the ones escorting the bride, so why aren't they with us?!"

Shen YinYin laughed so hard she almost doubled over. She pushed her son: "What are you waiting for? Go catch up!"

The three Zhao siblings and a few other young people who had agreed to escort the bride quickly gave chase.

Pedaling hard, Fu Mingze felt like he hadn't put in much effort before they reached the commune. Glancing around, he didn't spot anyone else. Looking back, he saw the others still far off, just small dots in the distance.

"They're so slow."

Shen Moer hopped off the bike and, smiling, handed Fu Mingze a clean handkerchief: "Wipe your sweat."

It was almost November, and the weather was already a bit chilly, yet this man was sweating profusely.

Fu Mingze took the handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then stuffed it into his pocket. The handkerchief still had a pleasant scent, though it was a bit damp from the sweat. He'd wash it later and return it to his wife.

Not long after, Zheng Jiamin and the others caught up, panting heavily. Zheng Jiamin gave Fu Mingze a thumbs-up: "You're really something, groom. Such strength."

The group cheered and laughed as they poured into the state-run restaurant. The restaurant had been notified in advance, and even the money and tickets had been paid earlier, part of Fu Mingze's previous debts.

Once everyone was seated, Shen Moer looked around and felt something was off: "Where are my cousins?"

Zheng Jiamin slapped his forehead: "Oh no, we forgot the escorts!"

Shen Moer: "..."

Fu Mingze stood up: "I'll wait for them at the door." Those were his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, after all.

Fortunately, Yangliu Brigade wasn't far from the commune, and Zhao Zhengyang and the others were all young. It didn't take long for them to arrive.

Once everyone was present, Zheng Jiamin ceremoniously took out a copy of the Little Red Book and had the bride and groom recite a passage from the highest directive, performing a simple ceremony. Then, putting the book away, they moved on to the much-anticipated "eat and drink well" part of the event.

The banquet also included some locally produced rice wine. Each person was given a small cup, ensuring everyone got a taste of the celebration. After a cup of wine, everyone naturally started spouting auspicious phrases, quoting classics, and even reciting more passages from the Little Red Book. Liu Zhenghao, in particular, recited so quickly that guests at other tables couldn't help but applaud.

Later, somehow, they started singing revolutionary songs again. Wang Qiutong and Zheng Jiamin almost got into a fight over it—one insisted on singing even though she sounded terrible, while the other was so annoyed that he refused to let her sing. In the end, Cheng Tao's wife, Xing Fangjie, volunteered to sing a song called "Longing for My Hometown." Her voice was clear and melodious, and she sang beautifully.

When the lyrics reached, "When will I return to the home of my dreams?" the group of educated youths suddenly fell silent.

Xing Fangjie also stopped and apologized to Shen Moer, "Comrade Moer, I apologize. Today is supposed to be a joyful occasion. Let me sing a more cheerful song."

Thud!

Suddenly, Zhang Zhiqiang slammed the table hard and shouted, "Why should we be happy? Today is a day of pain and sorrow! Why should I be happy? I don’t want to be happy! I want to tell the whole world about my pain and sorrow!"

Zheng Jiamin and Lu Yuanzhi, sitting on either side of him, were startled. Zheng Jiamin stood up immediately, "What the hell, Zhang Zhiqiang, can you even talk sense? Are you here to cause trouble on purpose today?!"

Zhang Zhiqiang ignored him completely, continuing to slam the table and yell, "This world is too cruel! It’s too cruel to us young people with ideals and convictions! Women don’t care about character when choosing a partner—they care about jobs, status, and even worse, they care about looks!"

Lu Yuanzhi also stood up, but as he did, his foot bumped into something. He bent down to pick it up and saw it was an empty liquor bottle. He bent down again for a closer look and realized there was another empty bottle by Zhang Zhiqiang’s feet.

"Were these two bottles already empty earlier?"

Fu Mingze glanced at Zhang Zhiqiang, who was still shouting, and said helplessly, "They each had a little left just now."

Lu Yuanzhi: "!!!"

Case closed—Zhang Zhiqiang was clearly drunk!

He had drunk almost an entire bottle by himself!

Although it was rice wine brewed by the local commune members, it had a high alcohol content—rumored to be at least 30 to 40 degrees. Drinking that much in one go without passing out immediately, but instead causing a scene... Zhang Zhiqiang’s alcohol tolerance was something else!

But no matter what, this was a wedding celebration. Slamming the table and making a scene was bad enough, but then he went on about how today was a painful and sorrowful day, and even mocked the groom for marrying his wife based on his looks. That was just too much!

"He’s drunk. He downed almost a whole bottle. He’s just making a scene!" Lu Yuanzhi quickly explained.

In truth, most people had already figured it out. Although Zhang Zhiqiang usually liked to make sarcastic remarks, he had never been this wild before. Now that Lu Yuanzhi held up the two empty bottles, everyone felt a sense of "Ah, that explains it."

Zhang Zhiqiang began to wail, "Why is true love always trampled? Why is sincerity always betrayed? Why?!"

The educated youths exchanged worried glances. Gou Dandan couldn’t help but ask, "What’s up with the team leader?"

Shen Moer and Wang Qiutong, who had both witnessed the truth while squatting in a corner, exchanged a knowing look.

Their table was lively, with eating and chatting going on for a long time. Other tables, especially those eating noodles or dumplings, finished quickly. Many people were about to leave when they saw Zhang Zhiqiang making a scene, so they grabbed their chopsticks and sat back down.

Even if their bowls were empty, as long as they held onto their chopsticks, they could pretend they weren’t finished eating.

Drunken outbursts were common, but this kind of drunken display was rare—a grown man crying his eyes out, shouting about how true love was always trampled and sincerity always betrayed. There must be a story behind this!

Curious eyes turned to Zhang Zhiqiang.

Zhang Zhiqiang’s bloodshot eyes glared at Gou Dandan as he shouted hoarsely, "You ask what’s wrong with me? The girl I like today is—"

Before he could finish, Fu Mingze, who had somehow appeared behind him, clamped a hand over his mouth and motioned to Zheng Jiamin, "Give me a handkerchief."

Then he glanced at Lu Yuanzhi, "Get a rope from the waiter."

Zheng Jiamin quickly pulled out a handkerchief, and Lu Yuanzhi borrowed a rope from the waiter. Zhang Zhiqiang struggled fiercely, but Zhao Zhengyang and Zhao Zhenghui, who were old hands at this, stepped in. They were skilled at tying up wild boars, so handling Zhang Zhiqiang was no challenge.

In under three minutes, Zhang Zhiqiang was securely tied up, with Zheng Jiamin’s handkerchief shoved in his mouth. He glared at Fu Mingze, who coldly said, "Cousin, I’ll leave this guy to you."

By then, everyone had more or less finished eating. There were just a few dishes left, so Gou Dandan and another female educated youth named Ge Ya packed them into lunchboxes to take away.

A group of people got ready to leave, while the onlookers at other tables were still eager for more. Someone couldn't resist asking, "You guys leaving already?"

Zheng Jiamin laughed, "What else? You planning to treat us to another meal, old man?"

The man replied awkwardly, "Oh, I ain't got that kind of money."

He glanced at Zhang Zhiqiang, "Isn't it a bit much to tie him up like that?"

He really wished the handkerchief would fall out of the young man's mouth. It was clear that he was about to get to the crucial point earlier—what was it about the girl he liked taking a few days off... off what, no one knew.

It was really frustrating.

The onlookers were just as frustrated. They were just getting to the climax of the drama when it was cut off. How could they not feel frustrated?

But no one paid them any mind. The wedding procession was already chatting and laughing as they headed out.

Even though there was a little hiccup with Zhang Zhiqiang, it didn't make much of a difference. After all, today was a happy occasion. They'd just had a great meal with fish, meat, and wine, a full eight dishes. The feast was quite lavish, prepared by the head chef of the state-run restaurant, who was said to be tough to get. Everyone ate happily, patting their rarely full bellies, and soon the atmosphere turned lively again.

Some folks whispered among themselves. For example, Gou Dandan and Ge Ya were guessing what Zhang Zhiqiang had meant.

"Could it be that the group leader meant that the girl he likes got married today?" Ge Ya guessed.

"Wait, could it be that the group leader also likes Shen Moer?!" Gou Dandan exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

"No way, so he kept messing with Fu Zhiqing because of Shen Moer?!" Ge Ya also covered her mouth.

"Come on, use your heads, will you?" Wang Qiutong suddenly popped up from behind Gou Dandan and Ge Ya. "You got half of it right. That idiot Zhang Zhiqiang probably wanted to say that the girl he likes got married today, but it's not the same Shen Moer. More than one person got married today."

She raised an eyebrow at Gou Dandan and Ge Ya, thinking to herself that the educated youths were really bad at reading the room. Such an obvious thing, and they still managed to get it completely wrong.

Gou Dandan and Ge Ya instantly understood.

Comrade Shen Lingling also got married today.

Oh right, Zhang Zhiqiang had always admired Shen Lingling, constantly finding ways to praise her. Of course, other male educated youths had also praised her, like Liu Zhenghao and Lu Yuanzhi, who were once fans of Shen Lingling, but none as much as Zhang Zhiqiang.

They had been blind to the obvious. Sitting in the state-run restaurant, their first thought was Shen Moer, forgetting about Shen Lingling.

In that case, it was fortunate that Fu Mingze had covered Zhang Zhiqiang's mouth earlier. Otherwise, if he had started shouting in the state-run restaurant, it would have been easy for people to misunderstand, thinking that the girl he liked was Shen Moer. If word got out that someone got drunk at the wedding and declared his love for the bride, it would not only damage Shen Moer's reputation but also be quite unsettling.

Gou Dandan and Ge Ya exchanged glances. To be honest, Fu Zhiqing was really impressive. His quick reaction—they only just figured it out now, but he had already taken action at the time.

No one had ever thought he was impressive before.

Fu Mingze had always been aloof, rarely interacting with anyone except Zheng Jiamin. He hardly mingled with other educated youths or the commune members, and he was particularly poor. So, despite his strikingly handsome looks, he didn't leave much of an impression.

But after the incident with Shi Wei and his marriage to Shen Moer, the educated youths suddenly realized that Fu Mingze was actually quite capable.

Shi Wei and Yang Qingqing had clearly set a trap for him, but not only did he avoid falling into it, he also managed to get Shi Wei and Yang Qingqing sent to the revolutionary committee. Then, quietly, he found himself a well-matched wife in Shen Moer.

It was truly a case of "silent but deadly."

With Gou Dandan and Ge Ya as the "insiders," the other educated youths quickly understood Zhang Zhiqiang's "true intentions." Especially when someone accidentally blurted out, "So it's Shen Lingling," and Zhang Zhiqiang overheard, his struggles became even more intense, further confirming the point.

Even Zhao Zhengyang and a few others overheard and looked at Zhang Zhiqiang with sympathy and doubt. Others might not know, but they, who had grown up together as cousins, knew all too well. Shen Lingling was just like her mother—all talk and no substance.

What kind of taste does this guy have? It's not surprising that he likes Moer, but he actually likes Shen Lingling?

A group of people, having filled their stomachs with food and then with melon, ambled back to Yangliu Brigade.

They actually had enough bicycles. For the wedding of their precious daughter, although they couldn’t arrange a ten-mile red dowry procession, Shen Shaoyuan managed to borrow several bicycles for the wedding party. After all, he was now working in the propaganda department, a place where connections mattered most, and Shen Shaoyuan, with his amiable personality, had quite good relations in the commune.

However, the journey back from the commune was to escort the bride to the wedding chamber, and since it was still early in the day, everyone deliberately walked slowly, pushing their bicycles to help settle their full stomachs.

It must be said, such a large group of bicycles, especially with everyone pushing their bikes instead of riding, was quite eye-catching.

Farmworkers in the fields couldn’t help but glance up as they passed.

Because they were walking slowly, they coincidentally met Zhang Junliang’s group, who were coming out of the village with the bride, right at the village entrance.

A face-off on a narrow path.

Actually, the path wasn’t that narrow, but with both sides crowded with people and bicycles, it seemed quite cramped.

Especially since the Zhang family was particularly inconsiderate, not keeping to one side but spreading out to block the whole road.

Originally, everyone could just stick to the right side of the road, like Shen Moer’s group, who only occupied one-third of the road. Or, since they had met, they could just slightly give way to each other. But the Zhang family didn’t; they didn’t yield even when they saw others.

Zheng Jiamin was the first to lose his temper. Having grown up in the alleys of Shanghai, which were much narrower than this village road, he was familiar with such situations. Even though the government discouraged feudal superstitions, people still privately chose auspicious dates for weddings and funerals, and good days often coincided. In the narrow alleys, when weddings and funerals happened on the same day, it was manageable if both sides were reasonable, but if not, arguments were inevitable.

This scene was all too familiar to Zheng Jiamin; he’d been through something similar when his uncle died. So, before anyone else could react, Zheng Jiamin pushed his bicycle to the middle of the road.

The Zhao siblings were the next to react. Hailing from the mountains, where traditions ran deep, they couldn’t let anyone upstage them on such a big day, lest their luck be suppressed.

Although the other party was also a cousin, some cousins are closer than others, and it was clear that they were the ones being unreasonable first.

The rest of the wedding party quickly joined in, and the educated youths, looking at each other, also silently moved towards the middle of the road.

"Who do you think you are? Can’t you see we’re in a wedding procession? Can’t you just move aside?" The leader of the Zhang family group, a young man with a face full of acne, squinted at the people in front of him, his face twisted in disdain.

He was Zhang Junliang’s cousin, named Ma Yingcai. His aunt had told him about another wedding in the village that day, involving a troublemaker of a girl marrying some poor educated youth. His aunt had spoken disparagingly of them, and already looking down on rural girls, he felt even more disdainful after hearing this.

Zheng Jiamin chuckled and retorted, "Who do you think you are? Can’t you see we’re in a wedding procession? Can’t you just move aside?"

Throwing the same words right back at him.

Ma Yingcai was instantly furious: "Are you fucking looking for trouble?"

With that, he kicked his bike’s stand and lunged at Zheng Jiamin.

Zhao Zhengyang stepped up, firing the same words back: "Are you fucking looking for trouble?"

Ma Yingcai wasn’t short, but he was slender, like a bean sprout. Zhao Zhengyang was half a head taller and much more robust. Before Ma Yingcai could get close, he stopped in his tracks; if he took another step, he’d get pummeled.

However, others from the wedding party, seeing the situation, also gathered around.

In terms of numbers, both sides were about equal, but the other side had fewer women, mostly men, with only four women in the wedding party. If a fight broke out, it was clear that their side would be at a slight disadvantage.

But Zheng Jiamin wasn’t scared at all, hiding behind Zhao Zhengyang and letting loose with a barrage of insults: "Are you really here for a wedding, or are you here to kidnap the bride? Look at you all, fierce and menacing, anyone would mistake you for a bunch of bandits! This is Yangliu Brigade, and you’re standing on Yangliu Brigade’s land, bossing us around to clear the road for you, without even considering your own worth. What, did you borrow the face of the entire commune? Think you’re strong in numbers? Sorry, but the newlyweds’ home is just a few steps away. If we shout, you’ll be surrounded in no time!"

The Zhang family was furious, and a few impulsive ones were already clenching their fists, ready to fight. It was then that Zhang Junliang hurriedly squeezed out from the crowd.

"What’s going on? We’re all relatives, can’t we talk things over? Educated Youth Zheng, this is Yangliu Brigade, but I’m also marrying a girl from Yangliu Brigade. What you’re saying makes no sense."

He spoke in a reasonable and righteous tone: "Blocking the road like this, no one can pass, isn’t that just wasting time? The road is wide enough, why can’t we just each take a side? You can’t be so domineering."

Zheng Jiamin: "..."

Others: "..."

This is truly talking nonsense with eyes wide open, turning the tables right in front of everyone!

Shen Lingling also emerged from the crowd, walked to Zhang Junliang's side, gave him a gentle look, and said to Zheng Jiamin in a somewhat disapproving tone, "Comrade Zheng Zhiqing, as an educated youth, how can you be so unreasonable?"

Zheng Jiamin: "..."

He used to think Comrade Shen Lingling was beautiful, gentle, and generous, but damn, this is her idea of gentleness?

Zheng Jiamin was left speechless by the couple for quite a while.

There was no way; these two completely disregarded the facts. How could he reason with them?

He instinctively turned to look at Fu Mingze, and then he saw a scene that shocked him.

With a glance, Zheng Jiamin turned back to the hypocritical Zhang Junliang and Shen Lingling in front of him, and couldn't help but give them a sympathetic look.

Why did you two have to mess with those two?

Zhang Junliang was still talking eloquently: "Forget it, as a worker and a people's teacher, Lingling and I have some sense of propriety; we can give way to you a bit..."

As he was speaking, a figure shot out like a rocket from behind, rushing straight to Zhang Junliang, and with a series of slaps, gave him several hard slaps.

"Hypocrite, you hypocrite! Why do you appear in my dreams? Look at your face, so annoying even in dreams! I'll beat you to death! It's you, it's all you! You destroyed my pure and beautiful love!"

Zhang Zhiqiang's eyes were bloodshot, his mind was unclear, and he was slapping Zhang Junliang fiercely.

"Zhang Zhiqiang, what are you doing? Are you crazy? Let go of my man!" Shen Lingling screamed.

Zhang Zhiqiang stiffly turned his head to look at Shen Lingling, his expression instantly changing from anger to sadness: "Comrade Lingling, I dreamed of you again. Are you getting married? Promise me you won't get married, okay?"

The people from the Zhang family who were there to receive the bride had already rushed over to restrain Zhang Zhiqiang and beat him up, but upon hearing Zhang Zhiqiang's words, they all widened their eyes in disbelief.

What the hell? Is this guy here to steal the bride?!

Shen Lingling was almost going crazy: "Zhang Zhiqiang, what nonsense are you spouting? You, you, you're slandering and defaming me!"

Zhang Zhiqiang held his head and roared: "Ahhh, why, why are you so heartless even in my dreams? I met you first, why are you marrying this hypocrite, why?! No, it can't be like this! They must have forced you! Your family forced you to marry this person, this person forced you to marry him, right? I'll kill him! I'll kill him—"

Zhang Zhiqiang firmly believed this was a dream, completely disregarding everything, and picked up a stone from the ground, about to smash Zhang Junliang.

Zhang Junliang, having been slapped several times, initially thought of hitting back, but the more he looked, the more he felt this person seemed crazy. The information revealed by his words was too shocking, so he subconsciously stepped back a bit, his face dark as he scrutinized Zhang Zhiqiang and Shen Lingling.

Never expected that Zhang Zhiqiang still wanted to smash him to death, Zhang Junliang was startled and ran away.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiqiang immediately gave chase, muttering as he ran, "I'll smash you to death! I'll smash you to death!"

Well, wherever he went, the Zhang family's bridal reception team was in complete chaos.

Probably because he knew them, Zhang Zhiqiang didn't attack the educated youths and the people from Yangliu Brigade. But everyone was afraid of being accidentally injured, so they all moved aside to avoid him, quickly clearing the road.

Seeing this, the people from the Zhang family quickly hopped on their bicycles and rode away as fast as they could.

At some point, Zhang Junliang also pushed his own bicycle, his face cold as he rode away. Shen Lingling, still being chased by Zhang Zhiqiang, saw Zhang Junliang riding away and quickly chased after him: "Junliang, Junliang—"

Zhang Junliang had no intention of slowing down. Shen Lingling knew that after such a disgraceful scene today, coupled with Zhang Zhiqiang's words, Zhang Junliang must be angry. If she let him ride away now, her marriage might very well fall through.

Gritting her teeth, she mustered all her strength and finally grabbed the back seat of the bicycle. Taking advantage of the bike's slight pause, she quickly jumped on, her voice quivering with hurt, "Junliang, that man is crazy! How can you believe the words of a madman?"

Zhang Junliang paused for a moment but didn't push her off.

The entire wedding procession somehow made its way to the commune. At the front were the fastest-riding young men, almost out of sight, followed by groups of people according to their stamina, a chaotic, formless mess, as everyone was racing for their lives. Bringing up the rear were the newlyweds.

No one dared to look back, pedaling furiously ahead. In fact, if they had glanced back, they would have seen that Shen Moer had already restrained Zhang Zhiqiang. It was necessary; without an "enemy," he had started targeting others, with Fu Mingze being the first.

This man's drunken rampage was truly terrifying.

Of course, it was mostly just intimidating. In reality, he was unsteady and weak. Not only could he not catch up to anyone, but even if he did, he couldn't harm anyone. His strength had probably been exhausted with those initial slaps he gave Zhang Junliang. Otherwise, Shen Moer would have stopped him when he picked up the stone to throw.

The Zhang family members were simply terrified. If anyone had been a bit braver, even if one person couldn't control him, two definitely could have restrained Zhang Zhiqiang.

Zheng Jiamin couldn't help laughing, "Oh my, our team leader has finally let off some steam!"

It's uncertain if he'll want to move after waking up and realizing his "heroic deeds."

"Alright, let's head back."

Fu Mingze mounted his bicycle, tilting his head slightly, "Wife, let's go home."

Shen Moer jumped onto the bicycle, smiling, "Alright, let's go home."

"Yo, off to the honeymoon suite—"

Zheng Jiamin shouted with a laugh, and the others immediately joined in, chanting, "Off to the honeymoon suite!"