Chapter 459 Gong Wentao Gets Married, Another Year Passes
Sun Fangni truly detested everyone in the village. During her suffering, no one had intervened, and they had all just watched. Even the village head and the captain had sided with their own villagers, deeming her an outsider. They had offered no words of justice when she was beaten and tormented.
Therefore, Sun Fangni had gone to the village head that very night to request a marriage introduction letter. From that day on, she was part of the Bai Rong Brigade. What consequence could there be even if she offended them? She had a man to back her up!
"Oh, Fangni is so heartless. Look at how your former mother-in-law's family has been beaten!"
"Heh heh, is that so? Then I wish them an early death and rebirth."
Sun Fangni's smile was brilliant, filled with deep malice. Once they recovered from their injuries, she would beat them again, aiming to do so for two years straight.
Gong Wenyao listened with great pleasure. He liked people with spirit. In his eyes, overly cowardly women struggled to even live. His future wife was excellent; she wouldn't be bullied in the future.
Gong Wentao rode quickly. If they got their marriage certificate early that morning, it wouldn't interfere with the wedding banquet at home. Despite the tight schedule, the many helping hands made it possible.
Sun Fangni stood at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, feeling a flutter of nervousness. It was her first time here. She hadn't obtained a marriage certificate when she married before.
"What's wrong?"
"I heard that getting a marriage certificate requires a signature, but I can't write. Will you dislike me?"
Gong Wentao extended his hand, taking Sun Fangni's as he walked inside.
"If you can't write, press your thumbprint. I'll teach you to read and write later."
It wasn't that he disliked her for not knowing how to write, but Gong Wentao genuinely wanted Sun Fangni to learn some characters. After all, when they moved to Mingcheng, not knowing how to read might even prevent them from taking a bus. Furthermore, Gong Wentao had graduated from high school and had received further training in the army. He didn't want anyone to mock Sun Fangni for these reasons in the future.
"Yes, I'm willing to learn."
The two quickly obtained their marriage certificate. They bought some wine and candy from the supply and marketing cooperative and returned to the Bai Rong Brigade.
As soon as Sun Fangni entered the house, Wang Fengling pulled her into a room and handed her a brand-new set of clothes: a red coat and black pants.
"This was sent by the wife of Wentao's leader. Consider it a gift for your wedding. Hurry and change into it for good luck."
Ye Shenggo, upon learning of the marriage last night, had selected a new outfit from her space that she had bought previously. She figured Uncle Gong's wedding was rushed, and he might not have had time to buy new clothes.
"Leader's wife!"
"Oh, Wentao's job is special. Just pretend you don't know anything. I'll have Wentao explain it to you properly later."
"Alright, I've noted it."
Sun Fangni was very sensible. As a newcomer, she knew there were many things she didn't understand. There was no need to tell her everything. However, in Sun Fangni's heart, Gong Wentao was becoming more mysterious, yet also more reliable.
Acan and several others had arrived early at the old village head's house to help, slaughtering chickens and washing vegetables. A'long had even brought back a considerable amount of meat and game from the black market that morning.
"A total of five tables, eight dishes per table, four meat and four vegetarian."
"Make the portions generous so everyone can eat and drink well."
An Xia and Fan Wenli had also arrived early to help. Han Hao, far away in Chuncheng, had just arrived as well. It was his master's wedding, so he had to be there, even if he had to crawl. He would be the one cooking today!
Sun Fangni was experiencing the feeling of being a new bride for the first time. She realized that a new bride didn't have to do any work after entering the house. After changing into her new clothes, she sat in the room waiting. However, her mother-in-law had arranged for two village girls to keep her company.
Ye Shenggo and Zi Yisheng arrived just before the banquet began, leaving their child with Aunt Zhen and Grandma Bai.
After greeting everyone, Wang Fengling smilingly led Ye Shenggo into the bridal chamber. The first thing she saw was a woman who was thin but beautiful. Beauty was in the bone, not just the skin. Although Sun Fangni was very thin, almost gaunt, her facial features were still very attractive. With good care, she would undoubtedly be beautiful.
The two girls in the room became somewhat reserved when Ye Shenggo entered. Wang Fengling smilingly ushered them out.
"Come, let me introduce you. This is Ye Shenggo, Wentao's leader's wife, and she lives in our village."
"This is Sun Fangni, your Uncle Gong's new bride."
After greeting each other, they sat and chatted. Ye Shenggo wasn't naturally talkative, but with Wang Fengling initiating the conversation, she could respond.
Seeing that the two were no longer awkward, Wang Fengling quickly went out to greet guests. She was truly busy today. After Wang Fengling left, Ye Shenggo took out the wedding gift from her pocket.
"This is from my husband and me. We wish you a hundred years of happiness together."
Sun Fangni quickly waved her hands, feeling a little embarrassed as she touched the clothes she was wearing.
"You've already given me such expensive clothes. I really can't accept any more gifts."
Ye Shenggo placed the box in Sun Fangni's palm, smiling gently.
"The clothes were just in case you didn't have time to prepare new ones. This is the real gift. Besides, Uncle Gong and my husband have a very good relationship, so giving a gift is perfectly normal."
Seeing Ye Shenggo's firm attitude, and considering she was her husband's leader's wife, Sun Fangni couldn't refuse.
"Alright, I'll accept it. You've gone to too much trouble."
As she spoke, Sun Fangni opened the box. Her eyes widened, and she quickly closed it again.
"This is too precious. I, I..."
"Take it. You might not be able to wear it now, but you should hide it."
A pair of solid gold bracelets. Exchanged for cash at the bank, they were worth at least one to two thousand yuan. This was a very generous gift. Last night, Ye Shenggo had been agonizing over what gift to give. Her husband had said that Uncle Gong wasn't short of money, so a gift that women liked would suffice. Ye Shenggo recalled that women nowadays didn't appreciate jade or diamonds as much as gold; in their words, they weren't even worth a few pounds of grain. Therefore, Ye Shenggo had searched her own storage space and found a pair of substantial gold bracelets.
Sun Fangni held the box, feeling it was burning her hand, and kept thinking about where to hide it, fearing it would be seen.
Ye Shenggo left with a smile, relieved that she no longer had to make awkward small talk. The wedding ceremony soon officially began. After the bride and groom completed the simple formal procedures, the old village head delivered his congratulatory speech. He was experienced in this, as he had been invited to speak at many weddings before.
Sun Fangni maintained a smile throughout. She was genuinely happy. After all, who else in their second marriage could receive such treatment? She felt she had used up all her lifelong good fortune to meet Gong Wentao.
Ye Shenggo was nursing her child. After eating a few bites, she returned home early, fearing her little Youyou would cry from hunger. Upon returning home, she had another bowl of hot noodle soup made by Aunt Zhen. It was the height of winter, and the weather in the south was damp and cold. A bowl of hot noodle soup could make one sweat. After eating, Ye Shenggo took her son back to the room for an afternoon nap. She slept soundly until she was awakened by her husband, who reeked of alcohol.
Ye Shenggo put on her padded jacket and looked at her husband, who was lying on the bed, gasping for breath. She felt a headache coming on. Did she have to start waiting on him again?
"Someone else is getting married, and you're the one who got drunk?"
Zi Yisheng, regardless of whether he was熏ing his wife, buried his large face into her chest. Ye Shenggo was disgusted and forcefully pushed his face away.
"Except for the women, everyone got drunk today."
"My father and my elder brother also got drunk?"
"Yes, they were carried back."
Ye Shenggo held her forehead. She could already imagine her mother's furious expression as she served them tea and water.
"Hurry and take off your outer clothes. I'll make you a cup of honey water to help with the hangover. The whole room smells of alcohol; you'll get our son drunk too."
"Wife, don't go. I just want to hold you."
Zi Yisheng extended his arm and pulled his wife down onto the bed, completely cutting off Ye Shenggo's chance to speak, and began to kiss her. It was unclear if their son was truly drunk, but Ye Shenggo, who was waiting for her son to rescue her, was thoroughly "eaten and wiped clean" without her son waking up.
On Gong Wentao's side, the wedding night arrived before dark. After all, how could a man who had been holding back for so many years tolerate it after marrying a new bride?
Hearing the commotion, Wang Fengling smiled so wide her teeth showed. She stopped tidying the yard, dragged her husband to the Bai family for a chat, and planned not to return until midnight.
With only about ten days left until the Lunar New Year, the village finally welcomed its annual extended holiday. The downside of being in the south was that people only rested for a few days around the New Year; the rest of the time was spent working in the fields. With a new addition to the family this year, the arrival of Little Youyou made the families even more enthusiastic about preparing New Year's provisions. Even Min Hang shamelessly sent a lot of specialties from other regions, directly stating it was his contribution to the New Year's food expenses. Min Hang was also quite pitiful. He lived with Min De, two bachelors. The meals they usually cooked were tortures to the taste buds. Finally, with the New Year approaching, he could improve their diet, so he absolutely refused to stay with the two bachelors any longer.
New Year's Eve arrived. Ye Shenggo proactively hung a small pouch on her son's body, intending to earn a wave of red envelopes today. Little Youyou seemed to understand his mother's murmurs and happily cooed.
"Good son, don't rush. Mommy will take you to earn money. It's all for you to save up to get married."
Zi Yisheng said nothing, just smiled and packed things nearby. Now, whenever their son went out, even to the next door, he had to have a "mommy bag" as his wife called it.
Xiao Tiantian and Mo Lin had already come to call for them. Hearing his sister's words, they both looked down at their own pockets to see if they were full enough.
"Sister, I've also prepared a red envelope for Little Youyou. After all, I'm an uncle now."
Xiao Tiantian also blinked her sparkling eyes, her hand pressed to her pocket.
"Oh, then Mo Lin and Xiao Tiantian will have to spend a lot today."
Mo Lin patted his pocket generously.
"Sister, my little treasury has a lot of money. Even if I give it to Little Youyou until he's ten, it will be enough." He had received more living expenses from his sister in Qishi, and he saved every penny since he couldn't spend it all each month. When they went abroad, he was even given gold bars and diamonds for protection. Most of his expenses abroad were paid by Min Hang. Upon their return, he wanted to repay his sister, but she refused, telling him to save it as future capital for earning money. And after arriving at the Bai Rong Brigade and being officially adopted, Grandma Ye gave him fifteen yuan in pocket money each month, which he couldn't refuse. But Mo Lin had nowhere to spend money, so he just saved it all. Considering all this, Mo Lin indeed had a lot of money! So, he finally had a place to spend it, and it was on his dear nephew. He absolutely had to spend all his money on his nephew.
"Hahaha, okay, I'll save everything you give to Little Youyou."
Xiao Tiantian then walked up to her sister, looking at her with eager eyes, as if indicating that she was there too.
"Xiao Tiantian means there's you too, right? You also want to give your nephew a red envelope?"
Ye Shenggo truly tried to guide Xiao Tiantian to speak at all times, so most of Xiao Tiantian's conversations were in the form of questions, hoping to hear Xiao Tiantian's reply one day.
The five of them arrived at the Ye family's house, and the courtyard was already filled with people. Little Youyou, still asleep, was passed from one person to another and back again, yet he didn't wake up. In fact, every year during the New Year, men and women played separately. After eating the reunion dinner, the games would begin: mahjong, bridge, chess, and so on. No one was idle. This year, Chen Tangtang and Luo Xueli had also joined in, finally witnessing the extravagance of these people. Those with bad luck could lose several hundred yuan in a short time. Clearly, Chen Tangtang and Luo Xueli were among those with bad luck. Chen Tangtang was doing alright; since her marriage, the money she managed exceeded her imagination. In Ouyang's words, Young Master Zi was considerate of his subordinates, and each of them had assets worth over ten thousand. Therefore, Chen Tangtang, whose assets already exceeded ten thousand, could still bear the pain of losing money. Luo Xueli, however, who was not yet married into the Bai family, was so stimulated by the money being scattered that her face turned red. Although she hadn't lost her own savings, such stimulation was beyond her tolerance. Luo Xueli kept sending pleading glances to Bai Chufan, but unfortunately, Bai Chufan completely ignored her. In fact, Bai Chufan was doing this deliberately. If the situation improved in the future and the family returned to its former state, as the eldest granddaughter-in-law of the Bai family, how could she be unable to handle losing a few hundred yuan? Therefore, a bit of prior training was necessary. Only Grandma Bai, who had already hugged Little Youyou and slept on a temporarily prepared small bed, and even Xia Hong, who was holding Little Hèhè and watching people play cards. Little Youyou was indeed becoming more accustomed to this noisy life. Dozens of people arguing in the main hall didn't make him whimper once.
"It's twelve o'clock. Hurry and set off fireworks, and make some dumplings." Every household now set off some fireworks to welcome the new year with prosperity. Suddenly, the piercing sound of fireworks finally made Little Youyou and Little Hèhè cry.
"Perfect, the children are awake. I'm going to start giving out red envelopes!" Grandma Bai said with a smile while comforting Little Youyou. After Little Youyou stopped crying, he looked with his tear-filled eyes at the growing number of red envelopes in her arms. Ye Shenggo stood by, smiling and helping to stuff them, as there were too many people in the family. She could stuff red envelopes until her hands were numb. Little Hèhè also benefited, and everyone gave him a gift. Even Luo Xueli received several red envelopes from elders. Just by touching the thickness of the envelopes, she was astonished. She had never seen so much money in her life, as her mother had saved very little even after a lifetime.