After dinner, they took Sanmei Gugu and her daughter to see Xiang Xi’s new house. Xiang Xi’s new house was located to the right of Chen Lan’s house. It was a new two-story building built for the brothers Xiang Dong and Xiang Xi. To the left, a new two-story building was built for Er Hu and Xiao Shuan. The structure of the houses was the same as Chen Lan’s family’s, spacious, with front and back courtyards for each family.
Mother Liu and Uncle Fu, along with Mother Cui and Uncle De, along with the mother-in-law and old mother, stayed with Chen Lan. In the words of Mother Liu and Mother Cui: "I've never been separated from Miss, and I want to live with Miss. The stinky boys are all married now, so let them live their own lives!"
Xiang Xi accompanied Sanmei Gugu and her daughter to familiarize themselves with the new environment. After Mother Liu settled them in, she hurried over from next door. As soon as she entered, she asked, "Xiao Lan, that stinky boy Xiang Xi said they already had a wedding over there. Is that true?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied, "Mother Liu, what Xiao Xigua said is correct. It's true, but because our groom's family relatives are far away, we didn't have a banquet and entertain guests there. So I promised Sanmei Gugu that after we returned, we would hold another wedding and a banquet for the people in the valley. It will be considered the official wedding banquet for Xiao Xigua and Yuliya."
At this point, the mother-in-law chimed in, "That's right. Marriage without a banquet doesn't count. A banquet must be held."
Mother Liu looked at the old mother and the mother-in-law and asked, "In-law, Miss, please give me your advice. Should we have a modern wedding or an old-fashioned wedding?"
The mother-in-law and the old mother couldn't decide for a moment, so they both looked at Chen Lan. Chen Lan didn't understand this either, only knowing that weddings in this era were very simple, with just a ceremony considered a marriage, and it seemed there was no such thing as inviting guests for a meal.
So she asked, "Mother, Mother-in-law, weren't old-fashioned weddings more lively and festive?"
The mother-in-law said, "Of course. In the past, when getting married, the groom would invite guests to a banquet, and there were many elaborate details! Let's not talk about other rules for now, just making the banquet itself had many considerations, such as who would stir-fry, who would chop vegetables, who would cook rice, who would light the fire, who would serve dishes, and who would wash bowls – all had specific rules."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan immediately decided, "Lively is good. We've had a drought for a whole year, and everyone has been feeling stifled for a year. Moreover, it's Mingxuan Ge's first time returning home for the New Year in over ten years. We not only need to make Xiao Xigua's wedding more lively and festive, but we also need to make this year's Grand New Year and Minor New Year lively and prosperous, so that Mingxuan Ge remembers that his whole family is looking forward to his return for reunion!"
The old mother also chimed in, "Yes, what Lan'er said is correct. First, Mingxuan hasn't been home for so many years, so we need to liven things up. Second, her Sanmei Gugu traveled all the way from that Podolsk town to marry her daughter into our remote mountain village, so we definitely cannot neglect them. Since they have already held a banquet over there and are considered married. In-law, Hong Xiu, how about this: since it's no longer fashionable to ride in a sedan chair, let's have a more elaborate wedding banquet and prepare a more thoughtful bridal chamber, so that the people in our valley can also share in the joy. What do you think?"
The mother-in-law immediately clapped her hands and said, "In-law, you make sense. So it's settled. Anyway, after the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, all are good days for marriage. Then let's set the wedding date for the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month, after the Minor New Year. What do you think? If there are no problems, we'll act immediately. First, according to the old customs of the Imperial Capital, we need to find a person of good fortune to help sew a few quilts and make the bridal bed. We must do it with dignity and face."
The old mother said at this time, "In-law, Hong Xiu, the date is a good date, but sewing quilts and making the bed might be a bit troublesome. In this era, it's really difficult to find someone in our valley whose parents are both alive, who is healthy, whose husband is alive, whose family is harmonious, and who has both sons and daughters. The key is that both parents are alive, which is already difficult."
Mother Liu thought for a moment and said, "Miss, In-law, how about we find someone whose parents are alive, who are deeply in love, have both sons and daughters, and whose siblings are harmonious?"
The old mother and the mother-in-law could only nod. The mother-in-law said helplessly, "That's the only way. In this era, such a family is considered a blessed one."
Chen Lan knew about the sewing of the wedding quilts. There were many specific requirements. It was necessary to prepare quilt covers of red and green colors because since ancient times there was the saying of red men and green women. The Imperial Capital's custom was to have a white quilt lining, symbolizing growing old together. White symbolizes white hair, and growing old together is reflected in the corner of the quilt, which must be cut diagonally. Harmonious coexistence is embodied in the word "harmony." The most crucial thing is the thread used for sewing the quilts, which has special significance. It must be a single thread sewn to the end, without knots or breaks in the middle, so that the newlyweds' life will be smooth and free of bumps, and everything will go well. Su Dan Novel Network
Since the matter was settled, everyone split up to take action. Chen Lan, being pregnant, could not participate in their preparations. Therefore, she was responsible for buying wedding items and banquet ingredients for them from the system. Among them were silk quilt covers of six different colors, each embroidered with different auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns in gold thread. The patterns were very festive, along with six white quilt linings and six cotton duvet covers.
The mother-in-law belatedly learned of Chen Lan's pregnancy and blamed her son Xu Mingxuan for not informing her, the grandmother, immediately.
Xu Mingxuan smiled and hugged his mother's shoulder, comforting her, "Mother, it was my fault for not telling you immediately that you were going to be a grandmother. Besides, didn't we agree not to say anything until three months? The key is that neither Lan'er nor I knew if the baby had reached three months. I was planning to tell you in a couple of days. Besides, you already have a bunch of grandchildren, so you shouldn't be that eager for more grandchildren, right?"
The mother-in-law immediately glared and whispered, "Who says I'm not eager? No matter how many grandchildren I have, I'll still be eager. It's just that Xiao Lan hasn't been pregnant for almost ten years! I thought her body was injured when she had the twins and could no longer give birth, so I didn't dare to ask more, for fear of upsetting her."
Later, she heard from the old mother that Mother Liu herself had chosen the person of good fortune, Zhang Dani, the wife of Li Daqiang. Chen Lan also felt that Zhang Dani was very suitable. Her parents were healthy, she had both sons and daughters, her husband and wife were loving and harmonious, and most importantly, she was very amiable in her interactions and had a very cheerful personality. She also got along very well with her husband's younger brothers and sisters.