Chapter 336: The Eldest Daughter's Marriage

Chapter 336: The Eldest Daughter's Marriage

In the Ye Deng residential complex.

When Deng Shirong opened the door and the relatives saw the inside of the house, they were all stunned.

This 640 square meter luxury apartment, even if people from the future saw it, they would be amazed for a long time. In the 1980s, it was truly a marvel.

At that moment, Zhang Mother's heart was truly in turmoil. She had heard from her daughter earlier in the year that her father-in-law not only gave the Suifeng Restaurant as part of the dowry, but also included the house in the Ye Deng residential complex.

At the time, Zhang Mother's attention was focused on the Suifeng Restaurant, after all, it was a restaurant that could earn tens of thousands of yuan a year, a genuine golden goose. Compared to the restaurant, the house seemed insignificant.

But she never expected the house to be so large and the decoration to be so luxurious. To give such a house as a dowry, her in-laws were really generous, and they truly treated her eldest daughter well.

However, since her daughter had already prepared her for this, Zhang Mother didn't have any other thoughts.

Her in-laws were indeed very good to her daughter. Although her daughter didn't tell her everything about the Yongjia Supermarket's income, she did reveal some figures, and those figures alone were enough to erase any doubts Zhang Mother had.

After Zhang Father recovered from his shock, he asked, "In-laws, are all the houses in your complex this large?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "No, the houses in our complex are all 160 square meters. This one is actually the combined area of four houses, which I had the architect design specifically for me."

Zhang Father suddenly understood, "No wonder this house is so large, it's the combination of four houses!"

At this point, the relatives had recovered from their shock and, led by Deng Shirong, toured the layout of each room. When they returned to the living room and sat on the soft leather sofas, they were all still unable to calm down.

The luxury of this house truly exceeded their imagination.

Not only were the appliances and furniture complete, but they were all high-end. For example, the sofa they were sitting on, they didn't know how much it cost, but it was so comfortable and looked so luxurious, it must have been very expensive.

The bed they saw in the room was also a revelation. They had lived for decades, sleeping on ordinary bed frames, and had never seen a Sealy mattress before.

The cabinets were also large and beautiful.

In short, this house was absolutely more luxurious than anything they could have dreamed of.

As everyone sat in the living room chatting, Zhang Da's wife leaned over to her sister-in-law and whispered, "Ping, is your house also like this?"

Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "The layout is the same, but our house hasn't been decorated yet, and the style will be different. When we finish decorating and are ready to move in, we'll invite you and the others over to see it."

Zhang Da's wife nodded and sighed, "Our family's new house, with its own bathroom, was already much better than the other houses in the village, and we were quite satisfied. But now, seeing this house, it suddenly feels like we're living in a doghouse. The difference is too great!"

At this point, Zhang Er's wife also joined in, agreeing, "Yes, the difference is really too great. I never thought a house could be so beautiful. Today, we've really broadened our horizons."

"Actually, before the house was decorated, I didn't think it would be this beautiful either."

Zhang Xiuping smiled slightly and said, "Da's wife and Er's wife, you don't need to envy. Now that Dad's wooden clothes hanger factory is doing well, if we earn more money, we can buy a plot of land in Longtan Street and build a new house. Then we can decorate it like this one, and you'll be able to live in a similarly beautiful house."

Zhang Da's wife felt a surge of excitement, exchanged a look with Zhang Er's wife, and said, "Ping, you're right. But you know Dad's personality. He won't consider buying land in Longtan Street unless you suggest it."

Zhang Xiuping understood that her father was indeed quite conservative in this regard, unlike her father-in-law, who had a grand vision. She agreed, "Alright, I'll talk to Dad and have him buy a plot of land in Longtan Street soon. When the house is built, we can make the first floor a shop and use the other floors for living. It will be perfect."

Zhang Da's wife and Zhang Er's wife both felt a sense of longing.

While Zhang Xiuping and the two sisters-in-law were chatting, the family and relatives were also talking with Deng Yunzhen, who was about to get married.

The heart of a girl about to get married is very complex, filled with excitement, anxiety, anticipation, reluctance, confusion, and sensitivity...

Deng Yunzhen was no exception. Amidst the various complex emotions, she couldn't help but cry while talking with her family and relatives. After all, after getting married tomorrow, she would be part of another family.

At the emotional moments, Deng Shilan, as the elder sister, was also wiping away tears.

On the other side, seeing her elder sister-in-law cry, Zhang Xiuping, as the sister-in-law, quickly came over to accompany her.

As they talked, Zhang Xiuping's eyes also reddened.

She had been married to the Deng family for more than six years and had become very close to her elder sister-in-law, like sisters. Now that her elder sister-in-law was getting married, she was also very reluctant to see her go, but marriage is a natural part of life, and it couldn't be prevented.

At such emotional moments, it was perfectly normal for tears to fall.

Deng Shirong, however, took it in stride. On one hand, his mental age was already in his nineties, and he had seen life and death, so a daughter's marriage was nothing to him. On the other hand, he had already married off his daughters twice in his previous life, and this time, his daughter was marrying into a much better situation, which was something to be happy about, not to cry over.

In the Ye Deng residential complex.

When Deng Shirong opened the door and the relatives saw the inside of the house, they were all stunned.

This 640 square meter luxury apartment, even if people from the future saw it, they would be amazed for a long time. In the 1980s, it was truly a marvel.

At that moment, Zhang Mother's heart was truly in turmoil. She had heard from her daughter earlier in the year that her father-in-law not only gave the Suifeng Restaurant as part of the dowry, but also included the house in the Ye Deng residential complex.

At the time, Zhang Mother's attention was focused on the Suifeng Restaurant, after all, it was a restaurant that could earn tens of thousands of yuan a year, a genuine golden goose. Compared to the restaurant, the house seemed insignificant.

But she never expected the house to be so large and the decoration to be so luxurious. To give such a house as a dowry, her in-laws were really generous, and they truly treated her eldest daughter well.

However, since her daughter had already prepared her for this, Zhang Mother didn't have any other thoughts.

Her in-laws were indeed very good to her daughter. Although her daughter didn't tell her everything about the Yongjia Supermarket's income, she did reveal some figures, and those figures alone were enough to erase any doubts Zhang Mother had.

After Zhang Father recovered from his shock, he asked, "In-laws, are all the houses in your complex this large?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "No, the houses in our complex are all 160 square meters. This one is actually the combined area of four houses, which I had the architect design specifically for me."

Zhang Father suddenly understood, "No wonder this house is so large, it's the combination of four houses!"

At this point, the relatives had recovered from their shock and, led by Deng Shirong, toured the layout of each room. When they returned to the living room and sat on the soft leather sofas, they were all still unable to calm down.

The luxury of this house truly exceeded their imagination.

Not only were the appliances and furniture complete, but they were all high-end. For example, the sofa they were sitting on, they didn't know how much it cost, but it was so comfortable and looked so luxurious, it must have been very expensive.

The bed they saw in the room was also a revelation. They had lived for decades, sleeping on ordinary bed frames, and had never seen a Sealy mattress before.

The cabinets were also large and beautiful.

In short, this house was absolutely more luxurious than anything they could have dreamed of.

As everyone sat in the living room chatting, Zhang Da's wife leaned over to her sister-in-law and whispered, "Ping, is your house also like this?"

Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "The layout is the same, but our house hasn't been decorated yet, and the style will be different. When we finish decorating and are ready to move in, we'll invite you and the others over to see it."

Zhang Da's wife nodded and sighed, "Our family's new house, with its own bathroom, was already much better than the other houses in the village, and we were quite satisfied. But now, seeing this house, it suddenly feels like we're living in a doghouse. The difference is too great!"

At this point, Zhang Er's wife also joined in, agreeing, "Yes, the difference is really too great. I never thought a house could be so beautiful. Today, we've really broadened our horizons."

"Actually, before the house was decorated, I didn't think it would be this beautiful either."

Zhang Xiuping smiled slightly and said, "Da's wife and Er's wife, you don't need to envy. Now that Dad's wooden clothes hanger factory is doing well, if we earn more money, we can buy a plot of land in Longtan Street and build a new house. Then we can decorate it like this one, and you'll be able to live in a similarly beautiful house."

Zhang Da's wife felt a surge of excitement, exchanged a look with Zhang Er's wife, and said, "Ping, you're right. But you know Dad's personality. He won't consider buying land in Longtan Street unless you suggest it."

Zhang Xiuping understood that her father was indeed quite conservative in this regard, unlike her father-in-law, who had a grand vision. She agreed, "Alright, I'll talk to Dad and have him buy a plot of land in Longtan Street soon. When the house is built, we can make the first floor a shop and use the other floors for living. It will be perfect."

Zhang Da's wife and Zhang Er's wife both felt a sense of longing.

While Zhang Xiuping and the two sisters-in-law were chatting, the family and relatives were also talking with Deng Yunzhen, who was about to get married.

The heart of a girl about to get married is very complex, filled with excitement, anxiety, anticipation, reluctance, confusion, and sensitivity...

Deng Yunzhen was no exception. Amidst the various complex emotions, she couldn't help but cry while talking with her family and relatives. After all, after getting married tomorrow, she would be part of another family.

At the emotional moments, Deng Shilan, as the elder sister, was also wiping away tears.

On the other side, seeing her elder sister-in-law cry, Zhang Xiuping, as the sister-in-law, quickly came over to accompany her.

As they talked, Zhang Xiuping's eyes also reddened.

She had been married to the Deng family for more than six years and had become very close to her elder sister-in-law, like sisters. Now that her elder sister-in-law was getting married, she was also very reluctant to see her go, but marriage is a natural part of life, and it couldn't be prevented.

At such emotional moments, it was perfectly normal for tears to fall.

Deng Shirong, however, took it in stride. On one hand, his mental age was already in his nineties, and he had seen life and death, so a daughter's marriage was nothing to him. On the other hand, he had already married off his daughters twice in his previous life, and this time, his daughter was marrying into a much better situation, which was something to be happy about, not to cry over.

However, fundamentally, individual entrepreneurs were still at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

By the end of 1991, the once-powerful Soviet Union disintegrated, plunging our country into a period of internal and external turmoil.

As is well known, most of our country's elites were within the state system. To encourage these elites to take the lead in the country's reform and opening up, and to accelerate the pace of these reforms, the state introduced the "paid leave of absence" policy in 1992. This policy supported and encouraged social elites from public institutions to venture into business.

In essence, this "paid leave of absence" policy reassured these elites that they could boldly go out and explore. If they succeeded, all the better; if they failed, they could still return to their original units and resume their jobs.

With such strong support and guarantees, these elites had no more worries.

Thus, 1992 saw the largest wave of public officials entering the business world, with statistics showing that 120,000 civil servants resigned to start businesses, and over 10 million civil servants took paid leave of absence. They were later vividly referred to as the "92ers" entrepreneurs.

The influx of these social elites into the business world not only greatly boosted the country's reform and opening up but also completely changed the public perception of individual entrepreneurs.

However, it was only early 1987, and individual entrepreneurs were still at the bottom of society. Therefore, when Zhu Junjie mentioned that he was marrying an individual entrepreneur, it was inevitable that everyone would be surprised.

The few people present were close friends, so they always spoke their minds.

Xu Yongfang, the old squad leader, couldn't help but ask, "Junjie, with your conditions, marrying a girl from a public institution would be easy. Why did you choose to marry an individual entrepreneur?"

Zhu Junjie laughed, "Old squad leader, your words make it sound like you look down on individual entrepreneurs?"

Xu Yongfang replied, "I don't mean to look down on them, but compared to an individual entrepreneur, a girl working in a public institution would naturally be better."

Kong Hu also nodded, "Old squad leader is right. A girl working in a public institution is indeed more respectable."

Xiao Guangrong and Xu Hongliang didn't speak, but they had similar thoughts.

Zhu Junjie smiled, "Do you think all individual entrepreneurs are just small vendors selling needles and buttons?"

Xu Hongliang blinked and asked, "Commander Zhu, from what you're saying, does your sister-in-law have a big business?"

Zhu Junjie smiled and said, "Not exactly big, but she runs the largest and most upscale restaurant in our county."

The comrades were all taken aback. While they didn't know exactly what the largest and most upscale restaurant in the county looked like, they could sense its significance, which was quite different from their usual perception of individual entrepreneurs.

Zhu Junjie added, "Moreover, her two brothers, one graduated from Peking University and is currently working in the Beijing Planning Commission at the same level as me, and the other is studying at Tsinghua University. Given their family background, it's already a blessing that they don't look down on me. What qualifications do I have to look down on them?"

Upon hearing this, the comrades were all stunned! As leaders themselves, they understood the value of Zhu Junjie's words.

Xu Yongfang laughed, "It seems we were worrying unnecessarily. Junjie and his sister-in-law are truly a match made in heaven!"

The others nodded in agreement, indeed a match made in heaven!

...

The next day, before dawn, Deng Yunzhen woke up.

As the bride, Deng Yunzhen, though not as extravagant as modern brides who start getting ready in the middle of the night and continue until the next day, couldn't just throw something together like she usually would.

Deng Shirong had specially hired a professional makeup artist from Guangzhou to handle Deng Yunzhen's makeup and styling. Although they didn't have the means before, now that they did, he wanted to ensure his eldest daughter's wedding was perfect and without regrets.

The professional makeup artist spent over two hours, finally completing Deng Yunzhen's bridal look.

Deng Yunzhen, who was of average beauty, didn't stand out much on her own, but as the saying goes, "A good horse needs a good saddle, and a good person needs good clothes." Under the skilled hands of the professional makeup artist, with a delicate makeup and a well-fitted white wedding dress, her beauty truly blossomed.

Zhang Xiuping praised on the spot, "Yunzhen, you look so beautiful!"

Similarly, Deng Yunzhu also couldn't stop praising, "Yes, you really look beautiful. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have recognized you. The change is just too great."

Deng Yunzhen herself couldn't believe that the beautiful girl in the mirror was her. She looked in the mirror several times before thanking the makeup artist who had come all the way from Guangzhou, "Thank you, Master Zeng, your skills are truly amazing!"

Master Zeng smiled, "You're welcome. Actually, it's also because of your good foundation. I just added the finishing touches to bring out your beauty."

No wonder he was a top-notch makeup artist from a big city; he knew how to speak well.

At that moment, Deng Shirong came in with a bowl of rice. Seeing his eldest daughter's transformed look, he was pleasantly surprised. In his past life, he had never seen his eldest daughter look so exquisite and beautiful. Hiring this makeup artist was truly worth it.

Deng Shirong handed the bowl and chopsticks to his eldest daughter and then took out a red envelope he had prepared, giving it to the makeup artist along with his thanks. After the makeup artist thanked him and left with the red envelope, he said to his eldest daughter, "Eat quickly. If you can, eat a bit more so you don't get hungry later. I've already pulled the chicken leg meat apart so you don't smudge your makeup and waste time."

In this era, when a daughter gets married, her parents would prepare a chicken leg for her.

In Bobai County, chicken legs were generally eaten by children, so a girl eating a chicken leg before her wedding symbolized that it was the last time she would be treated as a child in her parents' home.

Deng Yunzhen naturally understood this, and as she ate the chicken leg that her father had torn apart, she couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Fortunately, Deng Shirong, to prevent his eldest daughter from crying and smudging her makeup, kept talking about other topics to distract her and keep her from overthinking.

Deng Yunheng, Deng Yunsong, and the other brothers, knowing that their sister was done with her makeup, also came in.

Seeing their sister, who looked like a completely different person, they were all amazed.

Makeup, indeed, was one of the four great Asian evils, and it was truly terrifying in its effectiveness.

After Deng Yunzhen finished her meal and wiped her mouth, the makeup artist came in to touch up her makeup. Then, someone came to inform her that the groom had arrived with his entourage to pick her up.

Today's wedding ceremony involved the groom picking up the bride and taking her to Songwang Township's Shanxin Village to pay respects to the ancestors, and then returning to Suifeng Restaurant for the wedding ceremony and banquet. Given the poor roads in this era, the round trip would take several hours.

Thus, Zhu Junjie, the groom, had come early to pick her up.

The vehicles that came to pick her up were two buses, which belonged to the Tenglong Passenger Transport Company. These were not the long-distance buses that ran to Guangdong but the short-distance buses that ran between Bobai and Shuangwang.

Along with Zhu Junjie were his four comrades from the military, a few female colleagues from his workplace, and several nieces and nephews.

As for Zhang Guoan, the matchmaker, it goes without saying that he was also present, as the matchmaker could not be absent during the picking-up ceremony.

Additionally, a few very important members from the Culture Bureau were also present. Some carried video recording equipment, while others held cameras, clearly intending to document the entire wedding for posterity.

This idea was proposed by Deng Shirong and executed by Zhu Junjie.

After all, in this era, it was already quite impressive if people thought to take photos as keepsakes, let alone video recordings.

Deng Shirong wanted his eldest daughter's wedding to be free of any regrets. Not only did he want plenty of photos taken, but he also wanted video recordings. These things didn't cost much, but they would be incredibly precious decades later.

When the buses entered the Ye Deng residential complex, Zhu Junjie's female colleagues from his unit and the matchmaker Zhang Guoan all maintained their composure, as the Ye Deng residential complex had been completed over a year ago, and they had visited it countless times.

However, Zhu Junjie's four comrades and his nieces and nephews, who were all first-timers, were clearly amazed.

Especially the four comrades, who were at least leaders in the military and had broader horizons than the average person, had never seen such a beautifully constructed residential complex.

Soon, the buses stopped at Building 9, Unit 1.

The group exited the buses and immediately noticed the prominent red "Double Happiness" characters displayed downstairs. They made their way up the stairs to the second floor, where they were warmly welcomed.

Upon entering the brightly decorated, festive house, including the groom Zhu Junjie, everyone involved in the picking-up ceremony, including those taking photos and videos, was stunned.

This super large and super luxurious house truly refreshed their understanding.

The mental activities of the group could fill thousands of words...

The photographers, having recovered from their shock, quickly got to work, taking photos and recording video to capture the beautiful scenes before them.

And afterZhu Junjie and the others, after being stunned by the house, were then further amazed by the beautiful bride, Deng Yunzhen.

At that moment, the four comrades all looked at Zhu Junjie, their meaning clear: This is the girl you said was ordinary-looking to outsiders?

What would an ordinary-looking girl look like? Could you give an example?

However, Zhu Junjie himself was also stunned and couldn't pay attention to his four comrades!

They had been together for almost three years, and this was the first time he saw Deng Yunzhen dressed up so beautifully. She was truly stunning!

In this era, the picking-up ceremony did not involve the numerous challenges that were common in later times.

In his previous life, Deng Shirong had watched many wedding videos where the groom was subjected to various tests, which were not just for fun but to try to break up the couple.

This was incredibly frustrating to watch!

There were cases where the groom was asked to pay additional dowry money, or where all the red envelopes were scattered and the door still wouldn't open, and the most bizarre case was forcing the groom to drink foot-washing water...

In short, there were all sorts of mischief.

To be honest, if a groom with even a bit of temper encountered such antics, he would rather remain single for life than endure such humiliation, firmly walk away, and let them do as they pleased, as he wouldn't stand for it!

Therefore, Deng Shirong, when marrying off his daughter, would not engage in such bizarre practices.

After the necessary formalities were completed, he smoothly let his eldest daughter be taken away by the groom's party!

The bridesmaids included Zhang Xiuping, the sister-in-law, and Deng Yunzhen's younger siblings.

With a journey to Songwang Township's Shanxin Village to honor the Zhu family ancestors and a swift return planned, Deng Yunzhen's farewell lacked the tearful drama of many brides. She descended the stairs with her family, her heart brimming with anticipation, and boarded the bus, its festive decorations and prominent red 'Double Happiness' characters signaling the joyous occasion.

Once everyone was on the bus, it slowly started and drove out of the Ye Deng residential complex, heading toward Songwang Township.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end