bioinnovel Chapter 261 He's alright looking!
Chapter 261 He's alright looking!
There was a pause of a few seconds.
Another message.
"Remember to add rock sugar to the braised pork."
Zhang Yan smiled slightly.
"understood."
Put your phone away.
I'll continue helping out this afternoon.
The groom, Dazhuang, returned from town, followed by a van filled with peanuts, melon seeds, candy, and cigarettes.
Dazhuang was a sturdy young man with dark skin, broad shoulders, and a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile that made you want to punch him.
He shook hands with Zhang Yan warmly as soon as he saw him.
"You're Haozi's classmate? You look really handsome!"
"Thank you, congratulations."
"You're too kind! You'll have to have a couple more drinks tomorrow!"
Dazhuang hurriedly began arranging the final preparations.
Zhang Yan stood aside, watching the busy crowd in the courtyard.
Red "double happiness" characters were pasted on the door frame of the main room. A banner read "May you have a long and happy marriage."
Two children were chasing a chicken in the corner.
One auntie was scolding the other—"You put too much salt in!"
lively.
Quarrel.
Lively.
A thought inexplicably flashed through Zhang Yan's mind.
If the ruins awaken.
If that terrifying being from deep space were to descend upon Earth.
Will these things disappear?
These red lanterns, the character for "happiness," a child chasing a chicken, arguing aunties, and Wang Hao being bossed around and yelling.
Will it disappear?
He suppressed the thought.
will not.
He won't let it disappear.
So he wanted to create Tyrannosaurus Rex, Vermilion Bird, and Azure Dragon.
All four spirits have been gathered.
Prepare before that thing wakes up.
"Zhang Yan! Come over and help put up the window decorations!" Auntie called from inside the house.
"They're here."
……
That evening.
Preparations are basically complete.
My second uncle set up a simple home-cooked meal in the courtyard, which served as a family reunion dinner the night before the wedding.
Dazhuang was so nervous that he could barely hold his chopsticks and dropped the food twice.
His second uncle laughed and scolded him, "If you do this tomorrow, people will start to look down on you."
Da Zhuang chuckled.
Wang Hao chimed in from the side, "Big Zhuang, why don't you practice lifting the veil beforehand?"
"Get lost." Da Zhuang tossed a peanut over.
Zhang Yan sat in the corner, quietly eating his meal.
Occasionally, my second uncle would pull me aside for a drink.
"Xiao Zhang, do you have a girlfriend now?"
"Got it."
"Oh dear! Bring it for your uncle to see!"
Hearing this, the second aunt next to her lit up: "Isn't she pretty?"
Zhang Yan thought about Nie Qingcheng's face.
"good."
Wang Hao almost spat out his food.
good?
Who is in charge of Qingcheng International?
The most beautiful woman in Jinghai?
good??
He tried hard to suppress his laughter, and his face turned red.
Zhang Yan pretended not to see it.
Dinner is over.
Zhang Yan returned to his room.
Call Nie Qingcheng.
She answered after it rang four times this time.
"A meeting?" Zhang Yan asked.
"Yeah. Just finished."
Have you eaten?
"……have eaten."
"What did you eat?"
silence.
"You are not allowed to interrogate me."
Zhang Yan smiled.
Guess what I ate tonight.
"What?"
"Stewed free-range chicken with mushrooms. Stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured pork. Cucumber salad. And homemade rice wine."
There was silence for a few seconds on the other end.
Then a voice message.
"Zhang Yan, you're making me jealous."
"Describe the facts."
"You're finished. You have to recreate a whole table of food for me when you get back."
"it is good."
"And you have to wear an apron."
"...I don't have an apron."
"I bought it for you. It's pink."
Zhang Yan looked at his phone screen.
I have a headache, which I haven't felt in a long time.
"The wedding is tomorrow. After it's over, I'll take a car back."
"Mm." Her voice softened. "Be careful on the road."
"understood."
The two remained silent for a short while.
It's not that we have nothing to say.
It's the kind of silence that makes you feel at ease even without saying a word.
"Good night," Zhang Yan said first.
"Good night."
"Stop eating instant noodles."
"……knew."
hang up.
Zhang Yan put down his phone.
Wangjia'ao outside the window is more lively than it was two days ago.
The lanterns were lit, and shadows flickered. Someone tested a string of small firecrackers at the courtyard gate; they crackled a few times and then went out.
Two children ran over to pick up the firecrackers that hadn't gone off, but were slapped back by an adult.
Tomorrow is the actual day.
Zhang Yan turned off the light.
A good night's sleep.
……
the next day.
It was just dawn.
Then the firecrackers went off.
It wasn't one of those tentative little whips.
It was a twenty-meter-long expanse of red earth, laid out from the courtyard gate all the way to the intersection, making a loud bang.
White smoke filled half the village.
Zhang Yan was woken up by the explosion.
Open the window.
The courtyard was already packed with people.
People came to help, to eat at the feast, and to watch the excitement. Villagers from all around came.
My second aunt was directing the operation in the kitchen. Three or four aunts were on the stove at the same time, and the sounds of stir-frying, steaming, and chopping meat were all mixed together.
Zhang Yan got dressed and went downstairs.
Wang Hao had changed into a brand new red sweatshirt.
But he didn't look well.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yan asked.
"I didn't sleep well last night," Wang Hao yawned, "because I was excited."
He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"What do you think my wedding will be like?"
Zhang Yan glanced at him.
"Find a partner first."
Wang Hao was hit hard and took two steps back, clutching his chest.
"How did you learn to talk like that from your sister-in-law?"
The sound of firecrackers went off intermittently throughout the morning.
Nine o'clock sharp.
The wedding procession set off.
Dazhuang was wearing a dark blue suit, which looked brand new, though it was a little tight around the shoulders.
But he was full of energy, and his dark face was beaming with an unconcealable smile.
A van decorated with red flowers was used as a wedding car.
Following behind were tricycles, motorcycles, and a group of young people walking.
The sound of suona horns came from the front of the procession.
The wrinkles on the faces of the two old suona players were deeper than the mountain road, but as soon as they started playing, the entire valley was filled with their enthusiastic sound.
Zhang Yan stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching the wedding procession disappear around the bend in the mountain road.
Wang Hao handed over a handful of sunflower seeds.
"According to our custom, the groom has to pass three tests when he arrives at the bride's house."
"What level?"
"First challenge: blocking the door. The bridesmaids will ask questions; if you can't answer them, the door won't open. Second challenge: finding the shoes. The bride's shoes are hidden; if you can't find them, you can't leave. Third challenge..."
"What?"
"Drink vinegar. A whole bowl."
Zhang Yan cracked open a sunflower seed.
"Good."
"What's so good about it?" Wang Hao chuckled. "Da Zhuang's brain will get stuck on the very first hurdle."
……
It's past eleven o'clock.
The wedding team is back.
But it was three times more lively than when we set off.
The suona horns blared deafeningly. Firecrackers crackled and popped all the way.
Da Zhuang and his bride stepped out of the bread truck.
The bride wore a bright red wedding dress, not the kind with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, but a simpler Xiuhe dress.
She wore a golden hairpin in her hair, and her cheeks were rosy.
When my second uncle saw this, his eyes immediately welled up with tears.
The second aunt ran out of the kitchen, still wearing her apron, and hugged the bride, crying and laughing at the same time.
Zhang Yan leaned against the courtyard wall and watched this scene unfold.
lively.
It's so lively!
He thought of Nie Qingcheng.
I remember the day she said, "I've changed my mind."
She said she wouldn't wait any longer. She wouldn't wait to defeat the ruins.
Unconditional.
Zhang Yan's fingers twitched slightly.
At that moment, his heart seemed to beat two beats faster than usual.
Although he didn't tell her.