Chapter 34 : Pick Up the Bride

On October 1st, the weather was bright and sunny, with crisp autumn air.

Su Mo woke up early, freshened up, and packed all her belongings. Later, the wedding party would arrive to escort the bride and move her dowry to her new home.

She still had a dozen eggs left from what Lu Changzheng had given her. Reluctant to waste them, she discreetly transferred them to her secret space two days earlier while at the educated youth center, leaving only two in the straw basket to give to Ma Xiaojuan.

As Su Mo prepared to leave, Ma Xiaojuan looked at her with a touch of sadness. “Su Mo, I really don’t want you to go. Can I come visit you in the future?”

Although they had only known each other for less than a month, Ma Xiaojuan already regarded Su Mo as a close friend.

Su Mo chuckled and reassured her, “Of course! We’re in the same team and just a short walk away. Come find me anytime you miss me.”

“Alright,” Ma Xiaojuan replied, perking up. “Hurry up and change into your wedding clothes. We’ll help you cut the red paper.”

The Lu family had sent over red paper the night before, instructing her to cut and paste it onto the dowry.

“Okay,” Su Mo replied, taking a red corduroy dress from her large suitcase.

The dress was stylish and had a retro feel that would remain timeless even in future years. In an era dominated by shades of black, white, and gray, this vibrant red dress was exceptionally elegant. Among the clothes the original owner had brought, it was the only red garment.

Initially, Su Mo hesitated to wear it, thinking it might be too eye-catching. However, after hearing Ma Xiaojuan mention the night before that the Revolutionary Committee director’s daughter wore a striking red dress at her wedding, Su Mo decided to go for it.

In those days, cities were stricter about appearances than the countryside. If someone in the city could wear it, she had nothing to fear in a rural setting.

After all, marriage was likely a once-in-a-lifetime event. Who wouldn’t want to look their best as a bride?

When Su Mo emerged in the dress, both Ma Xiaojuan and Chen Lan were stunned.

“Oh my god, Su Mo, you’re stunning!”

“Su Mo, this dress is absolutely gorgeous!” they exclaimed simultaneously.

Su Mo smiled. “I got it at the Friendship Store. Do you think it’s too much for today?”

“No way! It’s your wedding you should wear something stunning,” Ma Xiaojuan said immediately. “You look amazing, and it suits you so well. Honestly, you look even better than the director’s daughter did.”

Su Mo blushed at the compliment, smiling as she sat down to style her hair. She braided her hair into two beautiful double braids and secured the ends with red rubber bands.

As she worked, Ma Xiaojuan, who was cutting out the Chinese character for “double happiness” , admired her. “Su Mo, your braiding is so pretty! Can you teach me later?”

“Of course,” Su Mo agreed. The four-strand braiding technique she used was a popular hairstyle in later years, so she saw no harm in sharing it.

Once her hair was done, Su Mo added a touch of lipstick for color. She gazed into the mirror at the radiant, smiling bride reflected back at her and felt deeply satisfied.

Lu Changzheng is so lucky, she thought.

After the “double happiness” cutouts were finished, Ma Xiaojuan and Chen Lan helped paste them onto Su Mo’s two suitcases and her bedding.

Su Mo then busily repacked her remaining essentials. She removed the thermos, enamel washbasin, enamel pot, and two vests belonging to Lu Changzheng from her bamboo basket. She replaced them with the daily items she had been using, covered them with coarse cloth, and made everything ready for the wedding party to move her belongings to her new home.

When Chen Lan saw Su Mo taking out even more items, her eyes briefly flickered with curiosity, but she said nothing. The items already had the (double happiness) characters pasted on them, so there was no need to add more.

After Chen Lan left, Ma Xiaojuan pulled out a pair of pillowcases from her luggage and handed them to Su Mo. “Su Mo, I wish you a happy wedding.”

Earlier, Ma Xiaojuan had asked Chen Lan if she wanted to chip in on a joint gift, but Chen Lan declined, saying they had only just met Su Mo, and it wasn’t necessary. Because of this, Ma Xiaojuan hadn’t brought out the gift in front of her.

Su Mo was pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t expected Ma Xiaojuan to give her pillowcases, which must have cost one or two yuan, a generous gesture.

“Thank you, Xiaojuan,” Su Mo said, gratefully accepting the pillowcases and placing them in her suitcase along with her other belongings.

She silently decided that when it was time for Ma Xiaojuan to get married, she would gift her something even better.

Su Mo brought over her straw basket, stealthily slipped two eggs back into it, and handed it to Ma Xiaojuan. “Xiaojuan, there are four eggs left. I won’t be taking them with me, you should keep them and cook them.”

Ma Xiaojuan accepted without hesitation.

The two spent some time chatting in the room.

Around 9 a.m., the entrance of the educated youth center grew lively. Dressed in a brand-new military uniform, Lu Changzheng arrived on a bicycle, accompanied by a few people to help fetch the bride.

At that time, wedding ceremonies were simple, without the later customs of playful door-blocking or rituals to prevent the groom from entering.

The people tasked with moving the dowry entered the house, and soon after, Su Mo emerged from her room.

When Lu Changzheng saw his wife step out, his heart raced. She looked absolutely stunning today. He couldn’t help but think that no one in the entire Hongqi Commune or even in all of Qingxi County was as beautiful as his wife.

The crowd amaze as they saw the bride come out, admiring her elegance.

Surrounded by family and friends, Su Mo then rode on the back of Lu Changzheng’s bicycle as they made their way to her new home.

The onlookers couldn’t hide their envy as they watched the dowry being carried: two large beds of bedding, shiny new thermoses, enamel washbasins, enamel pots, and two large suitcases.

The bride’s dowry was indeed impressive.