137, wedding candy packets, red envelopes

Cao Shuyun quickened her pace to catch up with Gao Shen and Zhang Liangping. Neither man was surprised; though Mother Gao was soft-natured and lacked assertiveness, she genuinely wished the best for both her children.

Gao Shen still held affection for his mother. Seeing her toil so hard made his heart ache, yet her personality was such that one wanted to care for her, only to be left deeply helpless. Such emotions must be mutual; for one to cherish someone, the other person must understand and be willing to accept that care. Clearly, the mother-son bond between Gao Shen and Cao Shuyun was not on the same wavelength. This was why Gao Shen always felt a sense of powerlessness when facing his mother; since efforts were in vain, he let her be. Perhaps she truly believed that such a way of life was happiness itself.

Upon her arrival, Cao Shuyun naturally joined the embroidery group. More hands made for faster work, and since needlework had been a daily chore for her for years, she picked it up quickly.

After Gao Shen and Zhang Liangping left, Jing Qingxin did not remain idle. Accompanied by her two young assistants, she sat at the wooden table in the inner room, busy cutting and trimming. The three of them cut a roll of red gauze into small squares, placed nine fruit candies into each, and tied them with golden thread into red bows.

Jiang Min and Xiao Mei had never seen candy packaged this way before and found it exquisite. They followed Jing Qingxin, wrapping the sweets with great enthusiasm.

"Sister Qingxin, are these to be given away?" Jiang Min asked. Although she had guessed, she had never seen anyone give out wedding candy like this.

"Yes, these are 'joy candy packets.' A wedding is a joyous occasion, and I want everyone who attends to be able to enjoy the sweets and share in the good fortune. Isn't it nice for everyone to have their own packet? If we just put them in a plate like before and let guests grab them, some would get more, some less, and those who arrived later might get none at all. That wouldn't be fair," Jing Qingxin said with a light smile. This idea had struck her yesterday afternoon while listening to her godmother and the others discussing the preparations.

In this era, fruit candies were a rare treat. To ensure everyone received some, Jing Qingxin adopted some modern wedding customs. There were the joy candy packets, red envelopes, and thank-you gifts—though she decided against the last one, not out of stinginess, but because the current circumstances made it less appropriate.

By the time Gao Shen and the others returned, the three girls had only finished eighty packets. This was clearly insufficient; they needed at least one hundred and fifty. It was better to have too many than too few, as running out would be embarrassing and impolite.

For this wedding banquet, beyond the friends and relatives invited by the Jing and Gao families, Jing Qingxin and Gao Shen were not well-acquainted with the fellow villagers. However, a wedding is meant to be lively and festive. Since both had few personal guests, they decided to invite the entire production team. When Zhang Liangping went to invite the team leader to officiate, he extended the invitation: anyone from the village who wished to attend was welcome. They were not asking for monetary gifts; they only requested genuine blessings.

Upon hearing this, Team Leader Li immediately agreed, promising to convey the invitation to every household. He even praised Jing Qingxin and Gao Shen for their generosity. In these times, life was frugal. Aside from the New Year or the distribution of grain and funds, the only way to enjoy a meat dish was at a wedding feast—but that usually required giving a monetary gift. The fact that Jing Qingxin and Gao Shen were essentially inviting the village to eat and drink for free was a wonderful boon for everyone.

After Gao Shen returned and saw the three girls wrapping candy, he immediately joined the cutting group. Instead of the gauze, he focused on cutting the red paper he had brought out earlier to make red envelopes. Seeing this, Zhang Liangping found it amusing and joined him. The four older women in the main room naturally heard the commotion and couldn't help but praise Jing Qingxin for her clever ideas, followed by bursts of laughter. They were busy and joyful.

Before long, Liu Gang returned from town. Gao Shen had sent him to call Zeng Lin and ask his family to come down to the village tomorrow afternoon; he had also picked up some daily necessities. As for the Li father and son, they had gone to work with the collective in the afternoon. They only needed to help coordinate the tables and stools, and since there wasn't enough indoor work for everyone, Jing Qingxin had told them to attend to their regular duties.

On the morning of the wedding, the villagers would simply bring their tables, stools, and tableware to the courtyard. Since these were items every family used daily, there was no need to have them brought over in advance.