Chapter 95 Returning Home

The night of flowers and candles in the bridal chamber.

Liu Ziye finally dispersed the last wave of noisy people, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation. He hugged the beautiful Gan Ning tightly and carried her onto the soft embroidered kang.

After a passionate "fight", he finally succeeded in capturing Gan Ning's "fortress".

From then on, Liu Ziye was intoxicated by this sweet atmosphere and never wanted to leave. When the morning drum sounded, the king no longer attended the court, because in his world, there was only Gan Ning.

Vertical sun.

Early in the morning, Gan Ning got up despite her physical discomfort. Liu Zhiye, this donkey, didn't care about her last night and caused her a lot of trouble.

That's right, she got up early and woke Liu Zhiye up.

"Zhi Ye! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Oh! It's still early! I'll take a nap. I was really tired yesterday..." Liu Zhiye muttered to himself, his hands moving around.

Gan Ning's face flushed again, and she pushed his funny claws away helplessly. She gently woke Liu Zhiye up, with a hint of anxiety in her tone: "Zhiye! Get up quickly! Have you forgotten what else you have to do today?"

Liu Zhiye's eyes were half open and half closed. After thinking for a while, he realized that there was indeed one more thing. They needed to get up early to visit their parents. If they got up late, it would have a negative impact on Gan Ning's image.

Liu Zhiye suddenly woke up, stood up, and looked at Gan Ning with some apology, "I'm sorry, I'm too sleepy." He reached out and rubbed his eyes.

It turns out that according to traditional rules.

The newlyweds must worship gods, Buddhas and three generations of relatives together, pay homage to their parents and other elders, determine their status and recognize their age.

Paying respect to the ancestral temple and the clan temple is collectively called ancestor worship, which is the most important program after worshipping heaven and earth. After the bride "marries", she becomes a member of the husband's family, and it does not count if she does not worship the ancestors, so ancestor worship is very important.

After paying respect to the ancestors, it is necessary to "determine the names and ranks", which is commonly known as "dividing into big and small". It means to know the seniority and seniority of the members of the husband's family. A small family with a simple population.

The bride will kowtow to her parents-in-law and get to know her family members and relatives on her wedding night. However, in a large family, it may not be possible to kowtow to everyone on the wedding night, so she must be accompanied by her sisters-in-law to pay homage to them one by one the next morning.

When greeting elders, one must kowtow. When greeting peers, one must bow and put both hands together. After greeting the family, one must greet the relatives and friends who come to congratulate. And no matter who one greets, the husband and wife must bow together, which is commonly known as "double ceremony".

Whether it is family or friends, if the elders have gifts for the bride, they usually give a red envelope with money inside, and the amount is not fixed. Some people also give jewelry, clothes and other valuables, which is commonly known as "Hehong", also known as "meeting gift".

On the day after the wedding, after the bride has paid homage to her ancestors, family, relatives and friends, the groom’s family has an important ritual, which is meeting the in-laws, or “meeting the relatives” for short.

The banquet for "receiving a family reunion" is quite grand, and requires "one person per seat" and "two people to accompany each other", which shows great respect for the guests from the "relatives".

On the third day after the wedding, the bride usually goes back to her parents' home to pay a visit to her father, brothers, relatives and friends.

This is the legendary "returning home", also known as "returning wine".

Usually, the bride's family would send the bride's brothers to pick up the bride on a bicycle early in the morning, and in the past, horse-drawn carriages were the most popular means of transportation.

This custom has existed in ancient times and is still followed by many families today, demonstrating its strong traditional cultural heritage.

The custom of "returning to the parents' home" is similar in the north and the south. It means the first time after marriage, the bride's family will pick up the bride and the groom will also go with her. It is commonly known as "returning to the parents' home" or "three days returning to the parents' home".

However, there are also cases where the bride returns to her parents’ home on the fourth day, perhaps because of the complicated etiquette of wealthy families. Generally speaking, the marriage process starts from “discussing marriage” and ends with “returning to the parents’ home”, which is considered complete.

However, on the day of the wedding, the newlyweds cannot stay overnight at the bride's home and must return to the groom's home on the same day. On the 9th, 12th, and 18th day after that, the bride's family will send food to the bride, which is commonly known as the odd ninth day, the even ninth day, and the 12th day. The bride can only return to her parents' home and stay there for a month after one month of marriage.

Living in her parents' home for a month before returning to her husband's home is commonly known as "living in the opposite month". After that, the girl's family will take her home to celebrate the festivals and reunite for a few days.

Before the bride leaves, she must first kowtow to her parents-in-law, and then go to her parents' home with the groom to meet her relatives.

The main house in the east courtyard.

Seeing Gan Ning walking somewhat unnaturally, Deng Ru first smiled slightly with concern in her eyes, but soon frowned and glared at Liu Zhiye fiercely.

"Mom! I'm sorry! I wanted to get up early and help you cook. But I was tired yesterday..." Gan Ning said apologetically.

"Hey! This is just a small business, I can do it by myself, I don't need you." Deng Ru said happily. At this time, Grandpa and father Liu Jingzhai also came out to eat breakfast. They chewed their food and chatted, looking very relaxed.

After breakfast, grandpa dressed neatly and sat in the middle. Liu Jingzhai and Deng Ru sat on both sides. They were all smiling, and grandpa was even more happy as he looked at the young couple.

Liu Zhiye and Gan Ning solemnly paid their respects to them, and then prepared to set off.

Not long after, the elder brother-in-law Gan Yong came to pick up his sister in a hurry on his bicycle. After Liu Zhiye discussed with his elder brother-in-law, they decided to leave the bicycle behind temporarily and ride it back home in the evening. So the three of them drove back home.

Liu Zhiye drove at a fast and steady speed all the way, and arrived at Gan Ning's parents' home in the blink of an eye.

Gan’s relatives and friends had been waiting for a long time. When the three of them got off the car, they were immediately surrounded by them enthusiastically.

The Gan family had many relatives, much more than Liu Zhiye's relatives. There were aunts, uncles, cousins, and a whole platoon of them, which made Liu Zhiye overwhelmed.

"Uncle! Hello!"

"Auntie! ..."

"Auntie!..."

"Third Uncle!..."

"Uncle! ..."

“Second brother!…”

"Brother-in-law!..."

"..."

Liu Zhiye nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and greeted this group of relatives frequently.

His face was filled with a warm smile and his eyes revealed kindness and friendliness, making people feel his sincerity and enthusiasm.

He kept greeting every relative with a loud and friendly voice, which made people feel warm and happy.

He was also deeply moved by the Gan family's hospitality. They welcomed Liu Zhiye and his wife with friendly smiles and enthusiastic words, which made him feel extremely warm and kind.

After greeting his relatives, he opened the car door and took out the "return gift" he brought, which was placed in a red wooden gift box to highlight the festive atmosphere.

The four boxes contained two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, a box of Five-Star Moutai liquor, four pounds of jasmine tea, four pounds of White Rabbit milk candy, canned oranges, milk powder, two green onions, and two bags of vermicelli.

Such return gifts are undoubtedly a particularly solemn etiquette in this era.

Liu Zhiye, this eye-catching figure, is praised by everyone who meets him for the first time.

"Xiao Ning has found a good partner," said all his friends. His image, tall and mighty, with an imposing manner, is unforgettable at first sight.

"Yes, he is a handsome man with a good figure." Others also expressed their agreement.

"I heard that he is already a deputy director-level cadre at such a young age?"

In addition, his work ability is also highly praised. Now he is a deputy director-level cadre and has achieved outstanding results in his work. His talent and hard work have been widely recognized, and his future is promising.

Every time she hears such comments, Gan Ning feels very proud and happy. After all, it is such a rare thing to find such an excellent person as a partner!
After arriving at the bride’s parents’ home, the newlyweds must pay their respects to the gods, Buddhas, and clan tablets in the family hall, and then kowtow to the bride’s parents and elders.

After the formalities, a banquet was set up and the newlyweds were invited to drink.

After lunch, Liu Zhiye spent some time with his relatives and friends, then went home alone. He found a place to wait halfway, as Gan Ning would not be back until the evening.

At this point, the dramatic wedding came to an end.

(End of this chapter)