The Bride Liu Yingying

Under the warm hospitality of Liu Yingying's family, everyone sat down without ceremony and began to eat and drink. Except for the drivers who couldn't drink, everyone else had a glass of baijiu poured for them.

"Tomorrow is Yingying and Xiao Long's big day. You guys should drink less tonight. Tomorrow, don't hold back anymore. Drink however you want. Come on, everyone, let's raise our glasses and have one!"

Yingying's dad was a well-traveled man of the world and was very good at setting the mood. In no time, the guys were all red-faced from drinking, and the table of good food was almost gone.

Xu Rui ate from beginning to end without stopping his chopsticks for a moment.

After finishing a glass of baijiu, Li Yang had also eaten enough, so he got up and sat aside, watching his buddies joke around and play. He really liked the atmosphere of brothers getting together. No matter what they did, he found it very interesting!

Yingying's dad brought out the prepared beer and told everyone to keep drinking if they wanted to, but there was one thing: they couldn't drink too much. They had to control themselves and not affect the important events that were coming up.

Several of Yingying's close girlfriends also came to her house to hang out with her. Xu Rui's eyes weren't enough. After watching for a long time, he started teasing Wang Long.

"Brother Long, let your sister-in-law be a matchmaker for us single brothers. How great would it be if we brothers could become even closer in the future!"

Xu Rui's mouth was greasy from eating, and combined with his red face from drinking, along with a big belly like Zhu Bajie, he looked very much like a Maitreya Buddha when he smiled!

"Okay, they are all bridesmaids tomorrow, so they must be single. It just depends on you guys,"

"Whoever has the ability gets the meat,"

Wang Long also pointed readily at the girlfriends sitting or standing next to Yingying!

"Come on, beautiful, let's add each other's contact information,"

He Junjun, being flirtatious, was the first to step forward boldly and strike up a conversation with a fashionable and beautiful stocking beauty!

"Holy crap, do you want Meimei to go home and beat you up?"

Qin Shou, this guy, deliberately sabotaged He Junjun's good deed, and the two started competing with alcohol. They only stopped after Yingying's dad persuaded them.

"My girlfriends are all young. If you have ideas, you can pursue them through the normal process. Don't have any crooked thoughts, or I'll be the first to disagree. From now on, we'll all be family of the bride!"

Liu Yingying gave everyone suggestions with a sense of humor.

"Don't worry, Yingying, no matter what, we'll give you and Longlong face,"

Li Yang said at the right time.

"Come on, handsome, let me have a drink with you,"

One of the beautiful women, dressed elegantly in a dress, took the initiative to walk up to Li Yang, raised her beer glass, and invited him.

"Drink quickly," Xiangbei also joined in the teasing!

"I don't have any alcohol, beautiful, and besides, I've finished drinking!"

Li Yang said with a smile, teasing.

That's not simple. The beautiful woman was persistent. She picked up a glass and poured half of her drink directly into Li Yang's glass.

"Here, take it. Don't you have it now?"

It seemed like he had to drink this wine. Li Yang looked at the beautiful woman's determined and stubborn eyes and knew she wasn't someone easy to mess with. So, he obediently picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp!

"So straightforward, I'll have one too," saying that, the beautiful woman also drank it all in one gulp, looking at Li Yang with a smile, like a heroine not inferior to men, revealing her white and neat teeth.

Finally, everyone started looking for girls they liked and striking up conversations. Everyone was very bold after drinking, not afraid of the embarrassment of being rejected.

Xu Rui was not to be outdone and took the initiative to walk up to the beautiful woman he had taken a fancy to and started a conversation.

Who knew that as soon as he opened his mouth, the mixed smell of alcohol, smoke, and bad breath fermented, immediately making the beautiful woman in front of him frown. She quietly moved back a step, pretending to casually walk around.

Xu Rui didn't mind and immediately changed targets to continue his efforts. He really wanted to get out of being single soon. The taste of a woman's flavor also made him more determined to solve his life's major event. He knew that such free and inexpensive opportunities and occasions were hard to come by often, so he was even more motivated.

Several beautiful women were harassed by him, but unfortunately, the effect was minimal. Some even used having a boyfriend as a reason to refuse his phone number.

In the end, Xu Rui still ended up with nothing, like drawing water with a bamboo basket. However, for Xu Rui, who had been frequently frustrated in relationships in recent years, this was already commonplace and no big deal. Thinking of the successful incident of pushing down Zhang Xiaoli today, Xu Rui's heart suddenly felt an incomparable sense of confidence.

"Guys, that's enough. Let's go put up the wedding characters first,"

He Junjun suggested. This flirtatious guy actually had the nerve to get two girls' phone numbers just now. There was nothing he could do. A large part of the reason why Zhang Meimei had been so devoted to him for so many years was because He Junjun indeed had a significant advantage in appearance. He was 1.75 meters tall, had regular features, and a body that was neither fat nor thin, which was exactly the kind of choice most girls could accept and like.

If he had to mention a drawback, it was his economic condition and incomplete family, which were the root of his unspeakable problems.

His dad and mom divorced and remarried early on. For He Junjun, every time various festivals arrived, it was also what he least wanted to face. Fortunately, Meimei had been by his side all these years, never leaving him, which was a slight comfort to him!

"Let's go then," the guys were also very sensible and knew what they were here to do. They wouldn't delay things because of drinking and chasing girls. They immediately became serious and mature.

Yingying, on the other hand, came out with her group of bridesmaids to act as the atmosphere team to cheer on the partners who were putting up wedding characters on the street, and also to chat.

Girls nowadays are no longer like those in the era when Li Yang was in school, where traditional thinking was basically at play, and boys and girls didn't talk to each other, and if they did, they would be laughed at by other classmates.

Dating was even rarer. There would be a few exceptions who broke the rules and dated openly on campus, but they didn't end up well. Either their parents objected, or they were set up as typical negative examples by the school!

Although Li Yang also liked some female classmates back then, he wasn't that bold. In the end, he also left campus life hastily with the crowd and never saw those girls he liked again!

Brave girls, plus the courage from drinking, some started to take the initiative to chat with the boys they liked.

Zhang Xiangbei was chatting enthusiastically with a short, thin girl. This guy definitely had an advantage in height, over 1.8 meters, and looked as frail as a telephone pole.

Li Yang didn't take a fancy to anyone, because he often dealt with beauties like Manman and Juanjuan, and his aesthetic fatigue gradually increased.

He would always unconsciously compare them, and then he would feel that other girls were not worth looking at!

Before long, with many people working together, many wedding characters were put up on the street of Yingying's house.

"Alright guys, take a break!"

Wang Long was the main character today, so naturally, the heavy lifting wasn't his job. He and Yingying, as the hosts, played the role of warmly entertaining everyone, constantly handing out cigarettes, bottled water, and drinks to the men and women.

Li Yang didn't smoke, so he just grabbed a bottle of Wahaha Purified Water and took a few casual sips. It was already early August, the temperature was pleasant, neither cold nor hot at night. The group of people scattered around noisily, finding places to rest for a bit. Soon, they would be carrying quilts. This was a wedding custom that had been passed down for centuries in Luoyang. The bride's parents had to prepare several new cotton quilts for the groom to pick up before the wedding, to be used as spares for the young couple in the future.

Wang Long was busy handing out cigarettes one by one. The bright red packaging of the Red Flag Canal cigarettes certainly had a festive feel. Most local people used this brand for happy occasions.

"I didn't expect you not to smoke, Li Yang."

The beautiful woman who had asked Li Yang to drink earlier walked up and asked.

At this moment, Li Yang happened to be squatting. The beauty's tight-fitting dress clung to her body, outlining a decent, graceful curve. Her white high heels made a beautiful rhythm as she walked.

"Heh, I quit a long time ago. I learned to smoke quite early back then."

Li Yang was feeling bored. With just a casual glance, hey, who would have thought, he actually caught a glimpse of the "little scenery" under Liu Feifei's skirt hem – a hint of black lace underwear.

Li Yang awkwardly turned his head away. Liu Feifei didn't seem to mind these details. Girls nowadays were quite open.

Daring to actively pursue the people and things they liked was indeed a great step forward!

The two chatted quite naturally. Liu Feifei even proactively asked Li Yang for his phone number. She didn't say what for, and as a guy, there was no need to be shy. Li Yang also generously saved each other's contact information.

Liu Feifei and Yingying were from the same village, located north of Xin Dian town, near the mountains. It was a bit of a distance from the main road, Heluo Road, but the road was well-built and convenient for driving.

"Alright guys, come inside and carry the quilts."

Wang Long called out with a smile. A group of buddies quickly got up, threw away their cigarette butts, and started working efficiently. Considering they had to come early tomorrow to help, Wang Long wanted everyone to rest early tonight and conserve their energy for the big day tomorrow.

Xu Rui had just lit a cigarette and hadn't finished it. Unwilling to waste it, he took strong drags as he walked, finishing more than half a cigarette in two puffs. The beauty next to him watched with wide, surprised eyes, thinking he wasn't afraid of smoking himself to death, truly impressive!

Li Yang, accustomed to it, got up and went into the courtyard with Liu Feifei to help.

The family of the bride had prepared a total of six thick cotton quilts. Even changing them in winter wouldn't use them all up. The thickness of the quilts generally represented the warmth of the bride's family's attitude.

Each of the buddies carefully picked up a quilt and placed it in the minivan that had been prepared earlier.

After finishing, Wang Long let everyone rest in the house for a while before finally leaving for home.

This trip was fruitful for the buddies, at least giving them options. Deepening the impression tomorrow, it was estimated that success wouldn't be far off. However, some were happy and some were sad. Xu Rui didn't get a single number, but it wasn't a big deal to him. Getting stronger with each setback was his ultimate belief.

On the way back, red wedding characters were also being posted at the Village Entrance. They would stop the car without turning off the engine, and a few people would quickly finish the job, completing all of today's tasks in no time.

After arriving home, Wang Long directed everyone to put the quilts in the designated location. The aunts and uncles naturally had to evaluate the gifts from the bride's family. Li Yang and the others didn't understand these customs. After finishing, they went upstairs again. Birds of a feather flock together; this kind of phenomenon was common at weddings and funerals.

"I won't let you drink anymore, how about trying my tea?"

Wang Long brought out a pot of transparent brewed tea and placed it on the table. The disposable paper cups from earlier hadn't been used up. The buddies weren't being polite; whoever wanted to drink could pour it themselves.

He also brought out two plates of melon seeds, peanuts, and candy. Li Yang liked to eat melon seeds, so he casually grabbed a handful and started eating.

"Who do you think will be the next one to get married?"

Li Yang took a sip of the hot tea and brought up the topic for conversation.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure who would be the next lucky one.

"Brother Jun, when are you and Meimei getting married? You two have been together the longest."

Xu Rui asked indistinctly while eating candy, naturally grabbing melon seeds and leisurely cracking them open.

"Forget it, what do I have to get married with? We'll see!"

He Junjun looked disappointed as he drank his tea.

Afterward, everyone started chatting idly, finally ending the day's wrap-up at ten o'clock in the evening.

"How are you guys getting back?" Wang Long asked the few people standing at the main entrance.

Besides their small group, there were other unfamiliar groups, which was also normal.

However, the others had already left; they were the last group of Wang Long's buddies.

Since it was still a distance from Xu JiaYing, Wang Long was quite worried.

"It's fine, we can just hail a taxi by the road, it's not far!"

Zhang Hua had the best relationship with Wang Long in school, so he took the initiative to reply.

"How can that be? You came all the way here, and I'd still let you spend money!"

Then Wang Long quickly found an elder from the same village who hadn't been drinking to drive the minivan and take everyone back.

After arriving at the Village Entrance, Zhang Hua told the driver to go back early. A group of people walked back home arm in arm.

Xu Rui and Li Yang were on the same route. Xu Rui often passed by his house.

"Then you should go to bed early, see you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to Xu Rui, Li Yang went home. He hadn't drunk much tonight. With a happy mood, Li Yang returned to his room.

"You're back, baby."

As soon as he opened the door, Jiang Manman, carrying a fragrant breeze, threw herself into the arms of a bewildered Li Yang.

"When did you get here?"

Li Yang hugged her in disbelief and asked.

"Hehe, I couldn't sleep at home thinking about you, so I changed clothes and came over."

Manman happily wrapped her arms around Li Yang's neck, kissed him affectionately, and pouted.

"Alright, you go rest first. I'll take a shower. Didn't you smell the alcohol on me?"

Li Yang looked at Manman wearing his white shirt, which had a different kind of charm on her, and his tone immediately became gentle as water.

"I don't mind you. Just when I got home, Old Mom hadn't locked the door yet, so I came in!"

Manman continued to hug Li Yang and wouldn't let go.

"Alright, be good, go lie down and wait for me. I'll be quick," Li Yang said, directly taking off his clothes, putting on slippers, and touching Manman's beautiful face before quickly going out to take a shower.

"Turn off the lights and sleep,"

As soon as Li Yang lay down, Manman turned off the TV and the bedside lamp. The Ceiling Fan was on in the room. Manman had already taken off Li Yang's clothes, and her soft body had already hugged Li Yang and burrowed into his embrace.

"Hold me to sleep,"

Manman passionately kissed Li Yang for a long time before reluctantly closing her eyes and starting to rest.

Tomorrow at seven, they had to rush to Yan Qiu to help Wang Long pick up the bride.

Li Yang also held Manman tightly in his arms, smelling her familiar body fragrance, and gradually fell into a dream