Bride Liu Yingying

Under the warm hospitality of Liu Yingying's family, everyone sat down without standing on ceremony and began eating and drinking. Other than the drivers, who could not drink, everyone else was poured a full glass of baijiu.

Tomorrow was Yingying and Xiao Long's big day. You guys should drink a little less tonight. Tomorrow, don't hold back at all—drink however you want. Come on, everyone, raise your glasses!

Yingying's father was a worldly man who had seen plenty of occasions like this and knew how to liven things up. Before long, the guys were all flushed with drink, and the tableful of delicious dishes had nearly been wiped out.

Xu Rui never put his chopsticks down from beginning to end.

After finishing a glass of baijiu, Li Yang had eaten about enough too. He got up and sat to one side, watching his buddies fool around. He really liked this kind of atmosphere, brothers gathered together. Whatever they did felt interesting!

Yingying's father brought out the beer he had prepared and told everyone to keep drinking if they wanted, but with one condition: they could not get too drunk. They had to know their limits and not affect the important business ahead.

Several of Yingying's close girlfriends also came over to keep her company. Xu Rui's eyes could barely keep up. After looking around for a while, he egged Wang Long on.

"Brother Long, have your wife play matchmaker for us single guys too. Wouldn't it be great if we all became family?"

Xu Rui's mouth was greasy from eating, and his face was red from drinking. Combined with his huge Zhu Bajie-like belly, he looked like a Maitreya Buddha whenever he smiled!

"Sure. They'll all be bridesmaids tomorrow, so they must be single. It all depends on what you guys can do."

"Whoever has the skills gets the meat."

Wang Long readily pointed at the girlfriends sitting and standing beside Yingying.

"Hey, beautiful, let's exchange contact information."

He Junjun, acting flirtatious, was the first to boldly step forward and strike up a conversation with a stylish, pretty woman in stockings.

"Damn, are you trying to make Meili deal with you when you get home?"

Qin Shou deliberately sabotaged He Junjun's chances. The two began competing with alcohol, only settling down after Yingying's father talked them out of it.

"My girlfriends are all young. If you're interested, pursue them properly. Don't get any crooked ideas, or I'll be the first to object. We'll all be her family from now on!"

Liu Yingying gave everyone her advice with a great sense of humor.

"Don't worry, Yingying. No matter what, we'll do it for you and Longlong's sake."

Li Yang spoke up at just the right time.

"Hey, handsome, let me drink with you."

One of the women, elegant in a dress, walked up to Li Yang and raised her beer glass in invitation.

"Drink up," Xiangbei joined in, egging him on!

"I don't have any alcohol, beautiful. Besides, I already finished mine!"

Li Yang joked with a smile.

Wasn't that easy? The woman refused to let it go. She grabbed a glass and poured half of her own beer directly into Li Yang's cup.

"There, take it. Now you have some, don't you?"

It looked like he had no choice but to drink. Seeing the stubborn determination in her eyes, Li Yang knew she was not someone to mess with, so he obediently picked up the glass and drained it in one go!

"So straightforward. Then I'll drink one too." As she spoke, the woman emptied her glass as well. She looked at Li Yang with a smile, every bit as bold as any man, revealing neat white teeth.

In the end, everyone began seeking out girls they liked and striking up conversations. After drinking, every one of them had become bolder, completely unafraid of the embarrassment of rejection.

Xu Rui was unwilling to be outdone and took the initiative to approach a beauty he had his eye on.

But the moment he opened his mouth, the fermented mixture of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and bad breath made the woman before him frown. She quietly stepped back and pretended to casually wander around.

Xu Rui did not mind. He simply changed targets and kept trying. He truly wanted to stop being single as soon as possible. Having tasted what it was like to be with a woman had only made him more determined to settle this major matter in his life. He knew opportunities and settings like this, free and effortless, did not come around often, so he became even more energized.

He bothered several beautiful women in turn, but the results were pitiful. Some even used having boyfriends as an excuse to refuse his requests for their phone numbers.

In the end, Xu Rui came away empty-handed. But after so many setbacks in love over the past few years, he was long used to it. It was no big deal. Thinking about his success with Zhang Xiaoli earlier that day, Xu Rui suddenly felt incredibly confident.

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

He Junjun made the suggestion. That flashy guy had actually shamelessly gotten the phone numbers of two girls just now. There was no helping it—one major reason Zhang Meimei had been so devoted to him all these years was that He Junjun truly had an advantage in looks. He was five-foot-nine, had regular features, and a body that was neither fat nor thin. He was exactly the kind of man most girls could accept and like.

If he had to name a flaw, it was his financial situation and his broken family. That was the root of the issue he found hard to speak about.

His parents had divorced and started separate families long ago. Whenever holidays came around, they were the times He Junjun least wanted to face. Fortunately, Meimei had stayed by his side all these years without leaving him, which gave him at least a little comfort.

"Then let's go." The guys were sensible too. They knew what they had come here to do and would not delay things just because they were drinking and chasing girls. They all immediately became serious and mature.

Yingying brought her group of girlfriends out as the cheer squad to encourage the guys putting up wedding characters along the street, chatting along the way.

Girls nowadays were no longer like they had been when Li Yang was in school, when traditional thinking ruled the day. Boys and girls did not talk to each other, and if they did, other students would laugh at them.

Dating was even rarer. A few unusual ones would break the rules and date openly on campus, but they never ended well. Either their parents opposed them, or the school made them into negative examples.

Li Yang had liked some female classmates back then too, but he had not been that bold. In the end, he had simply followed the crowd and hurriedly left school life behind, never seeing those girls he liked again.

With the courage brought by alcohol, some of the brave girls began taking the initiative to talk to the boys they liked.

Zhang Xiangbei was chatting enthusiastically with a short, skinny girl. That guy truly had an advantage in height—he was over six feet tall, thin as a utility pole and looking frail enough to be blown over.

Li Yang did not have his eye on anyone. Since he was often around beauties like Manman and Juanjuan, his standards had gradually risen from sheer aesthetic fatigue.

He could not help comparing the other girls to them, and they simply failed to catch his eye.

Before long, many hands made light work. Quite a few wedding characters had been put up along the street outside Yingying's home.

"Alright, guys, take a break!"

Wang Long was the main character today, so naturally he did not need to do any work. As the hosts, he and Yingying were responsible for warmly receiving everyone, constantly handing out cigarettes, bottled water, and drinks to the men and women.

Li Yang did not smoke, so he took a bottle of Wahaha Purified Water and casually drank a few sips. It was already early August, and the temperature was pleasant—neither cold nor hot at night. The crowd noisily found places to rest for a while. Soon, they would be carrying quilts. This was an ancient local Luoyang wedding custom: the bride's parents prepared several new cotton quilts for the groom's family to haul away before the wedding, as bedding for the young couple in the future.

Wang Long was busy passing out cigarettes one by one. The bright red packaging of Red Flag Canal cigarettes really did have a festive feel, and most locals used them for weddings and celebrations.

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

The beauty who had invited Li Yang to drink earlier walked over and asked him.

Li Yang happened to be squatting at the time. Her fitted dress outlined her fairly lovely curves, and her white high heels produced a graceful rhythm as she walked.

"Hehe, I quit a long time ago. I learned to smoke pretty young too."

Li Yang was bored out of his mind, so he casually glanced over. To his surprise, he caught sight of the little scenery beneath Liu Feifei's skirt—the black lace panties faintly visible underneath.

Embarrassed, Li Yang immediately turned his head away. Liu Feifei did not care about such details. Girls nowadays were quite open-minded.

Daring to actively pursue the people and things they liked truly was a huge step forward!

The two chatted naturally, and Liu Feifei even took the initiative to ask Li Yang for his phone number. She did not say why, and as a man, there was no need for him to act shy. Li Yang generously exchanged contact information with her.

Liu Feifei and Yingying were from the same village, on the mountainside north of Xindian Town. It was still some distance from the main road, Heluo Road, but the roads were convenient enough that driving did not take long.

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

Wang Long called out with a smile. The guys quickly stood up, tossed away their cigarette butts, and efficiently got to work. Since they would have to come help early tomorrow, Wang Long wanted everyone to rest early tonight and conserve their energy for the big day.

Xu Rui had just lit a cigarette and had not finished it, so he could not bear to waste it. He took hard drags as he walked, smoking more than half of it in two puffs. The beauty beside him stared in astonishment, thinking he was not afraid of smoking himself unconscious. He was really something!

Li Yang, meanwhile, was used to it. He got up and went into the courtyard with Liu Feifei to help.

The bride's family had prepared six thick cotton quilts, enough to rotate through all winter without running out. The thickness of the quilts generally represented the bride's family's warmth and sincerity as well.

The guys carefully picked up the quilts one by one and placed them into the van that had already been prepared.

Afterward, Wang Long had everyone rest inside for a while before they finally headed home.

This trip had brought each of the guys something. At the very least, they now had options. If they continued making impressions tomorrow, they would probably not be far from sealing the deal. But while some rejoiced, others worried. Xu Rui had not gotten a single phone number, though it was no big deal to him. Becoming braver with every setback was the belief he clung to.

On the way back, they also put up wedding characters at the village entrance. They stopped without turning off the engine, and several people quickly got the job done. Before long, they had completed all of today's tasks.

After arriving home, Wang Long directed everyone to place the quilts in their assigned spots. Naturally, the aunts and older female relatives had plenty to say as they evaluated the bride's family's return gifts. Li Yang and the others did not understand those customs, so once they were done, they went upstairs again. Birds of a feather flocked together—this was generally how weddings and funerals worked everywhere.

"I won't make you drink anymore. Try my tea and see how it is."

Wang Long brought out a pot of steeped tea in a clear teapot and placed it on the table. There were still disposable paper cups left from earlier, and the guys did not stand on ceremony. Anyone who wanted some could pour their own.

He also brought out two plates of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candy. Li Yang liked cracking sunflower 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 scalding tea and brought up a topic of conversation.

Everyone looked at one another, not knowing who would become the next lucky man.

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

Xu Rui asked through a mouthful of candy, naturally grabbing some sunflower seeds and cracking them leisurely.

"Forget it. What would I even use to get married? We'll see how things go."

He Junjun drank his tea with a dejected look.

After that, everyone went back to boasting and chatting nonsense. They finally wrapped things up around ten that night.

"How are you guys getting back?" Wang Long asked them as he stood at the front gate.

Besides their small group, there were other groups of people they did not know, which was perfectly normal.

But everyone else had already left. They were the last group of Wang Long's friends.

Since Xu JiaYing was still some distance away, Wang Long was worried about them.

"It's fine. We can just catch a taxi by the roadside. It's not far!"

Zhang Hua had been closest to Wang Long in school, so he took the initiative to answer.

"How can that be? You came here, and I'm supposed to let you spend money?"

Wang Long quickly found an older man from the village who had not been drinking and had him drive the van to take everyone home.

After reaching the village entrance, Zhang Hua told the driver to head back early. The group walked home arm in arm.

Xu Rui lived along Li Yang's route, and Xu Rui often had to pass by Li Yang's home.

"Then get some sleep early. See you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to Xu Rui, Li Yang went home. He had not drunk much that night, and in a cheerful mood, he returned to his room.

"You're back, baby."

The moment he opened the door, Jiang Manman rushed into the bewildered Li Yang's arms with a waft of fragrance.

"When did you get here?"

Li Yang held her in disbelief and asked.

"Hehe, I missed you so much at home that I couldn't sleep, so I changed clothes and came over."

Manman happily wrapped her arms around Li Yang's neck and gave him a coquettish kiss.

"Alright, go rest first. I'm going to take a shower. Can't you smell the alcohol all over me?"

Seeing Manman wearing his white shirt, with a different kind of charm hidden beneath it, Li Yang's tone immediately turned gentle as water.

"I don't mind. When I got here, Mom hadn't locked the door yet, so I came in!"

Manman continued clinging to Li Yang, unwilling to let go.

"Alright, sweetheart. Go lie down and wait for me. I'll be quick." As he spoke, Li Yang took off his clothes, put on his slippers, touched Manman's beautiful face, and hurried out to shower.

"Turn off the lights and sleep."

As soon as Li Yang lay down, Manman turned off the television and bedside lamp. The ceiling fan was running. Manman had already taken off Li Yang's shirt, and her soft body had long since curled into his embrace.

"Hold me while we sleep."

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

Tomorrow, they had to arrive in Yanqiu by seven to help Wang Long pick up the bride.

Li Yang held Manman tightly in his arms, breathing in her familiar scent as he gradually drifted into sleep...