The old fashioned marriage

In our family photo album, we have our first family photo, taken in 1970. Whenever I see this photo, I will recall the nearly 60 years of greatness that my partner and I have walked together.

My partner and I are both too old, our marriage is the kind of "parents' orders, matchmaker's words" the old-fashioned marriage. At that time, it was fashionable to find a big daughter-in-law, and my partner was six years older than me.

When I was 10 years old, I was playing in the street when my mother dragged me home. I saw a lot of people gathered at home, but not for the New Year or the holidays, but decorated with lights and red couplets on the door, and my mother put on a new dress for me and ordered me to say, "Don't get dirty, I'll marry you today! The sound of suona and firecrackers rang out, and someone shouted, "The palanquin is here!" The neighbor's second grandfather led me to the palanquin, asked me to lift the curtain, helped the bride down with her head covered, and put the red silk tied with concentric knots into the bride's hand on one end and into my hand on the other, and I led the bride, stepping on the red carpet, toward the hall. The parents were seated on both sides of the eight immortal tables, and the second grandfather opened his voice and shouted: "The auspicious time has arrived, the bride and groom worship the heaven and earth!" The sound of firecrackers resounded outside, and the kids cheered. I knew they were grabbing the duds that had fallen to the ground and hadn't sounded, so I turned my head and ran outside to grab the duds as well. The second eldest ran a few steps, held me back, pressed my head, commanded me, and hurriedly ended the ceremony of worship.

Into the bridal chamber, the bride sat on the bed, the bed is full of peanuts, chestnuts and large red dates, I lit up, grabbed a large handful, eat up. "Hey! Come here!" She called to me. I jumped off the chair, ran over, and asked her, "You want to eat too?" She said, "Take off the cover for me!" I climbed on the bed, but she was too tall for me to reach, so I had to kneel down and pull the cover off. I saw her black hair, high nose, red lips, and two big eyes that flashed and twinkled. You are so beautiful!" She laughed, "My name is Shanhua, from now on you call me Shanhua in front of others, and when no one is around, you call me sister!"

When I was a child, I was very naughty and played hide-and-seek with my buddies, and got into the straw, and when my buddies couldn't find me, they went home. I opened my eyes and looked at the stars in the sky, which blinked incessantly. Where has the moon gone to hide? Is it also playing hide-and-seek with the stars, the stars can not find it, blinking anxiously!" She twisted me on the buttocks, "I can't find you, it's killing me, you still have this spare time!"

When I was 20 years old, I entered Shandong Normal College. One day, someone called me from downstairs, "Your mother is here to see you!" I ran down and saw that it was Shanhua. The student also called out, "Mother, mother, mother," and Shanhua was red in the face. At this time, I am the father of three sons, Shanhua serve parents, take care of three children, but also busy in the field work, aged a lot. Looking at her, I was a little sad. After the students left, to see my embarrassment, she teased, "you long generation of children, students called me mother, you will not become a grandfather!" I laughed sadly.

When I came to the dormitory, Shanhua took off her shoes and her feet were full of blood blisters. In order to save money, she walked 80 miles to the train station, and then walked to school after getting off the train. At that time, many of my classmates abandoned their married wives on the grounds that they were against arranged marriages. Shanhua said with tears in her eyes, "I can't leave you with my three children!" Shanhua has always been strong in character, never shed tears in front of me, but at this time, like a pear with rain, I said with conviction: "I will never do Chen Shimei!" She then broke into tears and handed me a package, saying, "Here are clothes and food, go to class now!" I watched her limping away.

After graduation, I was teaching in the county, and Shanhua was at home with the responsibility of raising a small family, although I was a teacher, but because of the heavy teaching load, far from home, so I had no time to take care of their children's studies, but the three children under the tutelage of Shanhua, academic performance is surprisingly good, has been admitted to university, found the ideal job. This is all the credit of Shanhua.

After I retired, I often accompanied her, sunbathing under the wall in winter and cooling off under the shade of the trees in summer, reminiscing about the old days and letting time pass by quietly. Talking about it, she dozed off ...... she suddenly sat up with a face full of panic, I patted her, comforted: "Nightmares again?" She sank violently into the recliner and said, "Ahem! I dreamt that you wet the bed again!"