The warm winter sun shines through the screen window and dappled onto the old-fashioned mahogany table. Li Ming sat quietly at the table, holding heavy Buddha beads in his hands, one representing a year, as if he could pass through those hurried days. Tomorrow is the wedding day of his only daughter Li Hua. At this moment, he is both expectant and reluctant, and those pictures of the past are slowly unfolding in his heart like old movies.
"Tomorrow our Hua will get married." Sitting opposite, Li Ming's wife said lightly, but the corners of her eyes were unconsciously moist.
"Yes, my little girl is going to get married in a blink of an eye." Li Ming's voice was dry and powerful, and his eyes were full of affection and reluctance for his daughter.
In my memory, Li Hua is still the little girl with two pigtails and her eyes bent into crescents when she laughs, she likes to hold his hand and listen to him tell stories over and over again; Now, she will have her own life, and he, too, will learn to let go.
Li Hua's wedding was noisy and lively, and according to custom, the bride price was also a large amount. At home, Li Ming will carefully record every penny of expenditure in the notebook, and he and his wife have always been diligent and thrifty. On that day, when the invitations were sent out one by one and the bride price was placed on the table with the gift list, Li Ming and his wife whispered about the whereabouts of the bride price.
"Keep the bride price money for retirement? That's a really good idea. The wife whispered.
Li Ming just smiled and didn't answer, but quietly calculated in his heart. The bride price was part of an ancient tradition, and he thought it was okay to enter his daughter's house. However, it is said that the wedding is the business of his daughter and wife, and he only needs to be responsible for having fun next to him.
In the blink of an eye, on the eve of the wedding, a family of three sat around the living room, warm and harmonious. Li Hua busily looked at the list of things to be prepared next, happy as a child. And Li Ming, who was on the side, was thinking about when it would be better to mention the bride price to his daughter.
"Mom, do you look good about this wedding dress?" Li Hua picked up her mobile phone, which was a photo of her in a wedding dress, and asked expectantly.
"Beautiful, very beautiful, my Jiahua must be the most beautiful bride tomorrow." Li Ming's wife overflowed with her mother's pride.
Li Ming looked at his daughter, stunned, and then decided, at least at this moment, he would not disturb his daughter's joy; The bride price can wait.
As the night deepened, Li Ming walked to the window alone, looking at the quiet lane, dotted with stars. He remembered that when she walked through this alley with little Li Hua in her arms, she didn't know what a bride price was and what parting was. Now, she is about to become a woman in someone else's family, but there are some things that still need her daughter's consent. He knows that all decisions cannot be made by the will of his parents alone.
Li Ming turned around and walked gently back to his room, leaving all the beautiful visions of the night and the infinite possibilities of the future. Tomorrow is a new beginning, no matter what, he wishes his daughter happiness, which is his most simple and far-reaching expectation as a father.
As the wedding approached, the atmosphere of the Li family became delicate. As a father, Li Ming's complex emotions have become an invisible wall, and bride price money is undoubtedly an unresolved topic on this wall.
"Dad, husband's furniture, should we pick a day to choose together?" Li Hua opened his mouth to propose at a dinner. The topic quickly jumped from the trivial matters of preparing for marriage to the layout of married life.
"Yes, yes, what do you need to buy, Dad remember." Li Ming agreed, but his eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of the delicate brocade box placed in the corner of the house, which contained the bride price money that was about to be delivered.
Li Hua didn't notice the flow of his father's gaze, and continued to hum about his future plans: "We want to live a warm and simple life and not buy those too expensive furniture." ”
Wang Gang listened quietly beside him, agreeing with Li Hua's words from time to time, and the eyes of the two were full of excitement about the future and joint planning.
However, the stone in Li Ming's heart is getting heavier and heavier, the bride price is a blessing from the parents to their daughter's marriage, however, is it more realistic to use it as a pension? At the junction of tradition and modern concepts, Li Ming's heart can't help but waver.
In the days that followed, Li Ming observed Li Hua's various evasions of the topic of bride price. Even when inquiring about the details of the marriage, she always cleverly bypassed the topic of bride price. Li Ming began to realize that perhaps her daughter had her own ideas about the bride price.
One day at noon, when the family was eating, Li Ming cautiously tested: "Hua, do you have any ideas about the bride price of the wedding?" ”
Li Hua was stunned for a moment, and then said with a smile: "Dad, don't be too rigid about those traditional things, now everyone says that spirit is more important than material." ”
Li Ming and his wife glanced at each other, thinking secretly in their hearts. Li Hua's attitude seems to be more open-minded, and she is more concerned about the relationship with her husband and her future life than the formal bride price.
That night, Li Ming sat in the house with his wife again to discuss: "We still have to respect Hua's ideas, marriage is a young man's business after all." ”
As time passed, the preparations for the wedding gradually came to an end, and Li Ming and his wife's feelings became more and more complicated. On the one hand, they are happy about their daughter's future; On the other hand, the question of what to do with the bride price seems to revolve around their minds.
Li Ming finally made up his mind and decided to sit down with Li Hua and Wang Gang on the eve of the wedding and talk openly and honestly about the bride price. He hopes that through this conversation, he will be able to understand his daughter's true thoughts and see if he can find a solution that satisfies everyone.
However, life always has more ups and downs than the script. Li Ming never expected that just before he was about to speak, Li Hua suddenly brought a surprise - she and Wang Gang decided to simplify the wedding, no longer asking their parents to give a huge bride price, but hoping to turn this heart into a blessing for their future lives.
This decision was like a bolt from the blue for Li Ming, and he was stunned. The bride price, an issue that had been a problem for him, became no longer important in the face of his daughter's generosity. He realized that Li Hua's generosity and autonomy were the things he should be most proud of as a father.
At that moment, Li Ming held his wife's hand, and the stone in his heart finally hit the ground, he knew that his daughter had grown up, and their role as parents was about to change. They will no longer be decision-makers, but supporters, quietly watching on the road to their daughter's happy sailing.
The lights are flickering, the music is flying, and Li Hua's wedding is going on in a thick joy. The banquet hall was full of laughter and laughter, and the whole banquet hall was filled with joy and blessings. Li Ming and his wife sat at the main table, watching all this, and they should have been satisfied. But deep in his heart, there is a topic that is like a hanging sword that may fall at any time.
The guests dispersed, and Li Hua was still shining in a wedding dress. Li Ming felt that it was time to talk about the unmentioned bride price arrangement. In this joyful atmosphere, he took his daughter and son-in-law to a relatively quiet corner of the banquet hall.
"Hua, just now, there is something I want to talk to you about." Li Ming got straight to the point, but his voice trembled slightly.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Li Hua was slightly stunned, and his smile revealed a little doubt.
Wang Gang stood beside Li Hua, his eyes fell on his father-in-law's face worriedly, and he tried his best to maintain his steadyness.
Li Ming took a deep breath and said seriously: "About the bride price at the wedding...... I've been thinking about your mother for a long time......"
He slowly expressed his previous thoughts, mentioning the intention of using the bride price as a pension fund.
Li Hua's eyes changed from surprise to disbelief, she didn't expect that such a topic would be discussed on the day of the wedding. She said, "Dad, this ...... Why are you saying this today? ”
"We think it's a reasonable arrangement, don't you think?" Li Ming's tone revealed firmness, and he thought that his daughter would understand his painstaking efforts.
But Li Hua's emotions were obviously excited, "The bride price is for me, this is my decision." Why didn't you say it sooner, why ...... at my wedding"
Wang Gang clasped his hands and tried to break the awkward silence, "Father-in-law, we can have a good talk, don't be in a hurry." ”
But the atmosphere has changed, and between a few lines of dialogue, there seems to be a hidden rift in the relationship between the three of them.
"I understand your hardships, but I have my plans, please give me time to think about them." Li Hua finally couldn't suppress the unhappiness in his heart, and his words were choked.
Li Ming looked at his daughter with mixed feelings in his heart, he didn't expect his daughter's reaction to be so strong. He once thought that all decisions were for his daughter's good, but tonight, he understood that his daughter was no longer the little girl who needed him to make decisions.
"Hua, I'm ......" Li Ming wanted to speak and stopped, feeling guilty in his heart.
Finally, Li Hua turned his head and left the corner, leaving Li Ming and Wang Gang standing there, looking at each other.
The question of the bride price left a heavy impression on this festive night, and Li Ming began to wonder if his insistence was really right. The once unwavering belief in whether it was right or wrong became shaky at the moment when her daughter's emotions exploded.
With the lively end of the wedding, Li Hua's face no longer frequently appears in Li Ming's daily life. The former laughter and conversation gradually became scarce, replaced by an invisibly elongated silence. When night falls, Li Ming often sits alone on the terrace, recalling the conversation of the bride price, and his heart is full of mixed feelings.
Late one night, Li Ming finally made up his mind, came to Li Hua's door lightly, and knocked on the door slowly. The door opened, and Li Hua looked tired, obviously asleep.
"Hua, can Dad come in?" Li Ming's voice was low and apprehensive.
"Of course, Dad." Although Li Hua was confused, he still got out of the way.
Sitting on the edge of Li Hua's bed, Li Ming saw that his daughter still retained some of the habits of her childhood, such as the little rag doll placed at the head of the bed before going to bed, and the old parent-child photos on the wall. He took a deep breath and said worriedly: "Hua, Dad didn't handle the matter of that day well, and he blocked you. ”
Li Hua looked at Li Ming silently, and there was softness in her eyes.
"You and Wang Gang are going to live your life, and Dad shouldn't interfere so much." Li Ming's voice was full of self-reproach, "I've been thinking about it for a long time, you decide for yourself about the bride price." ”
At this moment, there was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere between them. Li Hua's expression changed from gloomy to bright, and he smiled slightly, "Thank you, Dad." ”
Li Ming now understands that a marriage letter and a bride price are not enough to represent family harmony, and that this carefully cultivated love and trust are the real pillars.
In the days that followed, Li Ming witnessed the bits and pieces of his daughter and son-in-law building a small family together. He doesn't meddle anymore, just gives warm advice and support when necessary. Li Hua and Wang Gang also gradually walked out of the haze after the wedding, and both of them could feel the warmth of home.
Time moves forward in the changing seasons, and Li Ming's home resounded with laughter, although it was no longer what it used to be, but it was more mature and understanding. Li Hua sometimes takes out part of the bride price for the small family of the two, and every time he does so, he does not forget to thank his parents for their understanding.
Li Ming knows that the harmony of the family has been re-woven. The wall between him and his daughter has fallen, and the father-daughter relationship has been rebuilt in mutual understanding and respect. The brilliance in his eyes lit up again, full of good wishes for his daughter's future and cherishing happiness now.