Today is the day when the Zhang family goes to the Li family to "visit the house". In addition to the two protagonists, Li Xingwen and Zhang Qiulan, Jiang Feng, the matchmaker, is also sought after by the relatives of the two families.
This is because the Li and Zhang families told others about Jiang Feng's magical ability to predict marriages based on face reading. On the one hand, this can help Master Jiang gain fame and increase his business. On the other hand, it is also for the benefit of relatives. After all, the two families have witnessed how powerful Master Jiang's ability in predicting marriages is.
It is precisely because they know Jiang Feng’s abilities that the relatives of the Li and Zhang families would pursue Jiang Feng, especially those who have children of marriageable age, who are extremely enthusiastic about Jiang Feng.
In just a few minutes, Jiang Feng had added more than twenty new WeChat friends.
No wonder these parents are so active. It’s really not easy to get married in this era!
According to the data from my country's seventh census, the gender ratio in our country has become seriously unbalanced.
Among them, males accounted for 51.24% and females accounted for 48.76%, that is, males outnumbered females by 34.9 million.
In other words, there are more than 30 million men in our country who are unable to get married.
Although this statement is a bit exaggerated, it is indeed very difficult for men to get married nowadays.
Especially in rural areas, the idea of favoring boys over girls is deeply rooted, so the number of men is generally far greater than that of women. Moreover, many women of marriageable age do not want to return to the countryside after working in the city, resulting in a decreasing number of women in rural areas, leaving many men unable to get married until they are in their thirties or forties.
Bailiang County is one of the top three most populous counties in my country, and it can be said that it is a severely affected area of the idea of favoring boys over girls.
According to the 2020 population statistics, the total number of households in Bailiang County is 529,256, with a total registered population of 1,925,261, including 1,054,135 males and 871,126 females, with a gender ratio of 121:100.
From this set of data, we can see how serious the imbalance between men and women is.
This is a typical case of too many people and too little porridge!
Perhaps for men from well-off families, the imbalance in the ratio of men to women will not affect them, as there are plenty of women for them to choose from. But for men from poor families, finding a wife is extremely difficult.
Not to mention far away, just in Longshan Village where Jiang Feng is located, there are a lot of bachelors over the age of 30 who have not yet married, and there are more than a dozen men over the age of 40 who have not yet married.
If divorced people are included, the number will be even higher.
Except for a few who really haven't met the right person, the rest have to remain single because they are unable to marry a wife who is of equal social status and not too much age difference from them.
Because there are far more single men than single women, according to the law of supply and demand, when demand exceeds supply, the "bride price" required to marry a wife will naturally begin to rise.
The annual increase in "bride price" has increased the burden on men to marry, making it more difficult for men to marry, and eventually they are forced into a vicious cycle.
Against this backdrop, matchmakers who can bring men and women together have become increasingly important. In order to find wives for their aging sons, many parents are willing to pay high amounts of money to matchmakers. This is one of the reasons why the income of matchmakers in various towns and villages under Bailiang County has been increasing in recent years.
…
When the meal started at noon, the delicious wine and food carefully prepared by the Li family made all the guests very satisfied.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, today's 'housekeeping' banquet gradually came to an end. When the Zhang family asked to leave, the Li family politely tried to keep them for a few times, then took out the red envelopes they had prepared long ago and began to distribute them to all the relatives of the Zhang family one by one.
As a matchmaker, Jiang Feng undoubtedly received a generous red envelope.
After receiving the red envelope, Jiang Feng smiled and asked, "Uncle Li, this marriage should be okay on your side, right?"
Li Mingcheng smiled with satisfaction and said, "No problem, Master Jiang, your vision is really impeccable."
Jiang Feng nodded and said, "Since there is no problem with Uncle Li, there should be no problem with the Zhang family, then we will talk about marriage. How much do you plan to give as a betrothal gift, Uncle Li?"
Li Mingcheng thought for a moment and asked, "Master Jiang, do you know if the Zhang family has any specific requirements regarding the gift?"
Jiang Feng said, "Uncle Zhang and I haven't discussed the issue of the bride price yet, but we can discuss this issue when we go back with Uncle Zhang and the others. Uncle Li, can you give me a hint now?"
Li Mingcheng said, "Then let's make it 380,000. If the Zhang family is not satisfied, we can talk about it again."
Jiang Feng gave a thumbs up and praised: "Uncle Li is very generous. This amount of betrothal gifts is already the highest in our Qinghe Town. I believe the Zhang family will not be dissatisfied. Uncle Li, just wait for my good news!"
"Then I'll trouble you, Master Jiang!"
"Uncle Li, you're welcome. This is my job."
…
When they came, Zhang Jinsong was driving, Jiang Feng was sitting in the passenger seat, and Zhang's mother and Zhang Qiulan and her brother were sitting in the back seat.
When they went back, Zhang's mother drove the car, Zhang Qiulan sat in the passenger seat, and Jiang Feng and Zhang Jinsong and his son sat in the back seat.
After leaving Shaba Village, Jiang Feng smiled and asked, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, there is no problem with the Li family's marriage. There should be no problem with your side, right?"
Zhang Jinsong said: "Our Zhang family is fine. We all believe in your vision, Master Jiang."
Zhang's mother also said: "The Li family is indeed sincere, and the Li family's sister-in-law has a good personality. If my Qiulan marries there, there shouldn't be any conflicts between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law."
Jiang Feng said: "You can rest assured about this Aunt Zhang. If Sister Lan marries into the Li family, not only will she and her husband love each other, but she will also get along well with her parents-in-law."
After hearing this, Zhang Jinsong and his wife nodded repeatedly, and they became more and more satisfied with their daughter's marriage!
As for Zhang Qiulan, she was even more delighted when she heard it. If an ordinary matchmaker said such words, she might just think that the other party was saying good things to facilitate this marriage. But when it was Master Jiang who said such words, the meaning of them naturally took on a different meaning.
Zhang Qiulan couldn't help but feel secretly happy when she thought of the loving couple after marriage and the harmonious living with the parents-in-law.
"Since both your families have agreed to this marriage, the next step is to discuss marriage. I would like to ask Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang, do you have any requirements in terms of the bride price?" Jiang Feng asked.
Zhang Jinsong shook his head and said, "We don't have any requirements for the bride price. We are marrying off our daughter, not selling her. We just need to let the Zhang family choose an auspicious number for the bride price."
Jiang Feng said: "Uncle Zhang said it well. Parents who are obsessed with the bride price are no different from selling their daughters. Parents who truly care about their daughters only care about their daughters' happiness. The amount of the bride price is secondary."
Zhang Jinsong nodded repeatedly in agreement, and it was obvious that these words touched his heart.
Jiang Feng said, "Uncle Zhang, I have already asked the Li family before. The Li family said that the betrothal gift can be negotiated. Since Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang have no requirements for the betrothal gift, then let's set it at 380,000. This is also what the Li family wants."
Zhang Jinsong's parents nodded secretly after hearing this. Although their family valued their daughter's happiness and did not have too high requirements for the bride price, it had to be said that the amount of the bride price could basically represent how much the man's family valued the woman's family.
The Li family asked for a dowry of 380,000 yuan, which was indeed the highest level of dowry in Bailiang County. Moreover, the Li family also sent a message that the dowry could be negotiated, which proved that if the Zhang family had any requirements, the Li family could give a higher dowry.
From this incident, we can see that the Li family attaches great importance to their daughter. Such in-laws are indeed rare, and as parents, they can feel at ease when their daughter marries them.
Zhang Qiulan was delighted to hear this. She was already 28 years old and was no ignorant little girl. She naturally understood what the Li family's 380,000 yuan betrothal gift meant.
"Since this is what the Li family wants, let's set the betrothal gift at 380,000!"
Zhang Jinsong nodded, and then asked: "Master Jiang, do you have any suggestions on dowry?"
Jiang Feng thought for a moment and said, "For dowry, try to choose something practical, preferably something that Sister Lan can use. In my opinion, a car would be more appropriate, and this is also one of the most common dowries nowadays."
Zhang Jinsong hummed and said, "Okay, our Zhang family will prepare a car worth no less than 300,000 yuan, and you can buy other miscellaneous items. What do you think, Master Jiang?"
Jiang Feng praised it repeatedly. This dowry was also of the highest level in Qinghe Town.
From the betrothal gifts and dowry, we can see how satisfied the Li and Zhang families are with this marriage.