The matchmaker also understood this principle well.
"But to be honest, Shiqing is getting old. There's someone in your village who's the same age as Shiqing, and she married into our village. Her surname is Li, and she said the other day that she's pregnant with her second child!"
Bai Zhiman frowned, deep in thought.
The matchmaker asked, "How about this, let me convey your family's opinion. If it's about right, then your two families can sit down and talk it over."
Even if it's not an arranged marriage, when the two families discuss the marriage, they still need to find a matchmaker to act as an intermediary. Once everything is agreed upon and the two families sit down together, the marriage is practically considered settled.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhiman replied, "Let's wait until after the New Year. We've waited so many years, what's another six months?"
"Oh, why wait until the New Year? Brother, what do you think about the New Year? After the New Year, everyone can go back to work. When it snows heavily and we can't go to work, the young couple can stay at home and enjoy some fresh air."
The matchmaker's words made perfect sense. The period before the Lunar New Year, apart from the cold weather making it inconvenient to hold a banquet, was the best time for weddings in rural areas.
The matchmaker continued to list the advantages: "If you marry before the New Year, when it's time to pay respects to our ancestors during the New Year, all our relatives and friends will come to visit, and we'll recognize everyone at once, saving us a lot of trouble."
Things unfolded exactly the same way as in my previous life.
Bai Zhiman was about to nod.
Bai Jiaojiao placed the meat floss cakes on the table in the middle of the kang (heated brick bed) and casually asked, "Aren't we going to set up a feast?"
The matchmaker laughed and said, "How can we not hold a ceremony!"
"Won't relatives and friends from both families also come over for the banquet?"
The matchmaker, still smiling, said, "Your little girl is so quick-witted."
Bai Jiaojiao is four years younger than Bai Shiqing, so she has no right to interfere in her sister's marriage.
Bai Zhiman originally intended to let her leave, but considering Bai Jiaojiao's bad temper, he worried that if he kicked her out, she might throw a tantrum in front of others. So he frowned and said:
"Go sit down somewhere else. You little sister, you're meddling in your sister's marriage."
Bai Jiaojiao sat down on the stool in front of the kang: "Dad, the Zhu family only has one son, Zhu Shengping. If you marry my second sister to him, she will be a new bride who has barely settled in and will have to take care of everything for the New Year by herself. If she does a good job, her reputation may not spread. But if she messes up, her mother-in-law will gossip about it everywhere."
Although Bai Shiqing was the eldest daughter in the family and had no mother since childhood, she had long since developed the skill of managing household chores.
But Bai Zhiman thought about it again, and realized that other people's families were different from his own, and Bai Jiaojiao's words made sense.
Before marriage, you are a guest; after marriage, you become part of the family.
It was one thing to take care of my in-laws, but during the Lunar New Year I also had to deal with some unfamiliar relatives, which was quite a headache.
Seeing that Bai Zhiman's expression softened, the matchmaker's eyes darted around: "Brother, if you think like this, people outside will say that your family is forcing your daughter to stay at home to work."
The Bai family members exchanged glances upon hearing the matchmaker's words.
Bai Jiaojiao is ridiculous; she's even resorting to moral blackmail.
Does a good maternal family have to rush to send their daughter to work in someone else's house to be considered a good maternal family?
So she said, "Auntie, what are you saying? Everyone in the family knows that I'm saying this because I feel sorry for my second sister. Who would think that way?"
"I mean, outsiders are starting to gossip." The matchmaker finally showed her impatience, somewhat dissatisfied with Bai Jiaojiao, the girl who kept undermining her.
Bai Jiaojiao pretended not to understand people's expressions: "Even if my second sister gets engaged tonight, it's normal to get married after the New Year. Who would think it's late to get married after the New Year? And no one would gossip about sending my second sister to the Zhu family before the New Year."
"you......"
"I arrived late and didn't hear the whole thing. I don't know why the wedding date has to be so rushed. There are plenty of girls in the city who get married at twenty-four or twenty-five. Our family isn't really in such a hurry. But how can we let outsiders hear about what we're talking about behind closed doors and then criticize us?"
Bai Jiaojiao's implication was that everyone in the room was either surnamed Bai or married to someone with the surname Bai, and the matchmaker was an outsider. If the matter got out, it was obvious who would have said it.
The matchmaker looked displeased, but Bai Jiaojiao's words reminded Deng Min of her initial problem:
“My younger sister is right. The wedding didn’t have to be rushed like this. If we rush to marry our second sister off, I think outsiders will laugh at us for being too eager to get married, which is not a good reputation. Her in-laws might even look down on her.”
Bai Zhiman had always been very satisfied with his daughter-in-law, Deng Min. Hearing her say the same thing, his heart immediately softened.
"That's true. Our family isn't afraid of being accused of keeping our daughter around. I'm a paralyzed person, what's wrong with wanting to keep my daughter around for a couple more days to show her filial piety? Let people criticize me if they want, but if they say bad things about Shiqing, how will she live in her husband's family?"
Bai Zhiman made the decision: "It's set for after the New Year. Could you please pass on a message to the Zhu family, sister? If it works out, great; if not, forget it."
He spoke with a firm tone. The matchmaker glanced at the faces of the younger generation one by one. She knew that although Bai Zhiman had lost his ability to work, he still had the right to speak as an elder in the family.
"Alright, you guys have your own ideas. I won't bother you any longer, I have something to do, I'll be going now, Brother Ha."
The matchmaker got up and left, giving Bai Jiaojiao a long look as she passed by.
Bai Zhiman waved his hand: "Shihai, see Auntie off."
"Ai."
Bai Shihai saw the matchmaker out, and Bai Jiaojiao pulled Bai Shiqing inside, speaking frankly: "What's going on with that Zhu family? Why are they in such a hurry to bring Second Sister in?"
Bai Shiqing looked at Bai Zhiman and asked, "Father, what's wrong?"
She noticed that the matchmaker's expression wasn't good when he left.
"The Zhu family said that your second sister has been waiting for so many years, and they were afraid that she would get anxious, so they wanted to get the marriage done as soon as possible."
Bai Shiqing blushed and said, "Father, I'm not in a hurry!"
"Father knows. He told her to reply that if they were to get engaged, the date would be set after the new year."
Bai Shiqing felt somewhat disappointed after hearing this.
Is she desperate to get married?
She desperately wants to get married.
In Hushan Commune, there were few girls her age who had never left home.
But her father was right to do the right thing. She was already an "old maid" who attracted a lot of attention. If she rushed to marry Zhu Shengping as soon as he returned to the village, as if she were eager to do so, the gossip would only become more unpleasant and would follow her for the rest of her life.
"Let's do as Father arranges. But why did the matchmaker leave with such a sullen face?"
Bai Shiqing thought the conversation had gone very unpleasantly.
Bai Shihai, after seeing the people back, also said, "I don't know what this matchmaker is so anxious about. Our family isn't in a hurry, but she's angry."
"Is the Zhu family in a hurry to send Second Sister over to serve them?" Bai Jiaojiao asked lightly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
