The news that Jiang Yaojie was about to get married spread like wildfire, and many people came to congratulate Jiang Ling that afternoon. However, Lu Youren's family, especially when they heard that Jiang Yaojie was marrying Shen Congxin from the Shen family, made Old Mrs. Lu very regretful.
He was cursing Lu Youren while slapping his thigh, a scene Jiang Ling didn't see.
At the same time, things were also not peaceful in the Shen family.
"What? You mean you want Congxin to marry into that poor, remote village? Master, are you out of your mind!" Madam Shen said with displeasure when she heard that Shen Congxin was going to marry into Lujia Village.
"What? Do I need to ask you where my daughter is marrying and who she is marrying?" Shen Qianhe was clearly very dissatisfied with what had just happened, and her tone turned cold.
Madam Shen was angered by his retort, but she still put on a pitiful look and said, "That...that's not it, I...I'm just worried that Congxin will suffer after marrying into the family! Congxin is the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, and I have cherished her like a precious jewel since she was a child. How could she endure such suffering!"
As she spoke, Madam Shen even forced out a few tears.
"You should keep an eye on Cong Guang and Cong Lan. One is selfish and the other is a snob at such a young age! If you can't be a good matriarch, then replace her! We can forget about what happened before, but I can bring it up again!" Shen Qianhe showed no mercy to Madam Shen this time. After saying this with a gloomy expression, she left the room.
Madam Shen, standing behind her, was startled, but she quickly recovered. She gritted her teeth and muttered, "Shen Qianhe, who do you think you are? Once I kill you, all the family fortune will be mine!"
The next morning, there was a knock on Jiang Ling's door, and the village elder's wife, Granny Qin, walked in with a flamboyant woman who looked to be about forty years old.
"Oh my, this must be Madam An! I'm so lucky to be able to meet you in person today. This old woman has accumulated tens of thousands of years of good fortune!" As she spoke, the matchmaker grabbed Jiang Ling's hand.
Jiang Ling was a little embarrassed by the matchmaker's enthusiasm. She quickly pulled her hand away and said to Granny Qin and the matchmaker, "Please sit down! Let's chat slowly! Yaojie, pour some water for the two of you!"
As soon as Jiang Yaojie stepped out of the house, the matchmaker jumped up, strode over to him, grabbed his hand, and said, "This must be Young Master Jiang! He is indeed handsome and dashing, a perfect match for Miss Shen!"
Jiang Yaojie blushed deeply and stood there somewhat at a loss, glancing at Jiang Ling for help every now and then.
"Matchmaker Wu!" Granny Qin saw through Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie's thoughts and quickly stood up to gently scold them.
"This is Madam An, not one of our careless common folk!" Granny Qin reminded her again.
Upon hearing this, the matchmaker Wu immediately slapped her forehead and quickly sat back down, saying to Jiang Ling, "Madam, please...please don't take offense!"
Jiang Ling has never liked class distinctions, neither before nor now. She smiled at the matchmaker and said, "You can call me Yaojie's mother or Jiang Shi, it's fine! There's no need to be so formal. I like your straightforward personality, elder sister!"
When Wu the matchmaker heard Jiang Ling's words, she was both surprised and delighted, and she nodded repeatedly.
In ancient times, marriage was not like it is today. Two people who were in love could simply take their household registration book and ID card, choose a date, and go to the civil affairs bureau to register.
Matchmaker Wu took a sip of water and began to explain the entire wedding process to Jiang Ling.
In ancient times, there were "six rites": 1. betrothal, 2. asking the name, 3. presenting auspicious gifts, 4. presenting betrothal gifts, 5. requesting good fortune, and 6. welcoming the bride.
The betrothal ceremony, or "Nacai," is the first of the "Six Rites." When a man wishes to marry a woman, his family sends a matchmaker to the woman's family to propose marriage, presenting gifts. If the woman agrees, the matchmaker then formally presents "Caicai gifts" to her family. After initial discussions, if the woman is interested, the man's family sends a matchmaker to formally propose marriage, bringing gifts.
The first item in the betrothal gift is a wild goose, followed by a sheep, fragrant herbs, and a deer, all chosen for their auspiciousness and to convey blessings. Other items used include glue, lacquer, acacia bells, mandarin ducks, and phoenixes to symbolize a harmonious marriage. Alternatively, the virtues and merits of various objects can be chosen to encourage and inspire the couple, such as reeds, selaginella, the relic beast, the blessed beast, fish, geese, and a woman with nine sons.
As Jiang Ling listened to Wu the matchmaker's endless explanation of the procedures, her head began to throb. She had always dreaded these tedious processes. But for her son's happiness, she endured it!
"Yaojie's mother, did you understand everything I said?" Wu the matchmaker cautiously probed after she finished speaking.
Jiang Ling nodded and then asked, "Where should I get these things?"
"Don't worry, Yaojie's mother, I'll help you prepare these things. In our village, as long as you let everyone know, they'll all help!" Granny Qin said to Jiang Ling, seeing through her thoughts.
Jiang Ling was overjoyed to hear this and quickly thanked Granny Qin. Granny Qin waved her hand and said, "Yaojie's mother, it's nothing. You've helped our Lu Family Village so much, this is what we should do!"
The matchmaker, Wu, was quite surprised by what she saw. She had always heard that Lu Family Village had a very good atmosphere, and seeing it today, she could confirm it was true. Now, Wu was even starting to consider whether she should marry her daughter off to Lu Family Village.
After "Nacai" comes "Wenming", which is when the matchmaker asks the woman for her name, age, and "Bazi" (birth date and time). Through divination and fortune telling, they can see if the man and woman are compatible or if there are any other reasons why they should not get married. "Wenming" is also called "Guo Xiaotie" or "He Bazi".
After "asking the name" comes "taking auspiciousness," where the groom's parents hand over their son's birth date and time to the matchmaker to deliver to the bride's family. This is called "passing the big letter" or "changing the phoenix book," also known as "the book of divination," which is somewhat similar to an engagement today.
After the explanation, Jiang Ling basically understood each step of the Six Rites.
She took out two pieces of silver from her purse and placed them in Wu the matchmaker's hand, saying, "Sister Wu, thank you for your help! I'll give you a big red envelope after Yaojie's wedding!"
When Wu the matchmaker saw the two pieces of silver in her hand, she couldn't stop smiling. In the village, a matchmaker would only get a hundred copper coins at most, and these two pieces of silver were the first she had ever seen in all her years of matchmaking.
"No problem, no problem, Yaojie's mother, don't worry, I guarantee I'll handle this perfectly!" Matchmaker Wu patted her chest and assured her.
Seeing Wu the matchmaker's expression, Granny Qin was afraid that her joy would turn to sorrow, so she quickly advised, "Sister Wu, Yaojie is going to marry a daughter of a merchant family. We can't do it like we country folk do!"
Matchmaker Wu nodded solemnly and said, "Sister-in-law, Yaojie's mother, don't worry! Matchmaker Wu's services are absolutely foolproof!"
The betrothal ceremony was temporarily concluded. Matchmaker Wu said that as long as everything was ready, she would take a group of people there.
These past few days, Jiang Ling's house has been quite lively. First, Zhao Erleng walked in carrying a wild goose. The goose was very energetic and kept flapping in Zhao Erleng's hands.
"Little sister, I heard Yaojie is getting married. I bought this goose from the tiger hunter in town! I brought it over especially for you!" Zhao Erleng said, placing the goose in Jiang Ling's hand.
Just as Jiang Ling was about to take out her money, Zhao Erleng stopped her immediately, saying sincerely, "Little sister, please don't give me any money. If you do, it will create distance!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
