National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1260 Just the beginning

But then again, even in private, Ning Weimin's hidden thoughts made him laugh.

But he also had to admit that the entire wedding ceremony before the gods was still very sacred.

The majestic main hall seems to come from an ancient scripture hall, as do the deep side rooms and various small scenes that can be seen everywhere in temples.

In this environment that seemed to have lost the shackles of time and space, the sound of drums from the shrine began.

Then the priests and priestesses led the way.

Then came the bride and groom, relatives from both sides, teachers, friends...all entered the hall in order.

Everyone in this group walked forward slowly, immersed in a new mood, no one smiled, and everyone looked solemn.

Especially Qingzi's father Han Yingming, his expression was solemn as if he really wanted to spend his whole life protecting the newlyweds from wind and rain.

This inevitably makes us feel a little unfamiliar as we are used to the lively and casual weddings in China.

At this moment, Ning Weimin's greatest personal feeling was that he felt in a trance that he was not in an island country in the East China Sea, but in the remote ancient temple of the Tang Dynasty.

  He couldn't help but think silently in his heart that the origin of Japanese etiquette should be our Han and Tang dynasties, but where is the trace of the Han and Tang dynasties in our Chinese weddings today?

Compared to the past, is it that today we have too many wedding night pranks and jokes, but have forgotten to have a sense of solemnity?

When the ceremony officially begins, the relatives and friends of the newlyweds will sit on both sides of the main hall of the shrine. The majestic main hall of the shrine is a national treasure building of Japan.

The first ceremony of the wedding is "Purifying the Heart".

The priest took a "purification" made of white paper and gently brushed it back and forth on the heads of the bride and groom several times to clear away their distracting thoughts and concentrate on serving the gods.

Next, the bride and groom bow to the gods, and then a ceremony is held to offer rice and sake to the gods.

It is worth mentioning here that there are no statues of gods in Japanese shrines.

Therefore, the Japanese gods are just ethereal existences and everything depends on your imagination.

After the above ceremony, the priest who presided over the wedding read aloud a "notice" to the gods, telling the newlyweds that the wedding was being held here today and praying that the gods would bless them with eternal love.

Next, the witches will serve wine to the newlyweds, and then the couple will drink from the cup, symbolizing that they are officially married as husband and wife.

But the Japanese wedding wine is not something you can just drink casually.

Because of its great significance and complicated etiquette, the drinking ceremony during Japanese weddings has a special name, called the "339-degree" drinking ceremony.

The bride holds a shallow red wine glass and takes a sip first, then the groom drinks, and then the bride takes the last sip.

And the newlyweds have to drink three cups in a row, alternating like this, to symbolize that this marriage is a perfect match between heaven, earth and man. Exchanging cups nine times means living together till old age and forever.

After drinking the wedding wine, the bride and groom read the marriage vows together, promising before God that they will share the joys and sorrows and spend their lives together.

Next, the newlyweds exchange wedding rings and offer "tamakushi" to the gods, which are leaves of sacred trees tied with white purgatory.

Finally, the witch served wine to the relatives and friends on both sides. After all the relatives and friends who watched the ceremony today drank this glass of wine, it meant that the two families officially became relatives from then on.

At this time, the bride will kneel on the ground, bend three fingers to the ground - representing herself, her husband and future children - and pay her respects to her parents.

And although this is not the climax of the ceremony, it often makes the guests watching the ceremony emotional.

The same was true of Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko's wedding.

When Matsumoto Keiko bowed to her parents, she said, "I can never repay you for raising me. Please take care of your health."

Not to mention that Han Yingming and Han Changzi had wet eyes and couldn't help but take out their handkerchiefs to wipe their eyes, many guests at the scene also had hazy eyes.

Even Ning Weimin, an orphan who had never experienced the warmth of a family, could empathize and secretly resolve to be a good father in the future.

What do people actually want in life?

It's just to show good intentions.

The most essential foundation of good character is the perfection of family, friendship and love.

People who only value money and not feelings are putting the cart before the horse, and of course there is no way they can be happy.

The last part of the wedding ceremony is to walk out of the main hall, face the sacred sea torii - a thing similar to the large mountain gate of Chinese temples, and watch the "Dragon King Divine Dance" performed by the chief priests on the open-air stage, while the chief priests play elegant music live.

After watching the "Dragon King's Divine Dance" which is like a divine dance, the entire wedding ceremony is officially over.

As for this wedding, the guests today generally said, "The ceremony and atmosphere of the wedding were so sacred that it made people dare not even breathe."

Teresa Teng even said, "This is my first time attending a traditional Japanese wedding. It is such a wonderful experience. Although the gods cannot be seen, it feels so solemn."

It can be said that the congratulatory speech by Shochiku Film President Sakomoto can best express the guests' true feelings among all the congratulatory speeches.

"These two young people are so well-matched. Their union is really something that people can't help but envy. They are both so outstanding and lucky. They found each other at the best age and became life partners. This kind of beauty can only be said to be too unfair in the world. I wish the two young people to take good care of themselves in the future, and live happily forever with each other's support and care. Don't let us all down."

…………

The traditional Japanese wedding process is very complicated, but the traditional Japanese wedding banquet is very simple.

Although in traditional Japanese wedding banquets, each food on the table represents a good wish or represents happiness, wealth, or means longevity, many children, etc., which is the same as the Chinese wedding customs.

But the dishes are relatively simple, consisting of shrimp, black beans, and sea grapes, which symbolize many children and longevity.

Also, the fish head and tail are rolled up, and the whole fish forms a circle, symbolizing that the couple will never be separated.

Lobsters are also common at wedding banquets because their deep red color represents good luck.

As for dessert, people usually choose to serve guests glutinous rice balls made of sweet glutinous rice.

The ingredients are very fresh, and are mostly local specialties from around the island.

But the cooking and eating time is very short, only about an hour is enough.

The return flight was scheduled for the evening. Keiko Matsumoto purchased first-class seats for the guests attending the wedding and also arranged for pick-up vehicles.

So after the meal, everyone has two or three hours of free time to wander around Miyajima.

Older people and younger people certainly have different interests.

Older people either go to coffee shops or visit the Red Leaf Park or the island’s Folk Museum.

Besides strolling around the commercial street, young people also go to the island's yacht marina for fun.

Only Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko wanted to get some quiet time, so after Matsumoto Keiko removed her makeup, the two secretly ran to a remote beach to hang out.

The weather was good that day, with the sun shining brightly overhead and many clouds in the blue sky. They took off their shoes and walked barefoot on the beach, which was sometimes bright and sometimes mottled.

And here, they can hold hands, hug and kiss without restraint, without caring about other people's eyes. Of course, the most important thing is to say sweet words.

"Amin, what are you thinking about now?"

"I was thinking that the whole process of a shrine wedding banquet is really exhausting. Does it help maintain the stability of the marriage? After all, most people probably can't stand this kind of ordeal again..."

"What? No way, at this moment, you are actually thinking..."

"Haha, I was just kidding. I was actually thinking about our first official date. At that time, we also came to the beach. Do you remember?"

"Well, of course. That day I said I wanted to watch the sunset, so you took me to Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. But that time we didn't take off our shoes. We just watched the sea, felt the breeze, and watched the sunset..."

"You also gave me a watch. Here, this is the one I'm wearing now..."

"You also gave me this bracelet. Look, I'm wearing it too..."

"That's great. I didn't expect that we would be married in just two years."

"Ah, why do you sound so helpless? Are you regretting it?"

"No way. I'm just congratulating myself on my luck."

"Amin, do you really not regret marrying me?"

"I don't know how many times I've asked this question."

Ning Weimin looked at Qingzi in his arms helplessly, "Didn't I say it before? I will never regret it."

Qingzi smiled at him in the bright sunshine, revealing her white teeth. Her skin seemed to be glowing. She looked charming and holy.

"I'm sorry, even though we have finally reached this point, I still feel like I'm dreaming. I can't believe this is really happening. Maybe I'm just too useless."

When she said this, Ning Weimin couldn't help but increase the strength of his arms around her.

Because his heart was deeply touched and filled with warmth.

Yes, his relationship with Keiko Matsumoto was full of drama from beginning to end and it really wasn't that real.

At the very beginning, Qingzi fell in love with him almost at first sight and tried desperately to get close to him.

However, he didn't care much about Qingzi's feelings. He just thought it was fun and exciting. He was keen on gaining more trust from the female star so that he could get closer to her step by step. He even felt a little proud.

He initially treated their relationship as a game similar to the movie "Notting Hill", and even deliberately concealed his true personal financial situation for a long time.

But everything has been completely different since he fell ill on New Year's Day last year and received careful care from Keiko Matsumoto.

His personal emotions took a 180-degree turn.

It was not until then that he suddenly realized how deep and sincere Matsumoto Keiko's feelings for him were.

His obsession with Keiko Matsumoto was not just lustful, but a real emotional need from the bottom of his heart.

Later, when Keiko Matsumoto's personal career encountered a major crisis.

He found that this woman, who couldn't even protect herself, was still thinking about him.

She even loved him to the point of giving up her dignity.

He became more aware that there would probably be no other woman in this world who would treat him better than Qingzi.

  Is it better to marry someone who loves you or someone you love?

This might be a difficult choice for most people, but it is definitely not for him.

Since we are lucky enough to encounter such love, we must not miss it.

Finally, today, at this moment, they came together.

You know, love can change people, and they will undoubtedly become better people because they love each other.

"Don't say that." Ning Weimin said affectionately, "Love often needs to be tempered. We have been through a lot together and are destined to be a natural couple. And I will return your love for me double, I promise you..."

He stopped talking halfway through.

This was not only because Qingzi suddenly turned around and covered his mouth, but also hugged him suddenly.

It was also because Qingzi leaned her head against his chest and murmured, "Amin, today I finally have you. I felt that this road was too difficult, and I thought I could not finish it. But now I have finally finished it. I have no regrets in my life anymore, it's great."

Ning Weimin found that Matsumoto Keiko's tears wet his chest.

But he did not stop her from crying.

Because at this moment, he also felt like he was about to cry and was about to explode.

"No, our journey is not over yet. Marriage is not the end, but just the beginning, and we still have to move forward. Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, we will move forward, and even hold our children together. I want you to know that from now on, you and our future children are the most precious things in my life. More important than anything else. I don't know how my career will be in the future. I don't care much about how much money I can make. But I know very well that first of all I should strive to be a good husband and a good father. Provide you with the best, safest and happiest life. This is the greatest meaning of my life in the future, and it is also the most important responsibility of my second half of life. Qingzi, I don't know how to say love words. The most romantic thing I can think of is to grow old with you. Until we are too old to go anywhere. I still regard you as the treasure in my hand..."

Ning Weimin is definitely a model of someone who can apply what he has learned. Before he knew it, he had spoken the last few sentences of his confession in Chinese, even using the lyrics of the song.

Although this is a traditional Japanese wedding in front of a god, using this song as the BGM is totally inappropriate, but a classic love song is a classic love song.

This song will become the background music for almost every wedding in China in the future. The lyrics absolutely express the desires of lovers all over the world.

It can be said to be the most simple, popular and straightforward poetry that touches people's hearts.

To those who heard these words for the first time, it was naturally a bombardment with enormous power.

Especially the last sentence, Ning Weimin almost sang it.

After all, he is too familiar with this tune, and it is not easy for him to recite the lines properly.

As a result, it turned out to be an accidental result that produced excellent results.

He actually made Qingzi mistakenly believe that he was too excited and was expressing his true feelings, which led to his distorted voice and choking sobs.

So Qingzi couldn't help but feel moved by his amazing talent.

I was even more excited that I had found a good match for myself.

They stood in the sun-filled sea, hugging each other tightly, unable to part.

The two people were immersed in an extremely excited and happy mood.

No one can remember how many times they kissed each other.