Linxia

Chapter 153, Marriage

There are three major events in life: birth, death and marriage, two of which are joy and one of which is sorrow. If you do not remarry, then marriage is the last major joyous event in life.

Such a happy event was naturally grand. Fang Lin and Tian Xuan's wedding had actually started a long time ago and was proceeding according to the procedures.

In this era, the entire wedding process has a total of six procedures, namely, offering betrothal gifts, asking for the name, offering good luck, offering betrothal gifts, announcing the date, and welcoming the bride.

Nacai. The so-called Nacai actually means sending a matchmaker to test the woman's intentions to see if her family is willing to make this marriage happen. Daxia people attach great importance to etiquette. Usually, they will not visit each other empty-handed, let alone Nacai. When the matchmaker goes to test the woman's intentions, she will usually bring some gifts.

In the earliest times, according to Zhou Li, when offering betrothal gifts, one brought a wild goose, which meant "the wild goose conveys love". By the time of the Xia Dynasty, the extravagant trend had become more and more popular, and people thought that a wild goose was a bit shabby, so they began to bring jewelry, deer, sheep, etc. Of course, offering betrothal gifts was the first step, and it was still unknown whether it would be successful. Even the richest families would not let the matchmaker bring too many valuables.

After discussing with Master Ou, he decided to treat the Ou family as Tian Xuan's parents' home. Coincidentally, there was a trend of frugality in the city and the restoration of ancient customs, so he asked a matchmaker to bring a wild goose.

Because Fang Lin and Tian Xuan were in special circumstances and knew each other well, this procedure was just a formality. Madam Ou also routinely prepared a good meal, commonly known as "Thank Yun". It is impolite not to reciprocate, and it also symbolizes taking something back to show respect.

The second step is to ask for the name. Asking for the name does not mean asking your surname or name, but asking the matchmaker to go to the woman's home to ask for her name and birth date. The matchmaker writes down the woman's name and birth date, takes the Geng Tie, and gives it to the man to ask for divination to see if it is suitable.

Before taking the Geng Tie to divination, there are some rules. It will be placed at home for three days. There are also rules about where to place it. Generally, it should be placed under the incense burner of the Kitchen God on the stove to see if there will be any bad things happening within three days. If something bad happens, such as a bowl falling, a quilt falling to the ground, or a family member falling down for no reason, it means that the Kitchen God is hinting that this marriage is not suitable.

Fang's father and mother were very particular about this, and they were extremely careful within three days, so nothing went wrong, and everything went smoothly. Later, they took the Geng Tie to ask for divination. There were also some particularities in divination, not only looking at the birth date, but also the zodiac signs that could not conflict with each other. I don't know if the divination woman was deliberately saying nice things, saying that the two would have a good marriage and be a perfect match.

I have to mention here that in the early years of Daxia, the procedure of asking for the woman's name was relatively pure, and only asked about the woman's name and date of birth. But now it has changed a little bit, with more and more questions being asked, and the issues involved becoming more and more detailed. For example, the woman's family background, origin, property, character, physical condition, etc., all have to be asked about.

Physical condition and moral character are fine, but asking about family background, origin, and wealth is a bit mundane. The success or failure of a marriage is related to the amount of wealth and the status of the family. It is not appropriate to say, but this is the reality of the moment. In this situation, everyone has their own opinions. Some people think that marriage is realistic and it is necessary to pay attention to the matching of family backgrounds.

After the name-asking, the third process is the Naji. As the name suggests, the so-called Naji means to tell the woman the good news after the divination, saying that God has agreed that our marriage is a match made in heaven.

At this point, we have taken a step further and both parties have approved of the marriage.

After Naji, the next step is to offer the betrothal gift. This step is very important. In layman's terms, it is the offer of betrothal gifts, commonly known as the offer of a betrothal gift.

During the reign of Taizu of Daxia, life was relatively simple. Frugality was advocated from top to bottom and no one dared to be extravagant. Nowadays, the bride price is getting more and more generous and more and more realistic.

It was fine for the well-off families, as they could afford it, but it was hard for the common people. They were so eager to compete with each other that they were afraid of being outdone. So they spent all their money on jewels, gold, and silk... The betrothal gift was like a broken bone, and it would take years to recover. Similarly, the bride's dowry was also luxurious, and marrying off a daughter would mean losing all their life savings.

This procedure is very important and the Fang family also takes it very seriously, but they only do what they can afford, neither being shabby nor extravagant.

Prefect Pu also showed up that day and expressed his appreciation. He also advised the crowd: "This person should do as much as he can. An ordinary family has only so much wealth. Why does he have to compete with the rich? The Fang family is good enough!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people watching the ceremony naturally echoed them one after another - in fact, many people knew this truth, but they just couldn't bring themselves to do it, or they were swept up in the social trend and had no choice.

"Shopkeeper Fang has quite the style of the ancients!"

"Adhering to the ancient and simple ways is truly a role model for us!"

"The Fang family's move to respond to the frugal trend in the city is indeed noble and upright!"

……

To be honest, it was only because Fang Lin was famous for his "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and he opened a bookstore, and everyone knew that the Fang family was wealthy. Prefect Pu also personally certified it, so everything was kept simple, and that's why there were so many people praising him.

Before, it’s not that no one wanted to keep things simple, but if you had no status, no social position, and were a maverick, you would be met with ridicule and sarcasm. People would say that you couldn’t even afford to arrange your children’s weddings, which was embarrassing.

It can be said that the recent frugal trend in the city and Fang Lin's own reputation have made the betrothal in this marriage a benchmark. After that, people in the city no longer have to be so extravagant and suffer for the sake of face at this step when getting married. Countless families have benefited from it, and this marriage has also received the blessings of more people.

The next step is to ask for a date and choose the wedding date. At this time, fortune-telling is done again to select an auspicious day, and the matchmaker will send the gift book to the woman's home.

After the date is chosen, both the bride and groom will distribute gift cakes to their relatives and friends to inform them of the auspicious day for the wedding.

The gift cakes here are as big as plates. A child can eat one piece for several days. There are many white sesame seeds sprinkled on the front and a red mark in the middle, which looks very festive.

The current social atmosphere is extravagant, and wealthy families are not satisfied with just gift cakes. They also need to give gifts such as candies and preserves, and even money. The Fang family did not do anything fancy, and followed the ancient custom of just giving gift cakes.

As the procedures of offering betrothal gifts, asking for the name, offering good luck, accepting betrothal gifts and announcing the date passed, the joy of the wedding seemed to become stronger step by step. After looking forward to it day by day, the wedding was finally here.

As the most important step in the entire wedding process, the wedding is naturally very particular and its grandeur exceeds that of any of the previous processes.

On the day before the wedding, the bride's family will deliver her dowry, which will be neatly arranged in boxes, with the lids of the boxes opened one by one, with the meaning of "opening the boxes to get rich". In fact, it is just showing off the dowry. The richer the dowry, the more face the bride has.

Among them there is a pair of red chopsticks, which means "have a baby soon"; the groom's shoes are sewn by the bride stitch by stitch, and are placed in the bridal chamber together with the bride's shoes, which means "matching shoes" (harmony).

On this day, children are also required to sleep in bed, which is called "pressing the bed", and it means that the couple will have many children and grandchildren in the future.

Fang Lin and Tian Xuan were originally a family, and the betrothal gifts and dowry were just transferred from one hand to the other. Naturally, they would not spend too much money on superficial efforts, which would only arouse envy. It was just a formality to bring good luck in the process.

The wedding day.

In Xixiang Hutong, because of the good popularity of the Fang family, the neighbors celebrated by hanging red lanterns and pasting red paper on their doorsteps, creating a joyous scene.

By mid-morning, the alley was already packed with people, all of whom had come to attend Fang Lin's wedding, including shop assistants, alley dwellers, dock dwellers, and many Romance of the Three Kingdoms book fans in the city who came uninvited. The entire alley was jammed with people coming and going, comparable to a busy city.

Such popularity and lively scene add to the festive atmosphere.

"Why are there so many people here today? And why are there red lanterns and red paper hanging in every household in this alley?"

"Why else? Our shopkeeper has a great reputation and is popular with people!"

"This is really lively. Even the wedding of the most powerful officials in the city is no more lively than this."

……

However, this was just the beginning; the shock to the wedding guests had only just begun.

"Qinghuan Xiaoju, the two girls, Shi Wenjun and Gu Yuyan, have arrived!"

Shi Wenjun and Gu Yuyan had arrived. They were very famous in the city, and countless people stood on tiptoe to look at them, wanting to see what these two famous ladies in the city looked like.

Their moods varied, some were envious, some were sad, but they all offered their blessings and handed over gifts.

"Master Xu Kuo is here!"

Xu Kuo Lao had a high status at the dock, and when he brought his family over, it caused a lot of discussion, especially when he took out eighty-eight taels of silver as a gift, which made many people stare with wide eyes.

"Mr. Dong Zugao has arrived!"

A juren gentleman is even rarer. Needless to say, the neighbors in the alley and the workmates of Fang's father all look up to the Fang family.

"Mr. Fan from the Fan Mansion is here!" Fan Qingzeng came in person. In addition to congratulations, he also brought a thousand taels of silver as a gift. He made such a gesture because the perfume business has made a lot of money recently.

A thousand taels of silver, a thousand taels of real gold and silver! This shocked many guests and left them speechless for a long time.

When Magistrate Pu finally arrived and presided over the wedding personally, this great honor pushed the atmosphere to a climax.

Fang Lin received the guests, and when the auspicious time came, he set out from home, beating gongs and drums, to go to Master Ou's house to pick up the bride.

As the groom, he naturally wore a bright red robe and rode a tall horse. The crowd watching the fun consciously gave way and followed him.

"What a handsome groom!"

"Hey, I think Manager Fang's groom's official uniform is a replica, not the original. With the Fang family's financial resources, it shouldn't be difficult to get an authentic official uniform, right?"

"Of course it's not difficult. I'm afraid that Shopkeeper Fang did this on purpose. This is his character."

……

As the name suggests, the groom is allowed to wear the same official uniform on the wedding day, which means he can wear imitation official uniform on that day.

But human hearts are not easily satisfied. Nowadays, many grooms’ official uniforms are modeled after the original ones, or even more luxurious than the original ones.

Fang Lin, however, only wore imitation official uniforms, which could be considered as returning to the original origin.

Now let’s get back to the topic and talk about the wedding.

When Fang Lin came over on his tall horse, Tian Xuan of the Ou family had already finished dressing up, applying rouge and tying her hair. Needless to say, there was one last procedure to go through - facial massage.

The so-called face pinching is to pinch off the sweat hair on the face. A woman can only pinch it once in her life, which is equivalent to the coming-of-age ceremony for men to some extent.

The person who performs the face-twisting is usually a married woman, who must have her husband, children, and parents-in-law. None of the three can be missing. Sister Guihua, Su Xiaoqing, and others are not very suitable. Finally, the daughter-in-law of the Lu family in the alley took on the role. At this time, she held a thin hemp rope and sang while twisting Tian Xuan's face: "Play a line on the left to give birth to a precious son, play a line on the right to give birth to a good boy, play three lines on one side steadily, and your belly will give birth to a baby boy. Your eyebrows will be pulled into a crescent shape. You are the top scholar, the second place, and the third place. Congratulations to you today, and congratulations on becoming a bride..."

The lyrics are vulgar and auspicious.

Perhaps it may seem funny to others, but when Tian Xuan truly experienced this moment and immersed herself in this atmosphere, she felt it was extremely sacred and even almost shed tears.

Because after the face is pinched, it means getting married and becoming a wife from then on. It is a farewell to the past and the beginning of a new life.

What is different from others is that perhaps other brides would be secretly afraid in their anticipation because they are going to a strange place, and may even not know what the person they are going to marry looks like, and they are filled with worry. But Tian Xuan knows and is certain. At this moment, she is only happy, excited, and anticipating.

Boom boom boom!
The sound of drums outside was getting closer and closer, and louder and louder. The face-splitting was completed, and her face looked brand new. Tian Xuan's eyes involuntarily drifted out the window.

When Fang Lin arrived at the door of the Ou family, Magistrate Pu, as the master of ceremonies, opened his voice and said loudly: "The daughter of your noble family is getting married and will return to the Fang family. There is no more sadness. After the blessing, go out to meet the son-in-law outside the middle gate and bow to him!"

As soon as the shouting stopped, a man in the wedding procession walked out solemnly, holding a wild goose in his hand. When he arrived in front of the steps, Fang Linze said, "I have received orders from my father, and I will respectfully obey your orders with this auspicious ceremony."

Then the goose laying ceremony began.

Fang Lin holds the wild goose and pays homage to Mr. Ou and Mrs. Ou, who act as Tian Xuan's parents, to express his intention to marry her.

——The meaning of wild geese is very special and runs through the whole wedding. Because wild geese fly from south to north, following the yin and yang, and they are loyal by nature. If the other party is dead, they will never look for a mate in their lifetime. Giving wild geese as a gift is just to seek a determination to stay together from now on, for life after life.

Needless to say, Master Ou warned Fang Lin and Mrs. Ou gave Tian Xuan some advice.

After picking up Tian Xuan, the wedding procession returned to the Fang family with music and firecrackers.

When a bride enters the house, she is required to keep her feet off the ground. Therefore, Grandma Qiu and Grandma Man kept spreading sacks in front of them, chanting: "Pass the bag, pass the family line on, and each generation will be better than the previous one..."

Be it Granny Qiu whose face was burnt, or Granny Man who was usually sarcastic, at this moment, they were all extremely solemn, pious and serious.

Enter the door, step over the fire basin, go into the house, and worship heaven and earth.

"Worship heaven and earth!"

"Bow to parents twice!"

"Couple greetings!"

Fang Lin was pious and solemn. At this moment, he was so moved that he couldn't express it in words. Looking at Tian Xuan beside him, he had only one thought in his mind: "This is the person I will spend my life with! No matter rich or poor, we will never be separated in this life."

Because of a slight distraction, a small incident occurred. During the bowing, the two of them bumped into each other slightly and both sides laughed out loud.

After the three bows, they entered the bridal chamber. Inside the bridal chamber, there were three more rituals: drinking from the same prison, drinking from the same cup, and tying the hair.

Lao refers to livestock, such as cattle, pigs and sheep, which is called Tailao. When a couple eats food from the same bowl, it means the beginning of their married life.

Fang Lin lifted the red veil for Tian Xuan, symbolizing that they had eaten from the same bowl and completed their shared prison.

The next step is the wedding ceremony, commonly known as the drinking of the same cup.

The cup used for the wedding ceremony is not a wine glass, but a gourd, which is cut into two and each person holds one side. The gourd tastes bitter and when mixed with the wine, the wine also becomes bitter. They share the joys and sorrows together.

"Brother Lin, it's so bitter!" Tian Xuan couldn't help but stuck out her tongue and said with a bitter face.

Fang Lin looked at her and smiled: "Really? I feel so bitter too. Sister Xuan, there is one last step, tying the knot."

To tie the hair together means to tie the hair into a bun to show the eternal love.

The two had been together since childhood and had a tacit understanding. When they cut their hair at the same time and looked at them tied together, they felt a wonderful feeling in their hearts, as if their destinies were completely intertwined from then on.

After completing the three rituals, Fang Lin looked at Tian Xuan. Under the bright candlelight, Tian Xuan was wearing a phoenix crown and a bridal robe, and her beautiful face was as rosy as the clouds, beyond description.

"Sister Xuan, from now on, we are real husband and wife." Fang Lin looked at Tian Xuan, and everything that happened since the time travel flashed through his mind one by one. He couldn't help but hold her gently in his arms.

"Yes, we are a couple who will never leave each other, regardless of life or death, poverty or hardship." Tian Xuan pressed her cheek against Fang Lin's chest, feeling his strong heartbeat, and held Fang Lin's hand in return.

The two of them snuggled together, hearing the hustle and bustle of a banquet outside and the brilliant fireworks outside the window.

The green gauze tent was warm, the red candle was shedding tears, the night was filled with the dancing of fishes and dragons, and the wedding night just passed like that.

……

(End of this chapter)