Chapter 26: Got the Certificate
At Deng Yunjin's home, Deng Shirong took out a bag of candies and biscuits from the carton, then handed five yuan to Deng Changmei's sister-in-law, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is a gift from the groom's family."
The sister-in-law accepted the money and candies with surprise, praising, "As expected, three generations of carpenters—this family is very generous."
She was well aware of the unspoken rules of matchmaking. Normally, if the groom's family liked the bride, they would give a bag of candies and a red envelope of one or two yuan to those accompanying the bride. But the Zhang family had not only treated them to a meal at a state-run restaurant but also given her a red envelope of five yuan. This was indeed very generous.
Deng Shirong smiled. As the matchmaker, he naturally felt proud when the groom's family was generous. It reflected well on him and the bride's family.
"This is the red envelope for A-Mei. There's also a bag of candies and a five-flavor snack in the carton," Deng Shirong said, taking out a ten-yuan note and patting the carton.
Deng Changmei accepted the money, feeling satisfied with the groom's family's generosity. In the entire Thatchfield Village, no one had ever received a ten-yuan red envelope just for an introduction. It was clear that the family Deng Shirong had introduced was indeed a good one.
Deng Yunjin and his wife, along with their other sons and daughters-in-law, were also impressed by the Zhang family's generosity.
Ten yuan in this era was equivalent to two thousand yuan in later generations. For example, a laborer in Deng Shirong's tile factory could only earn one yuan and fifty cents after a full day of hard work. Many people in the village were eager for such work.
In later generations, earning 300 yuan a day for such labor wouldn't be unreasonable. So, ten yuan now was like two thousand yuan in the future.
Thinking about modern-day blind dates, where the groom might give the bride a red envelope of two thousand yuan and the matchmaker and others one thousand yuan each, this was already quite generous in rural areas. Few families could afford such expenses.
So, when Deng Shirong asked Deng Yunjin and his wife for their opinions, they both said that as long as their daughter was happy, they had no objections.
Deng Shirong, who knew how things would unfold, smiled and said, "Since you all have no objections, let's talk about the bride price."
Once the families agreed to the match, the next step was to discuss the bride price, which was a standard part of the process.
Deng Yunjin didn't hesitate and directly stated the conditions he and his wife had discussed: "For the bride price, we want 300 yuan, 500 kilograms of grain, several sets of clothes for A-Mei, and a bicycle. These are our basic requirements."
Deng Shirong nodded. These conditions weren't excessive. In rural areas at that time, a bride price of two to three hundred yuan was standard, and three to five hundred kilograms of grain was also normal. The request for clothes was a given, and items like sewing machines or bicycles were often requested for the bride's use after marriage.
As Deng Yunjin finished speaking, his wife added, "Uncle Jiu, the production team is busy dividing the land now. Our daughter A-Mei must receive her share of the land before getting married. We need to make this clear to the groom's family."
"Understood. I'll explain this to the groom's family," Deng Shirong said, taking a puff from his hookah. "We can register the marriage after A-Mei gets her land, but we can arrange for the house visit first."
Deng Yunjin nodded. "As long as the groom's family has no objections, Uncle Jiu can handle the house visit."
Deng Changmei listened attentively as her parents discussed her marriage with Deng Shirong. They had only met the groom that morning, and now, just half a day later, they were already discussing the bride price and preparing for the house visit. The speed of the process made her nervous.
Fortunately, her parents wanted her to wait until she received her share of the land before marrying, so there would be a buffer period, and she wouldn't have to rush into marriage.
After smoking two cigarettes, Deng Shirong stood up and said, "That's it for now. Tomorrow, I'll explain your requirements to the groom's family. If they have no objections, we can set a date for the house visit."
Pine Mountain Commune
Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying smoothly obtained their marriage certificate.
In this era, the legal age for marriage was 20 years old for men and 18 years old for women. It wasn't until the new marriage law was released in September of this year that the legal age for marriage became 22 years old for men and 20 years old for women.
After getting the marriage certificate, the two became legal husband and wife.
However, rural people at this time were still relatively conservative in their thinking. Although Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying were now a legally recognized couple, the way they interacted with each other remained much the same as before, and they dared not show too much intimacy.
The main reason was that people in rural areas didn't place much value on the marriage certificate itself. They believed that a couple only truly became husband and wife after the wedding ceremony.
Therefore, even though Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying had obtained their marriage certificate, Guan Yongying would not move into Deng Changfu's house. They would only live together after the wedding banquet.
"Yongying, I just saw someone selling malt sugar over there. Do you want some?" Deng Changfu asked, carefully holding the marriage certificate.
Malt sugar was a childhood memory for many people. Guan Yongying was also tempted, so she nodded and said, "Sure, let's buy some and try it!"
Next, the two went to buy some malt sugar and then continued shopping at Pine Mountain Market.
Transportation was inconvenient in those days, and it was a rare opportunity to visit Pine Mountain Market, so Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying naturally wanted to take their time and look around.
Although Pine Mountain Market wasn't as large as Dragon Lake Market, the number of people visiting during each market day was eight or nine times greater than that of Double Prosperity Market. As a result, the market area was quite large, and there were more vendors doing business on market days.
As they walked around, they caught a strong aroma of garlic.
Deng Changfu looked over and saw someone selling Gai Zao (a dish cooked in a winnowing basket, one of the most famous snacks in Bobai County). This delicacy was incredibly tasty, but it was usually only available around the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Having not eaten it for a long time, Deng Changfu felt a sudden craving and glanced at Guan Yongying beside him.
At that very moment, Guan Yongying also turned to look at him.
Their thoughts were perfectly in sync, and without a word, they both walked toward the stall selling Gai Zao.
(End of this chapter)