Chapter 35: Rural Marriage Customs
The next day, the bride, Guan Yongying, woke up at dawn.
In this era, rural brides only needed to comb their hair and change their clothes, unlike brides in later generations who had to wake up in the middle of the night to put on makeup, a process that could take several hours.
After washing up and changing into her red wedding dress, Guan Yongying took out twenty yuan, placed it on the stool of the dressing table, covered it with two towels, and then sat down on the towels.
According to the customs of the time, when the bride stood up, her younger brother would sit on the stool she had occupied. The money placed on the stool would belong to her brother. There was no fixed amount, usually around ten or eight yuan. Guan Yongying's decision to place twenty yuan showed how much she loved her younger brother.
As for the item used to cover the money, it could be a towel, cloth, or something else. Whatever it was, it would also belong to her brother.
The women who helped the bride comb her hair and prepare her for the wedding had to be those with "good fortune." In rural areas, good fortune meant that both parents of the couple were healthy, the couple lived in harmony, and their first child was a son.
After Guan Yongying finished combing her hair, her mother brought her a bowl of rice topped with vegetables and a chicken leg.
The chicken leg was a must.
In the family, chicken legs were usually reserved for the children. When a bride ate a bite of the chicken leg before her wedding, it symbolized her farewell to the role of a "child." In the eyes of her parents, no matter how old a woman was, as long as she remained unmarried and in her parents' home, she was still considered a child.
"Aying, try to eat more. Otherwise, when you get to your husband's house, you'll be too busy to eat, and you'll go hungry," Guan's mother said, her eyes slightly red. This was the first time she was marrying off her daughter, and the thought of her well-behaved and sensible daughter becoming part of another family made her heart ache.
Guan Yongying felt the same sadness. She had so much she wanted to say to her mother, but the words stuck in her throat. All she could manage was a sob before taking the bowl from her mother and starting to eat.
However, as soon as she took a bite, tears began to flow uncontrollably.
"Mom…"
"Aying…"
Guan's mother had been trying hard not to cry, but now that her daughter had spoken, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
According to the marriage customs of the Double Prosperity area, the bride had to be brought home before noon. Delaying beyond this time was considered unlucky.
Therefore, for those marrying from far away in later generations, it was common to pick up the bride in the middle of the night. For those marrying across cities or even provinces, the bride had to arrive in the groom's city a day in advance to ensure she made it on time.
Thatchfield Village and Deepwater Village were not far apart, with less than half an hour's walk between them. Therefore, it was fine to leave home a little later, as they would definitely arrive by the auspicious time.
Of course, the exact time and date for the bride to leave the house had already been determined by the family's fortune teller. They just needed to leave on time when the auspicious moment arrived.
Around eight or nine in the morning, the girl's family began the banquet.
In the room, Guan Yongying and her mother cried for a while before their emotions settled.
Guan's mother advised, "Aying, the auspicious time is coming soon. You should eat something quickly. Otherwise, you'll go hungry and suffer."
Guan Yongying shook her head and said, "Mom, I can't eat. I have no appetite."
Guan's mother handed the bowl and chopsticks to her daughter again and said, "Eat even if you can't. When you get to your husband's house later, there won't be time for you to eat. You'll be busy with this and that. When the guests are eating, you'll have to serve tea. You can only eat after the guests leave. So if you don't eat something now, your stomach will suffer later."
Guan Yongying reluctantly took the bowl and chopsticks and said, "Okay, then I'll eat something."
After forcing herself to eat half a bowl of rice and half a chicken leg, her brother, Guan Yongsong, walked in and said, "Sister, the auspicious time has come. You need to go and pay respects to our ancestors."
Guan Yongying nodded and stood up.
Guan Yongsong then sat down on the stool. After his sister left, he stood up, removed the towel, and saw the two big bills. He felt both happy and sad. The sister who had grown up with him was getting married, and as her younger brother, he was naturally reluctant to let her go.
But as the saying goes, "Men should marry when they are of age, and women should marry when they are of age." This day was bound to come eventually.
In later generations, the groom would go to the bride's house to pick her up. However, in this era, the groom did not go to the bride's house. Instead, the bride was escorted to a certain place by the wedding party, and then the groom and his party would go to pick her up.
Therefore, when paying respects to the ancestors, only the bride was present, not the groom.
Firecrackers were a must during the ancestral worship.
After paying her respects, Guan Yongying knelt down to bow to her parents. It was time for her to leave her mother's home.
At this moment, Guan Yongying couldn't help but cry out loud. Her father and mother were also in tears. Her siblings, who were reluctant to see their sister leave, also cried. The whole family was weeping!
Influenced by this atmosphere, some relatives also began to cry.
Seeing the mood becoming too somber, Deng Shirong comforted them, "Today is Yongying's big day. Everyone should be happy. After all, the wedding isn't far away. From here to Double Prosperity Market, you have to pass through our Thatchfield Village. You can see each other every market day. There's no need to be so sad."
Other relatives also chimed in, "That's right. Marrying someone nearby means you can see each other whenever you want. It's much better than marrying someone far away and only seeing them a few times a year."
With the matchmaker and relatives comforting them, the crying gradually subsided. The auspicious time had arrived, and the bride left the house accompanied by the matchmaker and the wedding party.
According to local customs, firecrackers were not set off when the bride left, and aunts were not allowed to be part of the wedding party. The word for "aunt" in Chinese sounded similar to "lonely," which was considered unlucky.
In this era, brides did not leave in sedan chairs like before the Republic of China, nor did they leave in cars like in later generations. Most brides simply walked, and very few had the privilege of leaving on a bicycle.
To get from Deepwater Village to Thatchfield Village, one had to pass through Jimapo, Shanying, and Pologen. There was a small river between Shanying and Pologen. When Guan Yongying and her party arrived at the river, they stopped.
In later times, when the groom went to the bride's house to pick her up, he had to give a certain amount of red envelopes before he could take her away. Now, although the groom didn't go to the bride's house, he still had to give red envelopes when picking her up halfway.
Since they didn't know where the bride would stop, the groom sent someone out early to wait. When they saw the bride stop by the creek, they quickly went back to inform the groom.
The groom then took the red envelopes and went to pick up the bride with his wedding party.