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Chapter 100: Zhang Xiuping's Wedding Day
Chapter 100: Zhang Xiuping's Wedding Day
Thursday, November 12, Gengshen Year
Zhang Family, Poxin Village
Zhang Xiuping woke up early on this day. After washing and changing into her red wedding dress, she took out twenty yuan and placed it on a stool, then covered it with a piece of cloth and sat on it. According to tradition, this money and cloth were meant for her younger brother.
The woman who was helping Zhang Xiuping with her hair was the most blessed in the village. As she combed Zhang Xiuping’s hair, she recited auspicious words, a task she had performed many times before. Being a woman with both parents alive, a harmonious marriage, and multiple sons, she was always invited to help with such occasions to ensure good fortune.
Once Zhang Xiuping’s hair was done, her mother came in to talk with her daughter.
Looking at her beautiful and spirited daughter, Zhang’s mother said with a mix of pride and sadness, “Xiuping, you’ve always been a sensible child, the most obedient in my heart. It’s a pity that your father and I couldn’t provide you with more education. We only managed to send you to a few years of primary school.”
Hearing this, Zhang Xiuping quickly took her mother’s hand and said, “Mom, please don’t say that. The fact that you and Dad sent me to school for a few years, allowing me to learn to read, is something I will always be grateful for. Many girls in the village can’t even recognize a single character.”
Zhang’s mother smiled and replied, “When we first sent you to school, your grandmother scolded us for wasting money. But it turned out to be the right decision. If you couldn’t read, no matter how beautiful you were, the Deng family might not have looked at you favorably. You wouldn’t have married into such a good family!”
Zhang Xiuping nodded in agreement. “That’s true. If I couldn’t read, they might not have considered me. I’m also grateful that you and Dad didn’t rush me into marriage. When the matchmaker came, the groom’s family offered a high dowry. If you hadn’t insisted, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Zhang’s mother sighed. “I’m glad you don’t blame us. At the time, your father and I had no choice. We had already spent all our savings on your two sisters’ weddings. We couldn’t afford to help your younger brothers find wives, so we had to rely on your dowry.
Thankfully, our persistence paid off. Otherwise, we would have let you down.”
Hearing her mother’s words, Zhang Xiuping felt a mix of relief and gratitude. While she hadn’t opposed her parents’ decision at the time, she hadn’t been entirely comfortable with it either. The high dowry her family had demanded meant she would start her new life with a disadvantage, lacking the confidence to speak up in difficult situations.
But she was fortunate to have met the Deng family. They not only had a good reputation but genuinely liked her. They didn’t care about the dowry and even offered her family an additional 380 yuan as a dowry gift, which showed great respect for her.
Without that extra 380 yuan, her parents would have only given her a few dozen yuan as a dowry. In a family like the Dengs, showing such a small amount would have been embarrassing for both her and her new in-laws.
After chatting for a while, Zhang’s mother brought in a bowl of rice with a chicken leg on top.
“Xiuping, today is your wedding day. Once you’re at your new home, you’ll be very busy and won’t have much time to eat. So, eat as much as you can now, so you won’t go hungry later,” her mother said.
Zhang Xiuping had heard from her mother about the wedding traditions. Seeing the chicken leg on her bowl, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness. The realization that she was about to leave her past behind hit her hard.
From now on, she would no longer be the Zhang family's daughter but the Deng family's daughter-in-law.
Once she stepped out of this house and returned, it would no longer be her home, and her identity would shift to that of a guest.
Thinking about this, Zhang Xiuping’s eyes welled up with tears. She took the bowl and chopsticks, and softly said, "Mom, I don’t want to leave you!"
While most parents feel a deep sense of loss when their daughter marries, Zhang’s mother had been quite happy today because her daughter was marrying into such a good family. However, her daughter’s simple words struck a chord deep in her heart.
The thought that her obedient and sensible daughter would now be someone else’s daughter-in-law, and that she might not see her for a long time, made Zhang’s mother’s heart ache.
"Xiuping, I don’t want to let you go either!"
As they spoke, both mother and daughter couldn’t hold back their tears.
After a while, Zhang’s mother composed herself and said, "Alright, today is your big day. You should be happy. And since you’re marrying into such a good family, I’m happy too. Your in-laws have a bicycle, so whenever you miss us, you can ride over to visit."
Zhang Xiuping wiped away her tears and nodded. "Today should be a happy day. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll come back to visit often."
"Let’s not talk about this anymore. You should eat quickly, or the food will get cold."
"Okay!"
...
Thanks to the generous amount of pork and poultry sent by the groom’s family, the Zhang family’s wedding feast was quite lavish. Once everyone had finished eating, it was time for the bride to leave.
In the room, Zhang Xiuping, supported by two experienced women, stood up, and her younger brother, Zhang Shoujun, took her seat.
Only after his sister had left did Zhang Shoujun gather the cloth and the twenty yuan from under his seat, hand them to his mother, and then help his brothers carry her dowry. According to local customs in Bobai, a bride’s dowry was typically carried by her brothers.
Zhang Xiuping’s dowry was quite extensive, including various fabrics, scissors, rulers, umbrellas, thermoses, teapots, buckets, cups, washbasins, toothbrushes, towels, quilts, and pillows—essentially everything one might need for daily life. Most of these items were gifts from relatives and friends.
As the saying goes, "A beautiful sedan chair is carried by people."
If Zhang Xiuping were marrying into an ordinary family, her dowry would have been much less, and the gifts from relatives and friends would not have been as generous. However, since she was marrying into the Deng family, one of the wealthiest in the rural area, the gifts were naturally more valuable.
Today, everyone who was supposed to accompany her on her journey was present, except for her aunt. It wasn’t that her aunt didn’t want to come; according to local customs in Bobai, aunts and cousins were not suitable for accompanying the bride, as the word "aunt" sounded like "lonely" and "cousin" like "left behind," both of which were considered unlucky.
Seeing her daughter’s departing figure, Zhang Zhenfa felt a lump in his throat.
Even in Bobai, where the preference for sons over daughters was prevalent, the only daughter leaving home always brought a sense of loss to parents.
Although Zhang Zhenfa didn’t hide and cry like some fathers in later times, seeing his daughter’s figure gradually disappear brought tears to his eyes.
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(End of Chapter)
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