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Chapter 26: The Marriage License
Chapter 26: The Marriage License
The Deng family home.
Deng Shirong took a packet of sweets and cookies from a cardboard box and handed over five yuan to his sister-in-law, Deng Changmei, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is what the groom's family has sent for you."
The sister-in-law was pleasantly surprised as she took the five yuan and the sweets, exclaiming, "No wonder three generations of your family are carpenters; you really know how to be generous!"
She was well aware of the unwritten rules of matchmaking. Typically, if the groom's family was interested in the bride, everyone who accompanied the bride would receive a packet of sweets and cookies, and a red envelope with one or two yuan.
However, the Zhang family not only treated them to a meal at a state-owned restaurant but also gave her a red envelope with five yuan. This was indeed very generous.
Deng Shirong smiled. As a matchmaker, when the groom's family was generous, it reflected well on him, proving that the man he had introduced was as excellent as he had claimed.
"This is the red envelope for Mei, and there's another packet of sweets and cookies in the box, along with a pack of Five Flavors cigarettes," Deng Shirong said as he took out another large note and patted the cardboard box.
Deng Changmei took the large note from Old Nine, feeling satisfied with the groom's family's generosity. Finding a red envelope with ten yuan for a first meeting was rare in Naye Village; this confirmed that Old Nine had indeed introduced a good match.
Deng Yunjin and his wife, along with their other sons and daughters-in-law, watched from the side, all impressed by the Zhang family's generosity. In today's terms, ten yuan was equivalent to two thousand yuan in the future. To put it in perspective, a laborer at Deng Shirong's brick factory earned only one and a half yuan for a full day of carrying mud from morning till night.
Even such a hard job had many villagers vying for it. In the future, doing such grueling work for a day would earn you at least three hundred yuan. Ten yuan, which would take a laborer more than six days to earn, would be equivalent to two thousand yuan in the future.
Thinking about the future, where a first meeting red envelope could be as high as two thousand yuan, with one thousand yuan each for the matchmaker and the bride's family, it was indeed very generous. Not many families could afford such a gesture.
So, when Deng Shirong asked Deng Yunjin and his wife for their opinion, they both said they had no objections as long as their daughter was happy.
Deng Shirong, understanding the situation, smiled and said, "Since there are no objections, let's discuss the dowry."
Once the bride agreed to have a meal with the groom, the next step was to discuss the dowry, which was a well-known process.
Deng Yunjin didn't shy away from the topic and directly stated the conditions he and his wife had already discussed: "For the dowry, we want three hundred yuan, five hundred kilograms of grain, a few sets of clothes for Mei, and a bicycle. That's all we require."
Deng Shirong nodded, finding the conditions reasonable. In this era, a dowry of two to three hundred yuan was standard, and five hundred kilograms of grain was also normal. The few sets of clothes were a must.
As for the sewing machine or bicycle, some families might not ask for them, but others would. However, it was important to note that these items were not for the bride's family but for the bride to use after the marriage.
Just as Deng Yunjin finished speaking, his wife added, "Uncle Jiu, the production team is currently busy dividing the farmland. Our Ah Mei will definitely want to receive her share of the land before she gets married. This needs to be made clear to the groom’s family first."
"Alright, I understand. I’ll make sure to tell the groom’s family," Uncle Jiu replied.
Deng Shirong picked up the water pipe and said, "We can wait until Ah Mei receives her land before we register the marriage, but we can arrange the visit to inspect the family lineage beforehand."
Deng Yunjin nodded. "As long as the groom’s family has no objections, Uncle Jiu, you can arrange the visit to inspect the family lineage."
Deng Changmei had been listening intently to her parents and Uncle Jiu discuss her marriage. She had only met the prospective groom this morning, and now, just half a day later, they were already discussing the dowry and the visit to inspect the family lineage. The speed of it all made her heart race.
Fortunately, from what she heard, they planned to wait until she received her land before the marriage. This would give her a longer buffer period, so she wouldn’t have to rush into it.
Deng Shirong smoked two pipes before putting the water pipe aside and standing up. "That’s settled then. I’ll inform the groom’s family of your requirements tomorrow. If they have no objections, we can set a date for the visit to inspect the family lineage."
...
Songshan Commune.
Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying smoothly obtained their marriage certificate.
In this era, the legal marriage age was twenty years for men and eighteen for women. It wouldn’t be until September of this year that the new marriage law would raise the legal age to twenty-two for men and twenty for women.
With the marriage certificate in hand, they were now legally married.
However, the rural mindset was still quite conservative. Even though they were legally married, their interactions remained much the same as before, with no significant displays of affection.
Mostly, the rural folks didn’t place much importance on the piece of paper. They generally believed that a couple was truly married only after the wedding banquet.
Therefore, even with the marriage certificate, Guan Yongying wouldn’t move in with Deng Changfu until after the wedding banquet.
"Yongying, I just saw someone selling maltose candy. Would you like some?" Deng Changfu carefully put away the marriage certificate and asked.
Maltose candy was a childhood favorite for many, and Guan Yongying was a bit tempted. She nodded. "Sure, let’s get some to try!"
They then bought a portion of maltose candy and continued to explore Songshan Market.
Transportation was limited in those days, so it was a rare treat to visit Songshan Market. Naturally, Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying took their time browsing.
Although Songshan Market wasn’t as large as Longtan Market, it still attracted many more people than Shuangwang Market during each market day, making it a bustling place with a wide variety of vendors.
As they wandered, they caught a whiff of a rich garlic aroma.
Deng Changfu looked over and saw someone selling bainian rice cakes (a famous local delicacy). The flavor was fantastic, but it was only available on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. It had been a while since he last had it, and he was feeling nostalgic. He glanced at Guan Yongying.
At that moment, Guan Yongying also turned to look at him.
Their thoughts clearly aligned, and without a word, they both headed toward the stall selling bainian rice cakes.
(End of Chapter)
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