Chapter 34: A Sudden Boost in Wealth
Chapter 34: A Sudden Boost in Wealth
Around four in the afternoon, the bride's family sent a red envelope and a five-flavor cake to Deng Shirong, the matchmaker.
In this era, matchmakers played a crucial role in arranging marriages. After a successful match, the groom's family would give a gift of gratitude, and if the bride's family was satisfied with the marriage, they would send a red envelope and a five-flavor cake to the matchmaker the day before the wedding.
Once the messenger left, Deng Shirong handed the five-flavor cake to his eldest daughter and opened the red envelope. Inside were two large denomination bills.
Deng Yunzhen, seeing this, remarked, "Dad, the red envelope from the bride's family is quite generous. It seems they are very satisfied with the match you arranged."
Deng Shirong, whose wealth had more than doubled, was in high spirits. He said with satisfaction, "Of course! The usual amount for a red envelope is around ten yuan, but this one is double that. How could they not be satisfied?"
Deng Yunzhen, reflecting on her father's matchmaking achievements, couldn't help but marvel, "I never imagined that matchmaking could be so rewarding!"
Deng Shirong chuckled, "As the old saying goes, 'A man who aims to win a pair of pants ends up tearing nine skirts.' It's not easy for a matchmaker to bring two people together. Not every family is easy to deal with."
Deng Yunzhen nodded, "That's true."
"Alright, take the pork and start preparing the meal. I'm going to the bride's family for dinner and will be sending the bride off tomorrow, so I won't be coming back tonight!"
"Okay, I understand!"
...
When Deng Shirong arrived at the bride's family, most of the relatives and friends were already there.
Unlike the groom's family, who would bring wine and rice, the guests at the bride's family brought lengths of fabric. The quality of the fabric varied based on each family's financial situation and generosity. Some brought ordinary fabric, while others brought the best available, such as khaki or polyester.
Additionally, closer relatives would often bring a teapot, basin, or foot tub along with the fabric, but red envelopes were not necessary.
Deng Shirong brought a few meters of high-quality polyester fabric, which was more than sufficient for a matchmaker.
All the gifts from the relatives and friends would become part of Guan Yongying's dowry.
During the meal, Deng Shirong, as the matchmaker, was naturally seated at the main table.
Guan Dewu, who worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, raised his glass and said, "Uncle Jiu, I'd like to toast to you. Once Yongying marries into your family, she will be one of the Dengs. I hope you will look after her and ensure she isn't mistreated."
Deng Shirong raised his glass and clinked it with Guan Dewu's. He smiled, "Uncle Man, rest assured. My cousin's family is known for their kind nature. Yongying will not be mistreated. If anything happens, she can come to me, and I will stand up for her."
Guan Dewu took a large sip of his drink and said, "With those words, I can rest easy!"
In the rural areas of this era, true free love was rare, and most marriages were arranged by matchmakers. Therefore, the role of a matchmaker was highly significant. Families with marriageable children would often come to Deng Shirong, hoping he would introduce them to suitable matches.
Deng Shirong welcomed these requests, as more clients meant more opportunities for a successful match.
Of course, due to his past life's experience of being misled by matchmakers, which led to his children's unhappy marriages, he now adhered to the principle of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." He would either not introduce a match or, if he did, he would thoroughly assess the compatibility of the couple before making the introduction.
Though he might occasionally misjudge a match, after all, he wasn’t a god, and people do change, as long as the majority of the couples he brought together were happy, it was a great deed in his eyes.
While Derek Strong (formerly Deng Shirong) was drinking and chatting at the bride's home, the groom's family was also busy with their own festivities. After they had their fill of food and drink and rested a bit, those responsible for the cooking began preparing the key dishes for the next day’s feast.
In Twin King (formerly Shuangwang), there were several essential dishes for a wedding banquet:
1. Braised Pork Belly: This was the most crucial dish of the wedding feast. Once it was served, it signified that all the dishes were ready.
Braising the pork belly took a considerable amount of time, so it had to be prepared in advance. They would cook it tonight, pack it into bowls, and steam it again the next day.
2. Meatballs: These were made by grinding half-fat, half-lean pork, seasoning it, and wrapping it in pork net oil to form round shapes before steaming.
Preparing this dish was quite labor-intensive and needed to be done ahead of time.
3. Egg Rolls: These were made by frying thin egg pancakes, filling them with a minced meat mixture similar to the one used for the meatballs, rolling them up layer by layer, and then slicing them into finger-length pieces before steaming.
This dish was also quite complex and, like the meatballs, was only made for special occasions.
4. Sweet Lotus Root: This was the most time-consuming dish of the wedding feast, requiring pork bones, lotus root, and plenty of sugar to be simmered slowly overnight.
Besides these four dishes that required a lot of preparation, the other dishes were relatively simple and could be made in the morning.
The cooks were busy, but the relatives and friends who came to celebrate the wedding gathered in small groups to chat. It was rare for so many relatives to come together, so they had plenty to talk about.
By nine or ten o'clock at night, the relatives and friends began to settle down for the night. In the rural areas of that era, no single household had the capacity to accommodate so many guests, so the entire village would pitch in to help. Those with spare rooms would take in guests, and even if there were no spare rooms, they would make space. For example, a bed that usually accommodated one or two people would now have to fit three or four.
The goal was to ensure that all the relatives and friends had a place to sleep.
Derek Strong wasn’t going home that night. The bride’s family had arranged a room for him, a far better treatment than the other relatives and friends, who often had to share a room with two or three others.
Before going to bed, Derek Strong couldn’t resist checking his finances again. After receiving the red envelopes from Alice Zhang (formerly Zhang Kumei) and Derek Chang (formerly Deng Changmei) for watching the house, he had over 170 yuan. After some expenses and buying a few yards of Dacron fabric for the bride, he was left with about 150 yuan. With the 20 yuan red envelope from the bride’s family before the wedding, his total now stood at over 370 yuan.
As for his system, it now had ten more items in its inventory after being cleared out.
Of course, this was nothing compared to the real windfall he would receive tomorrow—the thank-you gift from the groom's family.
Today, I returned from my hometown and immediately rushed to write this chapter. I’ll have another one tonight, though it might be a bit late. I hope everyone continues to follow and support the story. Thank you!
(End of Chapter)
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