Skipped Chapter 99, No Story and only Author Notes
Chapter 100: Zhang Xiuping Gets Married
Thursday, November 12, Year of the Moneky.
Zhang Family, New Dock Village.
Zhang Xiuping woke up early, washed, and changed into her red wedding dress. She took out twenty yuan, placed it on a stool, covered it with a piece of cloth, and sat down on top of it.
According to custom, the cloth and money were meant to be left for her younger brother.
The woman who combed Zhang Xiuping's hair was considered the luckiest woman in the village. As she combed Zhang Xiuping's hair, she recited auspicious blessings. This wasn't her first time performing this role. As a woman with both parents alive, a harmonious marriage, and many sons, she was often asked to comb the hair of brides in the village to bring them good fortune.
After Zhang Xiuping's hair was combed, her mother came in to speak with her.
Looking at her beautiful daughter, Zhang's mother said with emotion, "Xiuping, you've been sensible since you were young, always the most obedient child in my heart. It's a pity that your parents couldn't afford to send you to school for more than a few years."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiuping quickly reached out and held her mother's hand, saying, "Mom, please don't say that. You sent me to school for a few years, so I could learn to read. I'm not like many girls in the village who can't read a single word. I'm already very grateful!"
Zhang's mother smiled and said, "When we sent you to school, your grandmother scolded us for wasting money. But now, it's clear that sending you to school was the right decision. Otherwise, even if you were beautiful, if you couldn't read, the Deng family might not have looked at you twice, and you wouldn't have been able to marry into such a good family."
Zhang Xiuping nodded in agreement. "That's true. If I didn't know how to read, they might not have been interested in me. Of course, I also have to thank you and Dad for not marrying me off hastily. Otherwise, when the matchmaker came, if you hadn't held out, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Zhang's mother sighed. "I hope you don't blame us. Your father and I had no choice at the time. To marry off your two sisters-in-law, our family's finances were already stretched thin. We really didn't have the money to help your brothers get married, so we had to pin our hopes on you.
Fortunately, our persistence paid off. Otherwise, your father and I would have truly let you down."
When her mother mentioned this, Zhang Xiuping felt a sense of relief. Although she hadn't objected to her parents' actions at the time, she wasn't entirely happy about it. After all, her parents had asked for a high bride price, and marrying into the groom's family under such circumstances would have put her at a disadvantage. She wouldn't have had the confidence to stand her ground in any disagreements.
In other words, she was lucky to have married into the Deng family. Not only were they well-off, but they also genuinely liked her, so they didn't hold the high bride price against her. Her father-in-law had even given her family an extra 380 yuan to use as her dowry, which showed how considerate he was.
After all, without that extra 380 yuan, her parents would have only been able to give her a few dozen yuan as a dowry. Marrying into a family like the Dengs, she would have been too embarrassed to show such a meager dowry to anyone, as it would have reflected poorly on both her family and her in-laws.
After chatting for a while, Zhang's mother left and returned with a bowl of rice topped with a chicken leg.
"Xiuping, you're the bride today. Once you arrive at your in-laws' house, you'll be very busy and won't have time to eat. So eat well now to avoid getting hungry later," said Zhang's mother.
Zhang Xiuping had heard about the customs of marriage from her mother. Seeing the chicken leg on the rice, she felt a pang in her heart. She hadn't felt sad about getting married until now, but suddenly, she felt a sense of finality, as if she were about to leave her old life behind.
From now on, she would no longer be a daughter of the Zhang family but a daughter-in-law of the Deng family.
Once she left this house, even if she returned, it would no longer be her home. She would be a guest.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiuping's eyes welled up with tears. As she took the bowl and chopsticks, she whispered, "Mom, I can't bear to leave you!"
Most parents feel sad when their daughters marry, but since Zhang Xiuping was marrying into a good family, Zhang's mother was happy. However, her daughter's words touched her deeply.
Thinking that her well-behaved and sensible daughter would soon belong to another family, and that she, as a mother, didn't know when she would see her again, Zhang's mother couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
"Xiuping, I can't bear to let you go either!"
As they spoke, both mother and daughter began to cry.
After a while, Zhang's mother composed herself and said, "Alright, today is your big day. You should be happy. You've married well, and I'm happy for you. Your in-laws have a bicycle, so you can ride back to visit us whenever you miss us."
Zhang Xiuping wiped her tears and nodded. "You should be happy today. Don't worry, Mom. I'll come back to see you often."
"I won't say more. Hurry up and eat, or the food will get cold."
"Okay!"
…
Since the groom's family had sent plenty of pork, chicken, and duck, the Zhang family hosted a lavish banquet. By the time everyone had finished eating, it was time for the bride to leave.
In the room, Zhang Xiuping stood up with the help of two women who had many sons. Her younger brother, Zhang Shoujun, sat down next to her.
It wasn't until his sister left the house that Zhang Shoujun collected the cloth and the twenty yuan underneath it, handing them to his mother. Then, together with his two brothers, he carried his sister's dowry. According to the marriage customs in Bobai, when a woman marries, her brothers usually help carry her dowry.
Zhang Xiuping's dowry was substantial. It included various fabrics, scissors, rulers, umbrellas, thermos bottles, teapots, buckets, cups, washbasins, toothbrushes, towels, quilts, pillows, and other daily necessities. Most of these were gifts from relatives and friends.
As the saying goes, "A fancy sedan is carried by people."
If Zhang Xiuping were marrying into an ordinary family, her dowry would have been much smaller, as her relatives and friends wouldn't have been as generous. But since she was marrying into the Deng family, one of the wealthiest families in the countryside, the gifts from her relatives and friends were naturally more lavish.
Among the people seeing her off, everyone except Zhang Xiuping's aunt was present.
It wasn't that her aunt didn't want to attend, but according to Bobai County's marriage customs, neither aunts nor uncles are supposed to see off the bride. The words for "aunt" and "uncle" sound similar to words meaning "lonely" or "difficult," so they are avoided during weddings.
As Zhang Xiuping's figure receded into the distance, Zhang Zhenfa felt a lump in his throat.
Even in Bobai, where sons are often favored over daughters, parents still find it hard to let their daughters go.
Although Zhang Zhenfa didn't hide and cry like some fathers do in modern times, tears still blurred his vision as he watched his daughter walk away.
(End of this chapter)