Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 64 - 45: Betrothal (5)
Weddings among the powerful and noble were procedurally complex, requiring the six rites of proposal, name inquiry, divination, gift presentation, date selection, and the bridal procession.
For common folk, however, the required etiquette was not much different, though the process was simplified into three stages: the marriage proposal, the betrothal, and the wedding ceremony.
The marriage proposal was made by a matchmaker, while the betrothal required divination to match birth-dates and the exchange of marriage certificates.
Regarding the marriage between Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing, the late-night visit from the four Zhao elders had actually served as the proposal.
However, the primary motive at the time had been to simply gauge their feelings. Furthermore, to prevent outsiders from comparing the circumstances of Wanyue’s proposal to Wanqing’s, and to demonstrate how highly they valued Chen Wanqing, that visit was not considered the official proposal.
Afterward, Mr. Zhao and his wife selected an auspicious day. Five days later, the two of them, along with Zhao Jing and Mrs. Zhao, paid another visit.
This visit was for the formal marriage proposal.
Notably, Zhao Jing’s mourning period ended two days before the proposal.
On that day, the Zhao family held a grand memorial ceremony, officially marking the end of the three-year mourning period for Zhao Jing and his sister. From then on, the siblings were free to visit friends and family, wear colorful clothing, and get married.
After the ceremony, Chen Wanqing’s birth-date card was sent to Mr. Zhao’s home.
To ensure the marriage would be foolproof, Mr. Zhao’s wife resorted to old superstitions she hadn’t practiced in years.
After receiving the birth-date card, she went straight to Zhao Jing’s home. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
She gave the card to Mrs. Zhao and repeatedly instructed her to place it under a clean teacup in front of the Kitchen God’s effigy after she left. If, after three days, no bowls or dishes were broken, no food had spoiled, the family hadn’t argued, and any cats or dogs were calm, it would signify a superior, heaven-sent match.
Never mind that the Zhao family had no cats or dogs, few people lived in the house, and their meals were simple; their days were typically quiet and peaceful.
Upon receiving Chen Wanqing’s birth-date card, Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er hardly dared to breathe loudly in the house, terrified that the force of their breath might blow the precious card away.
To avoid any arguments, the mother and daughter were as quiet as church mice for three days. They wouldn’t even utter a sound when they saw each other and were particularly aloof toward Zhao Jing.
And so, three days later, Mr. Zhao’s wife retrieved the card. She and the second uncle’s wife then walked ten li to another village to find a certain infamous old mystic to read their birth characters.
To Xu Suying’s great shock, this time the reading was also "A perfect match made in heaven, fated to bring each other wealth and status."
Now she was convinced that the Old Madam really had consulted a fortune-teller about Wanqing and Zhao Jing’s compatibility before. ’Otherwise, how could the reading be identical?’
The reading set everyone’s mind at ease, and so the marriage proposal concluded on a joyous note.
Two days later, elders from several branches of the Zhao family, Zhao Jing’s family of three, and several members of the Chen family gathered for Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing’s betrothal ceremony.
This time, in addition to the customary gifts of tea, pastries, wine, and bolts of cloth, the Zhao Family also brought a pair of wild geese, a whole pig, a whole sheep, and a set of jewelry crafted from pure gold.
The jewelry set included a pair of lotus-shaped earrings, a lotus-shaped hairpin inlaid with jade, and a delicate gold ring.
It wasn’t a large amount, and might even seem meager to a wealthy family. But for an ordinary household in the county town, let alone in a small village like this, it was the kind of gift that people would talk about for years to come.
Chen Wanqing overheard Miaohua secretly confiding, "My Ninth Auntie spent all of the twenty-odd taels of Silver that the Third Branch paid in compensation on this jewelry set. To make sure you weren’t slighted, she even used her own personal savings to provide the whole pig and sheep as betrothal gifts."
If she weren’t afraid of setting the bar too high and making it difficult for the other young men in the village to find wives, I’m sure Ninth Auntie would have spent her coffin money.
Of course, she didn’t say this last part aloud, fearing it might come out wrong and sound ridiculous.
The betrothal ceremony was indeed a lively affair. Many villagers, hearing the news, came running over to watch the spectacle.
The members of the Chen family were especially pleased. After all, for a family with a different surname living in the village, mending their relationship with the Zhao family had countless benefits and no downsides.
Among everyone, Chen Wanqing’s paternal aunt, Chen Mei, was the most effusive.
Reluctantly, Chen Mei even stuffed a piece of candy into her hand, telling her to eat something sweet on such a wonderful day.
Her aunt, Chen Mei, bore a slight resemblance to the Old Madam. Mother and daughter shared the same round face, bulbous nose, and thin lips. This was especially true of their eyes, which, when downcast, revealed an identical, biting sharpness.
’But it was quite pleasant when that sharpness wasn’t directed at you.’
No sooner had Chen Mei sat down than she began to curse, her anger flaring up.
First, she railed against Chen Wanyue, calling her an ungrateful wretch who didn’t appreciate the fine treatment she was given. It was like a meat pie falling from the sky right into her mouth, only for her to be too witless to eat it, letting it drop to the ground.
Then, she complained that the Old Madam’s actions had made her life miserable, saying her days were now as torturous as being roasted over a fire.
