Chapter 401 Getting Married
According to past traditions, the first step in marriage customs for the old Beijing people is to propose marriage.

The man will entrust a matchmaker or his relatives to go to the woman's house to propose marriage.

If the families of the man and woman are not familiar with each other, both parties will have to ask around and get to know each other after the proposal.

If the two parties are of similar character, appearance and family background, they will exchange their horoscopes and ask a fortune teller to see if their horoscopes are compatible. This is the so-called "marriage matching".

In the past, there was a rhyme for marriage matching in the old capital: "Sheep and rat are once separated, rabbits and dragons shed tears, golden chickens are afraid of jade dogs, white horses are afraid of green cows, snakes and tigers are like knives, pigs and monkeys can never get along." These rhymes, which were once regarded as golden rules, seem worthless today. However, they could determine whether a couple could get married.

The purpose of the Li family's previous visit was actually to propose marriage, which omitted many traditional steps.

Besides, their family doesn't believe in superstition, but in order to respect the Liu family, they still went through the motions according to the customs of the people in the capital.

After negotiation between the Liu and Li families, the wedding date of Liu Zhiruo and Li Shengli was set on June 6, which was the first day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar.

This is an auspicious day, suitable for marriage, engagement, proposal of marriage, sacrifice, prayer, coffining, groundbreaking and burial.

The Li family is not too particular about the date, except that the sooner the better.

Their family are all public figures and are quite sensitive. When they noticed that something was not right about the recent rumors, they wanted Li Shengli to get married earlier so that he could avoid some troubles as much as possible.

On the other hand, the Liu family, as an old household in Beijing, is deeply influenced by traditional customs and pays special attention to wedding preparations.

After the Li family left, Liu Jingzhai privately complained to Liu Zhiye: "You only have such a precious sister, how can you marry her off so hastily? The wedding date is less than a month away, isn't it too hasty?"

Liu Zhiye smiled bitterly in his heart. He really didn't want to marry off his only sister so hastily, but due to the current situation, he had no choice.

Facing his father's question, he could only force a smile and explain, "My younger sister's marriage to Shengli is not rushed. The two have known each other for more than six years. If it is delayed any further, the Li family may be dissatisfied. Wouldn't it be even more difficult for my younger sister to be caught in the middle? An early marriage will be good for both parties and will also save you, father, from worrying."

"Besides, I heard from my younger sister that their institute will have an important scientific research task soon. You think, once you start scientific research, the time is unpredictable. What if it delays my younger sister's marriage?"

"I've been thinking about it, and actually, neither of our families has much time, so why not let them get married sooner?"

Liu Jingzhai heard this, pondered for a moment, and sighed: "That's true, your younger sister is already 23 years old, and Li Shengli is 26 years old. Time waits for no one, and the marriage should not be delayed any longer."

"Okay! You are the head of the family now, so you have the final say. But I have a wish. Your little sister is the apple of our eye. Her dowry must be dignified and not be looked down upon."

Hearing this, Liu Zhiye smiled and said firmly, "Don't worry, I know what to do. I will make sure that my younger sister is proud of her husband's family and that she will stand up straight and not let anyone look down on our Liu family."

In fact, he had already prepared dowry items for his younger sister, including an exquisite courtyard house near the city government.

Secondly, just like when wealthy families married off their daughters in the past, they also prepared: a pair of potted plants, a hat mirror, a pair of candlesticks, a duster bottle with a feather duster inside, a pair of vases, a pair of tea cans and other daily necessities.

As well as furniture such as "descendants' boxes", eight-immortal tables, and dressing tables.

There is a wide variety of clothing, from shoes and socks to underwear and underpants, cheongsams, waistcoats, jackets, suits, Lenin suits and other ready-made clothes, including single, padded, leather, cotton and gauze.

There are also three treasures for women when they get married, namely "Night Cleanser", "Descendants Basin" and "Longevity Lamp".

"Yejing'er" means washbasin, foot basin, and basin.

"Zisunpen" is a basin used for washing riding cloth.

Liu Zhiye also prepared several sets of gold and silver jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings and other valuable items for his younger sister. These were all dowry items used by very wealthy families in the past when marrying off their daughters.

In the past, when middle and lower class families married off their daughters, the arrangements were very simple. They would give their daughters two wooden boxes, one large and one small, and put clothes for the four seasons, a washbasin, an oil lamp, etc. in them.

Among them, the bonsai pottery was an indispensable dowry for the bannermen when they got married in the early years.

The production is very exquisite, with a wooden cover made in Beijing and a wooden base with three curved legs imitating a kang. The flowers on the material vessel are finely crafted, beautiful and elegant, full of charm.

The most common exhibits in the Palace Museum are bonsai made of Beijing materials.

In addition to the above dowry, the Liu family also prepared many things that symbolized good omens.

He used a spittoon as a bucket for his offspring, hoping that his daughter would have many children and grandchildren.

The red ruler represents descendants' ruler, which symbolizes endless fertile fields; the copper plate and shoes represent living together until old age; the silver-wrapped belt represents a vast expanse of land around the waist; the scissors represent a pair of flying butterflies; a pair of dragon and phoenix quilts, sheets and pillows represent blessings for the newlyweds' everlasting love; the dragon and phoenix bowls and chopsticks represent food and clothing, which symbolizes having enough food and clothing.

After the marriage compatibility test, the second stage of marriage begins: engagement, gift giving, and dowry giving.

At this time, the Li family wanted to invite a "Quanhe person" who was married and had children to bring gold and silver jewelry to the Liu family to "make a deposit."

After making a deposit, one has to "exchange gifts", which is commonly known as "making a big deposit".

On the day of the "big engagement", the Li family had to tell the Liu family the date of marrying Liu Zhiruo, and also send the clothes and jewelry that the bride would wear at the wedding to the Liu family.

The gift list for "expanding the deposit" is even richer: things like goose wine, fresh fish, pork legs, lamb legs, cakes... These are the must-have gifts for old Beijingers to "expand the deposit".

A day or two before the wedding, Liu Zhiye and his two brothers carried the dowry to the Li family.

The Liu family's dowry included everything from furniture to tea sets, because the more dowry the bride had, the higher her status would be in her husband's family.

A few days after the dowry, it is the wedding day.

These days, my younger sister Liu Zhiruo has officially taken a long vacation from her unit and is preparing for her wedding at home.

However, facing the prospect of leaving this home that has held her memories of growing up for more than 20 years, she couldn't help but feel a wave of ripples in her heart and a little depressed. This attachment to home and reluctance to leave quietly spread in her heart.

Gan Ning was an experienced person, and she immediately understood the reluctance of her sister-in-law. She gently comforted her, "Little sister, don't be sad. Marriage is a new beginning, not a farewell to home. When you miss home, you can always come back. I, your sister-in-law, have also come this far step by step. You are not alone."

"After marriage, get along well with your husband's family, respect your parents-in-law as you would your own parents, and treat Shengli's brothers and sisters as your closest relatives."

"If you are wronged in the Li family, don't bear it. Be sure to come home and tell your brother and sister-in-law. They will help you..."

When Liu Zhiruo heard this, she burst into tears and threw herself into the arms of her sister-in-law Gan Ning, sobbing and choking, "Wuwu... Sister-in-law, I don't want to get married anymore. I really don't want to leave you."

Gan Ning gently stroked Liu Zhiruo's soft hair and said softly but firmly: "Silly girl, women will eventually get married. This is natural. How can you say that your life is perfect without experiencing marriage? For unmarried women, their life picture always lacks a touch of bright color..."

Liu Zhiruo said with tears in her eyes: "But, but, why do I feel so sad..."

At this moment, Liu Zhiye, who had just got home from get off work, happened to witness this scene. He immediately pretended to be angry and teased his little sister: "Hey! Who is this bold guy who made our precious little sister sad? Could it be that brat Li Shengli? Humph, he dared to bully my sister before he even got married. This is not decent! As for this marriage, we have to think carefully about it..."

"Hey! Don't..." Before Liu Zhiruo finished speaking, her face suddenly changed. She looked up and met her brother's cunning smile. She immediately understood that she was being teased again. She then complained like a spoiled child: "Sister-in-law, look at my brother, he teases me and bullies me as soon as he comes back!"

"Hahaha..." Liu Zhiye laughed unscrupulously.

………………

"The eldest girl is eldest, the second girl is second, and the youngest girl will give me a message when she goes out. Put up a tent and paste wedding characters. Twenty pairs of ox horn lanterns, the bride has two buns, and the bride sees off has big wings. The eight-round jacket has wide slits, and the four-wheeled carriage has two horses." This old Beijing nursery rhyme vividly depicts the lively scene on the day of the Liu family's wedding.

Although we no longer use horse-drawn carriages when getting married, we do have cars.

On the wedding day, Li Shengli, together with several close friends in the compound, drove several carefully borrowed jeeps and went to pick up the bride in a grand procession.

It’s not that they don’t have more luxurious cars. There are many famous cars such as Hongqi and Volga in their home, but the old man insists on keeping a low profile and strictly forbids them to show off.

Even the use of jeeps was barely allowed after much struggle. Otherwise, they might only be able to ride bicycles to embark on this sacred wedding journey.

It is true that in this era, marrying a bride on a bicycle is a fashion, and even makes many people envious. However, in Liujiazhuang, the richest place in Beijing, the situation is very different. Every household here has a bicycle, and the number is not cheap. Bicycles have long become commonplace and it is difficult to show that they are special.

Considering that the girl they were about to marry was the "princess" of their Liu family, it would be a bit cheap to just ride a bicycle to her house, and it would be difficult to match the dignity and solemnity of this marriage.

Several energetic young men from the compound accompanied Li Shengli as they stepped out of the car and were instantly shocked by the bustling scene of wedding guests at the Liu family's gate.

Zhang Haiyang swallowed unconsciously and asked nervously, "Brother, are these...are these people relatives of the Liu family?"

Li Shengli was quite familiar with Liujiazhuang and knew that the Liu family was huge, but the scene today was indeed unprecedented. There were at least three or four hundred people at the gate alone.

He couldn't help sweating on his forehead, but he still smiled calmly and said, "That's right, haha, but the Liu family is actually very easy-going, you don't have to be nervous..."

"Brother, are you sure? The looks of those little kids seem a little strange to me, and they seem to have some hostility." There was a sense of urgency in Zhang Haiyang's voice.

Before he finished speaking, a group of about a dozen teenagers filed out of the crowd. They all had bald heads that reflected a glossy luster, and were wearing the same black tights, looking capable and mysterious.

They quickly lined up in front of Li Shengli and his group, and without any extra words, they began to practice in an orderly manner. Their momentum was so fierce that no one could underestimate them.

They stood in the middle of the square in front of the courtyard, clasped their fists together and held them close to their waists. With a majestic roar, they landed on the ground with their feet. Their determined eyes were as sharp as a knife, as if piercing your vitals and making you fall to the ground instantly, as if you were suddenly hit by someone and couldn't move.

After throwing two punches forward, they squatted down and prepared to move, then jumped into the air, standing on one leg and bending the other in the air. The whole team moved in unison, without a single slackness. For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Then, all members began to run in small steps, forming a circle. The members in the outer circle put one hand on their waist and raised the other hand outward in unison.

Suddenly, a boy flashed out from the crowd, a bright red color that was very conspicuous. He held a bright silver sword in his hand, and with a quick step, he displayed the sword. His eyes were like autumn water, and his whole body was red. The sword was as still as a crouching tiger, moving like a flying dragon, as slow as a floating cloud, and as fast as lightning. It was steady and unrestrained, dancing faster and faster, like a silver dragon flying up and down around him, circling left and right.

With this beautiful series of moves, he won applause from the audience.

Finally, when the boys finished their work, the swordsman walked up to Li Shengli without blushing or breathing hard, with a teasing and provocative look in his eyes, and said, "You want to marry my aunt? If I call you uncle, will you dare to agree?"

The dozen or so guys behind him were not pushovers either, and they all said in unison: "Yes! We don't agree!"

The adults who were watching laughed when they saw this, but did not intervene in the mischief of the teenagers, as if they had agreed beforehand to deliberately give Li Shengli a warning.

Zhong Yuemin, who was traveling with them, was still a half-grown child at this time and had not yet shown the heroic spirit he would show in the future. He swallowed his saliva and whispered to Li Shengli, "Brother, I think this matter is doomed. Even if we attack the guy opposite us together, I'm afraid we can't beat him."

Li Shengli was also confused and didn't understand what was going on. He had never heard of such a scene when old Beijingers got married.

So, he forced a smile and said to the little guys, "Alright, alright, stop making trouble and don't delay the good things between me and your aunt. Otherwise, if your elders find out, you will suffer the consequences."

"We are not afraid. But if you want to go through, just go ahead!" The boy refused to listen and looked disdainful with his nose in the air. He turned a blind eye to Zhang Haiyang and his helpers and did not take them seriously at all.

"This..." Li Shengli was a little at a loss. The brats in front of him were all Liu Zhiruo's nephews and nephews. They couldn't break in by force. Not to mention whether they could win, what if they got hurt?

"Haha, get out of the way first, and then I'll take you guys to shoot guns."

"No! We have a shooting range in our village!"

"Then I'll take you guys out for some delicious food?"

"Where else can the food be as delicious as the food in our village?"

"Ah...this..."

Li Shengli and others didn't expect that they would fail to pass the first hurdle when they arrived at the Liu family. How embarrassing it was!
The stalemate lasted for a long time, and just when Li Shengli was extremely anxious and at a loss as to what to do.

His savior came. Liu Zhiye's uncle said with a smile: "Alright, alright, you little monkeys, stop making trouble and make way for your uncle..."

"Haha, come on, Shengli. Country boys are just wild. Please bear with me."

Li Shengli was as if he had been pardoned. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with an expression as if he had finally seen his relatives: "Uncle, I'm here to take Zhiruo home. Fortunately you came, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to get into the house."

"Hahahaha... please come in, everyone!"

With a burst of hearty laughter, the onlookers' faces lit up, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively. "Groom, are you surprised by our scene?"

"Hahaha, come on, let's go inside and have a drink..."

Li Shengli, Zhang Haiyang and others were warmly invited into the front yard by the Liu family.

The people who accompanied the groom Li Shengli to pick up the bride served as matchmakers, best men, and masters of ceremonies.

Today, these are the most important guests of the Liu family. They must sit at the seats of honor at the banquet and be accompanied and served by Liu Zhiye's brothers, uncle and others.

It was almost time, and after the bride Liu Zhiruo and the groom Li Shengli offered tea to their parents and elders, they were ready to set off.

Before getting into the car, the bride Liu Zhiruo had the female guests at the wedding party use red thread to remove the fine hair on her forehead and temples. This was called "opening the face". Only then could she be covered with a veil and put into the car.

"Don't cry, little sister. I worked so hard to put on my makeup, don't ruin it with your tears!"

"Come, brother will carry you on his back again today. From now on, you have grown up..." Liu Zhiye felt a little uncomfortable. He squatted down and let Liu Zhiruo climb on his back.

Liu Zhiruo was carried into the car by her brother, and according to the rules her feet could not touch the ground before entering the door.

Afterwards, when the bride Liu Zhiruo arrives at the gate of the Li family, the groom Li Shengli will hold a bow and arrow and wave it three times under the bride's feet to drive away evil spirits.

Then the bride Liu Zhiruo had to step over the fire basin before she could enter the house.

Afterwards, the newlyweds, under the auspices of the master of ceremonies, worshipped heaven and earth, their parents, and then each other.

After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were taken to the bridal chamber and sat side by side on the bed.

At this time, the groom can take off the veil on the bride's head. Many couples meet for the first time until this time.

At this point, the ceremony is not over yet.

The bride and groom also have to taste dumplings and noodles, which symbolize "descendants' cakes" and "longevity noodles", and then the best man and his wife will bring the wedding wine.

After the wedding wine was drunk, two bowls of rock sugar lotus seeds were served. Only then was a traditional old Beijing wedding declared complete.

"Zhiruo, you look so beautiful today!" Li Shengli finally got what he wished for and said emotionally.

"The phoenix coronet and bridal robe are ingeniously crafted, and her face is like a peach blossom. Magpies sing and firecrackers sound, and the newlyweds greet each other with congratulations. White flowers are scattered on the makeup of the beautiful girl, and the colorful flowers fly across her face to dazzle her pink cheeks. As the evening approaches, her heart is the most lonely, and you can pick the first red flowers at midnight."

Today, Liu Zhiruo welcomed the most dazzling moment of her life. Her eyes sparkled and she asked softly, "Was I not beautiful enough before?"

Li Shengli was speechless when he heard this, and stammered, "No, no, of course not... I just think that you are more radiant today..."

After hearing this, Liu Zhiruo raised a sweet smile and said softly, "That's good enough. Remember, you have to love me more in the future, otherwise... hehe, you will bear the consequences at your own risk."

Li Shengli immediately made a solemn vow: "I swear to Xxx that I will take good care of you and never change..."

However, there was one thing he didn't dare to say in his heart, "Good fellow, just based on your big family, I wouldn't dare to provoke you easily!"

(End of this chapter)