Chapter 307: The Day of Joy 8

1.

Early the next morning, Xu Dan got up early and made breakfast for the whole family, and Xu Dan stayed in the bedroom to sort out the gifts to be brought to the "door" today.

In China, there was a custom of newlyweds "returning to the door" in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the descendants have inherited it to this day. Elder Song Meng's "Tokyo Menghualu Marrying a Woman": "The son-in-law goes to the woman's house, which is called worship. Powerful and interesting, the next day is to go, called the double face to worship the door. Otherwise, it can be used for three or seven days, and the reward is also like a gift for a woman's family. Song Wu Zimu's "Dream Lianglu Marrying": "On the third day, the female family sent crown flowers, color segments, and goose eggs, and filled oil and honey in gold and silver jars, which were put on the plate...... And send tea cakes, geese, sheep, fruits, etc. to the son-in-law's house, which is called 'sending three dynasty gifts'. On the third day, the seventh dynasty, or the ninth day, the two newlyweds went to the woman's house to pay homage to the door, and the woman's family set up a banquet to entertain the new son-in-law, and the name was Huilang. What is recorded in these ancient books is the custom of "returning to the door" and "seeing three".

Because the "return door" is a piece of the newlyweds, it is also called the "double return door", taking the auspicious meaning of pairs. When returning to the door, the old custom stipulates that the bride walks in front, and when returning to the man's house, the groom walks in front, because this return to the door is the first time the daughter returns to her mother's house after getting married. After the "double return door", it is generally not allowed to stay at the father-in-law's house, and must return to the man's house on the same day, because in the old days, there was a custom that the newlyweds did not have empty rooms within a month. If they stay, the newlyweds are not allowed to share a room. Of course, this is all the old system, and most of today's young people have to stay at the father-in-law's house for a night when they "return to the door", just to get closer to the bride's family.

According to the wedding customs of the Toyama area, on the fourth day of marriage, the bride will go back to her parents' house with the groom, also known as "Hui Si", which is an indispensable etiquette in the wedding customs of Toyama. There is a Hushan folk song that vividly sings the situation of the newlywed "returning to the door", which sings: "The newlywed dynasty is the first day, and after the second day, the second day is the third day." The day after the third day, the little couple, dressed up skillfully, drove the donkey home. "When returning to the door", the bride and groom must not be empty-handed, but must bring some gifts or local products, as the folk song sings: "Drink wine, smoke cigarettes, and bring a large basket of pastries..." All of these have the meaning of expressing that the married daughter does not forget the nurturing grace of her parents, and the son-in-law thanks the parents-in-law and the newlyweds for their love and beauty.

As for the "homecoming" gifts, the man's parents should prepare them in advance and buy gifts that the bride's family likes the elderly, and there are generally four gifts. In the old days, these four gifts consisted of cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and canned goods. Tobacco and alcohol need to be packaged in red boxes to represent festivity, canned food should be orange to represent good luck, and sugar to represent sweetness. Now, the tobacco, wine, tea and sugar used in the old rites have also been replaced with high-end supplements, high-end pastries, fruits, fresh fish and meat, etc., but these gifts must be double-portioned, indicating that they are in pairs. Some families with good economic conditions will prepare small gifts for their parents-in-law when they "return to the door", and these small gifts are generally valuable gold and silver jewelry.

The time to "return to the door" is usually at 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning. The bride and groom should be carefully groomed and dressed as if they were attending a wedding, and should maintain the beautiful and handsome image of the wedding. When they arrive at their parents-in-law's house, the bride and groom first greet the elderly in the family. At this time, the bridegroom should change his words, call his parents-in-law father and mother like the bride, call him naturally and cordially, and treat relatives, friends and neighbors with cordial enthusiasm and courtesy. During the meal, the bride accompanies the groom and toasts to his parents, relatives and friends and neighbors one by one, thanking everyone for their blessings to her newlywed.

2.

After breakfast, Xu Dan changed into a two-section skirt of red velvet, pulled a small bun behind his head, and a pair of red low-heeled leather shoes on his feet. In the spring, he was still wearing the suit that Xu Dan bought when he got married, and the two of them stood together, which looked pleasing to the eye.

At half past nine, under the urging of Zhang Xiuli and Chun Shuli, Chun and Xu Dan took the packed gifts and headed for Hushan Town.

Xu Dan's family also attaches great importance to this spring and Xu Dan's "return to the fourth", because the old Xu family has married two girls, so they are very familiar with the etiquette and procedures of "returning to the door". Early in the morning, Xu Dan's mother beckoned her eldest daughter Xu Lie and second daughter Xu Huo home to help clean up, and many went to inform the elders and relatives in the family one by one, and went to the house at noon to participate in the "return to the door" banquet and accompany the new son-in-law to drink.

When they arrived at Xu Dan's house, Spring politely greeted his parents-in-law and gave them prepared gifts, and many couples were polite. Later, many accompanied Spring to drink tea in the hall, and Xu Dan hugged his mother's neck affectionately in the bedroom and whispered.

At noon, Lao Xu's family also set up two tables, one for men and one for women.

Spring became the host and guest of honor at the men's table, several elders of the old Xu family and Xu Dan's father were drinking with the spring, Xu Dan's two brothers-in-law and cousin and others did not even have the right to go to the wine table, so they could only stand aside and pour wine and water like the spring when they "watched three" yesterday, which made the spring feel a little embarrassed, and repeatedly asked to let those peers drink at the table together, but the elders of the old Xu family did not agree no matter what they said, and said "go back to the door" It's a big deal, you can't mess up the rules and etiquette, or if you spread it, you will be laughed at for not knowing the etiquette of the old Xu family, and you can only give up in the spring.

It may also be due to the special status of the teacher in the spring, several elders of the old Xu family are very polite to the spring, and there is no phenomenon of persuasion and fighting for wine as expected in the spring, which tickles the roots of the teeth of Xu Dan's cousin, who is standing aside and serving carefully, but because he does not have the right to go to the wine table, he also loses the opportunity to "take revenge", and the spring feels funny when he looks at him gritting his teeth.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the banquet ended. According to the usual practice, Chun and Xu Dan could not stay overnight, and they had to return to Shimengouzi Village. Xu Dan's cousin and her two brothers-in-law said that they would not let Spring go, saying that they must have another drink at night to "avenge" Xu Dan's cousin. It was difficult to resist the hospitality, and after discussing it with Xu Dan in the spring, he decided to stay overnight.

At night, it was naturally another fierce battle, and under the joint siege of Xu Dan's two brothers-in-law and cousin, Spring got drunk.