Source: Jiaxing Daily - Jiaxing Online
In ancient China, there was no matchmaking and no marriage. In some myths and legends, it is said that the earliest matchmaker in China was Nuwa. The "Afterword II of the Road History" records: "With its (Nüwa) carrier medium, it is a kingdom in the hereafter, and it is the god of the Gao Dynasty."
Mencius, on the other hand, placed "the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker" in an equally important position, which shows that the matchmaker is still an important figure in the society of the past.
In the "Biography of Yingying" written by Yuan Shu of the Tang Dynasty, Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng were matched and helped by the maid Red Lady, and the couple eventually became dependents. Since then, "Red Lady" has become another name for matchmakers.
From books and various operas, it can be seen that the red bride is generally held by some clever women who can speak well. They have the opportunity to go from house to house, so that they can access more information than ordinary people. In the impression, the red ladies on the stage are all dressed in red and green, with their hands flicking the champa, their tongues like springs, and their witty words like beads. Their rich expressions and exaggerated body language are unforgettable.
Dabao is also a red lady and is famous in the village. Dabao is the name that her parents casually take, because it ranks first, Dabao has become her big name.
That day at a wedding feast, I saw a big treasure that I hadn't seen for a long time. A big red floral short sleeve, a pair of black straight pants, a pair of light-colored sandals on the feet, gray hair tied in a bun behind the head, tied with a red head rope. The whole person is refreshed, the spring breeze on his face is proud, he walks with the wind in his steps, and he can't see that he is an old man in his early seventies. Needless to say, this wedding is also indispensable to her red bride as a supporting role.
Dabao couldn't remember that this was the first couple she had introduced to marry. Since she was a child, she can observe the color and be clever to say that she was born to be a matchmaker's material. I just remember that when she was still a girl, she introduced her cousin to her future husband's cousin before she got married. In her opinion, the two langs have the intention of having a concubine and have achieved a beautiful thing; and she herself is also very proud, after all, she married to her husband's family, which is a little distance from home, which is not only a close relative, but also a companion on the long road of life, the best of both worlds.
At that time, it was just in time for the difficult years of life in the 1960s, and the matchmaker succeeded, there was no "bonus" (commonly known as "thank you for the media gift money"), nor the legendary eighteen hooves to eat, but Dabao's heart was still happy. She said that if she married, she would not have to "drill a dog hole" in the next hundred years. Because of the legend in the countryside, people must be a matchmaker once in their lives, otherwise they will drill a dog hole when they die and go to the western sky.
Perhaps rural preaching does not have lofty theories, but only the colloquial slang that has been handed down from generation to generation to teach people to be good. It is with such a simple and kind belief that Dabao gradually regards matchmaking as a second profession.
In the daily labor of the production team, the field has become an important place to collect information. Within a radius of ten miles, she knows everything about who has a marriageable girl, which family has a boy who is honest, and whose girl is virtuous. After a hard day's work, everyone else is in a hurry to eat and rest to eliminate the fatigue of the day. Dabao came home and hurriedly pulled a few mouthfuls of rice, took off her mud-stained clothes and pants, changed into a patched but washed white cloth shirt, stepped into the night, and began to go to the nearby target farmer's home to carry out her sweet business.
In the 1970s, there were no telephones, and they all relied on the red bride to run at both ends and make a microphone in the middle. The men and women who have just gone on a blind date are not related to each other, and Dabao walks around in the middle to ask, and he has to run a trip without a word. Sometimes there are opinions that are not satisfied, Dabao also has to act as a lubricant, various explanations and communication... Therefore, giving the red lady eighteen hooves is not a tradition for no reason.
A pair of blind dates look at each other, and with the consent of the parents of both sides, they must hold a "ceremony", that is, the ceremony of betrothaling relatives, so that both men and women can communicate with each other, but only if they help each other do some farm work in the agricultural busy time; after a year or two or even longer, they will hold a "choice of day", that is, the ceremony of seeing the auspicious day of the zodiac to determine the wedding date. These two ceremonies are generally attended by close relatives, and none of the seven aunts and eight aunts can be less.
Although the family banquet was only a rough tea and light meal, the grand and lively atmosphere was unforgettable. On such occasions, Dabao naturally closed her mouth happily, because she was the most respected guest.
On the wedding day of the newlyweds, the busy Dabao shuttled through the scene, guiding the various etiquettes in the ceremony, and she could always tell them the most accurate answers to the sisters-in-law and aunts who came to inquire. She is like a natural music conductor, conducting both men and women to play this symphony of new life.
Dabao was the most satisfied with the red bride, when the pair of Ah Ying and Immortal in the village was counted.
At that time, after the reform and opening up, Yongsheng also followed the trend to work outside. He worked in a construction team, and although the salary was not very high, it was enough to support the family. There were five brothers and sisters in the Immortal Family, and the conditions were not good, there were only three very small blue-tiled houses. But Immortal is intelligent, flexible in hands and feet, upright and kind, and looks like a talent. The discerning Dabao introduced him to the most beautiful Ah Ying in the village. The two met and rejoiced with each other.
Who knows, Ah Ying's parents are firmly opposed, saying that the immortal family is really bad, and their daughter will suffer in the past. At this time, Dabao gave full play to her ability to speak kindly, patted her chest and said, Immortal this child is different from ordinary youth, hard-working, good character, there will be a big success in the future, Ah Ying will wait to enjoy the blessing in the future. Half-believing Ah Ying's parents could not resist their daughter's insistence, and finally agreed.
Sure enough, the eternal life after marriage really did not disappoint Dabao, with his own skills, he became the leader of the construction team, and later set up his own construction company and became the boss. Ah Ying also worked hard and lived a rich life. Dabao became famous for this, and there was an endless stream of people who came to ask her to be a matchmaker.
Unconsciously, in the new century, Dabao has children and grandchildren around the knees. But her hobby of being a red bride has never been interrupted. There were fears that she was too old to keep up with her physical strength. Dabao triumphantly opened a pamphlet with a densely packed phone number: Now you don't need to run as a matchmaker! Every household has a telephone, and as long as you make a phone call, you will save the trouble of running errands. This is also thanks to The fact that Dabao attended a few days of literacy classes when he was a girl, and it was more than enough to remember a few phone numbers.
Now the phone is no longer a new thing, people like to use WeChat to contact, convenient and fast. The treasure of the ancient rarity can't write in pinyin, so it should be difficult to retreat, right? What is surprising is that she actually keeps pace with the times, not only playing with smart phones, but also learning to send WeChat voices and photos under the guidance of her granddaughter, and high-tech has added wings to Dabao's old business.
You look at her, pick up the phone, give the other party a voice, and then a beautiful photo of the girl, whizzed away from the mobile phone interface. Shao Qing, the man's introducer sent a video chat, and made an appointment to meet the girl in the tea room on the weekend night: "When the time comes, big treasure aunt, you must come!" Dabaohaha smiled, his mouth full of promises, and waved at the old sister in the mobile phone: "Goodbye, goodbye!" Skillfully pressed the stop button. Looking at the surprised expressions of others, the wrinkles on Dabao's face made waves when he smiled, and the age spot between his eyebrows seemed to have become a beauty mole.
She said that now that the living conditions are better and the pace has accelerated, the average family has omitted the two ceremonies of "bearing the ceremony" and "choosing the day", one step in place, directly to the marriage link. Today's red lady is not only tired of eating hooves, but the red envelopes of the red flowers are getting thicker and thicker, but Dabao does not care about these, mainly likes, so this sweet cause, she will continue to do.
This article is from [Jiaxing Daily - Jiaxing Online] and only represents the author's views. The National Party Media Information Public Platform provides information dissemination services.
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