Chapter 46 - Proposing Marriage

Proofread by Fu Tianying

Happy days always went so fast. After enjoying festive lanterns and fireworks, people had a good time for the whole night. Moreover, all the people could enjoy the festival for another three days. As soon as the eighteenth day of lunar January came, which was called Shou Hun Festival (day of collecting the souls), the performance stage was taken apart and the lanterns were all packed up. The farmers began to do their farm work and the students went back to school while the businessmen started to sell their products again. Everyone lived a busy and stressful life for a start afresh.

For Chinese, they neither held a weeding in the first month nor got engaged in the last month of the lunar year. However, after eighteen days of the first month, it was acceptable for a man to propose marriage to a girl.

Ma Tian’en was totally shocked that someone came to propose marriage to her. When she was young, she thought she was a boy and she would marry a beautiful girl some day until her mother told her that she was a girl indeed and it was impossible for her to marry a girl. The sudden news startled Ma Tian’en who had hidden a lot of money for his beautiful wife in the future since she was young. However, nowadays she was told that she was actually a girl who was supposed to be married with a man as her elder sisters. But how could she get married? After all, she was seen as a man actually.

Ma Tian’en was troubled by the unexpected truth for a long time. In the end, she figured it out that she would rather enjoy every day at present. For that reason, she had long been considered as a chairwarmer.

The bad reputation as well as the fairly young age of Ma Tian’en discouraged people from proposing marriage to him. Moreover, the family of girls would not take the initiative to propose marriage generally. That was why they were not wrestling with something like this. But it was difficult for them to get rid of the luck of love when it came uninvited.

But it could not be seen as a formal proposition of marriage. Marital matters emphasized a formal wedding while everything went as planned in six steps: proposing marriage, asking each other for birthdates, proposing marriage formally, presenting a gift to the girl, asking for the date of wedding, and holding the wedding. Marriage was for good relationship between two families, not for creating bitterness. So matchmakers would come to these two families asking them for their opinions before proposing marriage. If both two families agreed, the father of the boy would come to propose marriage accompanied by the matchmaker. If the family of the girl also agreed, these two families would exchange the birthdates of the two youngsters. Then they would find the fortune teller to predict whether the marriage was a blessing or not. When the fortune teller said that the two would have a happy life in the future, they would propose formally and the family of the boy would present a gift to the girl’s. After that, the boy’s family would decide on two dates for the wedding and gave them to the girl’s family to choose one after they accepted the gifts. In the end, the whole finished with a grand wedding.

Since Ma Tian’en’s father was not in good health, Madam Ma came out to meet Matchmaker Zheng, one of the best matchmakers in the Datong River, who was also called Hua Grandma. Madam Ma was glad that someone should be interested in Ma Tian’en; meanwhile, she was worried about how two girls got married. Actually, though she and her husband tried not to think about it, the marriage of Ma Tian’en had been nagging at the back of their minds. However, now the problem already approached since the matchmaker came here.

“Madam Ma, Childe Ma will be seventeen after the New Year Festive? He is young, capable and handsome and actually few youngsters could compare with him along the Datong River. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a grown man should be supposed to marry a grown woman. Besides, a good fortune of Ma family would be inherited by the grandsons after Childe Ma gets married. Wouldn’t it perfect?” The matchmaker was eloquent and Madam Ma could not do nothing but nod repeatedly.

Without getting the clear answer, the matchmaker Zheng went on. She said, “Madam Ma, what is your standard for your future daughter-in-law? I know all the girls along the river and I promise that I could find a satisfactory girl for you. ”

Madam Ma knew well that matchmaker Zheng was entrusted to come here. In this case, she should ask clearly which family entrusted matchmaker Zheng. But Ma Tian’en was a girl, too. Madam Ma had nothing to do but play dumb.

Madam Ma did not follow the rules, which confused the matchmaker Zheng. However, since she was entrusted to propose marriage, she had to force herself to go on and accomplish her mission.

“I have been a matchmaker for a long time and I never failed. Every couple matched by me lives a happy life. As a matchmaker, I know the core point of well-matched marriage; that is, the equal social status and economic power. The Ma family is one of the most powerful and prosperous families along the river and there are numerous girls who want to marry into Ma family. But only a few of them are suitable for Childe Ma in consideration of social status and economic power of the family. Among those suitable girls is this young lady, the second daughter of Liu family. By the way, she played together with Childe Ma when they were young. Do you still remember her?”

It turned out that Miss Liu was the girl behind the scenes. Madam Ma thought about it and a girl like a pepper came to her mind. The girl was about the same age as Ma Tian’en but taller and stronger than her son. The little girl always chased her son all around the yard when two kids were young. But she had no idea what the girl looked like now.

With a glance of Madam Ma’s expression, matchmaker Zheng knew that madam Ma still remembered her and she added, “Miss Liu has grown up now. She is just as beautiful as a pretty flower. Clever and deft with a gentle personality, she is good at dealing with the problems in family and maintaining family peace, a perfect wife for Childe Ma.”

“It seems that she did change a lot. I remember that she was rather vibrant when she was young.” Madam Ma tried not to make her words  so direct or rude.

“Now she has grown up. Liu family and Ma family are equal in economic and social positions. Besides, if related by marriage, the two families can help each other in many ways.” In fact, what the matchmaker said was reasonable. But in order to avoid arousing suspicion, the families lived near the dam wouldn’t be related by marriage in general.

“The families of five dams have an unwritten rule—not related by marriage normally. But today Liu family takes the initiative to propose marriage. What good qualities does Ma Tian’en have? How did Miss Liu fall in love with my son? ”At the thought of this, Madam Ma had misgivings in her mind.

The matchmaker Zheng knew what Madam Ma was thinking about. So she said in a low voice, “Miss Liu watched the Lion Dance Competition and the selection of the captains in charge of the boats of Ma family among which Childe Ma was awesome and impressive and she fell in love with Ma Tian’en at first sight. It is well known that Miss Liu is the favorite daughter of Master Liu. The marriage with Lu family is never lost. If Ma Tian’en gets married with miss Liu, it means childe Ma would win the support of two powerful families, which is a great thing indeed.”

Madam Ma finally realized that it was a good thing that her son got some admirers eventually. One boy marrying with a girl would be a good thing but one girl marrying with another girl would create bitterness. However, Liu family had already intended to propose marriage, it was impolite to refuse them blindly. It was really tough to react.

“That is good news. But, you know, my husband isn’t well these days. Could we put it off until my husband feels better?” Madam Ma answered.

“Madam, don’t you hear that a good thing could drive away a bad one? What’s more, a wedding is required if any one feels a little under the weather. In this way, the bad things would go away and happy things would come. Listen to me, the situation requires that the wedding should be done immediately. Just get engaged in the second month and choose a good day to hold the wedding for this couple. Master Ma will be healthy again without any doubts.” The matchmaker Zheng said.

“Please… allow me to discuss with my husband. And my son is independent and disobedient. I am afraid that Miss Liu will regret afterwards. ”

Although madam Ma didn’t refuse directly, it was obvious that she came up with an excuse to make a dodge. The matchmaker Zheng had no idea so she had to leave and said she would come a few days later.

Madam Ma came to find her husband after the matchmaker left for she did not know what to do. By accident, Ma Tian’en was there, too. After hearing that someone came to propose marriage, she was a little excited. But when she knew that it was Miss Liu, a plump girl, who chased and beat him up, came to her mind vividly.

“No way. No way! She is tough and rude. I don’t want to marry her.” Ma Tian’en opposed while shaking her head determinedly.

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“That was not the key of the matter. We can refuse Liu family and they won’t harm us. But there will be other families coming to propose marriage. You cannot be single forever. ” When it came to this topic, Madam Ma heaved a sigh. After all he was the sole person who was responsible for this.

Master Ma sat there with a gloomy look on his face. At first, they thought it was easy to give birth to a son, but until today they didn’t give birth to a child, let alone a boy. Now they were between a rock and a hard place. Master Ma was not in good health and they were badly in need of Ma Tian’en to support Ma family as a son. So this secret could not be revealed.

“Hey, why not make an excuse for his being unable to get married recently? Ma Tian’en is sick and for that he cannot get married?”

“I am not sick at all!”