At 5 am, my father woke me up from my deep, sound dream. Albeit reluctant, I had to leave my bed and dress myself up quickly. February 18, 2016, it was the wedding day of my stepmother’s only son, Ying Lin. Given that Ying was the oldest male heir in his Lin clan—a traditional mercantile family in a coastal town of Fujian province, China, it was not surprising that everything about him was under spotlight. His wedding had become the top story in the area.
For me, things were less complicated. Ying was seven years older than me, and we had known each other for seven years, since our parents got together. We lived under the same rooftop, and addressed each other as brother or sister. I just wanted him to be happy, but right now as I saw him …show more content…
Ying and his eight groomsmen, all in black suits, had left our house to bring his bride here from her home. They started nine cars at the same time—Ying in a beige Bentley at the front, followed by four Mercedes-Benz and four BMW motors. This kind of luxurious combination was a given in China’s weddings, for the honor and credit of the family. I didn’t see our own car in the team. I knew my parents had begged so many friends in order to formulate the motorcade. It was more a showy demonstration than a one-hour pickup drive; all efforts were paid for a false sense of …show more content…
I knew that it was the fifth dress she bought for this special day and the other four would never have a chance to be wear anymore. Half a thousand of people flooded into my house. My father’s classmates, my stepmother’s colleagues, my grandfather’s comrades in arms, my grandmother’s villagers…I recognized only a handful of them. The families’ wedding, Ying was right on the point. He was merely a puppet, on show.
By the way, the wedding was everything but Ying’s will. His bride, Ting Lin, was the daughter a rich businesswoman and was chosen by his grandfather to be his wife, for the purpose of expanding the family business. Ying and Ting showed little interest in each other, but the marriage was still unavoidable.
Firecrackers were set up again. My brother walked in with his bride. She was in a red traditional cheongsam, and she lowered her head. A gold headwear tied her hair up. She was shiny surrounded by all the gold accessories—ten necklaces, five bracelets, four rings and two earrings. They passed through the yard, where all the guests were seated, all the way to the grand hall. They kneeled down in front of all the elder members of the family. After kowtowing to every household, Ting received one more gold accessory from
For me, things were less complicated. Ying was seven years older than me, and we had known each other for seven years, since our parents got together. We lived under the same rooftop, and addressed each other as brother or sister. I just wanted him to be happy, but right now as I saw him …show more content…
Ying and his eight groomsmen, all in black suits, had left our house to bring his bride here from her home. They started nine cars at the same time—Ying in a beige Bentley at the front, followed by four Mercedes-Benz and four BMW motors. This kind of luxurious combination was a given in China’s weddings, for the honor and credit of the family. I didn’t see our own car in the team. I knew my parents had begged so many friends in order to formulate the motorcade. It was more a showy demonstration than a one-hour pickup drive; all efforts were paid for a false sense of …show more content…
I knew that it was the fifth dress she bought for this special day and the other four would never have a chance to be wear anymore. Half a thousand of people flooded into my house. My father’s classmates, my stepmother’s colleagues, my grandfather’s comrades in arms, my grandmother’s villagers…I recognized only a handful of them. The families’ wedding, Ying was right on the point. He was merely a puppet, on show.
By the way, the wedding was everything but Ying’s will. His bride, Ting Lin, was the daughter a rich businesswoman and was chosen by his grandfather to be his wife, for the purpose of expanding the family business. Ying and Ting showed little interest in each other, but the marriage was still unavoidable.
Firecrackers were set up again. My brother walked in with his bride. She was in a red traditional cheongsam, and she lowered her head. A gold headwear tied her hair up. She was shiny surrounded by all the gold accessories—ten necklaces, five bracelets, four rings and two earrings. They passed through the yard, where all the guests were seated, all the way to the grand hall. They kneeled down in front of all the elder members of the family. After kowtowing to every household, Ting received one more gold accessory from