Chapter 388: Past Events of Our Parents
After entering the shrine, Shirakawa Kaede and Tanaka Yuko first bowed slightly towards the main hall in the pavilion. This was the ceremony of entering the shrine.
After entering the main hall, the priest sang a blessing to report the good news of the newlyweds' marriage to the gods and pray for them.
All the guests attending the wedding sat on both sides, and were all dressed in kimonos.
Shirakawa Kaede and Tanaka Yuko were kneeling in the middle of the lobby with a desk in front of them.
There were two cups on it, and a goddess in a white witch costume was holding a copper kettle and filling the cups with wine.
This is a three-offering ceremony before the gods. The bride and groom drink three cups alternately, and each cup is drunk three times.
One cup for heaven, one cup for earth, one cup for people. Take nine sips, also known as "three three nine degrees".
Every action and every process is very particular. The wedding in front of the gods is so solemn and full of ritual.
After drinking three cups of wine, two witches held chrysanthemums in their hands and performed a "Fengrong Dance" to bless the bride and groom.
According to the ceremony, Shirakawa Kaede and Tanaka Yuko also read their oaths to the statue, and finally completed the prayer with "Husband Shirakawa Kaede, wife Yuko, May 25, Showa 68".
The read poems need to be placed on the table as a tribute to the gods, along with branches of the tung tree and ribbons made of paper strips.
This step is called jade string offering, which aims to show the gods that a strong contract has been concluded between the two parties, and to express gratitude and prayer.
After doing all this, Shirakawa Kaede and Tanaka Yuko stretched out their hands, clapped their hands twice, and then bowed.
At this point, most of the procedures of the Shinto-style wedding have been completed, but with the westernization of Japan in modern times.
At the end of the Shinto wedding ceremony, another step is added, which is the exchange of tokens of love between the bride and groom.
It could be a ring or something else.
However, Shirakawa Kaede and his family did not choose rings, as they would be preparing them for the Western-style wedding in Tokyo later.
After completing the ceremony, the two people faced each other. Shirakawa Kaede took Tanaka Yuko's left hand and put a red rope buckle on her little finger . He gently pulled the rope ends on both sides and tied it tightly.
Then Yuko Tanaka did the same thing and tied a red rope buckle on his little finger.
At this point, the red thread ties the couple together and the marriage is sealed.
After completing the ceremony, the two turned around and bowed to the guests sitting on both sides.
Clap, clap, clap, let's give this a round of applause with blessings.
The shrine maidens poured a glass of sake for everyone, and everyone raised their glasses together, "Cheers!"
At this point, the Shinto-style wedding ceremony has completed all the procedures, and next everyone will go to the town hall to start the wedding banquet.
However, since it is a rare traditional wedding, various group photos outside the shrine are naturally indispensable.
After more than half an hour of struggling, everyone started to turn around and return to the street.
Taking this opportunity, Shirakawa Kaede and Tanaka Yuko also returned home to take a rare break.
"How is it? Can you still hold on?" Bai Chuanfeng took her hand and sat down on the chair.
Now they have changed into a new set of clothes. Although they are still kimonos, they are much more relaxed than the specific kimonos with a strong sense of ceremony just now.
Tanaka Yuko rubbed her waist and said, "I'm a little tired, but I can still hold on."
"Thank you for your hard work." Baichuan Feng gently massaged her shoulders, neck and arms to help her relax her muscles.
After all, I'm pregnant, and my physical strength is definitely not as good as before.
However, it was already noon, and they returned to the hall after a short rest to welcome the guests.
Most of the guests at weddings in Akita are Xiaolu’s relatives and friends.
Of course, local politicians and businessmen, represented by Kikuharu Sasaki , also came to show their support.
The rapidly rising market value of Shirakawa Electric is its best business card.
If nothing unexpected happens, a new family will rise in Japan. What is even more commendable is that such a family actually comes from the Northeast, which has always been lagging behind economically.
Therefore, some prominent figures from several counties in the Northeast would come to show their support.
Shirakawa Kaede's marriage marks the official debut of the Shirakawa family.
Once you get married and start a family, you will have the foundation for the continuation of your family.
Why did Shirakawa Kaede choose to hold the most traditional Shinto-style wedding in Akita?
He was telling the powerful families in the Northeast that the Shirakawa family would be the first to establish their own flag.
This is the hometown of Shirakawa Feng, and it will also be the foundation of the Shirakawa family and the rear base of the Shirakawa Group.
The presence of Governor Sasaki Kikuharu and many parliamentarians showed that they recognized the Shirakawa family's status in Akita.
With the current size of Shirakawa Holdings, no, not just Shirakawa Electric, there is no one in Akita that can match it.
Of course, Shirakawa Feng’s investment here is also considerable, not to mention the various factories of Shirakawa Electric and Shirakawa Energy.
Railways, banks, the development of the entire Kazuno city, donations and cooperation with several universities in Akita, and even real estate development were all involved.
Shirakawa Holdings has been fully involved in the development of Akita, from commerce to infrastructure.
Although some projects do not make money, they are the necessary foundation for the Shirakawa family to rule Akita, and there is no need to worry about these little immediate benefits.
Taking advantage of the wedding, Shirakawa Kaede also met with the prominent families in Akita.
First, we want to thank them for their support, and second, we want to share the profits from Akita's future industrial development.
Infrastructure businesses such as banking, energy, and railways are all on the table.
You won't get far if you eat alone, and Shirakawa Kaede doesn't have the ability to take care of everything in Akita.
In this case, why don’t we all build good relationships and make money together?
Shirakawa Electric Factory needs raw materials. Anyone here who is capable, please raise your hand.
There are still a few shopping malls missing in Lujiao Resort. If you are engaged in retail, you may as well sign up with me. Don't worry, there will be discounts on rent.
Of course, if you are short of money, Beidu Bank can provide loans at any time.
You see, if you calculate carefully, everyone can make money.
By giving some benefits and appeasing the hearts of the local prominent families, the Shirakawa family finally gained the support of the small families in Akita.
However, what bothered Shirakawa Feng were these prominent families, who kept praising Shirakawa Feng for inheriting the excellent bloodline of the Tozawa family.
Something like he has the style of Tozawa Masami in his past, and he is the lord who will lead the Tozawa family's comeback, and so on.
Such praise made Baichuan Feng quite depressed. My last name is Baichuan, okay?
Tozawa Masami is my maternal grandfather, not my grandfather. Why do I feel like he has inherited the Tozawa family's legacy?
Baichuan Feng was very unhappy about this. These old-fashioned people were still clinging to their past glory and dreaming of returning to the top of the Chinese nation.
Don’t you see what era it is? You like to care about family reputation and qualifications, right?
Okay, after the meeting that day, Shirakawa Kaede issued an order to all the industries under Shirakawa Holdings in Akita.
From now on, all external business activities will be marked with the Shirakawa family's maple leaf crest.
From banks to railways, to shopping malls and streets, wherever they can reach, they are all included.
He just couldn't believe that after ten or twenty years, the name of Shirakawa would not be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Akita?
Baichuan Feng once told his adoptive uncle that in the future the reputation of Baichuan would not be worse than that of ordinary Chinese.
Now it is just the beginning in Akita. In the future, the word "Shirakawa" will be more involved in all aspects of people's lives.
After two days, the wedding in Akita finally came to an end.
However, Shirakawa Kaede and the others will not stay here for long. The invitations to the wedding in Tokyo have already been sent out and will be held in three days.
At that time, his parents will also go together and stay for a day or two. After all, how can the wedding be held without the parents of both sides?
On the morning before departure, Shirakawa Kaede's family was sitting together having breakfast in a lively atmosphere.
The show on TV was Oshin, played by Yuko Tanaka, and she felt embarrassed about herself on the screen.
Kazuko praised her acting very gently, saying that the ancestors of the Shirakawa family were not nobles. Shirakawa Kaede was just an ordinary person, and there was no prejudice against him.
Even Kazuko couldn't help but shed tears when she saw the scene of Tanaka Yuko trekking through mountains and rivers to escape from the landlord's house.
At first, Shirakawa Feng thought that she was moved by the plot, but seeing her mother crying more and more sadly, Shirakawa Feng and Tanaka Yuko looked at each other and then looked at their father.
Shirakawa Hayato sighed, put down his chopsticks and began to tell Kazuko about her experiences when she was young.
It was at this dinner table that Shirakawa Feng first heard stories about his mother and father's youth.
In fact, Baichuan Feng had once guessed it from his adoptive uncle and some words from his parents.
My mother, Kazuko, was indeed a daughter of a landlord when she was young.
After all, the lord of Shinjo Domain in Yamagata Prefecture can be considered a powerful family.
Especially since his ancestors were famous, the northeastern area of Akita and Yamagata had always been the Tozawa clan's inherent territory.
However, with the Meiji Restoration and the subsequent reforms, local lords lost power and the nobility gradually weakened.
Tozawa Masami is Shirakawa Kaede's grandfather. He is the last head of the Tozawa family with administrative talent.
Thanks to his efforts, although the Tozawa family suffered losses, at least its foundation was still there.
Compared to many Chinese people who disappeared quietly or even died out, he has done well enough.
However, personal talent cannot withstand the general trend, and decline is inevitable.
But this was not what worried him the most. What really gave him a headache was his own stupid son.
As he grew older, Tozawa Masami's worries became more intense.
Since his son is not capable, he can only find a way to use his daughter to ensure the continuation of the Tozawa family.
It just so happened that the current head of the Sakai family in Shonai Domain needed to remarry, and he happened to have his eyes on Kazuko.
When Tozawa Masami first heard the request of the visitor from the Sakai family, he was very excited.
The Shonai Domain of the Sakai family and the Shinjo Domain of the Tozawa family both belonged to Yamagata Prefecture and were considered neighbors.
But the Sakai family has more than just this area. The family that has descended from the Kaito family includes three earls, four viscounts, and two barons.
There is no doubt that the clan is huge and has deep roots.
If Tozawa gets the support of Sakai, then no matter how stupid his son is, he should have no problem supporting the next generation.
However, looking at the cute and innocent Kazuko, Tozawa Masaki hesitated.
It was normal for women to marry to continue their family line, but the current head of the Sakai family was a second wife, and he was already in his sixties.
Tozawa Masami couldn't bear to marry his precious daughter, who was only 17 or 18 years old, to an old man in his 60s.
At this time, Tozawa Masami, whose health was already deteriorating, was bedridden all day, worried and unable to make up his mind.
And Tozawa Masao, Shirakawa Kaede's step-uncle, somehow got the news.
Although he had no talent for politics, he knew what the Sakai family represented.
So without getting Tozawa Masaki's permission, he imprisoned his sister, Kazuko.
When Tozawa Masao was waiting for someone from the Sakai family to come again, he simply handed over the tied-up Kazuko with both hands.
Fortunately, thanks to Kazuko's servant, he risked his life to untie the ropes on Kazuko's body at night and quietly took her out through the back door.
Without having time to say goodbye to her father, Kazuko took several sets of clothes prepared for her by the servants and fled Tokyo overnight.
But as a young lady from a wealthy family, she had never gone out alone.
After much deliberation, she finally decided to go to Kakuno in Akita. Her grandfather had taken her there when she was a child, when Kakuno was still the territory of the Tozawa family.
She only remembered that the people there were very friendly and polite to her. So after stumbling and struggling, Miss Huazu finally arrived at Kodeka in Akita after going through a lot of hardships.
It was there that she met Shirakawa Hayato who went up the mountain to hunt. This was their first encounter between the dirty and unruly young lady and the honest and loyal mountain man.
What happened next was just like in the story. The young lady married the mountain man and gave birth to the protagonist, Shirakawa Kaede.
In the second year, after asking around, Tozawa Masaaki finally found Xiaolu.
However, when he saw that his sister had married a mountain villager, he became furious and without thinking, he prepared to have someone teach Shirakawa Hayato an unforgettable lesson.
However, the young and strong Shirakawa Hayato was no pushover. He held up his hunting bow and fired three consecutive shots at Tozawa Masao's feet, scaring the opponent so much that he dared not move forward.
After saying a few harsh words, Tozawa Masafusa had no choice but to return to Tokyo with his men in disgrace.
My sister is already married and has children. The matter has already been settled. What's the point in kidnapping her back?
Their father also passed away that year. He was already in an unconscious state when Hezi escaped, but he kept muttering his daughter's name until his death.
Afterwards, all the past was cut off, and Hezi lived in this small village at the foot of the mountain for more than 20 years.
However, what happened to Ashin on TV reminded her of her own experience of fleeing when she was young.
During the thousands of miles from Tokyo to Xiaolu, she suffered no less than Ashin.
The scene brought back memories, and her son got married. She was overwhelmed with sadness and joy, and couldn't hold back her emotions, so she cried more and more.
