Chapter 2013 - Preparing the Wedding

The matchmaking conference concluded triumphantly. Seventy-six couples registered by the end, and the three Elders congratulated the newly matched pairs with genuine warmth—embodying the ethos of "modest means, spirited celebration."

Du Yibin and Wang Jun felt thoroughly pleased. The affair had weathered its share of complications, but they'd pulled it off—and the results exceeded expectations.

The propaganda machinery, for one, had secured exceptional material. Qin Ruiyu fairly hummed with satisfaction, planning not merely a feature article and headline for the Sheep City Express but an entire special edition to document the event in detail. It demonstrated the Council's benevolence perfectly and would substantially aid civil affairs initiatives. More importantly, the event had genuinely resolved marriage problems for a significant group of naturalized citizens. For personnel at the lowest tiers of naturalization—though this solution barely scratched the surface—it offered hope, which helped stabilize social sentiment. Furthermore, the visible success had galvanized natives and newly naturalized citizens who'd maintained skeptical, wait-and-see attitudes toward the Council. Since matchmaking activities began, the atmosphere among students at the Jiliang Institute had transformed dramatically. Give people hope, and their entire outlook shifts—far more effectively than any amount of ideological education.

The next task: organize a magnificent collective wedding to crown the matchmaking event and bring the entire initiative to a triumphant close.

The three Elders gathered in the Elder's dining room at the Great World, drinks in hand, "celebrating" while discussing follow-up arrangements.

"A collective wedding is entirely feasible," Qin Ruiyu declared, seeing substantial propaganda value. His enthusiasm ignited. "Even if Finance lacks funds, we can solicit donations—persuade local wealthy families to contribute as a charitable deed. The real challenge comes afterward."

"What challenge?" Du Yibin had imbibed a few extra cups of mulberry sweet wine; his face glowed pink. "We've provided them wives and organized weddings. Surely we're not expected to raise their children too?"

"Raising children isn't necessary. But what about bridal chambers?"

"Damn!" Wang Jun slammed his cup on the table. "I completely forgot about that!"

Housing stands central to Chinese marriage, even in the seventeenth century—both for practical reasons and matters of propriety. If a newly married couple can't live together, what kind of marriage is it?

The first batch of disabled naturalized citizens posed minimal difficulty. They enjoyed policy benefits; upon marriage, Civil Affairs would allocate them apartments. But this current group represented harder cases.

"Don't they have houses in Lingao? Why resolve it here in Guangzhou?" Du Yibin asked, puzzled.

"They do—but very few." Wang Jun, long stationed in the factories, understood naturalized citizens' living conditions far better than farm-focused Du Yibin. "Most of these men are precisely those who couldn't afford houses in Lingao. They've been renting or living in dormitories. After transfer to Guangzhou, every one was assigned to temporary dorms in various enterprises and agencies. You know those dormitories—bunk beds, ten or twenty people crammed into one large room. Someone farts and the entire floor hears it. How can that serve as a bridal chamber?"

"But I heard there are single-room family dormitories..."

"Those are reserved for already-married naturalized couples, plus some visiting-family accommodations. We could borrow them temporarily as bridal chambers at best."

"Damn. This problem's harder than raising sons." Du Yibin began scratching his head vigorously.

"We can't solve this alone. Didn't they mention a new district under construction on Henan Island? Will there be dormitories built there?"

Qin Ruiyu nodded. "That's the plan, and I heard construction's started on a batch of dormitories. But this collective wedding can't wait that long. Social news operates on momentum—lose the moment and you lose the impact."

Wang Jun and Du Yibin found themselves at an impasse. Houses couldn't materialize from thin air, and bridal chambers required privacy and domestic functionality—neither easily improvised.

Qin Ruiyu mulled the problem over, then spoke: "I actually have a notion. Not a long-term solution, but perhaps sufficient for a year or so while we wait for the new dormitories."

"With so many agencies flooding into Guangzhou, housing in the city's already strained. Where would we find over a hundred rooms at once?"

"Temple and monastery quarters."

Du Yibin and Wang Jun's faces registered expressions that clearly communicated: you are beyond mortal comprehension.

Though most Elders professed atheism, they generally upheld principles of "religious freedom" and "respecting religious customs." They knew temples and monasteries possessed abundant empty rooms, but installing newlywed couples in ascetic religious venues struck both Wang and Du as profoundly shocking.

"Don't look so scandalized," Qin Ruiyu laughed. "First, renting out rooms is perfectly common for temples and monasteries in this era. Larger establishments routinely engage in such business—monks in Beijing even operate inns. Hardly scandalous. Second, a batch of temple properties happens to be available for use right now."

"What temple properties?"

"You've been in Guangzhou this long and haven't heard about Governor Liu's religious reforms?"

"Oh—oh, you mean that." Wang Jun's face lit with recognition. "The corporatization reform under the Three-Self principles?"

"Exactly that."

"Ah, I confess I didn't pay much attention..." Wang Jun admitted sheepishly. Du Yibin had departed for Enping upon arriving in Guangdong, so his ignorance was excusable. But Wang Jun had been operating throughout Guangzhou.

"Setting aside the reform itself, did they confiscate many properties..." Du Yibin leaned forward eagerly.

"Don't rush." Qin Ruiyu raised a hand. "Let me explain from the beginning..."

Liu Xiang's administration in Guangzhou naturally hadn't spared temples and monasteries holding vast landholdings and properties. His religious reform strategy centered on separating venues from assets, thereby weakening their economic power. What Liu Xiang truly cared about were "temple assets." Borrowing from later approaches like the Shaolin Temple's model, he'd reorganized Guangzhou's temples and monasteries into "companies." Temples with licensed clergy registered as corporate legal entities, their assets including religious buildings, ritual implements, scriptures, and similar items—all subject to religious taxes and management fees. Non-religious temple assets like real estate, shops, and farmland were spun off as registered capital for identically named commercial companies, operating and paying taxes like ordinary enterprises. The Religious Affairs Office supervised these "religious companies."

Thus the Religious Affairs Office effectively controlled substantial temple assets, including numerous rental properties.

"...Though that's actually the smaller portion. Most of those properties are already rented out, with few vacancies. More importantly, during the recent cleanup of illicit cults and rectification of Guandi temples, quite a few properties were confiscated alongside them. They're either serving as temporary dormitories or sitting empty—honestly, most aren't in pristine condition, but with minor repairs, accommodating a hundred couples temporarily presents no difficulty."

"Perfect solution, then." Du Yibin's excitement flared. "Makeshift arrangements for a year or two."

However, their optimistic calculations sparked considerable debate upon reaching City Hall. The primary contention involved wedding scale. Some Elders felt one event sufficed, while others argued the numbers were insufficient and the scale should expand significantly—fewer than a hundred couples lacked newsworthiness, failing to warrant even front-page placement.

"For local women, the grander and larger this wedding, the more it will encourage them to actively choose marriage with naturalized citizens," Liu Xiang asserted. "We should transform this collective wedding into a citywide celebration. The scale must be substantial."

"Male naturalized citizens eager for marriage number far beyond a hundred. Adding all Jiliang Institute students wouldn't satisfy demand," Wang Jun countered. "The problem is, this marks our inaugural matchmaking activity. We should proceed cautiously, not merely chase scale. If hasty marriages lead to marital discord and incidents later, the consequences won't be favorable."

Zhang Yunmi interjected: "Your matchmaking activity was equally hasty. People meet, chat for a few hours, then marry—what emotional foundation exists?"

Wang Jun found himself momentarily speechless.

Lin Baiguang smoothed the waters: "This collective matchmaking itself serves propaganda goals—encouraging more commoners to choose naturalization. The collective wedding even more so. It must be grand in scale to achieve proper effect. How about this: quite a few naturalized employees are freely dating through workplace proximity. Under current conditions, organizing lavish weddings themselves proves difficult. We could offer them the opportunity to participate—after all, a collective wedding features Elders attending with congratulations, creating a lively, grand spectacle. They'll surely agree."

"There are also couples who've only registered without holding ceremonies—at most treated friends and colleagues to a meal," Zhang Yikun added. Since the collective wedding would almost certainly be held at the Great World, he harbored particular enthusiasm. "Deep down, they definitely desire grand weddings. We could retroactively provide ceremonies for them." He contributed various creative suggestions: newlyweds cruising the Pearl River on flower boats at night, fireworks displays, inviting the Plaid Skirt Club for performances...

"What about funding? Making it so elaborate—where does the money come from?"

"Didn't they say it comes from the General Office Special Fund?"

"The Special Fund isn't conjured by Xiao Zishan. Ultimately, it's still Finance and Taxation money, isn't it?" Ai Zhixin smiled wryly. "There's only so much available. Changing the name doesn't multiply the total... Besides, the quota approved by the General Office won't accommodate such lavish spending."

"The funding issue is manageable," Liu Xiang said after a moment's thought. "We can't assume total responsibility and raise a generation of Council dependents. We'll naturally provide subsidies, but the Council can't finance everything. Capable naturalized citizens should contribute portions themselves. Here's the approach: except for couples from the matchmaking conference, other participating naturalized couples follow voluntary registration—no coercion. Participants will pay a portion of costs, specific amounts to be calculated by organizers."