Decades ago, a kind and filial young woman in her twenties lived alone in a remote area of Taishan, Taipei, due to her job. One morning, she received a sudden call from her father, who told her she was getting married that day. He instructed her to quickly get ready as the groom’s car would arrive around 9 a.m. to pick her up and bring her wedding dress.
Questions without answers
She asked: “Who is the groom?” Her father angrily replied: “When I tell you to get married, you’re going to get married. Do I need to ask for your consent?” She asked again: “What about my job?” Her father, even angrier, responded: “You’re going to get married. You won’t need to work!”
Listening to her father’s angry tone on the other end of the line, she silently accepted, puzzled about who she was marrying. She had never met the groom and had no idea what he looked like. She sat quietly at her dressing table with many questions but no answers, crying so much that she almost couldn’t put on her makeup.
After a while, the sound of firecrackers and car horns woke her from her silent sorrow. She quickly put on the wedding dress, gloves, and jewelry that were delivered to her. Amid the sounds of firecrackers, she set off toward the groom’s place.
A convoy of six cars formed a long procession heading toward Chunghsing Bridge. Soon, the cars reached the bridge, where a severe accident caused a massive traffic jam. Several people ran to her car, knocking on the windows and urgently calling for help.
A life-saving act
“There’s been an accident up ahead! A child is lying in a pool of blood and is in critical condition!” Upon hearing this, the bride quickly removed her high heels, disregarded her white wedding dress, and rushed to the accident scene.
“Oh, the poor child! He’s bleeding so much.” She immediately bent down to pick up the child, turned around, and ran back to the car, urgently asking the driver to reverse and speed to the nearest hospital. After arranging for the child’s hospitalization, she looked at herself and saw that her once-white wedding dress was now stained red with blood. Without thinking much, she proceeded to the groom’s house in her blood-stained dress.
Arrival at the groom’s house
Upon arrival, they had missed the auspicious time. Everyone was shocked when someone opened the car door to welcome the bride. “Why is your white wedding dress covered in blood?” The groom’s family members all ran inside, and after a while, they placed her in a secluded room upstairs, where she sat alone.
Soon, the matchmaker came and told her: “After the guests leave, we’ll send you back. We have decided to cancel the wedding.” She desperately begged the matchmaker, saying that if she was sent back, she would drown herself. The matchmaker was stunned and said nothing. As night deepened and the cold set in, no one came to see her. She knew her family had received money from her marriage to repay her father’s debts. If the wedding was canceled, her family’s financial situation would worsen. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became.
As dawn broke, a man appeared. He said softly: “When the sun rises, we’ll move out and live elsewhere. You can’t stay here covered in blood.” She was very grateful that the groom had not abandoned her. He praised her selflessness in saving the child and admired her kind heart, believing she deserved a happy life. Marrying such a good and kind woman was, to him, a blessing in life.
Discovering the truth
A year later, their daughter was born. To register her birth, they had to register their marriage first. Then, she discovered her husband’s name differed from what her father had told her. Her husband laughed and said: “My cousin was supposed to marry you, but your bloody wedding gown scared him and his parents. Originally, they planned to send you home right away, but the matchmaker said you would commit suicide. I thought it was cruel, and since you were kind and gentle, I decided to marry you.”
She felt a mix of anger and gratitude upon hearing this. Two years later, she and her husband went to National Taiwan University Hospital to visit a relative with cancer. She found the patient somewhat familiar. After leaving the ward, her husband said: “That patient is the man who was supposed to marry you.” She recalled the ancient saying: “Marriages are arranged by Heaven, not by men!”
A happy family
For over 30 years, their family has lived happily together. Their five children are obedient and accomplished, graduating from universities and graduate schools. There was an old superstition that marrying a bride with a blood-stained wedding dress would bring misfortune to the marriage, but it turned out to be an outdated and utterly wrong belief. How could anyone not want to marry such a nice woman?
As for the bride, she believed her husband did the right thing in marrying her, and time was the best proof. Had she not helped the injured child, she probably wouldn’t have had such a happy marriage. Indeed, kindness begets kindness.
Translated by Elaine
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