The "four-color gift," as its name implies, is a set of four gifts. The four colors represent the four seasons, symbolizing a commitment from beginning to end and demonstrating the sincerity of the man's marriage proposal to the woman's family.
In the Baizigou area, if an unmarried man were to visit a woman's home bearing four gifts—vermicelli, meat, liquor, and either fish or chicken—it held a special meaning.
He might not be accompanied by an elder or a matchmaker, but if those four gifts were tied with red strings, it unequivocally signified a marriage proposal.
Shen Weimin hadn't just tied red strings to his four-color gift; he'd let them hang down extra long. All the way there, he carried the gifts in both hands, letting the red strings dance and fly in the wind.
