The story may be an attempt to mythologize a system of male marriages in Fujian attested to by the scholar-bureaucrat Shen Defu and the 17th century writer Li Yu. The older man in the union would play the masculine role as a "qixiong" or "adoptive older brother", paying a "bride price" to the family of the younger man- it was said virgins fetched higher prices- who became the "qidi", or "adoptive younger brother". Li Yu described the ceremony, "They do not skip the three cups of tea or the six wedding rituals- it is just like a proper marriage with a formal wedding." The "qidi" then moved into the household of the "qixiong", where he would be completely dependent on him, be treated as a son-in-law by the "qixiong"s parents, and possibly even help raise children adopted by the "qixiong". These marriages could last as long as 20 years before both men were expected to marry women in order to procreate.