The issue of burden of ceremonial cash gifts in rural areas has become increasingly prominent amidst the current trend of rural hollowing-out. Alleviating this social burden is crucial for transforming outdated customs and advancing the construction of a civilized rural ethos. Based on the theory of the differential mode of association and social exchange theory， this paper constructs a theoretical analysis framework of “relationship-trust-behavior”. Employing a case study of Village D in eastern Fujian， it delves into the emergence of the burden of ceremonial cash gifts in the context of a hollowing-out population and pathways to reduce this burden. The case study shows that in solidary villages like those in eastern Fujian， the mechanism generating this burden revolves around the continuation of social networks， the intensification of risk perception， the functional alienation of social reciprocity， and the influence of vanity. This process follows an evolutionary logic： reciprocal interactions shift from “mutual assistance” to “utilitarianism”， the orientation of trust within these exchanges moves from “moral constraint” to “profit-driven”， and consumption behaviors related to social reciprocity change from “seeking balance” to “mutual competition”. Therefore， pathways to reduce this burden are proposed： leveraging the function of traditional cultural institutions and customary adaptation to return social reciprocity to its original purpose； improving the rural social security system to enhance the survival resilience of peasant families， and strengthening mass autonomous organizations to rectify the detrimental practice of reckless and emulative one-upmanship.