Wang Hailong was two years older than Zhong Guoqing. After graduating from junior high school, he didn't get into the county No.1 Middle School. Instead, he studied in the agricultural middle school for two years. Because the agricultural middle school had more labor classes and less cultural classes, and the teachers were poor, Wang Hailong felt that he couldn't study hard, so he came home before graduation.
Zhong Guoqing had heard his mother say that Hai Long was adopted when he was young. She had repeatedly told him not to go out and spread rumors, saying that Hai Long did not know about this. However, Wang Hailong's adoptive parents, who could see him on National Day, had treated him like a baby since he was young and spoiled him. Outsiders could not tell that he was adopted. When he was in school, Hai Long always wore the best clothes in the school and ate well. In the 1960s, when the entire country was suffering from famine, students brought black rice cakes made from black rice flour or golden rice cakes made from steamed rice noodles to school on National Day. However, Hai Long had never eaten these things before. When he went to school, he always brought a Huajuan bun made of white flour and sorghum-flour. The thin layers of reddish-black sorghum-flour were wrapped between the white flour. The layers were very beautiful, and of course, they were very delicious. It was just that he had never tasted them on National Day. Zhong Guoqing had always been envious of Wang Hailong. He even naively thought that it would be great if he was adopted by Hailong's parents!
When National Day walked into Hai Long's house, all three of his family members were there. A wooden bed at the bottom of the cave was piled with all kinds of colorful things. There were seven or eight beds of ready-made flower quilts, bundles of cotton and single-piece ready-made clothes, torn cloth, and a few paper boxes filled with things like shoes and socks for the new daughter-in-law.
Hai Long's father was in his fifties. He was a farmer who would rather farm than say a word. His walnut-skinned face was always smiling. As soon as Zhong Guoqing entered the door, he got up with a smile and poured tea for Guoqing, handed him a cigarette, and brought a plate of peanuts, a plate of fried dough twist, a plate of dried persimmon, and a plate of fruit candy on the table. He repeatedly said,"Hurry up and eat, Guo Wa. Try the fried dough twist cooked by my family!"”
As soon as Guoqing sat down and picked up his teacup, Hailong's mother began to nag Guoqing about Hailong's marriage. She tirelessly started from Hai Long's engagement, repeatedly recounting Hai Long's future father-in-law's greed, selfishness, and unreasonableness. She also recounted the endless grievances and grievances that their family had suffered in order to marry Hai Long.
Hai Long sat at the side and laughed as he watched Guo Qing. He poured tea for Guo Qing and persuaded her mother,"Stop talking. It's already like this. What should be taken has already been taken away by others.”
However, his mother did not give up and continued to nag,"Guo Wa, when you marry a wife in the future, you must ask around first. You must never meet someone like Hai Long's father-in-law again.”
Hailong's wife was mentioned by a young daughter-in-law named Ding Caixian who had married into Hailong's family from the Ding Village of the village a few years ago. Ding Caixian wanted to have more relatives at her in-laws 'door, so she described the girl called Ding Qingzhi at her in-laws' door in a flowery way. Ding Caixian's words easily moved Mother Dragon. Just think about it, her precious son, Wang Hailong, was already twenty years old. Because of her, he had missed out on so many good girls! Now, seeing that everyone else's children had gotten married, and some of them had already given birth, the headstrong Hai Long's mother was about to go crazy from anxiety. That day, after hearing Ding Caixian's introduction, he immediately made a decision to let Ding Caixian go to the matchmaker called Iron-beak Rooster in the village. Ding Caixian's maiden family was in the relatively remote Ding Village, which was twenty-five miles away from Green Pine Ridge. It was a small mountain village with only a few dozen families. Ding Qingzhi's father, whom she had introduced, was called Ding Wood. His family had been farmers for generations. The family's food and clothing depended on the crops in the fields, the piggies in the pen, and the persimmon trees on the ridge. Ding Jia Village was more than 30 miles away from the county town. It was not easy to bring some of the things produced by the family that could be converted into money to the market in the city for some money! What did a farmer like Dingwood rely on to support his family, provide for his children's education, and marry his son? If he didn't ask for more betrothal gifts when he married his daughter, would it work?
Therefore, before Wang Hailong and Ding Qingzhi were officially engaged, Dingwood had secretly come to Green Pine Ridge to inquire about it. After asking around, Dingwood was very excited. He had found out that Hailong's family was relatively well-off. Moreover, he only had one son. Other than marrying a wife, what else did they need money for? Therefore, when the man's matchmaker came to visit for the first time, he asked for two betrothal gifts. According to local customs, a bride had to receive a betrothal gift. Each betrothal gift was 240 yuan, so two betrothal gifts were 480 yuan. In order to achieve his goal, Dingwood was afraid that it would not be safe for the woman to only have Ding Caixian as her matchmaker, so he hired a matchmaker at his door. When the matchmakers saw that Dingwood was so open, they said awkwardly,"Most women here want a gift. You can at most ask for a gift and a half. Buddy, asking for too much is outrageous. How can we, as matchmakers, speak to others?”
Dingwood was a money-grubber who would do anything for money. He was thick-skinned and smiled. He stuffed cigarettes into the matchmaker's hands over and over again and added sugar water to the tea bowls in front of them. He smiled awkwardly and said,"I'll have to trouble you to run a few more steps and say a few more good words! Just say it as two gifts first! I knew that matchmaking would always be like this sooner or later. I've already asked around. My in-laws have thick waists. It depends on your two brothers and Caixian.”
After hearing the matchmakers 'words, Hai Long's father pulled a long face like a walnut skin. He lowered his head and did not say a word, allowing them to nag. The matchmaker forced him to make a stand. He turned back to look at his wife and raised his chin twice, indicating that he wanted his wife to speak. Hai Long's mother was like most housewives in the countryside, small-hearted and sharp-tongued. When the matchmaker opened her mouth and put forward those scary conditions, she gave up. She pursed her lips and waved her hand." Uncle, don't say anymore. With our family's conditions, where can we not find a good daughter-in-law? We can't afford to spend so much money. Besides, if the villagers hear that I'm offering so much betrothal gifts, won't they laugh at me and say that I, Hai Long, can't persuade a daughter-in-law?”
However, matchmakers were matchmakers after all. Their mouths were very clever and their ability to persuade people was especially strong. It was impossible for one to not be convinced. They took turns to describe and promote Ding Qingzhi in all aspects. They said that she was smart since she was young, that she had a photographic memory when she was in primary school in the village, that she was well-educated, that she learned needlework at home and learned it as soon as she was taught, and even that when she was eight years old, she had secretly watched the adults make flower buns at someone else's house. When she went back, she could make a plate of dragon and phoenix flower cakes. They also said that she had a good temper since she was young, that she was gentle, and that she listened to her parents. He never made adults angry. When it came to Ding Qingzhi's appearance, the woman's matchmaker patted her chest and said that Ding Qingzhi was very handsome. Who wouldn't like her? I don't need to tell you. You'll know at a glance.”
Hai Long's parents, who were in a hurry to get married and have grandchildren, finally couldn't stand the three matchmakers 'persuasion. In the end, they were moved and nodded. He said," So be it. As long as my wife is good and spends more money, I don't care. Let's meet my wife first."”
The first time they met, they decided to meet secretly on the 13th of August. On that day, the parents of both the man and the woman stood in front of the department store on the street of Longcheng County with their sons and daughters. Both of them pretended to be waiting for someone while secretly looking at each other's children.
Ding Qingzhi, although she only graduated from primary school, was indeed a striking beauty. She was about 1.65 meters tall, neither fat nor thin, with delicate skin, an oval face, thin eyebrows, big eyes, and a cherry mouth. Sea Dragon's mother took a glance and was immediately impressed. She turned around and quietly asked for Sea Dragon's opinion. Sea Dragon was also filled with joy, but he was a little shy and said,"Mom, as long as you think it's okay!"
Dante Wood didn't look at Dragon's appearance at all. He only gave him a rough look. He thought that as long as the other party's family was rich and the betrothal gift money was high, the appearance of the son-in-law was secondary, as long as he wasn't blind, deaf, lame, or lame.
Both parties were very satisfied after meeting each other in secret. After the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, the matchmaker went back and forth twice, and the marriage between the two families was basically settled.
On the 23rd of August, Ding Qingzhi's aunt and aunt led Ding Qingzhi to Wang Hailong's house for a meal accompanied by a matchmaker. They looked around Hailong's house and exchanged small four-colored gifts, which was considered a small engagement. That evening, Ding Qingzhi and her entourage returned home with a betrothal gift, two bundles of cotton wool, and a piece of wedding cloth.
As soon as the twelfth lunar month arrived, Hailong's mother urged the man's matchmaker to go to Ding Village to talk, saying that she had already found a date for her husband to settle things on the sixth day of the first month of the next year. The matchmaker and Ding Caixian also brought the remaining betrothal gift, two quilts, two quilts, 100 feet of cotton cloth of various colors, ten sets of clothing, and 20 pounds of lint.
However, after Ding Caixian handed over all the things she brought to Dingwood, she requested that the Dragon Mother do it on the sixth day of the first lunar month. Dingwood, who had long wanted to marry his daughter off as soon as possible, said,"Aiya, my in-laws are rushing me too much. I'm really too busy and haven't prepared the dowry yet. Let's wait until next year's harvest!”
When Ding Caixian and the matchmaker heard this, they knew that they were in trouble. This guy had postponed the wedding for half a year. It seemed like he was trying to go uphill. Without waiting for the two matchmakers to speak, Ding Caixian hurriedly said,""My dear uncle, I've already promised many things. Who has ever seen a daughter-in-law with two gifts? Moreover, he had brought the rest of the things and betrothal gifts today. Just be happy and stop pestering me!”
"Look at you, kid. You keep talking. Dealing with affairs, entertaining guests, handling dowry, all these are vague matters. Which one of them doesn't come from above me? There wasn't enough money to do it! They want my daughter to be married on the sixth day of the first month. I'll have to trouble the two of you to make another trip and make the in-laws feel a little more tense. Even if you take half a gift, it's fine. I'll take care of the rest.”
The matchmaker spent half the night at the Dingwood family's house, but he still could not convince him. The next day, he had to go to the Dragon family again.
When Hai Long's parents saw that they had come, they immediately beamed with joy. They quickly poured tea and cooked, but when they heard Ding Caixian's words, Hai Long's mother immediately flew into a rage. She said angrily," Look, look. Is this in-law still considered human? He's practically like Nero Zhou from the movie 'Midnight Rooster'. Is he marrying his daughter off or selling his daughter? If it doesn't work, then forget it. If I cancel this engagement, I don't know what trouble I'll find in the future!”
Hai Long stood at the side. Although he was also very angry at his father-in-law's greedy behavior, when he thought of Ding Qingzhi's big, watery eyes, he couldn't bear to break off the engagement, but he couldn't say anything.
Hai Long's father didn't want to say anything at first, but he was afraid that he would really break off the engagement. Seeing that his daughter-in-law had fallen through, not only did he lose money, but he also didn't know if he could find such a daughter-in-law that the whole family liked in the future. He looked at Hai Long and then at his wife and said,"I think we'll do as the matchmaker says. Let's tighten up. This is the deal. Can he go up the slope again?!”
Ding Caixian also hurriedly said," No, no, he can't. If he goes up the slope again, I won't be able to face anyone." Besides, they were going to be in-laws soon. Why would she be angry with him? Give him half a gift and we'll do things on the sixth day of the first month. I'll take responsibility for this.”
"Sigh, what a troublesome fellow. For our sake, we can only do this! You see, I've put you matchmakers in the middle of this.”As she spoke, she quickly asked the matchmaker to go up to the kang to talk. She immediately lit a fire and cooked. Hai Long's father quickly went to borrow money from his good friend, Li Dehou, the richest man in the village.
Before Hai Long's mother could finish recounting the process of Hai Long's engagement, Guo Qing felt annoyed. He did not expect the village to be so troublesome. How could he have seen the thick-skinned people who acted shamelessly? Sigh! What kind of people were this Dingwood and Li Zhiming, whom he had already experienced? When he was in school, his teacher once talked about "worldview, outlook on life, and values" in class. Due to the difference in people's "three views", the way people treat others and do things would be very different. Things in the world would be strange and many things would be puzzling! The reason why people could form these different " three views " was just like what Old Ma had said: " The economic base determines the upper structure " and " social existence determines people's consciousness." This was Old Ma's most incisive answer to these questions.
While they were talking, Li Longfa and Wang Xinniu entered the room with a smile. Needless to say, they were also here for Hai Long's wedding.
Hai Long's father hurriedly gave them a seat, handed them cigarettes, and poured them tea. National Day saw that they were all wearing brand new clothes, and their hair was black and shiny. The two of them had stopped school earlier and returned to their hometown. Naturally, they were more familiar with the situation in the village and had more experience. National Day had always been very respectful to them. In terms of age, he could be considered their little brother. He imitated the tone of the villagers and said,"The two brothers must be here to discuss Brother Hailong's marriage. You have experience, so tell me what to do first. I'll run errands for you.”
"Sigh! National Day is our great scholar. We still need you to take the lead in such a big matter like marrying a wife.”Li Longfa patted Guo Qing's shoulder and said.
Wang Xinniu said," National Day is a day of writing. He's the one who writes couplets. How can he be absent from the accounting department?”
Hai Long's father stared at them and chuckled."You guys can discuss this matter. If there's anything else you need, tell me and I'll think of a way to get it!”
Hai Long handed everyone a cigarette and said seriously,""I have a suggestion. What do you think? Brother Long Fa is experienced and has a wide range of ideas. You should be the prime minister and butler. Brother Xin Niu will be in charge of entertaining the guests. Brother Guo Qing will be in charge of the accounting room. You should be in charge of writing couplets. Brother Long Fa, you should be the one to do these tasks.”
Long Fa said,"Hai Long, you're wrong. Can I be the Prime Minister?" This role has always been the brigade secretary. Can we not put him at the top?”
Xin Niu and Guo Qing nodded.
Hai Long's father interjected," We definitely have to invite Guo Zhenshan, the secretary of the brigade, to be the prime minister. That's for sure. However, he's busy and has a lot of things to do. He can only be the prime minister in name. We still have to worry about things. Long Fa will take the lead and be the deputy prime minister. You have to worry about things and give in to him when it comes to showing your face."”
Long Fa nodded and said,"Uncle, we'll do as you say."”
Then, he talked about the number of tables for the guests, the band, where the chef was hired, and whether they would ride horses or bicycles during the wedding.
At this moment, Hai Long's mother came over and said,"I've prepared a few dishes. Everyone, drink some wine. Sit down and eat while we talk."”
In the past, he had no interest in drinking during National Day. He thought that eating was just eating vegetables and eating buns. It would be better to drink a bowl of soup. Why would he drink that wine? It was spicy. How could it be more satisfying than drinking a cup of hot tea? However, it was different today. When he heard that they were going to drink, he was immediately excited. He imagined the hot persimmon wine entering his throat and then down his stomach. Immediately, a warm current spread throughout his body, especially when he was slightly tipsy. His feet were light as if he was stepping on cotton, but his mind was still clear. It felt good. He clearly remembered that this interest and hobby of wine was the result of his enlightenment from his middle school teacher, Wang Jinglan.
It was the winter of 1963. The school was on winter break. On National Day, Teacher Wang Jinglan and a group of women went to the fields to water the wheat.
It was ridiculous to talk about drought-resistant wheat watering at that time. The drought was so severe that the wheat seedlings in the field died of drought. Of course, the government couldn't just ignore it. The county leaders came up with a slogan: The weather is very dry, the people are very dry, carry water to water the wheat, the people can conquer the weather. Green Pine Ridge Village was a dry land, and it depended purely on the weather for food. If the weather was good, it would be a bumper harvest year. If it encountered a year of drought, it could only watch helplessly. The cadre of the Commune came to the village to supervise the battle and asked every production team to take action immediately. The team leader decided that the young women would pull a small flat cart every three people. The cart would be loaded with a gasoline can that could hold seven buckets of water. They would pull water from a shallow well outside the north gate of Dongzhuang Village, which was eight miles away from Qingsongling Village. After pulling the water back, they would pour it into a white iron teapot. They would carry the white iron teapot and pour it along the wheat ridges onto the wheat roots. Think about it, the soil is already dry, and the wheat seedlings are all yellow. If a teapot of water is poured on it, it will dry up before the wheat roots can seep through. It's really a drop in the bucket. How much effect can it have? But the captain said,"What other good ideas do we have?" It was better to water it than not to water it.
Guo Qing and Wang Jinglan specially filled the barrels with water. When the small carts arrived, they would fill the barrels with water from the shallow well. The small cart needed to travel more than 16 miles back and forth to pull the water. It also needed to water the wheat in the field, so it took a long time to pull the water. The two of them could take a break during this period. The wind was particularly strong and the weather was very cold. On National Day, she wore a small cotton jacket and a belt around her waist. She felt the cold wind blowing straight into her body. At this moment, Teacher Wang said," Let's go. There's a place we can take shelter from the wind." As he spoke, he led Guoqing to the entrance of Dongzhuang Village, which was dozens of steps away. Dongzhuang Village was built on a plain. It was a large village with hundreds of families surrounded by high walls in a rectangular castle. There were four gates on all four sides of the castle. They were facing the north gate of the East Manor. The city gate was five to six meters wide and seven to eight meters high. Once the two half-foot-thick city gates were closed, not to mention humans and livestock, even ferocious beasts could not do anything to it. Guo Qing patted the sturdy city gate and asked,""When were these magnificent city walls and gates built?”
Teacher Wang replied," It's said that it happened during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, there was a high-ranking official in the village. His name was Zhai Fengzhu. At first, he was the chief of the Ministry of Justice in the capital. Later, he became the governor of Huguang and the left governor of Fujian. This person is an honest official and has outstanding achievements. He is highly regarded by the emperor. When he was in office, he urged the local officials of Longcheng County to build famous ancient buildings such as the Red Crane Tower, the Huilan Tower, the Great Qing Temple, and the Tong Garden. In order to ensure the safety of the villagers, they built a city wall that was twenty feet tall. However, because he was upright and unafraid of dignitaries, he offended some high officials of the imperial court. There were actually traitors who framed him, saying that he had built a castle in his hometown and had evil intentions. At that time, Emperor Kangxi believed in calumny and killed him in the sixth year of Kangxi. After the truth was revealed, Kang Xi realized that he had wronged a good person. Not only did he put an end to Zhai Fengzhu's rebellion, but he also spent a lot of money to give him a lavish burial. Because he could not find Zhai Fengzhu's head, he cast a golden head and placed it in his coffin.”
Guo Qing listened to Teacher Wang's explanation and said emotionally,"I've heard of this touching story before, and I've also heard that this Great Honest Official was buried in the big grave beside the village. But I only know that there was a 'Di Buzheng' but I don't know his real name or the year he lived. At that time, he didn't understand how much credit Di Buzheng had to his death to be able to bury such a huge grave. In front of the grave stood stone men, stone horses, stone beasts, stone tables, stone tablets, and so on that were much bigger than real people and horses.”
"Yes, it was Kangxi who listened to the slanderous rumors and killed Zhai Fengzhu unjustly. Later, the lavish burial of Zhai Fengzhu was just compensation for Zhai Fengzhu and appeasement for the people. It has been like this for generations. People hope for a clean official, but clean officials often don't get good rewards.”
As they spoke, they walked into a large cave behind the city gate. The cave was more than ten square meters wide. It was dark inside, but it was much warmer than the wilderness. They slowly groped their way in. In the darkness, they put a few bricks under their butts and listened to the wild whimpering of the north wind outside. After sitting quietly for a while, their eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, and they could see each other's faces clearly. At this moment, Mr. Wang suddenly said,"It would be much more comfortable if I could drink a cup of hot wine now." Do you often drink on National Day?"
"I don't drink much. It's boring. It tastes spicy. What's there to drink? Besides, that's the business of rich people.”
"Actually, it doesn't cost much. Didn't our team distribute persimmon wine to the members? That wine is not bad. You pour it into a white iron wine pot and heat it up on the stove.”
Guo Qing heard Teacher Wang Jinglan's words and immediately felt a little itchy in his throat. Could it be that the taste of drinking was so wonderful? Otherwise, I'll go back and try it today. After work that day, while his mother was cooking, he found the persimmon wine at home on National Day. He poured a pot of it and heated it up. He drank two sips while eating. It really felt good. From then on, as long as drinking was mentioned, National Day would be interesting. So today, Hai Long's mother treated everyone to a drink, and Guo Xing immediately sat down at the table.
Mother Hai Long quickly brought six cold plates, a pot of hot persimmon wine, a plate of fried dough twist, and a plate of dried persimmon cakes to the table. Because everyone had only eaten dumplings at dawn, they were not interested in fried dough twists and dried persimmons. They only cared about drinking and eating. Although Guo Qing was a little interested in wine, his alcohol tolerance was too low. After a few cups of wine, he felt light-headed, dizzy, and weak. He was helped to his kang by Hai Long. He slept for a long time until his younger brother came to find him for dinner.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。