Chapter 014 The Countryside

Time quickly arrived at the evening of the next day. Jiang Nan's foot was only a superficial wound, but the wound had now formed a scar and was considered healed. Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua got off work and didn't cook. They simply ate a few peach cakes and left with their gifts.

Jiang Mancheng finally managed to find two and a half pounds of honey three-knife. He kept half a pound for his family and took the rest. The most eye-catching gift was three pounds of pork belly strung with hemp rope. The fat and lean parts were so delicious that it made people drool.

Why is it tied with a hemp rope? Isn't it to be conspicuous? After all, the money has been spent, of course people have to see it. Jiang Mancheng is not the type to do good deeds without leaving a name. He wants to publicize it to the whole world before he even does it.

Well, it's that blatant.

After the three of them went out, they were greeted with concerned and gossipy inquiries from the neighbors as usual, especially Old Lady Liu and Grandma Fang. They had guessed that the Jiang family would return to the west bank of the river. After all, they would go back every year at this time. So after finishing their meal, they waited at the door early, and as soon as they saw someone come out, they immediately surrounded them.

Unexpectedly, the first person to speak was Grandma Fang.

But Jiang Mancheng wasn't surprised at all. After all, the Fang family had always been at the forefront when it came to taking advantage. It didn't matter if there was a chance or not, they'd just give it a try. Just in case, it would work out.

Granny Fang couldn't take her eyes off the meat. She said hesitantly, "Mancheng, it's so hot. You're taking so much meat back. If you can't finish it, it will go bad. It's not good to waste things. Look, if you lend me a pound, it will help you out, right? I'll definitely pay you back when I get paid. Just trust Granny Fang, she will definitely pay you back."

Old Lady Liu's eyes darted around, but she didn't say anything. She just stared at Jiang Mancheng. As long as he lent money to Granny Fang, she would have to lend it to him even if she had to throw a tantrum. They were all neighbors from the west household, so she couldn't favor one over the other.

The two boys, Fang Nansheng and Fang Nanhai, lay on the ground, shouting at the top of their lungs: "I want meat, I want meat!"

Grandma Fang's face grew even more miserable. Seeing Jiang Mancheng smiling and watching with his arms folded, but not moving, she cursed him in her heart for being heartless, but on the surface she began to wipe away tears. She shouted to her two grandsons, "Grandma is incompetent and can't buy you meat. You're a widow, and life is so hard. Qiaolian, quickly help them up. We may be poor but have high aspirations, so it's okay if we don't eat meat. Nansheng, Nanhai, quickly get up. Grandma and your mother will go dig wild vegetables and make sure you have enough to eat."

Jiang Mancheng chuckled and said coldly, "Grandma Fang, this isn't the time before liberation when people were starving. What's wrong? Your family, with oil workers, still can't eat enough and has to rely on picking wild vegetables for a living? What? You think life is bad now?"

After all, Sun Qiaolian had worked before, so she knew that some things should not be said carelessly. She quickly said, "Mancheng, look at what you said. We go out to pick wild vegetables to save some money for the family, not because we think life is hard. How can it be bad? Every family has workers, and we all have wages, so life must be good."

Jiang Mancheng didn't want to keep arguing, so he nodded and said, "Oh, so, since life is not bad, then go buy some meat. Nansheng, Nanhai, did you hear that? Your family is not bad, it's not that you can't afford meat. Remember to ask your grandma and your mother for it."

Sun Qiaolian chuckled twice, while Granny Fang lowered her head, saying nothing. Her expression was so grim it looked like water could drip out of it. She cursed Jiang Mancheng inwardly. "That's a lot of meat, so what? Giving them a pound or a half pound? It's so unkind of them. They're neighbors, too. They're such a stingy, conscienceless, and wicked family."

Jiang Mancheng didn't care what she thought. He carried the three pounds of meat downstairs in a very ostentatious manner, enjoying the envious and jealous eyes of everyone along the way, and felt even more proud.

It was this kind of look. No one had ever looked at him like this in his previous life. After traveling through time, he finally experienced it. Jiang Mancheng became more and more proud. I have to say, it feels so damn good.

Jiang Mancheng hummed a song as he came downstairs. The three of them were pushing three bicycles. The Xihe'an Brigade was two hours' ride from the oil fields. Therefore, Jiang Mancheng had borrowed a bicycle from a colleague, one for each of the three of them. Otherwise, it would have been exhausting to drive them for two hours.

Jiang Mancheng lowered his head to put the gift into the basket, sorted it out, and looked up, only to see Qiu Xiangdong, whom he had not seen for many days, walking towards him from afar.

As a comparison, Qiu Xiangdong himself wasn't bad looking. He was 1.80 meters tall, with a square face, though his skin was dark. Even in his baggy work clothes, his muscles bulged, giving him the image of a tough guy beloved by every generation, completely different from the pretty boys like Jiang Mancheng.

He seemed to have just seen the family of three. He nodded and smiled as a greeting, but was in no hurry to go home. Instead, he turned around and joined the old men and women in chatting, as if he was catching up on the gossip of the past few days.

Jiang Mancheng raised his eyebrows, and after the three of them rode away from the family compound, he sighed, "Wu Dachui's job is going to be in trouble."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chen Jinhua was puzzled. "Wu Dachui was a truck driver and a regular employee. What could have happened to him?"

"Hey, wife, just wait. The real evildoer in this building is back. It's going to be a good show to watch." Jiang Mancheng didn't say anything, but pedaled his bicycle furiously twice and shouted, "Let's go watch the show."

The three of them rode hard all the way, with sparks and lightning, and finally arrived at the West River Bank Brigade before it was completely dark.

At this time, the Jiang family had finished dinner long ago, and the house was full of people who came to join in the fun.

Tomorrow is Du Hehua's birthday. These days, Du Hehua is the only rural old lady who celebrates her birthday, so it's not uncommon. Besides, everyone knows that the city boy will be back tonight and might bring some goodies. Who wouldn't want to see them?

And there's Xiaonan from Cheng Xiaozi's family. She's sixteen now, right? She's graduated from high school. It's unlikely she'll marry into their team, but what if? Who can't dream?

Look, the three of them had just entered the Jiang family yard, and before their family members could say anything, the people who came to join in the fun started to greet them first.

"Oh my god, there's so much meat, have you distributed it all over the city?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Hey, city boy, come here, let me hold it for you. Seriously, I've never seen such good pork belly in my life."

"Oh, you're an oil worker, you're living a good life. Every time you come back, you bring lots of bags. You must be rich."

There are jealous people everywhere. Even if you just come to join in the fun, there are still people who are jealous.

But Jiang Mancheng still smiled, showing off the meat in his hand from every angle, and said modestly, "What's the point of being rich? This is not about money. Tell me, everyone, my mother worked hard to raise us, how can I, as a son, not be filial? Look everyone, my family saved two months' worth of meat coupons just to celebrate my mother's birthday."

Jiang Mancheng was delighted. He had paid for it, so if people wanted to watch it, they could. He could also earn a reputation as a filial son. Now, some people were envious.

"Chengzi is truly filial."

"Of course not. Oh, this is three pounds of meat, right? That's a lot. Chengzi, you are such a filial son."

"Well, being filial to one's parents is the way to go." Jiang Mancheng was carrying the meat, smiling smugly. He said, "It's almost soybean harvest time, and it's my mother's birthday, so I should eat some good food."

Jiang Nan's mouth twitched. She finally understood why her father held the meat tightly as soon as she got off the bicycle. He was really afraid that others would not see it.

"Cheng boy, are you tired? Come inside and drink some water. Where's the brown sugar? It's from Mantang's family. Come and make some brown sugar water."

Jiang Mantang’s wife Yin Wenjuan, who was standing behind: Haha, haha.

This is her home, how come everyone has become the host?

Although she felt uncomfortable, Yin Wenjuan turned around and went to the kitchen. Soon, she went to the main house with three bowls of brown sugar water.

Jiang Mancheng was very natural. He handed the gift to his third sister Jiang Manping who had returned to her parents' home, and then started smiling and greeting everyone in the room.

"Aunt Zaohua, you look so healthy. You walk faster than I do."

"Auntie Chunxing, you are getting younger and younger. When I first saw you, I thought you were your daughter Youtao."

A few words made the peasant women burst into laughter. People passing by the Jiang family yard couldn't help but take a second look at them.

Chen Jinhua followed Jiang Mancheng with an unnatural expression on her face, her smile as stiff as a frozen pig's head.

As a time traveler from 2025, Jiang Nan's biggest fear is these kinds of social situations with all the aunts and uncles. Even if she's a bit of a social bull, she still has to admire her father. Her father really has a bit of a social bull syndrome.

The three of them entered the house with different expressions.

Inside, Du Hehua, dressed in an indigo floral blouse with a slanted collar and black skinny jeans, sat cross-legged on the kang, her smile softer than anyone else's. A closer look revealed a resemblance between her posture and demeanor and Granny Fang's. However, Du Hehua was taller and stronger, and due to her rural lifestyle and the housework, her face had more wrinkles than Granny Fang's.

"Mancheng is back? You kid, if you're busy you don't have to come back. It's just a birthday, I told you not to celebrate it, but you ignorant people insisted on celebrating it for me. Oh, you won't listen no matter what I say, Zaohua, Chunxing, my words don't count at home."

"That's because Mantang and the others are filial. You, just enjoy your life."

Jiang Mancheng twitched his lips. This old lady was even more pretentious than him. He responded with a serious tone, "How can we not celebrate something as important as a birthday? You raised the four of us by yourself, it was not easy. We should celebrate your birthday now."

Jiang Mantang, the eldest of the Jiang family, chuckled foolishly, scratched his head and responded, "That's right, Mom, it's time to celebrate your birthday."

Du Hehua glanced at her second daughter-in-law, Ma Honghua. Ma Honghua shuddered, cursing her inwardly as an old hag, but she finally put on a smile and said, "Mom, that's right. How can we not celebrate your birthday? Look, my family went to borrow plates from Manpo. We'll have plenty of dishes tomorrow. Let's have a good time."

Jiang Mancheng's eyes flashed, and when he saw that his mother stopped talking, he understood a little.

"Xiao Nan, come, come to Grandma Zaohua. You didn't even come back to visit after you graduated. Are you alienated from your hometown?"

The gray-clad old lady pulled Jiang Nan over and squinted her eyes. Even the swirls on Jiang Nan's hair couldn't escape her sharp gaze. She was so satisfied. This child had a nice waist and a nice butt. She looked so good that she would be easy to raise.

"You're getting more and more handsome. Do you have any in-laws? Tell Grandma Zaohua what kind of person you're looking for. I'll keep an eye out for you and guarantee you'll find someone who's both nice and pretty."

Jiang Nan laughed foolishly, completely losing his usual cleverness at home.

Jiang Mancheng quickly spoke to rescue his daughter: "Aunt Zaohua, it's so late, why don't you go home and rest early? Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"

The countryside is not like the city, where there is no such thing as Sunday. People go to work every day.

The woman called Aunt Zaohua drooped her face and poked Jiang Mancheng fiercely with her finger: "You heartless little bastard, are you chasing your aunt away? I gave you steamed buns to eat when you were little."

She let go of Jiang Nan's hand and got to the point: "Chengzi, I heard a new oil well was discovered in the oil field? Is it far from here? Logically speaking, since we're so close to the oil field, there should be oil underground. You should report this to the oil field leaders. What's the word for this place? "

She frowned, thought for a moment, then excitedly slapped her thigh and shouted, "Exploration? Yes, let's explore here. By then, every family in our brigade will have an oil worker. How wonderful that would be."

"That's right, Chengzi, this is a big deal, you have to pay attention to it."

"Oh, my aunties, who am I? If the oil field leaders know who I am, I'll go and tell them." Jiang Mancheng smiled and didn't feel embarrassed at all to say this.

"That's Jinhua. Her father is the chief engineer of the exploration team, so he always has the final say." Someone said.

"Oh, Auntie, you don't know how big the Chaoyang Oilfield is. Although the headquarters is in our Baishui City, my father-in-law is often exploring in other cities and is often seconded to other oilfields. He rarely comes back. I can't see him even if I want to." Jiang Mancheng gave the aunt who spoke a deep look, and continued to practice Tai Chi with everyone with a smile, "Don't worry about this, it will come sooner or later. Everyone prepare, this day will definitely come."

"The family has been divided, what else can we prepare?" asked Aunt Zaohua.

Since the establishment of the Chaoyang Oilfield, every brigade in Baishui City has seen a surge in the practice of splitting up families. As soon as a child reaches sixteen, they are married and separated from the family, hoping to secure a job opportunity for each family in the future, when oil is discovered and the oilfield provides compensation.

"It's not enough to just divide the family, we have to register with the commune. Private divisions in our village don't count." Jiang Mancheng counted on his fingers, listing them one by one. "Also, marriages have to be registered. Men are 20 and women are 18, that's the legal age. Getting married at 16 and holding a wedding banquet is just for the village, it's not legally recognized."

"Chengzi, have all the widowers in your building found wives? I have several young girls and widows here who can be introduced to you." Speaking of marriage, the brigade matchmaker Chun Xinggu interrupted.

Jiang Mancheng single-handedly dealt with a dozen rural women, his face always plastered with a proper smile, and he was very comfortable with the situation, which made Jiang Nan marvel at it. Soon, the moon rose higher and higher, and everyone left the Jiang family yard one after another. They finally slumped on the kang, their faces full of relief at having escaped.

"There are no outsiders here, let's get down to business." Du Hehua put away the fake smile on her face and said solemnly, "Xiao Gui is eighteen this year, and it's time for him to get married. Let me be clear, even if this family is divided, it will be me, Du Hehua, who will make the decision. Ma Honghua, put away your little thoughts. I will decide who Xiao Gui should marry. If you keep interfering, go back to your parents' home. Second brother, do my words still count in this family?"

"It counts, it counts." Jiang Manpo, who had just returned and whose butt wasn't even warm yet, sat up straight. Under his eldest brother's deathly gaze, he quickly stated, "Mom, you always have the final say in this family. Really, my family and I will definitely not get involved."

"Grandma, I'll do whatever you say. My mom's just worried about me, so please don't be angry." Jiang Gui glanced at his mother, who was keeping her head down and silent, and spoke up to defend her. He was the second-oldest grandchild, having grown up with his grandmother, and he knew firsthand how powerful his grandmother was.

"Grandma knows you're a good person." Du Hehua glanced at her second grandson and said with satisfaction, "Don't worry, grandma will definitely find a good wife for you. Well, it's getting late, Manping, you should go back and come back tomorrow at noon. Boss, take your Mancheng family back home."

The Jiang family's house was a magnificent addition to the brigade, a series of stone structures. The five-room main house housed Du Hehua and the eldest son, Jiang Mantang, and his family. The three-room east wing housed the second son, Jiang Manpo, and the three-room west wing belonged to Jiang Mancheng. Even after Jiang Mancheng became an oil worker, he didn't reclaim his allotment of the house. Since he rarely visited, he gave the keys to the eldest son's family, who would often come over to clean and tidy up. Jiang Mancheng wouldn't let his eldest brother work for nothing, and he always brought him extra gifts when he returned.

This time, too, after Jiang Mancheng entered the house, he handed a bag of White Rabbit snacks to his eldest brother and asked, "Is this about the second wife's matter? Mother could have easily resolved such a small matter with just a wave of her hand. Why did she specifically send Xiaosong to find me?"

Jiang Mantang took the paper bag and hesitated, "It's from the second brother's family. Maybe... maybe it's not that easy to give up."

Jiang Mancheng became interested and pulled his elder brother to sit on the kang, whispering, "What's going on? Tell me."

Jiang Mantang scratched his head, glanced at Chen Jinhua and her daughter as they made the bed and cleaned the house, and thinking about what his mother had said, he finally spoke: "Well, the second son's wife has taken a fancy to the Qiu family's Pan'er and is thinking of using some tricks to get Pan'er to marry him."

Jiang Mancheng raised his eyebrows and said, understandingly, "Is it a done deal?"

This family is so heartless, they want to wipe out the entire family.

"Yes, I don't know the specific operation. Mother went to the toilet at night and heard the second son and his family secretly talking. Little brother, you are the only one with many ideas in the family, you have to think of a way. Although Qiu Xiangdong is also from our brigade, he has only one daughter, and he must want her to marry up. We can't make enemies with the Qiu family because of this. The Qiu family's in-laws are the secretary of the village committee. If they settle accounts with our family because of this, we will have a lot to drink."

"I see. Let me think about it." Jiang Mancheng was silent for two seconds after listening, then said, "Pan'er's personality is a bit left-wing, and she's not suitable for Xiaogui. Although Xiaogui's parents are unreliable, the child is okay. Our mother's vision is fine, so don't worry."

The two brothers chatted for a while while Chen Jinhua and Jiang Nan had already made the kang.

Jiang Mantang took the opportunity to say goodbye, leaving only Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua in the room.

Jiang Mancheng immediately lay down on the kang and sighed comfortably, "I'm so tired. There will definitely be a good show tomorrow, hehehe."

"What a good show! The Qiu family hasn't come back yet, so the second brother and his wife can't perform it by themselves." While the two brothers were chatting, Chen Jinhua had already washed up and now she lifted the blanket and lay down.

"You think that's all." Jiang Mancheng smiled lightly, with a hint of disdain, "I can handle this matter with just a wave of my hand. There will definitely be other things tomorrow, but I can't say it directly, so we'll just have to wait and see."