Chapter 114: Dogs are not even welcome to post on Dahuang’s doghouse…
Chapter 114: Even Dogs Don’t Like It
Everyone who has a dog at home knows that someone is coming to look after the dog.
Even if the dog is tied up, some people are still very scared.
Besides, Dahuang doesn't bark so loudly when people come to visit him on weekdays. At most, he just barks a few times to give a message.
Today, the noise is usually caused by weasels that come to steal chickens or by people and dogs that don't like them.
Speaking of jobs like looking after dogs at home, there are also default levels.
Take the present for example, it is definitely a tough job.
If Rushong is not at home, it will be either Rushan or Yan's father, and it will not be Yan Jiuru and the old man's turn easily.
When all the above people are not at home, the women in the family go to see the dog.
This is not discrimination, but there is a certain degree of risk in looking after dogs. Moreover, the dog must be familiar with the outside of the home, be quick on its feet, and have a certain degree of control.
The old man is the boss of the family. He is rarely asked to run errands to look after dogs unless no one in the family is around.
Yan Jiuru had been away from home for a long time, and he probably knew more people in and out of the village, and their dogs, than he did.
***
Rushong here had already put down his chopsticks and ran out.
After a while, I heard him yelling outside: "Master, I'm looking for you, I don't know you!"
If Rusong doesn't know him, then Rushan is probably in trouble too.
Now it’s my turn to take action.
Father Yan put down his chopsticks and went out to see who it was.
As for why you don’t let people go in first to watch?
The main reason is that the northern province used to be often plagued by bandits, so adults and children are very vigilant by nature and generally won’t let strangers into their homes.
Even if you talk about it in a variety of ways, it won't work if you know this and that.
There are elderly, weak, women and children at home, and the family property is dilapidated. Unknown dangers must be kept out of the house.
Even though this kind of obstruction may not be of much use when encountering real danger, it is the bottom line of the people in the Northern Province.
Whether adults or children, they all have the courage to face danger, so that their family members can be more or less prepared and have a chance of survival when real danger occurs.
Similarly, if you visit someone who has a dog, if you are an acquaintance, you don’t even need to look at the dog. The dog will not even look at you a second time, let alone bark.
I won’t barge into unfamiliar homes, but will just call for help from outside.
The main reason is that today's guard dogs are very capable. Strangers who break into the yard will be bitten by the dogs. They are also allowed to be chased and pecked by geese, which is also a courtesy.
***
Speaking of the Yan family's guest today, it was embarrassing.
Although Yan's father knew that they were from the same village and knew each other, they were not familiar with each other.
It's not appropriate to let someone you don't know into the house at this time.
So, he also raised his voice and shouted: "Dad, I'm looking for you, that person..."
Grandma Yan kicked the old man and said, "Go and have a look!"
Who knows who is the person who can make his son and grandson afraid to bring him into the house?
Chinese New Year...
***
Finally, the old man brought in a skinny old man wearing a dog-skin hat.
Everyone was eating in the main room, and there was no other place to eat, so we had to eat in this room.
More than a dozen pairs of eyes fell on the person who came.
Yan Jiuru searched through his memory for a long time before he found out that these people seemed to be from the outsiders in Nantou. Normally, the villagers did not have much contact with them.
"Well, isn't this the one from Nantou, the third uncle of the Ge family?" The old man introduced him somewhat awkwardly.
"Ahem, well, Third Uncle, come sit down and have some tea."
As the granddaughter-in-law of the family, Chen Yin had to serve tea and water to the guests at this time. Even if she was a college student outside, she would first discuss her identity as the granddaughter-in-law when she returned home.
***
In the northern province, the elder and younger sisters-in-law in the family are both valuable ladies. With the sister-in-law around, there is no need for the younger sister-in-law to entertain guests, especially for unmarried girls.
As for my second uncle and second aunt, they will be guests after the family split up and cannot be the head of the eldest brother's family.
At this time, no matter whether they know each other or not, it is not their turn to speak first.
If Chen Yin was not there, it would be Yan Niang and Yan's grandmother who would serve tea and water, and finally the daughters in the family would come out.
Of course, if they are relatives or acquaintances, Yan Niang and the others will instruct Ruyue to serve tea and water, call people, etc. This is a matter of etiquette.
If the person is a stranger, instructing the daughter to go out and entertain the guest usually implies a meeting, introduction, or showing up in front of a particularly capable person.
On the other hand, a hostess who can entertain guests is someone who has a say in the family. She knows where all the big and small things in the house are and can use them without asking for permission. She can also judge for herself what to serve the guests based on the guests' own judgment.
This is not about looking down on people or dividing them into different classes.
No one would use Biluochun or Dahongpao to make tea for everyone who comes to their house.
***
Chen Yin poured a bowl of old leaf black tea, which was what her family often drank and was also suitable for entertaining guests.
"Uncle, have a drink of water."
"Hey, hey." The third uncle sat on the edge of the kang, less than three feet away from the dining table. The aroma of stewed meat and fish went straight into his nose.
He smacked his lips and couldn't help glancing over there.
The old man coughed and said, "Well, have you eaten? Or..."
Before he could finish his words, the old man was kicked.
Needless to say, only the old lady dared to kick him.
Chen Yin quickly brought over a small basket filled with meatballs and dough balls that Ruchun had fried in advance. They were filled with meat, oil, and sugar, and looked very tempting.
"Third uncle, it's just right. Ruchun is preparing some fried meatballs and other things for the New Year. You can try some first."
***
Most people wouldn't visit someone else's house while they're eating.
It's very rude.
Of course, there are exceptions to the issue of life and death.
You said you caught up, it would be bad if they didn't give way. If they did, there wouldn't be enough food for every family.
Therefore, anyone with a bit of discernment would not chase someone away from visiting during mealtimes. Even if they happened to catch up with someone, they would quickly leave without saying anything.
Afraid of embarrassing others.
What Old Ge did today was a bit unpopular.
However, he obviously didn't take it to heart.
If you bring him food, he won't be polite.
"Hey, that's great, that's great." Old Ge reached out, picked up the meatballs and ate one in one bite.
***
Grandpa Yan has been learning skills from a Taoist priest since he was a child. The first thing he has ever learned seriously is to wash his hands!
Whether you are reciting Taoist scriptures, burning incense, or even practicing, you must wash your hands!
The master said, clothes can be torn, but they cannot be dirty!
The same goes for hands and face.
Unless the water shortage reaches a certain level.
He has had the same requirement for his children since they were young: no matter how shabby it is, it must not be dirty.
At this time, the dirt under Old Ge's fingernails was very eye-catching, not to mention his black and yellow teeth.
They have started brushing their teeth since they moved to the city. Even before they moved to the city, they would chew willow branches to brush their teeth.
Grandpa Yan turned his eyes away, took two sips of strong tea, and asked, "Why are you here now?"
Old Getou, still showing off his food, said vaguely, "Nothing. Didn't you call me earlier to talk about that? Now that you're back, I thought I'd come and see you."
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the old man was stabbed in the face.
"Ah, you mean cigarettes and creams."
Grandpa Yan groaned and waved his hand, saying, "Don't mention it. I asked the pharmacy for you, but they said that it was illegal and couldn't be sold at all. Not only that, they almost detained me.
Don’t you think this is nonsense?”
"Why did you think of buying this thing?"
"They called the police and said that in this new society, we can't use these cigarettes or pastes anymore. Buying or selling them is considered drug trafficking. If it weren't for my eldest grandson, I would have gotten you thrown in jail."
This is not an exaggeration by the old man.
Nowadays, there are operators on the telephone. When Old Ge asked him to buy drugs, cigarettes and ointments, the matter was reported. Before he could go to buy them, the matter reached Yan Jiuru's ears and he was suppressed.
Yan Jiuru gave the old man a good scolding, and fearing that he didn't know the situation, he even took him to a pharmacy.
The pharmacy did contact the police, but Yan Jiuru had reported it in advance, and they specifically explained the seriousness of the consequences to the old man and asked him to take it seriously.
As for Lao Getou, the public security investigation revealed that people in his hometown had the habit of using this thing. After the country banned it, many people secretly planted a few of them and cut some to treat headaches and stomachaches.
Many areas in border provinces were developed relatively late, and not only are the cultural levels very low, but most people still maintain local living habits and speak their own dialects, making anti-drug propaganda work relatively difficult.
Since they can’t buy it anyway, the police plan to conduct a large-scale anti-drug and legal education campaign after the New Year.
The old man couldn't wait to come to the door.
***
Everyone present, except Yan Jiuru, heard this for the first time.
Grandma Yan glared at the old man fiercely and was sure to settle the score with him later.
Yan's father even complained to his father, which was rare: "Dad, what you did is causing trouble for the children!"
Grandpa Yan said awkwardly, "I didn't think about this at the time, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted his suggestion."
Mainly because this thing was also popular in rural areas of northern provinces before liberation.
Country people don’t have money to treat illnesses. When the pain is unbearable, they just take a small amount of this stuff to relieve the pain.
Who cares whether the root cause is cured or not?
Just don't delay work.
Live one day at a time.
Although Old Getou regretted not buying anything, at least he did not leave empty-handed. He had a bag of meatballs and fruits in his sleeve.
This reunion dinner also turned into a criticism meeting.
***
After finishing the meal and cleaning up, it was already quite late.
The old man said, "Okay, it's getting late, go back to bed. You don't have to get up early tomorrow, so get some rest."
Although he was criticized, his authority as the head of the family remained.
It is impossible for Yan Jiuru and Chen Yin to really sleep until noon.
The next day is the 29th, and it’s time to put up couplets and hang flags.
In the northern provinces, there is a custom that couplets should be posted in the morning of the 29th, otherwise it will be bad luck after noon.
At this time, the rural supply and marketing cooperatives sell couplets and New Year pictures, but the best thing is to ask an educated person to write two pairs according to your wishes.
As the cultural pillar of the family, Yan Jiuru is naturally responsible for writing couplets and the like.
He instructed Ruyue and Rushong, one to cut the paper, the other to grind the ink, Ruchun to make the paste, and Rushan and Yandie to paste and check whether it was straight. In short, they were all busy.
Zhuangzhuang can hardly remember what it was like to celebrate the New Year in the past. He was just laughing and joking like a follower, going wherever there was fun.
Yan Jiuru washed his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and began writing a couplet for his front door. This was to protect the family's safety and a bright future. He blessed it with talismans and pasted them on both sides of the door, which would protect the family for the whole year.
In addition to the front door of their house, there are also small-sized "Fu" characters on the doors of each room, the granary is full of grain, the livestock in the cattle pen are thriving, and the cages are full of golden roosters. Things like water tanks, bowl racks, large mirrors, wardrobes, and wall buttresses are all pasted with small-sized "Fu" characters.
It’s the Chinese New Year, and even Dahuang’s doghouse is worthy of having a blessing character pasted on it.
In addition to his own home, he also went to Uncle Yan's home, Ruchun's own house, his father-in-law's house, and the neighbors who came to ask for favors with red paper. In short, Yan Jiuru did not stop on the morning of the 29th.
Many people knew when he would return and were waiting for him to write a couplet for their gate.
Not to mention, these people are lucky. Now the couplets written by Yan Jiuru have a blessing effect.
***
Inside the house, Chen Yin and her mother-in-law pasted beautiful New Year pictures on each room.
Some were bought by Ruchun at the supply and marketing cooperative, while others were bought specially by Chen Yin and others from the Xinhua Bookstore in Yancheng.
The trends on both sides are different.
Nowadays, during the Chinese New Year, no matter whether you are rich or poor, you will put up a pair of couplets on the door, two Chinese characters for "Fu", and some New Year pictures in the house.
When visiting other people's homes during the Chinese New Year, looking at New Year pictures is an important part of the experience.
If someone’s New Year pictures are beautiful and have special meanings, they can be talked about all year round.
It's very prestigious.
The old couple's room had posters depicting Magu offering longevity, the South Pole Immortal's birthday star, and the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea; the parents' room had posters depicting the auspicious dragon and phoenix, Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua, Mu Guiying and Yang Zongbao, as well as the heavenly maiden scattering flowers and the five women paying their respects. Yan Jiuru and Chen Yin's rooms had posters depicting a boy holding a koi, a unicorn delivering a child, and flowers and the moon. The main hall had posters depicting a bumper harvest of grain.
In fact, it has only been in the past two years. During the previous major campaigns, no one dared to post New Year pictures, and there were no printing factories to print so many varieties of New Year pictures.
Grandma Yan and Yan's mother are both traditional people. They were very happy to see the bright and beautiful New Year pictures pasted on the snow-white walls.
Yan Niang called out to Chen Yin: "Hurry up and send the painting I brought for your parents to put it up. It will be Chinese New Year if you delay any longer."
The good thing about my mother's family being in the same village is that I can go back anytime without having to find a special time or anything.
Chen Yin responded and called Yan Jiuru. The two of them held the two little kids in their arms, and Zhuangzhuang jogged beside them, carrying large and small bags as they headed back to her parents' home.
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