The news that Ruan Yuanjiang's relatives in Gangcheng had come to visit spread throughout the village in no time. Of course, he had also spread the word early on that he would not take his granddaughter away, but would go to Haicheng after the New Year to meet relatives whom he had not seen for many years.
He said this just to comfort Ruan Ruan who overheard their conversation. At least after hearing the discussion of the children in the same village, Ruan Ruan was relieved, thinking that her brother Xiaobao really persuaded his grandfather not to send her away. In this regard, Jiang Yiliu could only express his shame, and hoped that Ruan Ruan would not hate him too much after knowing the truth.
Although the villagers felt a little regretful about Ruan Yuanjiang's choice, they were more immersed in the fact that he was about to go to Haicheng.
You know, even in the 1970s, the two cities of Haicheng and Ducheng had already established an image of development and prosperity in everyone's mind. Due to the exaggerated propaganda of some educated youth who were sent down to the countryside, in the eyes of the people in Qingshan Village, the moons in these two big cities were rounder than the moon in theirs. Every household had a bicycle, every man could wear a watch, and there was meat and fish for every meal, and there was almost no one who was hungry.
All the villagers felt that the things bought in Haicheng were definitely more fashionable and expensive than theirs. Although everyone's living conditions were average and there were strict regulations on clothing, this did not prevent them from loving beauty and wanting to compete with others. Even if they could not buy clothes from Haicheng, a handkerchief bought from Haicheng would be enough for them to brag about in front of their relatives in the city for a while.
During this period, not only the livestock shed where Ruan Yuanjiang lived, but also the Jiang family and Bai Fangqiu's health stations where he often went were crowded with villagers who were looking for people. Unfortunately, Ruan Yuanjiang had to stay in Qingshan Village and had nowhere to hide.
"Alright, alright, what are you all doing standing here? Stop working. If you're so idle, I'll deduct your work points."
Men would not do such a thing. Most of the people who came to see Ruan Yuanjiang were women from the village. Although there was less work in the fields as it was the end of the year, the women had plenty of work to do, such as making matchboxes, weaving hemp ropes, and tying bamboo baskets. When Mo Dashuan shouted, those women who had been joining in the fun suddenly scattered like frightened birds and ran away without a trace, for fear that they would be caught by Mo Dashuan and have their work points deducted.
The monk can run away but the temple cannot. They will come at night to see if the captain has any reasons to criticize them.
Ruan Yuanjiang breathed a sigh of relief. He never thought that even though he had hidden in the Jiang family, those people would still come after him. A group of women chattered around him, making him feel overwhelmed.
Ruan Yuanjiang looked at Mo Dashuan with gratitude, who had saved him from danger. Unexpectedly, after Mo Dashuan drove the man away, he turned around with a red face and said to him embarrassedly: "Uncle Ruan, I have some things that I want you to bring back from Haicheng for me."
Ruan Yuanjiang........
Although Mo Dashuan also asked Ruan Yuanjiang to bring some things, at the same time, he also came up with an idea to help him solve the current trouble.
Mo Dashuan took the lead and asked the accountant on the team to help count the things that everyone needed to bring. Of course, various receipts and cash were indispensable. The excess would be refunded and the shortage would be supplemented. The count would be compiled into a booklet, and the quantity of each item to be brought could be clearly shown at a glance.
Those who sincerely asked Ruan Yuanjiang to bring things naturally had no objection to this. Those who wanted to take advantage of the situation and fish in troubled waters were naturally a little dissatisfied with this proposal.
"Captain, we don't have any money. Can we owe you the money first?" The speaker was Aunt Dazhu, Yu Xiaocao's mother-in-law, who was also a well-known old lady on the team who loved to take advantage of others.
"Okay, Aunt Dazhu, if you're determined to buy it, I'll deduct it from your family's work points next year if you don't have the money, so you don't have to cry poor again. If you want it, I'll ask Accountant Cheng to make a note of it."
Mo Dashuan hit the snake at its weakest point. The old lady who was originally smiling suddenly changed her expression and the corners of her mouth drooped: "Forget it, forget it, it's just a piece of rag, we don't want it."
"It's a loss of money. If it weren't for you, our family wouldn't be able to afford even a piece of cloth."
The old lady glared at the skinny little girl sitting next to her daughter-in-law and blamed everything on Yu Xiaocao.
Yu Xiaocao's aunt, Dazhusao, did not quarrel with her mother-in-law because of such an insignificant remark. If she were to be so fussy, she would not be able to live like this. She just patted her niece's back in a soothing manner.
Yu Xiaocao lowered her head, her thick bangs covering her expression. She looked thin and helpless, which aroused sympathy from many people around her.
"Okay, okay, Aunt Dazhu, you are not being kind. Xiaocao helps your family with work every day and eats your leftovers. If your Dazhu wasn't too lazy, he wouldn't be able to afford a piece of cloth." Mo Dashuan often heard his daughter mention this friend and was willing to say something for her.
"Why is our Dazhu lazy? It's because he is in poor health." Jiang Dazhu is Aunt Dazhu's Achilles' heel and the apple of her eye. Now one day Mo Dashuan said that his son was lazy, and the old lady was so angry that she jumped to her feet.
Mo Dashuan shook his head, not intending to argue with an unreasonable old lady, and then confirmed the things that everyone wanted to bring, and collected money one by one. If there was really no money, he would record it in the account first, and explain in advance that if the money could not be paid, it would be deducted from the work points of the next year. After the other party confirmed that there was no objection, he asked the accountant to record it.
Fortunately, these days, no one can afford big items and no one has spare money to spend. It seems that there are many things to buy, but in fact they are just small items such as handkerchiefs and vanishing cream. In total, they only take up two pages of paper, and I estimate that a large suitcase can hold them all.
Ruan Yuanjiang was a little confused about what those women were thinking. What was the difference between the vanishing cream from the Haicheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the vanishing cream from the Yuchuan County Supply and Marketing Cooperative? Could it be that vanishing creams made in different places had different effects?
How could he understand that it was the psychology of women pursuing famous brands that existed in every era. As long as it was written on the shell of the vanishing cream that it was made by Haicheng XX Factory, it would be a famous brand for the villagers, and it was an extraordinary vanishing cream. However, in fact, they themselves did not know whether the Haicheng vanishing cream would have the name of XX Factory on it, after all, they had never seen it.
The things that the Jiang family wants to buy are not registered in the booklet. Jiang Dahai and Jiang Yilu, father and son, will accompany Ruan Yuanjiang and his grandson to Haicheng in the future. Just tell them what the Jiang family wants to buy.
Ruan Yuanjiang's identity was somewhat special, and the documents from above stated that a local comrade should be sent to accompany him to prevent him from doing anything harmful to the people and the country. It was called an accompaniment, but in fact it was surveillance. Mo Dashuan was supposed to accompany him, but the beginning of the year was the busiest time for the team, so he simply entrusted this matter to Jiang Dahai.
Mo Dashuan had long seen that the Jiang family had a close relationship with Ruan Yuanjiang and other people who had been sent down for reform, so his decision made everyone happy.
As for Jiang Yilu, he was added to the entourage list by Ruan Yuanjiang in the name of seeing the world. No one found it strange at all. Old Mrs. Miao was even happy that everyone liked her little grandson. She had been more generous in cooking these days. At least the thin porridge every morning was no longer so thin that you could see your reflection in it.
"You money-loser, you get along well with that kid from the Jiang family, and he even went to Haicheng with you. You won't beg him to buy you some good stuff."
Everyone else had placed orders and left the brigade happily. Aunt Dazhu felt that their smiles were extremely dazzling and twisted Yu Xiaocao's ear fiercely: "Why don't you learn from your shameless mother and use your seductiveness to get something for the family? Aren't you the best at pretending to be pitiful on weekdays? Today you even seduced Mo Dashuan to speak for you. Tsk tsk tsk, you are just a few years old, and you haven't even grown all your hair yet, but you have seduced someone who is old enough to be your father."
"Mom!" Dazhu's wife turned pale and glanced at her little niece nervously. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she seemed confused and didn't understand anything. However, she didn't see the dark and resentful look in Yu Xiaocao's eyes when she lowered her head.
"How can you talk about such things in front of the children?" Dazhu's wife lowered her voice and looked at her mother-in-law with a hint of warning in her eyes.
Aunt Dazhu was startled. Thinking of how her daughter-in-law went crazy two years ago about sending Yu Xiaocao to school, her momentum suddenly weakened: "She dares to do it but not to say it. She is a bitch's daughter." Aunt Dazhu muttered in a low voice, and almost only she could hear the voice.
"You are too stupid, girl. Look at Jiang Xiaobao's family, Mo Xiangfang's family, even that fat boy and the bald boy. They all have spare money. Can't you be more motivated and cheat some things from those kids? Isn't the Jiang family's kid the most generous? He gives candies to those kids every now and then. They play together, so why don't you give some candies back to your brothers?"
"Or you ate it secretly, you have no conscience." Aunt Dazhu became more and more angry, her eyes widened, and she pointed her stubby fingers at Yu Xiaocao and started to scold her.
"He doesn't like me." Yu Xiaocao, who had been keeping her head down, said softly, holding back the scolding that Aunt Dazhu was about to say.
"You are a smart girl. Xiaobao doesn't like you, but you can't make him like you. Let me tell you..."
Yu Xiaocao ignored the old lady's words and didn't listen at all. Through her thick bangs, she could clearly see Jiang Yilu and Ruan Yuanjiang walking away.
Everyone felt sorry for her and sympathized with her, except for the boy, who looked at her with a defensive look from beginning to end, as if all her disguises were exposed in front of him. Yu Xiaocao didn't understand why he loved and loved Ruan Ruan, who lost her parents but was taken care of by her grandfather, but treated her coldly, who also lost her parents and suffered from Jiang Dazhu's family.
She also wanted to be as innocent as that girl, but God didn't give her a chance, and neither did he. Yu Xiaocao withdrew her gaze, her fingers, which had not been trimmed for a long time and had dirt in the nails, were deeply embedded in her palms.
"Grandpa Ruan."
Ruan Yuanjiang was discussing with Jiang Yilu how to coax Ruan Ruan to go to Haicheng when he was stopped by a clear shout from behind.
"Sister Xiang Hong." Jiang Yilu called out curiously as he looked at Mo Xiangfang who was running behind them and breathing heavily.
"Xiaobao, Sister Xianghong has something she wants to tell Grandpa Ruan. Can you go play over there for a while first?" Mo Xianghong said to Jiang Yilu embarrassedly, blushing and biting her lower lip.
Jiang Yilu was a little puzzled, but he still obediently walked to the bushes ten meters away, squatted down, and idly pulled out the withered weeds on the ground.
"Grandpa Ruan, I'd like you to bring me five feet of woolen cloth. Here are the cloth coupons and twenty yuan." The cloth coupons and twenty yuan that Mo Xianghong handed over were both of the smallest denominations. They were two thick stacks tied together with hemp rope. It looked like she had saved them for a long time.
"If this money is not enough, can you please owe it to me first? I will pay you back when I make money in the future." Mo Xianghong said a little embarrassedly.
"Woolen cloth? I'm afraid that can't be bought with cloth coupons. You have to use industrial coupons." Ruan Yuanjiang received a Western education. Before being sent down to the countryside, he was a fashionable man wearing a suit and a woolen coat. He remembered that when he made clothes himself, he bought woolen cloth in the industrial zone and then asked a tailor to make the clothes.
"Industrial coupons!" Mo Xianghong exclaimed. Where could she get industrial coupons? Even these cloth coupons were what she had saved up for a long time. Her mother thought she wanted the cloth coupons to make some small clothes for her daughter, and was wondering why she was still wearing her old underwear. Mo Xianghong fooled her mother with all kinds of excuses.
Ruan Yuanjiang's heart moved, and he remembered Mo Dashuan's request to him. The Mo family seemed to have found a good match for their eldest daughter. This time when Ruan Yuanjiang went to Haicheng, Mo Dashuan asked him to get a ticket for a sewing machine. The people in the city were short of food, and he was short of tickets. The Mo family loved their daughter and wanted to give her a sewing machine as a dowry when she got married. This move, even in the city, was a big deal.
Ruan Yuanjiang didn't dare to guarantee that he could help Mo Dashuan get a sewing ticket, so he could only do his best. Looking at Mo Xianghong's shy expression at this time, he thought to himself, it seems that Mo Xianghong has already decided on a partner. Didn't you see that this girl is even thinking about making clothes for her partner.
"Xiang Hong, why don't you change the fabric? A woolen coat can be worn when you go out to visit relatives, but it's not practical on weekdays." According to Ruan Yuanjiang's understanding of Mo Dashuan, the person he is looking for for his daughter is definitely a practical talent. Mo Dashuan would definitely not look down on a show-off like an educated youth.
If she was just a farmer or a worker, the other party might not look down on Xiang Hong's extravagance for such an expensive woolen coat. The money for making a woolen coat is enough to make two sets of work clothes or military uniforms.
It's really not worth it to spend a lot of money to make a woolen coat and keep it at the bottom of the closet.
"But I just want woolen fabrics." Mo Xianghong's eyes dimmed. The man's clothes had been worn for several years and were all frayed. Those rustic blue-green fabrics were not suitable for him. Only by wearing a straight and elegant woolen coat could the man's temperament be highlighted.
Mo Xianghong thought of the dim look in that man's eyes whenever he mentioned his family over the past six months, and she wanted to smooth out the wrinkles on his brow.
Seeing her stubborn look, Ruan Yuanjiang sighed, "Then I'll remember it for you and see if you can exchange the cloth coupons for some industrial coupons."
Ruan Yuanjiang accepted the cloth coupons and cash given by Mo Xianghong. This money was definitely not enough to buy five feet of woolen cloth, but Mo Dashuan had taken good care of them over the years and had turned a blind eye to some things. As a way of repaying him, he had to help Mo Dashuan's daughter.
Mo Xianghong was delighted when she heard his words and thanked him repeatedly. When she was about to leave, she thought of something and hesitated, wanting to say something but stopped.
"Grandpa Ruan, could you please not tell my dad and the others about this?"
Ruan Yuanjiang thought the girl was shy, so he agreed immediately. Seeing that he agreed, Mo Xianghong smiled and left.
I wonder if Ruan Ruan will keep it a secret from her grandfather and make clothes for that brat when she grows up and finds a lover. Ruan Yuanjiang sighed as he watched Mo Xianghong run away happily.
Both sad and happy.
"Let's go." Ruan Yuanjiang waved and called Jiang Yilu who was squatting nearby, and the two left together.
Jiang Yilu didn't ask what Mo Xianghong said, after all, the other party didn't want him to know.
******
In the following days, the topic of the whole village suddenly shifted from Ruan Yuanjiang's trip to Haicheng to another explosive news.
Fan Xiaojuan was criticized for committing adultery.
This piece of news is much more interesting than the previous one. A few years ago, Fan Xiaojuan reported her own husband, which led to Jiang Dachuan being criticized and reformed. Everyone still remembers this vividly. Now she herself has become the one being criticized, and the villagers of Qingshan Village all applauded.
Such a major event could not be concealed at all. There were many wives in Xiaoqiu Village who had married into the village from Qingshan Village. On the day when Fan Xiaojuan had her hair shaved like a yin-yang and she and Wang Shanshui were forced back to the village by the Red Guards, they returned to Qingshan Village and described the scene of that day in words and pictures to the villagers.
The whole cause and effect was described in detail, as if they were present on the day Fan Xiaojuan was caught cheating.
"I said this woman was not a good person. She married for the second time, but she still cheated on her husband. It is said that the man she cheated on was a notorious second-rate guy in their Xiaoqiu Village."
"They are from the same village. Do you think they were already involved before Dachuan got into trouble?"
Fan Xiaojuan's character makes people unable to help but speculate her actions with the most vicious thoughts.
"I know. Anyway, the man she's dating and his family have gone to the Fan family and are demanding the return of the betrothal gift. The Fan family won't agree to that. But the Yu family has many relatives, and they just took away all the valuables from the Fan family. The Fan family is in the wrong in this matter, and no one in the village wants to get involved. No matter how much the Fan family cried and made a fuss, no one went to help. It is said that the Fan family was directly emptied, and even half of the food in the cellar was taken away. Fortunately, the Yu family was kind and left them enough food to last until the middle of the year. If it were me, I would take away everything and starve that bastard family to death."
"It's what she deserved. What happened to Fan Xiaojuan back then? She still has two sons. Everything in the house was stripped bare. She never thought about her two children who love the country and the party. If it weren't for Dahai's family's righteousness, who knows what would have happened to the two children. I think this is retribution."
.........
It was a rare day when the sun came out. At noon, a group of young wives and old ladies gathered under a big tree to bask in the sun and chat happily. Suddenly, it was as if a mute button was pressed. They looked at the distance not far away and stopped talking awkwardly.
"The baby at home still needs to be fed."
"There are still some potato chips drying in my yard. I have to go back and collect them."
"Wait for me, I have to go back and collect the quilts too."
........
After a while, the twenty or so people gathered under the big tree picked up the chairs and ran away.
"Brother?"
Jiang Aidang choked up and looked at his elder brother beside him. When Fan Xiaojuan left, Jiang Aidang was already nine years old. He cried and made a fuss for his mother at that time. Now he suddenly heard the name Fan Xiaojuan again, and it was because of such a disgusting thing, which made Jiang Aidang unable to accept it.
"She is not our mother. No matter what she does, it has nothing to do with us." He had long since given up any hope for that woman.
Jiang Aiguo lowered his eyes. Why didn't a woman like that just die?
When Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang returned to the Jiang family, several people who were originally talking in a low voice stopped talking immediately when they saw them come in.
"How pitiful..." Gu Dongmei looked at the two children who came in, with a hint of joy and condescending pity in her eyes. When she was about to show her kindness as an aunt in front of her parents-in-law, she was scolded by Old Lady Miao to stop.
Seeing the warning look in Old Lady Miao's eyes, Gu Dongmei closed her mouth and stopped talking.
"It's almost time for dinner, go wash your hands. Your eldest sister is back and brought you some small things. Your brothers and sisters are in her room now, you two can go over there too."
Old Mrs. Miao smiled kindly, as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Aiguo lowered his eyes, nodded, and walked towards the room where Jiang Dani and the others lived with his somewhat confused brother.
"You're so old, but you still don't know what you should say and what you shouldn't say." As soon as Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang entered the room, Old Lady Miao pointed at Gu Dongmei and scolded her.
Gu Dongmei raised her head aggrievedly: "I just want to comfort them. With a mother like Fan Xiaojuan, I don't know how the villagers will look at them in the future." The most important thing is whether this will drag down the girls.
Considering that Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang have a mother like Fan Xiaojuan, perhaps their roots are already bad from the bones. If they are allowed to live here, they may even lead other children astray.
Three years are almost over and Jiang Dachuan will be back soon. When the time comes, we must send these two little ones back.
"Who is Fan Xiaojuan's mother? My grandson doesn't have such a mother. No one is allowed to mention this matter again. I can't control other people's mouths, but I can always control the mouths of my own family." Old Lady Miao stabbed her daughter-in-law fiercely: "If anyone in the family dares to mention that woman again, I will tear his mouth."
When standing in front of Qian and her grandson, Old Lady Miao always has the final say.
Gu Dongmei looked at the disapproving looks her father-in-law and husband gave her, and she didn't feel that she was wrong. Instead, she became even more resentful of her unreasonable mother-in-law and her two nephews who were eating for free.
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