Chapter 165: The Eldest Son’s Path to Wealth
Not many days after Deng Yunheng came back, Deng Changfu’s family happily held a full-moon banquet.
As the first pair of twins ever born in Naye Village, the full-month banquet held by Deng Changfu's family naturally caused discussions in the entire village.
As the matchmaker, Deng Shirong was naturally invited to the full moon banquet.
After drinking the full moon wine, Deng Shirong received a pig butt weighing more than ten pounds specially sent by Deng Changfu's family.
Today's matchmakers are different from those in later generations. Matchmakers in later generations basically draw a clear line between themselves and the bride and groom after receiving the thank-you gift.
But it’s different nowadays. If a couple introduced by a matchmaker doesn’t hold a full-month banquet for the first baby, then that’s fine. But if they do hold a full-month banquet, then they have to give the matchmaker a pig’s butt to completely thank him for the match.
No matter how many babies you have or how many full-month banquets you hold in the future, you won’t have to send pig buttocks to the matchmaker anymore.
Of course, this kind of thing is all about human touch, so before the full-month banquet at Deng Changfu's house, the matchmaker Deng Shirong had already sent a chicken and a piece of cloth to the couple, so he didn't take much advantage.
However, with the system's tenfold reward, a dozen pounds of pig buttocks instantly became over a hundred pounds, which was definitely a big profit.
…
Friday, June 23, 1981.
Early in the morning, Deng Shirong and his second son boarded the bus to the county town.
This time, the father and son went to the county town for two main things: one, to check the college entrance examination scores.
In this era, checking college entrance examination scores is not as easy as it is in later generations. You can't just search on the Internet to find them. Now you have to go to the county education bureau to check them.
Of course, students don’t need to go to the county education bureau in person to check. Generally, the class teachers will come to check. Students who want to know their college entrance examination scores can go back to school and ask their class teachers.
Second, invite a theater troupe.
If he could find out his college entrance exam scores and confirm that he could go to Peking University, Deng Shirong planned to go to the county theater troupe to find out how much it would cost to invite members of the county theater to perform a play in Naye Village.
When talking about drama, we have to mention other folk arts of Bobai County, such as folk songs, wooden fish, bamboo horses, unicorns, dragon and lion dances, puppet shows, acrobatics, etc.
There is no need to say much about folk songs, which can be said to be the signature of Guangxi.
During the Republic of China period, folk artists in Bobai County often set up singing stages and sang songs, and thousands of people gathered to watch.
In the 1950s, the cultural department of Bobai County widely used folk songs to carry out extensive policy propaganda activities.
From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, folk songs were sung before every visit, study tour or meeting.
It can be said that folk songs are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Bobai County.
Muyu is a form of folk art between folk songs and quick-paced music.
Bamboo Horse and Qilin are both folk song and dance arts in the county, which originated in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty.
There is no need to introduce the dragon and lion dances, everyone knows them.
Puppetry was introduced to Bobai County during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, mainly using puppets carried on sticks.
The puppet's head and palms are made of wood, and its mouth and eyes are movable and controlled by bamboo sticks. It has a complete range of roles, rich acting skills, and is vivid and lifelike. It is a favorite of the elderly and children.
Acrobatics, also known as Dali Opera in Bobai County, refers to the traveling medicine sellers before liberation who would first perform acrobatics and magic tricks to attract the audience before starting to sell medicine.
Among so many folk arts, Deng Shirong chose drama, and there is naturally a reason for that.
The drama history of Bobai County began in the Ming Dynasty and was quite popular in the county during the Qing Dynasty. There is no doubt that this kind of program performed by real people is attractive to people. Before the advent of movies, drama was invincible.
Even after the movie came out, drama still had great competitiveness.
After all, movies are relatively short, unlike dramas that can be rehearsed into series such as "The Butterfly Lovers", "Xue Rengui's Expedition to the East", "Twelve Widows' Expedition to the West", and "Luo Tong's Expedition to the North", where a play can be performed for ten days or half a month.
This feeling of chasing a TV series cannot be given by watching a movie.
Especially for middle-aged and elderly people, movies are not as attractive as dramas.
After taking a bus for nearly three hours, Deng Shirong and his son finally arrived in the county seat of Bobai County.
Walking out of the station, well, this is just a parking spot consisting of an open space and a few houses. Calling it a station is a complete overstatement.
The real Bobai Bus Station was not built until December 1985 and was completed in July 1987. It was only 1981, and it was still too early to build the passenger terminal! Deng Shirong and his second son walked out of the parking lot and began to look around. Then they found that the county town of this era, compared with the prosperous scene of later generations, could really be described as "desolate".
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In his previous life, Deng Shirong’s third son worked in the county town for more than ten or twenty years, so he also lived here for a period of time and had a deep impression of the main buildings and bustling streets of the county town.
For example, diagonally opposite the station is now a vegetable field, but in later generations, the Baozhongbao Group built a 20-story building that integrates hotels, cinemas, shopping malls, supermarkets and other projects. It has become the most prosperous shopping center in the county and has not encountered any decent competitors for more than ten years.
It was not until the county town was expanded, Jinxiu East Road was vigorously developed, and a large commercial plaza was built that it had the strength to compete with Baozhongbao.
Seeing this precious land, Deng Shirong had a plan in mind. Once his eldest son was able to get out of the tile factory, he could put his plan on the agenda.
After being reborn, Deng Shirong planned a route to wealth for his eldest son, which was to let him run a chain of supermarkets.
At present, Chinese people have no concept of self-service supermarkets. Deng Shirong believes that as long as he is the first to try it, he will definitely make a fortune.
Anyway, Deng Shirong doesn't have much ambition to compete with giants like Walmart. He doesn't ask his eldest son to open chain supermarkets all over the country or even abroad, but it is enough for him to become one of the chain supermarket giants in the province.
Just as Deng Shirong was distracted by the precious land across from the station, Deng Yunheng saw the bustling scene in front of him and couldn't help but sigh: "Dad, you see this county town is different from our countryside. There are so many cars coming and going!"
Deng Shirong couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, but there were indeed quite a lot of cars coming and going, with about one or two motor vehicles passing by every minute, and about twenty bicycles. This was indeed a rare prosperous scene for a rural area.
Deng Shirong said with deep feeling: "Nowadays, bicycles are still the main mode of transportation. It's nothing. With the current development speed of our country, I believe that in 20 to 30 years, it will no longer be bicycles but cars that will come and go!"
Deng Yunheng was shocked when he heard this and said in disbelief: "Dad, you are exaggerating. All the cars coming and going are sedans? How is this possible!"
If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, Deng Shirong would have never imagined that the country would develop so rapidly. He said with a smile: "If you don't believe it, come back here in ten or eight years and you will know."
Although Deng Yunheng felt that such a thing would never happen, when he saw his idolized father speaking so confidently, he took note of it in his heart.
(End of this chapter)