Chapter 258: 1983, separation! [6000 words]
In this day and age, farming is not yet fully mechanized like in later generations. Whether it is plowing or climbing the fields, oxen are needed to do the work. Therefore, oxen of this era are also regarded as "farmers' treasures" by farmers. They are basically slaughtered for meat only when they are old and die.
It can be seen how important oxen are to farmers.
However, farmers who did not build cow sheds to shelter from wind and rain in advance could only watch their oxen slowly freeze to death when the cold and frosty weather appeared and continued.
One, two, three...
In the past, according to the records of Bobai County, a total of 2,549 oxen were frozen to death in the county this year, and the farmers in the county suffered heavy losses.
In this life, although Deng Shirong issued a warning in advance, his influence only covered the Bangjie Brigade. After Bangjie, the only people who were still influenced by him were his relatives and friends in Naye Village and a few cautious people.
Deng Shirong has no influence on people from other places.
Therefore, except for the Bangjie Brigade whose oxen were safe and sound, the oxen of other brigades were basically frozen to death. The only difference was the number of oxen frozen to death.
If only some chickens and ducks were frozen to death, it would not cause much splash. But now it is the oxen that are frozen to death. And it is not just one or two oxen that are frozen to death. On average, dozens or even hundreds of oxen are frozen to death in a commune.
After the news spread, it naturally caused a huge sensation.
When the whole county was in mourning, the villagers of Naye Village and even the entire Bangjie Brigade were so grateful to Uncle Jiu that they knew that if Uncle Jiu had not warned them in advance and made preparations for frost prevention, their oxen might have been among the oxen that were frozen to death.
So, in the following days, Deng Shirong would receive local specialties from villagers from the second and third villages every day.
Although they are not valuable, they are the villagers' heartfelt gifts.
…
In a blink of an eye, the Gregorian calendar year 1982 came to an end and the year 1983, which had special significance, arrived.
In the middle of the night of that day, a major event occurred in Naye Village. An old man who was the oldest person in the village suddenly became seriously ill. While he was still hanging on to his last breath, his children and grandchildren carried him to the ancestral hall with flashlights in an emergency.
It was freezing cold now, and the old man was only breathing his last breath. When his children and grandchildren spread the mat for him to lie down on, he breathed his last quietly.
In Bobai, there is a set of customs for holding funerals, which vary little from place to place.
When a person dies, relatives will first wash the body with a scented towel, change the body into funeral clothes (new clothes, new shoes, and new socks made during the person's lifetime. When the person gets old, these things are prepared in advance by the old man's daughter. If there is no daughter, other relatives will prepare them). The body is wrapped in jute, and a silver or copper coin is held in the body's mouth and a rice ball is made in the hand. Then the body is carried to the ancestral hall on a wooden board, and a mosquito net is covered on the body. An incense table is set up and a perpetual lamp is lit.
Then the relatives spread mats on the ground against the walls of the hall, kneel down and cry, and sleep on the ground at night. This is the so-called "observing mourning".
Of course, this is the treatment for a normal death at home. If one encounters an unexpected accident outside, this kind of death will not qualify one to enter the A-Zu Gong Hall.
It was the middle of the night and the noise was so loud that unless you were a very sound sleeper you would know what was going on.
After Deng Shirong was woken up, he knew who had passed away. According to seniority, the other person was his nephew, who was born in the late Qing Dynasty and was 83 years old this year. His health had not been very good in the past two years, so it was normal for him to pass away at this time.
After knowing what happened, Deng Shirong went back to sleep.
Birth, aging, sickness and death are things that no one can avoid. For Deng Shirong, who has died once, he has long since let it go.
In the 1960s and 1970s, funerals were kept simple for well-known reasons.
However, it is now 1983, and the ancient funeral customs have naturally revived.
The first step is to invite a Taoist priest to perform the ritual to help the deceased’s soul to be reborn. The length of the ritual depends on the family’s financial resources. It can be as short as one night or one day and one night, or as long as three days and three nights or seven days and nights.
So, for the next three days and three nights, the entire Naye Village was immersed in that special mournful music and crying.
As for the time of the deceased's funeral, different communes in Bobai have different regulations. According to the rules in Shuangwang, all weddings are held in the morning and funerals are held in the afternoon. Some communes have the opposite rules.
Three days later in the afternoon, the deceased's funeral was held. The coffin was covered with red cloth and the whole family was crying.
After the coffin is carried out of the A-Zugong Hall, the filial son needs to crawl under the coffin three times, which is called "building bridges". The Taoist priest chants sutras to lead the way, the eldest grandson (if there is no eldest grandson, other younger relatives can be used) holds the spirit tablet, the relatives and friends who send off the funeral have white cloth wrapped in their sleeves (black cloth in some places), holding elegiac couplets as the lead, and gongs and cymbals are struck, firecrackers are set off, and paper money is scattered along the way.
The direct descendants wear mourning clothes, and the filial son holds a mourning stick and supports the coffin, followed by other relatives to escort.
When the funeral is carried out from the Grand Ancestor's Hall, if the funeral passes by someone's door along the way, that family has to set off a string of firecrackers.
Deng Shirong's home was on the route the funeral procession had to take. When the funeral procession passed by, he also set off a string of firecrackers. Then he watched the funeral procession leave, silently reciting the name of his nephew in his heart, hoping that he would have the opportunity to live another life and not suffer as he did in this one.
…
Poxin Village.
Today is the end of the eleventh lunar month, and Zhang Zhenfa's family is settling accounts behind closed doors.
After about ten minutes, Zhang Shouguo calculated the profits for this month and said happily, "Dad, Mom, this month, our store made 436 yuan."
Zhang Zhenfa's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly asked, "Boss, have you figured out this number? Is it correct?"
Zhang Shouguo smiled and said, "Dad, I calculated it twice, it must be correct."
Zhang's mother said happily, "That's great. We made more than 30 yuan more than last month. This business is getting better and better."
Mrs. Zhang Dasao and Mrs. Zhang Ersao also had smiles on their faces.
Although they haven't separated yet and all the money they earn goes into the pockets of the two elders, their parents-in-law are influenced by their sister-in-law and take out a small portion of the profit every month to save for the two daughters-in-law.
Now, the two sisters-in-law have saved more than 200 yuan in their small piggy bank. This is their own private money, which they can manage by themselves. It is a happy thing no matter who it is. This private money alone is better than that of 99% of the wives in the village.
Only those newly married women whose parents gave them enough dowry, or those daughters-in-law who have already separated from the family and are in charge of their own household, have money comparable to theirs.
Zhang Zhenfa picked up a pipe from the side, pulled a small handful of tobacco from the tobacco bag on the table, and stuffed it into the pipe mouth while saying, "December is the best month of the year. Last December, our store made over 400 yuan. This year, I'm afraid we can make 500 or 600 yuan."
Zhang Shoumin laughed and said, "Dad, Mom, this year, our store will definitely make more than 4,000 yuan. Shouldn't we build a new house?"
Mrs. Zhang smiled and said, "Yes, Dad, Mom, we have money now. Although the house is barely big enough for us, it's not easy to arrange a room for Sister Ping and her husband to live in. Besides, everyone has seen how comfortable her brother-in-law's house is. It would be inconvenient for them to live in a house like ours.
So, I also think that our house should be rebuilt.”
If conditions permit, who doesn’t want to live in a new house?
Seeing that the second brother and his wife took the lead, the eldest brother and his wife, as well as Zhang Shoujun and Zhang Shoushan, also followed suit and unanimously agreed to build a new house.
Zhang Zhenfa lit a match, took a few puffs of his cigarette, and then said with a smile: "As for building a new house, we two old guys have already had the idea. We plan to build it after the Chinese New Year when the weather warms up. We originally wanted to discuss this with you during the Chinese New Year. Now that we have come to this point, let's talk about building a new house!"
Zhang Shouguo nodded and said, "Dad, you go ahead."
Zhang Zhenfa put the chimney away and said, "We plan to learn from Naye's in-laws and build a new house with blue bricks and tiles, with a bathroom. You four brothers will each have one, and we two old guys will have one. A total of five houses will be connected. It is estimated to cost about 4,000 yuan. Do you think this is okay?"
Zhang Shouguo had always envied his brother-in-law's house. When he heard that his father also wanted to build such a house, he immediately agreed: "Dad, I think your idea is very good. Our family should build a house like this."
Zhang Shoumin nodded again and again and said, "I think this is a good idea, too. Everyone knows how comfortable my brother-in-law's house is. If we build a house like this, it will be unique in Poxin Village."
Mrs. Zhang Da and Mrs. Zhang Er also agreed. Each of the four brothers would have a house. Although the family property had not yet been divided, they could have control over their own houses. This was naturally a great thing for them. Apart from anything else, at least when their mother's family came, they would have the confidence to stay overnight.
Mother Zhang looked at her third son and said, "Xiaojun, you are not young anymore. When the new house is built, I can find you a wife."
Zhang Shoujun is 19 years old this year. When the house is built next year, he will be 20 years old.
At this age, most people in later generations are still studying in school, and even after leaving school, they don’t want to get married so early.
But in this era, no matter men or women, everyone wants to get married after they turn 20, and Zhang Shoujun is no exception.
The reason for such a big difference is actually very simple. That is, young people in later generations do not get married, but they can have girlfriends, which allows them to meet their physiological needs well and live like real couples.
Therefore, there is naturally no need to rush into marriage.
However, in this day and age, if you want to satisfy your physical needs, the only way left is to get married, except to become a craftsman and do it yourself.
After all, in this era, many people who have registered as legal couples may not have the opportunity to consummate their marriage before the wedding. And to put it another way, even if the girl lets you touch her, the wedding date has to be put on the agenda. It is impossible for you to be irresponsible.
Therefore, when Zhang Shoujun heard his mother say that she was going to find a wife for him, he was not at all opposed, but agreed with full anticipation.
After the family finished talking about building the house, Zhang's mother took the money on the table, took out two big unity notes from each and handed them to the two daughters-in-law, saying, "You have worked hard this month, this is for you, keep it for yourselves."
"Thank you, Mom!"
"Thank you, Mom!"
Mrs. Zhang Dasao and Mrs. Zhang Ersao took the money and put it away happily.
Seeing the third and fourth sons craned their necks to look, Zhang's mother gave them ten yuan each and scolded them with a smile: "You two should spend money sparingly. We have to build a house next year and find a wife for you, Xiaojun. There are many places to spend money!"
"knew!"
The two brothers took the money and their lips curled up slightly.
Although ten yuan is not a lot, it is not small either. It is enough to show off among peers in the village.
…
Naye Village.
A certain family was dividing up their property, and Deng Shirong, as the most senior elder in the village, was naturally invited to be a witness. Deng Yunjun, as the team leader, was naturally also present.
The one who was dividing the family was Deng Changxin's family. He wanted to separate his eldest son Deng Siwen and his second son Deng Siwu from each other to live on their own.
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When Deng Shirong came over, the atmosphere was a little strange. Deng Changxin and his wife looked unhappy, their two sons and daughters-in-law had gloomy faces and didn't say a word, and the other children stood by and didn't say a word. It was obvious that this division of the family was not a normal one, but a disagreement between brothers and sisters-in-law.
In his previous life, Deng Shirong was invited to be a witness, so he naturally knew what was going on.
Simply put, the separation of the brothers was caused by the wife Deng Siwu married. Everyone in the family had endless work to do, except Deng Siwu, whose wife had been avoiding all kinds of housework using stomachache as an excuse not long after she got married.
As time went on, it naturally caused strong dissatisfaction from my sister-in-law and mother-in-law, which led to the current scene.
However, Deng Shirong knew clearly that Deng Siwu's daughter-in-law was not using the stomachache as an excuse to avoid housework, but that she really had stomach problems, but had not gone to the hospital for a check-up and mistakenly took the stomachache as a stomachache.
It wasn't until the condition became increasingly severe that one day she even fainted from the pain and was sent to the hospital for treatment that we discovered she had stomach problems.
However, that was after she separated from the family.
Originally, dividing the family property was the dream of many daughters-in-law.
After all, after the separation, I can be the master of my own house without the supervision of my mother-in-law.
But that only happened many years after one got married. A newly married bride was naturally not included in this category.
Nowadays, people in rural areas get married at a relatively early age. Take Deng Siwu and his wife for example. He just turned 20 and his wife is only 18. They have to support a family at such a young age. Who wouldn't be nervous? It's not enough to support yourself. Then, having a child without the help of your parents, how difficult it will be, only those who have experienced it can understand.
So, knowing what was going on, Deng Shirong naturally wanted to give some advice. He looked at Deng Changxin and said, "Changxin, you've only married your second daughter-in-law for a few months. If you just let her go and live alone like this, people will definitely gossip about her. I think you should think about it!"
Deng Yunjun also advised: "Changxin, Uncle Jiu is right, you really need to think it over carefully. Even if you really want to separate, at least wait a year or two before doing so!"
Deng Changxin sighed and said with a sad face: "Jiu Gong, Captain, I understand what you said, but this family has to be divided."
As the saying goes, every family has its own problems. Deng Shirong had no intention of interfering in other people's family affairs. No matter how fairly you handle such matters, there will always be people who are dissatisfied, so there is no need to meddle in other people's business. After giving him a word of advice, he stopped talking and acted as a witness.
The same goes for Deng Yunjun and others. They all just gave some good advice, and when they saw that it didn't work, they stopped talking.
Next, Deng Changxin divided the property between his two sons in the presence of Deng Shirong and others.
During the process of dividing the family property, witnesses like Deng Shirong noticed that daughter-in-law Deng Siwu was being targeted by her mother-in-law. For example, when dividing the grain, it was said that the eldest son and daughter-in-law had contributed more and so should get more.
When the land was distributed, it was said that the eldest daughter-in-law and her grandson each received a share, so they should get a larger share.
The distribution of other things was similar, the eldest son got more and the second son got less.
Originally, Deng Shirong and his friends were only there to be witnesses, and they had no say in how other people's property was divided.
However, when the sister-in-law proposed to use a leather jacket that Deng Siwu bought when he got married to negotiate the price, and the mother-in-law agreed, Deng Shirong could no longer bear it.
Deng Shirong also experienced this scene in his previous life. Deng Siwu bought this leather jacket with his own money for 25 yuan. It was really taken out for price competition. Although he felt that they were really going too far at the time, he still said that it was someone else's family affair. In the end, he and the captain did not interrupt.
But this time, Deng Shirong couldn't help it and said, "Let's not talk about the previous things. There's no need to divide the clothes, right? After all, we are brothers. Are we going to have no contact with each other after the division?"
Deng Yunjun and others also couldn't stand it anymore. If Uncle Jiu didn't say anything, they wouldn't have made a fuss. But since Uncle Jiu took the lead, they naturally had to join in and say a few words.
"Yeah, it doesn't matter how you divide the other things, it's your family's business, but it's really too much to take out every piece of clothing for price comparison."
"As the saying goes, leave some room for friendship so that we can meet again in the future. There's really no need to bargain for this dress."
"He's from Chang Xin's family. This is also your biological son!"
“…”
Seeing Jiu Gong and the captain speak up, Deng Changxin couldn't hold back his face anymore. He glared at his wife and said, "Forget about the clothes. Let's move on to the other things!"
The eldest sister-in-law felt a little regretful when she heard this, but since the Ninth Ancestor had spoken, how could she dare to say anything more!
So, let’s skip the clothes and continue with the division.
Half an hour later, brothers Deng Siwen and Deng Siwu divided their property in the presence of Deng Shirong and others. The two brothers didn't say much during the whole process, and their respective women came forward to handle the matter.
In the end, Deng Siwu got 169 kilograms of grain, 6 mu of land, a house, a chicken and a duck, a pig and a cow converted into money, and the cash in the house, a total of 132.6 yuan, a bunk bed, quilts, mats, pots, pans, etc. As for the mountains, he got one-tenth.
There are also some miscellaneous farm tools and the like.
After the division of the property, Deng Yunjun and others had just left when Deng Siwu's wife squatted on the ground, covering her upper left abdomen with a look of pain on her face.
Seeing this scene, the eldest sister-in-law and her mother-in-law both showed disgusted expressions, thinking that the other party was pretending again.
Not to mention other people, even her husband Deng Siwu didn't ask a single question, which made Deng Shirong secretly shake his head. He felt that this daughter-in-law was really unlucky to marry into their family.
He put down the pipe in his hand and asked, "Ah Ba Mei, are you okay?"
Although Chen Bamei broke out in cold sweat from the pain, she still gritted her teeth and shook her head, saying, "Nineth Grandfather (great-uncle), I'm fine."
"Look at you, you're in so much pain, how can you be okay?"
At this point, Deng Shirong looked at Deng Siwu and said, "Your wife should have a stomach disease. Take her to the county hospital for a checkup tomorrow. This disease can be serious or minor. If you don't take it seriously, you will regret it someday."
Deng Siwu, who had been silent the whole time, was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and said with some doubt: "Nine Ancestors, you said my wife has a stomach disease?"
Deng Shirong said, "I saw that the area she was covering was her stomach. I also know a little about your wife's condition. I don't want to get involved in your family affairs, but your wife is obviously suffering from stomach problems. Take her to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow. Don't let a minor illness turn into a major one. Do you understand?"
Deng Siwu responded quickly, then went to help his wife with some shame.
His family members were also present and heard what Deng Shirong said. Their expressions were all very interesting.
After all, the cause of this division was that Deng Siwu's wife "pretended to be sick" and refused to work. But now, according to Jiugong (ancestor), it seems that Chen Bamei's illness is not fake, but she has stomach disease. If this is true, then they are in trouble.
Deng Changxin opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing and let out a sigh.
After the reminder, Deng Shirong did not stay here for long and left with his hands behind his back.
Deng Siwu helped his wife back to the room to rest, and said with some guilt: "Wife, I'm sorry!"
Chen Bamei lay on the bed like a shrimp, covering her upper left abdomen, and did not respond to him.
Deng Siwu saw this and realized that his distrust had hurt his wife. He didn't expect to get over the matter with a few words, so he could only say, "Wife, lie down on the bed for a while. I'll go out and move in all the things that were allocated to us. Tomorrow I'll take you to the county hospital for a detailed examination."
After saying that, seeing that his wife still didn't respond, he walked out of the room and started moving things into the house without saying a word.
On the other side, my eldest brother and his wife were also moving their things, but the quantity was much more than theirs.
As for his parents and other brothers and sisters, they just watched from the side.
The family, which had originally lived in harmony, had experienced this unfair division, and the rifts that had formed in their hearts could probably never be mended in this lifetime.
(End of this chapter)