Chapter 334: An Eldest Sister is Like a Mother [7,000 words]

Capital city.

A certain department of the Planning Commission.

Deng Yunheng wore a thick cotton jacket and trousers and a cotton hat on his head, wrapping himself tightly.

As a southerner, when I came to Beijing, a northern region, the diet and living habits were fine. The most uncomfortable thing was actually the winter. Every year when the temperature dropped below zero, the severe cold weather was really a huge test for southerners.

Deng Yunheng has lived in Beijing for four or five years since he went to college, but he still can't adapt to such cold weather.

After all, Bobai is located in the south of the south, and its temperature has never been below zero in recorded history. It is really difficult to adapt to a place where the lowest temperature is minus ten or even twenty degrees Celsius.

Fortunately, the department he works for is quite good, and the two-bedroom apartment assigned to him has heating, which alone makes it better than many other units.

Now we have entered the twelfth lunar month, and my sister's wedding is getting closer and closer.

At noon when he was leaving get off work, Deng Yunheng approached his leader and asked with a smile, "Leader, do you know when our company will have a holiday this year?"

Zhao Jing glanced at him and said, "You're asking about the holiday so early, do you want to go home for the New Year this year?"

Deng Yunheng nodded and smiled, "You can't hide anything from your boss. I really want to go home for the New Year this year. The main reason is that my sister is getting married. If I can make it, I really want to go back and attend her wedding."

Zhao Jing suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. When is your sister getting married?"

Deng Yunheng said, "The twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month."

Zhao Jing nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. I will approve your leave in advance and I will definitely let you catch up with your sister's wedding."

Deng Yunheng said happily: "Thank you, leader!"

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "You're welcome. Remember to bring me some wedding candies to try."

Deng Yunheng said with a smile on his face: "Wedding candy is nothing. I will bring you some local specialties from our hometown. Even local people like us can only eat them during the Chinese New Year. I will bring them to you to try and see if you like them."

Zhao Jing quickly waved her hands and said, "A few wedding candies will do, forget about the local specialties. I don't want to make a mistake, and I hope you don't make a mistake either."

If it was a real local specialty, then there would be nothing wrong with it, and it would be a normal courtesy. The reason why she refused was mainly because she was afraid that this subordinate would not be able to grasp the right measure, and it would be bad if the value of the "local specialty" given to her exceeded the limit.

Therefore, I just gave a brief mention.

Deng Yunheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, leader. Before I started working, my father repeatedly emphasized economic issues in front of me. How could I make such a mistake? This local specialty is really just a local specialty. It is a kind of food called Huishuizang that every household in my hometown makes during the Chinese New Year. In some places, this Huishuizang is called Ciba. It is a food made from glutinous rice and is not worth much."

Zhao Jing heaved a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you know what's going on."

…

Songshan Township.

Shanxin Village.

Brother Zhu and his family are having dinner.

The food on the table was simple, just a dish of stir-fried Chinese spinach, a dish of stir-fried onions with lard, and a dish of stewed sauerkraut.

There were three dishes with relatively large portions, and the only one with a hint of meat was the fried lard and onions. Although this dish looked rather vegetarian, for rural people of that era, this was actually the normal standard of living.

In fact, being able to eat lard residue is already a very good meal.

Brother Zhu has four children, two sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Zhu Wang, got married three years ago and is now a father of two children. The second son has also reached the marriageable age, but he has not found a partner yet.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Zhu Wang said, "Dad, Mom, Uncle Man is getting married soon, what should our family give him as a gift?"

Mrs. Zhu said, "Your Aunt Man's family is very rich, they don't need anything, we just need to give her a piece of cloth as a token of our appreciation!"

Hearing this, Brother Zhu frowned and said, "Even if they don't need anything, as their eldest brother and sister-in-law, we can't be so shabby!"

Mrs. Zhu glared and said, "How can it be considered shabby? Don't you know what our family conditions are? Besides, many people in the village have the same standard now, and I believe that your second son has the same standard. If you think it's shabby, then just buy a better piece of cloth."

After being together for more than 20 years, Brother Zhu already knew what kind of person his wife was. She was really a miser, the kind who would never spend a penny.

Now that his younger brother is getting married, as the eldest brother, he doesn't have to give a very expensive gift, but at least he has to give it to save face. If he just gives a piece of cloth, it would be too shabby. Brother Zhu doesn't want to do such a shameful thing.

"They say that people with long hair have short minds, and that's true. You're stingy at ordinary times, but now that Xiaojie is getting married, you're still so stingy. You really can't see the situation clearly."

Brother Zhu put down his chopsticks and said, "Think about what Xiaojie's status is now? And what's the status of his wife? You don't try to make friends with him now, but instead give him such a shabby gift. If our family needs help from Xiaojie in the future, I wonder if you have the nerve to ask for his help."

The eldest son Zhu Wang continued, "Yes, Mom, Dad is right. Uncle Man and Aunt Man are both of high status. We really can't give a gift that is too shabby. Otherwise, even if Uncle Man doesn't make a fuss about it, if Aunt Man remembers it, it will be difficult to ask for help if we need anything."

The second son Zhu Sheng also nodded and said, "That is indeed the truth. We must not be stingy with the gifts this time."

Zhu Wang's wife and her two sisters-in-law were all listening quietly; they could not get involved in such a "big deal".

Seeing that her husband and two sons had reached a consensus, and that what they said did make sense, Mrs. Zhu said with some pain, "Then... let's add another kettle (thermos bottle)!"

Brother Zhu said, "Add another quilt and give me a red envelope of 100 yuan."

As soon as these words came out, Mrs. Zhu's face changed drastically, and she slammed the table and said, "What are you talking about? If you give me a red envelope of 100 yuan, we won't have to live like this anymore?"

Brother Zhu knew that his wife would not agree to such a large red envelope, so he just proposed a large amount so that he could bargain later. So when he saw his wife slamming the table, he said calmly, "Even if you don't give 100, you should at least give 80, right?"

Mrs. Zhu said angrily, "Impossible, no need to talk if it's more than 10 yuan."

Brother Zhu shook his head and said, "10 yuan is really too little, let's say 68. We are the eldest brother and his wife, we can't let the second brother and his wife outdo us."

Mrs. Zhu said with a dark face: "The second son is even more stingy than me. How much can he give? You don't need to mention the red envelope anymore. I will definitely not agree to more than 10 yuan."

The brothers Zhu Wang and Zhu Sheng looked at each other and showed helpless expressions. As sons, they could not say anything about their mother's stingy character.

Brother Zhu gritted his teeth and said, "The red envelope is 68, not a cent less. I originally wanted to wait until Xiaojie got married, and then ask him to find a way to arrange for Awang and Asheng to work in the county. If you dare to do something bad, then I will not be in charge of this family in the future, and you can just rely on the little money in your hand for your retirement!"

When these words were spoken, Mrs. Zhu was shocked.

The eyes of brothers Zhu Wang and Zhu Sheng lit up when they heard this. They have lived in the village since they were young. It is impossible for them not to envy the lives of city dwellers. Having the opportunity to work in the city is what all rural people dream of in this era.

Now, from what their father said, he wanted to talk to their Uncle Man about this matter. If this was successful, they would be able to go to the city to work, and it would not be impossible for them to settle down in the city in the future. This was an opportunity to completely change their destiny, so of course they had to seize it.

So the two brothers looked at their mother and shouted at the same time: "Mom!!!"

Although Mrs. Zhu felt very sad, she could only bite the bullet and said, "Okay, 68 is fine, but Old Zhu, let me tell you, if you can't do this and make me spend so much money, I will never forgive you."

Brother Zhu was so angry that he laughed when he heard this. He just snorted, picked up his chopsticks and started eating again, not bothering to pay attention to this stingy and unreasonable woman.

The family started eating again, but everyone's thoughts were different from before.

…

at the same time.

Zhu Erge's family was also having dinner and discussing gifts for his younger brother's wedding.

The second brother Zhu has two sons and one daughter, the eldest son is Zhu Maoqiang, the second son is Zhu Maoxun, and the daughter is Zhu Maolan.

It was Zhu Ersao who first proposed the gift-giving thing. She said, "Ajie is getting married soon. I'm going to give him two pieces of cloth, a quilt, a set of tea sets, a wash basin, two enamel cups, and a red envelope of 28 yuan. What do you think?"

Brother Zhu shook his head and said, "Too much. Ajie is the deputy director, and his wife is well-off. She has everything she needs. It's totally unnecessary for us to buy so many things. Just buy a few as a token of our appreciation. A red envelope of 6 yuan will be enough."

Brother Zhu's family and Brother Zhu's family are really complete opposites.

Brother Zhu is a loyal and honest person, and he is very kind to his parents and brothers. However, the wife he married is very stingy and attaches great importance to money and other things. With her, there is only income and no expenditure, so it is not easy for anyone to take advantage of her.

Second Brother Zhu is also a stingy person. Although not as serious as Sister Zhu, he likes to haggle with his parents and brothers and is never willing to suffer any loss. What's interesting is that the wife he married is quite generous.

Mrs. Zhu said, "It's their business if they have it. We, as brothers and sisters-in-law, can't refuse to give them money just because they have it. It's like borrowing money. They may not need the money, but you have to pay it back when you asked them to. You can't not pay it back just because they don't need it."

Brother Zhu said, "These are two different things. Ajie doesn't need these things, so it would be a waste to send them over."

Mrs. Zhu frowned and said, "This is your own brother, can you not be so stingy? It's ok for you to think it's too little, but you think I gave you too much?"

Zhu Erge glared and said, "What are these little things? Whose brother gets so many gifts when he gets married? You are such a generous woman, but you are poor. How can we live like this?"

Zhu Maoqiang couldn't help but say, "Dad, we all know what Aunt Man's family conditions are. She is marrying Uncle Man, so we can't be stingy with gifts. We have to leave a good impression on Aunt Man no matter what. If Aunt Man can arrange for us to work in her restaurant for Uncle Man's sake, it would be worth it!"

Mrs. Zhu glanced at her husband and said, "Look at you, you are already old, but you can't see as clearly as your own son."

Brother Zhu thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he said with some pain: "Okay, then you decide!"

…

Deng Shirong was marrying off his daughter, not marrying his wife, so he had no intention of inviting the entire Naye Deng family to the wedding banquet. He only invited those clansmen in Naye Village who were closely related by blood, as well as a group of prominent clansmen from other villages.

Because the wedding was held at the Suifeng Hotel instead of Zhu Junjie's hometown, Deng Shirong also went to the county government to send invitations to familiar leaders.

During this period, the house in Naye Deng Community has been decorated and is now in the final stage. The whole house looks extremely festive.

Zhu Junjie was also not idle. He sent invitations to his colleagues and superiors at work one by one.

He also wrote letters and sent invitations to his comrades in the army who had experienced the baptism of war together. These were truly life-long friends, and if he didn't inform them about such a big thing as marriage, they would inevitably complain in the future.

As for relatives and friends at home, their parents will naturally take care of them, so Zhu Junjie doesn't have to worry about it.

Just as both parties were busy preparing for the upcoming wedding, colleges and universities across the country began to close for the holidays.

…

noon.

Capital city.

In a cafeteria of Tsinghua University, more than a dozen fellow villagers from Guangxi gathered here.

Whether in the past, present or future, the alumni associations in the school will never be cut off. The school will even encourage students from all over the country to form alumni associations, because the existence of alumni associations can help new students quickly integrate into the larger community of the school.

The president of the Guangxi Alumni Association of Tsinghua University is a junior named Feng Jianhua, who is from Guilin.

At this time, Feng Jianhua said: "Fellow villagers, the school will be closed tomorrow. As usual, those who choose to go home for the New Year please raise your hands."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yunsong raised his hands along with several other fellow villagers.

Feng Jianhua said, "Those of you who raised your hands, please come over here and let's discuss going home together. As for those who are staying in school for the New Year, you can sit together and discuss it. It would be nice to go out and play together during the New Year."

Deng Yunsong replied, "President, I'm afraid I can't go home with you fellow villagers!"

Feng Jianhua asked: "Why?"

Deng Yunsong said, "Because I have to wait for my second brother to take a vacation so I can go back together, so I may not be able to go back at the same time as you guys."

Feng Jianhua had a very deep impression of this junior fellow who had just joined the hometown association this year. His first impression was that he was quite talkative, and his second impression was that he was quite generous. These were his impressions of this young fellow after attending several hometown gatherings.

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The reason why I noticed this young fellow was mainly because there were not many fellow villagers from Guangxi studying at Tsinghua University. There were less than 20 people in the five classes (some majors are five-year programs). As the president, Feng Jianhua naturally spent more time and effort than other fellow villagers and tried to get to know every one of them.

As a young fellow who had just joined the hometown association this year, Deng Yunsong naturally received special attention from Feng Jianhua.

However, only one semester had passed, and they didn't get together very often, so Feng Jianhua really didn't know that the other party had a second brother who was also in Beijing.

"Yunsong, is your second brother also studying at university in Beijing?" Feng Jianhua asked.

Deng Yunsong shook his head and smiled, "No, my second brother has already started working, so his vacation time is different from ours as students."

Feng Jianhua understood that being able to stay in Beijing to work, it seemed that his second brother Deng Yunsong was no simple person. However, now was not the time to ask about this. He nodded and said, "Okay, since you want to wait for your second brother, then we will go back together first and won't wait for you!"

Deng Yunsong said: "Well, you guys go back first, no need to wait for me."

Feng Jianhua nodded and said no more. Instead, he called together several fellow villagers who were preparing to go back home for the New Year to discuss going home together.

…

afternoon.

Deng Yunsong was very excited and took a car to his second brother's workplace. When he came to see his second brother before, his second brother gave him a big surprise, saying that he could get a letter of introduction from the unit and take him home on a plane.

As for taking a plane, even in later times when anyone with money could take one, few rural people had ever taken one, let alone in this age when even someone with money cannot take one.

It is no exaggeration to say that if rural people in this era can take a flight, they can enjoy it for at least a year when they return to the village.

Deng Yunsong once heard his father say that during the Republic of China period, the villagers were ignorant and had no idea that there was such a means of transportation as airplanes in the world. When an airplane flew over their village for the first time, the villagers were so scared that they knelt down and kowtowed, thinking that it was some kind of god passing through their village.

After the planes flew away, every household still made rice dumplings and held sacrifices.

This kind of thing would certainly make people laugh nowadays, but decades ago, when there was no concept of airplanes, it was normal to think of ghosts and gods when people saw a huge creature flying in the sky for the first time.

Because he arrived on time, Deng Yunsong only waited for more than ten minutes before he saw his second brother who was wrapped up tightly.

Deng Yunsong was actually dressed in the same way. The temperature was only a few degrees below zero. Although it was much colder than Bobai, it was not too uncomfortable. What made them a little unbearable was that the temperature was low, and it was accompanied by gusts of northwest wind, which was deadly.

“Second brother!”

"School is on vacation?"

"Well, it's vacation time!"

"Let's go eat first."

Soon, the two brothers had dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Deng Yunsong asked: "Second brother, when will you have your holiday?"

Deng Yunheng swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "I still have some things to deal with. I can go back in two to three days."

Deng Yunsong nodded and sighed, "Alas, my eldest sister is getting married soon. I really don't want to let her go!"

Deng Yunheng also sighed when he heard this. Since their mother passed away early, their eldest sister truly lived up to her role as a mother to them. Whether it was food or clothing, it was all taken care of by their eldest sister. Now that their eldest sister was getting married, she would belong to another family, and as younger brothers, they couldn't help but feel reluctant to let her go.

"There's nothing we can do. Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. Compared to other women in the village, my elder sister got married late. It would be inappropriate to delay it any longer."

"Yes, my eldest sister is already 25 years old in terms of age. She will be 26 soon after the Chinese New Year. We really can't put it off any longer. It's time to get married!"

At this point, Deng Yunsong changed the subject and asked, "Second brother, you are 23 and will soon be 24. This age is suitable for dating. Do you have any girls you like in the company?"

Deng Yunheng shook his head and said, "There are no girls of the right age in my unit. Stop worrying about me. You are an adult now. If you have the ability, find a date at school. It doesn't matter if you get married before me."

"I'm only a freshman, there's no need to be in such a hurry. What's more, my eldest sister is just getting ready to get married, and you, the second brother, haven't found a partner yet. There's also your second sister between us. I'll wait until you're both married, and then I can slowly find someone."

"Okay, stop talking about this and eat quickly. The food is getting cold!"

…

Three days later.

After going through various boarding procedures for a while, Deng Yunheng and Deng Yunsong finally successfully boarded the plane.

When the plane took off into the sky, the continuous upward movement made the two brothers feel a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, neither of them was prone to motion sickness. If a person with motion sickness took a plane, the feeling of weightlessness caused by the continuous upward movement would make him vomit.

A few hours later.

The plane landed at Nanning Airport. When the two brothers walked out of the airport, they both exclaimed: "It has to be a plane again!"

Compared to taking a train that takes several days and nights, taking a plane only takes a few hours. The difference is really huge.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just talk about those fellow villagers from Tsinghua University who went home together. They returned home two days earlier than Deng Yunsong, but now Deng Yunsong has arrived in Nanning, while those fellow villagers from Guangxi have only returned to Hunan at most, and will not arrive in Guangxi until at least tomorrow.

After taking the bus back to the city, Deng Yunheng took his third brother straight to the government staff housing compound in Xincheng District (later Qingxiu District).

Arriving at the destination, Deng Yunsong asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Second brother, who are you looking for?"

Deng Yunheng said: "Come to find Sister Song, she works here."

Deng Yunsong understood. This Peking University alumnus of his second brother had often eaten at the family restaurant before, so he naturally knew her. "So Sister Song was assigned to work here. She has been working here for three and a half years. What level is she now?"

"She was just promoted to deputy director this year."

“That’s amazing!”

As they were talking, the two brothers had already arrived at the district government staff quarters.

The gatekeeper asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"

Deng Yunheng replied: "Hello, sir. We are looking for District Chief Song."

The old man asked, "Who are you?"

Deng Yunheng smiled and said, "I am District Chief Song's classmate. I just came back from Beijing. May I ask if District Chief Song is here now?"

The old man had seen all kinds of people over the years, and had trained his eyes to be sharp. He saw that the two people in front of him had extraordinary temperaments. He also heard that they were classmates of District Chief Song and had just returned from the capital, so he had to look at them with respect and said politely, "District Chief Song is here, do you need me to show you the way?"

"Then I'll trouble you, sir!"

"No trouble, please follow me, comrades!"

Soon, the old man brought Deng Yunheng and his brother to the second floor of a building and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, Song Yu opened the door and saw Deng Yunheng and his brother standing at the door. She thanked the doorman first, then asked in surprise: "Yunheng, Yunsong, when did you return to Nanning?"

Deng Yunheng smiled and said, "Sister Song, we came straight to you as soon as we got off the plane. We didn't even have time to eat!"

"Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."

Song Yu took the key, locked the door, and walked down the stairs while saying, "Yun Song, you are amazing. You got first place in Guangxi science. You are much better than your second brother!"

Deng Yunsong smiled and said, "Sister Song, you are too kind. My second brother went to Songshan High School, which was ranked at the bottom of the county in terms of strength, while I went to Bogao, which was ranked first in the county. Our starting points were completely different."

Song Yu smiled and said, "Don't be modest. You brothers went to the same school for elementary and junior high school. Your second brother could only be admitted to Songshan High School, but you were able to be admitted to Bogao High School. This is the result of your own hard work.

But then again, you two brothers, one graduated from Tsinghua University and the other from Peking University, have created history for our Bobai County. The new county annals are being compiled, and you two brothers will surely occupy a large space in the annals. How enviable!"

Deng Yunheng said, "Sister Song, if we talk about the county annals, you will definitely occupy a large space. After all, you are now the majestic Song District Chief who governs many people. I am just a small soldier in the unit."

Song Yu glanced at him and said, "I have been working for three and a half years. Do you think I know nothing? You, a "little soldier", have a much better future than me. I believe that your level will catch up with me soon, and then you will successfully surpass me. When that happens, I will ask Director Deng for your support!"

Deng Yunsong followed behind the two of them, listening to their "business bragging" and learning silently.

More than ten minutes later, Song Yu took them to a nearby restaurant.

After ordering a few dishes, Song Yu said, "Not long ago, I received a call from my father, saying that your brother-in-law was promoted and is now the head of the county public security bureau. Now the wedding is approaching, it's really a double happiness!"

Deng Yunheng said, "I really don't know about this, but my brother-in-law was a deputy regimental commander when he was in the army. He was demoted when he was transferred to a local military post. He has been honing his skills in the deputy position for quite some time, so it is normal for him to be promoted to a regular commander now."

Song Yu nodded and said, "Indeed."

Next, the two sides talked about the development of other fellow students from Peking University. Those fellow students they used to get along well with have now started working. They have been exchanging letters with each other, so they naturally know each other's development situation.

(End of this chapter)