Chapter 23 Chapter 23 “I want to ride my bike to give Comrade Lin a ride…”
Coincidentally, the Waking of Insects Day in 1973 fell on the same day as the second day of the second lunar month.
Early in the morning, Lin Xinghuo took advantage of the rising sun to inhale and exhale purple air. He had just finished meditating and practicing a small cycle of circulation when Grandma Wei came with her daughter and knocked on the door.
Lin Xinghuo, one old and one young, didn't dare to neglect them. He stepped out of the circle of caracals and fox cubs and quickly walked to the front yard to open the door. Grandma Wei was holding a dustpan and said she wanted to teach Lin Xinghuo how to "beat the granary."
"Use wood ash to draw a few circles in front of the door, then draw a ladder around the edge of the circle. This is the 'granary'. Draw a cross inside the granary, and finally place a handful of grain. This symbolizes a full granary. The curved points between the circles are meant to attract dragons to the house, quell the snakes and insects that have begun to move during the Waking of Zhe Festival, and ensure safety."
"Sweep the stove ash first. Sprinkle it in front of the door and let me see." Grandma Wei guessed that Lin Xinghuo didn't understand this. It happened that she was old and didn't sleep much, so after she finished spreading the ash herself, she brought her little girl here.
"It just so happens that the house will be completed before today. You must go and build a warehouse in front of the door of the new house on the slope." Good things and good days happened to coincide with each other. This is why Grandma Wei insisted that Lin Xinghuo learn.
After finishing the harvest, Wei Chunfeng came over with a basket on her shoulder. In the front basket were scissors, razors, towels, and other things, and in the back were two basins. "Xiao Lin, do you want a haircut? I'm pretty good at it!"
When the little girl saw her mother's outfit, she clapped her hands and ran over to line up, wanting to be the first to get a haircut.
Grandma Wei stroked her neck-length hair and said cheerfully, "On the second day of the second month, the Dragon Raises its Head. Xiaolin, please come in line too. In previous years, I was always second, but this year you'll go first."
Only then did Lin Xinghuo realize that Wei Chunfeng, the women's director, also had the job of cutting hair for the members. Every year on the second day of the second month, everyone from aunts and sisters to young girls and wives would line up to have their hair cut by her.
This morning, Wei Chunfeng was cleaning up after breakfast when Grandma Wei brought her daughter to teach Lin Xinghuo how to make rice. Wei Chunfeng was afraid of being blocked at home, so she quickly gathered her tools and came to Nanshan.
There were two stoves in the main room of the old house, and hot water was supplied quickly and abundantly. It didn't take long for the little girl to finish her haircut and happily sat on the kang, waiting for her hair to dry before braiding it. As Wei Chunfeng washed Lin Xinghuo's hair, she whispered to her daughter, "You little girl, you're so vain. You asked for a haircut in the first month of the year because I combed all the hair you had up, revealing your forehead and making it look ugly."
"Don't bother me anymore. If cutting her hair in the first month of the year would bother her father, I'll cut it for her!"
Grandma Wei was not deaf or blind, and when she heard that, she glared at him: "What are you talking about!"
Lin Xinghuo was shaking with laughter, and Wei Chunfeng quickly changed the subject, praising, "What a great hair!"
Since coming here, Lin Xinghuo has not messed with her hair. Nowadays, it is not popular to gather all the hair on the top of the head into a bun. Most people tie it into a low bun. The hair on her forehead is already covering her eyes.
Don't worry about the big braid at the back; the thicker it is, the better it looks. After trimming her hair, Wei Chunfeng held up her face and looked at it carefully. She couldn't help but sigh: "She's too pretty with her face exposed. She's grown a lot compared to last year. She's really grown into a big girl!"
The caracal hopped onto the square table to take a look, even using its furry tail to brush some stray hair off her face. Lin Xinghuo's black hair flowed like a waterfall, revealing large, moist almond-shaped eyes, and her entire complexion was luminous. Everyone knew the little fairy was pretty, but she had only come down from the mountains last autumn, when the wind was as sharp as a knife and everyone had to cover themselves up when going out. Few people had ever really taken a good look at her.
Grandma Wei held the mirror for Lin Xinghuo to look at, and couldn't help stroking her face with love: "Yes, you are pretty! I think you have grown taller. When the weather gets warmer, grandma will make you some new clothes." Her son's comrade-in-arms sent her two pieces of Dacron material. As an old woman, she had no use for Dacron. It was just right for her to make a jacket for Xiaolin and her granddaughter, and the remaining cloth was enough to make another set for her daughter.
The old man was very happy: "You have grown up into a girl, you look beautiful no matter how you dress up!"
Haven't you grown up now? People are thinking about you now——
Fei Xinli at the commune health center was trying to persuade his son: "Don't be reluctant yet. She has to come to the training class for the exam tomorrow. You can take a look at her first and then we can talk about anything else."
Fei Ping was unhappy: "Dad, can you please stop matchmaking? I heard from my mom that you are attracted to her because of her good medical skills. Just apply to have her come to the commune health center. I don't believe anyone would leave the commune and go back to the team!" Fei Ping is 21 years old this year. He is tall and handsome. After graduating from high school, he joined the Propaganda Department of the County Textile Factory No. 2. He is a favorite of most mothers-in-law in the commune.
Fei Xin was frustrated. His eldest son was just too idealistic. He could apply directly, but what if he actually got the job? Judging by the comments from the county hospital teachers and his past exam results, this Xiaolin from the Buxiantun Brigade was definitely a real talent. Compared to his half-baked medical skills, his skills were far superior! Who would have the final say at this health station? He was almost fifty. If he let a young man outdo him, how could the Fei family maintain their dignity in the commune?
But if I become his daughter-in-law, it would be a completely different matter.
Each generation is stronger than the last, which is a good thing! When grandchildren are born in the future, let them study medicine. By then, no matter how skilled the grandfather is, their family will be considered a long-standing medical family.
But Fei Ping got angry when he heard this. He was now eating commercial grain and living in a single dormitory. Even if he couldn't marry a girl from the county, he should at least marry a female employee from the commune, right?
This "Huo" was from the Buxiantun Production Brigade, the furthest from the commune. I heard she was a lay Buddhist who had only left the mountain last year and had no parents or relatives. Her father described this girl as if she were a fairy from heaven, which made Fei Ping furious.
Fei Xinli said earnestly, "Don't look down on me! This girl may not have any biological parents, but she was raised by the man on Lotus Peak. You know how capable that man is. He's truly a man who can support generations of talented people. I think this Xiao Lin has inherited some true skills. She's only fifteen or sixteen, but she scored over 80 on the placement test. How could anyone be that talented?"
"Fifteen or sixteen? I'm already twenty-one! You and my mom are always urging me to get married, but now you're not in a hurry anymore and you're even interested in someone this young."
"What are you grumbling about? Is this the important part?" Fei Xinli was annoyed that he hadn't grasped the main point and said unhappily, "She's sixteen now, and sixteen is a grown-up girl, the same age as your sister. Aren't your family looking for your sister to marry? We'll have a wedding for you first, and then get the certificate when you're eighteen. Isn't that how your eldest brother from your eldest uncle's family and your eldest cousin from your second uncle's family all got married? If that doesn't work, you can ask someone to change her age."
The father and son argued for an entire afternoon, and at dusk Fei Ping reluctantly agreed to meet first.
Fei Xinli was so happy that he picked up the two cans of hawthorn that his son brought back and went to his brother-in-law's house.
Fei Xinli's brother-in-law is the deputy director of the commune. When Deputy Director Qu heard the purpose of his uncle's visit, he agreed: "The women's director of their brigade will also come to the commune to do business tomorrow. Let them talk to Comrade Lin first. Our Daping is so outstanding, there shouldn't be any problem." Deputy Director Qu also had an impression of Lin Xinghuo. After all, it was Director Zhou who saw her achievements and approved the Buxiantun Production Brigade to set up a health station in advance. Now the Buxiantun Production Brigade has sent medicinal materials there twice. The county hospital and the medicinal materials company said that the quality is good, and the preparation method is particularly good.
The next day was Saturday. Before dawn, Fei Ping was dragged out of bed by his father.
Fei Xinli specially took him to the commune canteen for dinner. After dinner, they sat at the door and chatted until half past seven, when they finally saw the lame man from Bushan Village driving a mule cart.
Fei Xinli hurriedly pulled his son to look, and Fei Ping looked over with a pout.
"Hey? Hey! Daping!" Fei Xinli patted his son: "Why are you stunned? Did you see it clearly?"
Fei Ping nodded hesitantly. The girl's appearance and temperament were completely different from the country girl he had imagined. What kind of fire was this?
"Now that you've seen clearly, go talk to the girl! Their exam isn't until 8 o'clock, you can go over and chat with her for a while." Fei Xin pushed him hard: "You're a grown man now, show some style. It'll only count if the girl likes you!"
"What's her name?" Fei Ping quickly grabbed his father.
"Lin Xinghuo! The spark that means 'a single spark can start a prairie fire'!" Fei Xinli was so angry that he almost fell over. He went to the health station to open the door while cursing.
Fei Ping had thought he wasn't the superficial type, at least not someone who only liked people based on looks. He hadn't expected this to happen. He wasn't one to shy away, so he glanced at the time on his wrist and rushed to the commune meeting room. Sure enough, a number of young men and women, memorizing books, were waiting outside the door, waiting for it to open.
Fei Ping went straight to Lin Xinghuo. He was so tall that he stood out in the crowd. Many girls recognized him as the popular unmarried man working at the cotton mill in the commune, and they all wondered who he was going to talk to.
Lin Xinghuo was fiddling with a root of Cimicifuga foetida. She had just tried to comb out the impurities from the unpicked Cimicifuga foetida plants, but failed again. At this stage, she could give some spiritual energy to normally growing plants to make them grow better, but she could not input spiritual energy to remove impurities from the plants. A living plant is a whole and instinctively excludes foreign substances. Forcing spiritual energy into it would destroy its internal structure and cause the plant to die.
The reason why she was so persistent in the experiment was that once the plants were picked, their vitality would quickly dissipate, and when she combed and removed the impurities, she could only get a trace of the plant's essence in return; but the small ginseng that the caracal had just picked last time still retained some vitality, perhaps because of the characteristics of the ginseng itself. When Lin Xinghuo sorted out the medicinal properties, she got a little vitality, which really supplemented her foundation.
"Hello, Comrade Lin." Fei Ping said politely: "I'm Fei Ping. Can I talk to you for a few words? I have a question."
Lin Xinghuo was a little confused, but still nodded and stood with him at a less crowded place near the wall.
Fei Ping breathed a sigh of relief and racked his brains to come up with an excuse: "I'm the publicity officer of the County No. 2 Cotton Mill. I heard that Comrade Lin is the most outstanding student in this training, so I came to ask for your advice - do you know much about 'chicken blood therapy'?"
The so-called chicken blood therapy was a sudden idea of a doctor named Yu more than ten years ago. He injected himself with a bottle of fresh chicken blood in front of his patients, claiming that it had miraculous effects. Later, the so-called chicken blood therapy spread. Five years ago, it was extremely popular in some places. Citizens lined up waiting for nurses to inject them with chicken blood. A book "Chicken Blood Therapy" was also published and sold well across the country.
Fei Ping was actually just using this topic to explain his work and to compliment Lin Xinghuo on her excellent grades. He didn't really want to discuss with her the "chicken blood therapy" that his father was researching.
Lin Xinghuo frowned upon hearing this and asked, "Excuse me, where have you seen a doctor use this method to treat patients? What I mean is that this therapy is too uncertain and may cause infection, so it is best not to try it easily." The Ministry of Health once issued a notice to stop this therapy immediately, but due to the sudden change in the social environment in the past few years, the notice was withdrawn, and this unscientific therapy was pushed to the altar. Even now, there are still people who believe that chicken blood injections can cure diseases with miraculous effects.
"..." Fei Ping looked at her serious and bright almond-shaped eyes and suddenly didn't know what to say.
Lin Xinghuo's communication was awkward, and Wei Chunfeng and Deputy Director Qu became even more incompatible.
Deputy Director Qu called Wei Chunfeng to his office and exchanged a few pleasantries about work and life before getting down to business.
Unexpectedly, Wei Chunfeng hit him on the head with a club.
Wei Chunfeng said she came to the commune to get a divorce.
divorce?
Deputy Director Qu immediately thought that there was something wrong with Wei Chunfeng's husband's background and she wanted to draw a clear line between them.
Who knew it wasn't.
The police did not find Chen Lai Fu at fault, so Wei Chunfeng could not directly say that he had an affair with the widow. She could only vaguely say that they had personality incompatibility.
Deputy Director Qu's face immediately darkened: "Comrade Wei, as the director of the Women's Department, you should set an example for the majority of female members. How can you be a negative example! Now that you are divorced, how can this work be carried out? Who among the members will obey you and be willing to listen to your propaganda?" He wanted Wei Chunfeng to be a matchmaker, but unexpectedly, the matchmaker started getting a divorce herself, which really choked Deputy Director Qu.
Wei Chunfeng felt as if her heart had fallen into a snow cave. Deputy Director Qu often said "Women hold up half the sky" during meetings, but now he had this attitude when he heard that Wei Chunfeng wanted a divorce.
"I just can't make it any longer," Wei Chunfeng said. "The members elected me as the women's director. Since the leadership thinks I'm not up to the job, I'll report it to the brigade secretary and team leader when I get home, and we'll hold another election at the next meeting."
Seeing that she was determined to get a divorce, Deputy Director Qu didn't want to talk to her anymore and waved his hand to let her go.
As Wei Chunfeng emerged from Deputy Director Qu's office, she spotted Chen Laifu peering out from the corner of the commune office. She immediately walked over and said, "Let's go! Get the paperwork done quickly." She hoped to avoid any further delays. Director Zhou would soon show up to check on her. Director Zhou was a woman, and reaching her current position had been a struggle. Regardless of her reaction, Wei Chunfeng didn't want to drag Director Zhou into her own affairs.
The two of them were blocking the door of the household registration archives office at 7:50, as if we were going to leave as soon as the staff came to work and we didn't want to spend even a second with her/him.
Deputy Director Qu was rubbing his brows when he heard the door slam. Fei Ping poked his head in and asked with a grin, "Uncle, how are things going over there?"
If the pen at hand wasn't too expensive, Deputy Director Qu would have wanted to throw it on his head to teach his wife's nephew a lesson. He's such an adult, but he doesn't even care about her mood!
"Their brigade is going to elect a new women's director. I'll help you nominate her after she's chosen."
Fei Ping was a little embarrassed, chuckled twice, and then borrowed a bicycle from his uncle.
"What do you want to borrow the bicycle for?" My home is a few hundred meters away from the commune, and I don't have to go to the county on Saturdays.
"I want to see Comrade Lin off..."
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The author has something to say: Thank you little angels for your support~
PS: I will post the clip tomorrow, so the update will probably be very late.
Note: For information on "Da Hoarding" and "Chicken Blood Therapy", please refer to Baidu.
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