Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Double Update in One
The caracal's household registration is relatively easy to explain, but what is really hard to explain is the matter of the little baby Lin Beiguo.
Lin Xinghuo wanted to register Hu Da's household registration under her own name, but she really couldn't get past the old branch secretary and others. As soon as she opened her mouth, the old man rudely retorted her.
Even the team leader Huang Dazhuang, who was unwilling to use his brain and only cared about doing practical work most of the time, disagreed. He said in a muffled voice: "How can that be? Do you still want to have a reputation?" If it were in the city a few years ago, if the news of having a child before getting married spread, the person might have shaved his head and paraded through the streets with a sign hanging on his head to protest.
How could a young girl give another family's child to her own name before getting married?
Another issue was the names of the fox cubs. The three cubs were the first to settle in Buxian Village. Plus, the little foxes loved being around people and played well with the other children in the village. Few people disliked these furry little creatures. Everyone knew that "Lin Beiguo" was the name of Lin Xinghuo's eldest cub. When they first came up with these names, everyone remarked, "They're truly the little fairy's babies. Each one has a more elaborate name than their own."
Now that she was going to be registered, Lin Xinghuo could naturally give her a full name. However, the importance of names to spirit beasts was self-evident. "Lin Beiguo" was the name the fox cub approved of herself, and it was the most important name besides the real name she got after awakening her inheritance. The fox cub had already transformed, and whether she liked it or not, this meant that she had to enter the world to practice. There would be many outsiders calling her by her name in the future, and getting a new name that she didn't approve of would actually be very detrimental to her practice.
Lin Xinghuo considered many things, but ultimately registered his name as "Lin Beiguo." Facing the old Party Secretary's questioning look, Lin Xinghuo spread his hands. "This kid loves my little fox the most, especially Big Fox. As long as he holds the little fox, he'll fall asleep without any coaxing." At worst, he'd have Second and Third Fox carry Big Fox's medicine basket for a few more laps. The villagers couldn't tell which was which anyway; they'd identify them by their distinctive vests and baskets. For example, the one carrying the small, covered wicker basket was Big Fox, who loved to fetch grass; the one carrying the thin-necked, wide-bellied basket was Third Fox, who loved to dig rocks; and the one carrying nothing but the fastest was Second Fox, who could catch pheasants. The little foxes no longer moved together like they did when they first came down the mountain. Since the arrival of the Fairy Village, the three siblings have each developed their own hobbies, and in the past two years, solitary foxes have been the most common sightings.
Anyone who has raised a child knows that coaxing a child is hard work. Every family in Buxian Village has a rocking chair hanging from the beam. If a family has a well-behaved child who doesn't like to make noises, the neighbors will be happy. In order to make the little crybabies less noisy, the villagers have tried every possible method. Changing the name to make the little ones quiet down is no small matter! Hu Zi's grandmother still calls her new grandson "Chicken Coop" last year because the boy likes to look out the glass window and see his brother Hu Zi standing on tiptoe to grab eggs from the chicken coop on a wooden spit. Only then will the strong boy stop his shrill and bright little voice to give his parents a break and let the neighbors relax. The kid whose real name was Leopard became Chicken Coop. When he howled in the middle of the night, his father would pat him and say, "Chicken Coop, go to sleep." The kid would flutter his little hands and feet to get out of the quilt to look at the Chicken Coop. Of course, he couldn't escape the hands of the adults holding him after fluttering for a long time, and then the kid would tire himself to sleep... And judging by the way the villagers registered their children's names when they registered their household registration, the kid would probably be called "Wang Wo" when he grew up. At most, the old branch secretary would not be able to stand it and would change his name to "Wo", which has the same pronunciation.
Therefore, Lin Xinghuo thought that the place that was most likely to arouse suspicion was actually the easiest to resolve. The old branch secretary filled in the application form with an expression that said "this name is good", and he didn't seem to notice that the person was registered in Wunian but his surname was not Lin.
Even though Lin Xinghuo had expressed her desire to adopt the child, the old branch secretary and the others, out of consideration for her, still refused to register Lin Beiguo's household registration under her name. The old man's argument was also well-founded. Lin Xinghuo's household registration was registered as an educated youth, and her household registration was technically managed by the county educated youth office. Unless she married a local and transferred her household registration there, the brigade headquarters theoretically couldn't intervene.
Seeing the girl accepting it with a bitter face and pinching her nose, the old branch secretary secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that the girl would be really blinded by the man she brought back and say that she would marry him. You know, after writing that form, this Wu Nian Ke would become a resident of the village.
Now the old man is relieved. The child's brain is not feverish. Unlike some girls, who will be fooled by a fair face and will jump into the fire pit as if they are confused.
The old branch secretary has been very angry about this matter recently. He is used to seeing young girls in the village who are confident and trustworthy, such as Chunfeng and Layue. Suddenly, he encounters one who is so irresponsible that he can't get her back even if he hits a wall. Even if she is just an educated youth from outside, it is still very annoying.
Huang Dazhuang stamped the two papers with a clatter of his stamps. Wu Nian, a supposedly good-looking young man, became a "slow-moving commodity" in the baby-sitting business. Hey, it was a baby raised for their little fairy lady. The three old office partners were quite shrewd. They felt that this adopted little girl was to the little fairy lady just as the old fairy lady from Buxian Temple had adopted her—a successor! With this little girl, even if the little fairy lady didn't marry, she had some sort of security. Of course, if she did eventually become intelligent and could marry without worries, even if the man she chose wasn't Wu Nian, the village could still help take care of the child... It was a perfect solution.
People are always close to each other, and the old branch secretary and his men didn't care if Wu Nian's popularity dropped and it became difficult for him to find a partner. Wouldn't it be better if he didn't have a good time? It would save that guy from having any ulterior motives. Regardless of whether or when the little fairy lady would come to her senses, she still had to keep an eye on this piece of cow dung lying on her own land.
The old Party Secretary held out his hand and said, "Give me a dollar."
Lin Xinghuo touched her body and left the storage bag to the caracal who was renovating the mountain house. Fortunately, A Nian had stuffed a handful of banknotes into her trouser pocket. She took it out and took out a one-yuan note to give to the old branch secretary.
The old branch secretary took it and handed it to Huang Dazhuang. Huang Dazhuang picked up the two pieces of paper and stuffed them into his army green bag, revealing his white teeth: "I'll send you the household registration booklet by nightfall."
With that, he hurried out to Fangmaji Commune.
"Registering the father and daughter's household registration doesn't require you, an outsider." The old Party Secretary waved his hand, settling the matter with a domineering air. He glanced at the crisp, new stack of money in the child's hand and knew it was Lin Xinghuo's plan to give the village children some extra New Year's money. Lin had never been so thoughtful before, so perhaps someone else had thought of it for her.
It was only after Lin Xinghuo took it out that he realized the purpose of the money that An Nian had given him. He rubbed his nose and told the old Party Secretary about another matter: "I want to add a floor to my house, and I also want to finish the wing rooms and the back house at the same time."
The old Party Secretary didn't respond, but first asked, "When are you leaving for Beijing?" He'd heard Lin Xinghuo tell Chen Laifu's parents at the village entrance that they wouldn't stay long, and the newspaper reports on the radio didn't sound reliable. When did the spontaneous farewells and mourning of an elder who had devoted his life to the country become a "counter-revolutionary" incident? With access to outside news, the old Party Secretary became even more discerning. A man who had spent most of his life wandering around the countryside had actually guessed the situation so accurately. Like Fang Tongjian and the others, he felt that this gray sky wouldn't last.
The closer it got to sunny days, the stronger the wind and rain became. The old man guessed that Lin Xinghuo couldn't rest assured to leave Fang Tongjian alone in the vortex. This kid was a phoenix, and they didn't know how long they could stay there.
However, the fact that Lin Xinghuo wanted to build an additional house made the old man feel much better. Even the phoenix is attached to its old nest, so this is enough.
Lin Xinghuo said: "Ten days at most... The situation over there changes rapidly. You know how good our master Fang is at writing." If something unexpected happens, Fang Tongjian's pen is sharper than other people's knives. He really has the spirit of a scholar who would rather die than live in disgrace.
"Okay." The old branch secretary agreed readily, "You draw the blueprint, and I'll let Hongzhong take a look at it for you when the time comes." As long as it does not exceed the residential land allocated by the village, the brigade will not be responsible for building additional houses, as it is a private matter for the members.
Hongzhong was the village's recognized successor to the Party Secretary. His temperament was even more like that of an old man than that of the old Party Secretary's own son, making him the most reliable of the younger generation. Accountant Wang smiled, not reminding the old Party Secretary that his bias was too obvious. He dug through the purchase orders from a dozen or so street supply and marketing cooperatives in Beijing and calculated the accounts, thinking, who wouldn't be partial to a kid who, even in a distant place, still didn't forget to pave the way for the brigade?
This time, Lin Xinghuo had no plans to build a house like before. She was now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she also had a transformed demon at home, equivalent to a human cultivator at the Heart-Stirring Stage. Even if she couldn't create a formation like the Buxian Temple, she could easily set up a formation combining defense, attack, and concealment. She'd specifically mentioned this to the old branch secretary, simply so they could be prepared for the arrival of those in the know. Aside from the old branch secretary and the team leader, a few of whom were particularly close, the other members of the commune waited for Lin Xinghuo at the health station at the foot of Nanshan Mountain. Everyone knew the Little Fairy's home was full of wild animals, so they tacitly agreed not to bother her. For example, Accountant Wang, a self-conscious old man, had never been to the mountain retreat.
"It's good that you're busy." The old Party Secretary sighed. He didn't want to tell her about that troublesome incident, but he had to remind her: "If any educated youth come to see you, ignore them."
"Is there something wrong with the educated youth?" This is strange. Ever since the former troublesome educated youth team leader jumped back to the city, the educated youth in Buxiantun have been able to live in peace. Especially in the past few years, He Qing has prevented the assignment of new people for Buxiantun. The former educated youth have lived a more honest life and can hardly be distinguished from their fellow villagers.
Even though Lin Xinghuo had a good memory, it took him a while to remember that there seemed to be a male educated youth named Wei Bushun who had a bad temper and was often used as a knife by Chang Qing.
"No." The old branch secretary shook his head. If it was a boy, it would be fine. Captain Yang Weibao could ask the other members to teach him a lesson if he couldn't control him. The most difficult ones were girls. He couldn't beat them too hard, and he didn't dare report it to the Youth League Office, for fear that it would bring bad reputation to the girl and ruin her life.
"Do you still remember the youngest female educated youth, Xiao Lanqin?"
As soon as he said that, Lin Xinghuo remembered that Xiao Lanqin was from the same hometown as Lin Xinghuo according to his file. Both of them were educated youth from Beijing. They were about the same age. Xiao Lanqin was said to be born a month older and was nineteen years old this year.
In fact, what Xiao Lanqin did was nothing unusual. Which young girl in love doesn't like a handsome man?
In rural areas, the emphasis is on men marrying when they're old enough, and women marrying when they're old enough. When educated youth Yang Weibao married his partner, Cui Xia, the village helped arrange their wedding. They were assigned to a couple's dormitory in the second row of the brigade's dormitories. With the help of their fellow villagers, their life has become even more prosperous than it was in the city, and their child is now one year old.
The brigade didn't care about the educated youth's marriage issues at all.
But Xiao Lanqin found a partner from another village, but the man said he wanted to marry into her family and settle down with Xiao Lanqin in Buxiantun.
Not to mention that there were no fools among the brigade and the village elders, even ordinary members, who were influenced by the radio and the children taking turns reading newspapers and books in the library all day long, were much more knowledgeable than ordinary old farmers. They could figure out what the man was planning without having to use their toes to figure it out.
Isn’t it just that Xiantun doesn’t have a good life?
At the end of last year, Buxian Village recorded a new record high, with one work point worth 90 cents! How impressive is that? In Jinjiayao, home to the brick factory, one work point was worth only 8 cents, which was still quite high compared to other communes. Furthermore, there was plenty of work in Buxian Village, so even the elderly could earn a few work points by spinning hemp rope. After the grain was distributed, the total amount of work points left over from each household was more than a county worker's annual salary!
In the countryside, as long as there are enough supplies and money, life is actually much more comfortable than in the city. So, this attracted a wave of malicious wolves with bad intentions.
Since the establishment of Buxian Village, the settlement requirements have been stricter than those in other places. And ever since Lin Xinghuo came down the mountain and inadvertently made life in the village better and better, the villagers have become even less welcoming to outsiders. It's not that they are too "independent", but that the village has many secrets and everyone is stubborn.
To be honest, in recent years, there are fewer cases of girls marrying off outside the village or marrying wives from other villages. In the past few years, child marriages have disappeared. There are still many girls of sixteen or seventeen years old at home, and there are even more young men in their twenties who have not yet found a marriage. Unfortunately, there are only about a hundred households in Buxian Village, so it is impossible to rely on finding marriages only among people in the same village... This has become a concern for the elders in the village, who are afraid that the population growth will be delayed.
But even if the girl became a spinster, the elders would never agree to a marriage like the one Xiao Lanqin liked.
Who doesn't want to live a good life? But you can't be so despicable! That young man was a top student in the Hongnong Commune. He had a higher level of education than Xiao Lanqin, a sent-down youth who didn't even graduate from junior high school. It was said that he was almost recommended for a worker-peasant-soldier university. This young man, who boasted so much about his good qualities, actually pointed at Xiao Lanqin in public and said that they had slept together, revealing the time and place, and even said that Xiao Lanqin might be pregnant with his child, forcing the village to agree to his marriage.
But Xiao Lanqin was possessed by him. She disregarded her own reputation and the reputation of other girls in the educated youth station. She held his hand and asked everyone not to stop their revolutionary feelings as if she was ready to be martyred.
The brigade did try hard. The women and girls in the village, even Grandma Wei, came forward, but they just couldn't persuade Xiao Lanqin.
My goodness, the more he tried to persuade her, the more determined she became. She was like Huang Shiren who forcibly broke up Xier and Dachun.
Later, the brigade also got tired of it. It was no use trying to persuade the damned ghost. If Xiao Lanqin wanted to jump into the fire pit, then so be it. Marriage and marriage are voluntary. But that young man named Niu Wangshan was very calculating. He wanted to settle down and found out about Lin Xinghuo.
You have to know that Lin Xinghuo is also considered an educated youth from Beijing, so how can she have a homestead in Buxian Village? Don't talk about contribution. As the saying goes, "Ren Niu Wangshan" is right. His daughter Xiao Lanqin has been diligently helping farmers in Buxian Village over the years. Isn't that a contribution?
If Xiao Lanqin had chosen a young man from Liangzigou or Jinjiayao who was well-connected to the village, the village might have agreed to the couple's request to settle down there. However, Niu Wangshan had more than ten people involved, and his family was notoriously "scheming" in Hongnong Commune. It would be strange if the brigade would agree.
"How could this girl be so clueless?" the old Party Secretary said, angrily, "We've only known each other for three months! How could she be so devoted to him?"
Niu Wangshan was a good-looking man, with the kind of fair and tall scholarly look that the girls liked to see. He wore a well-ironed woolen coat, revealing a clean Dacron collar, and a pen in his coat pocket. "Cui Zhiqing said that his clothes, as well as his money and notes, were all given by Xiao Zhiqing. She was... no, what was she trying to do?" Accountant Wang was also very puzzled. He had seen people who lost face, but he had never seen anyone so confused.
Lin Xinghuo thought of what he had seen and heard in his previous life, and couldn't help but sigh that this era has its advantages. At least there is a strong sense of humanity between people, and everyone is willing to do good and worry about others. In a few decades, I am afraid that relatives and friends other than parents will not want to get involved in these things... Of course, it is also because such things are becoming more and more common, and everyone is increasingly aware that such things are thankless, and staying away from them can avoid the consequences of causing trouble.
"It's okay. I'll ask Uncle He for the Xiao family's address. Can our team write a letter and seriously raise this matter?" Lin Xinghuo didn't take it to heart. He could let him rage on for months. It was already March, and the movement wouldn't be over for long. Once Xiao Lanqin, the supporter, returned to the city, Niu Wangshan, whose name was "There's always a mountain higher than the other," wouldn't get any benefits.
"I'll send a letter directly to her family and let them handle it." To avoid unnecessary hassle, we'll act responsible for the educated youth who joined our brigade and ask Xiao Lanqin's parents in a businesslike manner whether they knew about their daughter's marriage. We'll explain that we're writing this letter specifically to avoid a recurrence of the "farmer rape of a female educated youth from Hai City" case that was reported in the newspapers... Whether Xiao Lanqin hid the matter from her family or lied to them, this letter will resolve the issue. Even if the Meng family had to accept the matter, the back-and-forth would be enough to last them until the end.
"That's fine," the old Party Secretary said. The brigade had previously tried to contact his family, but Xiao Lanqin wasn't telling the truth. They hadn't received any responses to their letters or telegrams. The county educated youth office should have a list of her parents' workplaces, so that would be enough to get rid of the sticky piece of candy.
"Let's keep the matter of Wu Nian's household registration a secret for now, and just treat him as a Beijing resident. When you leave in a couple of days, we'll have something to say." Just say that Xiao Lin is going back to the city and wants to return the courtyard to the team... Then Hong Zhong will take care of building a house for Xiao Lin, and we'll have something to say.
Lin Xinghuo pursed her lips and smiled: "My master said that the rules for going to university may have to change after the situation improves. Why not start now to help the students in the village catch up on their academic studies?"
The old branch secretary didn't care about Xiao Lanqin's little matter at the moment. He stood up and asked with trembling lips: "Really... can we take the exam like before?" Only those who are selected by exams are real talents!
"Don't ask, don't ask. Don't embarrass the child." Accountant Wang, equally excited, hurriedly stopped the old Party Secretary: "It's enough for us to know the number! It's enough for us to know the number!"
After repeating it several times, the two men finally calmed down a little.
Lin Xinghuo was rather curious. "They say being a member of our village is more rewarding than being a worker in the city! Even if you go to university and get cadre status, your salary in the government office won't be as high as a worker's. So, maybe it's not as good as working in a production team?" The average salary in the government office is indeed lower than that of frontline workers, and workers are considered the best. An eighth-level worker is even more impressive than a veteran cadre like He Qing. But this situation won't last long. The old Party branch secretary and his colleagues are indeed farsighted.
The old Party Secretary and Accountant Wang both waved their hands. Accountant Wang, for once, unburdened himself by pouring out his heartfelt words: "It's been said for a long time, 'All things are inferior, only reading is superior.' Even if that's taboo now, we have to admit it's true—how did we manage to live well in Buxian Village? It all started with books. Whether it's you or the old guys at Hetan Farm, you capable people all studied very well... And those workshops we've built in our village, aren't they all thanks to the books you copied from all over? Following the books, we farmers who used to know nothing have now set up oil mills, tofu shops, mushroom houses, raised silkworms, and even squeezed sugar from beets... When children study well, it's like leaping onto a dragon's gate. Apart from anything else, their thoughts are different from those of ordinary country folk. Even if they don't make it outside and return to the village, they can still help our village become better and better."
Accountant Wang glanced at the old Party Secretary. If Party Secretary Chen hadn't attended a private school, if he hadn't never given up on learning, how could he have led Buxian Village to its current state? Just looking at Old Man Chen, he also believed that a high level of education was of great use.
"These kids have been delayed for so long!" The old village chief was furious when he thought about how the students in the village couldn't even understand a book on making tofu.
"Let's catch up on our cultural studies first!" the old man said with great energy. He had forced the literate youngsters to pore over the books in his room. Wouldn't the entrance exam cover fertilizers, tanning, recipes, herbal medicine, or something? Or should we hire the gentlemen from the Riverbank Farm for lessons? No practical stuff this time, let's start with the basics and cultural studies...
As he was thinking, he forgot about everything else he wanted to say to Lin Xinghuo. After all, the child was under the care of her Master Fang, a great writer, and there was no way she would get into any trouble.
The old man's mind changed because Fang Tongjian was a senior intellectual, and he suddenly surpassed Lin Xinghuo to become the most reliable person in the eyes of the old branch secretary.
"You... take it easy." What else could Lin Xinghuo say? He could only say it dryly.
The old branch secretary rolled his eyes and said, "Do I need to tell you what I mean?"
Okay, Lin Xinghuo also knew that the night school and various small classes in the village never stopped. The old man had a set of rules. All the men, women and children in the village were driven around like donkeys by him. However, everyone who had tasted the sweetness countless times instinctively supported every decision made by the old branch secretary - no matter whether they understood it or not, they just did it.
The college entrance examination will be resumed next year...Isn't this village going to become a 'top scorer village'?
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The author has something to say: Update early tomorrow ~ Double update ~
The "farmer rape of a female educated youth from Haishi" case mentioned in the article actually refers to the infamous "Shanghai female educated youth case" that occurred in 1974. A Shanghai educated youth fell in love with a young man from the countryside, but was exploited by a group seeking credit and rewards in the "Protecting Educated Youth to the Countryside Movement." Disregarding the truth, they branded the young man a "violent rape of a female educated youth" in an attempt to gain political advantage. For a time, the case became a major scandal in Anhui Province.
For a period of time, some female educated youth who had no hope of returning to the city married rural youths. They were regarded as advanced examples of "breaking with old traditional ideas" and were greatly encouraged.
However, one day, the political tide suddenly shifted, and the farmers who had once dated and married the educated youth were suddenly transformed into "villains" sabotaging the "Sending Educated Youth to the Countryside Movement." The male protagonist of this unjust case, Liu Gu Guang, was labeled the "villain," charged with "raping and possessing a female educated youth." Wuhe County even established a special task force to investigate the "Liu Case."
Afterward, Liu Guguang was paraded through over 100 villages throughout the commune, subjected to public criticism and struggle sessions. A female educated youth, Meng Fan, vehemently defended her relationship, saying it was a free love affair. After her tireless and tearful plea, the Suxian District Human Resources and Social Security Office finally confirmed their free love and released Liu Guguang without charge.
At this point, I thought the matter was over, but the New Anhui Daily published an article in a prominent position titled "The Case of Liu Gu Guang Raping and Educated Youth" and posed a stern question: Why did the Suxian District Human Resources and Social Security Group shield the criminal?
It turned out that some individuals from the Wuhe County "Liu Case" task force wrote a letter to the New Anhui Daily to accuse Gu Guang of the "crime" of "raping female educated youth" and the Suxian District Human Resources Security Group of "sheltering criminals" for their "error." They also sent people to Shanghai many times to "inform" Meng Fan's parents of the case, using deception and threats to force them to write letters of complaint to the Shanghai Municipal and Anhui Provincial Revolutionary Committees.
The "Liu Guguang rape case" quickly captured the attention of the Revolutionary Committees of both provinces and cities, quickly becoming a major case that gripped the province. The directives from high-ranking officials of the two committees, coupled with intense pressure from newspapers, compelled the Suxian District Human Resources and Social Security Office to dispatch a special task force to reinvestigate the "Liu case." Their investigation in Dongji again concluded that Liu Guguang had committed no crime.
On New Year's Day 1976, driven by love, Liu Guguang and Meng Fan, despite all the criticism and pressure, entered the marriage palace. Their love story caused a sensation at the time, and it almost ended abruptly, but Liu Guguang and Meng Fan finally became a legal couple, gaining the recognition of the times. [From Baidu]
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