Chapter 103 Fan Zhicheng
Xiangbei asked the man who rented the comic books: "What is she talking about?"
The old man had traveled a lot and could understand some of what he heard. He said, "She was cursing people, saying that Ah Cheng said sweet words to her when he was an educated youth, and they had already had a wedding in the countryside, but now that he has been admitted to school, he refuses to acknowledge it. She wants to go to the emperor to complain and ask Justice Bao to execute him, a Chen Shimei."
The woman seemed to be a country girl, not very educated. Her understanding of the world is still based on storytelling and folk tales.
The fat boss who was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan sighed, shook his head, and said in authentic Jiangcheng dialect: "Alas, what a mess! My conscience has been eaten by a dog~"
Although Tao Nanfeng could not speak Jiangcheng dialect, he could understand it. She looked at the woman carrying the bundle and sighed.
"From what she said, it seems that she was married to a rural youth who went to the countryside, but now that she has been admitted to university, she refuses to acknowledge her. She is here to find a husband."
Xiang Bei nodded: "It seems so, but I don't know who she is looking for."
Although Tao Nanfeng didn't want to pry into other people's privacy, because the information the fat boss had said before had too many overlaps with Fan Zhicheng, she couldn't help but think about it and winked at Xiang Bei.
Xiangbei felt the same way as her, so he walked up to the fat boss and handed him a Xiufengshan cigarette: "Boss, I want to ask you something."
Nowadays, a pack of cigarettes sold in tobacco, alcohol and grocery stores costs more than 20 cents, and this one is more than two cents. The fat boss took the cigarette with a smile, but was reluctant to smoke it, so he put it under his nose and smelled it.
"I've never seen this kind of smoke before, but it smells really good."
He put the cigarette between his ears and said, "Young man, if you have any questions, just ask. I have been setting up a stall on this street for two years, and I know everything."
Xiangbei asked, "You just said that it was probably the pretty boy from the Fan family who brought bad luck to the relationship. Which Fan family?"
The fat boss was very satisfied after getting a cigarette.
He was talking about gossip with a mysterious look on his face: "Old Fan from Jiangcheng Art Publishing House, I don't know his name, he is a famous comic strip artist in the publishing house, he is a very honest man, he has two children. In 1966, the policy of going to the countryside was introduced, and one of the two children in the Fan family had to go. The eldest child was a girl in the third year of high school, so the second child was sent to the countryside."
When Tao Nanfeng heard this, his brows furrowed even more. Two siblings...this information is getting closer and closer to Fan Zhicheng.
The fat boss continued, "The second son of the Fan family looks like his mother, very pretty, but he can't carry anything with his shoulders or hands. He probably couldn't survive in the countryside, so he married this country woman.
I finally returned home this year, and I heard that he was admitted to school...what student? Anyway, he is better than college students. ”
Tao Nanfeng suppressed his laughter and continued, "Graduate student?"
The fat boss swung the palm-leaf fan in his hand downward and slapped his thigh, making a crisp sound, and he did not forget to shout: "Yes! It's the graduate student."
He showed envy in his eyes: "Wow, a graduate student, how amazing! The second son of the Fan family was only in the first year of high school when he went to the countryside. After so many years as an educated youth, he was admitted as a graduate student as soon as he came back! I heard from Painter Fan that only 10,000 of them were admitted nationwide! They are more valuable than college students, and they are high-level talents picked from thousands of people."
Tao Nanfeng simply went straight to the point: "Is this second son of the Fan family called Fan Zhicheng?"
The fat boss hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't know. I usually hear them calling Ermao, Ermao."
He glanced at Tao Nanfeng warily: "Why, do you recognize him?"
Tao Nanfeng was afraid that he would not tell the truth, so he shook his head and denied: "I heard my classmates mention this name, and I thought it was him."
They were all neighbors, and the fat boss subconsciously surrounded the Fan family to protect them. After hearing Tao Nanfeng's reply, he felt relieved and continued gossiping.
"Not long after the second son of the Fan family returned to Jiangcheng, this woman came. I don't know how she found out. Her shoes were worn out. She managed to find out the place and waited in the alley every day.
The second son of the Fan family avoided her, so she stayed here and cried every day. It's really pitiful. He has no money and no letter of introduction, so he can't stay in a guesthouse. I heard that he sleeps under a bridge every day. Alas! What a sin..."
As they were talking, the woman cried and cursed for a while, and then she must have been tired, so she staggered out.
When he saw the herbal tea on the fat boss's table, he wanted to reach out his hand, and ran over quickly, bowing continuously and begging something.
From her expression, it seemed that she was thirsty and wanted to ask for a cup of tea, but the fat boss was unwilling to let her have it. He waved his palm-leaf fan to drive her away: "Go! Go! Don't delay my business here."
Tao Nanfeng saw that the woman looked haggard, with her hair disheveled and not properly combed. Her originally ordinary appearance now looked ugly because of the tears and snot all over her face.
There is no way to connect her with the dazzlingly beautiful Fan Zhicheng.
After all, women sympathize with women. Tao Nanfeng took out a dime from her pocket and handed it to the fat boss: "Let her drink."
The fat boss took the money, opened the glass, took out a cup of tea and placed it in front of the woman: "You met a kind person, drink it."
When the woman saw the money, her eyes lit up and she picked up the tea and drank it down.
He drank two cups without stopping, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, turned to look at Tao Nanfeng, and grinned: "Thank you!"
Tao Nanfeng understood the thank you.
The fat boss took out a five-cent coin and a one-cent coin and put them on the table. The woman snatched them away, looked at Tao Nanfeng in a flattering manner, and muttered a few words. Tao Nanfeng guessed that she wanted to ask her for money.
Tao Nanfeng didn't want to get entangled with her, so he nodded without saying anything.
The woman's face was full of joy, and she clasped her hands together and thanked him repeatedly. She came to this bizarre big city, and thanks to the help of these kind people, she would have starved to death long ago.
The fat boss looked at Tao Nanfeng and sighed, "You are a kind person, and good people will be rewarded."
When Tao Nanfeng heard the fat boss' words, she smiled bitterly and shook her head. I just hope this woman has nothing to do with Fan Zhicheng, otherwise I’m afraid my father will be disappointed.
The educated youth lived in difficult conditions in the countryside and didn't know where their future lay. Many of them married and had children with local women. However, if they abandoned them and did not handle the relationship properly, it was a character issue.
When a father teaches his students, moral character comes first.
Seeing that the woman was about to leave, Tao Nanfeng stopped her and took her to the old man who rented the book, intending to ask about the details.
Xiangbei knew her plan and handed the old man a cigarette: "Please tell me something. My wife is also an educated youth. I feel sad to hear about this and want to ask for clarification."
Although the old man didn't smoke, cigarettes were hard currency at that time, so he happily put away his cigarettes and acted as a temporary translator.
The woman drank the tea and took the money. She had a good impression of Tao Nanfeng and began to tell the old man her story.
Her name is Li Shunmei. She is from Honghuaping, Quanshan Town, Gaochuan County, northwestern Hubei Province. The area is remote and has poor transportation, but fortunately the land is fertile. As long as you have enough strength, you will have no problem eating and drinking.
The village is close to Quanshan Farm, and educated youth are assigned there every year. Li Shunmei had a lively personality. She envied the educated youth for their culture and elegant manners, so she often went to play with them. After a few visits, she got to know Fan Zhicheng.
Fan Zhicheng is well-known for his handsomeness and aloofness. Countless girls have liked him and confessed their love to him, but he rejected them all. After being rejected by him, other girls all retreated gently, but Li Shunmei was the only one who persisted.
Li Shunmei took pity on Fan Zhicheng's frail body and took the initiative to help him with work, wash his clothes, and bring him food. She persisted in doing this for four or five years. She could warm up a stone, but Fan Zhicheng was not moved at all.
He often sat on a large rock on the mountainside and daydreamed, and said that he must go back to Jiangcheng. But he didn't know why he offended the farm manager, and his home leave was withheld, so he was unable to go home.
Later, one day Fan Zhicheng finally gave in and said he was willing to hold a wedding banquet with Li Shunmei, but they would not get a marriage certificate or sleep in the same room. Li Shunmei would be happy as long as she could be with him. Not to mention just these two conditions, she would agree to ten thousand more.
Hearing this, Tao Nanfeng and Xiangbei held hands, feeling very complicated. Fan Zhicheng's determination to return to the city was beyond their imagination.
Li Shunmei was a little vague about what happened later, but Tao Nanfeng knew it very clearly.
Although he failed to get into university, his graduate school admission letter was sent to the farm. This incident caused a sensation in the entire Quanshan Farm. Even the town and county leaders came to visit and greet them, and the director was unable to interfere or stop it.
Fan Zhicheng completed the formalities and returned to the city smoothly, but he left Li Shunmei in the village and left without even saying goodbye.
Li Shunmei cried as she spoke: "It's a good thing that he got into school, and it's also a good thing that he can go back to the city, but he can't leave me. He and I are husband and wife. We have had banquets and entertained guests in the village. Everyone on the farm and in the village knows that I, Li Shunmei, am Fan Zhicheng's wife. He can't leave me. I have liked him for so long. Even if you raise a dog, you can't kick it away after raising it for a few years!"
Hearing this, Tao Nanfeng didn't know what to say.
He had met Fan Zhicheng and found him to be a talented person who loved architecture. He had gone to great lengths to return to Jiangcheng. It would be too cruel to revoke his admission qualification now because of his moral flaws.
But... judging from Li Shunmei's crying, Fan Zhicheng really did something very unkind.
No matter what the reason for his marriage to Li Shunmei, even if they didn't get a marriage certificate or sleep together, in the eyes of rural people, the fact that they had a wedding banquet meant they were husband and wife.
Fan Zhicheng has been on the farm for so many years and has received so much care and dedication from Li Shunmei. It is only right and reasonable that he should give her the respect she deserves. Even if you want to break up, you should make it clear and explicit.
Xiangbei quietly squeezed Tao Nanfeng's hand, signaling her not to be impulsive.
Tao Nanfeng turned his head to look at him and nodded slightly.
Xiangbei asked Li Shunmei: "Where do you usually live? Do you have any food with you?"
Li Shunmei's tears flowed down her cheeks: "I woke up in the morning and found that he had disappeared. I searched all over the village and asked all the farms. I heard that he had returned to Jiangcheng, so I packed two rooms of clothes and ran out with him.
The two dollars I had with me had long been used up. I was in such a hurry to run that I didn't get a letter of introduction from the village and almost got caught. Fortunately, I had a letter from Fan Zhicheng to his family with me, so I followed the address and came here, but they all refused to see me! ”
Li Shunmei gritted her teeth and angrily cursed: "I have been married to Fan Zhicheng for so many years, and my parents-in-law and sister-in-law have never asked me a question. Now that I am here for the first time, they actually say that I am a shameless country woman who clings to Fan Zhicheng and wants to ruin his future."
She looked up at Tao Nanfeng, her eyes full of love: "I don't want to ruin his future, I just want to be with him. He studies, I cook; he paints, I wash clothes. Even if we are a couple without name or substance for the rest of our lives, I am willing!"
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