Chapter 29 Zhang Aniu
The food was served quickly. In those days when oil and fat were scarce, the Guo family took out the cured pork and sausages that they had treasured for a long time and that the brigade had distributed to the commune members for the New Year. They cut them into a platter of cured meats and served them on the table.
In addition, Guo Guangsheng and his son hunted wild pheasants and rabbits in the mountains a couple of days ago. After salting them, they stir-fried them into spicy chicken and young ginger rabbit.
Today, they also caught three rice paddy carp, each weighing about two pounds, from their own paddy field and made them into whole pickled pepper crispy fish.
In addition, they killed an old hen and stewed it with mushrooms they had picked themselves to make a pot of golden and tempting old hen soup.
The cooked hen is taken out and chopped into small pieces. It is then scalded with rapeseed oil to make fragrant chili oil, and seasoned with Sichuan peppercorn powder, sugar, salt, MSG, soy sauce, scallions, and other condiments to make plates of tempting, glistening, spicy cold chicken salad.
In the morning, Guo Guangsheng specially bought a sheep from the brigade and shared it with another family in the village who were having an event in a couple of days.
The half of the sheep, the leg and the meatiest parts, were shredded by Guo's mother, her mother-in-law, and other women who came to help in the kitchen. They were then stir-fried with pickled peppers, pickled ginger, and freshly picked celery by Guo's mother to make celery and pickled pepper stir-fried shredded mutton.
The remaining lamb chops, lamb bones, etc., were chopped into pieces and put into a pot to stew lamb soup. The other half of the lamb offal, such as lamb blood, lamb intestines, and lamb liver, were also washed and put into the pot to stew.
When the mutton was almost cooked, some radish chunks and cabbage were added, then ladled into a large bowl, topped with chopped green onions and cilantro, and served. The aroma of rich mutton soup filled the courtyard.
So many meat dishes were served, plate after plate, bowl after bowl. In addition to the meat dishes, there were also several seasonal vegetables, such as stir-fried green beans, cold eggplant salad, cold cucumber salad, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with chili peppers. Each dish was generous in portion and tempting in color, making one's mouth water just looking at them.
With so many dishes, even if Cheng Ying had lived a lifetime longer, she still felt that the Guo family had made the feast a bit too extravagant.
You should know that ordinary families in the mountains only cook meat during festivals and holidays. They usually only cook one kind of meat, and only a little bit, just enough to satisfy their family's cravings.
When hosting a dinner party, you usually only prepare two meat dishes and a bunch of vegetable dishes. Why is it such a grand celebration for Guo's mother's birthday today?
When Guo Guangsheng and his mother stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding a large bowl filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor), and invited everyone to eat and drink well, saying a lot of things, Cheng Ying finally understood why the Guo family had held such a grand banquet.
It turns out that today is the engagement banquet of Guo Xier, the younger sister of Da Xi and Er Xi. It was the engagement banquet of the little girl for whom Cheng Ying stood up for Er Xi when he snatched the rattle drum.
Guo Xier is only fourteen years old this year, but she has caught the eye of the twenty-year-old son of the brigade leader of their village. The two secretly started dating and almost got intimate. After Guo's mother found out, she had a big fight with the brigade leader's family. In the end, the two families agreed to first arrange an engagement for the two young people, and then hold a wedding ceremony two years later when Guo Xier is sixteen.
The brigade leader gave a hundred yuan as a betrothal gift in advance and brought two chickens and ducks, some sugar, pastries and other betrothal gifts to the bride's home to finalize the engagement for his son.
Since her birthday was just around the corner, Guo's mother decided to hold Guo Xier's engagement ceremony on her birthday. She planned to prepare a lot of delicious food on that day and invite relatives and friends to come and witness the engagement ceremony of the two young people. That's why she prepared so much good food.
Guo Xier has an oval face with baby fat, and when she smiles, she has crescent-shaped eyes and dimples. She has a delicate, cute, and kind face.
Now, under the care of Guo Guangsheng and his wife, Guo Xier is dressed in a newly made dark red short-sleeved overcoat dress with a diagonal placket. Her long hair is tied back into a bun-like updo with a silver heart-shaped hairpin in the middle. She is dressed as an adult and is going from table to table toasting a man who looks honest but whose eyes are restless and always intentionally or unintentionally look at Cheng Ying.
Guided by Guo Guangsheng and his wife, the two came to toast Cheng Ying. When Guo Xier saw Cheng Ying, she smiled sweetly at her and called out in a clear voice, "Sister Xiaoying, it's been a long time. You've come at just the right time. It just so happens that you've run into my engagement banquet with Brother Aniu. Come, come, let's have a drink together."
Cheng Ying stood up, holding a bowl of liquor brewed by the Guo family. She gently touched the bowl to hers, took a sip, and said, "It's been a long time, Xi'er. Why are you suddenly engaged? At your age, you should be studying in town."
"Sigh, what's the use of studying? No matter how much you study, the end result is still the same: you have to come back, get married, and have children. I might as well get married early, have a few kids with Brother A Niu, and live our own little life," Guo Xi'er said nonchalantly.
The children in Liangfeng'ao Village are just like other children in mountainous areas. Their families don't value their education. This is mainly because many villages in mountainous areas don't have schools. If children in the mountains want to study, they have to get up before dawn and walk a long way through the mountains to go to other villages or to the commune primary school in the town. It's not only very hard, but many children also don't do well in school.
The illiterate parents in the mountains felt that sending their children to school was a waste of money, and that it was far more practical for them to stay at home and help take care of their younger siblings, or to do housework or farm work.
Especially for girls in the mountains, many families that favor sons over daughters are unwilling to spend money to send them to school and teach them to read and write, for fear that if they broaden their horizons and develop their own ideas, they will not listen to their families and will run away on their own.
Due to a lack of literacy education, many girls in the mountains are arranged by their parents to marry men they don't like when they are only fifteen or sixteen years old. They then have to bear children for these men, do laundry and cook, serve their parents-in-law, and work hard in the fields and at home for their entire lives.
This situation is common in the mountains, and everyone is used to it. Even if a girl becomes self-aware and dares to resist, they will still try to force her to marry into the man's family.
The consequences of doing this are either that the girl resigns herself to marrying him, or that she desperately tries to escape from the mountains and never returns, or that she takes her own life, leaving everyone to sigh in pity.
Someone like Guo Xier, who doesn't study at such a young age and is willing to get engaged and married to a man six years older than her, is either stupid or has been deceived by that man. Cheng Ying really doesn't know what Guo Xier is thinking.
The Guo family was considered one of the better-off families in Liangfeng'ao Village. Besides the fact that their ancestors were peddlers who had accumulated some wealth, Guo Guangsheng was also a hardworking and down-to-earth person who always did heavy manual labor and earned high work points. He was also a militia member in the past and received some salary subsidies every year. His two sons were also very capable workers who earned full work points. The whole family was hardworking and the family was doing very well.
Guo Xier was Guo's mother's only daughter. Guo Guangsheng and his wife doted on her from a young age. While many girls in the village were not allowed to go to school by their parents, the Guo family always supported Guo Xier's education.
Guo Xier was not stupid; her grades were always in the middle to upper range. Unfortunately, after she finished primary school, the town's middle school closed due to the great upheaval, so she stayed at home and helped her mother with housework.
Some villagers felt that it was not good for a girl to stay at home doing nothing, so they persuaded Guo's mother to let Guo Xi'er also go to the fields with her two brothers to do farm work and earn work points so that she could earn some food for herself.
Guo's mother felt sorry for Xi'er, thinking that she was too young and that working in the fields would make her tanned and damage her still-developing body. Ignoring the villagers' advice, she let Xi'er stay at home to help with cooking and washing clothes.
Who knew that her precious daughter would be seduced by Zhang Aniu, the son of the Zhang family, in the blink of an eye, and that he would trick Xi'er into almost having sex with him in a secluded cornfield halfway up the mountain in the village.
It was discovered by a notorious gossip in the village that Guo Xier and her companion were startled, thus preventing a major disaster.
The gossipy woman turned and told Guo's mother, who then went to grab the two of them in a fit of rage. After a beating and a scolding, Guo Xi'er threatened to kill herself and insisted on marrying Zhang Aniu. The gossipy woman then spread the word about the two young people's affair throughout the entire village.
The two did not go all the way, but their disheveled appearance in the cornfield was seen by a gossipy woman, who spread the story among the villagers. Guo's mother was utterly humiliated, and she couldn't possibly watch her daughter die. After a long standoff between mother and daughter, Guo's mother went to Zhang's house and made a scene, finally getting her to compromise.
After listening to Guo Xier's words, Cheng Ying wanted to say something to persuade her to think it over, but Zhang Aniu suddenly spoke up, "You're Cheng Jiantong's daughter? You're quite good-looking. At your age, why aren't you married, have children, or become a postman? Is this something a woman should be doing?! Why are you advising Xier to study? What's the use of studying? No matter how many books you read, you women will eventually marry men and have children with them. Since you'll get married and have children sooner or later, why waste money and time studying? It's just pointless!"
After he finished speaking, he pointed to the wine bowl that Cheng Ying was holding and said, "You're not a very kind person. Xi'er toasted you, but you didn't finish your drink. You just took a sip and did it perfunctorily. You're looking down on Xi'er and on me!"
Upon hearing this, the lively banquet fell silent.
With a cold face, Cheng Ying slammed the wine bowl in her hand on the table and said, "First of all, my father is a postman who has been delivering mail on this road in your village for more than 20 years. Whether it is people from your village or people from other villages, when they see my father, they either respectfully call him Uncle Cheng or Comrade Lao Cheng. For you, a junior, to come up and call my father by his name is too impolite and lacks manners!"
Secondly, we women are no less capable than you men. Reading and writing give us women better knowledge, the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and the ability to see a wider world, have more awareness and ideas, and do what we want to do, instead of being trapped in this small mountain village, being brainwashed by self-righteous men like you, getting married and having children, and revolving around men like you!
So what if I'm a mail carrier? The late Chairman Mao once said that women hold up half the sky. I not only worked as a mail carrier, but I also served as a female soldier, fighting for the country for four years and experiencing countless life-and-death situations. So what if you're a man? Can you do these things? If you can't, then don't talk nonsense in front of me!
In the outside world, countless women work in all walks of life. They are more diligent and meticulous than men, and their work abilities are outstanding. They shine in every position.
Many national leaders have female comrades among them. You are an illiterate frog in a well. Just because you are a man and have an extra thing, you think you are something special and point fingers at us women in such a chauvinistic way. Who do you think you are?
So what if I don't give you face? This engagement banquet of yours makes me feel sick! I'd rather not eat this meal!
As she spoke, she turned and strode into the Guo family's living room, picked up her mailbag, and left.
This sudden turn of events changed the expressions of Zhang Aniu and his family, and the Guo family members also became serious.
Guo's mother hurriedly went to the living room and pulled Cheng Ying aside, apologizing as she whispered, "Xiao Ying, I'm so sorry to have upset you. Zhang Aniu is the only son of the Zhang family. He's been spoiled by his parents since he was little, and that's just how he is. He's never said anything nice to anyone. Don't take it to heart, just ignore him. It's rare for you to come to my house, and today is my birthday. Please give me some face and have dinner before you leave. I specially steamed some egg custard for you, it will be ready soon. Don't let those irrelevant people upset you and make you not eat."
Cheng Ying was only angry for a moment, which is why she picked up the mailbag and left.
After Guo's mother advised her, she realized that she had acted too impulsively and had not given the Guo family any face.
She suppressed her anger and said, "Auntie, what are you and Uncle Guangsheng thinking? That Zhang Aniu is obviously no good. Xi'er is only fourteen years old, and he has deceived her into getting engaged to him. If Xi'er really marries Zhang Aniu in the future, it will be like jumping into a fire pit. How will Xi'er live the rest of her life?"
"That's right. My husband and I know that Zhang Aniu is no good. We've always tried to keep Xi'er away from him, but it's like he's bewitched her. She insists on being with him. Before, your Uncle Guangsheng and I locked her in her room and beat Zhang Aniu half to death. She went on a hunger strike, threatened to hang herself, and even slit her own throat with a knife, leaving blood everywhere. She was torturing herself to death, insisting on being with Zhang Aniu no matter what. Your Uncle Guangsheng and I had no choice but to agree to let her get engaged to Zhang Aniu."
Guo's mother spoke of Guo Xi'er with great sorrow. She said that she and her husband had treated Xi'er well, providing her with good food and drink from childhood to adulthood, treating her the same as her two older brothers, never mistreating her, and even sending her to school.
But when she turned thirteen, she became very rebellious, always going against her husband and mother. No one knows how she got involved with Zhang Aniu, but they did such a shameful thing in the cornfield that the whole village knew about it.
Even though they knew that Xi'er was young and wouldn't have a good life if she married Zhang Aniu, Xi'er was determined to do it. In addition, the couple felt that if a girl lost her reputation, she might not be able to get married in the future if she didn't marry Zhang Aniu, so they had no choice but to compromise.
However, Guo's mother and her husband were not fools. For Xi'er's sake, they gave the Zhang family a hard time, demanding a dowry of one hundred yuan, which emptied the Zhang family's savings.
This money was intended to be given to Xi'er in full as part of her dowry after she married Zhang Aniu.
Guo's mother and husband had specifically arranged for Xi'er to get engaged to Zhang Aniu today, and then marry Zhang Aniu two years later, which was also part of their plan.
Two years is not a short time; it will allow Guo Xier to grow up quite a bit. Perhaps when she turns sixteen, she will be more sensible than she is now and will be able to see clearly what kind of person Zhang Aniu is.
If she no longer likes Zhang Aniu and doesn't want to marry him, the couple can endure being scorned and gossiped about, cancel the engagement between Xi'er and Zhang Aniu, return the bride price to the Zhang family, and find Xi'er a better family.
Anyway, this isn't the first time their family has broken off an engagement; they're used to it.
After listening to Guo's mother's words, Cheng Ying remained silent for a while before speaking, "Auntie, what you and Uncle Guangsheng did was actually quite good. Xi'er is at an age where she is rebellious and can't judge people clearly. No matter what methods Zhang Aniu used to get close to Xi'er, brainwash her, or change her mind, one day she will see clearly what kind of person Zhang Aniu really is. Before that, I would like to give you a suggestion."
"Go on," said Guo's mother, listening attentively.
In Guo's mother's eyes, Cheng Ying was a highly educated woman who had served in the army and been promoted to a female officer. She was a worldly and knowledgeable person, and Guo's mother would definitely listen to her.
Cheng Ying said, "For the next two years, you and Uncle Guang Sheng should stop Xi'er from seeing Zhang Aniu. Let her do whatever she wants, but make it clear to her that no matter what happens when she's with Zhang Aniu, she must stick to her principles and not give up her innocence. If she doesn't listen, you should tell her that you will go to the town to report to the police and have the town's public security bureau arrest and execute Zhang Aniu on charges of rape."
If she agrees and does it, you and Uncle Guangsheng, or have Daxi and Erxi take her to the county, city, or even the province or the capital every now and then, to let her go out and have fun, travel and broaden her horizons.
At the same time, encourage her to spend more time with unmarried, handsome young men, so she'll realize there are plenty of men better than Zhang Aniu! Also, find opportunities to set traps for Zhang Aniu, such as paying someone to seduce him, so that Xi'er can see his true colors...
If this happens a lot, no matter how rebellious Xi'er is, she will gradually change her mind, which may cost a lot of money in the process.
These days, farmers in the countryside can't even afford to eat and wear, let alone have the extra money to travel.
Many farmers have never left their county in their entire lives, and have never been to cities or big cities to see the world.
Visiting the capital, seeing Beijing, and seeing the remains of the late Chairman Mao is a lifelong dream for many elderly people.
Guo's mother lived to be forty-five years old. The farthest she ever went was to the county to buy things. She never went anywhere further than that.
She also wanted to go to big cities and see the world, like the capital, but when she thought about how much money it would cost, how her work at home and in the fields would be delayed, and what would happen to her poultry and livestock after they left, she couldn't help but hesitate.
She naturally wanted to save her daughter, not wanting her to be ruined by a bad person at such a young age. After thinking for a moment, Guo's mother said, "Xiaoying, I need to discuss this with your Uncle Guangsheng, Daxi, and Erxi to see what they think. I can't make the decision on my own."
Cheng Ying expressed her understanding. At Guo's mother's urging, she put the mailbag on her back back on a small wooden table in the living room, followed Guo's mother out of the main room, and returned to the main table in the courtyard to continue the meal.
The two women were talking in the main room, but those outside couldn't hear what they were saying clearly. When they came out, Cheng Ying continued eating as usual, and the Guo family relatives didn't say a word.
Guo Guangsheng was berating Guo Xier, "This is the good man you chose? You two aren't even married yet, and he's already meddling in our house, bossing around our guests, and spouting nonsense at Xiaoying like that! He really thinks he's something! Old Cheng has been delivering mail to our village for years! He's always helped the Zhang family with their letters and packages, taking them to town to be mailed. He doesn't even know how to be grateful, and he treats Old Cheng and his daughter like this, showing absolutely no respect for Old Cheng. A man like this, who is so ungrateful, certainly won't respect me and your mother either. What's the point of having a man like that!"
Guo Guangsheng disliked Zhang Aniu from the start. Zhang Aniu had an honest and simple face, but he was not honest or decent at all. He was young but did not learn anything good. He spent his days idly in the village, stealing chickens and dogs, and peeping at other people's daughters and wives taking a bath. He was often scolded by people.
No one knows what Xi'er saw in him that made her insist on marrying him. They were even caught by gossipy women in the cornfield having an affair, which brought shame to the Guo family.
If Xi'er hadn't caused a scene in the cornfield with Zhang Aniu, ruining her reputation, how could Guo Guangsheng have possibly agreed to let Xi'er get engaged to Zhang Aniu, a good-for-nothing like him?
Now that Zhang Aniu had said those hurtful things to Cheng Ying in front of so many of his relatives and friends, Guo Guangsheng was furious and wished he could make Xi'er break off the engagement with Zhang Aniu right now and let the matter between the two families be over!
Xi'er's eyes reddened from his scolding. She wanted to say something, but considering the reputation of the Guo and Zhang families, she could only hold Zhang Aniu's hand and say, "Brother Aniu, apologize to Sister Xiaoying."
Zhang Aniu flung her hand away and shouted, "Why should I apologize to her?! Who does she think she is? She's just a woman, what right does she have to criticize me! What man would dare to marry or want a woman as shrewish as her? Xi'er, your man was insulted by a bitch, and instead of standing with me and joining in the insults, you want me to apologize to her? Are you out of your mind? You don't even protect your own man, you're siding with outsiders, what use are you to me? I think we should call off the engagement, let's just call it off, and tell your parents to pay back the money. I'm not going to put up with your family of ungrateful people!"
"Fine, I'll leave! Who cares about you! If my sister hadn't been blinded by you, a lowlife like you wouldn't even deserve to be in my house!"
Erxi also had a fiery temper. He threw down his chopsticks, stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and punched Zhang Aniu in the face. "I've put up with you for a long time. Don't think I don't know what underhanded tricks you used on my sister to make her like this. You can break off the engagement, but let me beat you up first."
"You dare hit me?" Zhang Aniu was no pushover either. After being punched by Erxi, he immediately retaliated and the two of them started wrestling.
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! What are you doing on this joyous day?!" The Guo and Zhang families rushed forward to break up the fight.
Seeing the chaos in the courtyard, Guo Xier couldn't help but burst into tears, "Dad, Mom, eldest brother, second brother, please stop making a scene! I love Brother A Niu, and I only want to marry him in this life. No matter what you say, I will not change my mind. Please stop causing trouble!"
Everyone paused and turned to look at her.
Seeing her crying with tears streaming down her face, Zhang Aniu, his parents, and his two uncles all wore mocking smiles.
Zhang Aniu's parents looked at the Guo family with smug expressions, silently saying, "See? Your daughter is trying to get close to our Aniu herself. That's really shameless. You can't blame Aniu for this."
The Guo family members' faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot, as if they had swallowed flies.
But Guo Xier was stubborn and fixated on Zhang Aniu. If they tried to force her to break off the engagement, she would definitely try to commit suicide again. They couldn't possibly drive Xier to her death.
No matter how angry they were, the Guo family swallowed their anger and didn't mention breaking off the engagement again, acting as if nothing had happened.
Guo's mother forced a smile, said some polite words, and then urged her relatives and friends to continue eating.
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