◎Countdown to catching an adulterer◎
Liang Baozhen's dowry was almost ready. In the Liang family compound, several pieces of furniture made by Liang Zhigao himself were all ready and were being put out to dry in the sun. There was a yellow wooden dressing box, which the supply and marketing cooperative could not afford, so Liang Zhigao cut down a tree and made it himself. He had a good craftsmanship, and the dressing box he made was no worse than those from the supply and marketing cooperative and was also exquisite.
There was also a pair of enamel cups, two towels, a thermos, and a rice cabinet.
Due to the rules of Damian Village, the bride and groom cannot meet each other after engagement and before marriage. Liang Baozhen never saw Chen Siming again. They only agreed to get the marriage certificate on the 27th and hold the wedding banquet on the 28th.
The only things missing from the dowry are two mattresses, which have to be bright red ones with magpies on them. She didn't find any last time she went to the city, but this time Song Chunhua asked someone and is told that the supply and marketing cooperative in the city might have them tomorrow.
Today, the bright red dress and pants are finished, and the only thing left is the finishing touches. There is not enough needle and thread. Song Chunhua holds the needle in one hand and the thread in the other, looking up, but she can't put it on. "I'm getting older, and my eyesight is really not good."
Looking at her little daughter who was touching eggs in the chicken coop, she called over, "Baoling, come over and help me thread the thread."
Liang Baoling put the eggs away first, then jumped up and down to help thread the needle. This was her specialty, and she succeeded in one go. "Here, Mom, you made this dress so beautifully."
She was wearing a red double-breasted jacket with plum blossom buttons, and her trousers were long and straight, made of good fabric and well-made. The sun was glaring, and Song Chunhua held up the dress and asked the lady to hold the trousers and compare them. It was as if she was seeing the lady wearing the dress to get married.
It’s really fast.
"Mom." Liang Baozhen came back from outside and saw her clothes at a glance. The colors were bright and very beautiful.
"Try it on quickly. If it doesn't fit, I'll make some changes for you." Song Chunhua hurriedly pushed the girl into the house. Seeing the girl taking off her old coarse cloth clothes and putting on a brand new red wedding dress, with red lips and white teeth, she immediately had tears in her eyes. "Such a beautiful girl of mine is really going to be given to Comrade Chen."
I was looking forward to my daughter finding a good home, but now that the wedding day is almost here, I suddenly feel reluctant to let her go. The distance between the countryside and the city is quite far, and we won't see each other for a long time.
"Mom, don't be sad." Liang Baozhen wiped Song Chunhua's tears, patted her on the back and coaxed her.
"It's just sand in my eyes. This is a happy event. Mom is happy for you." Song Chunhua held her daughter's hand and looked at the child's beautiful facial features, eyes, nose, and mouth. She had to look at them more in the next few days as they would not be easy to see in the future.
Liang Baoling followed beside her, leaning against Song Chunhua, and continued to talk, "Sister, Mom secretly wiped away tears yesterday, she couldn't bear to leave you!"
"You little girl!" Song Chunhua turned her head and glanced at her little daughter, "You're exposing my shortcomings."
"Mom, what's the big deal! I can't bear to leave my sister either..." Liang Baoling didn't think much of it at first, but now there are only a few days left, and the Liang family members all feel a little uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay, don't say this. It will be unlucky to make your sister cry and go out." Song Chunhua waved her hand, holding a daughter in one hand, and talked to Liang Baozhen about herself, "In the future, when you go to your husband's house, you need to be more diligent, you know? Although my daughter is good everywhere, but It's different when you get to your husband's house. After all, you don't have the same surname, so you can't let others pull your hair. Besides, you are not far away, and not too close to each other. If anything happens, we won't be able to do anything for a while. We also have to benefit from the neighbors and help each other..."
"I know, I know, Mom. I've kept it in mind." Liang Baozhen knew her mother's heart. She didn't want anything else, but her son and daughter were fine. "But, Mom, I'm actually unsure in my heart. I don't know what the future will be like."
Song Chunhua thought that the daughter of a noble family had read too many books and thought too much. "What can I do? You have to make your own life. You can live the way you want. Aunt is a capable person, and you have to make progress. I used to think that since you are from the city, you are marrying up and it is inevitable that you will suffer some grievances. Later, I thought, if I don't marry someone from the city, do I have to dig for food in the fields for the rest of my life? Every time I go to the city, I see how beautifully the city women dress and how white and tender their faces are. How can we compare? If you can be like this in the future, Mom will be happy to see you."
"Mom, I will buy you some vanishing cream in the future. Just apply it on your face and your skin will be fair and tender."
"Oh hahahaha, your mother is old and doesn't need those. You youngsters can use them yourselves."
Liang Baozhen had never seen Song Chunhua wipe anything. She had been young and pretty before, but after these few decades, there were traces left.
"Anyway, don't be afraid. Young girls are a little scared before getting married. They will have to live in another family. How can they feel at ease? I was like that before."
"So you and my dad were like this then?"
"Of course." Song Chunhua talked endlessly as she recalled the past. "I hadn't even met you at that time, but your grandma and grandpa arranged a marriage for me. They said they would find me the most handsome boy in the next village. I didn't believe it at that time. It was good enough that we were together. Later, we met for the first time on the wedding day. At that time, I was really relieved. I didn't expect..."
"I didn't expect he's such a handsome guy!"
Liang Baoling suddenly interrupted, making the two people in the room laugh.
When Liang Zhigao came back with a pipe in his mouth, he heard the noise coming from the third lady's room. His wife and children were laughing and playing together. He looked over and said, "What's going on? They look so happy."
"Dad, I'm praising you for being so handsome."
Liang Zhigao's dark face turned red, but fortunately his skin color covered it up. He immediately turned around and walked away, "Hey, why are you saying this?"
...
On the second day, Song Chunhua and Liang Baozhen got up early. One of them drank some watery corn porridge, while the other ate two steamed buns and put two corns and wild vegetable cakes that had been cooked in advance in his pocket.
This time, the two of them took the bus directly into the city and went straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Song Chunhua hadn't been to the city for a while. Looking at the dazzling array of goods on the counter of the supply and marketing cooperative, she wanted to buy everything for her daughter, but she was short of money, not enough tickets or cash.
With the tickets she earned from saving, she generously bought two red magpie mattresses, which were both festive and beautiful.
The mattresses were made of good material, more comfortable than the coarse cloth at home. After taking them and putting them away, Song Chunhua reminded her daughter, "This material is good. You can use it for many more years."
Liang Baozhen touched the bedding and found it felt very good. However, her eyelids twitched when she got up today. She felt like something had happened and felt a little uneasy. She just responded casually.
Before leaving, Liang Baozhen remembered that Dong Jiayan asked her to bring a scarf for her.
"Comrade, do you have Lihua brand scarves?" Turning to look at the salesperson, Liang Baozhen scanned the counter but didn't see any.
"It's ten o'clock, and we still have to wait for half an hour." Lihua brand silk scarves are a hot commodity in Beijing recently. I heard that almost every female employee in the nearby state-owned factories owns one, so the stock is not enough.
The restocking will not be until 10 o'clock today.
"Mom, let's go out for a walk and come back to buy some later."
"Okay." Song Chunhua and her daughter walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative, still in amazement, "Jia Yan is really willing to spend money. That scarf is more than ten yuan a piece. I don't know where she got so much money."
No matter how much Song Chunhua loved her daughter, she couldn't bear to spend so much money on a silk scarf.
The city of Beijing was very bustling, with people coming and going all pushing 28-wheeled trucks. 28-wheeled trucks were rare in the countryside, with only two in each commune, and they were used by officials when they were doing their work.
Listening to the jingling of train bells and looking at the workers in blue work clothes, one can't help but feel envious.
"Look at him. It would be great if you could ride a 28-bar bicycle to work in the factory."
"Mom, you think too far ahead." Liang Baozhen and others walked to the door of the state-owned hotel, smelled the fragrance wafting from inside, and pulled Song Chunhua inside.
There were not many people in the state-owned hotel at that time, with only a few people eating Yangchun noodles.
"Comrade, I want a meat bun."
"One or two grain coupons, six cents." Liang Baozhen took out money and coupons from his pocket and handed them to the waiter of the state-owned hotel.
"What's the point of wasting that money and tickets?" Song Chunhua felt the pain in her heart.
"Mom, let's go into the city and have a meal. You've never eaten in a state-owned restaurant before, so I'll treat you." The food coupons were given to him by the people at the brewery when he used the diamond thorn to exchange for things last time.
"You don't even have a few dollars, you really don't know how hard life is, what to eat..." Before he finished speaking, the delicious meat bun was delivered to his mouth.
Liang Baozhen broke open the pork and sauerkraut buns and gave Song Chunhua half of them each. The freshly baked meat buns had a soft dough and the meat filling exuded an alluring aroma.
The two of them ate as they walked to the supply and marketing cooperative, and the food was so delicious that they didn't say a word along the way.
"Comrade, take a yellow silk scarf."
It was exactly ten o'clock. Liang Baozhen paid the money, bought a silk scarf for Dong Jiayan, and prepared to go back to the village with her mother.
"Hey, Baozhen, look, isn't that Jiayan?" Song Chunhua turned around and looked at the young girl in the distance. It was Dong Jiayan. She couldn't help wondering, "Why did Jiayan go to the city? Then why did she ask you to buy a scarf?"
"It's quite strange." Liang Baozhen watched Dong Jiayan's figure getting farther and farther away. Soon, a man's figure appeared in her sight.
"Isn't that my aunt?" Song Chunhua had sharp eyes and recognized Chen Siming after only seeing him three times. Looking at Dong Jiayan and Chen Siming going in the same direction, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Let's go and take a look."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
