They got off at the Provincial University Station and walked for a few minutes to the main entrance.
The Provincial University was founded in the 1990s and is the second national university after the Imperial University of Peking. Its majors in medicine, architecture, philosophy, and life genetics are well-known throughout the country. The school building has been through several wars, and now only the school site and a few old buildings remain. Most of the others have been repaired and added on later.
The gate, which combines Chinese and Western styles, is very imposing, with smooth and gorgeous lines on it, like a phoenix flapping its wings about to take off.
There were people coming and going at the school gate. There were signboards telling new students the route to register. There were also old students greeting the new students at the gate. These old students were all workers, peasants and soldiers who had been recommended for admission.
Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan entered the school gate and saw some tables and chairs on both sides of the main road. It was the place for new students to register, so they walked over.
Cheng Rushan was tall, and he found the area of the architecture department after just a quick look. He turned around to hold Jiang Lin's hand, but found that his wife was missing - not missing, but was surrounded by a group of students.
"Classmate, are you from the class of 1977? What's your major?"
"Classmate, you are a freshman, right? You look so young!"
The age range of the candidates in the 1977 class ranged from sixteen to over thirty years old. There were even some who changed their age to a lower level in order to take the college entrance examination. There were mothers and sons, fathers and sons, and teachers and students attending the same school.
Most of those who come to register are in their twenties, and the proportion of those below 20 is small.
So when they saw Jiang Lin was so young and beautiful, they immediately surrounded her and asked her questions, especially those who were unmarried, whose eyes lit up. Because there are regulations that married people can take the college entrance examination and go to school, but unmarried people are not allowed to get married while studying. Of course, they are not prevented from dating and can get married after graduation. This regulation has led to some older people getting married before the college entrance examination or as soon as they receive their admission letters. This is a loophole and the school will not care.
Young, unmarried people naturally hope to find a like-minded and cultured partner on campus. To be frank, in the first six months of school, unmarried people simply treat college as a high-end blind date event.
The male classmates are more unrestrained than the female classmates. When they see young, beautiful and possibly unmarried female classmates, their eyes light up immediately. They go up to them and say hello, and find out about their majors and so on.
Jiang Lin was looking for Sun Qinghui, who was also admitted to the provincial university. Some of his other classmates were in normal universities, some were in agricultural universities, and some were in technical secondary schools, but none of them were here. As a result, when he turned around, he was surrounded.
Hearing the enthusiastic inquiries from her classmates, she smiled and said, "Sorry, I'm married."
Married people, no flirting allowed.
"Oh, you're married? You look so young." A 19-year-old male student looked at her in surprise, "Just like a female student who just graduated from high school."
He introduced himself to Jiang Lin, "Hello, I'm Su Xingyun, a student of architecture."
Jiang Lin was just about to shake hands with him when she heard Cheng Rushan calling her, "Linlin, report over here." She immediately raised her hand and waved at Cheng Rushan, and said to Su Xingyun, "Student Su, I'll go report first." She hurried towards Cheng Rushan.
Su Xingyun turned around and saw Cheng Rushan who was particularly eye-catching in the crowd. Jiang Lin ran up to him, smiled and said something to him, and then Cheng Rushan turned his head and looked at him.
Their eyes met in the air, and Su Xingyun immediately smiled and greeted, "Hello."
Cheng Rushan nodded at him, took Jiang Lin's hand and went to report.
Su Xingyun was very depressed. He came a day early on purpose just to observe if there were any outstanding female classmates. However, when he just saw the best one, she was already taken.
It's really a bummer.
He had already looked at the student list of their class. There were nearly sixty students in total, and only three or five female students at most. It couldn't be any more miserable.
In itself, there are generally fewer female students than male students at that time, and there are definitely fewer female students who can take time off from work to study and take the college entrance examination than male students. What's more, they are in science and engineering majors, so you can imagine how terrible the gender ratio is.
Jiang Lin followed Cheng Rushan and he held her hand with some force. She struggled slightly, but many people were staring at them, how embarrassing.
Cheng Rushan lowered his eyes and looked at her. Although he supported her going to college, he felt inexplicably depressed by the various types of young men, tall, short, strong, and weak, who filled the campus. Even though he knew she wouldn't do anything, he still felt uncomfortable thinking about how they kept trying to get close to her and test her.
So, he ignored her struggles and continued to hold her hand, even tighter.
Some young men saw this and immediately knew what was going on, so they stopped approaching Jiang Lin.
Several female classmates nearby were also very disappointed. Now that policies have been relaxed and social restrictions have begun to lift, they have entered the ivory tower and naturally feel full of energy. College and knowledge, romance and love, these are what they desire in their hearts. The emotions that have been suppressed before seem to be breaking out and finding a support.
Talented men and beautiful women, handsome men and beautiful women, are the most direct and original support. After a period of sedimentation and the novelty has passed, people will turn to learning, researching, etc.
Although it was crowded with people, Cheng Rushan was the most eye-catching. He was tall, had long legs, handsome looks, and a cold temperament. Just by standing in the crowd, he could attract all attention.
Originally, one of the female classmates wanted to openly ask him what his major was and his name and exchange some information, but she ended up seeing him holding Jiang Lin's hand.
The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful, so many people avoid them with a jealous feeling, for fear of being outdone and embarrassed.
The two stood in front of the table, and Cheng Rushan said he wanted to sign up.
A male classmate handed him a form and said, "Fill in all the blanks."
Cheng Rushan took a quick look and seeing there was no stool, he wanted to find something for Jiang Lin to sit on.
A welcoming student immediately said, "There are stools here."
Cheng Rushan took it out and let Jiang Lin sit on it.
Several classmates asked in surprise: "Hey, classmate, you're not going to sign up?"
Cheng Rushan: "My wife signed up."
They exchanged glances and looked at the two of them quietly.
The man had a shaved head, a graceful neck, and a pair of white, slender hands with rosy palms and fingertips, which made him very beautiful. He wore a navy blue sweater inside and a knee-length windbreaker designed by Jiang Lin and made by Yan Runzhi outside. The style was simple and elegant, not fancy, but it suited his temperament very well.
They couldn't guess what his occupation was, because the cadres who went to work at that time basically all had side-parted hair, leather shoes, and four-pocket shirts, all of which looked similar, but Cheng Rushan didn't look like him.
Looking at Jiang Lin again, they suspected that she was some kind of prostitute. She must be the child of an official, otherwise how could she be so fair and tender?
Jiang Lin read the form carefully before filling it out, and wrote it very seriously. After finishing, she asked Cheng Rushan to help her check if there was anything missing.
Cheng Rushan stood behind her, leaned over, supported his hands on the edge of the table, held her in his arms, and helped her check the form.
He saw that she had written densely in the family column, and in addition to her parents, she also wrote about him and his parents clearly.
The word "married" made Cheng Rushan very happy. He couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips and said, "Very good."
Jiang Lin handed it over to the staff on the opposite side.
They took it and looked at it together. Someone was surprised and said, "You are an educated youth who went to the countryside in 1970? I can't tell."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "The land and water where I went to the countryside are good for people."
But they thought she must be the child of a cadre, and that going to the countryside was just a cover for her to stay in the city and get married.
Married students also have to fill in their spouse’s information, and Jiang Lin wrote it all down.
They continued to watch and were even more surprised to find that her husband was actually a country boy! Countryman! She actually married a country boy! What are you thinking? Isn’t the city good?
The female classmate glanced at the male classmate, expressing her disapproval of his expression. She motioned for him to look at the other person's husband. Standing there, how many people could compare to him? What's wrong with the country people! I'd be happy to give it to me!
The male students were convinced, and then they saw the composition. At this time, the composition still had to be filled in, revolutionary gentry. Oh, landlord, no wonder.
Cheng Rushan stood behind Jiang Lin, taking their looks in calmly but saying nothing.
After checking and stamping, the senior student said, "Student Jiang Lin, take the registration form to the Finance Department to pay for the textbooks, receive the subsidy and food coupons, and then come here to pay the class fee and living expenses. We will arrange a dormitory for you."
Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan went to the Finance Department. At that time, students did not have to pay tuition fees to go to college, but they had to pay ten yuan for books. In addition, they could receive 23 yuan for 30 kilograms of food coupons per month. 2 yuan is used as shift fee, 3 yuan is used for pocket money, and 18 yuan is used for living expenses. After all, 30 kilograms of food coupons are just a qualification. You still have to spend money to exchange them for food, and you also need money to buy vegetables, etc.
The food coupons were basically issued in the amount of one pound each, which was inconvenient to use on a daily basis, so they were replaced with small-denomination meal coupons, which were more convenient to use. Moreover, meal coupons do not expire, but grain coupons expire after one month. Jiang Lin bought some meal tickets and vegetable tickets, and kept the rest for buying more if she didn't have enough.
In addition, accommodation is free, so Jiang Lin went through the formalities. If there is something going on at school or she is busy with studies, she will definitely live on campus.
She and Cheng Rushan went to take a look at the dormitory. There were berths for eight people, four with bunk beds. The iron beds were small, so students had to bring their own bedding.
Her dormitory is a combination of several majors, so the people there will be quite mixed. Currently, only two people have come, and neither of them are in the dormitory.
Jiang Lin looked around and saw that it was already noon. She smiled at Cheng Rushan and said, "I'll treat you to a meal."
Cheng Rushan: "Thirty kilograms a month, it's definitely not enough to eat here every day."
What he meant was, my dear wife, you must go back and live with me. Brother Shan will support you and give you meat and fish to eat.
Jiang Lin smiled and took his arm, "Let's go."
She was happy and there were not many people in the building, so she didn't pay much attention to it. Although Cheng Rushan was reserved, he felt that there was nothing wrong with his wife holding his arm. So the young couple strolled out from the third floor, receiving countless surprised and shy looks along the way.
Many people watch them as if they were watching something scary; they want to watch it but are also embarrassed.
After leaving the dormitory building, Jiang Lin let go of his arm and they went to the cafeteria.
There were people coming and going on campus, including new students and former workers, peasants and soldiers. The cafeteria was crowded at this time.
Cheng Rushan wanted her to sit down while he went to get food, but Jiang Lin pressed him down on the seat.
She smiled at him and said, "Come to school and I'll treat you. Just wait and eat."
She took out her lunch box from her schoolbag and went to get her meal. At that time, there were no plates in the cafeteria, so everyone had to bring their own cutlery. There were quite a lot of people queuing, but she was not in a hurry and looked at what was available at the window in advance. Fried cabbage, mashed potatoes, spinach and tofu. In this season and this age, don’t think about what to eat, this is already pretty good.
Jiang Lin was queuing up for food. The boy in front of her turned around to look at her, his eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Classmate, are you a freshman? I haven't seen you before."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Yes, my wife sent me here to report today."
The male classmate was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled twice, looking a little disapproving. What are you showing off? You're just calling me your man as soon as you open your mouth.
Jiang Lin has already thought it through. Whenever a strange male classmate tries to get close to her because of her good looks, her first opening line will always be "I'm a new student and my husband sent me here to register."
Lest they have any ideas.
I don't have any thoughts, but I'm just saying this to show my attitude and stop others from having wild thoughts. It also means that my sister is married, so no flirting or appointments are allowed, and it also avoids trouble.
Sure enough, the boy stopped saying anything to her, quickly got his meal and left. Jiang Lin thought that there was enough food at home and there was no need to be too frugal. She had to make sure Cheng Rushan was well fed, so she bought five big steamed buns, each weighing three taels. Since they were difficult to hold, she skewered them with chopsticks. I bought a lunch box of mashed potatoes and spinach and tofu, which cost me six cents in total.
Cheng Rushan listened to his wife and sat there obediently, keeping a seat, staring at the seat opposite for her to sit. Before Jiang Lin came back, a female classmate quickly sat opposite him and smiled at him, "Classmate, what's your major? Why don't you get food?"
Cheng Rushan wanted to say sorry, I took the seat opposite for my wife, but he thought it would be impolite to ask the other person to leave since they had already sat down. He looked up and saw Jiang Lin holding a lunch box with several big steamed buns on a fork. He felt embarrassed for a moment and quickly got up to greet her.
The female classmate's face suddenly turned red. She took the initiative to greet him, but he didn't even look at her and just ignored her and walked away. How embarrassing. She felt that the classmates around her were laughing at her.
Cheng Rushan found Jiang Lin and took the steamed buns and lunch box from her, successfully blocking a male classmate who had finally mustered up the courage to strike up a conversation with her by offering to carry her lunch box.
Jiang Lin smiled and said to the male classmate: "Look, I didn't lie to you. My wife sent me here to register."
The boy's face suddenly turned red, "No, sorry."
Cheng Rushan: "Hello, my name is Cheng Rushan."
The male student was not much taller than Jiang Lin. Facing the tall Cheng Rushan, he felt too much pressure and could not help but stutter, "Hello, my name is Cheng Rushan."
Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin: “…………!!!”
The male classmate was about to cry, "No, no, my name is Song Yu Luo."
Cheng Rushan smiled and said, "What a nice name."
Song Yu Luo: "Yes, a little like a girl."
Jiang Lin suddenly remembered, "Hey, why are you here? Where is the seat you took?"
Cheng Rushan showed a helpless expression and said, "They have already sat down and I feel embarrassed to ask them to leave." He had no experience in reserving seats.
Jiang Lin glanced at him and said, "Oh, Brother Shan, you're great. Is there anything you're embarrassed about?" I don't believe it! ! !
Song Yu Luo immediately said: "Over there, with my classmates."
Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin went over there, and sure enough, there were a few seats available, so they sat down just right.
Song Yu Luo introduced them to each other. When they heard that they were new students from the 77th class, they immediately showed subtle expressions.
Someone nearby was filled with righteous indignation and said, "What's so great about that? Didn't they just pass the exam? Why should we change the curriculum for them? Are we, the class of 1976/1977, no longer college students?"
Song Yuluo smiled and said, "We should unite and learn from each other. We are all alumni, there is no hierarchy."
Jiang Lin smiled and said nothing. She and Cheng Rushan just focused on eating. "Oh, I found a piece of meat." She picked up the piece of fat and lean meat and looked at it. "Not bad." Then she put the meat on Cheng Rushan's steamed bun.
The situation of more boys than girls was the same here. There were eight people sitting at the table, and she was the only female classmate.
They were all discussing current affairs, and she was talking in a sweet voice about the fat and lean meat, the vegetables... Some male classmates immediately looked down on her, thinking that women are just women, short-sighted, only caring about food and having no sense of the overall situation.
Of course, this is because she is married and has a boyfriend. If she were unmarried, they would be happy to make the girl happy. When men are facing beautiful women, especially when the woman's significant other is also present, they always tend to be more artificial and restrained.
Jiang Lin naturally didn't care about them and let them talk whatever they wanted. Anyway, the argumentative people could start an argument at any time. After the confrontation between men and women, they were now creating a confrontation between the recommended students and the college entrance examination students.
Tsk, if you have this energy, you might as well study hard and try not to fall behind and let your younger classmates who are taking the college entrance examination catch up.
After dinner, Cheng Rushan accompanied Jiang Lin to stroll around the campus to familiarize herself with the teaching buildings, administrative office buildings, sales outlets, auditoriums, water rooms and bathhouses, and especially the library.
You can go in and read or borrow books with your library card.
Jiang Lin pulled Cheng Rushan in: "Finally there is a place where we can borrow books to read."
She borrowed some basic books on architecture and civil engineering, as well as biographies, stories, essays, etc. of some famous architects, to cultivate her interest.
Cheng Rushan also borrowed a copy.
Jiang Lin took a look at it and found it was an old semi-classical novel. It seemed to have been damaged. The pages were yellowed, as if it had been rescued after being burned but not yet.
She leaned over and whispered, "Brother Shan, there are a lot of vernacular novels and biographies here. Do you want to read them?"
Cheng Rushan: "Read this one first, and then you can borrow it for me after you finish it."
Of course, it was probably because he borrowed the book when he came to pick her up. He thought that as long as he didn't drive, he would probably come to the provincial capital more often, after all, his wife was here.
The registration time is today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. On the 12th, the head teacher and classmates will have a group gathering to welcome the new students. There is nothing to do before then, so Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan will go home first.
The day after tomorrow is February 2nd. Jiang Lin has already fried sweet potato beans, so there is no need to worry about anything else.
The next day, Cheng Rushan continued to go to work, while Jiang Lin tended the vegetable garden at home.
Growing vegetables is not that easy. After turning the soil, you have to level it. There must be no clods or stones. You have to rake it all over. Then make ridges. Different vegetables have slightly different requirements for vegetable beds.
She also has to pay attention to collecting some wooden sticks, poles and the like, as they will be used to plant vines later. Cucumbers, lentils, loofahs, gourds, etc. all need to be planted on the racks.
He Liang, Bie Dongshan and others would come to help her when they were free, but Zhao Quanyou and Du Qiang were influenced by He Changjiang and deliberately avoided her. It seems that he is afraid that getting too close to her will bring bad consequences.
After all, she was so beautiful that several ladies had been secretly spying on her and were on guard against her, fearing that she would use her beauty to commit crimes or deliberately seduce men.
Especially Fang Chengguang, he has always been rude to women. He ignored several blind dates arranged by his family. But now he is very protective of her, which makes them think too much.
Jiang Lin didn't care. After two lifetimes, if she still cared too much about other people's opinions, it would be not worth it for her. As long as you act uprightly, have a clear conscience, and do not actively harm others, you will naturally not be afraid of being harmed by others.
In Shuihuai Village, she was a tough and aggressive educated youth, and here she would not be a docile little rabbit.
After lunch she continued to prune the vegetable patch. Several women had come to talk to her. Some took the opportunity to get information, some tested her, some came to speak ill of others to win her over, and some came to show off their superiority.
There were three women joining in the fun at this moment. One of them was a woman named You Hongliu who worked in the Finance Department. She was not an official, but she was very good at boasting and showing off.
You Hongliu: "Jiang Lin, why did you marry a country girl when you went to the countryside?"
The other two also agreed, and were very curious, "You are so beautiful, and you are a city girl student, what do you think?"
"Are you after a handsome man?" They laughed and joked in what they thought was a good-natured way.
Jiang Lin just smiled and didn't respond to them directly. Since they were just there to chat and there was no other conflict, she didn't want to make things awkward.
You Hongliu was somewhat dissatisfied because Jiang Lin had never responded to her and she had heard some gossip about Jiang Lin.
"Is the work point value in your brigade particularly low? Let me tell you, I have also been to the countryside. I was very capable at that time and could earn two or three yuan a day, which means at least 15 work points."
Hearing her bragging, Jiang Lin laughed: "What do you do?"
You Hongliu: "Me? I can do everything. I lead the members to farm, I am the production team leader, I am also an accountant, I also teach them how to drive a tractor, and..."
Jiang Lin: "...How many years have you been in the countryside?"
"How long? Ten or so..."
Jiang Lin: “?!”
"Ah, 13/4 months."
Jiang Lin: I still have to convert the years and months for you. When educated youth went to the countryside, especially those who obviously didn't know how to farm, they were considered fools to be production team leaders or team leaders. Even if you are a cadre in the Ministry of Agriculture or work in a scientific research station, at most you will be allowed to be a technician or consultant, but not a production team leader.
The team leader must be someone who has the final say in the village.
You Hongliu was talking about asking Jiang Lin to grow this vegetable or that vegetable, but what she said was nonsensical and it was obvious that she had never farmed before. She probably went to the countryside just to get by and then come back.
In fact, You Hongliu's situation is similar to Jiang Lin's. She finds life in the countryside hard, so she is eager to find a city man to marry. Her husband's family was better off, so she could get by in the city without a job. Later, she got through it and her husband was transferred to the military region to work in finance, and she followed him. Now she works in the archives room.
"Jiang Lin, you guys are really capable. You got such a big house as soon as you arrived." You Hongliu said sourly.
She was really jealous that Jiang Lin was given a big house to live in as soon as she arrived!
She has been here for several years, lived in a single dormitory for two years, and then was given two rooms, still living in a small courtyard with two other families.
Until now, she has not had the opportunity to improve her housing, but Jiang Lin moved to a bigger house just a few days after she arrived. She is really not convinced.
She heard that Jiang Lin couldn't stand the hardship in the countryside, so she kept asking, but after all, she was concerned about her face and couldn't directly accuse Jiang Lin of being lazy. After all, Jiang Lin was admitted to university, and Cheng Rushan is now famous in the area, so even if she is jealous, she can't say it directly.
Jiang Lin would never be modest on purpose. The other party was so sarcastic, so no matter what she said, it would be wrong. She simply said, "Yes, I also think our Cheng Rushan is very capable."
You Hongliu and the other two women exchanged looks: It's just to curry favor with Fang Chengguang, what's the point of showing off!
At this time, Wu Shuxian came over and called out, "Sister, are you free?"
Jiang Lin hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, yes, what do you want?"
Wu Shuxian glanced at You Hongliu and the others and said, "You are all free now, so you are fine."
"Hey, we're looking for Jiang Lin to meet and chat with. There's a new beauty in our compound, so of course we have to meet her."
Wu Shuxian: “Stop talking nonsense.” Before Cheng Rushan’s family became friends with Fang Chengguang and before they were given a big house, you didn’t even get to know each other. Why are you pretending?
She despises Kuang Guomei, You Hongliu and their gang the most, they are sour people!
She confronted the three women without any hesitation, and felt very proud to see that they were angry but did not dare to lose their temper.
After You Hongliu and the other two left, she said to Jiang Lin, "Sister, I'm telling you, you can't indulge their bad habits."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "They didn't do anything, they were just gossiping."
Jiang Lin never takes this kind of thing to heart, because there are people like this everywhere.
Wu Shuxian: "Sister, please help your sister-in-law."
Jiang Lin: "Sister-in-law said."
"My niece and nephew from my mother's side also took the college entrance exam last year, but they didn't pass. Can you give them some extra lessons? Let them take the exam again this year."
Jiang Lin half-jokingly asked, "What school did you apply to? Why didn't you ask Director Di to help you?"
It's not that this kind of thing is unacceptable to say. Topics such as activities and work in the compound are always on people's lips.
Wu Shuxian smiled and said, "The difference is too big. Old Di refused and said it was embarrassing. It would be bad if the classmates knew about it."
If it's just a few points off, it's fine, but if it's too much off, it's really not okay. Wu Shuxian also knows the importance of it, so she naturally won't force any trouble on a man.
Jiang Lin: "If you believe me, sister-in-law, I will come down in two days and meet with them to find out the truth. I will make a review plan for them based on their situation."
Wu Shuxian was very happy, "That's great, please help me."
"But don't feel bad, sister-in-law. If I'm leading someone, I have a temper. If you are lazy, slack, and don't work hard and are not diligent, I will scold you." Jiang Lin laughed.
"Oh, what you said is exactly what I like!" Wu Shuxian slapped Jiang Lin on the back, causing Jiang Lin to fall forward due to the shock.
Wu Shuxian: “When the time comes, just criticize, beat and scold the children. I leave the child to you.” This was followed by a long list of parents who want their children to be successful and place all kinds of trust in the teachers.
Jiang Lin: “…”
"Sister-in-law, let's try our best. I'm not very capable and I can't guarantee that you will pass the exam."
"I understand. As long as you are willing to teach, everything depends on human effort. If you cannot pass the college entrance examination, you can take the junior college entrance examination. Is it so easy to get into university?" Wu Shuxian was very happy. Last year, there were millions of people who took the exam, but less than 300,000.
In the evening, Jiang Lin talked to Cheng Rushan, who told her to do whatever she wanted and not to make things difficult for herself.
Jiang Lin thought she should give it a try. To be honest, she had a slight favorable impression of Wu Shuxian for not pestering Director Di to send her younger siblings to college. In this age where connections and background are more important than ability, it is still worth looking at someone who is determined to go to college.
…
On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head, and the customs of beating the spring ox, spring ploughing, and biting the spring are the same year after year.
Even so, the members still watched and participated with great interest. Because now they have tractors, the young men are full of energy, the old men are freed up to do light work, and men and women no longer have to put their shoulders on the tow rope to plow the fields.
Some people didn't even bother to watch the beating of the Spring Ox and were eager to go to the brick kiln factory to work.
Now that the ice has begun to thaw, the skilled workers are getting anxious and are eager to make bricks and earn money.
Many helpers surrounded Shang Zonghui and Cheng Yulian, "It's getting warmer now, can we make bricks?"
Cheng Yulian: "Give it two days to thaw."
They kept saying it was okay and it would be fine now.
Cheng Yulian was a little overwhelmed. If they were being rude, lazy or lazy, she would be able to fight back without any hesitation, but she couldn't stand them being so motivated and willing to work.
She hesitated for a moment and discussed with Shang Zonghui: "How about we try some first?"
Vincent: “No!”
He remembered that Jiang Lin had said that brick making was not allowed until the ground thawed, not only because the bricks would crack easily, but also because the mud and water were icy cold and would freeze the men's legs and feet. You don’t feel it now when you are young, but when you get older you will have arthritis and the like.
Some people were unhappy to see him being so tough, saying, "We are making bricks to make money for the brick kiln factory."
Vincent: “No!”
If he said no, it meant no, and Shang Zonghui and Cheng Yulian had no choice but to listen to him.
Some people couldn't help but wonder why Director Jiang let a fool manage the brick kiln factory? He is cold and stern all day long, and there's something wrong in his eyes when he looks at people. I'm really worried that he might suddenly go crazy and hit someone.
Shang Zonghui shouted, "No, no, we still have to till the land, let's hurry up and plant the land first. The brick kiln factory is there and we can't run away!"
He was the one Jiang Lin valued the most, so after hearing this, everyone else dispersed and rushed to help with farming.
Shang Zonghui let others drive tractors to plow the land, and he was responsible for supervision. He saw Vincent standing there motionless, looking towards the south of the village, and knew that he was thinking of Jiang Lin.
After watching the Spring Ox Beating, Yan Runzhi said to Wensheng, "The brick kiln factory hasn't opened yet, don't go there, let's go home, we have to stir-fry sweet potato beans on February 2nd."
Vince: “Yes!”
Yan Runzhi coaxed him, "Your mother likes to eat sweet potato beans the most. She must fry them at home, not at the brick kiln factory."
Vincent: “Go home!”
He pushed the bicycle over, put his arms around Yan Runzhi and picked her up, then rode the bicycle to take her home to stir-fry sweet potato beans.
These days, Wensheng gets up early every day to practice swordplay. He carries his sword on his back and stands at the intersection in the south of the village, staring into the distance. He goes home to have breakfast, walks around the intersection again, and then rides his bike to the brick kiln factory.
At noon, I rode my bike home to have lunch. After lunch, I went to the brigade exhibition room, then went to the embroidery workshop to listen to the radio and opera until dinner time.
His movements were the same as when Jiang Lin was at home.
While Yan Runzhi was cooking, he would stay at the entrance of the village and go home when the meal was ready.
After dinner, he would sit in the yard to look at the stars, or imitate Cheng Rushan's handstand, and then quietly go back to his room to sleep.
Although it has only been six days, it feels like it has been going on for a long, long time and will continue to do so.
Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi knew that he was simple-minded and only cared about his mother. It was useless for others to comfort and persuade him, so they could only let him go. Fortunately, although he missed his mother and became quieter and less talkative, his temper was still mild. He never cursed or hit anyone, and he never lost control, so the two of them didn't worry about anything happening.
When they got home, Wensheng stopped his bicycle and took the initiative to get some grass for Yan Runzhi to make a fire.
Cheng Yunzhi has already prepared some fine sand. The finest river sand is needed for frying sweet potato beans, peanuts, etc. It turns dark red after frying and can be reused.
Yan Runzhi took out peanuts, soaked and dried soybeans, and sweet potato beans, and fried some more, and asked Dongsheng to take them to the city when he came back.
Vincent sat there quietly, lighting a fire, but he couldn't help looking outside.
Yan Runzhi: "Wensheng, please put on the radio and listen."
Vincent shook his head and refused to listen. If his mother came back, the radio would be so loud that he couldn't hear anything. If mom goes to the city and dad goes out to drive, will mom be bullied? Thinking of this, he became anxious and could hardly sit still.
Yan Runzhi: "Vensheng, we still have hawthorns at home. Will grandma make you candied haws or canned hawthorns?"
Vincent shook his head.
Yan Runzhi: "So what does your mother like to eat?"
Vince: “I want both!”
Yan Runzhi: "Wensheng, why don't you like to laugh? If you don't laugh, you will look old. Your mother won't recognize you when she comes back."
Vincent turned back and grinned at her.
Yan Runzhi: “…”
The fried sweet potato beans were fragrant and sweet. She asked Wensheng to take them to the exhibition room to give to his grandfather, and also to give some to the girls in the embroidery workshop.
Vincent went there carrying a small basket.
Yan Runzhi looked at the sky and decided to prepare lunch. Alas, Baoer's mother was not at home, and Dabao and Xiaobao were not at home, so she did not have the energy to cook. In the past, Baoer's mother would always be present at every meal and would praise the food highly. She also had extra energy to cook and would happily think about making something delicious every day.
Take pasta for example. Other families only make steamed corn bread, but she can make steamed buns, steamed buns, flower rolls, steamed corn bread, rolled flatbreads, leavened flatbreads, pancakes, fried cakes, noodles... It is no exaggeration to say that in a month, the pasta alone can be different for three meals a day!
Bao'er's mother is not at home now, so she is too lazy to change her dishes. Anyway, Cheng Yunzhi has suffered a lot on the farm, and she will be happy as long as she has a full meal. Wensheng has no taste for food because his mother is not at home.
Alas, she doesn't feel good either.
On the second day of the second month, people are supposed to roll out pancakes, stuffed with bean sprouts, shredded radish, shredded potato, shredded dried tofu, leeks or onions, sauce, etc. This is to celebrate the arrival of spring. If life is good and there is oil, you can fry spring rolls. If you are willing to move, it is also good to dig shepherd's purse and amaranth.
She ate a sweet potato bean, which was originally crunchy, fragrant and sweet, but now it tasted tasteless.
Oh, this person really shouldn’t be greedy. She quickly got up, washed the pot and started cooking.
When lunch was ready, Wensheng and Cheng Yunzhi came back to eat.
Small pancakes with shredded vegetables, dipping sauce, and scrambled eggs with freshly picked toon sprouts make this a very sumptuous meal.
Cheng Yunzhi looked at the old woman and then at Wensheng, "What's wrong with you two? Why are you unhappy?"
Yan Runzhi smiled and said, "How can you look at me unhappy? I am happy, Wensheng, eat quickly."
Cheng Yunzhi: "Wensheng, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I will take you to the grave."
Tomb sweeping on Qingming Festival is called "shangfen" locally.
After dinner, Cheng Ruhai brought his son over and gave Yan Runzhi some fried beans and some fresh amaranth, and then they went to visit the grave together.
When arriving at the ancestral grave, one first removes the weeds, adds new soil, replaces the yellow paper, and then offers sacrifices, kowtows, and follows a series of other steps.
Wensheng refused to kowtow. Why did he always have to act? He wouldn't act when his parents were not around. Besides, all the bad guys were beaten to death by him, so why should he continue to act? His parents were fine. He wouldn't act!
Seeing that he suddenly became very stubborn, Cheng Yunzhi did not force him. Instead, he led Cheng Ruhai and his two grandsons to toast and kowtow.
Suddenly, Vincent jumped up, with a look of ecstasy on his face, and exclaimed, "My mother is back!" He didn't care about anyone else and ran south.
It happened that Cheng Fuwan's family were also visiting the grave, kneeling there to burn paper and pay their respects. Wensheng, who was tall and had long legs, leaped over, creating a gust of wind that blew the burned paper up and landed on Cheng Fuwan's head, singeing his hair. He was so scared that he quickly jumped back.
"Damn it!" Cheng Fuwan was trembling, his hair was all messy, and he pointed at Wen, so angry that he couldn't speak.
Vincent didn't care. He ran out of the cemetery quickly and headed south. Sure enough, he saw a green truck coming from the east. "Mom!" he shouted and rushed over.
The truck didn't stop, but drove away ignoring him.
Vincent:……!
He sat on the bridge and stared at the east and west sides. At this time, there were occasional tractors passing by in the countryside, but very few trucks. After sitting for a while, he squatted on the roadside to pick bitter herbs. He pinched a leaf and put it in his mouth to chew. It was very bitter, so he pinched two more and put them in his mouth to chew.
I don't know why there are so many trucks today, including Dongfeng, Jiefang, and even troop-carrying trucks, with handsome PLA soldiers sitting in the back, and they were smiling at him.
He got off the road and went to pick wild vegetables in the fields. Before he knew it, he had picked a lot and did not forget to look back and count the eight trucks passing by.
At this time, a truck was coming from a distance. Wensheng was a little angry. It’s not my father’s car. Why are you going here?
Hate!
The truck was getting closer and closer. Vincent's heart suddenly started beating like a pounding drum. He threw away the wild vegetables and ran towards the road. As expected, the truck stopped on the road. A strange round face popped out from the cab and asked him with a smile, "Brother, is this Shuihuai Village?"
Don’t know you! Hate! Not telling you!
Vincent glared at him, ignored him, said nothing, and was angry.
The face that the man had always been thinking about suddenly appeared next to him. She smiled at him very sweetly, "Vincent, mother is here to take you to the city."
"Mom!" Wensheng jumped up excitedly, opened the driver's door with a bang, dragged He Liang out, jumped into the car and hugged Jiang Lin tightly, shouting with joy: "Mom, I missed you so much!"
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