Chapter 001 Old Jiang Family
In the midsummer of 1967, the weather was as hot as fire early in the morning.
There were no roosters crowing in the tube-shaped building, but once one family woke up, the others couldn't even think of getting quiet. No one knew whose family got up first, but there was a lot of banging and banging. Those who knew said they were making breakfast, while those who didn't thought the building was being robbed.
"Aunt Liu, don't be so angry when you get up. You're keeping others awake." Lin Bing, who lived in the second household on the east side of the fourth floor, poked his head out, yawned, and shouted to the west in dissatisfaction, "It's so loud, I can hear it from across the hallway."
"Sleep, sleep, sleep. It's already six o'clock and you're still sleeping. Aren't you going to work?" The instigator, Old Lady Liu, retorted rudely, "I'm not saying anything bad about you, Bingzi, but you're already in your twenties and can't even find a wife, yet you can still sleep. You're really careless."
Lin Bing leaned against the door frame, his face full of indifference: "Look at what you said, we are glorious oil workers, we can find anything we want."
"That's right," said Granny Fang, who was also cooking. "Little soldier, we're oil workers, so we have to choose carefully and don't get cheated. Let me tell you, those young ladies and widows from the nearby countryside are all obsessed with marrying into our oil fields. You'd better keep your eyes open and don't be fooled."
Lin Bing smiled brightly and whistled in an unusually loud voice, "Grandma Fang, I'm going on a blind date today. I'm sure she'll be very good-looking."
"What? A blind date?" Old Lady Liu's voice was so sharp it could kill a fly. "Who would be so clueless as to introduce you to someone? Are you seriously ill?"
"Tsk, Aunt Liu, can't you expect something good from me? The person I'm introducing this time is a formal employee from our oil field." Lin Bing shook his legs, his face full of pride.
"A formal worker?" Granny Fang's face froze, her eyes casually glancing towards her own door. "That's great, when's the blind date? Let Sister Qiaolian give you some advice."
Lin Bing chuckled and scratched his head: "No, no, Sister Qiaolian still has to go to work. I've asked for leave today. We'll go to the park next door. We're familiar with the area, so we don't need any help."
Old Mrs. Liu curled her lips, made a "Pooh" sound, and muttered "shameless" under her breath, and continued to play ping-pong and fight.
"Soldier, tell me, what's going on?" Jiang Mancheng, from the westernmost room, had a messy mess of hair and a white old man's shirt that was clearly newly put on. He flung open the door and rushed out in large slippers, his speed stirring a gust of wind. Even in such weather, it actually cooled the corridor for a moment.
"Chengzi, you're everywhere. What's going on? You got up late today and didn't make breakfast. Won't your wife beat you up?" Old Lady Liu couldn't stand the boy next door, Jiang Mancheng, and curled her lips impatiently. He was just a gigolo, from the countryside, with no manners, and he only knew how to live off his wife.
"Oh, Aunt Liu, how dare you slander my Jinhua? My Jinhua has been so good to me. When has she ever hit me? Don't you dare accuse me like this?" Jiang Mancheng tugged at the corner of his clothes, a look of grievance on his fair face. Then he waved his hand nonchalantly, "I know you don't want to get up early to cook, so I won't argue with you. After all, I'm magnanimous. I, Jiang Mancheng, am just so outstanding. Even uncles and aunts are jealous of me."
After saying this, regardless of the fact that Old Lady Liu almost vomited up her overnight meal, she leaned her head towards the east and shouted, "Dabing, tell me, what's going on? What are the girl's requirements? How old is she? I'm not saying anything bad about you, Dabing, but you're really good at hiding things. You only revealed such a big thing as a blind date today..."
You have to shout, because Jiang Mancheng's house is the westernmost house, and there are three houses between them and Lin Bing's house, which is the second door away from the eastern house.
In the early morning of the tube-shaped building, the sounds of pots and pans mixed with the noisy voices of people make it extremely lively.
"Dad, what's going on? Brother Soldier is going on a blind date again? Tell me quickly." Jiang Nan pushed open the bathroom door with a bang, and saw Jiang Mancheng coming in with a smirk on his face. He immediately took his arm and couldn't help asking, his ears perked up.
"Hey, have you washed your hands?" Even though she was his own daughter, he still had to be disdainful. Seeing his daughter nod, Jiang Mancheng spoke again, "They say it's 11 o'clock, at the waterside pavilion in the park next door. You can go there after you get your diploma, and you should be able to catch the fun. Hey, your dad and I have to go to work, so I won't be able to see it."
"It's okay, I'll tell you after I read it. You still don't trust me." Jiang Nan waved her little hand, very heroically.
Jiang Mancheng said quietly, "Of course my daughter can trust her. Unfortunately, it's still unclear whether this soldier can go on a blind date." As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Grandma Fang's house next door.
Jiang Nan let out a long "oh" and whispered to his old father in a very knowledgeable manner, "Is that Grandma Fang family going to cause trouble again?"
Jiang Mancheng said sarcastically, "That's for sure. Lin Bing is the blood bank of the Fang family, how can he go on a blind date?"
Chen Jinhua had a fierce look on her face, speechless at the father and son who were gossiping so early in the morning: "Xiao Nan, hurry up. You got your high school diploma today, go to the nearby factories and look around, just in case there are any job openings. Although you're an only child and don't need to go to the countryside, you can't be unemployed after graduation..."
Seeing her nearly 5'75" tall, burly mother about to start nagging again, Jiang Nan looked at Jiang Mancheng for help. Well, although Jiang Mancheng was 5'80" tall, he had a slender figure, fair skin and beautiful looks. But in front of Chen Jinhua, his fighting power was almost zero.
Jiang Mancheng was very self-aware. He shrugged his shoulders immediately and stood beside his wife to encourage her: "That's right, Xiaonan, your mother is right. You can watch the fun at any time, but it's more important to find a job. I'm a high school student, how can I not have a job? I said I'd let you take over, but you still look down on my job in the archives. Let me tell you, there's no distinction between high and low jobs..."
Seeing his old father betraying him in a second, Jiang Nan puffed up his chubby cheeks and decided that a wise man should be a wise man.
Well, that's what I feel.
She said softly, "Mom, my dearest mom, the factories around here are either refineries, chemical plants, plastic factories, etc. Which one doesn't rely on the oil fields? You haven't heard of any recruitment news at the union. Even if I go there every day, I can't find any."
Seeing Chen Jinhua about to nag again, Jiang Nan grabbed his mother's arm and shook it, "Mom, I'm going to see Brother Dabing on a blind date. It's also a way to show good neighborliness. You see, Brother Dabing is already 26 years old and still hasn't gotten married. Uncle Lin can't sleep all night. We're neighbors, and I'm going to keep an eye on him to make sure no one steals his chance."
The more Jiang Nan spoke, the more she felt it made sense. "Mom, you don't know. Last time, when Brother Tao from Building 5 was going on a blind date, the girl and the matchmaker hadn't even arrived yet, and he was snatched away by Sun Daniu from upstairs. Tell me, isn't that unethical? Grandma Liu and the others are old, they definitely can't beat those snatchers. I went there to uphold justice, for the good of Brother Dabing and for the good of Building 4."
Jiang Mancheng secretly gave his daughter a thumbs-up. Chen Jinhua glanced at it and snorted, "Okay, don't forget to come back and cook after watching the fun. You're sixteen now, it's time for you to learn how to cook..."
"No need, Xiaonan. I'll do it." Jiang Mancheng reiterated immediately, his face becoming unusually serious. "Jinhua, let's agree. Xiaonan, let's not find someone as good as me, but at least someone who can do housework. Why does Xiaonan have to cook? You're assuming that women have to cook, Jinhua, your thinking is wrong. Great men have said that women hold up half the sky, so why can't men do it? Look, I, a man, cook at home. Our daughter is so outstanding, she has to do it half the day. How can she be buried in the kitchen? Right? As for the other half, being able to cook is the most basic thing, and also..."
Chen Jinhua rubbed her forehead with a headache on her face. "Okay, just go and cook. You're always there."
She only has one daughter, so how could she not wish for the best for her? But her daughter, though better looking than her, with a fair and tender face and big, twinkling eyes, was the type to pick out her father's strengths, was just as tall as hers. A grown-up girl, she was 1.78 meters tall, and almost 1.80 meters tall when she put on shoes!
Whose pretty girl is she, 1.8 meters tall?
You are 1.8 meters tall, so be it. But you can have long hair or a braid, but you prefer to cut your hair short. From behind and far away, you look like a strong man.
It's no wonder people misunderstood. Even in Northeast China, there are few men taller than her daughter.
It's really frustrating. I can't even find anyone to arrange a blind date with.
Breakfast was nothing more than boiled eggs and porridge or something. The family of three quickly sat together and started eating.
Jiang Mancheng cracked an egg and said, "Xiao Nan, why don't you stay at your grandma's house for a few days? There's nothing going on in the village these days, so you might want to go over and relax."
The speaker was the head of the family, Jiang Mancheng. A 34-year-old man from Xihe'an Brigade, Zaohua Commune, Da County, Baishui City, a true rural dweller.
In his early years, with only a junior high school diploma and a keen eye, he became a close friend of the experts during the oilfield exploration phase. With his rosy, handsome face and a knack for sweet talk, he married the expert's daughter, Chen Jinhua. When the job market opened, he was even more fortunate to be officially hired as an oil worker, instantly becoming a city dweller with a decent food supply.
That was a sensation in those early years. There was no one in the whole commune, no, in the whole city, who didn't know Jiang Mancheng.
The expert's daughter who was deceived, Chen Jinhua, is also a capable person, and her family is very supportive.
Chen Jinhua's father is a senior engineer in the oil field, and her two brothers are both university graduates and are serious high-tech talents.
These days, other industries may be affected, but the oil industry is basically not.
The Chen family was blessed with an education, but Chen Jinhua couldn't concentrate on her studies. She took the high school entrance exam twice but failed to get into university. With no other options, she worked as a clerk in the oilfield labor union, doing ordinary work.
Since marrying Chen Jinhua, the working couple had been allocated a 68-square-meter apartment, a high-end, six-unit, tube-shaped building. With a house, a wife, and children, Jiang Mancheng was a complete gigolo. He cooked, did the housework, and even traded his job as a frontline worker for a less busy position in the archives. Ask around in the tube-shaped building, and everyone would accuse Jiang Mancheng of being a gigolo.
They're oil workers, oil workers.
In heavy industry, or the most scarce energy industry, the monthly salary is at least 40 yuan. Add in various subsidies, such as high temperature subsidies, oil production bonuses, holiday benefits, etc., and the monthly salary is definitely over 50 yuan!
He, Jiang Mancheng, changed his job which paid fifty yuan to a job as an archive manager which did not bring much benefits!
The maximum salary is thirty-six yuan a month. You must have been kicked in the head by a donkey.
This shocked a lot of people. No one could understand what he was trying to achieve.
But Jiang Mancheng said, "My daughter Jinhua is a strong woman who pursues progress and works hard for her career. My daughter Xiaonan is young and still in school. There are three people in my family, so at least one of us has to take care of the family. I think I can do it. Besides, I'm a gay, so I have to take on this responsibility. Why do you all discriminate against gay men? I'm a good hand at taking care of everything at home and outside. Just wait and see, I'm sure I can do it better than a professional housewife."
This is something that everyone can't handle. You say you've started to live off your wife, and while you can explain it, it's not pleasant for these neighbors.
Not to mention the people in the tube-shaped building who were confused, Jiang Mancheng's mother, Old Lady Du, and his two brothers and one sister were all confused.
But there was no way around it. Jiang Mancheng had always had his own ideas, and even after Old Lady Du chased her youngest son for five miles with a broom, she couldn't change Jiang Mancheng's mind. It was truly like the saying, "He's had his head kicked by a donkey."
At this time, Jiang Mancheng, who was kicked by the donkey, nodded and said happily, "Okay, okay, after watching the fun today, we will go to grandma's house tomorrow. Xiaohuai and Xiaotong will definitely take me to catch cicada monkeys, and we can also go to the mountains to pick mushrooms..."
"Okay, let's eat. You're not allowed to go anywhere unless you find a job." Chen Jinhua knocked on the table, looking helpless. This girl really takes after her father, never rushing about anything.
Jiang Mancheng quickly placed the peeled eggs in Chen Jinhua's bowl and said flatteringly, "Jinhua, I've already peeled the eggs for you, eat them quickly. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, you don't have to worry so much. Our daughter looks like this, with this figure and this education, there's no job she can't find. Don't listen to Aunt Liu's nagging, she's just jealous and wants to make things difficult for our family."
As for why Old Lady Liu disliked Jiang Mancheng, it was pure jealousy. Why, with both of them working, did Jiang Mancheng get a 68-square-meter house, with the west-facing unit, while her family had to live in a less than 50-square-meter middle unit? The old lady was furious and determined to make the Jiang family unhappy.
"Okay, it's early in the morning, let's eat. I'll hit anyone who talks again." Chen Jinhua's face was a little red, and she was obviously very fond of this. She picked up the egg in the porridge with a chopstick and lowered her head to bite off most of it.
Jiang Nan pouted and snorted in dissatisfaction.
Her father is the best at pleasing her mother.
Jiang Nan sighed deeply, blew on the hot porridge, took a mouthful without caring about the heat, and then took a big bite of the cornmeal steamed bread, it was delicious!
Don't be fooled by the cornmeal; it's mixed with a good portion of white flour, making it much softer than other steamed bread. Jiang Nan can eat three in one sitting. Her height of 5'7" didn't just grow out of thin air; it's all earned through hard work, bite by bite.
A family of three, two of whom are workers, can not only eat enough, but also eat well. Add to that the subsidies from my father-in-law and two brothers-in-law, and you can eat eggs every morning in those days. Can you believe it?
This was 1967!
Jiang Nan finished the delicious egg in two bites, wiped his mouth happily, and said happily, "Dad, let's have meat for lunch. I've officially graduated from high school, so it's okay to celebrate, right?"
"But, but." Jiang Mancheng's eyes lit up and he glanced at his daughter. Hey, she was indeed Jiang Mancheng's daughter. This reason for eating meat was so high-end, so formal, and so unquestionable.
He cleared his throat and whispered before Chen Jinhua could say anything, "Jinhua, think about how pitiful Xiaonan is. Xiaonan is such a good student, but she can only go to high school. Don't you need some comfort? My two brothers have come to see Xiaonan and they both say it's a pity for Xiaonan. If she hadn't stopped taking college entrance exams, she would have definitely become a university student. As a mother, you should also feel sorry for your daughter, right? Let's have meat for lunch. I'll make it. You don't have to worry about it."
The two brothers Jiang Mancheng mentioned were Chen Jinhua's older brothers, Chen Jinhai and Chen Jinyang, both serious, top-notch students. How could the Chen family, a family of cultured people, have such vulgar names? It brings tears to my eyes.
This generation of the Chen family is the golden generation. What good names can you give us? Any name that starts with the word "gold" seems a bit earthy, doesn't it?
What’s more, Chen Jinhua’s original name was not Chen Jinhua, but Chen Jinhua.
It's said that when her mother-in-law was pregnant with her, she craved Jinhua ham, and her father-in-law, after asking acquaintances to find it, finally managed to get some. When it came time to choose a name, they decided, "Jinhua!" But when Jinhua was seven years old and registering her household registration for school, the clerk, seeing she was a girl, wrote "Jinhua" without asking any questions. Heartbroken, Comrade Chen Jinhua was left without a single steamed bread.
Well, the hatred of changing the name is worth a steamed bun.
Without further ado, let me just say that although Chen Jinhua was not good at studying, she admired her two brothers very much. After hearing this, I stopped talking.
Yes, her daughter is so pitiful. If she could get into college, she would definitely be a college student.
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