Rebirth 1979: Marrying a poor girl at the beginning

Nowadays, villagers have a strong sense of officialism. In Zhang Shuqin's mind, Lin Zhengjun's appointment as a deputy director with this nominal part-time position is more worth celebrating than earning hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Zhang Shuqin muttered for a long time, then suddenly came to her senses and said, "We can't finish all the food, and it's not easy to store it. Go and give some to your grandpa!"

"Also tell him that I won't be visiting him on the second day of the Chinese New Year, I will go to see him on the fifteenth day of the whole month!"

This is also a custom in rural areas of the Huanghuai area. Married girls usually have to return to their parents' home on the second day of the Chinese New Year.

However, some "old maids" have daughters who are married, and it is also on the second day of the Chinese New Year that their daughters and sons-in-law return home together. There is no hostess at home to support the household, so it is inappropriate to cook.

Therefore, they may have to choose a day to return home.

This is certainly understandable, but we may have to say that we should not be short on courtesy.

"Okay! I'll go see grandpa!" Lin Zhengjun nodded and said, "Get as much as you can!"

"Ten pounds of flour, three pounds of pork, and half a pound of beef. The old man has bad teeth and can't eat much. There are many bones in the hairtail, so don't let them get stuck. Take one pound! Also go see your uncle. Each family will get a basket of fried dough sticks!" Zhang Shuqin went to cut the meat, divide the fish, and pack the fried dough sticks.

While busying himself, he sighed again and said, "It's useless to give your grandfather more. The eldest son's wife will take it away anyway!"

"Okay, don't worry, I will tell grandpa to keep it secret! Xiaofu, are you going?" Lin Zhengjun asked.

"Go, go and see grandpa! Didn't you say that he loved you very much when you were a child?" Tang Xiaofu said with a smile.

"Okay! Let's do it together!"

Lin Zhengjun first found a large towel to cover the basket, then pushed out the bicycle. Tang Xiaofu sat on the back, carrying the basket.

The flour was placed across the front bar, and two baskets of fried dough sticks were tied with ropes and hung on both sides of the front bar. Then the two of them set off together.

Lin Zhengjun has two uncles, but they are not very close.

My uncle's family is rather mean and harsh. Lin Zhengjun's family has been in difficulty in recent years, but Zhang Shuqin would rather ask her second daughter for money than ask her eldest brother.

My second uncle is an honest man. Although his family is in financial difficulty, he would still help the Lin family if he can. It can't be said that Lin Zhengjun and he get along well, but he feels more pity for him. He is an old farmer who has been working in the soil for a lifetime. His three sons are about to get married, and he has been overwhelmed by the pressure of life.

When Lin Zhengjun got married, his second uncle and aunt came to help in advance and were very active in their work.

My uncle's family also came. They didn't dare to look down on Lin Zhengjun and said a lot of nice things to him, but they worked sloppily and ate everything.

Lin Zhengjun has a deep affection for his grandfather.

Lin Zhengjun remembered that his grandfather was very clever and could make brushes and feather dusters. When the situation was not tense, he made a lot of money by selling brushes in the streets.

He is illiterate, but he is very good at accounting and has an excellent memory. He can remember the accounts from a year ago clearly in his mind. Later, the farmers' market was closed and business was not allowed, which he was very dissatisfied with.

In his previous life, Lin Zhengjun always suspected that his business acumen was inherited from his grandfather's genes.

He still remembers that his grandfather loved him very much.

The leeks in his private plot grew, the hens at home laid a few eggs, and he picked some wood ear mushrooms on the mountain. He would send some to the Lin family, and even send them cooked!

My grandfather's home was in Dazhang Brigade of Qingshan Commune, eight or nine miles south of Hewan Brigade. Lin Zhengjun pedaled frantically and arrived at my grandfather's home, so tired that he was covered in sweat.

My grandfather and two uncles have separated and each lives in two low and dilapidated thatched houses with shabby yards.

When Lin Zhengjun and Tang Xiaofu walked into the yard, the old man was wearing a big cotton-padded jacket and cotton shoes, holding a tabby cat, smoking a pipe, and sitting by the brazier to warm himself. There was a little smoke in the room.

Grandpa was very surprised to see Lin Zhengjun coming. He stood up tremblingly and said, "Zhengjun, Xiaofu, why are you two here?"

"Grandpa, come and see you! My mom said she can't come on the second day of the Chinese New Year, but she will come to see you on the fifteenth!"

Lin Zhengjun put the basket on the table, then pulled over a chair and sat down to warm himself by the fire.

"Hello, Grandpa!" Tang Xiaofu shouted happily and sat down.

"Oh, good children, what are you doing here? I'm in good health. It's cold on the road. Look, my face is frozen red. You let your wife suffer! Warm up by the fire!" Grandpa pushed the brazier towards Tang Xiaofu with his foot. He complained, but his heart was warm.

Tang Xiaofu said, "I should have come to see you earlier, but I was busy."

Lin Zhengjun looked at his grandfather's eye bags and said, "Give me a puff!"

"You don't smoke, do you?"

"Let me taste it!"

"It's so dirty!" The old man wiped the cigarette holder with his sleeve and handed it over.

"What a shame!"

Lin Zhengjun took a puff and then started coughing violently, tears coming out. He handed the eye bag pot over: "Ouch, my throat hurts!"

"This is raw tobacco, it's strong and can help you calm down!"

Grandpa took the pipe and laughed.

After chatting for a while, he looked at the basket that Lin Zhengjun brought and said, "I'm very happy that you can come to see me. Don't buy anything from now on! What did you bring?"

Lin Zhengjun took out the basket, and his grandfather immediately scolded him, "It's all meat. It's too expensive. You can keep the flour and take the meat and fish home to eat!"

"Grandpa, it's not a big deal! This is a gift from the city leaders to Zhengjun. We have a lot left at home and we can't finish it all!" Tang Xiaofu said with a smile.

"The city leaders all sent you gifts?" The old man exclaimed in amazement.

Lin Zhengjun had to explain, and the old man was very happy and said, "You are really a literary star. This is a great reward!"

Lin Zhengjun said: "Grandpa, let's eat dumplings together at noon!"

"Okay! I still have some wine, it's just a little bit inferior, let's have some sweet potato wine!" Grandpa was very happy.

Lin Zhengjun originally wanted to leave after delivering the things, but seeing how old his grandfather looked, he decided to stay with him as long as he could.

"Well, it's not about whether the wine is good or bad, what matters is who you drink with! I'm happy to drink with grandpa!"

Lin Zhengjun picked two radishes from the vegetable garden and went to the kitchen to busy himself with chopping stuffing, while Tang Xiaofu kneaded the dough and rolled out the dough.

The old man was so moved that his eyes turned red. He said, "You two are both scholars, and you still do such rough work!"

"Grandpa, it's okay. Just treat it as exercise!" Tang Xiaofu said with a smile.

After chopping the stuffing, the three of them made dumplings together. Then they put the dumplings into the pot and ate them together. Lin Zhengjun also drank two taels of wine with the old man.

Lin Zhengjun continued to chat with his grandfather, while Tang Xiaofu ran to the inner room and washed some of his grandfather's dirty clothes.

"Oh! Tang Zhiqing, you're so dirty, and the weather is cold, your hands are frozen! Don't wash them! I'll wash them myself later!" Grandpa said with a smile.

"Grandpa, please let me wash once! I have been a general's wife for more than two months, and I have not yet fulfilled my filial duties in front of you!" Tang Xiaofu said with a smile.

Seeing that he couldn't stop it, grandpa gave up.

Before leaving, Tang Xiaofu took out fifty yuan from her pocket, stuffed it into her grandfather's pocket, and said, "Grandpa, take this money and buy salt, oil, and tobacco!"

Grandpa quickly refused: "My daughter, this is not worth it. Fifty dollars is more than I can spend in a few years. You can keep it for buying new clothes!"

"Grandpa, just take it, we have money!"

Tang Xiaofu insisted on stuffing the money into his trouser pocket, picked up the basket and ran off with Lin Zhengjun, saying, "Grandpa, in addition to buying tobacco, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, you can also buy a chatterbox and listen to operas! Sometimes the chatterbox will even play Zhengjun's novels!"

"Okay, okay, drive slowly!"

Seeing Lin Zhengjun riding his bicycle and taking Tang Xiaofu away, Grandpa's eyes suddenly filled with tears and he said, "My child, you have grown up..."

Lin Zhengjun then went to his eldest and second uncles' homes, sat there for a symbolic while, left the fried dough sticks, chatted for a few words, and then stood up to say goodbye.