Rebirth 1979: Marrying a poor girl at the beginning

Let’s talk about the family tree. It has layers of small rectangular grids in the shape of a pyramid. In each small grid is a small red paper with the names of ancestors written on it. Each layer represents a generation.

In Lin Zhengjun's view, this genealogy is a simplified version of the ancestral tablets, and the one at the top is our "Qiandeng Ancestor."

Lin Zhengjun remembered that most of the ancestors in Huaibian County migrated from the big locust tree in Hongdong, Shanxi during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty.

Offerings were placed on the table, incense and candles were lit, and then the male host burned paper and worshiped with a serious expression, seeming to be praying something.

This process probably means that our ancestors have been "invited back" from their graves in the fields to our homes with us, and are sitting together according to their positions in the "family tree", and will then spend the Spring Festival together with their descendants.

During the Spring Festival last year, some people in Huaibian County had already started setting off firecrackers, while others were secretly offering sacrifices to their ancestors and hanging up family tree trees.

The problem was that Huaibian County did not cancel the documents issued in the past ten years on revolutionizing the Spring Festival. As a result, last year some commune cadres still adhered to old ideas and concepts and insisted on taking care of it, such as Yu Donghai, the former secretary of the commune revolutionary committee!

The militia was forced to continue patrolling and arresting people who were causing trouble. The common people were very resentful and resisted stubbornly. The natural result was chaos and no peace!

Lin Zhengjun asked, "Did the commune issue an order or hold a meeting to let the management take charge?"

"No!" Lin Bingde shook his head.

"Then forget it. Why would a dog meddle in other people's business? Can't we let the people have a peaceful New Year?"

Lin Zhengjun said: "We Chinese people worship our ancestors. It cannot be simply understood as feudal superstition. It is a kind of spiritual belief!"

"For example, if there is a bad boy in the family, his parents will scold him and say that he is unworthy of his ancestors. The one being scolded will feel a little ashamed, and it will touch his soul. This is a kind of spiritual restraint. People should always have some fear. If they are fearless, they will get into trouble!"

"Zhengjun, that's true, then forget it. I don't think Director Xu will criticize anything. If the sky falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up!" Lin Bingde said with a smile.

"Secretary, drink some water, you've been talking all the time!" Lin Zhengjun looked at his watch. This was the time to see him off, as he still had to review for the exam.

Normally, Lin Bingde would immediately understand and say goodbye, but this time he didn't leave. Instead, he smiled and said, "Zhengjun, there are still many Spring Festival couplets that haven't been written in the brigade. In previous years, the educated youth were here and wrote them. This year, you let them all go home for the holiday, so you have to take on this important task!"

Lin Zhengjun: “…”

Mom, I've gotten myself into trouble!

Nowadays, the illiteracy rate in the village is still quite high. Although the brigade has opened literacy classes before and many people can read, it is still difficult for them to write couplets.

In previous years, the educated youth either had no holidays or had short holidays, and they helped their fellow villagers write Spring Festival couplets.

But this year Lin Zhengjun implemented "humanistic management" and the educated youth went on holiday early, and the members didn't react and just left. So no one knew how to write Spring Festival couplets!

Now Lin Zhengjun is the only high school student left in the village. If he doesn’t write, who will?

"Okay, I'll write it!"

Lin Zhengjun sighed and said, "By the way, don't just look for me, there's also Wei Shanlin, he's good at writing on the blackboard, and calligraphy is also good!"

"He has been writing for the whole morning, and there are still more than a hundred companies left to write to. Everyone sees that he is not going to win, so they asked to find you!" Lin Bingde said.

Lin Zhengjun: “…”

Crying without tears!

Then, Lin Zhengjun began to work hard writing Spring Festival couplets throughout the afternoon. Finally, Tang Xiaofu saw that he was too tired to write, so she was eager to join in!

However, during this period, Lin Zhengjun, especially Tang Xiaofu's calligraphy, received unanimous praise from the fellow villagers!

Lin Zhengjun's calligraphy is self-taught and can only be considered neat and regular.

But Tang Xiaofu practiced calligraphy for several years when she was a child, and also learned Chinese painting from a Chinese painting teacher. Her style is well-organized, with strong bones and plump muscles. It has the toughness of willow bones, yet is flexible and warm, and the lines are smooth and rhythmic.

The folks don’t understand calligraphy, but they have a natural aesthetic and think it’s beautiful!

Lin Zhengjun and Tang Xiaofu didn't finish writing until the evening. Their hands were sore. The living room was filled with large and small gifts, leaving no room to step.

The villagers did not let Lin Zhengjun and Tang Xiaofu's work in vain. They gave them some snacks and local specialties. Although they were not expensive, they were a token of their thoughtfulness.

In the evening, Lin Zhengjun cooked himself, and made two cold dishes, braised pig head and braised pig liver, fried peanuts and fried smoked fish, and drank a few glasses of wine with Lin Sanhuai.

Oh, this pig head is really a great dish to go with wine!

The meat is fat but not greasy, tender and juicy. After being marinated, it is fragrant and melts in your mouth.

Pig head contains a large amount of collagen, which makes the meat firmer and elastic. The spices and seasonings added during the marinating process give the pig head a unique flavor that is unforgettable.

In particular, pig head is best paired with stronger-flavored white wine or shochu.

The spiciness of the liquor and the freshness of the pig's head complement each other, making the taste richer, it is simply a feast for the taste buds.

Lin Sanhuai was so happy today. Originally, he wanted to go to the Food Cooperative to watch the video, but he was so happy that he drank five or six taels of wine and fell down!

The food cooperative is still showing videos tonight, but only two movies are showing tonight!

Because this year is Xiaojin (Little New Year), there is no 31st day of the twelfth lunar month, so the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is New Year’s Eve!

On this day, everyone has to get up early and visit the graves to pray to their ancestors!

……

The next day, New Year’s Eve!

Early in the morning, before dawn, Lin Zhengjun heard bursts of firecrackers coming from afar. It was the members of the commune going to their ancestral graves to ask their ancestors to set off firecrackers!

There was so much that there was a faint smell of gunpowder floating in the air, which mixed with the aroma of meat and food, instantly bringing the New Year atmosphere to a climax!

Lin Zhengjun and Tang Xiaofu put on their clothes, packed up, and went to the old house.

Lin Sanhuai has already prepared the offerings for the ancestors.

A piece of cooked fat weighing one pound is the "knife head", in addition there are some steamed buns, fried dough sticks and two bowls of dumplings, all carried in a bamboo basket, as well as yellow paper and firecrackers.

In previous years, Lin Zhengjun and the old man went to the grave together, and this year was no exception.

We met many fellow villagers along the way, and everyone had a happy look on their faces.

In the hazy morning light, the two arrived at the ancestral tomb located in the middle of a wheat field at the east end of the brigade.

Lin Sanhuai and Lin Zhengjun first cleared the weeds around the cemetery, then knelt in front of the ancestral tomb and kowtowed three times and nine times.

Then Lin Zhengjun set off a string of firecrackers, and Lin Sanhuai lit paper money, muttering to himself.

Lin Zhengjun listened for a while.

The general meaning is to enjoy the tribute, report the family situation in the past year, invite ancestors to come home to celebrate the New Year, bless the descendants with safety and health, prosperity of the family business, etc.

They are all old words.

But for some reason, Lin Sanhuai suddenly felt sad: "Mom and Dad, please eat more meat dumplings. Now the policy is good, our life is better, we can eat enough and wear warm clothes, we have no shortage of white flour buns and millet porridge, and we can even eat meat every now and then!"

"Don't be reluctant, eat with big mouthfuls, back then you..."

He even cried out loud, opened his mouth wide, and clear snot flowed down in a long stream.

Lin Zhengjun hurriedly went to support him and said, "Dad, what are you doing? It's just a formality, and you're getting emotional!"

"You don't understand, Zhengjun, you were still young at the time and you don't remember anything!"

The old man shook his head, looked at the sky that was gradually getting brighter, and said with emotion: "Your grandparents both died of starvation during those three years. The villagers were starving to death. They even ate wild vegetables and elm bark. Your grandmother ate Guanyin mud, but she couldn't digest it and died of bloating... It was tragic!"

"Your grandfather said before he died, when can I eat a bowl of dumplings? I will die a full ghost! Now that life is better, they are gone!"