Rebirth 1979: Marrying a poor girl at the beginning

Beside the village, the river water shimmers under the cover of the moonlight like a veil.

A gust of wind blew, and large tracts of reeds bent deeply, as if they were about to break, curling up their waists as much as possible.

When the wind died down, they seemed to have taken a breath of relief, and straightened their bodies again, bathing in the milky moonlight together.

"Do you miss me? Does it feel like a long time since we last met?"

Walking up the river bank, Lin Zhengjun glanced at Tang Xiaofu's soft profile with a smile.

"you!"

Tang Xiaofu's pretty face immediately turned red with shame, and she said in a coquettish voice: "Such a big thing happened at home, and you are still smiling and playing, how can you be so careless!"

"I'm wrong. I'm very careful."

"Ah?!" Tang Xiaofu looked confused.

Lin Zhengjun loved her shy look the most and thought it was fun to tease her. He smiled and said, "It's so small that it can only accommodate you!"

These days, the lethality of cheesy love words is quite amazing.

"Oh, you, please stop talking, it's so embarrassing!"

Tang Xiaofu's heart was pounding. She covered her ears and pleaded pitifully, "It would be so bad if someone heard it!"

"There's no one around, not even a dog. What are you afraid of?"

Lin Zhengjun suppressed his smile and deliberately said dejectedly: "But the thing has happened, what can I do? How about I jump into the river and commit suicide? When I die, the debt is settled and everything is over!"

"That won't do!"

Tang Xiaofu immediately stamped her feet in anxiety: "Zhengjun, debts are dead, but people are alive. Let's live well. As long as we work hard together and earn more work points, we will be able to pay off the debt one day!"

"How old are you?"

"I'm 19."

"You are so young, how come you are so good at ideological work? I feel like you are a caring older sister. From now on, I will call you sister." Lin Zhengjun shouted softly at the top of his voice, "Good sister!"

"Stop making trouble!"

Tang Xiaofu was so embarrassed that she wanted to run away. She took out a wrapped handkerchief from her trouser pocket and handed it to Lin Zhengjun: "Take it and go buy wheat seeds!"

Lin Zhengjun took it and opened it. There were three Great Unity notes and several notes in the amounts of five yuan, two yuan, fifty cents, twenty cents, and one cent.

"Xiao Fu..." Lin Zhengjun stared at Tang Xiaofu in a daze. His voice suddenly became dry and choked, and he could no longer smile.

Many educated youth were young, and their work points were calculated as minors, which was lower than that of the members. Men generally only had eight work points, and women only had six or seven work points, so the food rations they received were naturally even less.

But they were in the growth stage and could eat and drink, while almost every educated youth was not able to get enough food and needed money and food coupons sent by their families to barely make ends meet.

But Lin Zhengjun knew that after Tang Xiaofu's parents fled to Gangcheng, they cut off contact with her and could not give her any support or help.

Two years ago, her grandparents in Yanjing were sent to work in the countryside, with very low incomes. Her younger brother was still in school, so they needed her to send money and food coupons to subsidize the family.

It can be said that this money was squeezed out of her teeth penny by penny, but now, she gave it all to him.

"Ah? What's wrong with you? Did I give you too little money?"

Tang Xiaofu panicked: "But I only have this much money. Don't worry or be sad. I will write to relatives and classmates to borrow some. There will always be a way!"

"No, you gave too much, too much, thank you, thank you..."

Endless guilt and love surged in his heart. Lin Zhengjun hugged Tang Xiaofu tightly in his arms, tears glistening in his eyes.

Recalling her past life, after marriage, Tang Xiaofu served her parents-in-law patiently and meticulously. She went to work every day, did laundry and cooked, and was very busy, keeping the house in order.

She loved him deeply, brought him water to wash his feet every day, and served him like an emperor.

When he saw Tang Xiaofu lying cold on the river bank with her dim eyes staring at the sky, Lin Zhengjun suddenly realized how stupid he was and how he had missed such a good woman.

"Oh, what if someone sees..."

Tang Xiaofu was so panicked that she didn't know what to do. Her face turned red with shame and she subconsciously tried to push Lin Zhengjun away.

At that time, the social atmosphere was extremely conservative. Couples had to keep a distance of more than half a meter when going out on the street to prove their innocence. If you dared to hug each other, the red armbands would immediately come up and scold you for "engaging in bourgeois liberalization." Tang Xiaofu had never experienced such a warm hug!

Feeling Lin Zhengjun's love, Tang Xiaofu felt a warm current in her heart.

Seeing that there was no one around, she leaned on Lin Zhengjun's shoulder tenderly and smiled sweetly, "If you are willing to marry me, I will be yours from now on, and my money will of course be yours too."

The two hugged quietly for a while. Tang Xiaofu smelled the strong masculine scent of Lin Zhengjun and felt his strong arms. She felt so happy that her head was dizzy, as if she was drunk.

Lin Zhengjun let go of Tang Xiaofu, stuffed the money into her hand, and said with a smile: "Xiaofu, take the money for yourself first."

"You are still being polite to me. Do you treat me as an outsider?" Tang Xiaofu pouted, looking unhappy.

"I'm not treating you as an outsider. I can make money myself!"

Lin Zhengjun held her hand and strolled along the river bank, smiling, "Not only do I have to pay back the 200 kilograms of wheat I owe the brigade, but I also have to build four large tiled houses as our wedding rooms before the end of the year!"

Hearing this, Tang Xiaofu's mouth opened into an O shape, and her clear and beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.

Four large tiled houses would cost at least seven or eight hundred yuan including materials and labor.

How could Lin Zhengjun, a second-rate guy, earn that much money in just a few months?

Lin Zhengjun was quite satisfied when he saw the little girl's shocked look.

Unexpectedly, the next moment, the little girl's mouth flattened, and she cried and said aggrievedly: "Don't you want to marry me, so you say this on purpose?"

"What?" Lin Zhengjun was confused by her strange train of thought.

"At the end of the year, you'll say that the wedding house hasn't been built yet, so you won't get married yet. If you keep putting it off, I'll become an old woman." Tang Xiaofu's big watery eyes were filled with crystal tears and she choked up.

Alas, I was too pretentious before, which made the silly girl feel insecure. Lin Zhengjun wiped her tears and smiled helplessly: "Xiao Fu, stop crying, I wish I could marry you right now!"

"But think about it, our family only has three leaky thatched houses. Where will you live if you marry here?"

Seeing that Lin Zhengjun was serious, Tang Xiaofu burst into laughter and blushed as she whispered, "It's okay to squeeze in a little!"

"I said I would make you the happiest bride in the whole commune, and I wasn't just joking."

Lin Zhengjun put his arm around her shoulders and said firmly: "Not only will I build a new house, but I will also buy three turns and one ring, give you a hundred yuan as a betrothal gift, buy you new clothes and new bedding, so that you can have enough food and clothing and live a comfortable life!"

"How do you make so much money? Do you rob or steal?"

Tang Xiaofu frowned her beautiful eyebrows, her eyes were full of panic: "Zhengjun, that is a criminal act, don't do anything stupid."

"I don't want a big tiled house, three turns and a bell, or a dowry. As long as you are willing to take me in, it will be my great blessing."

In November 1978, eighteen farmers in Xiaogang Village signed a life-and-death agreement, pressed their red fingerprints on the contract guarantee, and had a bumper harvest the following year.

But this is an innovative move that would go against the will of the world. Currently, most rural areas have not yet implemented the household contract responsibility system, and people are still eating from the collective communal pot, with members' incomes terribly low.

1978年，全国8亿农民人均收入74元6角7分钱，其中集体分配的口粮、食用油、柴草等实物折款55元1角，占73.8%，现金分红还不到20块钱。

Specifically in the Hewan Brigade, a strong laborer is counted as having worked a full day, and can only get 30 to 50 cents in dividends at the end of the year in the past two years, and can earn a few dozen yuan in the whole year.

The three turns and one ring cost a total of four hundred yuan, one hundred yuan for the bride price and six or seven hundred yuan for building the house, which is more than a thousand yuan!

At that time, the average worker's monthly income was only 18 or yuan, and an apprentice only earned yuan.

One thousand yuan is undoubtedly a huge sum of money even for workers and cadres with relatively high incomes.

In Tang Xiaofu's opinion, Lin Zhengjun's bold words can only be realized through illegal means.

"As long as you stand at the forefront of the times, a pig can fly."

Lin Zhengjun stopped and looked down at the low, dilapidated thatched houses and the endless fields of crops under the river bank. He said confidently, "Don't worry, good times have arrived. As long as you seize the opportunity, you can make money faster than robbing money! Do you believe me?"

"I believe it, I believe you!"

Tang Xiaofu stared at Lin Zhengjun's handsome face in a daze, and for a moment she was a little dazed: "You, you seem different today..."

Lin Zhengjun used to be depressed and listless, but now he is full of confidence and vigor, as if nothing can stop him.

Lin Zhengjun smiled and said, "Xiaofu, have you guessed how I want to make money? The answer to the puzzle is already there..."