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Faced with the accusations from everyone, Woodzi Woman felt an overwhelming urge to slap herself! In this situation, the bride was not at fault, and it was up to her to find a way to smooth things over.
During the wedding procession, she hadn’t noticed that Hu Ruoyun's three distant relatives—his cousins and uncles—were all on the minibus. They had just gotten off and were warmly greeting Hu Zhenhua, who was driving the tractor, exchanging cigarettes and pleasantries.
As they chatted, they discovered that these men were also distant relatives of the bride’s family, prominent figures in the village who had been invited by her parents to assist with the wedding.
Cousin Mu Baicheng remarked to Hu Zhenhua, “Second Brother, this family seems a bit ‘immature,’ don’t you think?” (Note: “immature” here means “not well thought out.”)
Hu Zhenhua smiled but said nothing in response.
While they were talking, Hu Qihua, who had been called over by Woodzi for help, joined them, and the older relatives exchanged more friendly banter.
Woodzi and her husband began brainstorming ways to gather money. Don’t underestimate the significance of five hundred yuan; in that era, it was a considerable amount. Moreover, their relatives living farther away were only interested in the spectacle and were unwilling to help, while those nearby had already been asked for assistance multiple times.
At that moment, they truly understood the saying “a penny can defeat a hero.”
In the end, it was Wu Mingyang’s Second Aunt who lent five hundred yuan from her daughter’s six hundred yuan “meeting gift” to give to the New Bride’s brother. Only then did the Aunt allow her nephew to hand over the “wash basin” and let her niece exit the wedding car.
The male guests accompanying the bride no longer stopped those from the groom’s side from unloading the dowry.
In Woodzi's courtyard, three tables were set up in the main room. Directly opposite was an uncle of the New Bride along with an older brother and younger brother. The guests included Party Secretary and Barefoot Doctor from Hu Family Village, as well as Wu Mingyang’s Second Uncle. To the right was a table with three of the New Bride's brothers and guests that included Wu Mingyang’s third uncle and two cousins. To the left sat three brothers from the Mu family; originally scheduled guests included the Village Chief and the brigade accountant, but they had now invited Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua to join them.
Hu Ruoyun and Wu Mingliang had a good relationship and also came to lend a hand amidst all the excitement.
Regardless of everything else, a joyful occasion passed through all the commotion.
The next evening, Woodzi and her husband visited both Hu Qihua’s and Hu Zhenhua’s homes separately, bringing two bottles of liquor and two packs of cigarettes as thanks for their help.
This might be the best illustration of “times change, feelings change with them.”
In rural areas, while not every family is closely connected, when something happens in one household, it spreads throughout the entire village.
The news about Woodzi Woman’s mishap quickly circulated throughout the village.
On Lunar New Year Junior Three returned from their grandmother's house and saw people gathered around doors in their alley.
In our hometown, when someone passes away in a village household, neighbors will sprinkle ashes from their kitchen stove across the front door to mark it off—a practice known as “surrounding the door.”
Upon inquiry, it turned out that Zhao Zhengjun's eighty-two-year-old father from down the street had passed away.
Zhao Meirong instructed Hu Qihua, "Quickly get some ash; let's surround the door!"
Her younger sister, Xiao Feng, muttered, "Hmph, it's all superstitious nonsense!"
Zhao Meirong scolded her seriously, "Don't talk nonsense!"
In our area, there is a saying: when a person has just passed away, their soul has not yet gone far and may wander around visiting places. The ash from grass and wood can ward off evil spirits, and surrounding one's door with it is a way to prevent the visit of the deceased.
In the countryside, there's also a belief that children can see "unclean" things.
It is said that when Er Dadan was about five or six years old, he went out to play. As dusk fell and it was time for dinner at home, he reached the alley and saw an old man squatting under a grinding stone, dressed in black clothes and pants with a melon-shaped hat. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his neighbor's grandfather who had been bedridden for three years.
Bold as a child, yet obedient, he approached the old man and greeted him, "Grandpa, what are you doing squatting here?"
The old man kept his head down and did not respond.
Getting a bit closer, Er Dadan asked again, "Grandpa, are you feeling better? It’s time to eat; let’s go home."
The old man still did not respond.
Seeing that the old man ignored him, Er Dadan thought he might be hard of hearing and was about to speak louder when he heard his mother calling from the doorway, "Er Dadan, why aren’t you home yet? The food is getting cold! What are you staring at by the grinding stone?"
Er Dadan turned to the old man and said, "Grandpa, I’m going home to eat." He then ran towards his mother while saying, "I was talking to Grandpa here."
His words made his mother turn pale instantly; if it weren't for the doorframe supporting her, she might have fallen over. She sternly shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Hurry home!" Grabbing Er Dadan by the arm, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang and hurried back inside without looking back.
Er Dadan's father was drinking corn porridge when he saw his wife in a flustered state and yelled, "What’s wrong? Did a dog chase you?"
Unable to speak, Er Dadan's mother stared wide-eyed for a moment before saying to her husband, "You need to... go surround our door!"
Just as Er Dadan was about to speak up, his mother snapped at him again: "Don’t say anything!"
Seeing his wife's terrified expression, Er Dadan's father frowned but didn’t ask further. He quickly set down his bowl and hurriedly grabbed a large handful of hot ash from the stove before rushing out.
Later on, Er Dadan learned that the old man next door had passed away that very afternoon!
It wasn't until more than half a month later that Er Dadan's mother questioned him about what had happened that evening under the bright sun. Surrounded by a large circle of aunties and uncles, Er Dadan recounted what he had seen again. The listeners broke out in cold sweats.
Although Er Dadan was still just a child, no one doubted his words because the new clothes for mourning that were put on after the old man's passing were exactly what Er Dadan had seen!
The elders said that what Er Dadan saw was the lingering soul of the grandfather; however, those who have passed cannot communicate directly with the living.
For a long time afterward, no one dared to play near the grinding stone at night.
Now, Bold has become a greasy middle-aged man. When we chat casually and ask him what he has seen, he always smiles mysteriously and says, "Nothing, nothing at all."
In our hometown village, there is a custom: if someone passes away, the family cannot put up "door paintings" during the Spring Festival for the next three years. The elders say that during these three years, the deceased still needs to "return home." If you put up a "door painting," it is like inviting a "door god," which means the deceased cannot return home to receive the offerings from the living and will hold a grudge.
There is another version of the legend. In the 1980s and 1990s, when televisions were still rare in the village, often half the village would crowd into the homes of those who had a TV to watch popular dramas like "Huo Yuanjia" and "Xingzi." One year, on the night of the twenty-eighth day of the Lunar December, Bold went with his mother to watch TV at someone else's house. When they returned home, it was already past ten at night. As they reached the entrance of the alley by the grinding stone, he tugged at his mother's hand and said, "Mom, look, Er Ye isn't home for the New Year either."
At that moment, Bold's mother collapsed right there. Fortunately, a neighbor passed by shortly after and helped her back home.
The elders said that Er Ye's son forgot the rule; in the first year after his father passed away, he put up door paintings early on the twenty-eighth day. However, when Er Ye returned, he found he could not enter his own home.
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