Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Faced with the accusations from the crowd, Woodzi's wife regretted it so much that she wanted to slap herself! In this situation, the woman was not at fault; 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—her cousins and uncles—were actually on the minibus. Now they had all gotten off, chatting amiably with Hu Zhenhua, who was driving the tractor, and exchanging cigarettes.
As they talked, they discovered that these men were also distant relatives of the bride and were well-respected figures in the village. They had been invited by the bride's parents to help with the wedding.
Cousin Mu Baicheng said to Hu Zhenhua, "Second Brother, this family seems a bit 'immature,' huh?" (Here, "immature" means lacking consideration or maturity in handling matters.)
Hu Zhenhua smiled but said nothing in response.
While they were chatting, Hu Qihua, who had been called over by Woodzi for assistance, joined them. The old cousins exchanged warm greetings again.
Woodzi and his wife began brainstorming ways to raise money. You might think, "It's just five hundred yuan; what's the big deal?" But in that era, five hundred yuan was no small amount.
Moreover, these two were not particularly likable; those from far away only wanted to watch the spectacle and were unwilling to help, while those nearby had already been asked for assistance multiple times.
At this moment, the couple 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 Aunt allow her nephew to hand over the "wash basin" and let her niece get out of the wedding car.
The male relatives escorting the bride no longer stopped those from the groom's side from unloading her dowry.
In the courtyard where Woodzi and his wife lived, three tables were set up in the main room. Directly opposite was one of the New Bride's close uncles along with an older brother and younger brother. The guests included Hu Family Village's Party Secretary, Barefoot Doctor, and Wu Mingyang's Second Uncle. To the right was a table with three of the New Bride's cousins, accompanied by Wu Mingyang's third uncle and two cousins. To the left sat three brothers from the Mou family; originally scheduled guests included the village head and brigade accountant, but now Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua had been pulled into their company.
Hu Ruoyun and Wu Mingliang had a good relationship and also came over to join in and lend a hand.
Regardless of everything else, this joyous occasion passed amidst all the commotion.
The next evening, Woodzi and his wife 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 "the world changes with time; feelings change with circumstances."
In rural areas, while not every family is closely connected, if something happens in one household, it quickly becomes known throughout the entire village.
Woodzi’s wife's mishap soon spread throughout the village. During Lunar New Year celebrations, Junior Three returned from their grandmother’s house to find 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 the back street had passed away.
Zhao Meirong also instructed Hu Qihua: Go get some ash, let's surround the door! The quick-talking sister Xiao Feng muttered: "Humph, it's all feudal superstition!" Zhao Meirong sternly rebuked: Don't talk nonsense! In our place, there is such a saying: The elderly say that when a person has just died, the soul has not yet gone far, and it may wander around and "visit" everywhere. The ash in the stove can "ward off evil spirits". Using ash to surround the door of your own house is also to prevent the visit of the dead. There is also a saying in the countryside: children can see "unclean" things. It is said that when "Er Dadan" in the village was five or six years old, he went out to play. When it was dark, he went home to eat. When he walked to the entrance of the alley, he saw an old man squatting under the millstone with a black coat, black pants, and a melon-shaped hat. When he got closer, he saw that it was the second master who had been lying on the bed opposite for three years. Dadan was bold when he was young, but he was also a good child. He went up to the second master and greeted him: Second master, what are you doing squatting here? Erye lowered his head and did not respond. Dadan moved closer: "Erye, are you well? It's time to eat, go home." Erye still lowered his head and did not respond. Dadan saw that Erye ignored him, maybe because he was deaf and did not hear what he said. He was about to speak loudly to Erye again, but suddenly heard his mother shouting at the door: "Erxiao, why don't you go home? The food is cold! What are you looking at by the millstone?" Dadan said to Erye: "Erye, I'm going home to eat." He turned around and ran to his mother while saying: "I'm talking to Erye here." His mother's face turned pale instantly. If she hadn't been holding on to the door frame, she would probably not be able to stand. She shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about, go home quickly!" She pulled up Er Dadan who was running closer, closed the door and bolted it with a "bang", and ran back to the house without daring to look back. Dadan's father was drinking corn porridge. Seeing Dadan's mother's panic, he yelled, "Why are you panicking? Did the dog chase you?" Dadan's mother was speechless. She stared for a long time before she said to Dadan's father, "Boss, go... go and 'surround' our door!" Dadan was about to speak when Dadan's mother scolded him again, "Don't talk!" Dadan's father's face darkened. Seeing Dadan's mother's lost look, he stopped asking questions. He put down the bowl, hurriedly scooped up a handful of hot wood ash from the stove and ran out swiftly. Later, Dadan learned that the second master next door had died in the afternoon of that day! It was not until more than half a month after the incident that Dadan's mother questioned Dadan in broad daylight what happened that evening. Looking at the large circle of aunts and uncles around her, Dadan repeated what she saw, and the people around her broke out in a cold sweat. Although Dadan was still a child, no one doubted what he said, because the new clothes that Erye wore after his death were the clothes that Dadan saw! The old man said that what Dadan saw was Erye's soul, but the dead and the dead are different, and the dead cannot communicate directly with the living. For a long time afterwards, no one dared to go to the millstone to play at night.
Dadan is now a greasy middle-aged uncle. When we chatted, we asked him what he had seen. He always smiled and said: "No, no, no." There is another rule in our hometown. If someone dies in a family, you cannot put up "door paintings" during the Spring Festival for the next three years. The old people said that the deceased will return home in these three years. If you put up "door paintings", it is equivalent to inviting "door gods". The deceased cannot return home to receive sacrifices from the living, and will be blamed. There is another version of the legend. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were few TVs in the village. Often half of the village would crowd into the homes of people with TVs to watch popular TV series such as "Huo Yuanjia" and "Sachiko". On the night of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month of that year, Dadan went to watch TV with his mother. When he came back, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening. When he walked to the millstone at the entrance of the alley, he pulled his mother's hand and said, "Mom, you see, the second master didn't go home during the Spring Festival." Dadan's mother collapsed there at that time. Fortunately, a neighbor passed by soon and helped Dadan's mother back home. The old man said that the second uncle's son forgot the rules and put up door paintings early in the year after his father passed away, but when his father came back he couldn't enter the house.
Comment 0 Comment Count