Back to 1978

Chapter 94: The poor mountains and bad waters have brought unruly people ( monthly tickets plus more)
"Speak up, Taozi?" Xie Hushan pedaled his bicycle with a smug smile on his face, and kept provoking:

"Taozi, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you talking? Don't you like this joke?"

Taozi sat in the back seat with her head down and her chin buried in her red scarf, not saying a word. After a long while, she managed to utter, "Third brother, why don't you tell a different joke..."

Xie Hushan laughed wildly. After all, she was still a girl who had not grown up. She was frightened by just one sentence. If it were to happen in a few years, it would not be so easy to frighten her again.

Going further northwest, the road became more and more difficult to walk on. Sometimes when we encountered a slope, Taozi had to get off the car while Xie Hushan pushed the car up the slope. It was around six in the morning and the sun had not yet risen out of the door. By the time we arrived at the Yakou Brigade where Taozi's home was, the sun was almost at its zenith.

To be honest, Xie Hushan has been staying near Zhongping Village since he traveled through time. He always thought that the poor place like Xishan that people from Zhongping Brigade always talked about was just a negative adjective.

For example, some of the sentences that people often say:

"I have no money, no house, I'm greedy and lazy, I can't even marry a girl from Xishan!"

"If you keep crying, the wolves from the west mountain will come and take you away!"

"I'll send you to Xishan to live a hard life for two months, and then you'll understand what it means to enjoy life!"

But when he actually saw the Yakou Brigade, he realized that the elders in Zhongping were not using adjectives but stating basic facts.

Compared with the Zhongping Production Brigade, which had 19 production teams with more than 2,800 people, the Yakou Brigade had only three production teams with more than 400 people.

It is now 1978, but almost all the houses that can be seen in the entire Yakou Brigade are still the most primitive earthen houses.

The walls were made of adobe, the roofs were made of wooden purlins and covered with rolled wheat straw and yellow mud. Every yard had fences made of branches and corn stalks, and the window frames were covered with only a layer of window paper in the middle of winter, without even any plastic sheets.

The doors of these houses are very low, and someone as thin as Taozi would have to lower her head to get in.

Not only was there not a single electric pole in the entire brigade, but there wasn't even a pressurized well in the yard of every household, and everyone had to go to the village well to fetch water.

However, this type of adobe house has disappeared in Zhongping Brigade. Why did grandma worry that Xie Hushan would not be able to find a wife? Because if the young men of Zhongping Brigade now want to find girls from the brigade or nearby brigades with better conditions for blind dates and marriage, the new house must at least meet the standards of "bricks to the top, bluestone steps, coke on the roof, and cement floor".

If you add in miscellaneous furniture and small projects like building a wing room in the yard, you can't build it without more than a thousand yuan.

In short, if you want to marry a girl from Zhongping, the marriage standards are very strict.

The house where Xie Hushan and his grandmother lived at that time had a nickname in Zhongping Village, called "Four Corners Hard".

It is a typical building that is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. On the surface, it looks like it is made of complete bricks, from the top to the bottom, but in fact they are all half broken bricks, with the intact side exposed outside, while the inside is filled with broken bricks. The steps are not made of large bluestones, but pebbles.

Not to mention the old house, if Xie Hushan wants to build a new house with such "hard four corners", he will still not be considered a good daughter-in-law in the Zhongping Brigade area.

However, Xie Hushan’s current house in Zhongping Brigade cannot be considered as “sturdy” as his wife’s. However, if he moves to Yakou Brigade, it will immediately become the most luxurious house in the entire brigade.

It can be seen that there is a huge gap in living standards between the two brigades.

On the road in the village, you can see several children running and playing wildly. Their dressing is far inferior to that of Daxiu, Han Laosan, Cao Ma and other children. Even compared to Lao Meng whose parents do not care about him much.

They were dirty, naked, and wearing cotton monkey trousers with patches on top of patches, with the cuffs greasy, and the cotton shoes on their feet were several sizes larger than their feet. If they ran a little faster, the cotton trousers with big crotches would fall down, revealing half of their buttocks, and the cotton shoes would fly off. The children had to hold up their trousers and then pick up the shoes and put them on bare feet.

When he saw Xie Hushan riding a bicycle with Taozi on it, he wanted to chase him to Taozi's house. He looked all the way and probably didn't even see the bicycle.

When Xie Hushan saw these scenes, his first reaction was, ****! Those educated youth who had previously used the backdoor to join the Zhongping Brigade should be arranged to work in such places, to serve in such places, and to starve those stupid Ders who think they are superior.

"We're here, Third brother. That's my home." After returning home, Taozi's voice was filled with excitement.

Xie Hushan could understand Taozi's excitement and joy. It was not that she disliked the life with her grandmother and Zhongping, but to her, no matter how poor this place was, it was where she grew up and she could be free there.

In Zhongping, for Taozi, no matter how well she eats every day, she will probably not feel comfortable, as she is always worried about leaving a bad impression on others.

Taozi's home is also a mud house with a fence wall. The yard is very large, but there are only three low adobe houses inside.

Before Xie Hushan stopped his bicycle, Taozi had already jumped off and ran to the front door of her house. She pushed open the wooden door of the fence and ran into the yard, shouting, "Mom! I'm back!"

Xie Hushan got off his bicycle and looked around, saying with emotion: "It's really a poor and bad place."

……

"After our head of the family came back that time, he was still talking about a guy named Hu Saner he met in Zhongping in the middle of the night. He was such a nice guy. Not only did he prepare steamed bread and ten ears of corn for us when we left, but he also told us to come to him if we had no place to stay in Zhongping next time." Jin Mancang's wife, Taozi's mother Li Qiaozhi, was busy cooking in the low main room at this time. She smiled and said to the neighbors who came to help her. In fact, her main purpose was to see the neighbors of the future son-in-law of the Jin family showing off with their mouths wide open:

"Lao Jin told me secretly the day he came back that he didn't know if that young man had a girlfriend. I thought our Taozi was a good match for him. She was kind-hearted and wouldn't bully outsiders. Besides, this was a grain-producing area like Zhongping Commune. Taozi couldn't stand being wronged if she married there, but she was afraid that he would look down on people from our poor place. Who would have thought that after all the twists and turns, it would actually work out."

Several middle-aged women from the neighborhood listened to Li Qiaozhi's bragging while passing around the photos that Taozi brought back. Those were solo photos that Taozi had taken in the sanatorium park when her grandmother was recuperating. Her grandmother asked the nursing home's caregivers to take photos of Taozi.

At this time, Taozi had taken off her military coat and red scarf, and was wearing the blue work clothes that her grandmother and aunt had altered for her overnight. She rolled up her sleeves and walked out, ready to help her mother cook.

"Go away, you're not needed. Don't get your clothes dirty. Go to the yard to check on Hu Saner, and tell Ertao'er and Sanpang'er and the others to stop bothering Hu Saner in an unruly manner. Especially Sanpang'er, he's too naughty. He might break someone else's bicycle, which is quite valuable." Li Qiaozhi said, with her hands covered in buckwheat noodles, and quickly used her body to block her daughter from coming closer.

Taozi could only ask, "Where's my dad?"

"Your father went to the team to settle the money for transporting the stones. He has been gone for two hours and hasn't come back yet. Why is he so anxious?" Li Qiaozhi complained.

In the yard, 15-year-old Jin Ge, also known as Jin Er Tao'er's younger sister, was curiously looking at the bicycle that Xie Hushan rode, holding the hand of Jin's youngest brother, Jin Biao, who was just five years old this year. The eldest son of the Jin family, 11-year-old Jin Long, also known as Jin San Pang'er, squatted in front of the bicycle, pedaling and watching the rear wheel of the bicycle, which was supported by a ladder, turn quickly as he pedaled.

Taozi walked over and grabbed her brother, who was squatting in front of the bicycle and pedaling, by the collar, and pulled him up, then said calmly:

"Go, help mom light the fire."

There was no sign of resistance on Jinlong's face and he went to the main room obediently.

Xie Hushan, who was smoking outside the courtyard gate and looking at the village road, happened to see this scene in the courtyard and his eyelids twitched slightly.

The peaceful scene before him could not prove that Jin Laosan was an honest and obedient child. On the contrary, it only proved that this kid had been beaten by Taozi countless times, which made him feel so painful when he thought about it. Even though his sister had been gone for three months, he did not dare to have the idea of ​​resisting.

Just like Daxiu's reaction when he saw him saying something expressionlessly, that was purely a brother-sister relationship that was fostered by fighting.

Otherwise, why would grandma want to find the eldest daughter in the family to be her wife?

Er Tao'er was much more sensible and greeted her in a sweet voice: "Sister~"

"My third brother bought clothes, and grandma helped me alter one set of clothes. She also asked me to help you alter another set. It's in the room. Go try it on and keep it for the New Year." Taozi said with a smile to her younger sister Ertaoer.

Er Taoer took his brother to the house, and Taozi walked to the gate of the yard:
"Third brother, come inside, it's cold outside."

"I'm waiting for someone. The stuff hasn't been delivered yet. Sixth Master said it must arrive before noon, but it's already noon." Xie Hushan said to Taozi.

Just as he finished speaking, a horse-drawn carriage drove over along the village road in the distance, and the driver shouted from a distance: "Is the person standing at the door the old Jin family of Jin Mancang? Someone is bringing something!"

"Here I am, this is the one." Xie Hushan shouted to the other party.

"Xie Laoliu from Zhongping gave it to me in the county yesterday and asked me to bring it here early this morning. Hurry up and open it to see if it's almost the same." The driver, wearing a cotton hat and a torn sheepskin jacket, jumped off the cart and dragged down a large bag of black flour and a bulging sack from the back of the cart.

Xie Hushan untied the hemp rope of the sack, and inside were two sets of pig offal, two pairs of pig's trotters, half a pig's lung, and a pig's head.

"Wow~" The driver was startled and looked at Xie Hushan: "I didn't even open it to take a look. What real relatives does Zhongping have? Did they send half of the pigs they slaughtered here?"

"Sir." Xie Hushan smiled at the driver, "The amount is correct. Thank you for your hard work."

"This son-in-law is very honest and not hardworking. It's just a matter of carrying something. I asked Xie Laoliu to carry something, and he had to do it." The driver sat back in the car: "If it's okay, I'll leave now."

Then he released the brake with his left hand, whipped the whip with his right hand, and shouted "Gee!" The carriage continued to move forward.

Taozi looked at Xie Hushan, her face full of shock: "Where did it come from?"

"The noodles are from home, and I ordered the meat from Grandpa's veterinary station. Don't worry, I paid for it, and Grandma knows."

Xie Hushan had prepared all the things yesterday, but they could not be carried on a bicycle, so he found Liu Ye and asked him whether he wanted to go to Xishan before the New Year. After Liu Ye asked clearly, he said that he did not need to go, and he just happened to be sending some women and children in the team to the county town for a stroll. When the time comes, he can help Xie Hushan find a familiar Xishan rickshaw driver to take the things over.

Taozi heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this and looked at Xie Hushan: "Is it all because of me that you sent it?"

"Yeah." Xie Hushan nodded and said with a smile: "It's because you gave it to me."

As he said this, he was about to take it.

"Don't move, you'll get your clothes dirty." Taozi pushed him away and prepared to tie the sack again, saying in a proud tone:

"Then I'm also angry about your pretentiousness. Grandma told me that you should remember your third brother's pretentiousness for the rest of your life and bring it up with him whenever you have time."

Before he could tie it, Jin Mancang and a middle-aged man came over and saw the pork and black noodles. Before Jin Mancang could greet Xie Hushan and Taozi, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up and he spoke in a tone that sounded like he deserved a beating:

"Lao Jin, someone brought something to your house. I thought it was a joke when I heard it. OK, you owe the team food, but now your family can eat meat? Put everything down!"

Taozi paused while fastening her pocket, while Jin Mancang looked embarrassed. Before the two of them could speak, Xie Hushan, who was standing beside them, was already wearing a flattering smile. He pointed to the courtyard in the same way that Captain Jia was pointing the way to the imperial army, and reminded them:

"Comrade, it's not just noodles and meat. I also saw a bicycle at his house, which was also delivered with the noodles and meat."

Hearing this, the other party turned his head and looked inside the fenced yard. There was indeed a bicycle parked there. He walked towards the yard:

"This truck will be confiscated as well. When you pay off the food you owe, you can go back to the team to get it back."

Xie Hushan unbuttoned his military coat, staring at the other person's back as he entered the yard, his smile growing wider:

"Just like I said, there must be unruly people to serve as a foil for poor mountains and bad waters. If not, I am willing to play a cameo role."

He handed the coat to Taozi, entered the yard, closed the gate, and made a hushing gesture to the startled Taozi through the fence:
"Look, let me teach you how to deal with things when you encounter them. Don't just sacrifice yourself when something happens. You have to sacrifice others."

Taozi said nervously: "That's our team's production team leader, what are you going to do?"

Xie Hushan pulled out a military bayonet from his waist with his left hand, and a Type 54 rifle with his right hand. After hesitating for a moment, he put the Type 54 rifle back.

"Ma Laowu's level? Then this thing is enough, Wusi will be kept for your brigade secretary."

(End of this chapter)