1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

As soon as Feng Jiamo and Qin Xiaolian helped carry the luggage into the cave dwelling, their eyes were fixed on the large cardboard box with the Yanjing brand printed on it on the tractor.

That was a 14-inch black and white television that Cheng Xuemin brought back from Yanjing. It was the first time Chengjiawan had ever seen such a novelty.

"Xiaolian, come and lend a hand!"

Feng Jiamo rolled up his sleeves, and the two of them laboriously carried the cardboard box down. Qin Xiaolian wiped her sweat and asked curiously, "Jiamo, could this be a TV? My brother actually bought a TV set all the way from Yanjing?"

Qin Xiaolian stayed at Cheng Xuemin's house in Yanjing for more than half a year to prepare for the exam, and of course she watched a lot of TV at home.

But even though it was packed in such a big cardboard box, I still couldn't quite recognize it.

Only a sketch of a television set could be seen on the outside of the cardboard box, so I boldly guessed and asked.

"It's a TV!" Feng Jiamo patted the box proudly and said, "My sister heard that you got electricity here, and she insisted that my brother-in-law buy a new TV for the family!"

Just then, Cheng's mother, Qin Guilan, came out carrying freshly cooked millet porridge. She was about to feed her beloved grandson, Little Squirrel, when she saw them carrying a large box and quickly asked:

"What is this? It's so heavy! Jia Mo Xiaolian, you guys leave it here and let Quan Wen carry it!"

"Mom, this is a TV! Xuemin brought it back, saying it's for you and Dad to watch!" Feng Jiayou came over and helped unpack the box. Foam crumbs fell all over the floor, revealing the shiny black TV body and two metal antennas inside.

"Oh my god, a television? Wow, something so expensive and heavy, you even bought it all the way from Beijing??"

Upon hearing this, Cheng's mother was greatly surprised. She had spent two or three months in Yanjing and had seen this television before, so she was not particularly surprised or astonished.

After all, her eldest son in Yanjing had a total of three television sets.

There's one in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, and they also bought one in each of the front and back courtyards of the Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).

So after watching TV for so long, Cheng's mother wasn't really that interested.

What surprised me most was!

Bringing such a bulky thing back from Yanjing must have worn out her eldest son, Cheng Xuemin, quite a bit.

When Cheng's mother made such a fuss, everyone in the courtyard heard it.

When the young people in the village heard that the Cheng family had bought a television, seven or eight of them swarmed over. Erzhuzi, carrying a wooden ladder, rubbed his hands together and said, "Brother Xuemin, I'll help you install the antenna! I saw it with him in the county before, I know how to set it up!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded with a smile. Erzhuzi quickly climbed onto the roof, set up the antenna on the wooden pole, and shouted while adjusting the direction, "Xiaolian, keep an eye on the screen, call me when you see a picture!"

Qin Xiaolian leaned over the table, her eyes fixed on the black screen, while Feng Jiamo squatted beside her, clutching the power plug in his hand.

As soon as Cheng Xuemin shouted to plug it in, she plugged it in with a snap, and the screen lit up instantly, but it was full of static.

"Move to the left! More to the left!" Qin Xiaolian shouted, pointing at the screen. Erzhuzi moved the antenna on the roof, and the static gradually decreased. Suddenly, the words "CCTV" appeared, followed by familiar music.
It's a recording of the New Year's Eve tea party!
"I've got it! I've got it!" Feng Jiamo jumped up, and the villagers in the courtyard rushed in, crowding the place to the brim, with even a few teenagers perched on the wall.

On the screen, Gong Xue was singing on stage when Cheng Xuemin walked up with a microphone and sang "The Bloodstained Glory" with her.

The courtyard fell silent instantly. Third Aunt pointed at the screen, her voice trembling, "This... isn't that Xuemin? How come he's singing on TV? He looks just like the real person!"

Before Cheng Xuemin could speak, his father, not too proudly, said, "You don't know his third aunt, do you?"

"This year, Xuemin was invited by the leaders of Haizili to attend a state banquet at Haizili! Xuemin ate a state banquet at Haizili on New Year's Eve this year!"

Do you know what a state banquet is? In previous dynasties, it would have been a royal feast held in the imperial palace!

Cheng's father also learned on the tractor that his son had been invited to a state banquet at Haizi this year!

I hadn't figured out how to properly show off in front of my fellow villagers.

No idea!
The television set that my eldest son brought back was just set up, and it was already showing his tea party performance after the banquet.

Then, not wanting to be too boastful, he continued, "Also, do you know what to do after having a state banquet in the lake?"

"Just like this! Attending the New Year's Camellia Party hosted by the leaders of Haizi Village!"

"What's being shown on TV right now is a scene of E'jia Xuemin at the Camellia Festival!"

"Oh my, look! Look! My son Xuemin is shaking hands with the old leader!"

Really!

There is television footage to prove it; the camera clearly shows Cheng Xuemin shaking hands with the old leader he often saw in the newspapers. Mr. Cheng, please don't get too excited!
In an instant, all the villagers and their friends who were watching cheered and were excited.

It was as if shaking hands with Cheng Xuemin was the same as shaking hands with them.

Afraid that the squirrels would get jostled, Cheng's mother quickly carried the child into the inner room and told Cheng's father through the window, "Dad, tell everyone not to push and shove, be careful not to bump into the TV!"

"Yes, yes, yes, don't push! Look!"

After showing off, Mr. Cheng gave up his space to the villagers and friends who were eager to watch TV, and then quickly invited Mr. and Mrs. Feng to sit down and eat.

Cheng's mother and her older sister, Cheng Wenxiu, spent the entire day preparing at home to welcome their in-laws, who were visiting for the first time.

Moreover, many relatives came, including Cheng's maternal grandfather, uncles, aunts, and so on.

Cheng Xuemin's uncles, aunts, and other relatives all came.

The whole family was seated, but even with two square tables pushed together, there simply weren't enough seats.

In the end, it was mostly the women who didn't drink who stood up and ate, while those who did drink were all sharpening their knives, definitely ready to have a big fight with Cheng Xuemin's father-in-law, Mr. Feng!
of course!

Mr. Feng has seen all kinds of things, and this was indeed his first time visiting his son-in-law's home. He was so happy that he accepted every toast offered.
Fortunately, Cheng Xuemin, a good son-in-law, was there to help his father-in-law from time to time, otherwise his father-in-law would have been drunk to the point of passing out long ago.

At the dinner table, Mr. Feng started talking non-stop, expressing his extreme satisfaction with his son-in-law!

He even mentioned the more than 20 million US dollars in foreign exchange earnings, and it was truly the first time his father-in-law had openly expressed his pride at the dinner table.

Seeing her husband, Mr. Feng, so happy and drunk, Mrs. Feng, who was serving him, was both anxious and angry, and she was wiping away tears.

"Xuemin, you even brought back the Tai Chi film!" The father-in-law suddenly mentioned the Tai Chi film from Chuanghui, saying that he had even brought back a copy, which surprised the brigade secretary's uncle, who also asked repeatedly.

Cheng Xuemin nodded in agreement, then stood up and addressed the relatives and friends who were crowding around to watch TV:

"Yes, yes, sir! I brought back a copy of the movie 'Tai Chi' this time. Tomorrow, I'll have my uncle go to the commune to call the projectionist, and we'll show the movie at the threshing ground tonight so everyone can see it!" Tai Chi is now being distributed and shown nationwide!
However, the first batch of films are usually shown in cinemas in major cities. At this time, let alone showing films in rural villages, it is not certain whether they will even be shown in small cinemas in their counties!

Therefore, Cheng Xuemin brought the Tai Chi copy to Chengjiawan for screening, making it a clear early release!
"What? Showing movies? The kind that makes US dollars?" Uncle, already quite drunk, immediately stood up when his name was mentioned, slapped his thigh, and shouted, "I'm going to the commune right now! Tell the projectionist to come quickly, don't delay the show tonight!"

"Uncle, don't worry, we can go tomorrow!" Cheng Xuemin quickly pulled him aside and said, "Let everyone watch TV tonight, and then watch a movie tomorrow. Let's have two days of fun!"

The villagers were even happier to hear that.

Some people went home to bring small stools, while others brought melon seeds and peanuts. Dozens of stools were suddenly placed in the yard, and even the threshold of the Cheng family's house was full of people.

After the tea party ended, the news started playing on the screen. Everyone stared at the screen, not daring to breathe, afraid of missing a single scene.

In the inner room, Cheng's mother, aunt, maternal aunt, paternal aunt, aunt, aunt, aunt, aunt, cousin, cousin's wife, cousin, cousin's wife and cousin's wife surrounded Feng Jiayou, asking her questions one after another.

They chatted until midnight before everyone went back to their rooms to rest.

Cheng Xuemin and Feng Jiayou moved into the newly built cave dwelling. The kang (heated brick bed) was warm and cozy, and they were covered with a cotton quilt that Cheng's mother had just sewn, which was filled with new cotton. Feng Jiayou touched the kang mat and said with a smile, "This cave dwelling is so much better than the one I had at my previous educated youth settlement."

Cheng Xuemin put his arm around her and said with a smile, "I'll come back every year for the Spring Festival, so you and Little Squirrel can experience the flavor of the Spring Festival in northern Shaanxi."

The next morning, before Cheng Xuemin was even fully awake, he heard a commotion outside the courtyard.

He got dressed and went outside, and wow!

The entrance to Chengjiawan village was crowded with people. Some rode bicycles, some pulled carts, and some walked. They were all villagers from nearby communes. They had all come to see the excitement after hearing that the Cheng family was going to show a movie that would earn US dollars.

At noon, the commune's projectionist arrived with my uncle, bringing a projector and a white cloth.

Upon seeing Cheng Xuemin, the projectionist excitedly exclaimed, "Comrade Xuemin, I've heard about your film 'Tai Chi' for a long time, but it hasn't even been shown in our county yet. I never expected that our commune would be able to show it ahead of schedule today, so I can finally see it with my own eyes!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. It should be arriving in the county soon too. China Film Group in Beijing is prioritizing the large prints, and the smaller prints should be arriving in our county soon as well!"

"Yes, yes!" the projectionist nodded repeatedly, excitedly.

In the afternoon, the village's young people helped set up a frame in the threshing ground and hung white cloth on two old locust trees.

Dozens of rows of stones were placed below as benches, and some people even brought wooden planks from their homes to build temporary benches.

The villagers arrived early to reserve a spot, some even bringing their own food at noon, afraid that they would miss out if they arrived late.

Looking at the lively scene, Mr. Feng said to Cheng Xuemin, "Your visit has stirred up the whole commune; it's certainly a lively affair!"

"Dad! This is nothing. Tomorrow, people from the neighboring commune or even the county might come over to watch the movie!" Cheng Xuemin hadn't expected that his early release of the film would cause such a stir.

Looking at the dense crowd at the entrance of the village, I made up my mind to only screen this one show tonight.

Tomorrow, we'll have the projectionist take the copy back and show it directly at the commune!
Otherwise, if it's left open for several days in a row, Chengjiawan will be almost completely flattened.

By evening, the threshing ground was packed with people, and even the surrounding earthen slopes were filled with people.

As the projectionist adjusted the machine, the villagers craned their necks to watch the white screen, and the children ran around the projector, excitedly shouting, "The movie is going to start! The movie is going to start!"

Cheng Xuemin, holding the little squirrel, stood beside Mr. and Mrs. Feng, feeling a warm glow in his heart as he looked at the scene before him.

This is the flavor of the New Year in my hometown—simple yet lively, more reassuring than the hustle and bustle of Beijing.

As the projector clicked away, the opening credits of "Tai Chi" appeared on the white screen, and the villagers instantly fell silent, their eyes glued to the screen.

When they saw Li Lianjie, who plays Yang Yuqian, practicing Tai Chi in the hometown of Tai Chi, someone whispered, "His Tai Chi is really beautiful, even better than the folk performers in the village!"

When Yang Yuqian stormed the Seven Star Pagoda and fought the villains, the villagers held their breath, some even clenching their fists and shouting, "Go for it!" "Beat him!"

Sitting next to Mrs. Feng, Cheng's mother looked at the screen and asked softly, "Are all the people in here people you know, Xuemin?"

Feng's mother nodded: "They're all the people who filmed movies with him. That young man who does boxing is called Li Lianjie. He was also trained by Xuemin."

Cheng's mother sighed, "It's really not easy for Xuemin to make such a good film."

The movie lasted for more than two hours. It wasn't until the end credits music started that the villagers came to their senses, and then they burst into thunderous applause. Some even shouted, "Show it again!"

The projectionist smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone, it's too late today. Let's show it again tomorrow!"

Cheng Xuemin stepped forward and said to the villagers who were reluctant to leave, "It's really too late today, let's show it again tomorrow!"

"How about this, I'll have Master Wan take the movie copy back to the commune, and we'll show it there every night until the Lantern Festival, okay?"

"Good good!"

The villagers were overjoyed to hear that the festival could last until the Lantern Festival.

"Can it be kept until the Lantern Festival?" Master Wan asked, his face showing a mixture of excitement and slight embarrassment upon hearing Cheng Xuemin's words.

"Master Wan, take the copy back with you and keep it until the Lantern Festival! I'll have my uncle talk to the commune secretary!"

"And it will definitely count towards work points. I'll make sure the electricity bills and such are paid for by my dad and send them to the commune!"

Master Wan was certainly excited, but he was also in a dilemma.

After all, the electricity and light costs for a projectionist are quite high, even for someone who is only two hours old.

But when Cheng Xuemin gave his complete assurance, what else was there to say?!

and!

This time, Cheng Xuemin not only gave him a copy of Tai Chi, but also a new copy of "Romance on Lushan Mountain".

He was so annoyed that he handed everything over to the projectionist, letting him arrange the screenings however he pleased at the commune.

……

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