Chapter 18: Guarding the Family Door
Chapter 18: Guarding the Family Door
The next day.
With the village festival in full swing, the surrounding villages, centered around Naye Village, were bustling with activity. The children gathered at the village elder's house to watch the adults slaughter pigs and cook the meat.
As the large pots of meat simmered and the aroma filled the air, even the children who couldn't eat yet were content just to breathe in the delicious scent.
The village elder’s house was less than a hundred meters from Deng Shirong’s home, so they didn’t need to arrive early like those from farther away. They could wait until the right moment.
Estimating that it was almost time, Deng Yunzhen and her younger sister, Deng Yunzhu, brought their bowls and the incense paper to the village elder’s house.
By then, the cooked festival meat was already laid out on the tables, and four large iron pots were simmering with festival porridge. The subtle meat aroma wafted through the air, making the children’s mouths water.
"Yunzhu, you go burn the incense paper, and I’ll set up the bowls," said Yunzhen.
"Okay!"
After Yunzhen set up the bowls, it was less than ten minutes before someone announced, "It’s time to distribute the festival porridge!"
Everyone gathered around.
The person in charge of distributing the porridge first ladled it from the iron pots into buckets, then used a large ladle to portion it out. Each family received a full ladle of porridge.
Those who received their porridge carried their bowls away.
When it was their turn, Yunzhen reminded the distributor, "This is for two shares."
Hearing this, the people around them widened their eyes. Two shares for one family—what did that mean? To say it bluntly, this was probably the first time it had ever happened since the festival began.
Especially those who only did half shares felt even more envious. They only dared to do half shares, while this family did two. Was the difference between people really that great?
At that moment, many who usually lived frugally made a silent decision: the next time the festival came around, they would do at least one share, even if they had to pay later.
Yunzhen, of course, didn’t realize that her words had sparked such envy. Seeing the distributor ladle two portions of porridge into their bowl, she and her sister carried it home.
As they watched the sisters walk away, the crowd began to chatter.
"Two shares, Old Nong really went all out!"
"Yeah, Uncle Nong is truly a master potter, so generous!"
"I’ve never heard of anyone doing two shares before. Old Nong must be the first."
"Rumor has it that Uncle YunGui and Old Nong together leased the village kiln. With Old Nong’s skill in making large pots, they’re sure to make a lot of money once the kiln opens. It’s really enviable."
"Having a skill is truly impressive..."
Yunzhen and Yunzhu, of course, didn’t hear the murmurs. After adding a bit of salt to the porridge, they called their father and elder brother to come and eat.
Festival porridge tastes best when it’s hot.
...
In the afternoon, when it was time to collect the festival meat, Yunzhen and Yunzhu once again drew attention. Two shares of meat piled together was a sight that truly made people envious.
For dinner, they had stir-fried pork. Deng Shirong’s children felt that their family’s living standards had improved dramatically over the past few days. In previous years, even during the New Year, they hadn’t eaten as well as they had in the last few days.
Deng Yunhua, patting his full stomach, his eyes twinkling, said with a smile, "The holiday starts the day after tomorrow. When Brother Two comes back, I’ll have to talk to him about the food at home, so he doesn’t get too cocky with the two yuan Dad gave him!"
Deng Yunsong, remembering how Brother Two had strutted around with the two yuan from their father, nodded and said, "That’s a good idea, Brother. When Brother Two comes back, we’ll talk to him together."
After that, the two brothers exchanged a glance and chuckled.
At this moment, they were unaware that their second brother harbored the same thoughts, yearning to come back and share with them just how delicious the braised pork at school was!
...
Before they knew it, the lunar calendar had turned to May 22nd. Today was the Double Prosperity Market Day, and it was also a significant day as the bride's family would be visiting the Deng family to inspect their home.
Inspecting the home was essentially a form of engagement, and both the bride's and groom's families took it very seriously.
First, the groom's family, the Dungs, made sure to invite all their siblings, as well as the production team's captain and deputy captain, and their closest friends. This added up to over twenty people.
On the bride's side, Guan Yongying's aunt, elder sister, mother-in-law, and younger siblings would be coming, totaling nearly ten people.
Guan Yongying's parents, however, would not be present, as it was a rule that the bride's parents would not visit the groom's home during this inspection.
With so many guests, plus Deng Shirong, the matchmaker, and the groom's own family, they had to set up four tables to accommodate everyone.
Typically, such inspections only required two or three tables, so setting up four was quite a grand gesture on the part of the Deng family.
Before the meal, Deng Shirong, as the matchmaker, was responsible for guiding the bride's family on a tour of the groom's home, with a particular focus on the groom, Deng Changfu's room.
In this era, living conditions were modest. Most rooms had little more than a bed, with no extra furniture. Some families didn't even have a place to hang their clothes, resorting to a bamboo pole across the room.
This was why the family in the neighboring village, Chicken Slope, managed to marry off three sons with just a single trunk. In those times, having a trunk as furniture was considered quite good.
Deng Changfu's room was also quite simple, but since he was about to get married, his parents moved a wardrobe they used into his room to satisfy the bride's family.
Thus, the bride's family saw that Deng Changfu's room contained a bed, a wardrobe, and a table.
Although the wardrobe and table were quite old, the bride's family was very pleased.
However, Guan Xiaocun suddenly had a thought and walked over to Deng Shirong, whispering, "Uncle Jiu, these wardrobe and table, they're not just for show, are they?"
Deng Shirong understood her concern. The family in Chicken Slope had set a bad example, moving their single trunk into whichever son's room was being inspected. But once the bride moved in, the trunk would be gone, a clear deception. Guan Xiaocun was worried the same might happen with the Deng family.
Deng Shirong immediately reassured her, "Of course not. The wardrobe and table are for Changfu's marriage. What you see now is what you'll get after the wedding."
Guan Xiaocun nodded, "That's good to know!"
Guan's mother-in-law added, "The room looks nice, but they have many siblings, so it's quite cramped. Once they have a few children, there won't be enough space."
Guan Yongying blushed at her mother-in-law's comment.
Deng Shirong laughed, "By the time they have a few children, it will be several years from now. The times are changing quickly, and our brigade will soon be dividing the land for individual farming. Everyone's living conditions will improve, and they might even build a new house in a few years."
Guan's mother-in-law smiled, "That's true. We don't need to worry too far ahead."
(End of Chapter)
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