Chapter 19: Third Sister
Chapter 19: Third Sister
After the women finished touring the house, Deng Shirong, acting as the matchmaker, led them to the living room for tea and conversation. By around eleven, the meal was ready.
When the women took their seats, they found the table laden with a sumptuous spread. The main dishes included poached chicken, egg rolls, and braised pork, along with a large stir-fry, vermicelli with tofu, cold mixed water spinach, and chili stir-fried cucumber peel.
Adding to the feast was a sweet soup made from pork bones and lotus root, filling the table to the brim.
Everyone was thoroughly satisfied with the meal, a treat that they rarely enjoyed even once a year.
After the meal, they rested briefly before the women prepared to leave. The men on Deng Shirong's side made a slight effort to detain them, and then Mrs. and Mr. Deng Yunqiang handed out red envelopes and spice packets to the women and the matchmaker.
Each person received a red envelope and a spice packet.
Additionally, they gave an extra spice packet for Guan Yongying to take back for her grandparents.
Guan Yongying's red envelope was the largest, containing eight yuan.
The matchmaker's envelope was the second largest, with five yuan.
The others each received two yuan.
As for the spice packets, they weighed about two pounds each.
After the usual pleasantries, the women left. Deng Shirong, holding his red envelope and spice packet, headed home with a spring in his step. Seeing the five large notes and two pounds of spices in his system space, his motivation soared. Just from this visit, he had reaped such a bounty. When Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying got married, and he received the thank-you gift for matchmaking, he would truly hit the jackpot!
Back home, Deng Shirong instructed, "Ahzhen, cook the meat and set it aside. We'll have squash and meat soup this afternoon, and save the meat for tomorrow."
They had enjoyed stir-fried pork the day before yesterday, fried bee larvae the day before, and community meat yesterday. The meals had been excellent, and it was time to take a break. Otherwise, no amount of meat would be enough.
"Sure, I understand!" Deng Yunzhen replied, taking the pork from her father.
Seeing that it was still early, Deng Shirong put on a straw hat and set off under the scorching sun to his third sister's home in Baoshan Village, Datong Brigade.
Deng Shirong originally had five siblings: one brother and three sisters.
Unfortunately, his family had faced many hardships. His older brother went to fight in the war and never returned, his eldest sister died young, and his second sister passed away at the age of ten.
Now, Deng Shirong only had his third sister, Deng Shilan, left. She was three years older than him. If his memory served him right, his third sister was already a grandmother. Her eldest daughter had married three years ago.
Deng Shilan's husband was named Bu Erzhu. Marrying him was both a blessing and a curse for his third sister.
The blessing was that her husband treated her well. Over the decades of their marriage, he had never raised his voice to her, which was rare in an era where men typically held higher status than women.
The curse was that she had endured a lot of abuse from her mother-in-law. While her husband was a good man in every other aspect, he turned a blind eye to the conflicts between his wife and mother, which was frustrating.
Of course, all that was in the past. After the family split, his third sister's life improved significantly. Her mother-in-law passed away a few years later, and she never suffered again.
Overall, his third sister's family was poor, but everything else was fine.
Moreover, if Deng Shirong remembered correctly, the land distribution in Datong Brigade was earlier than in Bangjie Brigade. The rice fields in Baoshan Village no longer belonged to the collective; they were now divided among individual households.
In other words, starting from this season, the rice harvested by Third Sister's family would be divided as follows: "First, pay the state, then leave enough for the collective, and the rest is all ours."
Anyone who has harvested rice knows that it is extremely labor-intensive. It’s not just about reaping; it also involves carrying the heavy bundles of rice from the fields back home, one by one.
Wet rice is incredibly heavy, with a full bundle weighing at least a hundred and fifty pounds, often nearing two hundred. Carrying these bundles back home, one after another, requires a tremendous amount of physical strength.
At such times, if they were to continue eating the usual porridge and pickled vegetables, few could endure the strain.
Fortunately, Deng Shirong had ten pieces of pork belly rewarded by the "Matchmaker Reward System." He decided to bring two pieces to Third Sister’s family to help them replenish their energy while doing such strenuous work, so they wouldn’t exhaust themselves.
The distance from Naye Village to Baoshan Village was quite far. Deng Shirong walked for over an hour before finally reaching the entrance of Baoshan Village.
Seeing no one around, Deng Shirong focused his mind, and the two pieces of pork belly appeared in his hands. He then carried the pork and headed toward Third Sister’s house.
When he arrived, he happened to meet his eldest nephew, Bu Dashi, who was returning with a bundle of rice.
"Uncle, you’re here!" Bu Dashi, drenched in sweat, put down the rice and greeted him happily.
Deng Shirong nodded and asked, "Dashi, when did your family start harvesting? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have brought your cousins over to help."
Bu Dashi laughed and said, "We only started today. We can finish harvesting our rice in a few days, so there’s no need to trouble you and the cousins. Besides, your production team is probably about to start harvesting as well, right?"
"Our production team decided to start harvesting the day after tomorrow."
With that, Deng Shirong handed over the pork. "I guessed you’d start harvesting these past couple of days, so I brought some pork to help you replenish your energy."
Bu Dashi took the pork and chuckled. "Uncle, you’re the best. I haven’t smelled the scent of meat in ages, and today I finally get to eat some. But one piece is enough; you should take the other piece back for the cousins to eat!"
Deng Shirong picked up the water pipe leaning against the door, took out some tobacco and matches from his pocket, and said, "No need. We have meat at home. We had a village event yesterday, and I prepared two meals. Today, I arranged for someone to watch the house, and they gave me another piece of pork, so you don’t need to save any for me."
Bu Dashi hung the pork and asked in surprise, "Uncle, you’re still doing matchmaking?"
Deng Shirong, stuffing tobacco into the pipe, replied, "Yes, I helped a neighbor find a match. They’ve already been to the house today, so the match is considered successful."
"Amazing!" Bu Dashi praised, then said, "Uncle, have a few puffs of the pipe. My dad is probably on his way back, and I’ll go to the fields to call my mom back."
Deng Shirong said, "No need to call her. I’ll smoke a pipe and then help you carry a few bundles of rice."
Since they were just family, Bu Dashi and his siblings had always been close to their uncle. Hearing this, he didn’t hesitate and nodded in agreement.
Lords, the book is now in the trial recommendation phase. The official recommendations are based on data, and continuous reading is extremely important. I hope you all can keep supporting by reading and leaving comments. Thank you!
(End of Chapter)
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