Chapter 255: Uncle Ninth's Dominance [6000 Words]

Chapter 255: Uncle Ninth’s Dominance [6000 Words]



8:00 PM.

Nearly a hundred villagers gathered outside Deng Shirong's house. Some stood, some sat, chatting and occasionally glancing up at the electric light bulb hanging from the roof beam, which was brighter than a hundred kerosene lamps combined. Their eyes were filled with envy.

In modern times, visiting neighbors at seven or eight in the evening is nothing out of the ordinary, even in rural areas where people don't go to bed so early.

But in this era, after eight o'clock, most people wouldn't visit neighbors unless they had a specific reason, as most families were already preparing for bed. After all, the village didn't have electricity, and everyone used kerosene lamps at night. Kerosene was expensive for many, so they tried to save it and only used it when necessary. They wouldn't waste it by sitting around chatting.

Thus, going to bed early was the norm for most people.

Tonight, however, was the first time Deng Shirong used a battery to power an electric light. The light was so bright in the dark night that it seemed like the sun, and almost everyone in the village could see it. Many were seeing an electric light for the first time and naturally came to see the spectacle.

"This electric light is amazing. It's hundreds of times brighter than a kerosene lamp. It makes the night as bright as day. It's truly incredible!"

"The little bit of light from a kerosene lamp costs a lot of oil. With this electric light so bright, it must use a lot of electricity, right?"

"I wonder how long the battery Uncle Ninth bought can last with this?"

"Such an expensive thing should last a while, right?"

"..."

As the villagers discussed the electric light, Deng YunGui, sitting opposite Deng Shirong, asked while smoking, "Uncle Ninth, now that you have the wiring and electric light installed, when are you going to start the TV?"

At Deng YunGui's question, the villagers fell silent and looked at Deng Shirong.

Watching TV was something everyone was eagerly anticipating.

The TV might not be as exciting as movies, but movies cost money and only come a few times a year. This TV, however, was bought by Uncle Ninth, allowing everyone to watch for free, Even better, it could to watch it TV every day. Who wouldn't look forward to it?

Deng Shirong said, "No rush. I need to finish building the wooden shelter first."

Deng YunGui, puzzled, asked, "Uncle Ninth, what does watching TV have to do with the wooden shelter?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "Of course, it's related. To make it convenient for everyone to watch TV, I plan to place the TV in this wooden shelter. I need to finish building it first. Otherwise, if rain, the TV will be useless if it will be in if what will will rain."

Deng YunGui, stunned, "Uncle Ninth, You's,. wrong. It, but if it rains, the TV will get wet and be useless. That?"

't be a joke?"

The other villagers also looked incredulous. Such a precious TV, if they had one, would be locked away in a cabinet. How could it be left outside in outside? What't "'t it?

Deng Shirong explained, "I have no choice. If placed inside the, how many people can fit in my house? If people come late late,, late, the, late,, be late,,,, squeeze in,, be chance.. squeeze in. So,'t be a hassle. That's't be a joke!"

Deng YunGui, still puzzled, said, "But Uncle Ninth, there's no need to leave it outside. We can move it back inside after use, and bring it out again the next day, right?"

Deng Shirong waved his hand,,,, " " "This,., to and. ".,.... trouble.. this back.. and said, "This is too much trouble. I don't want to go through all that for a TV."

Deng YunGui passed the smoking pipe to another villager and said, "While it's a bit of trouble, we must move it back inside. Otherwise, what if someone steals it and, it it it it,?"

Deng Shirong's brother, Deng Yun,,, "Yes, Uncle Ninth,, have any,.,,, but it,.,, but other village might try the bad intentions. the TV. I have a few dogs that won't let anyone mess away with it."

."

Other villagers also chimed in, agreeing that if the TV was left outside, it was for their convenience. They couldn't let someone steal it because of that.

Deng Shirong smiled confidently and "Don't worry, in our village, who would dare touch my things? Besides, my dogs aren't just for show. Anyone who tries to steal my TV will regret living."

Deng Shirong's bold words convinced the villagers.

Because they knew Uncle Ninth was a point of reason. In one dared dared the to village dared be a few to reputation in the TV,,, only a few of dogs, and the the, few any..., to protect the's.,. any.. dogs. the other in. few and,.. for. protect few dogs., the the of them sense. few, the.. from be village, dogs..

sense of alert., so they to guard the to TV. night,. So,, not need to worry about the TV being stolen.

Dogs play a crucial role in alerting. Even if someone just passed by the village at night, the dogs would bark ". If anyone tried to steal, village, dogs would grow louder, would the. and., would,. Even if other villagers had dogs, the entire village would be alerted. and,. if someone tried in. TV. night...

. In this era, everyone kept dogs to watch over their homes. If there was any commotion, the dogs would gather and bark fiercely, warning both the intruder and the villagers.

Thus, in this era, no one from another village would dare the night to steal into steal to steal, TV without a village.

detection.

dogs.

the risk of being caught was high was.

.

As for the day, it's even more to say.

With their worries put to rest,, the excited villagers looked at the Zhang of Zhang, Deng Yunong for TV, "Relatives, I can use a plane. Anything I can help, just let me know."

"Relatives, I can use a chisel. I can help move things."

"Relatives, I good at of things, I."

"Relatives, I can at of the know tools. work. Just let what."

."

"Relatives..."

Seeing the enthusiastic villagers, the Zhang family felt both surprised and understanding. After all, building the wooden shelter was primarily for the TV, it was natural for the villagers to want to help.

.

Grandpa Zhang immediately made the decision, "Alright, with everyone's help, I'll be responsible for building this wooden shed within a week."

"Great, I'll come over to help early tomorrow morning!"

"Everyone pitch in, and in a week, we'll have a TV to watch!"

"..."

Deng Shirong had long known that the villagers of this era had an enthusiasm for watching TV that was hard for future generations to imagine. So, he wasn't surprised at all when the villagers volunteered to help. He said, "Since everyone wants to watch TV as soon as possible, let's start by building a TV stand tomorrow. We'll put the TV on top and the battery in the middle. If we finish the stand by the end of the day, we can start watching TV tonight."

These words immediately ignited the villagers, who all agreed to come over early the next morning and get the TV stand built.

After discussing this, it was getting late, so everyone dispersed.

...

The next morning.

After eating some congee, the villagers came over with great enthusiasm. Under the direction of the Zhang family, they began working in an orderly manner.

There's no denying that more hands make light work. With the help of dozens of villagers, the construction of the TV stand and the building of a wooden shed that was both beautiful and rainproof progressed at an incredible speed.

It was a Saturday, and Deng Yunzhu, Deng Yunsong, and Deng Yunhua, the three siblings, had returned from Shuangwang Junior High School. Seeing their father had bought a TV, they were all thrilled. In this era, no one could resist the allure of a TV.

By the afternoon, the villagers had successfully built a beautiful TV stand.

Deng Shirong didn't keep them in suspense and immediately brought out the TV, placing it on the stand. He then placed the battery in the middle and connected it to the TV and the antenna.

The antenna had been set up earlier, with a long, straight bamboo pole leaning against the lychee tree. The middle part was secured to a branch above, with just the right tension to allow it to rotate without swaying.

Once everything was ready, Deng Shirong turned on the TV in front of the villagers.

As Deng Shirong operated the TV, the villagers held their breath, eyes fixed on the screen.

The Zhang family also stopped working, curious about what they would see.

Deng Shirong's niece and nephew, along with his four children, stood in front of the TV, their faces full of curiosity.

The screen lit up, and the first thing everyone saw was the familiar snow pattern.

Seeing the snow pattern, the villagers who didn't understand what was happening felt a pang of worry, thinking the TV might be broken!

Deng Shirong, who had experienced this before, calmly went to the antenna and gripped the bamboo pole, slowly turning it. After a few seconds, the TV, which had been showing only snow, suddenly displayed a blurry image, and sound began to come through.

Hearing the familiar Cantonese, Deng Shirong knew they had picked up a signal from a TV station in Guangdong.

When the sound came through, the villagers breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the TV wasn't broken.

Deng Shirong continued to slowly adjust the antenna, and the picture on the TV became clearer, confirming it was indeed a signal from Guangdong TV.

He then slowly rotated the antenna a full circle and found that they could receive signals from four TV stations: Guangdong TV, Guangxi TV, Hunan TV, and CCTV. There were a few other stations with faint signals, but the picture was too blurry to watch.

Even with these four stations, the picture wasn't very clear.

Of course, this was from the perspective of Deng Shirong, who was used to high-definition TVs. For the villagers of Naye, this picture quality was more than enough.

It wasn't time to watch TV yet. After testing the stations, Deng Shirong turned off the TV and said to the villagers, "Let's not watch it now. Everyone needs to keep working, and there aren't many programs during the day. We'll start watching at 6:30 PM. Remember to come on time."

The brief test left the villagers wanting more, but they understood it wasn't the right time to watch. They all agreed.

Ou Guofang, Ou Guohua, and Guan Yongying were also present, each with their children, witnessing the first test of Naye's first TV.

After Deng Shirong set the time for watching TV, many villagers stayed to help build the wooden shed, while those who couldn't help went home to take care of their own affairs, eager to come back and watch TV without any distractions.

Ou Guofang and the others said goodbye to Old Jiu and went home with their children, determined to finish their chores early, eat dinner sooner, and come back to secure a spot for watching TV with their families.

...

Although news spread slower in this era compared to the future, the news of a TV being shown was as exciting as a movie screening. By 5:30 PM, people started arriving with small stools to secure their spots, especially the people of Naye. Elders and children alike came out, and the scene was even more lively than a movie screening.

By 6:00 PM, hundreds of people had gathered at Deng Shirong's house, and more were still arriving from other villages.

Deng Shirong was at a loss for words.

If it were a movie, having so many people wouldn't be a problem, as the screen was large enough for even a thousand people to see clearly. But this black-and-white TV was only 12 inches, and those who were too far away wouldn't be able to see anything.

Out of the hundreds of people, Deng Shirong estimated that at least half wouldn't be able to see the screen clearly.

There was nothing he could do about it.

Of course, as the host, Deng Shirong had his children set up two rows of small stools in front of the TV for his family and the more prominent villagers.

By 6:30 PM, even if the number of people at Deng Shirong's house wasn't a thousand, it was certainly no less than eight hundred.

When the time came, Deng Shirong turned on the TV, and Naye's first TV-watching experience began.

In this era, TV programs weren't very exciting.

Unlike in the future, where there were countless TV series and movies from various eras, as well as a wide variety of anime, variety shows, food shows, sports, news, documentaries, and short videos, making it easy to get lost in the endless options.

Nowadays, it wasn't until last year that the TV series "Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp" was produced. The other TV shows were of questionable quality, to say the least.

However, while Deng Shirong had no interest in these low-quality shows, the villagers were thoroughly entertained.

Even those who couldn’t see the TV screen clearly were content with the fuzzy images and the voices coming from the TV. They had no intention of leaving.

That night, the TV in Deng Shirong's home ran from 6:30 PM until 10:00 PM.

Throughout the entire process, except for a few elderly villagers who couldn’t stay awake, most of the villagers stayed until the end.

If any children fell asleep, they were simply held, so as not to disturb the others watching TV.

After the show, the villagers who lived nearby continued to discuss the TV programs they had just watched. The thought of being able to watch TV at Uncle Deng's house every evening made them feel that life was getting better and better.

Once the villagers had left, Deng Shirong noticed his children were also captivated by the TV. He couldn’t help but warn them, "Song, you can watch TV occasionally on Saturdays, but don’t get too engrossed and neglect your studies, understand?"

Deng Yongsong, being singled out by his father, understood that his father had high hopes for him. He immediately composed himself and replied, "Dad, I understand. I won’t let it affect my studies."

Deng Shirong nodded. He indeed had high hopes for his third son. In his previous life, with the same family and education, only his third son had managed to get into a vocational college and secure a job in the government. In this life, with his intervention, his second son had successfully been accepted into Peking University.

Given his third son’s academic achievements in the previous life, Deng Shirong’s expectations were naturally high.

Deng Yunzhu and Deng Yunhua exchanged glances but remained silent. Regardless of whether they were addicted to TV, their academic performance was mediocre. The best strategy for such underachievers when their parents discussed studies was to stay quiet.

The youngest, Deng Yunheng, though not as academically gifted as his second and third brothers, was still better than his second sister and fourth brother. He also promised, "Dad, watching TV won’t affect my studies."

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Alright, as long as you understand. It’s getting late, so go to bed!"

The children responded and went to their respective rooms to sleep.

...

In the following days, the villagers went out to work during the day and came to Deng Shirong’s house early in the afternoon to secure their spots. Every evening, hundreds of people from their village and the neighboring villages gathered to watch TV.

With the villagers’ help, the wooden pavilion, originally planned to take a month to build, was completed in just over a week.

The pavilion extended outward from the longan tree at its center. Due to the tree, the center of the pavilion couldn’t be fully enclosed, so some rain would inevitably leak through the roof during rainy days.

However, the Zhang family used a clever technique to ensure that the rain only dripped down the longan tree’s trunk and not onto other areas.

Deng Shirong also ran an electric wire and installed a light bulb on the wooden beams above the pavilion.

The pavilion and the longan tree blended together beautifully, and Deng Shirong was very pleased. He took out ten large bills and handed them to Grandpa Zhang, saying, "Cousin, you’ve worked hard these past few days. Take this money."

Grandpa Zhang quickly waved his hand, "Uncle Nine, this is too much. We only worked for a few days. Half of this would be enough."

Deng Shirong smiled and pushed the money into his hand, saying, "Cousin, don’t be so formal. This isn’t just for a few days of work. You’re being paid for your expertise. Without you, no one else could have built this pavilion."

After a few more attempts to refuse, Grandpa Zhang finally accepted the money.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before the Zhang family packed up and left, satisfied.

Of course, before leaving, they also went to greet their in-laws, which goes without saying.

...

In the ninth month of the lunar calendar, a major event shook the entire village of Baoshan. Bu Zhongshi, the second son of Bu Erzhu, had bought a car. Not just a bicycle, but a large truck with four wheels, capable of carrying up to 4 tons of cargo.

Baoshan was a small, impoverished village, even poorer than Naye Village. The entire village had fewer than three bicycles. When Bu Zhongshi drove such a large truck into the village, the commotion it caused was unimaginable.

In this era, becoming a driver was already a career that everyone in the village envied. Now, Bu Zhongshi had not only become a driver but also owned his own large truck, leaving the villagers in disbelief.

They were all from the same village, sharing the same ancestors. Who didn’t know who?

Bu Erzhu’s family conditions were similar to those of other villagers just a couple of years ago. It was only in the past two years, with the support of his brother-in-law, Deng Shirong, that their family had seen significant improvement.

Bu Dafang and his wife helped their uncle manage the orchard, reportedly earning several dozen yuan a month.

Bu Dashan worked as a chef in his uncle’s restaurant in the county town, also earning several dozen yuan a month.

Now, Bu Erzhu had even leased the village’s hills and slopes, planning to cultivate sugarcane.

Their life was indeed better than most in the village, but it still didn’t seem enough to afford a large truck!

Thus, the villagers who gathered to watch couldn’t help but ask questions.

"Zhongshi, when did you learn to drive a large truck?"

"I went to the county town to learn in July."

"Zhongshi, are you planning to earn money by hauling goods for others?"

"Yes, I bought this truck to haul goods for others. If any of you need to transport anything, just let me know."

"Zhongshi, this truck must have cost at least ten thousand yuan. Where did you get the money?"

"The truck isn’t cheap, but I won’t say the exact amount. Right now, I owe the credit union a lot of money. If I don’t make money, I’ll be living on thin air in the future!"

"Zhongshi..."

"..."

Facing the inquiries from his fellow villagers, Bu Zhongshi naturally answered each one.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end