Chapter 257: When Abnormalities Arise, There Must Be a Demon [6000 Words]

Chapter 257: When Abnormalities Arise, There Must Be a Demon [6000 Words]



Taiping Slope Village.

After Deng Shirong spoke sincerely, Liu's father quickly chimed in, "I understand, but I never expected you to be Dashi's own uncle. It's truly a blessing for this child to have an uncle who thinks so much for him!"

"I am the only uncle to these children, so naturally, I hope they all live well."

With that, Deng Shirong smiled and said, "There's one more thing to tell the relatives. My second nephew bought a truck at the beginning of the month and runs it for transportation. He'll be driving his brother here to pick up the bride tomorrow. Do you want him to drive the truck directly to the house, or should he park it at the village entrance?"

According to the wedding customs of this era, the groom's family wouldn't come to the bride's house to pick her up. Instead, the bride's family would escort her out, and they would stop halfway for the groom's family to pick her up.

In this region, this was the standard procedure for weddings.

However, Deng Shirong knew the customs of the future, where the groom would lead a convoy to the bride's house to pick her up. If the distance was considerable, such as across cities or provinces, the bride would be taken to a hotel in the county or town the day before the wedding, and the convoy would pick her up on the wedding day.

Since they had a car to pick up the bride, Deng Shirong decided to ask. If the bride's family agreed, he would have his nephew drive directly to the house, which would be a small reform of the wedding custom.

Liu's father hesitated, "Uncle (it's a local custom for children to call their father's brother this), I don't think we've ever had a groom's family come to the bride's house to pick her up here."

Deng Shirong smiled, "Relatives, wedding customs change with the times. In the old days, a girl's family would cry for twelve days before her wedding, and she would sing a farewell song to her parents and siblings before leaving.

But after liberation, these customs gradually changed, didn't they?

If they were to walk to pick her up, it would be best to follow the old rules. But since they're driving, I think it's necessary to come to the house. This way, Ailiu can have a grand send-off. Isn't that wonderful?"

The relatives and friends sitting nearby had initially wanted to ask Deng Shirong to help their children find partners. Upon learning that Deng Shirong wasn't a matchmaker but the groom's uncle, they stopped mentioning it.

Now, hearing that the groom's family would be driving a car to pick up the bride, they all chimed in.

"Uncle makes a good point. Wedding customs change with the times. If they're driving, they should come directly to the house. It's a matter of pride!"

"In the neighboring village, the groom's family only rode bicycles to pick up the bride, and they came right to the bride's house. Now, with a car coming to pick her up, why wouldn't we agree to such a prestigious occasion?"

"I also think it's better for them to drive directly to the house. If they stop halfway, who would see it?"

"..."

Liu's father was already swayed by Deng Shirong's words. With the encouragement of the relatives and friends, he nodded, "Alright, let them come directly to the house."

Meanwhile, Liu's mother and Liu Aihong quickly learned about the situation. Upon discovering that Deng Shirong, the matchmaker, was actually Dashi's uncle, they were equally surprised.

Of course, this was just a small twist and had no impact on the marriage. The only difference was that Deng Shirong's status became even more prestigious!

...

The next day.

The Liu family had prepared several tables of food early in the morning. According to the old rules, the feast would have started, and after eating, the bride would be escorted out.

But this time, everyone knew that the groom's family would be driving a car to pick up the bride. They couldn't start eating immediately; they had to wait for the groom's family to arrive together, or it would be impolite.

As for Deng Shirong, he rode his bicycle to the village entrance to wait for his nephew.

At 9:45 AM, uncle and nephew met at the village entrance.

Deng Shirong briefly explained the situation and then asked, "Dashi, how many red envelopes did you prepare?"

Budashi replied, "I only prepared six red envelopes."

Deng Shirong took out dozens of small red envelopes from both pockets and handed them all to his nephew, "Take these. There's not much money in them, only eighteen cents each. When you pick up the bride, give them to everyone to share in the joy.

As for the red envelopes you brought, give them to the bride as planned."

This wasn't the time to be polite. Budashi accepted the red envelopes from his uncle and nodded, "Alright, I understand!"

"Alright, that's all for now. We'll handle things as they come, and I'll remind you when necessary." After giving instructions, Deng Shirong rode his bicycle ahead to lead the way.

Two minutes later, the shiny new truck parked in front of the bride's house.

In this era, people occasionally saw cars passing by on the road, but few of the guests had ever been up close to a car. Now, with a brand new car right in front of them, they all gathered curiously to watch.

Bu Dashu, the groom, was not idle. He began the traditional wedding rituals under the guidance of his uncle.

Bu Zhongshu, having nothing else to do, stayed behind to answer the various questions about the car posed by the bride's relatives and friends, greatly satisfying their curiosity.

Soon, Bu Dashu completed all the rituals with his uncle's guidance, ate a bit of food, and distributed red envelopes, earning himself plenty of respect and admiration. He then picked up the bride and the wedding guests, along with her dowry, and happily returned home.

As for Deng Shirong, he chose not to ride in the car but instead followed behind on his bicycle. After all, the bumpy, muddy road made it difficult for the car to drive fast, so he could easily keep up on his bike.

Watching their daughter leave, Liu’s parents felt a mix of joy and sorrow. They were happy that she was marrying into a good family and that the groom had brought them much face. But they were also sad because their daughter would now belong to another family, a fact that they found hard to accept.

...

Baoshan Village.

After the newlyweds paid their respects at the ancestral hall, the relatives, friends, and villagers began to cheer, urging the bride to open her dowry box.

In those days, every bride would have a dowry box. If the family was well-off, the dowry box would be very luxurious. If the family was less fortunate, the dowry box would be more modest.

Liu Aihong’s dowry box was a decent one. Though not the most luxurious, it was specially crafted by a carpenter, not just a simple box made by her father or brother.

Since she had married well, her parents wanted to give her a good start in her new home. The items and money in her dowry box were all respectable, so when everyone urged her to open it, she did so confidently, displaying the fabrics and money inside.

Watching the bride open her dowry box was a fun and engaging part of the ceremony. Almost all the guests would gather around, and once the bride agreed to open the box, the fabrics and money inside would be carefully counted by the onlookers.

Liu Aihong’s dowry included several dozen feet of fabric, with nearly twenty feet being high-quality material, which was quite impressive.

Her parents had also generously provided 288 yuan in dowry money, a significant amount that brought them much face in those times.

The rest of the wedding rituals were similar and need not be detailed further.

...

Taipingpo Village.

An elderly woman sat at her door, sewing clothes, while an old auntie came over to chat about daily life.

The hottest topic in the village today was naturally Liu Aihong’s wedding, so after some small talk, the conversation naturally turned to her.

The old auntie sighed with emotion, "Aihong really has good fortune. She’s the first in our village to marry so grandly, and her husband is a good catch, too. I heard he’s a chef at a big restaurant in the county town and earns a good salary!"

The elderly woman chuckled, "You might not believe me, but I had a part in Aihong’s good marriage!"

The old auntie was surprised, "Really? You had a part in it?"

The elderly woman stopped her sewing and smiled, "Of course, when the matchmaker first came to our village, I chatted with him for a while. He asked if there were any pretty and good-natured girls in our village, and I told him about Aihong, praising her a lot.

He joked with me that if the match was successful, he’d give me half a pig’s hind leg. I never expected that he would actually make the match, and I was quite surprised when it happened."

The old auntie hadn’t expected this, "So, Aihong’s good marriage is partly thanks to you. It’s their wedding day today; I wonder if you’ll get that half a pig’s hind leg."

The elderly woman laughed, "He was just joking. You’re taking it too seriously!"

The old auntie chuckled, "That’s true, but I should tell Aihong’s mother about this, so she can remember your kindness."

The elderly woman shook her head with a smile, "There’s no need to tell Aihong’s mother. I was just telling the truth. In Taipingpo Village, the only girl who is both beautiful and good-natured is Aihong. She deserves a good marriage."

The old auntie nodded in agreement, "That’s true. Aihong is a good girl, and we’re all happy to see her marry so well."

As they were talking, the new car with a "Xi" character on its hood drove into Taipingpo Village and parked beside them.

Then, one by one, the wedding guests who had accompanied Aihong jumped out of the car, each holding a five-flavor sausage, all with smiles on their faces.

From the driver’s seat, a man also got out, carrying half a pig’s hind leg and a bag of candies. He quickly walked to the elderly woman and said with a broad smile, "Relative, I promised you half a pig’s hind leg if the match was successful. I’m here to keep my promise. I hope you don’t think it’s too little!"

The elderly woman was taken aback and hurriedly tried to refuse, "Aibiao, I can’t accept this. I was just joking with you, and you actually brought me a pig’s hind leg."

Deng Shirong handed the half pig's hind leg and the candy cake to the auntie, smiling. "Auntie, don't be so formal. Take it. I’m actually the uncle on the groom's side. Without your words back then, I don’t know when my nephew would have found such a good match. You deserve this half pig's hind leg."

The auntie politely declined a few times, but seeing Deng Shirong's sincerity, she finally accepted it with a smile.

She truly hadn’t expected that a few heartfelt words would actually bring a couple together, making her an unofficial matchmaker and earning her a half pig's hind leg. This extraordinary experience added a rare and cherished memory to her life.

After giving away the gifts, Deng Shirong exchanged some pleasantries before getting into the car and heading back with his nephew.

...

That night.

Baoshan Village.

Bu Dashu and Liu Aihong had a brief friendly match.

During the halftime break, the two, who were still somewhat unfamiliar with each other, started to chat and bond.

After a few casual exchanges, Liu Aihong asked, "Dashu, how many days off do you have? When are you going back to the county to work?"

Bu Dashu smiled and replied, "Uncle gave me a week off. I’ll stay home for a few days first. When you return to your parents' house, I’ll take you to Bobai."

Liu Aihong was surprised. "Uncle gave you a week off?"

Bu Dashu chuckled, "I forgot to tell you, the restaurant in the county is actually owned by my uncle."

"Ah?"

Liu Aihong’s eyes widened in shock. She had seen the restaurant when she and Bu Dashu had their matchmaking meeting, and it had left her and her mother in awe. They hadn’t expected the restaurant in the county to be so much larger than the one in Shuangwang, broadening their horizons.

At the time, they had speculated that the restaurant might be owned by a big boss from Hong Kong.

But they never imagined that such a large restaurant was actually owned by the uncle who had arranged their match. It was truly unbelievable.

"Dashu, are you serious? The restaurant in the county is really owned by your uncle?"

Seeing his wife’s eyes almost pop out of her head in shock, Bu Dashu said proudly, "Of course, how could I joke about something like this? If the restaurant wasn’t owned by my uncle, do you think a newcomer like me, who has only been working for a few months, would have the ability to arrange a job for you?"

Liu Aihong was enlightened. No wonder her uncle had been so confident when he first came to their house and mentioned arranging a job for her at the restaurant. It made sense now that he was the owner, making it a simple matter to offer her a position.

Although she understood, Liu Aihong still found it hard to believe and asked, "Dashu, your uncle must have invested a lot of money to open a restaurant in the county, right?"

Bu Dashu nodded. "Of course. My uncle invested over 300,000 yuan into the restaurant."

Liu Aihong was taken aback. Even though she knew that a restaurant of that scale would require a substantial investment, hearing her husband say it still left her stunned. In an era where a monthly income of 300 yuan was enviable, investing 300,000 yuan in a restaurant was a staggering amount.

That’s 100 times the monthly income!

"Dashu, what does your uncle do? How did he become so wealthy?"

Bu Dashu was very proud of his uncle. Hearing his wife’s question, he couldn’t help but boast, "My uncle is a remarkable person. He used to be a master potter at the Bangjie team’s ceramic kiln. Two years ago, he and a partner leased the kiln and started their own business, which has been quite successful, earning them several thousand yuan a year.

Additionally, my uncle has developed an orchard where he grows lychees and watermelons. This year alone, he made over 6,000 yuan from selling lychees and watermelons!

Of course, with just these earnings, it would be impossible to open such a large restaurant in the county. But my uncle has the courage and vision that few others possess. The money for the restaurant was actually a loan from the credit union."

Liu Aihong was genuinely impressed. "Your uncle is truly amazing!"

Bu Dashu nodded in agreement. "That’s for sure. There’s no one more capable in this area than my uncle. Since you’re the one he chose, as long as we work hard and support him, he won’t let us down."

Liu Aihong nodded eagerly, feeling a surge of excitement. With such a capable uncle to support them, their future as a couple would surely be bright.

The resilience of young bodies is truly remarkable. After chatting for a while, Bu Dashu was reinvigorated, and the two engaged in their second friendly match of the night.

Compared to the first, which had been a quick defeat, Bu Dashu showed significant improvement in the second match.

By the time they reached the third friendly match in the middle of the night, the two of them were finally able to go back and forth, gradually getting into the groove.

...

One week later.

At Sufeng Restaurant.

Bu Dashishi brought his wife to distribute wedding candies to the other employees. Naturally, the employees who received the candies all offered their blessings.

During the meal, Zhang Xiuping smiled and said to Liu Aihong, "Sister-in-law, September is almost over. Why don’t you take a few days off to let Dashishi show you around the county? You can also check out the house you bought. You can start work officially on the first day of next month. What do you think?"

Liu Aihong happily thanked her. Although she had been looking forward to working in the county, she still wanted to familiarize herself with the environment before starting her job.

...

The weather in Guangxi was often unpredictable, changing as quickly as a woman’s mood. It was still summer yesterday, with everyone wearing shorts and tank tops, but today the temperature dropped by over ten degrees, plunging them directly from summer into winter.

Deng Shirong, seeing the sudden temperature drop, knew that an unusual cold spell was on the way. The most critical part was that the temperature wouldn’t warm up in the middle. It would continue like this until next spring, a duration that was very rare.

Fortunately, he had already issued warnings to the villagers. More than half of the Naye Village residents trusted him, while another portion was skeptical but still took precautions. Only a small fraction completely dismissed the warning.

Over the past month and a half, with the help of his niece and her husband, Deng Shirong had implemented several anti-freeze measures for the thousand lychee trees in his orchard. They would definitely make it through this year’s extreme weather safely.

At six in the evening.

After finishing dinner, the villagers, as usual, gathered to watch TV. The temperature drop didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for watching.

Deng Yunjun, holding a pipe, sat on a stool and said with a sense of relief, "Uncle Nine, it seems our ancestors were right. It’s never been this cold this early in the past. Usually, it only starts to cool down in winter, but now it’s still the end of September. This is indeed unusual!"

Deng Shirong replied, "The books say that when something is out of the ordinary, there’s always a reason. This year’s weather is definitely different from the past."

Deng Yuncai added, "It is indeed rare for it to get cold at the end of September. I wonder if it will just be a few days of cold, or if it will stay this way."

Deng Yunqiang, whose lychee trees were also well-prepared for the cold, said with a relaxed expression, "Whether it gets cold for a few days and then warms up or stays cold, it shouldn’t have a significant impact on our village."

Deng Yunfeng, who had also built a shelter for his over ten cows, was similarly not too worried. He chimed in, "Indeed, with Uncle Nine’s warning, we’ve all taken precautions. Whether it stays cold or warms up, it won’t affect us."

Those who had taken precautions were all relaxed when discussing the weather changes. However, a few who hadn’t taken it seriously were now feeling uneasy.

Fortunately, they had only put in some effort, planting sweet potatoes as usual. Even if the sweet potatoes froze and died, it wouldn’t be a significant loss.

So, they still had the mood to watch TV.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, it rained, and the temperature dropped further, reaching a low of 4 degrees Celsius.

On the third day, the temperature dropped to 2 degrees Celsius.

In just three days, they went from wearing tank tops and shorts to thick cotton coats. The change was indeed too fast for anyone to react.

When the temperature dropped to 2 degrees, most idle villagers stayed indoors, huddled around the fire. Even if they went out, it was to visit neighbors and warm up by their fires. No one wandered around outside.

As for those who had to work, they continued as long as it didn’t rain. The cold didn’t stop them from going out to work.

Of course, in the evenings, as long as it didn’t rain, many people still braved the cold to come to Deng Shirong’s house to watch TV.

Although the TV was placed under a wooden shelter, a gust of wind could make people shiver. However, with so many people gathered, only those on the outer edges felt the cold, while those in the middle stayed warm.

A few days after the temperature drop, with the onset of frost, sweet potatoes across the entire Baise region began to freeze and die in large patches.

Due to the prolonged cold spell, not only did the sweet potatoes die, but the tobacco leaves planted in various areas also began to freeze and die on a large scale.

Next, the Longtan and Wendu pepper farms, due to the employees’ lack of management and insufficient attention to this year’s cold weather, saw over a thousand acres of pepper trees freeze and die, causing significant economic losses.

Additionally, cattle across the county began to die from the cold one after another.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end