The Analects of Righteous Father's Collapse Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Unquestioning Filial Piety 6

Author: 打字机N号

T /N: This is a MTL work. I tried to edit as best as I could, any mistake plz do put your comment and I will edit it ASAP. This is my first attempt on chinese novel so please cheer me up! I hope you will find this novel as interesting as I do.

“These were all made by you?" 
　　
At noon, Xu Xiuxiu came back from work and saw several delicate basket laying on the floor inside the room. She could not help but asked Jiang Liu with a strange tone. 
　　
For the villagers, the thatch handiwork was something that most people can do. The only difference was their exquisiteness. Xu Xiuxiu had also make some basket in the past and she admitted that her level was far from high.
　　
She carefully recalled of her husband whom she had been married for ten years. As far as she remember, she never seen him doing this kind of light work before. In the past, if he was not toiling at the field earning for their keep, she herself will be busy managing the Jiang's house. Now that she thought about it, it seemed that she had never been given an opportunity to really know about her husband. 
　　
“Well, I have been giving this a lot of thought. If I took an ordinary product to the market, there might be no one who willing to buy it. So I put even more thought into this matter. How about a pair of fruit bowl with symbol of luck? There must be people from the city who are about to celebrate important event, therefore will need to have this kind of things for their home."

Jiang Liu had received the memory of the original body. Naturally, he knew that the original body ability to do this kind of handicraft was limited. Since their ability mismatched, he also worried that this exposure might attracted the suspicion of his wife.　　

“This is really beautiful!” 
　　
Xu Xiuxiu was focusing on the small fruit bowl with the "double happiness" character as she turned it all over. 
　　
She didn't know how Jiang Liu managed to made such work. In addition to the use of red colour, even the pattern of the basket was something she never seen before. The lining of the bowl was also made using the thick-grained thatch. A few rows of delicate spirals on the surface of the fruit bowl giving it an exquisite texture undulations. Even the surface itself felt so smooth. 
　　
Although it was just a fruit bowl woven using the least valuable thatch, Xu Xiuxiu feels that it was even better than the expensive enamel cup sold at the supply and marketing agency.
　　
She truly felt in love with it as she carefully caressed the word on the fruit bowl. When she married Jiang Liu, except from her clothes, she only took a quilt as her dowry. At that time, their lives at the country were also bitter. There were only two tables for the feast and a red paper on the door. That was her wedding ceremony. 
　　
For woman nowadays, marriage was an event of one lifetime. Xu Xiuxiu was not really complaining. However, when she thought back on her own wedding, she could not help but feel sorry. 
　　
Especially at this moment when she saw this pair of delicate fruit bowls. She couldn't help but think about how happy those newlyweds will be if they were to have this as part of their dowry.  　　

“Look, let's keep this fruit bowl at home. I haven't give you anything when we get married. I also have let you suffered for so many years.” 
　　
Jiang Liu originally intended to sell these fruit bowls. However, when he saw Xu Xiuxiu's entranced expression, he changed his mind. 
　　
“No, no, we do not have any need for such beautiful thing at home.” 
　　
Xu Xiuxiu felt a little sweet when she heard her husband's words, but she still refused to think about it. 
　　
These fruit bowls were so beautiful and she believed that there must be young men and women who are about to get married and have more need for this kind of things. Now their family lack of money. Her husband also needs to make up the body. They also owed so much money to the hospital. Compared to the current predicament, what she likes were the least valuable. 
　　
“Why not? Let's put this pair of fruit bowls at home.  In order to encourage us to make more money, we should aims to buy a lot of fruit candies to fill these fruit bowls. Besides that, I already studied on how to make this thing. For this pair of fruit bowls, I can still make some more.” 
　　
Jiang Liu was not just saying it to comfort his wife. As his body functions gradually merge with the brain, Jiang Liu was able to weave the thatch faster and smoother. He can make the same things up to five or six pieces in a day. 
　　
“I do not have big ambition in this life. As long as I can eat enough and paid the debt we owed, then I am satisfied.”　　

Xu Xiuxiu couldn't imagined the fairy-tale life filled with melon seeds and candy pieces at home as she listened to her husband's description. Even though there were an obvious yearning on her face but she still uttered those simple and practical words. 
　　
“I will go and make lunch for you first.”
　　
Xu Xiuxiu put down the fruit bowl on her hand and walked towards the kitchen to cook. The utility room that was originally assigned to them had been converted into a kitchen. Now the three meals of the young couple were all cooked on their own stove. 
　　
“It's okay, I have already cooked it. I also already warm it, so you just need to bring the food over.” 
　　
Perhaps it was due to his childhood unhappiness, Jiang Liu particularly yearned for the kind of husband and wife relationship who share the same pains and sorrows. Compared to the earth-shattering, heaven- deafening love story, he felt that the former was more reliable and practical.　

Now for special reasons, he couldn't make Xu Xiuxiu quit her job at the field. She was a woman who engaged in labour intensity comparable to that of a man. After that, she also need to cook and wash the laundry while Jiang Liu rest comfortably at home.Therefore, after doing relatively simple weaving work, Jiang Liu could not help but felt that he was doing too little at home. So Jiang Liu decided to cook the three meals from now on.

“How can a gentleman work in the kitchen?” 
　　
Xu Xiuxiu was touched and felt somewhat embarrassed. Her education from childhood told her that the kitchen was a woman's domain. A good woman should never let her man cook.

“How can I not go? The village have so many bachelor, didn't they have to cook their own food? Anyway, I was bored and have nothing to do so you should let me do the cooking from now on.” 
　　
Jiang Liu waved his hand acting as if he didn't care about it. 
　　
What kind of gentleman who could not enter the kitchen? This broken indoctrinate was things passed down from the older generation. In his last life, since his mother ran away, he had already picked up the banner of cooking at home. Besides that, he never said that he was a gentleman. Frankly, he was a real villain who had immersed himself at the bottom of the society.

When Xu Xiuxiu entered kitchen, she saw the food was on the pan and it was kept warmth with temperature from the stove. 
　　
There were a pot of sweet potato porridge, a bowl of water fried cabbage and a boiled egg cut in half. 
　　
Looking at these meals, Xu Xiuxiu could not hold back her tears but she soon wiped her eyes with her sleeves. 
　　
The women in the village kept saying how much suffering she had to face, especially after the separation of the Jiang family. They kept saying that the Jiang Liu's couple could not get anything but debts.
　　
Yet, Xu Xiuxiu really felt that, in her more than 20 years of lives, except when her mother was still alive, she was especially happy at this moment.　　

****** 
　　
"Liu-zi come up, I save a seat for you."

"Everyone, help haul his basket up and put it that way."　　

Today was the 15th of the month and a good day for a day market. The team member was beaming, and those who needed to go to the market to exchange materials, gathered in the commune early in the morning, waiting for the truck driver to take them to the market. 
　　
The Red Star Commune has a total of six production teams. The entire production team shared a truck.Everyone was minding their own things which they will use to exchange for other things at the market. In addition to transporting the goods, the big truck was also used to send people to the market twice a month. 
　　
Jiang Liu had a big rattan basket which contained all kinds ofhandicraft that he had made. The basket was covered with cloth, therefore people could not see what it was inside.　

When he came at the commune area, they were already a lot of people waiting. Some of the members on the third team saw him coming over, so they called him and enthusiastically helped to haul the bamboo baskets into the truck before squeezing out a position for him to sit.　　

There were many people going to the market today. The trucks were filled with both people and goods. There are even a number of people who have come earlier than Jiang Liu and yet, had not occupied any seat. But due to the tragic life of Jiang Liu being spread to all villagers, no one actually stood up and called him for it. 
　　
However, this privilege only last until they arrived at the market. Once there, everyone was scattered around looking for position to set up their stall. Then, they took out the fruits and vegetables or any other agricultural products they had wanted to exchange with others. Jiang Liu was unable to adapt to this kind of looting behaviour for a while. He could only took a step back and put his own things at the small corner.
　　
He then laid the cloth that had been placed on the bamboo basket on the floor. After that, he arranged the handicraft product that he took from his basket one at a time.　　

When he counted the goods, he found out that he had two additional items. Those extra ones were the pair of bowl that he had intended to leave at home. 
　　
Jiang Liu recalled that when he went out in the morning, Xiu Xiu had offered to help him bring the basket outside. That was probably the time when the fruit bowl was stuffed inside by the other party.
　　
Clearly she like it, but she still took the fruit bowl out. Jiang Liu could not help but sigh thinking of his poor financial. Yet, he also felt moved. He could not help but secretly admonished the original's pig brain. Obviously he had such a good woman at home and yet he did not know how to cherish her.　　

“Mom, you see, isn't this fruit bowl beautiful?It actually used the red thatch to spell the word "double happiness". I want to use this on my wedding day to hold the candy apple.”

When Jiang Liu was feeling moved, his business prospect finally came.　

A young woman dressed in Linen clothes stood in front of his booth and picked up a pair of bowls　　

“Didn't you tell me that you want me to buy enamel cups for you?”

The women next to the young woman was estimated to be her mother. The other party was holding a pair of cocks and a basket of eggs. Looking at that, Jiang Liu deduced that this pair of mother and daughter had come to the market to buy things for a wedding banquet.　

“A lot of people used enamel cups. I think it will be fresher and unique to use this fruit bowl instead. Mom, you look at this straw box, it also has a small buckle. The peony flower on the top of it was so beautiful. I can use it to store my face cream and stuff. I really want this.” 
　　
Every woman's are innately shopaholic. The young woman initially attracted by the fruit bowl was suddenly attracted to a small box of peony. She even refused to let it go.　　

Looking at the dress of the young woman, Jiang Liu knew that the family condition was very good and they were even preparing for a big event like marriage. The mother finally agreed to her request and bought back whatever her daughter want.　

Because the products were made using the worthless thatch, even if it was a unique handicraft, it was destined that the price will not be higher than the rare enamel products of this era. Even so, because its price was lower than the enamel product, the other side picks several items in one breath. After the mother and daughter left, Jiang Liu left with quarter less of the original pieces.　　

Perhaps the thatch products made by Jiang Liu were indeed rare. Perhaps it was just the move of the mother and daughter that attracted people's curiosity. Before the end of the market, the last thatch product in Jiang Liu's stall was also bought.
　　
It took him half a month to collect the flowers, dry the dyed thatch, designing the pattern for weaving before weaving it.After all those work, he finally managed to exchange it with 4 catty [T/N: 1 catty equivalent to 600 grams] and 7 Liang  [T/N: 1 Liang equivalent to 50 grams] of grains coupon, three-foot of cloth tickets, two industry voucher, a pair of pig ears and sixteen coins. 

[T/N: During PRC economic program 1955 - 1993, it seemed that they used coupon to purchase food or grain. More info please google, this translator is lazy].　　

The original body had exhausted himself working at the field. After the end of year, when he converted all his work points, it only came to 50 - 60 yuan. Even then, he had to use those money to exchange for food.　　

Jiang Liu realized that he might be able to pursue this line of business.

Chapter end