sinovels Chapter 1653 Little 2-Kou Zhangmen
Chapter 1653 Little 2-Kou Zhangmen
Chapter 1653 The Young Couple Returns Home
Today is March 22, 1988, the day Ma Ling returns to her parents' home after her marriage.
When returning to one's parents' home, it's important to arrive early rather than late; one must arrive at the Ma family's house before 10 a.m.
So the young couple got up quite early today, and Ma Ling had already prepared the meal at 6:30.
The custom in Yong'an is that the couple returns home together.
After finishing their meal, Zhao Jun and Ma Ling hurriedly cleaned up. Following local custom, Zhao Jun prepared four gift boxes, which contained four different items.
Among them were two packs of Spring Festival cigarettes and two bottles of Xifeng liquor.
It wasn't that Zhao Jun was unwilling to buy his father-in-law a Shilin cigarette, but Ma Ling said her dad could just smoke Yingchun. If he gave Ma Dafu a Shilin and then got him into the habit of smoking, things would get complicated later.
Besides cigarettes and alcohol, there were two bags of Monkey King tea and a pork tenderloin.
In Yong'an, the custom for returning to one's parents' home is not to give cigarettes, alcohol, candy, or tea, but rather cigarettes, alcohol, meat, and tea.
This meat is called "return visit meat," and it's usually made with pork. If the bride's family doesn't eat pork, beef or mutton can be used. As for the cut of meat, it shouldn't have bones; pork belly, tenderloin, or even shoulder or hindquarters are all fine.
Cigarettes, alcohol, and tea were packed in a triangular bag, and meat was tied with a rope. The homecoming gifts were all prepared, and the young couple began to put on their clothes for the outing.
Zhao Jun was still wearing the woolen coat he wore at his wedding, but Ma Ling couldn't wear her wedding dress anymore. Not to mention that she wore a red wedding dress on her wedding day, which wasn't suitable for everyday wear.
Another thing is the old saying, "A good woman doesn't wear her wedding clothes." What if her husband's family is struggling to make ends meet? What if the girl marries into the family and can't even afford a decent set of clothes?
Zhao Jun took out a brand-new woolen garment from the cabinet on the kang (heated brick bed). The light blue fabric was exactly what Ma Ling liked.
"Honey, these should fit you well." Zhao Jun handed the clothes and pants to Ma Ling and said, "After we're done with work these next couple of days, I'll take you into town and we'll buy you a few more outfits."
“No need.” Ma Ling took the clothes and said, “Didn’t I already say we’re not buying any more? We have enough clothes at home.”
Zhao Jun smiled but didn't say anything. He knew that women loved beauty, and he believed that once he took Ma Ling to the city stores and saw all the beautiful clothes, Ma Ling wouldn't say that anymore.
The young couple dressed neatly and left the gate, taking a detour to the Ma family's house.
Taking a detour isn't just a fuss over nothing; it's a rule to avoid taking the same route twice in three days. The route a new bride takes when returning to her parents' home shouldn't be the same route she took when she left.
It's such a small village, no matter how far you go, it'll only take ten minutes to get there. And just as they were getting close to the Ma family's house, Zhao Jun saw Ma Yang standing at the crossroads, looking around.
Upon seeing Zhao Jun and Ma Ling, Ma Yang ran over excitedly and said to Ma Ling, "Sister, I missed you so much!"
As he spoke, Ma Yang opened his arms to hug Ma Ling.
Zhao Jun reacted quickly, shoving Ma Yang aside and saying, "Is it really necessary? I saw him yesterday."
Zhao Jun felt that this kid was exaggerating, making it sound like his sister was marrying far away.
Ma Yang, who was pushed away by Zhao Jun, glared at Zhao Jun and then moved closer to Ma Ling, hooking his arm around hers. As they walked, he asked Ma Ling, "Sister, have you eaten yet?"
"I ate, and I came back after I finished eating," Ma Ling said with a smile. Ma Yang then asked, "Sister, are you full? If you're not full, we have cornmeal at home. Mom cooked it this morning, and it's very soft."
The "big cornmeal porridge" that Ma Yang mentioned is actually cornmeal porridge, made by cooking cornmeal and red kidney beans together. Once cooked, a layer of rice oil forms on top, making it sticky and delicious when served with pickled vegetables.
But these days, people eat this stuff every few days, and they're all tired of it.
Ma Yang's attentiveness shows he truly misses his sister. The siblings have lived under the same roof for over a decade, and Ma Ling's sudden absence has caught Ma Yang off guard.
Just yesterday, Ma Yang was in his own house, and he kept thinking he could hear his sister calling him.
Although he was his brother-in-law, Zhao Jun couldn't stand seeing Ma Yang being so affectionate with his wife.
Hearing the boy's words, Zhao Jun retorted irritably, "What kind of talk is that? Do you think I wouldn't let your sister eat her fill?"
Ma Yang was taken aback by Zhao Jun's shout, and then looked up and glared at Zhao Jun again.
"Hehe..." Ma Ling was amused by the two of them. She raised her hand and patted Zhao Jun lightly, saying, "Isn't our little brother just worried about me?"
As soon as Ma Ling finished speaking, Zhao Jun said, "Yes, I've been thinking about you."
The Ma siblings hadn't spent much time with Zhao Jun and didn't understand his way of speaking at all.
At that moment, the siblings thought Zhao Jun was just saying nice things, but the next second they heard Zhao Jun say, "I told you that day, if you don't treat me well, he'll bring people to deal with you."
Ma Ling: “…”
Recalling what happened the day before yesterday afternoon, Ma Ling was speechless. But that was her only younger brother, and Ma Ling had to protect him.
“We can’t keep bringing this up,” Ma Ling said to Zhao Jun. “Didn’t our little brother just slip up?”
These days, many small basins and bowls used at home are made of aluminum. If they're made of iron, the material is very thin. Such containers are easily deformed by bumps and knocks; locally, a basin that deforms outwards is called a "gourd."
To say someone slipped their tongue means that they made a verbal slip or said something wrong without paying attention.
“That’s right, brother-in-law!” Hearing his sister siding with him, Ma Yang stiffened his neck and said smugly to Zhao Jun, “Why can’t you chew on this shit?”
This means that Zhao Jun keeps bringing up one thing without stopping. That's not wrong in itself, since Zhao Jun did mention it yesterday. But what he said was incredibly irritating.
"How dare you talk to your brother-in-law like that?" Ma Ling was impartial; she had just been protecting Ma Yang, but now she lightly slapped him.
Since Ma Ling had said so, Zhao Jun certainly couldn't hold a grudge against Ma Yang. But Zhao Jun glanced at Ma Yang with a smile, thinking to himself that it had been a long time since he had dealt with this kid.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they entered the Ma family's courtyard. Back at the entrance, Ma Ling had already taken a sniff and carefully smelled the scents in the air.
Only when she entered the courtyard and could no longer smell the stench in the air did Ma Ling finally feel relieved.
Today is the day she returns to her parents' home, and she is afraid that her father will serve Zhao Jun another pot of rotten fish.
At this time, Ma Dafu, Ma Sheng, Wang Cuihua, and Xu Xiaoqing had been waiting in the house for a long time.
As soon as Zhao Jun and Ma Ling entered the house, the four of them came out to greet them.
This is a special treatment reserved for the new son-in-law; it won't be this grand next time he comes.
Zhao Jun greeted each person individually and presented them with the gifts he had brought.
Wang Cuihua personally accepted the gifts, while Ma Dafu patted Zhao Jun on the shoulder and said, "These are all family now, so you can't spend money to buy things for us next time you come over."
"Yes, Dad," Zhao Jun replied with a smile. Ma Dafu had said the same thing in his previous life. Back then, Zhao Jun didn't associate with Zhao Youcai and Cui Yulan, so after he and Ma Ling got married, he often went to the Ma family's place.
For the first two years, he really listened to Ma Dafu and always came empty-handed. But it wasn't that Zhao Jun was stingy; it was just that he was carefree and didn't think about such things.
But this also shows that the Ma family doesn't mind him, otherwise they definitely wouldn't tolerate him always coming to freeload.
Back then, everyone in the village knew that Ma Dafu and Wang Cuihua were good to their son-in-law, and Zhao Jun was good to him too. Ever since he started hunting in the mountains, every time he caught a game, he would give most of the meat he got, except for the meat he gave to his neighbors, to the Ma family.
When he and Ma Ling had a child, Ma Ling couldn't take care of it all by herself. Just then, Ma Sheng's child was older, so Wang Cuihua helped Zhao Jun and Ma Ling take care of the child.
In this way, no one can say anything to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, as long as Zhao Jun continues to get along well with them, everything will be fine.
Ma Dafu ushered Zhao Jun into the east room. Wang Cuihua, as always, made Zhao Jun some sweet soup. Ma Ling and Xu Xiaoqing, the two sisters-in-law, slipped into the west room to whisper. Ma Sheng accompanied Zhao Jun to sit down in the east room, and then saw Ma Yang grinning his big teeth as he followed.
That kid is really naive; he forgot all about it as soon as he finished arguing with Zhao Jun.
But his brother-in-law was petty; as soon as he sat down in the room, Zhao Jun immediately started making trouble.
To instigate the father-in-law to deal with the brother-in-law, one must have a reasonable basis and make it seem natural, so that no one can see through it.
So Zhao Jun first asked Ma Dafu and Ma Sheng, "Dad, Big Brother, neither of you went to work today."
"Yeah, I'm at home waiting for you two." Ma Dafu laughed upon hearing this.
Ma Dafu laughed, and Ma Yang laughed along. This kid has been acting like an adult lately, getting involved in everything that happens at home.
As soon as Ma Dafu finished speaking, Ma Sheng said, "The field isn't too busy these days, so Dad will take two days off, and I'll take one day off."
"Ah..." Zhao Jun smiled upon hearing this and looked at Ma Yang, asking, "Little brother, you're not in school either?"
As soon as Zhao Jun said this, the smile on Ma Yang's face vanished instantly.
"Huh?" Ma Dafu was taken aback, but frowned as he looked at Ma Yang.
These days, I don't know what it's like in the city, but in rural and forest areas, very few parents care about their children's education.
Even in daily life, most parents tend to let their children grow up freely, as long as they are fed, clothed, and don't get sick.
The Ma family had given up on Ma Yang's studies; they had even accepted the fact that he would come in last place again.
These past few days, with so many people and things going on at home, Ma Yang has been lounging around at home, and no one has paid much attention.
So if Zhao Jun hadn't mentioned it, Ma Dafu and Wang Cuihua wouldn't have discovered that their youngest son had skipped school again.
Of course, if Zhao Jun hadn't mentioned it, Ma Yang would have gone to school on his own tomorrow. Although he didn't like studying, there were people he wanted to see at school.
When Wang Cuihua brought in the sweet soup, she saw Ma Dafu cursing at Ma Yang: "You little brat, you don't study properly. Everyone else goes to school, but you don't."
It's one thing if the child doesn't go to school on the day the Ma and Zhao families hold their wedding. But today, with Ma Ling returning home for her wedding, Ma Dafu and Ma Sheng are enough; there's absolutely no need for him.
But now Ma Dafu has given up on Ma Yang's studies. He cursed at Ma Yang and then told Zhao Jun to drink some sugar water.
Seeing that the matter was over and done with, Zhao Jun was not about to let it go. He quickly said to Ma Dafu, "Dad, how about I find someone to get Xiao Yang into the place, to work as a doorman, or maybe watch the reading room or the hot water room or something?"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Ma Dafu and Ma Sheng's eyes lit up, and Wang Cuihua, who had just delivered the sweet soup, didn't leave and immediately sat down next to Ma Yang.
In the past decade, very few people in the entire Yong'an forest area have gone to high school. Very few girls finish junior high school, and even those who do usually go home to wait to get married.
The boys were mischievous, and not many of them finished junior high school. After finishing junior high, they either went home to farm or used connections to get jobs as apprentices in farms.
So when Li Ruhai dropped out of school, his homeroom teacher, Teacher Xiao, came to his home to ask about the situation, and then he turned around and left.
Even if they finish junior high school, it won't make much difference. If Li Ruhai can get in now, it's like taking a shortcut to success. Why would the teacher stop him? Besides, this way, the class will have one less troublemaker. Why wouldn't the teacher be happy to do that?
The Ma family naturally understood this principle, and upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Ma Dafu and Wang Cuihua became somewhat excited.
At this moment, Zhao Jun continued, "Our Xiao Yang is still young, so I'm thinking of finding him some work to tide him over. It'll be convenient for him to be at the factory. We can see if he can learn to drive or follow the technicians to measure. After a year or two, we'll have a contract, and then... tsk!"
These days, government positions are all obtained through contracts, and although Zhao Jun didn't finish his sentence, he had already said the key points.
The prospect described by Zhao Jun moved Ma Dafu, Wang Cuihua, and Ma Sheng.
Being a driver these days is a good job. As for being an inspector, it goes without saying that you absolutely can't get that job without strong connections.
But kids like Ma Yang, once they start to experience romantic feelings, they get really into it. Especially unrequited love, secret crushes, they're more likely to become self-absorbed and self-indulgent.
Other people of the same age would be overjoyed to hear they could go back to work. But Ma Yang's first reaction after hearing Zhao Jun's words was: If I go back to work, what will happen to Hu Lina?
"Dad, Mom, Big Brother," Zhao Jun asked Ma Dafu and the other two, "I feel the inspector is better. What do you think?"
“I…I think so too,” Wang Cuihua echoed Zhao Jun excitedly. But just then, Ma Yang shouted loudly, “I don’t want to go to work! I want to go to school!”
"I'll fuck your mother..." Wang Cuihua was furious upon hearing this, and immediately started cursing and hitting him.
"What are you doing?" Ma Yang, who had just been slapped, dodged Wang Cuihua's attack range and shouted, "I want to go to school, why won't you let me go to school?"
Wang Cuihua then remembered that her son-in-law was still nearby, so she became much more restrained. She pointed at Ma Yang and smacked her lips without saying a word, meaning, "You just wait."
Wang Cuihua remained silent, but Ma Dafu raised his hand and slapped Ma Yang, saying, "You good-for-nothing, your brother-in-law can come up with these things for you, you should be burning incense in gratitude."
Ma Yang didn't dare to argue with Ma Dafu. He was so anxious about the boy that tears welled up in his eyes.
Seeing Ma Yang's tears streaming down his face, Zhao Jun smiled faintly. He did this not only to get his brother-in-law beaten up, but also to give Ma Yang a chance.
Because Wang Meilan passed away in his previous life, Zhao Jun got married later than he does now. By the time he married Ma Ling and established a good relationship with the Ma family, Ma Yang had already graduated from junior high school.
Back then, Zhao Jun wasn't doing as well as he is now, but he truly treated Ma Yang like his own brother. So he discussed with Ma Dafu and Wang Cuihua that even if they had to spend money and give gifts, they had to get Ma Yang into the forest farm.
But Ma Yang refused to go, insisting on going to Yongfu Village to learn carpentry, which made Ma Dafu so angry that he almost broke his triangular belt.
Years later, Ma Yang, drunk, reminisced about the past and tearfully told Zhao Jun that he had taken the wrong path back then. He had thought that being close to the authorities would give him an advantage, but little did he know that joining the forest farm was his only chance.
Before logging was stopped in the forest area, the forestry workers were incredibly skilled. It's no exaggeration to say that even if a person had a disability, as long as it wasn't as severe as Zhang Laibao's, even if their arms or legs weren't very functional, there were plenty of girls willing to marry them.
Zhao Jun knew about Ma Yang's regret, so he wanted to give him a chance. Even if the forest farm declined in the future, Zhao Jun could arrange for Ma Yang to become a forest ranger. You know, once logging stops, being a forest ranger will be even more prestigious.
Zhao Jun also knew that Ma Yang wouldn't easily agree. And that depended on how ruthless his father-in-law was.
Just as Zhao Jun was looking at Ma Yang with good intentions without suspicion, Xing San, who was leaving Zhao Jun's house and heading towards his own small room, was stopped by two people with ill intentions.
After finishing the homecoming visit and settling the matter with the great immortal boy, I'll find an excuse to go hunting in the mountains.
The inclusion of the great fairy child serves as foreshadowing for later events, foreshadowing some of the events surrounding Zhao Jun's ginseng-digging.
I still need to prescribe one more dose of medicine. I'll go out again today and update around 10 or 11 pm.
(End of this chapter)