Chapter 258: Separation!
In this era, farming is not as mechanized as in later generations. Whether it's plowing or other tasks, oxen are essential. As a result, oxen are considered "farmers' treasures" and are rarely slaughtered for meat unless they die naturally after years of labor. This shows just how important oxen are to farmers.
However, farmers who didn't build a cowshed to protect their oxen from the elements could only watch helplessly as their animals slowly froze to death during the prolonged cold and frosty weather.
One, two, three...
In the previous life, according to the records of Bobai County, a total of 2,549 oxen froze to death in the county that year, causing significant losses to the farmers.
In this life, although Deng Shirong issued warnings in advance, his influence was limited to Help and Correct Brigade. Beyond national borders, only relatives and friends in Thatchfield Village and a few cautious individuals heeded his advice.
Deng Shirong couldn't reach people in other areas.
As a result, while the oxen in Help and Correct Brigade remained safe, those in other brigades were largely frozen to death, with the only variation being the number of casualties.
If it had just been a few chickens or ducks that died, it might not have caused much of a stir. But the death of oxen—dozens or even hundreds per commune—created a massive uproar.
As news spread, the entire county was thrown into turmoil.
Amid the widespread grief, the villagers of Thatchfield Village and the entire Help and Correct Brigade felt immense gratitude toward Uncle Jiu. They knew that without his timely warning and preparations for the freeze, their own oxen might have been among the dead.
In the days that followed, Deng Shirong received local specialties from villagers in the surrounding areas as tokens of their appreciation.
Though these gifts weren't particularly valuable, they represented the heartfelt gratitude of the people.
...
Time flew by, and the year of 1982 came to an end, giving way to 1983—a year of special significance.
At midnight on New Year's Day, a significant event occurred in Thatchfield Village. The oldest man in the village suddenly fell gravely ill. Hanging on to his last breath, he was carried by his children and grandchildren to the Grand Ancestor Hall under the glow of flashlights. The cold was biting, and by the time they laid him down on a mat, he quietly passed away.
In Bobai, funeral customs are deeply rooted, with little variation across different regions.
When someone dies, relatives first wash the body with a scented towel, dress it in funeral clothes (new clothes, shoes, and socks prepared in advance, usually by the deceased's daughter or other relatives if there is no daughter), wrap it in jute, place silver or copper coins in the mouth, and fill the hands with rice balls. The body is then carried on a wooden board to the Grand Ancestor Hall, covered with a mosquito net, and an incense table is set up with a long-burning lamp.
Relatives spread mats on the ground by the hall's walls, kneel and weep, and sleep on the ground at night—a practice known as "observing mourning."
Of course, this treatment is reserved for those who die naturally at home. Those who meet untimely deaths outside are not permitted to enter the Grand Ancestor Hall.
The commotion in the middle of the night woke nearly everyone in the village, unless they were exceptionally deep sleepers.
After being roused, Deng Shirong learned who had passed. The deceased was his nephew, born in the late Qing Dynasty and now 83 years old. His health had been declining over the past two years, so his passing was not unexpected.
Having lived through death once himself, Deng Shirong took the news in stride and went back to sleep.
Birth, aging, illness, and death are inevitable. For Deng Shirong, who had already experienced death, these events no longer held the same weight.
In the 1960s and 1970s, funerals were simplified due to well-known historical reasons.
But now, in 1983, the ancient funeral customs had resurfaced.
First, a master (a Daoist priest) was invited to perform rituals to help the deceased's soul transcend. The duration of these rituals depended on the family's financial means, ranging from one night to as long as seven days and nights.
For the next three days and three nights, Thatchfield Village was immersed in the somber tones of mourning music and the sounds of weeping.
The timing of funerals varies across Bobai's communes. In Double Prosperity, happy events are held in the morning, while funerals take place in the afternoon. Other communes follow the opposite tradition.
Three days later, in the afternoon, the deceased was buried. The coffin was draped in red cloth, and the family wept as it was carried out of the Grand Ancestor Hall. The filial son had to pass under the coffin three times in a ritual called "bridge building." The Daoist priest chanted scriptures to lead the way, while the eldest grandson (or another younger relative if there was no grandson) held the spirit tablet. Relatives and friends who came to pay their respects wore white cloth (or black in some places) on their sleeves, held funeral couplets, and led the procession with gongs, cymbals, firecrackers, and scattered paper money.
The direct descendants wore mourning clothes, and the filial sons carried the coffin with mourning sticks. The rest of the relatives followed in escort.
As the funeral procession moved from the Grand Ancestor Hall, any household it passed had to set off a string of firecrackers.
Deng Shirong's house lay along the procession's route. When the funeral passed by, he too set off firecrackers and watched the procession depart, silently reciting the name of his nephew and hoping that, in his next life, he might find more joy and less hardship.
...
New Dock Village
Today marked the end of the eleventh lunar month, and Zhang Zhenfa's family was settling their accounts behind closed doors.
About ten minutes later, Zhang Shouguo calculated the month's profits and announced happily, "Dad, Mom, our store made 436 yuan this month."
Zhang Zhenfa's eyes lit up. "Boss, are you sure you calculated that correctly?"
Zhang Shouguo smiled. "Dad, I checked it twice. It's accurate."
Mrs. Zhang beamed. "That's wonderful! We made over 30 yuan more than last month. The business is getting better and better."
The eldest and second daughters-in-law also smiled, pleased with the news.
Though the family hadn't yet divided the household, the profits went into the elders' pockets. However, influenced by their younger sister-in-law, the parents-in-law set aside a small portion of the profits each month for the daughters-in-law to save privately.
Now, each daughter-in-law had saved over 200 yuan in her private stash—a significant sum that brought them great satisfaction. This private money placed them in a better financial position than 99% of the daughters-in-law in the village.
Only those newly married women with substantial dowries or those who had already separated from their families and managed their own households could rival their savings.
Zhang Zhenfa picked up his pipe, stuffed it with tobacco from the bag on the table, and said, "December is the best month of the year. Last December, our store made over 400 yuan. This year, we might make 500 or 600 yuan."
Zhang Shoumin laughed. "Dad, Mom, this year our store will definitely make over 4,000 yuan. Shouldn't we build a new house?"
Zhang Ersao chimed in, "Yes, Dad, Mom, our family has the money now. Although the current house is just enough for us, it's not ideal for A Ping and her husband. Besides, everyone has seen her brother-in-law's house. It's so comfortable, and living in a house like ours is still quite inconvenient. So, I also think we should build a new house."
If conditions permit, who wouldn't want to live in a new house?
Seeing the second brother and his wife take the lead, the eldest brother and his wife, as well as Zhang Shoujun and Zhang Shoushan, also voiced their agreement to build a new house.
Zhang Zhenfa lit a match, took a few puffs of his cigarette, and then said with a smile, "As for building a new house, we two old folks have been thinking about it for a while now. We plan to start construction after the Chinese New Year when the weather warms up. We originally wanted to discuss this with you during the New Year, but since we've come to this point, let's talk about it now!"
Zhang Shouguo nodded and said, "Dad, go ahead."
Zhang Zhenfa set his pipe aside and said, "We plan to follow the example of Thatchfield's in-laws and build a new house with blue bricks and tiles, complete with a bathroom. Each of you four brothers will have your own house, and we two old folks will have one as well. That's a total of five connected houses. It's estimated to cost around 4,000 yuan. What do you think?"
Zhang Shouguo, who had always admired his father's house, immediately agreed. "Dad, I think your idea is excellent. Our family should definitely build such a house."
Zhang Shoumin also nodded. "I agree. Everyone knows how comfortable my brother-in-law's house is. If we build something similar, it'll be the talk of New Dock Village."
Zhang Dasao and Zhang Ersao also voiced their approval. Each of the four brothers would have their own house. Even though the family hadn't officially separated yet, having their own spaces was a great prospect. At the very least, they'd have the confidence to host guests overnight.
Mrs. Zhang looked at her third son and said, "Xiaojun, you're not young anymore. Once the new house is built, I'll find you a wife."
Zhang Shoujun was 19 this year. By the time the house was completed next year, he'd be 20.
At that age, most people in later generations would still be studying or just starting their careers, with no rush to marry. But in this era, both men and women were eager to marry by the time they turned 20, and Zhang Shoujun was no exception.
The reason for this difference is simple. In later generations, young people could date and fulfill their needs without marrying. But in this era, aside from becoming a craftsman, marriage was the only acceptable way to address those needs.
Even if a couple had registered as legally married, they might not consummate the marriage until the wedding ceremony. And if a girl became pregnant, the wedding date had to be set immediately—there was no room for irresponsibility.
So, when Zhang Shoujun heard his mother mention finding him a wife, he didn't object. Instead, he agreed with anticipation.
After discussing the house, Mrs. Zhang took the money from the table, handed two ten-yuan bills to her daughters-in-law, and said, "You've worked hard this month. This is for you. Keep it for yourselves."
"Thank you, Mom!"
"Thank you, Mom!"
The two daughters-in-law happily accepted the money and tucked it away.
Seeing their third and fourth sons craning their necks, Mrs. Zhang handed each of them ten yuan and scolded them with a smile, "You two, spend it wisely. The family is building a house next year, and we'll need to find Xiaojun a wife. There's a lot of expenses coming up!"
"Got it!"
The two brothers took the money, their lips curling into slight smiles.
Though ten yuan wasn't a fortune, it wasn't a small amount either. It was enough to impress their peers in the village.
...
Thatchfield Village
A family was dividing their household. As the most senior elder in the village, Deng Shirong was naturally invited to witness the event. Deng Yunjun, the brigade leader, was also present.
The family in question was Deng Changxin's. He wanted to separate his eldest son, Deng Siwen, and his second son, Deng Siwu, to live independently.
When Deng Shirong arrived, the atmosphere was tense. Deng Changxin and his wife looked unhappy, while their two sons and daughters-in-law remained silent. The other children stood by without a word. It was clear that this division wasn't amicable but the result of ongoing conflicts between the brothers and their wives.
In his previous life, Deng Shirong had been invited to witness a similar situation, so he knew what was happening.
In short, the division was caused by Deng Siwu's wife. While the rest of the family worked tirelessly, Deng Siwu's wife had been avoiding household chores, claiming stomach pains shortly after her marriage.
Over time, this caused growing resentment from her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, leading to the current situation.
However, Deng Shirong knew that Deng Siwu's wife wasn't faking her illness. She genuinely had a stomach condition, but without a proper medical examination, she had mistaken it for ordinary stomachaches.
It wasn't until her condition worsened and she fainted from the pain that she was finally taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a stomach disease. But by then, she had already separated from the family.
Separation was often the dream of many daughters-in-law. After all, it meant freedom from a mother-in-law's control and the ability to manage their own households.
But this usually happened years into the marriage, not shortly after the wedding.
In rural areas, people married young. Take Deng Siwu and his wife, for example. He was just 20, and his wife was only 18. At such a young age, the idea of supporting a family without parental help was daunting.
So, knowing the situation, Deng Shirong felt compelled to intervene. He looked at Deng Changxin and said, "Changxin, your second daughter-in-law has only been married for a few months. If you separate her now, people will talk. I think you should reconsider!"
Deng Yunjun also chimed in, "Changxin, Uncle Jiu is right. You really should think this through. Even if you must separate, at least wait a year or two."
Deng Changxin sighed, his face heavy with sorrow. "Uncle Jiu, Captain, I understand what you're saying, but this family has to be divided."
As the saying goes, every family has its own struggles. Deng Shirong knew better than to interfere too deeply. No matter how fairly you handle such matters, someone will always be dissatisfied. So, after offering his advice, he stepped back and simply acted as a witness.
Deng Yunjun and the others followed suit. They offered their advice but stopped pressing when it became clear their words weren't changing anything.
Next, under the witness of Deng Shirong and others, Deng Changxin proceeded to divide the family property between his two sons.
During the division, Deng Shirong and the other witnesses noticed that Deng Siwu's wife was being unfairly targeted by her mother-in-law. For example, when dividing the grain, they claimed that the eldest son and his wife had contributed more and therefore deserved a larger share.
When dividing the land, they argued that since the eldest daughter-in-law and her grandson both received a share, they should get more.
The division of other items followed a similar pattern. In short, the eldest son received more, while the second son received less.
Originally, Deng Shirong and the others were there merely as witnesses and had no authority to interfere in how the family divided their property.
However, when the eldest sister-in-law suggested taking out a leather jacket that Deng Siwu had bought for his wedding to negotiate its value, and the mother-in-law agreed, Deng Shirong could no longer remain silent.
In his previous life, Deng Shirong had witnessed this same scene. The leather jacket had been purchased by Deng Siwu with his own money for 25 yuan, and it was indeed brought out for negotiation. At the time, he felt it was excessive but refrained from intervening, believing it was not his place to interfere in another family's affairs.
But this time, Deng Shirong couldn't hold back. He said, "Let's not even talk about the previous divisions. There's no need to bring out this jacket and divide it, right? After all, you're brothers. Are you planning to never see each other again after this division?"
Deng Yunjun and the others also found it unbearable. If Uncle Jiu hadn't spoken up, they might have remained silent, but since he had taken the lead, they felt compelled to add their voices.
"Yes, it's one thing to divide the other items, but taking out a piece of clothing to divide is really going too far."
"As the saying goes, leave some room for reconciliation in the future. There's no need to divide this jacket."
"Changxin's family, this is your own son we're talking about!"
"..."
Seeing Uncle Jiu, the brigade leader, and others speak up, Deng Changxin could no longer save face. He glared at his wife and said, "Forget about the clothes. Let's move on to dividing the other things."
The eldest sister-in-law felt a twinge of regret but didn't dare to argue further after Uncle Jiu had spoken.
So, they skipped the jacket and continued with the division.
Half an hour later, Deng Siwen and Deng Siwu had divided the property under the witness of Deng Shirong and the others. Throughout the process, the two brothers remained mostly silent, while their wives handled the negotiations.
In the end, Deng Siwu received 169 kilograms of grain, 6 points of land, a house, a chicken, a duck, and a share of the pig and cow, which were converted into cash. Along with the household's savings, he received a total of 132.6 yuan, a bunk bed, quilts, mats, pots, pans, and other miscellaneous items. He also received one-tenth of the family's mountain land.
There were also some farm tools and other odds and ends.
After the division was complete, Deng Yunjun and the others left. As soon as they were gone, Deng Siwu's wife crouched on the ground, clutching her left upper abdomen, her face twisted in pain.
Seeing this, the eldest sister-in-law and her mother-in-law showed clear disgust, assuming she was pretending again.
Even Deng Siwu, her own husband, didn't bother to ask if she was okay, which made Deng Shirong shake his head inwardly. He felt that this daughter-in-law was truly unfortunate to have married into such a family.
He set down his pipe and asked, "Ah Ba Mei, are you alright?"
Though Chen Ba Mei was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on her forehead, she gritted her teeth and shook her head. "Uncle Jiu, I'm fine."
"Look at you, you're clearly in pain. How can you be fine?"
At this point, Deng Shirong turned to Deng Siwu and said, "Your wife likely has a stomach condition. Take her to the county hospital for a checkup tomorrow. This kind of illness can be serious or minor, but if you don't take it seriously, you'll regret it later."
Deng Siwu, who had been silent until now, was taken aback. "Uncle Jiu, are you saying my wife has a stomach disease?"
Deng Shirong replied, "The area she's clutching is where the stomach is located. I'm also aware of your wife's situation. I don't want to interfere in your family matters, but it's clear she has a stomach condition. Take her to the hospital tomorrow for a proper checkup. Don't let a minor illness turn into a major one. Do you understand?"
Deng Siwu quickly nodded, then went to help his wife with a look of shame on his face.
The rest of the family, who had been present and heard Deng Shirong's words, wore complicated expressions.
After all, the reason for the family division was the belief that Deng Siwu's wife had been "faking illness" to avoid work. But now, according to Uncle Jiu, Chen Ba Mei's illness might not be fake—she could genuinely have a stomach condition. If that were true, then they had made a grave mistake.
Deng Changxin opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately sighed and remained silent.
After offering his advice, Deng Shirong didn't linger. He left with his hands clasped behind his back.
Deng Siwu helped his wife back to their room to rest and said guiltily, "Wife, I'm sorry."
Chen Ba Mei lay on the bed curled up like a shrimp, clutching her upper left abdomen, and didn't respond.
Seeing this, Deng Siwu realized that his lack of trust had hurt his wife deeply. He knew a simple apology wouldn't fix things, so he said, "Wife, rest for now. I'll go move the things we were allotted into the house. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the county hospital for a thorough checkup."
After saying this and seeing that his wife still didn't respond, he left the room and began silently moving their share of the property into the house.
On the other side, the eldest brother and his wife were also moving their belongings, though their share was significantly larger.
As for Deng Changxin, his wife, and the other siblings, they stood by and watched.
The family, which had once lived in harmony, now bore a rift that might never fully heal after this unfair division.
(End of this chapter)