A century of poverty

Chapter 53 Marriage Proposal Rejected

At a school-organized assembly, Li Yougu, a commune electrician dressed in a work uniform, was recounting his life story with great sorrow.

He was an orphan, born in the old society. He didn't know who his parents were, had no relatives, and lived by begging. He didn't even know his own name or age. People called him "Beggar Bones," and he accepted that as his name.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped away his tears.

It was the Communist Party and Chairman Mao who liberated all of China, adopted him as an orphan, named him Li Yougu, supported his education, and encouraged him to be a principled citizen of the new China. After graduation, he was assigned to work as an electrician in the commune, given work clothes and a salary, and became a dignified citizen of the country.

"The Communist Party is like my father and mother. I will listen to the Party and follow the Communist Party for the rest of my life..."

Today, dressed in his work clothes, with pliers, screwdrivers, and other tools tucked into his belt bag, he led our village's electrician to install small loudspeakers in every household.

The countryside was witnessing a groundbreaking new phenomenon. My father said happily, "This must be what 'speaking along the lines' means. There's a saying from the older generation about Emperor Qianlong: 'Upstairs and downstairs, speaking along the lines.' Upstairs and downstairs is easy to understand, but speaking along the lines... no one has known what that means for so many years. This must be it."

With that, he flipped the switch, and news and newspaper summary programs accompanied by music immediately started playing.

Our family sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), around two tables, eating and listening to the radio.

The announcer's clear voice came over the radio: "Asia, Africa, Latin America, the people of the Third World, unite..."

Grandma, not understanding, asked, "What are you saying? Rice porridge, millet porridge, or foxtail millet porridge?"

"Haha! Haha!" This made us burst into laughter, laughing so hard we almost fell over. My older brother explained to Grandma, "It's not about the porridge we're eating, it's about the countries in the world, the nations."

"Oh, oh." Grandma seemed to understand, but seeing us all laughing, she laughed too.

Yun, the only daughter in her family, was twenty years old, of medium height, with a long face, dark eyebrows, and two small braids that reached her shoulders. Her eldest brother worked as a factory worker, while her second brother, father, and she all worked in the production team. With some earning points at home and others earning money outside, their circumstances were relatively better. She always wore khaki clothes and worked in the production team without a care in the world.

Whenever her older brother Zhang Shuangxing was working in the team, she would always turn her attention to him and intentionally or unintentionally move closer to him.

That morning, after all the commune members had gathered, Zhang Shixue finished assigning tasks, and then his eldest brother led the able-bodied men to clear the stubble in the large fields. Upon arriving at the edge of the field, the eldest brother led the way, standing two rows at a time. Ma Shouren, seeing Yun standing next to his eldest brother, said, "How could I possibly separate you two?" He then stepped back down. Yun smiled shyly.

Clearing stubble is heavy physical work. You swing a small pickaxe in one hand and grab the stubble with the other, lifting the pickaxe to clear one stubble at a time. Then, you turn the pickaxe handle and tap the stubble against the pickaxe head to remove the soil from the base of the stubble. You then clear the second and third stubble, repeating the motion until you can no longer hold the grip and have to put it down. This work requires strength, quick hands and eyes, good coordination, and a steady gait.

The eldest brother would occasionally pull the cloud-covered ridge along, bend over, and dig it out a long distance in one go.

Ma Shouren deliberately kept some distance from them, while most of the commune members were behind him, chasing each other.

The older brother turned to look at Yun: "Are you tired? If you are, take a rest."

Yun smiled and said, "I'm not tired." The two chatted and laughed as they dug forward.

Winter farmland infrastructure construction began. In response to the call of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao to "learn from Dazhai in agriculture," the commune decided to build a small reservoir in Lizhuangtuo and convened a meeting of the leaders of each brigade to discuss the specifics.

The meeting was chaired by Zhao Shuren, deputy secretary of the commune, with Li Zhiyuan, the cadre stationed there, sitting next to him.

Zhang Mingzhi of Zhangzhuangtuo intended to groom his elder brother as his successor, and together with another Party member, he acted as the elder brother's introducer to the Party, nominally serving as the deputy secretary of the brigade. He also encouraged his elder brother to attend many commune meetings.

The eldest brother had a neat, short, jet-black haircut, wore a green woolen sweater underneath a blue blouse with the buttons undone, and a white collar with a scalloped collar stood out. He looked very energetic. As soon as he entered, Zhao Shuren called out, "Zhang Shuangxing, sing a song." The others present also applauded and welcomed him, saying, "Give us a piece from a model opera."

Let's sing one song at a time. Today, let's sing a section from "Poor Children Learn to Be Independent Early":

Basket Shop

Picking up coal slag

Carrying water and splitting wood

He also relied on

里里外外

Top leader

Poor children

Become a responsible person early...

At this moment, the commune secretary and the armed forces minister arrived at the meeting place, and all the other brigades who came to attend the meeting also arrived.

The meeting discussed and approved the selection of laborers from five villages, with each brigade sending a team to lead them. The team will be under the unified command of Zhao Shuren, the deputy secretary of the commune, and assisted by Li Zhiyuan, the cadre stationed at the site. They will depart for the site tomorrow.

The Armed Forces Minister said: "Water conservancy projects must be carried out, and winter training for the core militia must not be stopped. The militia company commanders of all brigades must intensify their training, keep Chairman Mao's teachings in mind, and remain vigilant! Defend the motherland! Be prepared at all times to oppose imperialism and resist revisionism."

As the sun sets, at the Donghetan militia training ground, a day's training has come to an end, and the militia members are dismissed to go home.

Yun helped her older brother carry the rifles he used for bayonet practice, intending to return to the militia company's depot together. At this moment, Ma Shouren came over and took the rifles from Yun's hands: "I'll carry a few for you, we'll go back together as comrades." Yun took the two rifles off her shoulder and handed them to him.

The older brother asked, "Little Ma, some young people are returning to the city, and our brigade is giving you a spot. Why don't you go? This is a great opportunity that others would love to have."

Ma Shouren: "I'm not in a hurry. Between going back to the city to become a worker and receiving re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants here, I'd rather stay in this vast countryside!"

The older brother looked at the Tianjin youth who was even younger than himself. He wasn't tall, had a fair complexion, a clean-shaven chin, a small mustache, and curly hair—quite distinctive. He was cheerful, quick-witted, and hardworking, consistently recognized as an outstanding model among the sent-down youth. The fact that the brigade had given him the first spot to return to the city was a testament to his talent, but he had unhesitatingly given it up.

The older brother asked, "All the educated youth are looking forward to returning to the city as soon as possible, but you gave it up to someone else. I really don't understand what you were thinking."

Little Horse: "Then don't bother, just the two of you handle it!"

Yun smiled and said, "How did this little girl get dragged into this?"

The three chatted and laughed as they climbed the steep slope along the riverbank. After passing through Zhuangzhong Road and walking a short distance south, they arrived at the brigade and the dormitory where the young people lived.

The eldest brother opened the door to the militia company, and Xiao Ma put the gun in and went back to the dormitory. Yun and the eldest brother stayed for a while.

In the evening, Mom was feeding the pigs and heating the kang (a heated brick bed) in the south wing.

When the eldest brother returned to the south room, he told Mom, "The meal will be delivered to our house tomorrow."

The next day, Mom heated the kang (heated brick bed) in the south room early in the morning.

Grandma left her old spot—sitting against the stack of blankets, looking at his cabinet.

Arriving at the passageway of the side room, I saw the coffin stacked against the wall. I went up and touched it. It was three to five inches thick. Although it wasn't a rare wood, it was enough for an ordinary family. This thing had been prepared for twenty years. Sooner or later, it would be needed. Looking at it gave me peace of mind. When the day came for me to close my eyes, I wouldn't have to worry about where to rest.

Just then, Dad came in. Mom and Dad went upstairs, Grandma went inside the kang (heated brick bed), and Dad sat outside chatting. Grandma said, "I heard that the eldest son in the west courtyard is engaged and is preparing to get married in December. Shuangxing and I should hurry up too."

In the main house, behind the pillars was a relatively quiet place. Mom put the table on and served the food. Just then, Zhang Shuren and Li Zhiyuan from the commune came in.

Mom: "You've come at the perfect time! I just served it. Eat it while it's hot, you two brothers, and get on the kang (heated brick bed)!"

"Okay, okay," the two replied, sitting down on either side of the table.

Mother came out and went to the south room of the side room.

Her father looked at her and said, "Shuangxing is twenty-three, which is not young anymore. Other people's brides are getting married soon. You should start making arrangements for us."

Mother: "What should we do then? Send a matchmaker to her house to propose marriage?"

Father: "We can't do that!"

Mom: "Who are you looking for?"

Father: "Zhang Jingtang's wife is not only close to our two families, but also on par with them. She would definitely be willing to go."

Mom: "Hmm, I'll go to her house later when I have time and talk to her. I need to go check on the main house." As she spoke, she went to the main house to prepare lunch for the family.

At this moment, the two commune cadres who were eating assigned meals finished their meals, put down their bowls and chopsticks, took out money and grain coupons from their pockets, put them under their bowls, and got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Seeing the two of them come out, Mom quickly wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Have you finished eating? There's nothing special."

"That's fine, no need to trouble yourself for us." He said politely and walked out.

A few days later, the matchmaker returned and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't handle this well. When I went to her house to talk to her, her parents said, 'That's not true. Their daughter is still young and they're not in a hurry to find a husband.'"

No one expected that something so common knowledge would turn out this way when the truth was revealed.

Brother, it doesn't matter. As an ordinary person, would I be worthy of her? A real man has nothing to worry about when he's not married.

My mother used the prepared materials to make a new quilt for my fourth sister and me. My fourth sister no longer needed to use an old mattress, and I was separated from my third sister's quilt and had my own new flowery quilt.

In his anxiety and anger, Father's toothache and swollen cheeks worsened. He always placed his heart on his eldest son, the most beloved of his eight children. Zhang Mingzhi had suggested grooming him for a career, and his eldest son's performance was satisfactory. He excelled in all his tasks, and in terms of looks and ability, he was among the best in the entire village. However, he unexpectedly encountered setbacks in his marriage prospects. While other third-rate boys of the same age in the village were engaged, his outstanding eldest son was rejected, which Father felt was a loss of face.

A few days later, I overheard my aunt Fan Guiyan gossiping again: "Who's getting him a wife? Three generations of people, young and old."