Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 154

Zhou Chunwen looked at Zhao Da'e with disdain: "Da'e, didn't you say you don't kill animals? Why are you getting excited now that the chicken is almost cooked? You want me to add some more mushrooms?"

Zhao Da'e swallowed back his saliva, which had been craving chicken stew with mushrooms, and said righteously, "Big sister, Heaven cherishes life, Earth sustains all things, and a gentleman helps others achieve their goals. These three sentences are connected... So, by nature, I don't kill; I have compassion for all living beings. But Heaven and Earth have nurtured me, so I must follow their rules, eat grains and simple meals. This chicken stew with mushrooms is also made from grains; it's just a way to improve my diet. My desire to eat it proves that I love this land and love life."

And you're the best to me, big sister, you'll definitely sneak me a whole chicken leg, right?

Zhou Chunwen sighed helplessly, "Big Goose, you're such a chatterbox. You're good at chicken stew with mushrooms, but I really can't give you the chicken legs. However, I can give you two chicken wings in a bit; you can keep these for yourself." He brought up a whole stewed chicken, but when Shi Zhihui saw there were no chicken legs, she thought, "Isn't that making fun of me? That won't do."

Next time there's a chance, I'll stew a whole chicken for you separately.

Zhao Da'e was helpless; he knew Shi Zhihui was the matchmaker, so there was nothing he could do.

"Forget it, who knows when the next time will be. You only have one rooster and it's already eaten it. If it eats another one, it'll have to eat the hens that lay eggs. But speaking of which, I still have three roosters..." Zhao Da'e's eyes suddenly lit up: "Let's take care of my roosters' nests these next few days. Otherwise, Wang Guixiang will start eyeing my roosters again when she comes out of the fence. Last time she came out, she stole two of my roosters and ate them."

Come to think of it, Wang Guixiang must be having a terrible time in this freezing weather. The fence must be so cold. Sigh... why... why do I want to laugh? Hahahaha..."

Seeing Zhao Da'e laughing so happily, Zhou Chunwen was both amused and exasperated: "You, you!"

Before long, all the dishes were ready. Zhou Chunwen then set up a table on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Shi Zhihui and Zhou Yuren chatted for a long time. No one knew what they were talking about, but they were laughing and talking the whole time.

Seeing that Zhou Chunwen had already set the table and was preparing to eat, Shi Zhihui quickly got up, pretending to leave: "Oh dear, I have to go back. You guys eat."

Zhao Da'e, listening outside, almost twitched his mouth: "Ugh, this Fourth Aunt is really something. You came at lunchtime, and now you want to leave? I really want to drag you away."

Sure enough, Zhou Yuren quickly stopped Shi Zhihui, pushing her to prevent her from leaving: "Oh dear, relative. There's nothing good to eat, just eat here."

Shi Zhihui quickly declined, saying, "No, no, I've already eaten at home."

Zhou Yuren and Shi Zhihui kept arguing, one saying, "Stay for dinner," and the other saying, "I won't stay for dinner."

In the end, Zhou Chunwen pushed Shi Zhihui back to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed): "Oh, Fourth Aunt, we're already at home, why are you being so formal? I didn't cook anything special, and I know what you're so proud of, so I just stewed a big rooster. That rooster crows every day, keeping me from sleeping in, so I stewed it. Even if you hadn't come, I would have stewed it and brought it over to you. Today is perfect. Try my cooking, and maybe you can introduce me to a boyfriend or something, haha."

"Hahahaha." Shi Zhihui said with a laugh, "If that's how you put it, then I really have to stay. Leave your husband-finding to your fourth aunt. If I leave, you'll have to blame me if you can't find a husband later."

"Hahaha……"

The group then laughed and took their seats.

Zhou Yuren asked Shi Zhihui to sit inside the kang (heated brick bed) to show his respect for her: "Relative, it's warm inside the kang, sit there."

Shi Zhihui accepted the bowls and chopsticks that Zhou Chunwen brought over, and then, without further ado, invited Zhou Chunwen and the others to sit on the kang (heated brick bed) and eat together.

Zhao Da'e obediently picked up a chicken leg from the chicken stew with mushrooms and put it in Shi Zhihui's bowl, saying perfunctorily, "Fourth Aunt, we don't like to eat lean meat. It gets stuck in our teeth, so this important task is left to you, haha."

Shi Zhihui picked it up and started eating it.

Zhou Chunwen also warmed a pot of liquor, bottled sorghum liquor. This sorghum liquor is considered the best local liquor near Kashi County, costing five yuan a bottle. It's pure, authentic grain liquor, with a very good taste and aroma.

Once the wine is warmed up, it will become spicier. Zhao Da'e politely filled Shi Zhihui's wine cup: "Fourth Aunt, drink up. It's good wine."

Zhou Yuren poured himself a wine cup and raised it, saying, "Relative, I'm really sorry to have troubled you with this matter."

While eating chicken legs and drinking wine, Shi Zhihui was quite comfortable and said readily, "Neither of your two families has any other opinions. The rest is just about the bride price and dowry. When to meet each other, when to exchange gifts, and when to get married."

"There's no time like the present. Let's not make things so complicated. Let's go to the house before the New Year. This place is just like this, there's not much to say." Zhou Yuren chuckled. "Our family's conditions are just like this, not bad, not great, but we're not rich or powerful either. We have enough to eat and wear."

Zhao Da'e added, "We're all honest people. My aunt and uncle are capable and young. My cousin Tianfu is also hardworking. He goes out to collect scrap from all around, from dawn till dusk, and he's still not back. Who else can endure such hardship?"

"I'm young, and I also think that the best time to do the housewarming ceremony is in the twelfth lunar month. Winter is a quiet time, not busy at all. Relatives and friends are all home. Fourth Aunt, how about we do the housewarming ceremony on the tenth of the lunar month? It's an even-numbered day, which is good. I know a little about these things; I did some calculations, and the tenth is an auspicious day according to the Chinese almanac, just right."

Shi Zhihui had no objections and turned to look at Zhou Yuren. Zhou Yuren naturally felt that the sooner his son got married, the better, so he also had no objections.

As for what opinions Zhou Chunwen and Zhou Chunhong could possibly have? Their opinions don't count.

After some discussion, the group decided to meet on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, when Zhou Tianfu and Ma Huaihua would exchange marriage proposals.

Today is already the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is a bit rushed. However, compared to this rush, Zhou Yuren feels that his son getting married is more important.

“The Xiang family doesn’t need to give much. We just need to give a token amount. I think four hundred will be fine,” Shi Zhihui said.

"How much?" Zhou Yuren's voice was a little loud.

Four hundred yuan?

The fortune teller wants four hundred yuan?

Actually, Zhao Da'e also found the number a bit unbelievable. Although the cost of getting married has been rising in the past two years, the bride price for most weddings has not exceeded three thousand yuan.

There are many nuances to this betrothal gift, and it doesn't include the matchmaker's fee. Generally, it's given in several installments: 1,500 yuan for the wedding itself, 1,000 yuan for exchanging gifts, 100 yuan for the matchmaker's visit, 100 yuan for the bride's address to the groom, and a gold ring (gold isn't cheap). Of course, some might buy a copper ring as a gimmick.

Besides, there are three other essential items that we need to buy.

This is already a lot, roughly five or six thousand. For a farming family, income is very limited.

A pound of grain only costs a little over two cents. A farming family is considered very lucky if they can produce 10,000 to 2,000 pounds of grain a year. Even if they don't eat or drink anything and do odd jobs, their annual income is only two or three thousand yuan.

Jurenzhangzi Village is different from Dongtaizi Village, which has land. Jurenzhangzi Village is all in the mountains, and its income is limited.

Actually, relatively speaking, most of Kashi County is deep in the mountains and forests, and Xichilichi, where Lao Ma's family lives, is also a remote mountain valley. Four hundred isn't much, but the Xiang family had never heard of a price of four hundred yuan before.

And it's like this: these few coins are complementary. Generally, the matchmaker's family should offer some money for tea and refreshments. After all, the woman's family has a whole bunch of relatives coming, and they should at least show some appreciation in this cold weather. Since they don't need to pick them up—the woman herself comes—it's only right that they contribute some money.

But four hundred yuan is too much. If other fortune tellers only ask for one hundred yuan, but Shi Zhihui asks for four hundred yuan, what about when she needs to exchange things or get married? She'll be asking for it out of her mind.

Zhou Yuren naturally thought of this as well, and his face became somewhat embarrassed and his expression stiffened.

Zhao Da'e, standing next to Zhou Yuren, quickly nudged him, signaling him not to say anything out of line.

It's so difficult to find a wife in the countryside, so as long as you have one, don't worry too much about it.

Zhao Da'e knew that four hundred yuan was a bit too much, but he had to swallow it. Who the hell told you to have a son?

Hahahaha.

"Hahaha, Fourth Aunt. It's alright. Four hundred isn't much. But there's a catch. We're saying this four hundred is a one-time payment. We'll definitely pay it, but there won't be any other fees when we meet the family. We don't want to have to pay for taxis or tea later. We'll pay four hundred right away. Uncle Ma, even if he walks here and doesn't take a taxi, we won't pick him up." Zhao Da'e made his point very clear.

Because there are indeed many hidden costs involved, it's worth mentioning. There have been instances where the woman arrived by taxi, didn't pay, ate and drank for a meal, and then left without paying – that's truly upsetting.

The village of Jurenzhangzi is particularly strange. Well, you could say it's strange, but there are a lot of bachelors there, all because they're poor.

Many later literary works frequently depict people living off the land and sea, portraying them as wealthy and powerful. However, in reality, this only applies to a minority. The vast majority of people endure immense hardship.

The mountain isn't that big; you can easily gather firewood and start a fire. You might even catch a rabbit. But if you're talking about catching two big wild boars the moment you step outside, that's a matter of luck. And catching wild boars every day in the mountains is just a pipe dream. Besides, are you the only one who can catch wild boars? Are all the other villagers fools?

Moreover, there are legal issues beyond morality. Hunting wild boars might not be entirely legal. Of course, putting all these issues aside, there's a very practical problem, as Zhao Da'e knows: wild boar meat is particularly unpalatable. All wild game is particularly unpalatable.

If it weren't so bad, our ancestors would have domesticated it long ago, wouldn't they? Things that survive through natural selection are hard to sell for money.

That's how it is with the cane of a scholar. Although Zhou Yuren's family was relatively well-off, four hundred was not much. But if they asked for this price, the bride price would be at least four or five thousand, and would be close to six thousand.

Zhao Da'e estimated that this much money was enough for all of Zhou Yuren's savings. After all, Zhao Da'e didn't know whether Zhou Yuren had built a house or not, but intuitively, he felt that Zhou Yuren definitely didn't have that much money and must have some debts. Otherwise, Zhou Tianfu wouldn't be working so hard collecting scraps and wouldn't have returned by now, even though it was already dark.

But this money has to be spent in order to get a wife.

It must be paid out, but no additional categories can be added.

There are also many hidden expenses that Zhao Da'e sometimes can't even imagine. Nobody knows how many relatives Old Ma's family will be coming; it's possible they'll come a dozen or twenty. Arranging four tables of food and drinks is a huge expense. After all, you can't just feed them cornbread when they come to visit, can you?

Back then, good wine, good food, good cigarettes, and good tea were all essential. But who in an ordinary family would spend money like that for no reason? The Zhou family certainly didn't have any readily available; they would have to buy them. That would also require a lot of money.

Take the drinks, for example. When Shi Zhihui came, he drank sorghum liquor, which cost five yuan a bottle. The liquor at the Xiang family's house that day must have been much higher-end, at least ten yuan or more. Then there's beer and soft drinks. It easily adds up to a couple hundred yuan. And then there's the good fruit, peanuts, melon seeds, pine nuts, and hazelnuts. All that money!

Seeing that Zhao Da'e had agreed, Shi Zhihui knew that Lao Ma wanted quite a lot, so she readily agreed as well: "Okay. Then it'll be one bag at a time."

"One package at a time" means that everything is included.

Although Zhou Yuren was somewhat embarrassed, he didn't want to show it, so he just kept urging him to drink: "Come on, relative. Then you'll have to go through the trouble."

"From now on, we'll all be real relatives, so there's nothing to worry about. It's only right, it's only right."

They drank a lot of alcohol.

Zhao Da'e later took the AD calcium milk he bought in the city and drank it with great relish.

Zhou Yuren and Shi Zhihui were playing drinking games on the table, having a great time. They were clearly quite drunk.

Zhou Chunwen retorted to Zhao Dage: "Dage, you agreed to four hundred yuan? You're really something! I know how many coins my dad has. That old guy always pretends to be rich, but he's actually dirt poor."

"Hey goose, let me tell you, my family still owes 18,000 yuan in debt from building our house. You're not a stranger to me, so I'm telling you, my family is actually very poor. We're worse off than yours. You're just broke, but my family is facing a huge debt..."

Zhao Da'e said nonchalantly, "There's nothing I can do about it. I knew your family must be secretly struggling financially. But that's normal; everyone has to make some money when building a house. It's okay, you can pay it back slowly. Anyway, I don't have to pay it back."

Zhou Chunwen looked disgusted: "..."

"But when it comes to getting married, my older cousin needs to get married; he can't stay a bachelor, can he?" Zhao Da'e changed the subject. "At worst, when you get married, my older sister can just demand a hefty dowry, right?"

Zhou Chunwen frowned: "They demanded a huge dowry, and now their in-laws are in debt. How am I supposed to go and pay off their debts? Besides, I'd rather believe in love."

"Um... let's not talk about love. I've given it up." Zhao Da'e chuckled. "Look at your dad, he's grinning from ear to ear. Even if his son's marriage is tough and exhausting, he feels it's all worth it. People need something to look forward to have the courage to live. With something to look forward to, the whole family works hard, and the famine won't last long. As long as the wife he marries is truly committed to a good life, things will get better, won't they?"