Chapter 50 Section IX

The eighteen-year-old Huahua is really beautiful, even the beauty of Tianshui back then was compared by her.However, she used to be the prospective concubine of the Qin family, and she still has a hundred dollars to compare with. Ordinary small families can neither afford nor dare to marry, and wealthy families think more about policy issues, so she just stays in the shabby Wang family. In the middle, when he was nearly thirty years old, he had no choice but to marry Mai San, a single man who had divorced his wife for more than ten years and had not yet remarried.Since then, the neighbors have called her Miss Mai San.

The number one beauty in the county finally married a second-hand man. There was nothing special about it.It is worth mentioning that Maisan's divorce had some influence in the county. In today's society, it is not uncommon for men and women to divorce.However, if the time goes back to more than 20 years ago, according to the customs of Ping'an County, the person who wants to get a divorce is undoubtedly the first to eat crabs, no matter how good he (or she) is. , It is not easy to succeed under heavy resistance.The resistance mainly comes from the family.If a man wants to get a divorce, he must share part of the property with the woman. In the eyes of his parents, he is an unworthy prodigal son, and in the eyes of outsiders, he becomes Chen Shimei, who abandons his wife in Qin opera.Think about it, "Chen Shimei", who has been stinking for hundreds of years and can't wait until dawn, will be cast aside by her family and neighbors?Reflected in reality, it is that people look at divorced men differently: since then, there has never been an enthusiastic old lady who has proposed to him, and absolutely no woman's natal family will watch her biological daughter jump into the fire pit, even if it is his. Brothers, uncles and nephews of the same family may be negatively affected in matters of marriage.This is why Mai San remarried after more than ten years of divorce, Mai San, who had no biological parents to care about.In the same way, if a woman wants to divorce, it is more difficult than going to heaven.If the reason for the divorce is justified (such as being abused), her in-laws will of course kick her out, and her natal family dare not take her in without authorization, so she will have nowhere to go; The new lover who had an affair with her may be punished by the family. In the face of the harsh family law, even if she survived the catastrophe, she would never show her face in front of others again.Therefore, the residents of Ping'an County are not happy to divorce. Even if the couple fights every day, as long as no one is killed, there will always be kind neighbors who will come to persuade them; Do everything possible to "bind" them together.As the saying goes, it is better to tear down ten temples than ruin a marriage.

If the time is pushed back another thirty years, that is, in 1950, when the new government promoted the "Marriage Law", there was a new atmosphere in the county where married men and women were vying to find freedom and a way out. The newly promulgated "Marriage Law" is a product of that era. It came into being to solve many problems left by arranged marriages. As the first article said, this law is used to abolish the feudalism of arranged coercion, male superiority and inferiority, and disregard of children's interests. As for the marriage and family system, at the same time promote the freedom of marriage between men and women, monogamy, equal rights between men and women, and a new democratic marriage system that protects the legal rights and interests of women and children.This long string of text is difficult to read, and most people in Ping'an County have never been to school, so it is difficult to understand. In addition, arranged marriages here have a long history, and this code did not have much impact on the people of Ping'an County when it was first promulgated. agitation.

This cannot be blamed for the ignorance of the people in Ping'an County, because Ping'an County has the specific situation of Ping'an County. As a married man and a woman, no matter what their actual living conditions are, because of the deep-rooted tradition, few people think of divorce, and even if they think about it, they don't want to divorce. will be easily put into practice.Therefore, in 1950, when the first round of divorces climaxed across the country, the notice to implement the "Marriage Law" was posted in front of the county government in Ping'an County for more than a month. They really couldn't understand the way the government encourages divorce, and the onlookers dispersed after a while. There was no crowding at the reception due to the large number of people asking for the dissolution of marriage like in other regions.This made the staff who went to Ping'an County to implement the "Marriage Law" do nothing.They were extremely disappointed, and on the eve of leaving the county, they finally received two divorce petitions.One of the divorce petitions was filed by a man instead of a woman, which not only surprised the staff, but also caused a shock in Ping'an County.

Mai San, the first person in Ping'an County to respond to the government's call for "marriage freedom", claimed that he had been abused by his wife, Qin Shi, and wanted to divorce Qin Shi. The Qin family is a country girl from Shatoubao. Her father used to be a small bandit leader, but was suppressed by the People's Liberation Army that liberated the Northwest.She went to the county town alone to join her distant relatives. After living for a while, she felt that life under the eaves of others was not easy, so she offered to find her husband's family in the county town.So, like unloading a burden, the distant relatives married her into the Mai family who was eager to get married but had a hidden background and was full of bad luck, becoming the first third wife of Mai.

Shatoubao used to be the stronghold of bandits in this area. Qin grew up in such an environment, so she behaved differently from other women, which was confirmed from the first day she married into the Mai family.According to the customs of the county, the new daughter-in-law has to cook tea and cook for her parents-in-law the next morning.Mrs. Mai got up early, washed and tidy, and sat in the main room with the majesty of an elder, waiting for Mrs. Qin to offer her tea.Mrs. Qin also got up early, but instead of going into the kitchen, she made gestures in the yard with a wooden stick that was used to top the courtyard gate at night.Mrs. Mai waited for a long time, but Qin Shi still had no plans to enter the kitchen, and she became angry.In Mrs. Mai's view, not only did the Qin family not have any dowry when they married in, but they were politically determined by the government, and good people couldn't hide from them. It was a great kindness for her to accept her. Qin's family should be grateful, how could she? How can you be so ignorant of the rules!Thinking of this, Mrs. Mai became even more angry.She walked out of the main room, went to her son's window and called out Maisan.Mai San walked out of the house sleepily, and soon learned the reason for her mother's anger, so she strode up to Qin Shi, grabbed her hair with one hand, and raised the other hand to slap her ear, but was blocked by Qin Shi The stick swept over.Mai San screamed and quickly let go of his hand.Qin made a decisive decision and gave Mai San a few sticks, killing his prestige immediately.In the days to come, not only did Qin not have to get up early every day to serve tea and water to her mother-in-law like other daughters-in-law, but if she was upset, she would hold a wooden stick and make gestures in the yard again and again.Mai San either whispered soft words to his wife, or went outside to avoid the limelight.This is quite different in Ping'an County, where wife beating has always been a custom.

While regretting that she married such a daughter-in-law as if she was taking advantage of it, Mrs. Mai sighed in her heart: the world is going down!At this time, Mrs. Mai was old and faint. She couldn't figure out whether the change in the world was because of the liberation of the county, or because of the sturdy descendant of the bandit in front of her. However, the Mai family is very concerned about face. Even if they have fallen to the point of making a living by setting up small stalls, they still pay attention to the demeanor of a wealthy family they once had.For example, when Mrs. Mai drinks tea, she never lets others touch it with her hands. The tea must be put into the cup with a small wooden spoon, washed with warm water, and then brewed with boiling water. For another example, Mrs. Mai's headscarf and cloth shoes are embroidered with peony patterns that symbolize wealth.For such a family, Mai San being beaten by his wife is really embarrassing, so naturally he would not say anything, so the neighbors were kept in the dark for a long time.

Mai San is very majestic outside, but when he returns home, he has to swallow his anger when facing the wooden club that his wife may sweep at any time. He is afraid and hates Qin Shi.Suddenly, the government decides to dissolve his arranged marriage, and Mai San doesn't care about Mrs. Mai's objection, and decides to save himself by getting a divorce.This matter was spread in the county for a while, and he was undoubtedly ridiculed by other men, which made him feel inferior for many years. Divorce is a divorce, and the Qin family is benevolent. She has lived in the Mai family for nearly a year and knows everything about the Mai family, but she has not reported it to the government.But Mai San is still unreliable, and vaguely feels that his ex-wife will reveal his family fortune whether it is out of revenge or because of her tough personality.Divorced, the Qin family went back to live with distant relatives for a few days, and happened to be carrying out land reform vigorously in the countryside. According to the policy, she should not be implicated by her father and was entitled to a share of the land.So she left Ping'an County and returned to Shatoubao alone, and Mai Sancai put her hanging heart back into her stomach.

It wasn't until Huahua, the adopted daughter of the Bad King, became Mistress Mai, that she admired her husband's family's secretiveness.In fact, Mrs. Mai's closed porcelain shop is not worth much, and the real valuables have been hidden long ago, and the porcelain donated to the county government is only a drop in the bucket.The Mai family has a lot of money, and when they are short of money, Mai San will secretly contact people who resell cultural relics.Even during the three-year famine, when people across the country were generally living in difficulty, Madam Mai San's face did not appear the green color that was common on women's faces in that period, and people in their thirties were still well-maintained.