Chapter 8 chapter eight

A telegram came from my hometown saying that my grandfather was seriously ill and told my dad to return home quickly. The "Gang of Four" had just been arrested, and the remnants of the "Gang of Four" were being investigated everywhere. My dad became the team leader of the investigation team, and he was so busy that he couldn't get away from the back of his head.It doesn't matter whether my mother goes to work or not, the key is to take care of my father, and of course I can't do without.Xiao Linzi was pregnant, and in her second life, she had to take care of Xiao Linzi and also listen to my mother's errands at home and abroad at any time, and she couldn't get away, so this matter fell on me historically.Hearing that I was going back to my hometown, Ye Shengnan said that she would also go with me: "It's my wish to go back to your hometown. I always wanted to see what it was like where you had been an educated youth for three years. There may not be many opportunities in the future.”

Her reasoning convinced me. In fact, any reasoning she had could convince me during that pre-marital love affair. No matter whether what she said was really reasonable or not, it was reasonable to my ears.I told my parents what she meant, and my father quickly objected: "What's the matter with an unmarried girl running back with you? It can't be done!" But my mother agreed: "If you get a marriage certificate, you will be married. What's wrong with it? I think you can travel to get married. If you take this trip, if your grandpa recovers, don't talk about it. If it really doesn't work, you It means that your father and I have dealt with your grandfather's funeral, and the two things will be handled together."

My dad disagreed again: "A baby's marriage is a big event in a lifetime, sending the dead over there, and picking up the living here, what's the matter?" My mother said: "Your father is not dead. Even if he is dead, it is a joy and funeral for a person in his nineties. There is nothing wrong with having two happy events together and double happiness." No matter how old my grandfather is, death is always a bad thing. Although there is a saying in my hometown that death after seventy is happy and mourning, it is not the same thing as celebrating.When my mother said that, my father was so angry that he stared at my mother for a while, then pouted and stopped talking to my mother.

I said: "Mom, why do you say that, what double happiness is coming to the door, it seems that you are as happy as a happy event when my grandfather is dead." My mother said: "I'm just like that. Let me ask you, how long are you going to delay this matter? Xiaoye, if your father disagrees for the rest of your life, are you going to hang around like this for the rest of your life?" Ye Shengnan said: "I don't have any objections, I'll travel and get married. My dad won't be able to recruit raw rice to make cooked rice, so let's cut it first and play later."

My dad said dumbfoundingly: "Your mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are both two hundred and five. What are you hearing? A husband is about to pass away, saying that double happiness is coming, and the other is obviously married by a matchmaker, and saying that raw rice is used for cooked rice. Cut it first and play it later. It sounds bad or not. Forget it, you can do whatever you want, up to heaven and earth.” My dad was still the same old way, and retreated as usual after his opinion was rejected, and went back to the bedroom to sleep. Ye Shengnan's words sounded really awkward, as if I had already done something, but in fact I hadn't done anything so far, but I couldn't explain myself, so I couldn't help being anxious to Ye Shengnan: "Don't talk upside down, make people listen like we are ..."

Ye Shengnan didn't pay attention to my attitude, she murmured to herself: "It's good for us to take this opportunity to travel and get married, but we haven't prepared anything, where will we live when we come back? We can't live in different houses after we come back, right? I I guess my dad will really kick me out when I come back." Her father was no longer arrogant, and became the object of investigation. He was suspended for self-reflection, and his specific job was to write a self-criticism and explain the problem.I asked my father, Ye Shengnan, what will happen to her father?My dad said that her dad had no direct connection with the "Gang of Four", but just followed the rebels in a nonchalant manner, was a little ambitious, felt that he was an old revolutionary, and had made meritorious service. Balance, even though I was a deputy director of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee, I never joined the Standing Committee of the Municipal Committee. I tried my best to become a member of the Municipal Committee, but I lost my head and followed the rebels. The problem is not serious, and I passed the review If no other problems are found, you can be relieved and resume work.

I told Ye Shengnan this, and asked her to pass it on to her father to review and get rid of it as soon as possible. Ye Shengnan said: "Didn't I tell you already? Today you are on stage and tomorrow I will step down, that's what happened, step down Don’t be sad, don’t be happy when you’re on stage, I don’t care about their affairs.” But she said so, she told her father what my father said afterwards, and her father said that I was fine in the first place, and Chairman Mao was the one who rebelled. Let me make it. If there is a problem, let them go to Chairman Mao.Later, I don’t know how her father passed the test. When the Revolutionary Committee was abolished and the city government was established, his father had been at home for more than a year, and he became the deputy mayor in charge of carrots and green onions. Ranked the bottom one in the middle school, which is consistent with my past academic performance rankings, this is a later story.

At that time, my mother said: "You go away, I will never let my son and daughter-in-law lose money. Your mother dare not brag about buying you what others don't have. Your mother will never let you have what others have. You Just get married happily, and come back and enter the new house." Ye Shengnan said exaggeratedly: "I'm relieved now. I'm afraid that the door on this side won't let me in yet, and the door on the other side won't let me in. If I fail at both ends, wouldn't I be homeless?" I have confidence in my mother. My mother is an official of the same age, and my father is the leader of the city. If he exerts a little influence at critical times, he will not let his eldest son get married and live on the main road.

The next day, we made all the preparations and bought the train tickets and were about to leave. I said, "Why don't you tell your dad first, and he will definitely take care of you if you leave without saying goodbye." Ye Shengnan said: "What if he really wants to stop him from leaving? I told my mom and asked her to tell him, and you can formally tell my mom with me." I followed her to her house, and as soon as I opened my mouth, her mother said that she already knew, and my mother came up to her and said: "You go, don't worry about family affairs, your father can't do anything, anyway, now is also a new society. Well, he can't even manage himself but he can manage you."

Although Ye Shengnan's mother once stole the cabbage and radishes from the canteen of the institution, she is really a reasonable and good woman. With her mother's indulgence, Ye Shengnan and I no longer have any scruples. The van that the municipal government wanted to come for private use, happily boarded the train under the warm welcome of ribs, braised pork, battered bread, old classmates such as Meng Wenli, Xi Xiaojuan, and Wu Mengna, as well as factory masters and apprentices. After five years away from my hometown, I returned to my hometown again.There is no change in my hometown. My grandfather is very sober. Although he is bedridden, I feel that there is no change from five years ago.My relatives and friends all came to visit and take care of him, so the housing at home was a bit tight. The female and female occupied two wing rooms, and the male and male also occupied one wing room.I had no choice but to continue to live separately from Ye Shengnan, she lived in the women's room, and I lived in the men's room.Our presence undoubtedly had a refreshing effect on my grandfather, who was able to sit up after dinner that day.I told him that Ye Shengnan was the grandson's wife, and he found a handkerchief package from under the shop and handed it to Ye Shengnan, saying, "This is a gift from grandpa." Who is the head above?"

My grandfather said: "This is Yuan Datou, and behind Guangyang there are Yin Sun Yat-sen and Jiang Guangtou, none of which are worth as much as this Yuan Datou." Ye Shengnan thanked him, and my grandfather said: "Now your father is poor , if you enter the door when you are not liberated, only Grandpa Dayang can give you a jar." Ye Shengnan secretly asked me: "What's the composition of your family?" I said: "Small land management." She weighed Yuan Datou in her hand and said thoughtfully: "How much is this thing worth?" I don't know, I also dislike her appraising the gift from my grandfather, so I said: "It's not a question of how much it's worth, do you understand?" Ye Shengnan said: "I want to calculate how much a jar of Dayang is worth, and what should be the real ingredients of your house." On the second day after we returned home, my grandfather actually got up from the kang, sat outside the courtyard and smoked a pipe, and asked Ye Shengnan and I to accompany him to show off to the people in the village.Ye Shengnan and I sat with him outside the gate of the compound to enjoy the warmth of the setting sun. My grandfather suddenly said, "I don't know if my coffin is made properly. It will be comfortable to sleep in." Faced with such a question, Ye Shengnan and I looked at each other, not knowing how to answer.My grandfather stood up, went to the patio where his coffin was placed, stroked his "bed" up and down and said, "No, I have to sleep in and try it out. If there is something inappropriate, clean it up now." It's still too late, when I die, I won't be able to clean up if it's not suitable to sleep in." It is a habit in our place that when the elderly are over fifty, as long as the family has the conditions, they must prepare the coffin in advance, store it at home, and paint a coat of paint every year until the owner dies and officially sleeps in.This coffin had been placed in the courtyard when I went to the countryside. According to my grandfather, it was custom-made when he was 60 years old. It is made of paulownia wood. So far, it has been painted more than 20 times with raw lacquer and more than ten times with paint. up.Grandpa told Ye Shengnan: "Baby, go, bring grandpa's mattress and pillow." Ye Shengnan laughed loudly: "Grandpa, do you really want to try?" My grandfather said: "Of course I have to try it. Do you think I am joking?" I kept giving Ye Shengnan winks, grandpa is getting old, sometimes he will be confused, how could he lie in a coffin while he was alive?Maybe he has been ill for so many days and his mind is not clear.In a situation like this, it's over with just a few words, how can you be serious and really put his mattress and pillows in the coffin for him to try to sleep? Ye Shengnan either really didn't see me winking at her, or deliberately pretended not to see me winking at her, and ran back to the house happily, embraced grandpa's mattress and pillow, laid them carefully in the coffin, and then Invited my grandpa: "Grandpa, it's finished, try it out, if it's suitable, let Yang Wei find a carpenter to repair it for you." Then he turned to me and said, "Yang Wei, I've never seen a person lying on the floor. What's it like in the coffin?" I couldn't laugh or cry, she wanted to see with her own eyes what a person would look like lying in a coffin, so she made a specimen of my grandfather.My grandfather was also very cooperative. He really stepped into the coffin and lay down. The relatives who took care of my grandfather rushed over to dissuade and watch after hearing the news.My grandfather insisted on going his own way, and lay down in the coffin, moved a few times, closed his eyes and felt for a while, and then sat up: "It's okay, it's quite spacious." My relatives and I hurriedly put the My grandfather helped me out of the coffin, and coaxed me into the house.After entering the house, I heard children laughing outside, and someone exclaimed: "Come on, the new wife is sleeping in the coffin..." I looked around, but there was no sign of Ye Shengnan, so I couldn't help but "thump" in my heart, and hurried to the yard, and saw Ye Shengnan sitting in the coffin and laughing happily.I was shocked and rushed over to stop her nonsense: "What are you doing? Is this for fun?" Ye Shengnan said: "It's very fun. Lying in it reminds me of hide-and-seek when I was a child. The feeling of getting into the box is very safe." I quickly dragged her out of the coffin, and she said, "Yang Wei, you can try lying in it too. This is a rare experience. Think about it, how many people have the experience of sleeping in a coffin alive. But It's just too bad, and I have to make a thicker bed for grandpa." Intellectually, I also know that this is nothing. As long as the coffin has not been used, it is essentially no different from a box, but after all, this is not a box that can be used to hold things. There is only one thing it can hold: corpses.Therefore, the coffin undoubtedly has some mysterious, terrifying and ominous psychological symbolic meaning in people's minds.When the villagers saw and heard about Ye Shengnan lying in my grandfather's coffin and trying to sleep, the expressions on their faces were all shocked, confused, and disgusted.Several elders also accused her one after another, saying that her behavior was simply lawless and reckless, and that she would be punished for making fun of the old man's coffin.Only my grandfather strongly supported Ye Shengnan, and refuted those elders: "Nonsense, coffins and coffins are officials and riches. My grandson and grandson's daughter-in-law are blessed by me, and they will definitely be blessed in the future." Ye Shengnan was very angry because of being criticized by the elders of the villagers for this matter. She lost the freshness of just arriving in her hometown, and was in a hurry to go shopping in Xi'an City. My grandfather said to me: "It seems that your grandfather is fine. Let's go to Xi'an in a few days." It may not be a good sign for an elderly person who is bedridden to wake up suddenly, so he told her the principle of returning to life.She was a little nervous and asked me if something was going to happen.I said what could happen?The biggest thing is that my grandfather passed away. Isn't that why we came back to do this?Ye Shengnan asked me again, what if my grandfather gets better and dies?What she said almost pissed me off. I said, if my grandpa gets better, will you strangle him to death again?She kicked me and said that I am not as cruel as you.I said, what do you mean by asking that?She said she was worried that my grandpa was getting better and we didn't know when we would be able to retreat home.When she said this, I really didn't know what to do. Indeed, if my grandfather dragged on like this, it would be really difficult for us to leave or stay. Ye Shengnan said: "It doesn't matter, when the time comes, please ask your mother, we will leave if she says go, and we will stay if she says to stay." I praised her sincerely: "I didn't see it, you are really a good daughter-in-law, you listen to the old lady everywhere." Ye Shengnan stuck a finger on my forehead: "Are you really stupid or just pretending to be stupid? Ask her for instructions, just to urge her to get us a house quickly. We ran back without her consent, what should we do if we don't have a house to live in?" I have to admit that I will never be able to match Ye Shengnan's scheming in dealing with this kind of matter. My grandfather got up from the sick kang and saw that Ye Shengnan and I were living in a men's room and a women's room, so he lost his temper and began to tidy up the house. He cleaned up the people who came to guard him unreasonably, and the rest of the men gathered in the house. He stayed with him in his room, and the women gathered in another room, and then asked my second aunt to clean up the house for us. He said: "My grandson and granddaughter-in-law don't even have a place to live when they come back. What's the matter? It's embarrassing for me. Woolen cloth." My second aunt told me secretly: "Your grandfather is very feudal. You are the eldest grandson. As soon as you come back, he will be very powerful. I am afraid that his grandson will suffer." Second Aunt listened to my grandfather's instructions and cleaned up the west wing, and donated the new bedding they were reluctant to use, so Ye Shengnan and I could live together for the first time.The people in my hometown didn’t know that we had a trip to get married when we went back to our hometown. They thought we were married a long time ago. In the countryside, we were the parents of several children at our age. The cousins ​​in the village saw me. You have to ask: "How many babies are there? How old are the babies?" Going to bed early in the countryside, we entered the house as soon as it got dark that night.Ye Shengnan made the bed silently, more precisely, it should be the kang.She turned her back to me, and the lights cast her shadow on the wall. I was a little nervous. This was our first night.I think the reason why she is silent may be because she is nervous.I wanted to say something to her, but I didn't know how to say it, so I said something stupid: "What are you thinking?" She said, "I wonder if you will change your mind." I don't believe she can think about this right now.She took off her coat, and inside was a bright red sweater, which my mother asked someone to buy for her through the back door.The sweater perfectly framed her slender waist and accentuated where she should be.Realizing that tonight she will truly be mine makes my mouth dry and my throat itchy.I walked behind her, hugged her, she obediently leaned over, I smelled the fragrance of her hair, kissed her fair and delicate neck, my trembling hands covered the trembling peaks of her chest, she Instinctively, I used my hands to block it, but my arms hung down limply, allowing me to caress my long-awaited treasure land indulgently.Her breathing became more and more rapid, and suddenly she turned and hugged me tightly, our mouths devoured each other.I picked her up and started to undress her. I was so clumsy that I almost tore her clothes, and finally freed her from the artificial package.She bared herself to me, somewhat proudly, but also shyly.The beautiful carcass shocked my heart and excited my blood. I longed to own her, occupy her, and blend into her body. She was calmer than me, she freed her hands and stripped off my clothes, we were naked, hugging each other, admiring each other, caressing each other, kissing each other.I carried her to the kang, she obeyed, encouraged, and opened herself to me. She frowned and gritted her teeth, showing a painful expression, and instinctively resisted me with her hands.I didn't dare to continue, but she panted and encouraged me softly: "Come on, it's okay." I hugged her body tightly, rubbed her with endless love, and tortured her greedily, she moaned and gasped, I don't know whether she is happy or in pain. I don't care to distinguish her feelings anymore. I enjoy the vast and boundless happiness like the ocean. Embracing the tide... The tide receded gradually, I gave her my essence, but she burst into tears. I made her confused, and asked her what's the matter, if it hurts badly, she pinched my shoulder and said: "You are such a fool, do you know? I have protected you for so many years and kept it for you. It's what got on this pillowcase. I gave it to you today, and I'll never have one from now on." I held her in my arms, she slumped on my arms, cuddled tightly in my arms, and scolded me coquettishly: "You are a big rascal, a big villain, but I just love you, you are so painful." My big rogue big bad..." she murmured. I caressed her, my body was calm after strenuous exercise, but my mood was full of ups and downs.From this moment on, we have been connected as one, I am in you and you are in me, and we can no longer be separated from each other. I hugged her lovingly to my body, savoring her weight, enjoying her softness, breathing Breathing her breath... she covered my body, fingers gently stroking my cheeks, lips, chin, neck... Then she took my mouth calmly, we sucked each other, my blood flowed again Concentration began, my love began to coalesce into hardness, and I longed to be one with her again.She slides off of me: "Want me again? Come on." Our husband and wife life started in the big tile-roofed house in my hometown, and our intrusion into each other started on the big earthen kang in my hometown. The wonderful place cultivates the most brilliant fruit of life... On the third day after Ye Shengnan and I bridal chamber, grandpa suddenly fell into a coma. People in our area believe in Catholicism. I don’t know which experienced elder called the priest from the church. After the priest came, he murmured The water in a small bottle was sprinkled on my grandfather's head, at this time Ye Shengnan intervened: "Stop messing around, isn't this engaging in feudal superstition!" During the "Cultural Revolution", Catholic activities turned into sneaky underground work. Now that the "Cultural Revolution" is over, religious policies have been implemented, and freedom of belief has been achieved, but the priests still have lingering fears, and they don't dare to blatantly and vigorously toss Well, this priest has some kinship with our family, so he took the risk to do this because of my grandfather's old face.Letting Ye Shengnan make such an uproar, the priest was terrified and quickly retreated.The uncles, uncles and aunts of my Catholic believers were frightened. They were afraid that my grandfather would not go to heaven, so they complained to Ye Shengnan, saying that she didn’t understand the rules. My second uncle was a devout Catholic. The representative of the representative was very dissatisfied with such an attitude, and almost turned against her, muttering that I married a foreign teacher, Ye Shengnan retorted: "I believe in a foreign religion and say that others are foreign teachers, you are truly foreign teachers !" What she said caused public outrage, and the congregants blamed her and refuted her noisily, almost launching another crusade against her. Only the shroud can be considered to have uncovered this matter. At the time of encoffining, everyone just lifted my grandfather up and was about to put it in the coffin, but Ye Shengnan stopped him: "Wait a minute..." After finishing speaking, he turned around and ran away.She is the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and also a daughter-in-law in the city. She has a very strong authority in the eyes of relatives in the countryside. When she yelled like this, no one knew what she was going to do. She carried my grandfather's hand in a daze The body stayed there waiting for her next words.I was holding my grandfather's head, and seeing that everyone was at a loss, I was secretly anxious and nervous. I didn't know what she was going to do, and I was even more afraid that she would do something shocking. For safety, don’t let my grandpa hang out.” So everyone followed my instructions and began to carefully put my grandpa’s body into the coffin.At this time, Ye Shengnan ran out with a big quilt in his arms: "What are you doing? I told you to wait a minute, take Grandpa aside first..." Her tone was very tough, and her attitude was also very firm. The people in the coffin had to listen to her and lifted my grandfather aside to wait for her to work.The death of a person is very serious. According to the rules, the person has been lifted up and must not fall to the ground. Although there are five or six young men carrying my grandfather, they are still out of breath. My arm holding my grandfather's head is also sore. trembling.Fortunately, my second uncle understood our hardships, and quickly asked a few young men to step in to help, and we barely persevered. Ye Shengnan picked up the quilt specially made for my grandfather from the coffin, folded the quilt in his hand into a thick mattress, spread the quilt on top of the thick quilt, and put the pillows, and then said: " Well, the quilt is too thin, it is very uncomfortable, let grandpa sleep more comfortably." We put grandpa in the coffin, and grandpa will be very comfortable sleeping on the soft and thick bedding.Afterwards, the villagers were very impressed, saying that Ye Shengnan was kind, filial, meticulous and thoughtful. No junior in our village had ever personally tried to sleep in a coffin for the elders, so no one had ever thought that after the old man passed away, he would sleep in a coffin. The burial mattress whose symbolic significance is greater than the practical value will definitely be very tight and uncomfortable. Only Ye Shengnan discovered this problem through personal practice, thereby improving the treatment of the deceased old man and allowing the old man to sleep on a soft and comfortable mattress.Later, it was said that Ye Shengnan's deeds were widely circulated in our area. After the old man passed away, it became a custom in our hometown to spread thick and comfortable bedding for the old man. When Catholicism came to China, it became a Catholicism with Chinese characteristics.Originally, the funeral of the Catholic Church was very simple. The priest presided over the recitation of the scriptures, the faithful sang and chanted poems, and then buried the person in a pit.But we are a Sinicized Catholic here. In addition to the Catholic funeral rules, there are many Chinese rules. For example, foreigners wear black mourning clothes, but we still wear white mourning clothes.For another example, foreigners do not burn paper money for the dead, but we still have to burn paper money for my grandfather.Of course, throwing burnt paper pots at the entrance of the village on the way to the funeral is also an indispensable program, which is a ceremony to show the right of family inheritance.Before going home, my father and mother discussed it, and let my second uncle do the job of throwing paper bowls. He is my grandpa's nephew and my father's cousin.Their family has always lived with my grandfather, and my grandfather's daily life in his later years was taken care of by the couple, so it was decided to let him drop the paper basin, which means that all our family property will be inherited by him.According to the traditional customs in the countryside, he is the second child and nephew, and my father is above him, so he has no inheritance rights. The elders in the village asked for my opinion on this important issue, and I conveyed my parents' thoughts, and the elders naturally followed the opinions of our own family.But Ye Shengnan was determined not to do it, she said: "This paper basin must be thrown by you, you are the eldest grandson of the eldest house, whoever you don't want to throw." I said, "This is what my parents mean." Ye Shengnan said: "Your mother and your father don't have the time to seriously think about this issue. I'm not interested in your family's dilapidated house. The point is that it's too shameful to do so. Could it be that your family really has no descendants? No, absolutely. Can't do that!" I've already made a deal with the elders in the clan, and my second uncle is trying to get the job done, so I really can't say anything about changing my mind at this time.Besides, I'm not interested in this set at all, anyone can fall, isn't it just a broken burnt paper basin?I said to Ye Shengnan: "Forget it, that's what's been decided, I won't fall anyway." She actually said resolutely: "If you don't throw me, I will!" I was very funny, and told her: "There is no such thing as a woman throwing a paper bowl." She said: "When I marry you, you are the Yang family. The Yang family has no men, so women have to fight. Just like the generals of the Yang family, when the men are dead, the women go to the battlefield and win the battle." No matter what she said, I didn't like it, so I couldn't help scolding her: "What nonsense are you talking about? Why don't you say that all the men in your family are dead?" She didn't get angry with me, she smiled and said, "I'm just making an analogy, why are you so impatient." At the time, I thought she was just talking, but on the day of the funeral, she really walked in the front of the funeral procession with a broken pot on top of her head, crying.Those of my family are dumbfounded.My second uncle couldn't get off the stage, he kept asking me if he still fell or not.The coffin has been lifted up, and it can’t fall to the ground anyway. At this time, getting entangled with her over this matter will affect the big things, so I had to tell my second uncle: "She has never seen this scene, she is just kidding, you still fall Yours." So there was such a scene at our family's funeral that day that stunned the villagers: Ye Shengnan and my second uncle each held a paper bowl and dropped the paper bowl at the same time. The day after my grandfather was buried, Ye Shengnan was going to Xi'an.I told her she had to stay at least until the first seven days before she could leave.She said: "I really can't stay anymore. The rural life in the past few years when I went to the mountains and the countryside really hurt me. Your grandpa has already gone to heaven to enjoy the blessings. How can we care about whether we have had enough time?" Seven days." I said that people in the village want to gossip when I left in such a hurry, she grinned and said: "No one can say when I will come back in the future, and it may be my first and last time. They like to say whatever they like. go." Of course I can't just leave after the first seven days, she said: "Then I'll go first and wait for you in Xi'an, we will meet in Xi'an." I said, "Xi'an is so big, where can I find you?" She said: "I will leave a message for you on the train station message board, and you can find me at the train station." She really had enough of staying in the countryside, and she couldn't wait to leave. She thought carefully about her own strategy to go first, so she ran away before my grandfather finished the first seven days.I think if my grandfather knew what she was like, he might not have given her the two big heads of Yuan.