Chapter 42: Forced Marriage

For several days there was no news from the county, and the township government was filled with gloom. Pulling sponsorship killed a group of people, those who pulled it didn't talk about it, those who didn't pull it complained to everyone they saw, looking for ways and acquaintances everywhere, Liu Quan's decision took effect from this month, those who didn't pull sponsorship began to deduct wages.

I reported to Liu Quan that I wanted to go back to Hengyue City to see.

Liu Quan agreed very readily, exhorting me to go to the Municipal Government if I had the chance, and find a way to send the report up. Although the county had approved the project and sent an inspection team, Liu Quan always felt that a big stone was lying in his heart, the project didn't start, no one could predict what would happen. Sending the report to the Municipal Government was a move to treat a dead horse as a living horse, maybe there would be unexpected gains.

I went back with the big truck pulling tea oil, passing the place where Bureau Chief An and the others parked, I realized why their cars couldn't get into Suxi. These ten miles of mountains, the bumps are very severe, Bureau Chief An and their small car chassis couldn't pass.

Pan Xiaoqin and Xi Meizhu talked to me happily, unknowingly, I left Hengyue City, left them for more than a month.

People came and went in the storefront, not coming for a month, I found that there were many changes, the original pure tea oil now had many new products, there were dried mushrooms, and sweet rice wine brewed from pure herbal fermentation, occasionally buying some cigarettes, it was actually dazzling.

Seeing my puzzlement, Meizhu whispered to me that these were all brought by Secretary Liu Hongyan, mostly her own things. Unexpectedly, they were very popular, for example, the bayberry preserves made by her mother were out of stock.

I checked the accounts, clearly, the profit was not small.

At night I wanted to go home, Meizhu gathered her courage and said to me: "I'll go back with you!"

I tilted my head and looked at her and said: "The shop is very busy."

Pan Xiaoqin smiled and said: "Don't worry, we all close the shop at night and don't do business. When you are not at home, Meizhu goes to your house every few days, and brings delicious food made by your mother." She looked longing: "I want to go too."

I couldn't refuse her anymore, so I asked Pan Xiaoqin to take a ten-jin plastic bottle and fill it with ten jin of tea oil to take back.

Mom was happily receiving Xi Meizhu, and ignored me when I went home. I went to find my father, watching my father get older day by day, and the time to accompany him was so little, thinking about it, I felt guilty in my heart.

Dad smoked old dry tobacco, sat on a small stool and listened to me talk about Suxi Township's electricity, and said after a long time: "The old chief's son was transferred to our city, and came to see your mother."

I was shocked and asked: "What old chief?"

Dad said: "My old chief. That is, your mother's distant cousin."

"He has a son?"

"Yes, the old chief was a soldier in Tibet when he died, and didn't come back. Now he's back." Dad said unhurriedly: "He, hasn't come back for decades, and when he came back, he looked for relatives everywhere. Where are there any relatives, I don't know how he found your mother, and cried so sadly. An old guy in his seventies, still has so many tears, rare!" Dad sighed, his turbid eyes no longer had luster.

My father's old chief's son, my mother's cousin, a relative who fell from the sky. I found it difficult to adapt for a while.

"You should call him cousin. He's back, find time to see him." Dad exhorted me.

I nodded busily, cousin is my elder, it is reasonable to visit him.

"Your cousin is a big official now, Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary." Dad's sentence threw me into the clouds.

I also have a cousin who is the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, and I am his only relative in Hengyue City. I began to doubt why I inexplicably became a state cadre, is it the cousin?

Dad looked at my surprised look and warned: "Don't think too much, he just came, the organization is taking care of him to return to his roots, and in a year or two he should enter the People's Congress and CPPCC to retire."

Don't underestimate my father, twenty years of father-son relationship, I haven't seen him have a set of these things.

Mom called us to eat, set up a table in the open space in front of the room. Dad opened a bottle of good wine, father and son poured full, before drinking, my mother called to drink a cup, saying it was a family reunion, should celebrate.

Meizhu cleverly poured a cup for my mother, but refused to drink herself.

Mom didn't force her, raised her glass and touched Dad's glass and said: "Feng'er is back, Meizhu is also here, today let's open up and talk."

I looked at Mom inexplicably, what is there to open up and talk about?

"Feng'er, look, your father and mother are old, and will go to see the King of Hell in a few years. In our lifetime, we want to hold a grandson, and the descendants of the Old Chen family should also see their grandparents." Old Mom sighed: "Your father came from his hometown alone, there is no one in his hometown, and the descendants of the Old Yu family cannot be broken."

I smiled and said: "Old Mom, it's still early. Look at Dad and you, your health is good, it's no problem to live another thirty years."

"Don't live, don't live, thirty years later, wouldn't we become old monsters." Mom drank the wine and signaled Meizhu to fill it up again.

Meizhu looked at me, I said: "It's rare for my mother to be happy, drink another cup."

Mom touched my head with satisfaction and said: "My son is obedient. Although he is a state cadre now, in Mom's eyes, he still hasn't grown up."

I said: "Mom, I'm big."

Mom said: "If you are big, you should marry and have children, where have you grown up."

I didn't expect to fall into Mom's trap, Mom is a lady who has read private schools, her education level is higher than my father. My father is a typical farmer, never entered the school door, relied on the army to learn some words, and when he was old, he read the newspaper every day, looking like it.

"You are not at home, Meizhu didn't forget my two old people, some heavy work, without her, it really can't be done." Mom chattered and kicked my father with her foot: "Old Chen, you say a few words too."

My father said muffledly: "What do I say?"

"What to say? You northerner, you don't want the Old Chen family to continue the family line."

My father still couldn't change the northerner's tone, he put the wine glass on the table and said: "What's wrong with me being a northerner? I fought in the south and north, died in battle, the matter of continuing the family line is your old woman's business. What do I say?"

Dad's words made me laugh. My parents started bickering when I was very young, and have been happy for decades.

"Meizhu, you drink a cup too. I decided, from today, you are our Old Chen family's daughter-in-law. Whoever dares not listen, I will tell him to roll outside." Old Mom was heroic, I was dumbfounded.

Meizhu blushed, pulled my mother's clothes and begged for mercy in a low voice: "Auntie, Auntie, don't talk nonsense."

Mom glared at her and said: "I'm not talking nonsense."

The four of them fell silent, Mom's forced marriage made us all feel uncomfortable. Dad didn't ask, lowered his head and drank his wine.

I said: "Mom, what society is this? You are still arranging marriage?"

"This time I arranged it! Listen or not, listen or not." Mom expressed firmly.

"Arranged marriage is illegal." I laughed and took the wine bottle to fill Mom another cup.

My mother can drink a few cups. This is the skill she practiced when she was a girl.

"What's illegal? Is it illegal not to marry and not to continue the family line? If you ask me, people who don't marry at the age are disrespectful to the elderly, which is illegal." Mom said loudly.

I can only smile bitterly, my mother is a lady with knowledge, but on this issue, she never compromises, not quiet.

"But..." I hesitated: "Mom, don't talk to yourself. Meizhu is still a child."

My mother went to see Xi Meizhu, looked at it for a while, and muttered: "It doesn't seem like she can't marry."

Xi Meizhu was made red-faced by me and my mother, and she lowered her head and didn't dare to look at me.

A layer of water mist covered her eyes, she put down her bowl and chopsticks, and tears were about to fall.

She heard the refusal from my words!

I looked at her, her body was trembling slightly, long eyelashes covered her eyelids, her legs were tightly closed, as if she was afraid that a small gap would leave room for others' imagination. A girl like Meizhu is better than drinking sweet dew.

Xue Bing's shallow smile appeared in my mind, Jinling holding her son appeared, the Xi Meizhu in front of me, their blood relative, did I not escape in this life?

Dad's sentence helped me out, he looked at me and said: "Little Feng's age, what should be considered is career. Men value career."

I breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Yes, Mom, I just started."

Meizhu suddenly stood up, threw us away and left, Mom called a few times behind her, she didn't look back. ===== CHAPTER 43 =====