Chapter 10: It is Easy to Go from Frugality to Luxury, but Difficult to Go from Luxury to Frugality

Chapter 10: It is Easy to Go from Frugality to Luxury, but Difficult to Go from Luxury to Frugality

After returning from Deng Yunqiang's house, Deng Shirong, who hadn't gone to the toilet for two days, finally couldn't hold it anymore. He picked up a "shit stick" and walked toward the village's "shit lake."

Both "shit stick" and "shit lake" are transliterations of the Hakka dialect. The so-called "shit stick" is a bamboo stick used to clean oneself after defecation. In the countryside at that time, no one used toilet paper. Instead, they used these polished, thornless bamboo sticks.

These bamboo sticks are about the width of a finger and roughly the same length and thickness as chopsticks.

As for the "shit lake," it is the public toilet of this era.

Nowadays, people in rural areas all live in mud-brick houses, and there are no toilets in their homes. At most, they enclose a small area for bathing and place a small water tank inside. This tank isn't for bathwater but for collecting urine.

If you need to defecate, you have to go to the village's public toilet—the shit lake.

When Deng Shirong arrived at the shit lake, he coughed first.

There's a reason for this cough. The shit lake is surrounded by a half-person-high bamboo fence with no door or lock, so it's hard to tell if someone is already inside. Therefore, people who come to use it usually cough as a warning.

If someone is inside, they'll respond with a cough.

Moreover, the shit lake doesn't distinguish between men and women. If you rush in without warning and find a man inside, it's fine—everyone can squat together.

But if you happen to encounter a woman squatting inside, and you rush in as a man, the situation can become very awkward!

Therefore, when women in this era use the toilet, they must act quickly and decisively while keeping their eyes and ears open. As soon as they hear footsteps outside, they must immediately cough to give a warning.

Deng Shirong coughed, and when no one responded, he held his breath, moved the bamboo fence aside, walked in, and then closed it behind him.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Deng Shirong still found it hard to accept the scene before him. There was barely any place to stand, and as soon as he started breathing, the indescribable smell hit his nose. The stench was truly unbearable.

If Deng Shirong hadn't been unable to hold it any longer, he would have turned around and left.

At this moment, he truly understood the saying: "It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality."

In his previous life, he had used the shit lake until 1989, when his family built a new house. By then, everyone had gotten used to the smell of the shit lake and didn't find it so bad.

However, after 1989, Deng Shirong's family built a septic tank and had an independent bathroom. After 2008, they even started using a flush toilet.

Later, after his eldest grandson taught him how to use a smartphone, he would sit on the toilet and read novels for half an hour.

How comfortable was it to go to the toilet back then?

Now, look at this. Everywhere you step is covered in feces or urine. The shit pit behind you is filled with countless tons of waste, and countless maggots crawl through the filth. The pungent smell relentlessly assaults your nose. The scene is utterly disgusting.

It would be strange if Deng Shirong could easily accept such a stark contrast.

Deng Shirong spent less than a minute squatting in the toilet—a speed that was extremely rare in his life.

After pulling up his trousers, he rushed out.

Even though he was inside for less than a minute, his clothes already carried a faint smell of feces.

At this moment, Deng Shirong made up his mind: after making money, he would build a house first and put everything else on hold. Otherwise, life would be too hard to endure!

He had come back to enjoy himself, not to suffer through squatting in a toilet every day.

At night, under the bright moonlight, Deng Shirong and his children sat at the doorstep to enjoy the cool air. Each of them held a fan, constantly swatting away mosquitoes.

Thinking of his children, who had eaten porridge with pickles for yet another day, Deng Shirong asked, "Ah Zhen, do we still have enough rice at home?"

Deng Yunzhen, who had been the family cook for the past few years, knew exactly how long the oil, salt, rice, and noodles in the house would last. She answered without hesitation, "Yes, we do. At the rate we're eating, it should last about three more months."

Deng Shirong felt relieved and said, "That's good. When you cook porridge tomorrow morning, add more rice and scoop out half a basin of it. I'll go to the brigade to get some pork and fry it for you."

When the children heard they would have pork to eat the next day, they were all thrilled.

The eldest son, Deng Yuntai, couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what's the occasion tomorrow?"

Deng Shirong was filled with emotion. People in that era were truly poor. Meat was usually only available during festivals or special occasions, unlike in later generations when people ate meat every day until they grew tired of it.

He smiled and said, "I helped Changfu with a matchmaking today and received a red envelope of three yuan. So, I plan to buy some meat to treat you all."

Deng Yunzhen was surprised and asked, "Dad, when did you start matchmaking for others?"

She was already 18 years old, the right age for marriage in this era, so she had some understanding of blind dates. She knew that a matchmaker could only receive a red envelope if they successfully arranged a meeting between a man and a woman.

Normally, a matchmaker would have to run back and forth countless times to arrange such a meeting. It was rare for someone like Deng Shirong to arrange a meeting on the same day he proposed the match.

"It started this morning."

Deng Shirong then briefly recounted the matchmaking process from that day and concluded, "Your cousin Yunqiang should be here soon. If he managed to borrow money from relatives this afternoon, Changfu will probably be able to bring his wife home in no time!"

Just as Deng Shirong finished speaking, they saw someone approaching their house with an oil lamp in the distance. As the person got closer, they realized it was none other than Deng Yunqiang.

Speak of Cao Cao, and he appears.

"Uncle Jiu."

"Brother Yunqiang."

After exchanging greetings, Deng Yunzhen handed over the hookah and tobacco, saying, "Brother Yunqiang, have a smoke first."

This was a common practice of the time. When guests visited, offering the hookah and tobacco was the best way to entertain them.

Deng Yunqiang accepted, took a few puffs from the pipe, and then got down to business: "Uncle Jiu, I went to my eldest sister's house this afternoon, and my wife also went back to her parents' home. We finally managed to gather enough money. I'd like to trouble you to help with the matchmaking tomorrow!"

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "No problem. I'll go discuss this with the girl's family after breakfast tomorrow. I'll try to arrange for someone to oversee the family before the production team harvests the rice. After the harvest, we'll pick an auspicious day to register the marriage. I'll make sure your daughter-in-law doesn't miss out on the distribution of land by the production team."

Deng Yunqiang thought that if his family could secure more land, and if his son and daughter-in-law worked hard, perhaps his grandchildren would also benefit. So, he patted his chest and promised, "Uncle Jiu, if this works out, I'll definitely give you a big red envelope."

Deng Shirong laughed and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for your big red envelope."

After finishing the business, Deng Yunqiang stayed to chat for a few more minutes before heading home contentedly with the oil lamp in his hand.

(End of Chapter)