Chapter 58: Shock

Chapter 58: Shock

August 16th of the lunar calendar.

New Dock Village, Flourish Brigade, Dragon Lake Commune.

After breakfast, Zhang Zhenfa sat at the door of his house, smoked a few cigarettes, put on a straw hat, and set off for Thatchfield Village, Help and Correct Brigade, Pine Mountain Commune. This time, Zhang Zhenfa was going to personally inquire about the situation of his future in-law, Deng Shirong's family.

Ever since his wife told him at the end of last month that matchmaker Deng Shirong had come to their house to propose a match for his son, Zhang Zhenfa had been eager to fly to Thatchfield Village to verify the truth of her words.

That night, the family sat together to discuss who should be sent to make the inquiry. After much deliberation, they felt uneasy entrusting the task to anyone else, so Zhang Zhenfa volunteered to go to Thatchfield Village himself. The whole family agreed unanimously, as it was most reliable for the head of the household to handle such an important matter.

The next question was when to go. Although the family wanted to confirm the matter as soon as possible, it would seem too hasty to inquire immediately after the matchmaker's visit. As a woman, it was better to maintain some reserve. After some discussion, they decided to go after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The walk from New Dock Village to Thatchfield Village took about three and a half hours. By the time Zhang Zhenfa arrived at Double Prosperity Market, it was almost noon. Hungry and thirsty from the long journey, he bought a bowl of noodles for eight cents at a noodle stall and ate it all, soup included. After resting for a few minutes, he continued his journey to Thatchfield Village.

Zhang Zhenfa was no stranger to Thatchfield Village in the Help and Correct Brigade. He had been there several times in his youth. He remembered the first time clearly—it was in October 1958. At that time, to build the Tiger Head Reservoir, the county party committee and the county people's committee mobilized 23,600 workers from nine districts, including Dragon Lake, Pine Mountain, Nabu, Phoenix Mountain, Hero Bridge, Wendi, Peace Pool, Sand River, and Plain Wave. They formed a militia division to begin construction on the only large reservoir in Bobai. Zhang Zhenfa was one of those workers.

Although the Tiger Head Reservoir belonged to the Naxin Brigade of Sandy Dam Commune, it was located at the junction of the Naxin Brigade and the Help and Correct Brigade. Therefore, when Zhang Zhenfa and his team came to build the reservoir, they had to pass through the Help and Correct Brigade to reach their destination. The construction of the Tiger Head Reservoir began in October 1958 and was completed in April 1960, taking a year and a half. Among the many workers, there were naturally people from the Help and Correct Brigade, so Zhang Zhenfa was familiar with the area.

In less than half an hour, Zhang Zhenfa arrived at Thatchfield Village. There was no need to ask for directions. As he entered the village, passed a rice field, and came to a small river, he saw the "majestic building" shaped like the number 7. Although the building wasn't fully completed, the uniform blue brick walls already delivered a powerful visual impact. In this era, even in prosperous Dragon Lake Town, there were no blue brick buildings of such scale.

At that moment, Zhang Zhenfa silently made a decision. As long as his future son-in-law wasn't a fool or missing limbs, he would agree to the marriage. Of course, he couldn't just look at the stunning house and leave. He had walked for three or four hours to get here and needed to inquire about the family's situation so he could report back to his wife and children.

Just then, a middle-aged man about his age walked toward the bamboo forest by the river, carrying a hatchet. Zhang Zhenfa hurried over and asked, "Dear relative, who built those houses up ahead? They look so impressive!"

The middle-aged man stopped and replied with pride, "That's the house my Uncle Jiu built."

Zhang Zhenfa asked, "What does your Uncle Jiu do for a living? How could he afford to build such a beautiful house?"

Everyone loves to show off, even if it's not about themselves. If their relatives, friends, or even their hometown are impressive, they can boast about it. This was the case for the middle-aged man with the hatchet. He couldn't help but brag: "My Uncle Jiu is a great man in our village. He's the most skilled master vat maker recognized by our Help and Correct Brigade. Over the years, his family's financial situation has been one of the best in the village.

Two or three months ago, Uncle Jiu teamed up with someone to contract the brigade's tile kiln. I don't know exactly how much he earns now, but I've heard that the master vat maker in the tile factory makes over two hundred yuan a month. As one of the factory's owners, Uncle Jiu must earn a lot!

His eldest son is also doing well, having taken over his job as a master vat maker in the jar and tile factory. The father and son together earn at least several hundred yuan a month, if not a thousand. They're the most powerful family in our village!"

Before this, Zhang Zhenfa had known that his future in-law was one of the owners of a tile factory and that his future son-in-law was a master tile maker there. He had assumed the family's income was good, but he never expected it to be this high. The master vat maker earning over two hundred yuan a month? This income shocked Zhang Zhenfa! Even a county official only earned 159 yuan a month, let alone lower-ranking cadres.

Taking into account the future in-law's ownership of the tile factory, the family's income was indeed, as the man said, at least several hundred yuan, if not a thousand. No wonder they could build such a beautiful blue brick house and offer a thousand yuan as a living wage for his daughter, plus an additional three hundred and eighty yuan as a dowry, without batting an eye.

At that moment, Zhang Zhenfa was both shocked and ecstatic. If nothing unexpected happened, this would be his future in-law. To have such a powerful family as in-laws was a source of great pride for the Zhang family!

Next, Zhang Zhenfa suppressed his joy and asked a few more indirect questions. The answers he received were consistent with what his future in-law had said. If there was any difference, it was that the future in-law had been modest about his family's financial situation.

After chatting by the creek with the middle-aged man for a few minutes and getting the information he wanted, Zhang Zhenfa found an excuse to leave. On the way home, his steps were lighter, and his mood was excellent. After all, it wouldn't be long before he had a son-in-law whose monthly income exceeded that of a county official. Who wouldn't be happy about that?

(End of Chapter)