Chapter 126: When Things Get Tough, Think of Change

Chapter 126: When Things Get Tough, Think of Change

Since his daughter married into the Deng family, Zhang Zhenfa's status in the village had quietly risen several notches. In the past, his family's poverty and his lack of special skills meant he had little influence in the village. The only thing that earned him any respect was the fact that he had four sons.

In rural areas, families with more sons are often seen as more powerful. After all, there is strength in numbers! Although it was common in this era for families to have five or six children, not many had four sons. Zhang Zhenfa had five children, four of whom were sons, which already put him ahead of many in the village.

However, there were still about ten families in the village with four or five sons, so Zhang Zhenfa wasn't particularly outstanding among them. That was until his daughter married into the well-off Deng family. With the help of his in-laws, Zhang Zhenfa finally gained some prestige in the village. The most obvious change was that more people began to show him goodwill, often bringing vegetables or other small gifts to his home.

This newfound respect delighted Zhang Zhenfa and his wife, who had previously been overlooked in the village. Though they weren't well-educated, decades of life experience had taught them that their improved status was entirely due to their daughter's advantageous marriage. Without her marrying into the prosperous Deng family, they would never have enjoyed such recognition.

Today, their daughter was returning home with her new husband, and Zhang Zhenfa and his wife were overjoyed. Zhang Zhenfa had prepared a feast to welcome this son-in-law, whom he had never met but who had already brought him so much face.

By ten in the morning, Mrs. Zhang had already prepared ash water rice dumplings, big rice dumplings, and hair rice dumplings. The water was boiling, and she was ready to make tea and cook the dumplings as soon as her daughter and son-in-law arrived.

Zhang Zhenfa sat at the door, smoking his water pipe and occasionally lighting a cigarette, his eyes fixed on the village entrance. Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhang and her daughters-in-law cleaned the table and set out candies, biscuits, melon seeds, and other snacks.

The four Zhang brothers, with nothing else to do, joined their father at the door, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of their sister and brother-in-law.

Around ten-thirty, Zhang Shoujun, who had sharp eyes, spotted two bicycles approaching from the village entrance. Riding them were none other than his sister and brother-in-law. He immediately shouted, "Look! My sister and brother-in-law are here!"

At his cry, Zhang Zhenfa and his other sons turned their attention to the village entrance. Mrs. Zhang and her daughters-in-law also hurried out of the house.

Soon, Zhang Xiuping and Deng Yuntai arrived. After the usual greetings, the Zhang family couldn't help but admire the bicycles. They had seen Deng Yuntai's bicycle before, as Deng Shirong had ridden it to their home several times. But the brand-new bicycle Zhang Xiuping rode was something they had never seen. The national logo, resembling a phoenix, made it clear that this was a Phoenix brand bicycle.

Mrs. Zhang couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Xiuping, is that a Phoenix brand bicycle?"

Zhang Xiuping nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's the one my father-in-law bought before the New Year."

Mrs. Zhang's eyes sparkled with envy. "Phoenix brand bicycles are so beautiful!"

Zhang Zhenfa, meanwhile, was busy sizing up his son-in-law. Deng Yuntai's appearance was ordinary, but his demeanor was confident, and his height was impressive. Combined with his skills and family background, Zhang Zhenfa was quite satisfied with his new son-in-law.

After some polite conversation, Mrs. Zhang and her daughters-in-law helped unload the two baskets. The sight of the baskets filled with various gifts elicited exclamations of delight from the Zhang family.

Mrs. Zhang asked, "Xiuping, what's in these bags?"

Zhang Xiuping replied, "The wrapped items are candies, biscuits, dried fruits, candied fruits, melon seeds, and pastries. At the bottom is some braised pork. Sister-in-law, could you fetch some baskets? I need to send some to Uncle Four and Uncle Man's families."

Mrs. Zhang and her daughters-in-law hurried to the kitchen to get the baskets. Once they returned, Zhang Xiuping began dividing the gifts. Her father-in-law had prepared two portions of braised pork: one whole piece and another cut in half, with each half going to Uncle Four and Uncle Man's families. She also set aside some ash water rice dumplings and big rice dumplings for them.

Next were the hair buns, which came in two sizes: the small ones, about the size of a duck egg, and the larger ones, as big as an adult's fist. It was customary for a married daughter to bring glutinous rice balls when returning home, so Hakka families in Bobai often joked that having a daughter meant enjoying glutinous rice balls in the future.

Zhang Xiuping took one large bun and eight small buns for each of Uncle Four and Uncle Man's families, along with portions of candies, biscuits, candied fruits, melon seeds, and pastries. She also included two pieces of garlic in each basket.

After dividing the gifts, Zhang Xiuping asked her husband to deliver them to Uncle Four and Uncle Man's homes.

Upon receiving the generous gifts, Uncle Four, Aunt Four, Uncle Man, and Aunt Man were overjoyed and eagerly set dates to host dinners for the newlyweds. According to Hakka customs in Bobai, when a bride brings her new husband home, all uncles and aunts who receive gifts must take turns hosting meals.

After the gifts were delivered, Mrs. Zhang prepared tea and began boiling ash water for making tea. Zhang Zhenfa invited his daughter and son-in-law to sit down, while his two elder sons, Zhang Shouguo and Zhang Shoumin, joined them to keep the conversation going. The daughters-in-law poured tea and unwrapped some of the pastries Zhang Xiuping had brought, placing them on a clean lid.

Zhang Xiuping asked, "Big Brother, Second Brother, is your shop open yet?"

Zhang Shouguo shook his head. "Not yet."

"Did you run into any problems?" she inquired.

Zhang Shouguo explained, "The main issue is that the family hasn't reached a consensus. I found a small house in a good location that I want to buy as a store, but Dad thinks the price is too high and can't be bargained down. As for buying a bicycle, Dad is still hesitating."

Zhang Xiuping turned to her father. "Dad, what do you think?"

Zhang Zhenfa took a sip of tea and said, "I'm just not sure if opening this store will be profitable. It requires a significant investment, and I don't know if it's worth it. You know, this money was originally set aside for Xiaojun and Xiaoshan's weddings. If we lose it, what will we do?"

Zhang Xiuping reassured him, "Dad, don't worry. My father-in-law said the chances of losing money in this business are very low. If you manage it carefully, there's a good chance of making a profit. The book says, 'When things get tough, think of change.' Our family isn't well-off. If we don't take a risk, how will we ever find a way out?"

(End of this chapter)