Chapter 151: Watching a Movie

Chapter 151: Watching a Movie

This afternoon, Deng Yuntai returned from the tile factory. He took his wife into their room, pulled out a wad of money, and handed it to her with a smile. "Ah Ping, the tile factory paid me today. You can save this."

Zhang Xiuping happily took the money and asked, "Brother Tai, how much did you earn this month?"

Deng Yuntai replied proudly, "232 yuan."

Zhang Xiuping leaned over and kissed him, praising, "Brother Tai, you're amazing!"

Deng Yuntai chuckled, then hugged his wife and kissed her for a long time before saying contentedly, "I'll head out now. Put the money away and come out for dinner."

Zhang Xiuping nodded. After her husband left, she took out the key to open her dowry box. Lifting a corner of the cloth inside, she saw stacks of cash and small change. This included the money her father-in-law had given her and the wages her husband had handed over.

The total amount was close to 1,000 yuan. With the addition of this 232 yuan, her savings now exceeded 1,200 yuan.

Only four months into their marriage, she had saved 1,200 yuan. If this news spread, it would likely cause a sensation in the village.

The fact that her father-in-law and husband entrusted her with so much money showed their trust in her.

After putting the money away and locking the box, Zhang Xiuping went out to dinner with a smile on her face.

Dinner included fried pork, a few vegetable dishes, and a clay pot of soybean and pig's trotter soup specially prepared for her.

Ever since Zhang Xiuping became pregnant, her father-in-law had promised to make soup for her every day, and he kept his word.

From the day they learned of her pregnancy, the family had prepared a fresh stew daily—old hen soup, duck soup, mutton soup, peanut pork bone soup, soybean pig's trotter soup, and more. The variety of delicious soups rotated daily, making Zhang Xiuping feel incredibly fortunate.

She didn't know if young wives in the city received such treatment, but she had never heard of any pregnant woman in the countryside being cared for as she was.

Initially, while enjoying this exceptional treatment, she had worried that if the baby turned out to be a girl rather than a son, her father-in-law and husband might be disappointed. However, after learning about A Zhangqi's situation, her worries vanished.

Her father-in-law had made it clear: a woman is like a piece of land. Whatever seeds a man sows will determine what grows. Therefore, whether the child is a boy or a girl is not up to the woman but the man.

Zhang Xiuping felt incredibly lucky to have such an open-minded father-in-law.

The next day, after school at noon, Deng Yunhua ran home, panting, and shouted excitedly, "The team is showing a movie tonight!"

Deng Yunzhen's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Xiaohua, who told you this? Is it true?"

Deng Yunhua, still catching her breath, replied, "Everyone in the brigade is talking about it. I heard it on my way back from school. It must be true."

Deng Yunzhen turned to her sister-in-law, excited. "Sister-in-law, we can go to the movies tonight!"

Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but feel excited too.

In this era, from the elderly to children, few could resist the allure of a movie.

However, before Zhang Xiuping could respond, Deng Shirong interjected, "Ah Zhen, your sister-in-law is pregnant. It's too dangerous for her to go to the movies with so many people around at night."

Deng Yunzhen quickly realized her mistake and apologized, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. I forgot you're pregnant."

Zhang Xiuping laughed and said, "Don't worry. Even I forgot I was pregnant when I heard about the movie."

For Deng Shirong, who had experienced the movies and short videos of later generations, the films of this era held little interest. But he understood how captivating they were for people of this time.

Not wanting to disappoint his eldest daughter-in-law, Deng Shirong made a promise: "Ah Ping, since you're pregnant, it's not safe to squeeze into a crowd. When the baby is born and we hold the full moon banquet, I'll invite someone to show movies at our house for three consecutive nights. You'll definitely enjoy it."

Zhang Xiuping was both surprised and delighted by her father-in-law's words but shook her head. "Dad, that would cost a lot of money. It's not necessary."

Deng Shirong smiled. "Of course it's necessary. This is my first grandson. We have to celebrate."

Zhang Xiuping touched her still-flat belly, unable to hide her smile.

As they spoke, Deng Yunzhu, Deng Yunsong, and Deng Yunheng returned home. They had also heard the news about the movie and were equally excited.

Similar scenes were unfolding in other households.

Within a few hours, the news that the brigade would show a movie that evening had spread throughout the Help And Correct Brigade.

In an era with little entertainment, watching a movie was as exciting as celebrating the New Year for rural families.

That day, families planning to attend the movie skipped their usual white porridge and cooked rice instead.

Drinking porridge would lead to more frequent urination, and with the crowds at the movie, it would be difficult to find a place to relieve oneself. Experienced villagers knew that to enjoy the movie, they had to have a proper dinner.

And so, every family had an early dinner that day.

After dinner, as Deng Shirong's children grabbed stools to reserve seats, he asked his fourth son, "Xiaohua, do you have money to buy a ticket?"

In this era, watching a movie in the village wasn't free. You had to pay for admission.

Free movies were only shown during special occasions, such as weddings, full moon celebrations, or birthdays, when families would pay to have movies shown as part of the festivities.

Alternatively, if a production team paid for a movie, people from other villages could watch for free.

Today's movie wasn't sponsored by any production team, so admission was required.

The tickets weren't expensive—just a few cents—and most people could afford them, though it depended on whether they were willing to spend the money.

Deng Yunhua, whose grades weren't great, had never received a reward from his father for studying. However, he had received red envelopes during the Chinese New Year and occasionally managed to get some money from his wealthy uncle, Lao Wu. He nodded and said, "Dad, I have money for tickets."

Deng Shirong nodded and instructed his eldest children, "Ah Zhen, keep an eye on them."

"Got it, Dad!"

(End of this chapter)