Chapter 245: If This Matchmaking is Successful, I'll Give You Half a Pig's Butt
Peace Slope Village.
As Deng Shirong lit his tobacco and began smoking, the aunt asked, "Cousin, where are you from?"
Deng Shirong replied, "I'm from Thatchfield Village in the Help And Correct Brigade."
"Oh, so you're from Thatchfield Village, cousin. I've heard that the people in your village are very good at making money, especially Uncle Jiu from your village. I heard he can make at least over 10,000 yuan this year. Is that true?"
The aunt asked, then sighed, "That's more than 10,000 yuan. I don't know if all the people in Peace Slope Village combined can earn that much in a year. This Uncle Jiu from your village is truly amazing!"
The Help And Correct Brigade and Green Reception Brigade were neighboring brigades. Given Deng Shirong's reputation, it wasn't surprising that the aunt had heard of him.
Hearing the aunt praise him like this, Deng Shirong wasn't sure whether to reveal his identity. After some thought, he avoided the topic and said, "My dear cousin, you're too modest. Your Peace Slope Village is also full of talented people. Sooner or later, you'll all become wealthy. Just now, you mentioned that the girls in your village are very beautiful. Is that true or just an exaggeration?"
The aunt laughed and said, "Well, it's a bit exaggerated, but there are indeed a few good girls in our village."
Deng Shirong held the pipe and said, "Cousin, who is the girl with the best personality and looks in your village? I have a boss here with good conditions. If it's a good match, I can introduce them."
The aunt immediately replied without hesitation, "If we're talking about the girl with the best personality in our village, it has to be Liu Laosan's eldest daughter. This girl is not only good-looking but also very hardworking. She always has a smile on her face. Whenever an elder in the village asks for her help, she never hesitates. She truly has a wonderful personality."
Deng Shirong was intrigued and asked, "How old is this girl?"
The aunt said, "She should be 19 this year."
Deng Shirong added, "Then she probably hasn't been promised to anyone yet, right?"
The aunt shook her head and said, "Definitely not. If she were promised, why would I bring her up?"
Deng Shirong stopped smoking, set the pipe aside, and continued, "How tall is this girl?"
The aunt thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure exactly, but she's quite tall, probably around 1.6 meters."
Deng Shirong asked again, "Has she been to school?"
The aunt sighed and said, "She hasn't had much schooling. Not many girls in this era get to study. But she knows quite a few characters. She can read newspapers and write letters."
Deng Shirong asked another question, "How many brothers and sisters does she have?"
The aunt replied, "She has five siblings—three older brothers and one younger sister."
Deng Shirong asked for the Nth time, "How is her family's financial situation?"
The aunt took the pipe and answered truthfully, "Her family's situation is relatively difficult in the village. When her eldest and second brothers got married, they emptied the family's savings and even went into debt. Although the family has enough labor, the house is too small, and they need to build a new one. On top of that, her third brother is also old enough to get married. With all these expenses, the family won't recover for a few years."
Deng Shirong handed the tobacco and matches to the aunt, nodded, and said, "These days, life is hard for everyone. It's good to have many sons—no one in the village dares to bully you. But when it comes to finding wives for your sons, most families suffer financially and take years to recover."
The aunt took the tobacco and matches and sighed, "You're absolutely right. It was hard for me to find wives for my three sons. At that time, I couldn't even afford to eat meat for months. It wasn't until the past two years that I finally recovered."
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "It's good that you've recovered. You can enjoy life now."
As she stuffed tobacco into her pipe, the old lady shook her head and sighed, "Ah, people like us don't have much to enjoy. I'm destined to work hard all my life. I probably won't stop until the day I lie in my coffin."
The two chatted for a while before Deng Shirong asked, "Cousin, where is Liu Laosan's home?"
The aunt pointed the way and then joked, "Cousin, if this matchmaking is successful, you must bring me a bag of candy and biscuits."
Deng Shirong stood up and said with a smile, "If this matchmaking is successful, I'll give you half of the candy and cakes, and even half a pig's butt."
The aunt laughed and said, "Alright, then I'll be waiting for that half pig's butt."
…
Following the directions given by the aunt, Deng Shirong rode his bicycle to an old mud-brick house.
In front of the mud-brick house, there was a pile of chopped firewood, and next to it were many woven items. These birds and animals, woven from reed bamboo, were lifelike and could be used to hold items or as decorations.
When Deng Shirong saw these bamboo-woven products, he understood that the family must have used their spare time to weave these items to supplement their income.
Reed bamboo weaving has a long history in Bobai. Before liberation, the output was small, and the quality was poor, so it had little presence. However, after liberation, Bobai's bamboo weaving made significant progress, especially in the 1970s. The craftsmanship improved, and the products became exquisite. Farmers' weaving experts created innovative samples, which were sent to the Guangzhou Trade Fair every year. Foreign businessmen praised them and placed large orders, leading to a supply shortage.
This woven handicraft required little investment, yielded quick results, and could be made by hand. The farmers in Bobai County were skilled weavers, so the industry developed rapidly.
By 1979, 90 bamboo weaving factories had been established in 13 communes in the county, employing over 5,000 people.
In 1980, there were 177 bamboo weaving factories, with a total acquisition value of 4.986 million yuan.
In 1983, the total purchase value was 10.65 million yuan, accounting for 43.9% of the total purchase value of agricultural and sideline products by the supply and marketing cooperatives that year.
In 1986, the supply and marketing cooperatives purchased bamboo weaving worth a total of 14.44 million yuan, accounting for 67.17% of the total value of agricultural and sideline products purchased that year. The number of professional and part-time weaving workers in the county reached 130,000, and the development speed was truly astonishing.
Bobai's bamboo weaving products were exported to more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Britain, France, and Canada. From 1987 to 1989, the total export value of bamboo weaving products alone exceeded 30 million yuan per year, making Bobai one of the counties with the highest export income from bamboo weaving in the country.
Even the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade issued a "Certificate of Honor" for "Excellent Quality" to Bobai's reed and bamboo weaving products, and Hong Kong Cheung Kong Holdings Limited presented a gold cup engraved with the words "Superior Quality."
The China Arts & Crafts Import & Export Corporation also sent a video team to shoot a special video titled "Bobai Mangzhu Weaving," which was screened at international trade venues such as the International Expo and the Guangzhou Trade Fair, allowing Bobai's Mangzhu weaving products to shine worldwide.
Therefore, when Deng Shirong saw the bamboo-woven products piled next to the firewood, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he admired the family's craftsmanship. After all, it took great skill to weave such beautiful bamboo products.
On the right side of the mud-brick house, there were two long bamboo poles with clothes hanging on them. Most of these clothes had patches, and some had more patches than the original fabric.
Deng Shirong wasn't surprised by this scene. As the saying goes, "Three years new, three years old, and three years of mending." Most rural people of this era wore patched clothes. Only during festivals or important occasions would they wear the clothes they usually kept tucked away.
It may seem like a long time, but in reality, it only took Deng Shirong a few seconds to ride his bike there and look around.
Someone inside heard the noise and came out to ask, "Abiao, who are you looking for?"
Deng Shirong asked, "Excuse me, is this Liu Laosan's house?"
Liu Laosan was surprised and said, "I am Liu Laosan. Who are you, cousin? What do you want to talk to me about?"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "I'm from the Help And Correct Brigade. My last name is Deng, and everyone calls me Uncle Jiu. I heard that your eldest daughter is not only good-looking but also has a wonderful personality. I happen to have a good leader here, so I wanted to see if they might be a good match. If they are, I'll help bring them together."
Liu Laosan suddenly realized that a matchmaker had come to his house. He quickly greeted him politely, "It's Uncle Deng Jiu. The sun is too strong here. Come in and sit down."
Deng Shirong didn't hesitate. He parked his bicycle and followed Liu Laosan into the hall of his house.
Liu Laosan's mud-brick house was the most common type of house in this era. When you entered through the front door, there was a hall with a room on each side. Further in was the patio, with kitchens on both sides. Above the patio was the main house, though no one knew how many rooms it had.
At this time, there were three people sitting in the hall: a woman about the same age as Deng Shirong, a young woman around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, and a girl about eighteen or nineteen years old.
In front of them was a half-finished bamboo weaving.
Liu Laosan called Deng Shirong in and then shouted to the girl who was about 18 or 19 years old, "Third sister, bring the pipe over to Uncle Deng Jiu."
The third sister responded, picked up the pipe next to her, and came to Deng Shirong, saying, "Uncle Deng Jiu, light the pipe first."
"Thank you!"
Deng Shirong took the pipe. He guessed that the girl in front of him was most likely Liu Laosan's eldest daughter, and he couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.
The aunt had been right—the girl was indeed not short, standing around 1.6 meters tall. This height was considered standard in Guangxi, even in the future.
Because she worked in the countryside and was exposed to the wind and sun, her skin wasn't particularly fair, but it was a healthy tone. She had regular facial features and a smile on her face. Overall, she looked like an ordinary country girl.
But Deng Shirong understood that this was because she wasn't dressed up and was wearing ill-fitting, patched clothes, which inevitably lowered her appearance. If she dressed up a bit and wore well-fitting clothes, her looks would definitely improve significantly.
Based on her appearance alone, she was more than suitable for his eldest nephew.
(End of this chapter)