Chapter 86 Dakeng River
There was a burst of aroma coming from the kitchen, the food was almost ready. De Ge'er and Qing Ge'er went to call the village chief to come over for dinner.
After a while, the village chief came over with his wife, three sons and eldest grandson Dingnan.
Since they were attending the same Zheng's School, Dingnan and the boy from the Sun family had known each other for a long time. They would chat together, mainly about interesting things in the school.
The village chief smiled and said, "It's great that Ming Ge'er can work in the capital. Hey, Zhongli, you can rest assured now."
Uncle Sun said with a silly smile: "Uncle, I'm afraid he's stupid and will be rejected by the eldest sister."
The village chief shook his head and said, "It's better to be a little stupid than to be sneaky. Your elder sister is here, so you don't have to worry too much." Since Chunlan decided to let the Sun family's children go to work, she must be confident that she can teach them well.
The three sisters-in-law of the Su family came out of the kitchen, holding dishes in their hands.
The dishes tonight were simple: a dish of winter melon and basil fried duck, a dish of steamed chicken with mushrooms, a dish of stir-fried macaroni with fermented bean curd, and a dried bean soup. There were two tables, one for men and one for women. As for the children, they could sit wherever they wanted.
The village chief picked up a piece of winter melon and everyone started eating.
For country people, not talking while eating or sleeping is not a rule at all.
Everyone chatted while eating. Most of the time, Sun Bomin and Sun Ershu talked about their experiences in Fucheng. No matter how many times they told the story, everyone listened with great interest.
The village head's wife asked, "Bomin, have you seen Yu Niang?"
Sun Bomin replied across the table: "I saw it. Sister Yu Niang is very nice, and Bao Ge'er is white and plump. He is pleasing to the eye at first sight."
Maybe He Wenshu works for the government and talks to their family, but he doesn't feel as comfortable as he does in the He family. Sister Yu Niang is completely different from when she was in the village, and she is increasingly acting like an official's wife.
Of course, all this is Sun Bomin’s feeling.
The village chief asked with concern, "How is Yu Niang's pregnancy going?" Originally, one shouldn't ask about women's affairs, but apart from asking Bo Min and Zhong Li, no one else knew.
Sun Bomin nodded and said, "Uncle, don't worry. Sister Yu Niang came to see us. She is doing well and looks rosy. The He Wenshu family treats her very well."
After hearing this, the village chief and his wife felt a little relieved.
The village chief said: "I hope that Yu Niang will also have a boy this time."
Huang said comfortingly, "Don't worry too much. We have a baby boy. Whether it's a boy or a girl, He Wenshu's family will be happy."
The village head's wife still said worriedly: "Oh, that's true, it's good to have more sons. If Yu Niang has half the ability of Chun Lan, I will feel relieved."
Uncle Sun smiled and said, "Aunt, Sister Yu Niang's home is only two blocks away from my eldest sister's home. It's very close. You can rest assured that my eldest sister is here."
The village chief and his wife also thought so. They were able to marry into the provincial capital thanks to Chunlan. They were relieved that their daughter would marry there because of Chunlan.
The village chief sighed and said, "From our Sunjia Village, only Yu Niang and Chun Lan are in the city, and they have to look after each other. But now that Ming Ge'er is here, I feel more at ease."
Uncle Sun picked up a piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth, saying with a smile: "Uncle, from now on, everyone in our Sunjia Village will go to the capital. Hehe, what do you say?"
The village chief also laughed when he heard this: "Of course it's good. Who wouldn't want to go to the prefectural capital? But you have to have the ability."
Then he said to Sun Shan, Ding Nan and others, "You boys, you must study hard. Your aunt and younger aunt want to take you to the provincial capital, but they need you to have ability. Otherwise, even if you are taken there, you will be sent back."
De Ge'er patted his chest and said proudly: "Grandpa, don't worry, we are very serious in school. If you don't believe me, you can ask the teacher." While speaking, he winked at Dingnan and others.
The village chief heard this and said unhappily, "You'd better keep your word, Dege'er. Don't be as unreliable as your father."
De Ge'er still patted his chest and said firmly: "Grandpa, I don't look like my father. Everyone says I look like my aunt."
After hearing this, everyone laughed. Only Uncle Sun was injured.
After dinner, I received the breakup letter.
Since it was all carried by two people, they didn't have much to carry.
They were all dry goods, such as bacon, Chinese sausage, salted fish, biscuits and candies. As for the silver, since I gave it during the Chinese New Year, I won't give it this time.
The family shared some, and everyone was happy. Especially meat, which was easy to steam and cook and had oil, and everyone loved it.
It was late at night and everyone dispersed. Since Sun Shan started school, he moved into the study.
At first, Huang, Sun Bomin and Su were worried that he was too young and would be scared, so they didn't want him to live alone. After insisting again and again, he lived with them for several days and found that there was no problem, so they were completely relieved.
After Sun Shan washed up, he lit the oil lamp and lay on the bed, recalling what he had learned today. If he forgot something, he would pick up the book and read it. When he was sure, he blew out the oil lamp.
Then recite what you learned before. If you forget it again, skip it and continue to recite the next paragraph.
I buried the forgotten parts in my heart, and when I woke up the next day, I flipped through the book and remembered them again. Such boring and repetitive recitation made it necessary to make every word and sentence clear. The imperial examination not only tested IQ, but also rote memorization.
After waking up, Sun Shan first reviewed the parts he had not memorized the night before. He recited while brushing his teeth. When everything was ready, Sun Bomin took him and De Ge'er to school.
April is gone, May has just arrived, and the Dragon Boat Festival is coming in a few days. In the morning, Master Zheng gave Sun Shan and his two classmates a new lesson, and in the afternoon, he took the fourteen students out for an activity class.
There is a river near Sunjia Village and Zhengjia Village, called Dakeng River. It is neither big nor small, and the irrigation of the fields depends entirely on it.
Master Zheng led the students to Dakeng River and first explained to them the origin of the name of Dakeng River.
It is said that a long time ago, Dakeng River was not a river, but a stream. Later, villagers dug a big pit to store water.
Time flies, and the big pit gradually disappeared, and the small stream became a big river. So the villagers thought that the small stream became a big river because of the big pit. Therefore, this river was called Dakeng River.
Sun Shan and others opened their eyes wide and exclaimed in amazement. If it weren't for Master Zheng's words, no one would have known the origin of the name Dakeng River.
Seeing the students' surprised expressions, Master Zheng said with a smile, "Well, today we are not going to talk about Dakeng River, but to experience the Dragon Boat Festival."
One of the students asked in confusion: "Teacher, we know about the Dragon Boat Festival, but why do we come to Dakeng River?"
Master Zheng pointed to a small boat not far away.
Sun Shan looked over and knew what the boat was used for. It was probably left behind by a fisherman. After all, some places in the Dakeng River were very deep, and one needed to take a boat to go fishing in deep places.
Master Zheng said: "The Dragon Boat Festival was originally a festival for ancient people to worship the dragon ancestor in the form of dragon boat racing, so dragon boat racing is a must on this day. Everyone knows this, right?"
The student nodded and said he knew, but although he knew it, he had never seen it.
Master Zheng continued, "We used to row dragon boats here, too. The boats were just like the small boats over there, but it was rowed by one person."
A student asked: "Master, why don't you peel it now?"
Master Zheng smiled and said, "First, rowing a dragon boat is dangerous. If you are not careful and fall into the water, no one will see you and you will drown. Secondly, people here are poor and it is not easy to build a boat, so gradually they stopped rowing. But in wealthy places outside, people still row dragon boats and even have dragon boat races."