Reborn in 1966

Chapter Fourteen: Husband's Authority

Having his authority as the head of the family challenged in front of everyone, Tian Honggen, who was not good at speaking, turned even redder. Honest people usually blush when they get angry.

Hong Gen's wife said to her son, "Wei Dong, what you are doing now is a very meaningful and great thing."

Tian Honggen's face darkened further. He stepped forward, grabbed his wife's arm, and said fiercely to Tian Weidong, "I've raised you to adulthood, and I can't even say anything bad about you? Tian Aiwen, if you still want to be my son, Tian Honggen, you'd better take your people and get out of here right now, or you'll be walking over my dead body today."

It was probably because Tian Honggen had never done this before. Not only Tian Weidong, but Honggen's wife was also dumbfounded. No matter how capable or eloquent a woman is, she would probably be terrified if her husband acted tough.

Pei Yin watched with great interest and gave Tian Honggen thirty-two thumbs up. He's usually quiet and unassuming, but he really comes through when it matters.

Seeing the commotion in Tian Weidong's family, and with the village secretary and the third grandfather of the Tian family also looking at them with serious expressions, a shrewd man leaned close to Tian Weidong and whispered something in his ear. Tian Weidong thought for a moment and said, "Chairman Mao taught us, what is a problem? A problem is the contradiction in things. Where there is an unresolved contradiction, there is a problem. Since these reactionaries have realized their mistakes under your guidance, they don't need to go to the commune to receive education from us Red Guards anymore. Let's go!"

After the Red Guards had gone far away, Secretary Tian and Shen's father untied the ropes binding the professors. Tian Honggen's wife shouted from the side, "Tian Honggen, you are protecting the reactionaries."

The third grandfather walked up to the couple and said to Tian Honggen, "It is the father's fault if he raises his children without teaching them, and the husband's fault if his wife is not virtuous. How have you been acting as a father and husband?"

Tian Honggen lowered his head and said, "Third Uncle, I've disappointed you."

Meanwhile, Honggen's wife kept shouting, "Tian Honggen, I'm distancing myself from you. You're in cahoots with these rightists."

Tian Honggen grabbed his wife's arm and pulled her home, ignoring her pig-like screams. Several nosy villagers quietly followed the couple.

Later, Honggen's wife was no longer as unruly as before in the village. It is said that on that afternoon, none of Tian Honggen's family went to work. Tian Honggen stayed at home and gave his wife a good beating. Later, several of Honggen's wife's brothers came to Tian Honggen's house to support their sister. Tian Honggen slapped a locust tree as thick as a bowl in half, and his brothers-in-law slunk back home. Tian Honggen's restoration of his husbandly authority became a topic of conversation in Shenjia Village for decades.

A conversation between Grandma and Shen's mother made Pei Yin look at Tian Honggen in a new light.

Grandma said that when Tian Honggen was a child, his family was so poor that they had nothing to eat. His mother sent him to a temple dozens of miles away. The abbot of the temple saw that Tian Honggen had good physique and passed on all his skills to him. Later, when the local militia caused trouble in the village, Tian Honggen led some young men from the Tian and Shen families to protect the peace of Shenjia Village with his own skills. He can be considered a legendary figure.

Later, after liberation, Tian Honggen returned home in peace, married, had children, and became a true farmer.

When Tian Honggen's grandmother was alive, his mother never had a good day. After years of being a daughter-in-law, she finally became a mother-in-law, not only freeing herself from physical labor but also from intellectual ones. The feeling must have been no less than in 1949. Having seen so much, Tian Honggen probably thought that this was how it was for all daughters-in-law after so many years. So when his own wife entered the family, he saw the power struggles between her and his mother but didn't take it to heart. They were all family; there were bound to be disagreements.

This time, his son's and wife's actions made Tian Honggen think things through. Afterwards, the Tian family no longer acted like before, with the son being outrageous and the wife competing for advantages. Later, Tian Weidong not only changed his name to Tian Aiwen, but also returned home to work peacefully in the fields, earning work points and becoming a so-called "free spirit." Later still, Tian Aiwen, along with other young people from Shenjia Village, participated in the post-Cultural Revolution college entrance examination, becoming one of the first people from Shenjia Village to be admitted to university decades later. Of course, these are all later stories; the Tian Honggen family's story is quite fascinating.

When they went to bed that night, Mr. and Mrs. Shen talked about Tian Honggen's family again. Mr. Shen said, "Brother Honggen is not good at talking. He usually doesn't get involved in things unless they cross the line. But if he does get involved, he will definitely get things done. Back then, out of all the young men in the village, only Brother Honggen could bring them together to work with the local militia and get things done."

Shen's mother asked, "Are those teachers alright today?"

Mr. Shen said, "It was a fright, but thankfully nothing serious happened. After discussing it with Mr. Tian's third grandfather, Secretary Tian found the living conditions to be really bad, the whole family moved to the primary school."

Shen's mother said, "It's alright now that no one lives at the primary school, but what will happen when the children go back to school in a few days?"

Mr. Shen said, "The primary school still has a few dormitories for teachers. You know there aren't many teachers left now. Judging from what Third Grandfather means, if classes resume, these teachers will teach the children. Third Grandfather has good foresight."

Shen's mother said, "What if the Red Guards come to arrest people again?"

Shen's father said, "Secretary Tian said that Aiguo in his family has a very good relationship with several Red Guard leaders. In our large commune, only Aiguo and another child have been received by Chairman Mao. They still have a certain influence among the Red Guards. If Aiguo is arrested again, he will be notified in advance. Then Secretary Tian can come forward to negotiate. Secretary Tian's injuries were not for nothing. Everyone in the surrounding villages knows that Tian Baogen is a war hero."

After a long silence, Shen's mother said, "Shengsi, I didn't quite understand why you insisted on coming back for labor reform back then, but I've come to understand it these past few years. With such capable people in charge of Shenjia Village, our family has suffered so much less. Not to mention anything else, just look at my background..."

Mr. Shen said, “Yueran, you must never mention these things in front of the children. We’ve been married for so many years, and you’ve lived in Shenjia Village for so many years. You are a member of Shenjia Village. No matter what others say or ask, just say it like this!”

Listening to her parents' whispered words in the darkness, Pei Yin thought to herself, "It seems that my mother is also a person with a story."

Several professors moved to live at the primary school within a few days.

The primary school in Shenjia Village was originally built by Party Secretary Tian after he took office. It consisted of a few large brick and tile houses. Over the next ten years, more were added, and now there are five brick and tile houses in a row, with a large courtyard. Several teachers' dormitories were also built on the south side of the courtyard. Shenjia Village Primary School is the best-equipped primary school in the vicinity and also the largest in scale. Party Secretary Tian secretly subsidized the grain for every child who went to school. Not to mention, the junior and senior high school students in the village could earn half a work point without having to work in the fields.

When they moved, Party Secretary Tian found several laborers to help paint and clean the house properly. He also called on several women, led by his wife, to take apart and wash the bedding of the elderly professors. They also set up the kang (heated brick bed), and the village specially bought mats to lay on it. The room where the professors lived was tidied up like a precious gem. Of course, Party Secretary Tian told the villagers that these elderly people were here to receive our re-education. If we didn't take good care of their lives, and something happened to them, let alone receive education, could you bear that responsibility?

With this matter settled, Shen's second uncle has another problem. Life is truly a dramatic soap opera; as soon as one issue is resolved, another arises.

The daughter of Party Secretary Tian has always admired the second uncle whom Pei Yin dislikes. In Pei Yin's eyes, the second uncle is just a handsome man who can't lift a finger or carry heavy loads. He's the kind of person who wouldn't have a good life in the countryside. However, the second uncle is quick-witted and has a good artistic talent, which is rare in the countryside. So, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This man who Pei Yin looks down on and has no manly qualities is the man that the Party Secretary's daughter, Tian Lingling, admires.

Tian Lingling was eventually assigned to a machinery factory in the county. She commuted to work by bicycle every day, which was a first in Shenjia Village. Every day, people going to work in Shenjia Village would see Tian Lingling's youthful and beautiful figure riding her brand-new Golden Deer bicycle on the country roads to work at the county machinery factory a few miles away.

The village secretary thought that once his daughter started working in the factory, broadened her horizons, and met more young people, she would put aside her feelings for Shen Shengqin. Despite having "Qin" in his name, Shen Shengqin was not a hardworking person. He had never worked in the production team and had never earned ten work points. He was just good at charming his daughter and could play musical instruments. Although he could earn ten work points in the village when the propaganda team had activities, he was not a reliable person and not his ideal son-in-law.

However, Secretary Tian's idea failed. After working in the factory for several months, Tian Lingling's feelings for Uncle Shen not only did not diminish, but became even stronger. In Tian Lingling's eyes, those arrogant city people were not as good as her hardworking brother.

As the weather gradually warms up, the wheat in the fields slowly turns yellow, and the full ears of wheat weigh down the stalks. The old and young in Shenjia Village have been very happy these past few days. A good harvest means more grain to be distributed, and the elderly and children in the family can eat white flour steamed buns more often. In any case, as long as there is grain, there is hope for the future.

Peiyin can already sit up by herself. In a few days, when it's time to thresh wheat, Grandma and the others will have to go and help. That way, Grandma and the others can also earn work points.

Peiyin sat under the sycamore tree in the yard, chanting nursery rhymes she had made up that no one else could understand, while stretching her arms and legs to exercise. Her grandmother put her down in the shade of the tree and went to Aunt Shengquan's house not far away. Aunt Shengquan had gone back to her parents' home a few days ago and brought back a large bundle of rags. She asked her grandmother to take some time to pick some out so she could mend clothes for the children.

Pei Yin was happily dancing when she heard her second uncle's voice outside the courtyard wall.

Uncle said, "Lingling, don't do this. If the villagers see us, they'll probably start gossiping about us."

Tian Lingling said, "Shen Shengqin, what's wrong between us? Tell me what's wrong between us. Tell me what I need to do for you to come to my house to propose marriage?"