sbdcsierra Chapter 119 is her
Chapter 119 is her
"Dad, I'm 23 years old this year, it's time for me to find a partner."
After more than a year of working as a full-time film projectionist, Xu Damao had already experienced the benefits of being a film projectionist. During his last trip to the countryside to show a film, he developed a "friendship" with a pretty widow. After realizing the benefits of women, Xu Damao applied for marriage.
The son's request was reasonable, and no father could refuse. Xu Fugui stroked his goatee and said with a smile, "I was originally planning to tell you in a couple of days, but today is the perfect time to talk about it. I've already found you a partner."
"Really?" Xu Damao asked with a suspicious look.
"I'm your own father, would I lie to you?"
"Am I pretty? Do you have a job?"
This is a matter of great importance, and Xu Damao must verify its authenticity.
"Of course she's pretty. She's not as good-looking as Zhang Qin from the Intermediate People's Court, but she's about the same. In other aspects, she's much better than Zhang Qin. You know her too."
"I know her? Tell me who she is, Dad, you can't do this to me."
The Buddha said: It cannot be spoken!
Seeing his son's flustered and bewildered expression, Xu Fugui smugly kept him in suspense.
It wasn't until Xu Damao was jumping up and down in a panic that Xu Fugui regained his composure. He said seriously, "I'm only telling you this. This relationship is a tremendous blessing for you and the Xu family. Compared to your partner, Zhang Qin isn't even worthy of carrying your shoes. You can't tell anyone until it's settled."
After saying that, Xu Fugui looked out the window, then asked his son to come closer and whisper the name of his girlfriend in Xu Damao's ear.
"It's her?!"
Xu Damao was taken aback, and his eyes became exceptionally bright.
"Da Mao, it's good that you know what's important. Behave yourself during this time and don't cause any trouble, lest your father-in-law change his mind."
After instructing his son, Xu Fugui continued, "Don't get involved in the mess in the courtyard anymore. There's no good in there. Yi Zhonghai is short-sighted. He couldn't bear to put in the effort to adopt someone, so all he does is raise some kind of old man in the courtyard. He finally adopted one, but he's a bad son. Now the courtyard is in chaos. He had six teeth knocked out, and today he was slapped in the face by a little girl in public. Liu Haizhong, that blockhead, his whole family was wiped out, and he has to pay compensation and apologize. He's so shameful. The Yan family is even more humiliated. They didn't even get their house, and they were cheated out of 300 yuan. They lost at least 500 yuan in total. Jia Dongjin was just playing with the Yan family. Now I guess no one in the Yan family dares to talk about revenge. It's laughable."
Upon hearing his father's comments on the characters in the courtyard, Xu Damao quickly brought up Jia Dongjin.
"This man has a sinister air about him. He acts like a coward, but he's a seasoned thug. Old Yi, Old Liu, and Old Yan have all fallen into his hands. You can't offend him, and you can't befriend him too much."
Xu Fugui diligently instructed his son, and at the end, he continued his prediction: "This matter is not over. None of the three uncles are easy to deal with, and Jia Dongjin is no pushover either. It's a real fight to the death. This matter is definitely not over yet. Just you wait and see!"
"This isn't over yet! Could someone die?"
After hearing his father's words, Xu Damao was dumbfounded. After all, they had been neighbors for many years, and no one wanted a tragedy to happen.
"Who knows, but this is definitely not over. Now you know why I stopped you from breaking up the fight. Look at what happened to Sha Zhu when he tried to take sides. You, you fool, are still rushing to your death."
Seeing that Xu Damao was frightened, Xu Fugui smiled and comforted him, "It shouldn't be a matter of life and death. Yi Zhonghai values his life. He just wants to retire and has just adopted Yi Damao. He wouldn't risk his life. Jia Dongjin has a large family to support, so he's even less likely to risk his life. Don't be fooled by his murderous appearance that day. He was just bluffing. He knows his limits and is a man of principle. As for Liu Haizhong, it's hard to say. Liu Bangchui is ruthless. He might be the one to risk his life."
Actually, Xu Fugui felt sorry for Yi Zhonghai. If Yi Zhonghai had dared to go all out, he might have had a chance to win, for example, by simply spending money to cripple Jia Dongjin. Otherwise, he would have been in deep trouble.
Xu Fugui used to be Lou Bancheng's hanger-on and projectionist, and he had seen his share of shady dealings. He thought this in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud, not wanting his son to have such a dark mind.
"Dad, I understand. When it's time to be ruthless, be ruthless. If you're soft-hearted, you'll lose."
To Xu Fugui's surprise, Xu Damao understood immediately, proving himself worthy of being Xu Fugui's son.
"That's right. It's either a win-win situation for both of us, or we have to go all out. I used to think Yi Zhonghai was someone important, but now I see him as indecisive and self-righteous, always talking about respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and how one shouldn't be too selfish and neighbors should help each other. It's all a joke. He can only fool fools like He Yuzhu. With Jia Dongjin in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai's ways won't work."
What Xu Fugui didn't expect was that, stimulated by the news, Xu Damao's mind was already on "her," and his blood was boiling, making him only think about opening the floodgates.
In the early autumn of 1960, the wind already carried a hint of chill.
The arrival of the film projection team from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill made Lijia Village on the outskirts of the city as lively as if it were Chinese New Year.
Xu Damao, dressed in blue overalls, carrying a projector on his shoulder, and sporting his signature shrewd smile, walked into the threshing ground at the village entrance, surrounded by villagers.
His gaze swept across the crowd like a hawk's, and he quickly locked onto his target—Widow Li at the west end of the village.
Widow Li's real name was Li Xianglan. Her husband had died last year while building a reservoir, leaving her with two infants. Today, she wore a slightly worn floral blouse, the cuffs frayed, yet it couldn't hide the delicate beauty in her eyes. Xu Damao felt a surge of desire; he knew that such a charming woman was hidden in this remote, impoverished place.
Xu Damao deliberately dawdled during the preparations for the screening. He kept saying that the generator was malfunctioning, and then he kept asking for help to set up the screen, but his eyes were always glued to Li Xianglan.
As Li Xianglan, carrying her child, timidly walked past him, Xu Damao cried out "Ouch!" and pretended to slip, then fell onto Li Xianglan.
"Sorry, girl, this place is too slippery."
While apologizing, Xu Damao took the opportunity to pinch Li Xianglan's small hand. The delicate and soft touch made him feel a ticklish sensation.
As if burned, Li Xianglan shrank back abruptly, her cheeks instantly turning bright red, and she quickly walked away with her child in her arms.
The woman's flustered appearance made Xu Damao even more certain that something must have happened to her too.
When the movie was almost over, Xu Damao excused himself to use the restroom and slipped out of the threshing ground. He knew the way well and circled around to the west end of the village, where he could see the dim light shining from the window of Li Xianglan's house. He tiptoed over and took out a paper package from his pocket, which contained a few pieces of fruit candy he had bought in the county town.
"Li Meizi, are you asleep yet?"
Xu Damao lowered his voice and gently knocked on the window.
The lights in the room flickered, and Li Xianglan, seeing it was Xu Damao, almost cried out in surprise, "Comrade Xu, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, I was just thinking about your kid."
Xu Damao waved the oil paper package in his hand, "These are fruit candies I bought in the city. They're sweet. Let the kid have a taste."
Li Xianglan hesitated for a moment, but still opened the door.
She was desperate; her family hadn't eaten for days, and her child was crying from hunger. These fruit candies were a rare treat for her.
As soon as Xu Damao entered, he looked around. The mud-brick house was bare, with only a dilapidated wooden bed, a table with peeling paint, and some dry firewood piled in the corner.
He felt increasingly smug; a woman like that, as long as he gave her a little sweetness, would be easy to win over.
"Li Meizi, look at your life, it's too hard for you."
Xu Damao sighed insincerely, "If someone had helped us, things wouldn't have come to this."
Li Xianglan lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, and remained silent. What could a widow like her do? She could only rely on the village's relief to barely make ends meet.
Seeing this, Xu Damao quickly moved forward, his voice becoming even more suggestive: "Look at me, every time I come to the village to show movies, I manage to save up a lot of food coupons. If you'd like..."