Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 265 Chapter 264 Grave Sweeping

After breakfast on Sunday, Tang Zhitong and Zhang Guifang said they were going out with Wang Jingwen.

This was what the young couple had discussed last night. The old man was conservative and was afraid that Zhang Guifang would feel uncomfortable when he heard that his son had gone to pay homage to his father-in-law, so he simply didn't say anything.

Even if her son is older, Zhang Guifang will have no problem.

Tang Zhitong suggested bringing some sacrifices last night, but Xiao Wang didn't agree, saying that his father didn't believe in this when he was alive, so just bring some tea.

Wang Jingwen's father was buried in the well-known cemetery. It was about 20 kilometers one way from Huashi Street and 40 kilometers round trip. Tang Zhitong loved his wife and did not let Xiao Wang ride a bicycle.

Tang Zhitong didn't intend to drive Xiao Wang there by himself. Riding a bicycle back and forth on a hot day was purely to make himself uncomfortable.

Tang Zhitong followed Wang Jingwen's suggestion and planned to take the bus.

The largest bus stop in Sijiu City is at Qianmen, which is the starting or ending station for multiple buses.

About fifty meters across from the Municipal Bureau is the Qianmen Bus Stop. Tang Zhitong took Wang Jingwen to the Municipal Bureau. In the spirit of "the province should be in charge of flowers, ride a bicycle to the bar", Tang Zhitong left the bicycle at the Municipal Bureau with his work permit. , every point saved counts as one point.

There was originally a three-hole gate tower on the north side of Qianmen Station. Through the gate tower, you can see the tall and towering monument.

At the beginning of this year, in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary in a few months, the gatehouse and the walls around the gatehouse were demolished, and reconstruction work began on the east-west long streets.

This gatehouse is called Zhonghua Gate. Many people may not know that such a gate existed. This gate is very famous in history. It is the only gate leading to the Forbidden City. It has been known as Daming Gate, Dashun Gate, and Great Qingmen.

Each different name probably represents a different dynasty.

Daming Gate was called the Daming Gate during the Yongle period, and lasted until the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs in 1644 AD. It was interspersed with the name "Dashun Gate" for twenty-five days, when the king of Chuang entered the capital, but the result was that he was disappointed before he could finish making the plaque. ran away.

In the tenth month of the lunar calendar in 1644, Shunzhi, which was said to have become a monk in Mount Wutai, made Sijiucheng its capital and changed the Daming Gate to the Daqing Gate.

There is also a story here. It is said that the stone plaque with "Da Ming Gate" engraved on it was turned over and engraved with "Da Qing Gate" in Chinese and Manchu by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. The ruler continued to use it.

The name "Daqing Gate" was known as Xiao Sanhun. It was not until the founding of the Republic of China that the name of the Daqing Gate was changed to Zhonghua Gate in 1912.

Materials were scarce at that time, so someone wanted to remove the stone plaque from the Qing Dynasty Gate and use it to engrave "Zhonghua Gate" on the back. However, they were dumbfounded as soon as they took it off. The Shunzhi man had already used this plaque more than two hundred years ago. Got it!

The Republic of China had no choice but to make a new wooden plaque and inscribe the words "Zhonghua Gate" on it. This was used for the next fifty years.

In particular, the demolition of some old buildings started in the Republic of China. The original intention was to improve transportation and meet the functional requirements of the capital. The Thousand-step Corridor, the East and West Gates, and the East and West Chang'an Gate were successively demolished, but this year it was the turn of China Door.

After storing the bicycle, Wang Jingwen took Tang Zhitong directly to the No. 38 stop sign and lined up to wait for the bus.

Tang Zhitong looked at the stop sign. It started from Qianmen and headed west via Xidan Road, passing through 16 stops including Muxidi, Gongzhufen, Wanshou Road, and Wukesong. The final stop was Yuquan Road.

"Isn't this a direct bus? Is there no direct bus?" Tang Zhitong asked Wang Jingwen as he didn't know the bus route.

"There are so many bus lines. No. 38 is the fastest. There is also No. 37 that also passes through Yuquan Road, but it will go around Fuchengmen. The fare is more expensive than No. 38, so it is not cost-effective." Wang Jingwen told Tang Zhitong explained.

"Sure, let's take Route 38." With this condition, Tang Zhitong gave up. There are also taxis these days, with an enamel "For Rent" sign on the roof. Tang Zhitong saw it at Qianmen Station.

Tang Zhitong had seen a taxi advertisement in the newspaper and even remembered the taxi number 57661, but he probably wouldn't use it because the price was very impressive, cents per kilometer!

The bus fare is much cheaper, bus No. 38 costs cents per person one way.

Nowadays, buses are very popular. They don’t open their doors until the departure time is close. There is no other way. Who makes the buses less and most of them are imported goods?

The bus does not open until it is about to depart. The door is hand-operated. After the bus opens, the driver and conductor get on the bus first and then close the door.

At this time, the conductor took out the crank handle from his waist and opened the windows one after another! That's right, it means rolling it open, because the bus windows cannot be opened or closed by passengers, but are manually controlled with the help of the rocker.

If you encounter sand and dust on the road, emm... close your eyes, cover your nose and mouth, and just bear with it.

After rolling up the window, the driver raised his wrist to check the time. The bus was about to depart, and then the door opened again, allowing passengers to get on the bus through the front door.

What comes into view after getting in the car is a big brown bag with the engine wrapped underneath.

This position is a golden seat in the cold winter. Sitting on it won’t irritate your buttocks. Now, I would rather stand than sit on it because it will scald my buttocks.

Passengers get on the bus first and then buy tickets after the bus starts.

A round trip for the two of them costs one yuan, which is a day's salary for an ordinary worker. The price is unaffordable for most people. In addition, it is the departure station, so the young couple has a seat.

Tang Zhitong chose the seat, sitting side by side at the back.

Tang Zhitong sat in the car and observed the buildings in Forty-Nine City. He exited the inner city through Fuxing Gate. The further west he went, the neater the buildings were and the more pedestrians wearing grass-green clothes on the street.

Occasionally, a truck passes by, and the open hood behind it is full of people. No one checks their overloading these days. The more you can pull, the better, as long as you can pull it.

The bus was rickety and drove for more than an hour before reaching Yuquan Road.

Tang Zhitong, led by Wang Jingwen, continued to walk west, covering more than two miles.

Tang Zhitong knew about this place. He had only heard about it before. Only those of high rank could be buried here. In other words, most of those buried here had made meritorious service to the country.

After entering through the main entrance, Wang Jingwen borrowed a tea set and a bucket from the staff, took out her own tea leaves, and brewed them. Tang Zhitong followed his wife to the tombstone carrying most of the bucket of water.

The tombstone is very simple. The name of the deceased is engraved on the front, and the life is engraved on the back. From such and such year to such and such year, he joined the army in such and such year, and a brief biography of the deceased in such and such year.

Wang Jingwen first poured a cup of tea, then took out the towel she brought from home, soaked it in a bucket, wrung it out, and wiped her father's tombstone.

"Dad, we are here to see you. I am married. This is my lover Tang Zhitong. We are very loving. He is also very good to Jingying and Jingmin. This year's harvest is not very good, but don't worry, we will definitely not let Mom and my brothers and sisters are hungry." Wang Jingwen murmured while wiping gently.

(End of this chapter)