The animal world of the head of the village

Chapter 29

Grandma Chen is over 70 years old and has no children. Her wife passed away a few years ago, and now Grandma Chen is left alone.

Although Grandma Chen is over 70 years old, she still has a good memory, and there is no problem with taking care of herself for the time being. Occasionally, enthusiastic people in the village will come to help, tidy up the house, wash clothes for Grandma Chen, and dry the quilt , so Grandma Chen can still get by.

Hu Xiaomei seemed unprepared, and was taken aback when she saw Grandma Chen's appearance.

In fact, this is also very normal. Grandma Chen has disheveled hair, the wrinkles on her face are like tree bark, and she is wearing an old-fashioned gray cloth shirt, the kind that is buttoned diagonally.At first glance, it is indeed a bit scary.

"Grandma Chen, I'm a tiger, do you know me?"

"Huzi, I know you. How could I not know your mother? Is it Wang Chunxiang?"

"Grandma Chen, let me introduce someone to you. This is the newly appointed village party secretary in the village. His surname is Hu, Hu party secretary!"

"Where's Zhang Zhishu? Why didn't he quit? It's been almost a few months since he hasn't visited the door, right?"

"Secretary Zhang has retired, and Secretary Hu is here to replace Secretary Zhang! In the future, Secretary Hu will come to visit you often."

"Oh, that's good, Secretary Hu, please sit down, I'll make you some tea."

"Forget it, don't bother, Grandma Chen, we'll leave after we come and have a look, it's not convenient for you, why don't we come over next time!"

Hu Xiaomei hurriedly pulled Huang Xiaohu away from here. After walking for a while, Hu Xiaomei asked, "Why is there no one to take care of her at such an age? Does Grandma Chen have no children? Does she have no relatives? Is there no one in the village to take care of her?"

"Secretary Hu, don't be angry, listen to me first. Grandma Chen's two sons, the eldest died as a soldier, and the second also served as a soldier. Her wife and son depend on each other for life, and her husband passed away a few years ago, leaving Grandma Chen alone."

"No one in the county cares about the families of such martyrs? I don't believe it. I will report this matter to the higher authorities today."

"Hu Zhishu, the county sent people to pick up Grandma Chen to the nursing home, but Grandma Chen didn't go there alive! I don't know who said that if she goes to the county now, she will be burned if she dies, so Grandma Chen has always insisted Living in the village, I also heard from my mother about this matter. Anyway, no one can control it, and then it became no one. "

"Why are you still so ignorant now? When a person dies, is there any difference between cremation and burial? After death, I don't know anything. If everyone has to be buried after death, does the country have so many places?"

"Hu Zhishu, I don't like to hear what you say. We are young people, and our thoughts and concepts may be able to accept cremation. Grandma Chen is in her 70s, and her only comfort is to be buried in the ground. If If you can’t meet these requirements, how can you talk about respecting and loving the elderly? Is this how the government treats the families of martyrs?”

"Huang Xiaohu, I didn't expect that you are still so backward in thinking. You have been implementing the cremation policy for many years, but you have been encountering great resistance, especially in the townships. It has always been a problem. If you let it go, how much farmland will be lost? How much will be wasted? Human and material resources?"

"Okay, I won't argue with you. You are the party secretary. You can do whatever you think is good. There are not only policies in the countryside, but also a very important thing called customs. If you can solve Grandma Chen's problem, then I will I’ll take it for you. Now Huilong Village doesn’t just have one Grandma Chen, but Grandma Wang, Grandpa Zhang, etc., as far as I know, there are at least seven or eight families of such lonely elderly people.”

"Seven or eight families? The problem of widows and orphans, didn't the previous branch secretary think of a way to solve it? Huilong Village has registered one or two hundred households, but the actual population is only over 500. Do you know the specific situation?"

"I didn't know it before, but I gradually found out recently. Many people moved to counties or towns to live, and the old houses are still there, and some household registrations are still kept, because the rural household registration is valuable. It's actually quite funny. In the past, rural people thought that Urban hukou is valuable, Feng Shui turns around, 30 years in Hedong and 30 years in Hexi, now it has become a rural hukou is valuable.”

"Everyone has moved away, why keep the house? Why not move the household registration?"

"Of course, those who moved out in the early years all moved away. In recent years, no one who moved out is willing to change their registered permanent residence. Because the house stays here and the registered permanent residence is here, they have money and subsidies every year. Don't poor villages have poverty alleviation funds? ? For the sake of money, of course the account cannot be moved!"

"So, in fact, the actual permanent population of Huilong Village is even smaller, right?"

"You are the secretary of the village party committee. You should learn it by yourself. Young and middle-aged people all go out to work, and the only ones left behind are children, widows and old people, as well as women and daughters-in-law. If you look at Huilong Village now, the age ranges from 16 to 55. No more than 30 men between the ages?"

"Is that an exaggeration? The labor force is simply scarce! Then who will farm the land? Who will do the farm work?"

"Let's put it this way, my parents are almost 60, and they still do farm work. Most of the people in Huilong Village are farming and herding cattle and sheep. If you look carefully, most of them are in their [-]s."

"Your parents are almost sixty? Huang Xiaohu, are you in your 20s at most? Why were your parents not young when they gave birth to you?"

"I also have an elder sister who married off, but never came back. Maybe my elder sister hates my parents. The patriarchal concept in rural areas is still quite serious. My sister may have suffered a lot when she was young, and she also I have suffered a lot of grievances, it has been so many years, there is no news at all, and she has never come back."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mention the sad things in your family."

"What is this? Which family in Huilong Village doesn't have a sad past? Are there not many people like Grandma Chen in Huilong Village?"

"Huang Xiaohu, let's go on a few more walks, I just happen to know a few more people."

"Okay, in front is Chen Xiazi's house. This is a famous person in the village. For fortune-telling and divination, he is also a well-known Mr. Yin and Yang in the village. If you think it is a feudal superstition, at least don't say it too bluntly, otherwise I will help you." Not to you."

"Fortune-telling? Well, I happen to want to do a fortune-telling too!"

When I came to Chen Blind's house, I happened to run into Chen Blind who was telling a fortune. The person who came to tell the fortune was the village head's wife, Zhao Chunhua.

It seemed that Blind Chen had already done all the calculations, and when Huang Xiaohu wanted to hear it, Blind Chen said, "Everything goes with the flow, everyone expects it, it's fate. That's it."

Zhao Chunhua said thank you with a smile on his face, and then left without even saying hello to Huang Xiaohu.

"Master Chen, I brought someone with me today, do you want me to introduce you?"

Blind Chen stretched out a hand and said, "Come here and let me touch it."

Huang Xiaohu motioned for Hu Xiaomei to stretch out her hand.

Hu Xiaomei hesitated for a moment, but still stretched out her hand.

Blind Chen shook Hu Xiaomei's hand, then squeezed it again, and suddenly said, "Your honor, honorable man. A rare visitor, a rare visitor! This must be the new branch secretary, right?"

Hu Xiaomei was stunned for a moment, Huang Xiaohu quickly complimented: "Master Chen is really amazing, just touching his hand like this, you know it's the new branch secretary."

"Why are you here looking for me? Huzi, don't get me wrong. How long has it been since you came to visit my uncle?"

"Second Uncle, haven't I come here? Or, you can do the math for me."

"What is it? Didn't I already count your life?"

"Again, I've changed my luck recently, don't you think?"

"Transfer? Okay, give me your hand!"

Huang Xiaohu stretched out his hand, Blind Chen touched it, and suddenly jumped up in shock.

"Is this your hand?"

"Second Uncle, isn't it my hand? Could it be a ghost's hand?"

"Huzi, there is a monster in your body!"

"Second Uncle, don't scare me, I'm still evil, why don't you say I've become a spirit?"

"Let's go, you are not welcome here."

"Second uncle, did you make a mistake? The new branch secretary came here to see you, why are you so disrespectful?"

"Huzi, I'll look for you in a few days. What weird things have happened to you recently? You go back and think about it. I'm sorry, I'm going to rest early today, the new branch secretary. Please go back."

After going out, Hu Xiaomei said to Huang Xiaohu: "What a weird person."

"Why would Second Uncle say that I have evil spirit in my body?"

"You believe this too? Demonic energy, isn't it immortal energy?"

"Hehe, that's right, why can't it be immortal energy? Secretary Hu, Second Uncle is such a person. In order to learn this, he decided to change his surname from Huang Fei to Chen, saying that it was to avoid bringing trouble to the Huang family. I Dad is just such a younger brother, and now the two brothers are not in contact with each other."

"Blind Chen is your second uncle? Your father's younger brother?"

"I'll tell you a little secret, but you must keep it a secret, don't you know?"

"What secret?"

"Second Uncle's eyes can see, and no one in the village knows, except my parents and me."

"Pretend to be blind!"

"Don't all the masters have to pretend? Otherwise, why would so many people believe it?"

"Well, I won't tell others, anyway, I don't believe in it."

"It's getting late, I have to go back. By the way, Secretary Hu, where do you live now?"

"The village committee has cleaned up a room. Let's make do with it for a while now. It is estimated that there will be arrangements in the future. A dormitory building may be built in the village."

"The village committee should also be rebuilt. The village committee in the next village has already erected a new building. It is estimated that everything in Huilong Village is a few steps behind other places. The gap is getting bigger and bigger!"

"Huang Xiaohu, I'm going back to the village committee first. The village chief invited me to his house for dinner tonight. I'd better go there early."

"Then see you next time. You know my family. If you have anything to do, just come and find me. Anyway, I have nothing to do."

After Hu Xiaomei left, Xiao Bei began to lick Huang Xiaohu's feet frantically, and of course Huang Xiaohu understood this hint.

(End of this chapter)