novelraw Chapter 15 Knowledge from the Shit Pit
Chapter 15 Knowledge from the Shit Pit
Yang Wuni tried to ingratiate herself by tugging at Zhang Kaiju's clothes.
"Changyao, tell your wife quickly, these clothes of mine don't need washing."
Zhang Kai grabbed his waistband tightly with both hands and hid in a corner of the wall to prevent Yang Wuni from getting close.
"Dad, I don't necessarily want to wash your clothes, but look, the lice on your body are crawling outside."
When I'm at home, I have a secret trick to get rid of lice.
Take off your clothes and pants and give them to me, then I'll rub them with dirt.
Scrub every nook and cranny of the clothes, then shake them.
The lice and nits on the clothes fell off along with the dirt.
Yang Wuni pointed to the lice on Zhang Kaiju's shoulder and said to him.
"Wu Ni, don't force your father. He has never washed these clothes."
If you ruin it while washing, what will Dad wear afterwards?
Zhang Changyao held Yang Wuni's hand, preventing her from pressuring Zhang Kaiju any further.
"Zhang Changyao, it's your business if you don't wash Dad's clothes."
Now that there's a woman in the house, if I don't keep you and Dad clean, people will laugh at me.
If there's a woman in the house, she has to be clean and tidy. Otherwise, what's the point of getting a wife?
Besides, if we don't get rid of these lice, they'll crawl everywhere, and no one sleeping on the same bed will have a moment's peace.
Yang Wuni became stubborn, pushed Zhang Changyao aside, stuffed the change of clothes into Zhang Kaiju's hands, and then left.
Zhang Kaiju blushed after hearing Yang Wuni's words.
His wife has been gone for so many years, he has long forgotten what it was like when there was a woman in the house.
Now that I think about it, it really is what Yang Wuni said.
A woman's diligence is meant to make her man appear clean and tidy in the eyes of others.
Zhang Kaiju stopped resisting and changed into Zhang Changyao's oversized clothes.
He took off his patched-up clothes, crumpled them into a ball, and threw them on the ground.
He wasn't as tall as Zhang Changyao, and his trousers and sleeves were rolled up several times.
Only in this way can you walk and work without tripping or getting hurt.
Zhang Kaiju carried a manure basket and went to the village to collect manure.
The best time to collect manure is at night or early in the morning.
Pigs and dogs that have wandered out of their homes, and cows, sheep, horses and donkeys that pass by.
Before entering the circle, they always empty their stomachs completely before going home.
Children who have run around outside will gather at the base of the wall.
He would take a dump in some remote corner before going home to eat and sleep.
Humans should eat whole grains and miscellaneous foods; manure is best because it doesn't need to be fermented and gives them energy.
Large livestock eat grass dry without any feed, just grass seeds. If the manure isn't thoroughly decomposed, it won't work on the land, and the land will become barren.
Zhang Kaiju collected manure indiscriminately, bringing it all back and composting it together.
No one's latrine is as big as his; it's always half full of manure.
A discerning person can tell whether a family knows how to manage their household by looking at the size of the latrine in front of their house.
A large latrine containing both feces and water proves that the elderly person in the family is hardworking.
The latrine was small, filled with firewood scraps and latrine flakes.
You don't even need to ask to know that this old man is definitely a good-for-nothing, the kind who's too lazy to even have maggots in his anus.
If an elderly person is irresponsible, their children will inevitably be affected. As a result, the daughters and sons of such families will grow up to be just like their fathers and mothers.
Zhang Kaiju's latrine was one of the largest in the village.
The four corners are neat and tidy, and it is about half a person deep.
His inability to afford a wedding for his youngest son has nothing to do with whether he knows how to manage a household.
Not to mention that all the money I've saved over the years has gone to my eldest son's wedding.
Sending his youngest son, Zhang Changyao, to high school was also a considerable expense.
Recently, my eldest daughter-in-law gave birth, and it's not right for me not to help or look after her.
This left them with nothing, and they had to borrow money to make ends meet.
I had planned to wait two years to save some money so I could get Zhang Changyao a wife.
Who would have thought that at this critical juncture, Zheng Jingren would force Zhang Changyao to pay a bride price of one hundred yuan.
"Hey! Zhang Kaiju, did your daughter-in-law skin you alive?"
Didn't you say clothes shouldn't be washed because they won't be windproof afterward?
Wang Fengjiang, a noodle maker of similar age to Zhang Kaiju, followed behind Zhang Kaiju and laughed at him.
Back when Wang Fengjiang's family was getting married, Zhang Kaiju made fun of him in this way.
Wang Fengjiang is no ordinary flour maker; among all the flour makers in the surrounding villages, his craftsmanship is the most exquisite.
Whenever someone experiences a loss of followers, they would initially seek out Wang Fengjiang for guidance.
Over time, the name Wang Fenjiang replaced Wang Fengjiang's original name.
Although Wang the powder maker is highly skilled, he is not very shrewd.
Because he wasn't very shrewd, he never managed to marry a woman.
Without women, there would be no offspring.
Wang Fenjiang's older brother had many children, so he chose the least popular one.
The youngest son, Wang Ga, was adopted by Wang Fenjiang as his son.
After Wang Ga was adopted by Wang Fenjiang, he followed Wang Fenjiang around every day to freeload.
He transformed from a tiny, slender figure with a pointed head and legs into a tall, imposing man.
A handsome young man with big eyes, double eyelids, and a chubby face.
Wang Ga is two years older than Zhang Changyao and got married last year.
Now that Wang the powder maker is old, he no longer needs to go out to freeload.
When Wang Ga goes out to teach others how to make rice noodles, he brings back delicious food for his wife, children, and rice noodle makers.
"Wang Fenjiang, let's not laugh at each other. It's no good for old people to be so unruly."
If we continue like this, giving up and making a mess of things, the children won't even be able to live in their rooms.
Zhang Kaiju is easygoing and even happy to be disciplined.
"Brother, let me tell you, there's a woman in the house who's busy doing everything, and life is so hopeful."
Now that I have a grandson, the little guy keeps calling me "Grandpa, Grandpa," and I can't be happier.
Wang Fenjiang was a skinny, old man.
He was only in his fifties, but his head was already hunched over.
Zhang Kaiju stood up straight, and the two of them together resembled the Chinese character "引" (yǐn).
"Wang Fenjiang, my daughter-in-law is different from yours."
If she hadn't come pregnant, I wouldn't have felt guilty about letting my family down.
My father, Changyao, at least has a high school education. If it weren't for my incompetence as his father, how could he have married a woman like that?
Zhang Kaiju looked around and, seeing that no one was passing by, began to confide in Wang Fenjiang.
"Brother, if you ask me, you're just ungrateful. I think this young wife is quite nice."
So what if she's pregnant? Her family didn't take a single penny from your family.
If you spend 100 yuan as a bride price to marry Zheng Jingren's daughter, that would be a disaster.
Look at the stables, they're always upside down, pots and pans facing the sky.
That Zheng Meizhi does nothing all day long, never lifting a finger.
They all depended on the stable boy to serve them, and if anything didn't go their way, they would either beat or scold him.
I reckon Ma Pengsheng is kicking himself right now.
What great virtue your Zhang family ancestors accumulated to escape this calamity?
I'm so happy for your family right now, what are you complaining about?