Chapter 255: Domineering Uncle Jiu
At eight o'clock in the evening, nearly a hundred villagers gathered at the door of Deng Shirong's house. Some stood, while others sat. As they chatted, their eyes occasionally drifted to the light bulb hanging from the beam, which shone brighter than a hundred kerosene lamps combined, filling them with envy.
In later generations, visiting neighbors at seven or eight in the evening was commonplace. Even in rural areas, people rarely went to bed so early. But in this era, unless someone was gathering to gamble, most villagers wouldn't visit their neighbors after eight o'clock unless they had a specific reason. By this time, most people in the countryside were already bathing and preparing for bed.
After all, the village still lacked electricity, and everyone relied on kerosene lamps at night. Kerosene wasn't cheap for many families, so they tried to save it whenever possible, only lighting the lamps when absolutely necessary. Sitting around and chatting with a kerosene lamp burning was considered a luxury. Thus, going to bed early was the norm for most.
Tonight, however, was the first time Deng Shirong's family had used batteries to power a light. The brilliance of the bulb was like a miniature sun in the dark night sky, visible to almost the entire village. For many, this was their first time seeing such a bright light, so they naturally flocked to witness the spectacle.
"This electric light is something else! It's hundreds of times brighter than a kerosene lamp. It lights up the night like it's daytime. Truly amazing!"
"A kerosene lamp's tiny flame uses so much oil. How much electricity does this electric lamp consume to be so bright?"
"If we keep the light on like this, I wonder how long the battery Uncle Jiu bought will last?"
"Something that expensive should last a while, right?"
"…"
As the villagers marveled at the light, Deng Yungui, sitting across from Deng Shirong, took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "Uncle Jiu, now that you've installed the wires and lights, when will you start the TV?"
At this question, the chatter died down, and all eyes turned to Deng Shirong.
The villagers were eagerly anticipating the chance to watch TV. While it might not be as exciting as a movie, watching movies cost money, and opportunities to do so were rare—maybe only a few times a year. But this TV, bought by Uncle Jiu (father-in-law), was different. Not only could everyone watch it for free, but they could also come every day. Who wouldn't be excited about that?
Deng Shirong replied, "There's no rush. Let's wait until I finish building this wooden shed."
Deng Yungui frowned in confusion. "Uncle Jiu, what does watching TV have to do with whether the shed is finished or not?"
Deng Shirong smiled. "Of course, it matters. To make it convenient for everyone to watch TV, I plan to keep it in the wooden shed outside for the long term. But I have to wait until the shed is finished. Otherwise, if it rains, the TV will get soaked and ruined!"
Deng Yungui was stunned. "Uncle Jiu, are you serious? You're going to leave this TV in the shed permanently?"
The other villagers were equally incredulous. If they owned such a valuable item, they would have locked it away in a cabinet, not left it outside. What if it got stolen?
Deng Shirong explained, "There's no other way. If I keep it inside, how many people can fit in my house? If everyone comes to watch TV, those who arrive late might not even be able to squeeze in. That would be disappointing!
So, it's better to keep it outside where there's more space. That way, whether people come early or late, there'll always be room for them to watch."
"Uncle Jiu, you've really thought this through."
Deng Yungui praised him first, then added, "But Uncle Jiu, there's no need to leave it outside permanently. You could just move it back inside every night after the TV is over and bring it out again the next day, right?"
Deng Shirong waved his hand dismissively. "It's too much trouble to move it back and forth. I don't want to go through all that just to watch TV."
Deng Yungui passed his cigarette to another villager and said, "It might be a bit of a hassle, but we have to do it. Otherwise, what if someone steals it?"
Deng Yunjun chimed in, "That's right, Uncle Jiu. Although there aren't any thieves in our village, we can't say the same for other villages. If you leave the TV outside, those troublemakers from other places might be tempted."
Other villagers also voiced their concerns, saying that Uncle Jiu was putting the TV outside for their convenience. They couldn't let it get stolen, or they'd feel too guilty.
Hearing their advice, Deng Shirong smiled faintly and responded with a domineering tone: "Don't worry. In our Help And Correct Brigade, who would dare to touch my things? Besides, the dogs I raise aren't just for show. If anyone dares to take my TV, they're asking for trouble."
When Deng Shirong spoke these words, the villagers were convinced. They all felt that Uncle Jiu had a point. Few people in the Help And Correct Brigade would dare to mess with his belongings, and with the dogs guarding the place, there was little risk of the TV being stolen at night.
The warning function of dogs couldn't be underestimated. In the middle of the night, even if someone just passed by the road outside, the dogs would bark. If someone approached the house, the barking would grow fiercer. If other households in the village also had dogs, the entire village would erupt in a chorus of barks.
In this era, dogs were kept for guarding homes, so they weren't tied up. If anything suspicious happened, the dogs would gather and bark fiercely at the intruders, serving as both a warning and an alarm for the sleeping villagers. Those awakened would usually grab their tools and investigate.
Therefore, in villages with many dogs, outsiders rarely dared to sneak in at night to steal. The risk of being caught was too high.
As for daytime theft, that was even less likely.
With their worries eased, the villagers, eager to watch TV, turned their attention to the three generations of the Zhang family, who were responsible for building the wooden shed for Uncle Jiu (Grandpa). They all offered to help.
"Dear relative, I know how to use a planer. Can I help?"
"Dear relative, I'm quite strong. I can help move things."
"Relatives, I can make farm tools. Let me know if there's anything I can do."
"Relatives…"
Seeing the villagers' enthusiasm, the Zhang family's grandparents and grandchildren were both surprised and understanding. After all, Uncle Jiu was building the shed so they could all watch TV. It was only natural that they'd want to contribute.
Grandpa Zhang made the decision: "Alright, with everyone's help, we'll finish this shed within a week."
"Great! I'll come early tomorrow morning to help!"
"If we all pitch in, we'll be watching TV in a week!"
"…"
Deng Shirong, well aware of the villagers' passion for TV—something later generations might find hard to imagine—wasn't surprised by their eagerness to help. He simply said, "Since everyone wants to watch TV sooner, let's build a TV cabinet tomorrow. We'll put the TV on top and the battery in the middle. If we finish the cabinet during the day, we can start watching TV tomorrow night."
At these words, the villagers erupted in excitement, vowing to come early the next morning and ensure the TV cabinet was completed by then.
With that settled, it was getting late, and everyone dispersed for the night.
...
The next morning, after finishing their breakfast of plain porridge, the villagers arrived with great enthusiasm. Under the guidance of the three generations of the Zhang family, they began working in an orderly manner.
It's true that many hands make light work. With the spontaneous help of dozens of villagers, the construction of both the TV cabinet, as per Deng Shirong's specifications, and the wooden shed—designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and rainproof—progressed rapidly.
Today was Saturday. Deng Yunzhu, Deng Yunsong, and Deng Yunhua, the three siblings, had returned from Double Prosperity Junior High School. When they saw that their father had bought a TV, they were utterly surprised. In this era, no one could resist the allure of television.
By the afternoon, the villagers had successfully built a beautiful TV cabinet.
Deng Shirong didn't keep everyone waiting. He brought out the TV, placed it on the cabinet, and then positioned a battery in the middle of the cabinet. After connecting the battery and the antenna, everything was ready.
The antenna rack had been set up earlier. A long, straight bamboo pole was attached to the trunk of the longan tree, with the middle section fixed to a higher branch. The setup was sturdy enough to allow the bamboo to rotate without swaying.
With everything in place, Deng Shirong turned on the TV in front of the eager villagers.
As Deng Shirong operated the TV, the villagers held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen without blinking.
At this moment, even the Zhang family's grandparents and grandchildren paused their work, staring at the TV with curiosity.
Deng Shirong's niece, nephew-in-law, and his four children also stood in front of the TV, watching with keen interest.
The screen flickered to life, and the first thing everyone saw was the familiar static snowflakes.
The villagers, seeing the snowflakes, were momentarily alarmed, thinking the TV was broken.
Deng Shirong, having experienced this in his previous life, remained calm. He walked over to the antenna rack, grasped the bamboo pole with both hands, and began to turn it slowly. After a few seconds, the snowy screen cleared, and a blurry image appeared, accompanied by sound.
Hearing the familiar Cantonese dialect, Deng Shirong knew without looking that the TV was tuned to Guangdong TV.
The moment the sound came through, the villagers collectively exhaled in relief—the TV wasn't broken after all.
Deng Shirong continued to adjust the antenna, and the picture grew clearer. It was indeed Guangdong TV.
Next, Deng Shirong slowly rotated the antenna further and discovered that he could receive signals from four TV stations in total: Guangdong TV, Guangxi TV, Hunan TV, and CCTV. There were faint signals from a few other stations, but the audio was clear while the video remained too blurry to watch.
Even for the four main stations, the picture quality wasn't perfect. Of course, this was by Deng Shirong's standards, having grown accustomed to high-definition TV. For the villagers of Thatchfield, however, this level of clarity was more than satisfactory.
Since it wasn't yet time to watch TV, Deng Shirong turned it off after testing the channels. He addressed the villagers, "Let's not watch it now. Everyone has work to do, and there aren't many programs during the day. We'll start watching at 6:30 in the evening. Make sure to come on time."
The brief test left the villagers feeling a bit unsatisfied, but they understood that now wasn't the time for TV. They all agreed and returned to their tasks.
Ou Guofang, Ou Guohua, and Guan Yongying were also present, each bringing their children. They had all witnessed the testing of the first TV in Thatchfield Village.
After Deng Shirong set the viewing time, many villagers stayed to help with the wooden shed, while others left to tend to their chores, ensuring they could return in the evening to watch TV without any distractions.
Ou Guofang and the others bid farewell to Uncle Jiu and headed home with their children. Like the other villagers, they planned to finish their housework early, have dinner, and then return to secure a good spot for the evening's entertainment.
…
Although information didn't travel as fast in this era as it would in the future, the news of the TV spread quickly. By 5:30 in the afternoon, people began arriving with small stools to reserve seats. The scene was even more bustling than during a movie screening.
By six o'clock, hundreds of people had gathered in front of Deng Shirong's house, with more arriving from neighboring villages.
Deng Shirong was at a loss for words when he saw the crowd.
If this were a movie screening, the turnout wouldn't be surprising, as the large screen could accommodate thousands of viewers. But this was a 12-inch black-and-white TV. With such a small screen, half of the hundreds of people present wouldn't be able to see clearly.
Deng Shirong had no choice but to accept the situation.
As the host, Deng Shirong had arranged two rows of small stools in front of the TV, reserved for his family and the more prominent villagers.
By 6:30, the number of villagers at Deng Shirong's house had swelled to at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.
When the time came, Deng Shirong turned on the TV, marking the beginning of Thatchfield Village's first TV-watching experience.
Television programs in this era were far from captivating.
Unlike the vast array of shows available in later years—ranging from TV series and movies to animations, variety shows, food programs, sports, news, documentaries, and short videos—this era offered limited options. Last year's "Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp" was the only TV series of note, with the rest being single-episode productions of questionable quality.
While Deng Shirong wasn't particularly interested in these programs, the villagers watched with rapt attention.
Even those at the back, who could barely see the screen, were content just to hear the dialogue and catch glimpses of the figures on TV. None of them had any intention of leaving.
That night, the TV played from 6:30 until 10:00.
Throughout the entire broadcast, only a few elderly villagers left early. The majority stayed until the end, with parents holding their sleeping children to avoid disturbing others.
When the program ended, the villagers headed home, chatting excitedly about what they had just watched. The thought of being able to come to Uncle Jiu's house every night to watch TV filled them with a sense of growing prosperity.
After the villagers had left, Deng Shirong looked at his children, who were also engrossed in the TV, and admonished them, "Xiaosong, you can watch TV occasionally on weekends, but don't let it interfere with your studies, understand?"
Seeing that his father had singled him out, Deng Yunsong understood the high expectations placed on him. He quickly composed himself and replied, "Dad, I understand. I won't let it affect my studies."
Deng Shirong nodded. He indeed had high hopes for his third son. In his previous life, despite the same family background and education, only Deng Yunsong among his siblings had been admitted to a technical secondary school and later entered the system. In this life, with Deng Shirong's intervention, his second son had already been accepted into Peking University.
As for his third son, who had shown academic promise in his previous life, Deng Shirong naturally expected great things from him.
Deng Yunzhu and Deng Yunhua exchanged glances but remained silent. Whether they were addicted to TV or not, their academic performance was mediocre. When their father discussed studies, it was best for them to stay quiet.
Deng Yunheng, the youngest, though not as academically strong as his second and third brothers, was still better than his second sister and fourth brother. He also assured his father, "Dad, watching TV won't affect my studies."
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Alright, just keep this in mind. It's getting late, so off to bed now!"
The children obediently responded and headed to their rooms to sleep.
…
In the days that followed, the villagers worked during the day and, after finishing their meals early in the afternoon, would come to Deng Shirong's house to reserve seats for the evening. Every night, hundreds of people gathered to watch TV, including not only villagers from Thatchfield but also those from two or three neighboring villages.
With the enthusiastic help of the villagers, the wooden shed, which was initially expected to take about a month to build, was completed in just over a week.
The shed extended outward, centered around the longan tree. Due to the tree's presence, the center of the shed couldn't be fully enclosed, so a small amount of rainwater would inevitably leak through the top during rain. However, the Zhang family's grandparents employed a clever trick to ensure that the water only dripped down the trunk of the longan tree, preventing it from spreading elsewhere.
Deng Shirong also installed an electric wire along the wooden beam of the shed and hung a light bulb there.
The entire wooden shed blended seamlessly with the longan tree, creating a rather beautiful structure. Deng Shirong was very pleased with the result. He took out ten big unity notes and handed them to Grandpa Zhang, saying with a smile, "Relatives, you've worked hard these past few days. Please take this money."
Grandpa Zhang waved his hands and said, "Uncle Jiu, this is too much. We've only worked for a few days. Half of this would be more than enough."
Deng Shirong smiled and stuffed the money into Grandpa Zhang's pocket, saying, "Dear relative, don't be polite with me. This isn't just a few days' work. You rely on your skills to make a living. Without you, no matter how many people we had, we couldn't have built this shed."
After some back-and-forth, Grandpa Zhang finally accepted the money.
The two sides exchanged a few more polite words before the Zhang family's grandparents and grandchildren packed up their tools and left, content.
Of course, before leaving, they made sure to say goodbye to their in-laws. This goes without saying.
…
In the ninth month of the lunar calendar, a major event shook Treasure Mountain Village. Bu Erzhu's second son, Bu Zhongshi, had bought a car—and not just any car, but a large four-wheeled truck with a load capacity of up to 4 tons.
Treasure Mountain Village was a small, impoverished village, even poorer than Thatchfield. The entire village had no more than three bicycles. So, when Bu Zhongshi drove such a massive truck into the village, it caused a sensation.
In this era, becoming a driver was already a profession envied by the entire village. But now, Bu Zhongshi wasn't just a driver—he owned his own truck. This left the villagers of Treasure Mountain Village utterly bewildered.
After all, they were all from the same village, sharing the same ancestors. Everyone knew each other.
In the past two years, Bu Erzhu's family had been in a similar situation to most families in the village. It was only in the last couple of years, with the support of his brother-in-law Deng Shirong, that their fortunes had improved significantly.
Bu Dafang and his wife helped their uncle manage the orchard and were said to earn several dozen yuan a month.
Bu Dashi worked as a chef in his uncle's restaurant in the county town and was also said to earn several dozen yuan a month.
Now, Bu Erzhu had contracted the mountain slopes in the village and was planning to reclaim them to grow sugarcane.
While the family's life was indeed better than most in the village, no one expected them to be able to afford a big truck!
Naturally, the curious villagers couldn't help but ask questions.
"Zhongshi, when did you learn to drive such a big car?"
"I went to the county town to study in July."
"Zhongshi, did you buy this truck to haul goods and make money?"
"Yes, I bought this truck to transport goods and earn a living. Uncles and brothers, if you ever need anything transported in the future, let me know."
"Zhongshi, this truck must have cost at least tens of thousands. Where did you get so much money?"
"The truck isn't cheap, that's for sure. I won't tell you the exact price, but I'm in debt to the credit union now. If I can't make money, I'll be starving!"
"Zhongshi..."
"…"
Faced with the barrage of questions from his fellow villagers, Bu Zhongshi answered them one by one.
(End of this chapter)