The sun never sets in America

Chapter 40 Dividing a Wife

"This is a letter sent to you by your son." Outside a tile-roofed house, an officer handed a letter to an old man with gray hair and wrinkles on his face.

"Father, mother, you know each other as well as you know each other. After the child received the news of being stationed at the front line yesterday, he immediately felt that the trip was difficult and he might not survive, so he wrote this letter. If the child is lucky enough to survive, it will be thanks to the blessing of his ancestors. If a child is wrapped in horse leather and stained with blood on the battlefield, it is also the child's life. I hope that father will not worry about it. He should take care of himself and take care of the family affairs by his younger brother Wenlong..." The old man opened the letter with trembling hands and looked at the words above. Those sincere words made my eyes wet.

"If a child dies, he hopes to repay his parents' kindness in the next life...if he lives, he will wait until the war and return home to fulfill his filial piety."

"My child Wenhu bows down..."

"My son..." After reading this letter from home, the old man burst into tears on the spot, which made those who heard it sad and those who saw it shed tears.

"This military master, you came down from the front line. I wonder if my son is still alive?" The old man suddenly wiped his face with his sleeves, his face already wet with tears, and looked at the officer in front of him, with mottled and turbid old eyes. There was a trace of hope in his eyes, hoping that his child would still be alive.

"This..." The officer was actually just a postman delivering letters. Many of these letters were written before the war. He didn't even participate in the war, so he didn't know the specific casualty data.

Just when neither of them knew what to do, a group of soldiers who had just come down from the front suddenly came back outside the town, which immediately attracted the attention of the people left behind in Liujiabao.

"Third son, you're back, you're really back. Mom misses you so much. When you're not here, she's frightened every day, for fear that something will happen to you. If you die, what will you do to her..." A middle-aged woman was crying bitterly while holding a young man in military uniform and carrying a bag. Although she was crying, she could not hide the smile on her face that was about to survive the disaster.

"Mom, look, I'm back now. Look, I'm in good health. Your son is very capable. Those white devils can't even think of hurting me." The soldier named Zhang Erhu patted his chest and said His mother assured, "Look, mom, what is this?" Then Zhang Erhu took out a golden pocket watch from the pocket he was carrying and handed it into his mother's hand.

"Gold watch, where did you get this?" Looking at the golden pocket watch in her hand, the middle-aged woman immediately asked her son Zhang Erhu in surprise. Even touching the heavy gold watch, she even felt an unreal feeling in her heart. , you must know that all the belongings in their family may not be as good as this gold watch.

"I took it from a Mexican white ghost. That guy was an officer. The most valuable thing on his body was this gold watch and a ring. The ring was taken away by my friend, and only this gold watch was left." Zhang Erhu said to him. Mother explained the origin of this gold watch. It was actually the so-called trophies, such as gold watches and rings. As long as the amount did not exceed the amount stipulated by Liujiabao, the soldiers could basically take it away as trophies. Of course, if the amount exceeded Not much, and the quartermaster just turned a blind eye.

After all, the big guys are out to work hard, so let’s get some benefits at least! !

"Mom, I'll save it for you, so you can use it to get a wife in the future." After the middle-aged woman heard about the origin of this watch and its legality, she immediately stuffed the gold watch into her pocket happily and said to her son while putting it in it. Zhang Erhu said.

"Mom, there is no need to worry about getting a wife. I already have one." Zhang Erhu raised his head very proudly after hearing that his mother wanted to save money to get a wife for him.

"What? Marry a girl from which family? What is her name? Do his parents agree?" The middle-aged woman was stunned when she heard that her son already had a wife. Then she asked a series of questions, "Son, don't you Are you going to run away with some girl? Let me tell you, if this matter gets serious, it will be difficult for our family to live in this street in the future..." The middle-aged woman looked at her son Zhang Erhu who was laughing and joking, and thought of something. It was a terrible thing, with a worried expression on her face, and she kept trying to persuade her that in her opinion, her son had a wife, and she had never seen her, so it must be an underground relationship, a shady kind, and her parents would definitely I don't agree. If this kind of thing spreads, it will be difficult for their family to behave.

After all, most of the people in Liujiabao at this time were immigrants from the mainland. They still recognized their parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. If you don't see it, even Liu Peng, the son of Liu Yan, the owner of the fort, had an arranged marriage. It can be seen that In Liujiabao during this period, freedom of marriage was a joke.

For those who elope, it’s okay if their parents agree. If they don’t agree, then if the matter gets serious, no one will be able to end it, and it will easily make the neighbors laugh.

This is what this simple woman is most worried about at this moment.

"What kind of elopement, mother, where have you gotten into this?" When he heard that his mother had misunderstood which girl from Liujiabao he was going to elope with, Zhang Erhu was speechless. "The daughter-in-law was sent by the young master, and the young master said that we are People are all meritorious officials, and they are all men. After the war, taking a woman back with you can be regarded as a complete meritorious service." Mentioning the fact that Liu Peng gave wives to all the soldiers, Zhang Erhu looked full of admiration and gratitude. You know, since ancient times, we have heard of people being given money and food, but we have never seen people being given wives. Today, we are seeing it.

"Daughter-in-law, is it from the young master?" The middle-aged woman was even more confused. Why did she not only take the money home for the war, but also get a daughter-in-law? "What kind of daughter-in-law? It can't be those Indian and foreign women, right?" The middle-aged woman suddenly thought of something and immediately questioned her son Zhang Erhu.

"That's it. I'm marrying a foreign woman from a small town near Los Angeles. Because of this war, there were many widows in the local area, and there were also many women who couldn't get married because they lacked men. Our young master forced them to By marrying us, I will get one back." Zhang Erhu replied to his mother complacently, not to mention how beautiful it was.

"Widow, is it possible that you married a foreign widow?" The middle-aged woman didn't remember anything else but the word "widow", "I tell you, our family is a serious family, how can we marry a widow? You Go back and tell your chief, we don't want this wife anymore..." The middle-aged woman urged her son Zhang Erhu because of the widow's matter. In her opinion, although there are some yellow-flowered girls, as for her son, in the There are not many people in the army to take care of her. If she can be divided, she must be a widow.

"Mom, where are you thinking? I'm not marrying a widow, but a farmer's daughter. Of course, it's not the case anymore." Zhang Erhu was dumbfounded by his mother's brain circuit, and then explained, "The choice of wives is based on drawing lots. Whatever you draw is what you get, there is no distribution." Zhang Erhu described to his mother the scene of drawing lots to divide the wives. It was a lively scene. Of course, there were also widows who were assigned, and they were angry, but in the end they accepted it. What if you don't accept it? , is it possible that you still plan to find it yourself? If you want to find it yourself, you can at most find an Indian woman. At least these white people have a higher level of education than Indian women. Although there are some language barriers, many living habits are similar, and communication is easy.

"Farmer, isn't that the landlord? Their family must have a lot of land." After hearing that she was not a widow, the middle-aged woman breathed a sigh of relief, and then she became excited because of her daughter-in-law's identity.

"Farmers, that was in the past, but now we are here, their land is calculated per head, and any excess must be handed over." After listening to his mother's words, Zhang Erhu replied with some disdain. This is also the current situation of the Liu family. An economic policy implemented by the Fort against the pure-blood white people who controlled a large amount of land was to take back tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of large tracts of land under their command. Everything except acres must be confiscated.

This is also a carve-up of the interests of the old rulers by the new rulers.

"It's all divided. Those white devils won't make trouble, right?" After the middle-aged woman heard that the white people's land had been divided, there was a trace of reluctance on her face. It was none of her business before, but now the two families It's considered an in-law, so let's give some land as a dowry. Yes, the dowry is gone now.

"What kind of trouble are you making? If they dare to make trouble, we will kill them!!" After Zhang Erhu said this, a trace of murderous intent appeared on his face, and he even involuntarily touched the musket on his back.

"That's true, after all, we won, right?" After hearing what her son Zhang Erhu said, the middle-aged woman nodded involuntarily. "Come on, let's go home for dinner. Mom will make you your favorite pancakes and potato stewed beef." Then the middle-aged woman took her son and rushed home.

The entire Liujia Fort was full of soldiers returning home to visit their relatives, and the news of dividing their wives during the war also spread, making the entire Liujia Fort agitated.

Among them, the young master Liu Peng was praised the most. Without him, how could he have obtained so many benefits this time, including trophies, his wife's, and most importantly, leading Liujiabao to defeat the powerful Californian coalition. .

It can be said that with the victory of this war and the preferential treatment of soldiers, Liu Peng's reputation in Liujiabao has directly matched that of his father Liu Yan... Some people even secretly call Liu Peng the young fort master instead of the young master. , you must know that although there is one more word, it is a huge difference. Young Master only represents Liu Peng's identity, nothing more than Liu Yan's son and future inheritance status, but Young Fortress Master is different, that means, The people of Liujiapu regard Liu Peng as important as Liu Yan. More importantly, this is a righteous title and the recognition of Liu Peng by the people of Liujiapu. No matter what happens in the future, Liu Peng will Sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, firmly controlling the position of the young fort lord and even the fort lord... This was something that the fledgling Liu Peng could not imagine.

As more and more soldiers returned home, the entire Liujiabao was plunged into a sea of ​​celebration... The sound of firecrackers and the human fireworks constantly rising from the chimneys all revealed a atmosphere that was even more lively than the Chinese New Year. Angry.

Of course, some people are happy and some are sad. This has been a law since ancient times, especially in war.

"Uncle...Uncle, are you at home?" One morning two days later, Mao Yunxiang, who was returning with the troops returning home, ran to the door of the messenger's house two days ago, carrying a large backpack, and kept shouting.

"Hey, here we come..." An old voice came from inside the house.

squeak……

After the wooden door opened, an old man who looked old and had fingerprints all over his face walked out.

"It's Er Mao. Why, you're the only one coming back. Where is my Wen Hu?" The old man looked at Mao Yunxiang standing at the door of his house and asked with some expectation and some fear. His voice even trembled as he spoke.

"Uncle..." Mao Yunxiang looked at the old man and knelt on the ground directly, "Brother Wenhu, he, he died on the battlefield..." After Mao Yunxiang finished saying this, he didn't even have the guts to look at the old man, his face Tears of sadness and nostalgia were shed.

"What?" When the old man heard Mao Yunxiang's words, he almost stopped and asked with a look of horror, "My Wenhu is really dead?" The old man looked at Mao Yunxiang who was kneeling on the ground tremblingly and continued not to give up. He asked, his old hands couldn't help but tremble.

"Uncle... I'm sorry for you. I couldn't save Brother Wen Hu..." Mao Yunxiang cried and told the old man how Wen Hu died in the battle. Compared with the soldiers who were shot in the queue, Wen Hu He and Mao Yunxiang were undoubtedly lucky. They survived the most difficult stage. However, during the pursuit, because of Mao Yunxiang's righteousness, they were almost surrounded by several defeated soldiers. If Wen Hu hadn't saved him, Wen Hu would not have died. , but him, so the moment Mao Yunxiang saw the old man, he immediately knelt down. He felt guilty, he felt really guilty...

"Uncle, these are Brother Wenhu's ashes and relics." With trembling hands, Mao Yunxiang took off the backpack he was carrying behind him, and then took out a clay pot from the backpack with the words Wen Hu, deputy captain of the Wuwei Battalion, written on it. With a big character, he knelt on the ground and held it in front of the old man with both hands.

"Son..." The old man tremblingly took the urn and called his son's name with tears streaming down his face. "Does my son have any last words?" The old man hugged the urn tightly as if he was holding himself. Like his beloved son, he then curiously asked Mao Yunxiang, who was kneeling at his feet, with expectations in his eyes. After all, this was the farewell to his son Wenhu.

"Brother Wenhu kept telling me when he was on the battlefield that if he died, he must tell the two elders that his son was not a coward and would not embarrass the Wen family. He also told me that he should tell his brother Wenlong and take good care of him at home. Parents, don't think about being a soldier..." Mao Yunxiang recalled the conversation with Wen Hu in his mind, and stumbled to answer Wen Hu's last words to the old man.

The most important thing is not to let his younger brother Wenlong also join the army. Mao Yunxiang understands this very well now. After all, there are only two men in the family, and now one is dead. After all, he must take good care of his parents at home. , to carry on the family lineage and continue the incense.

"Oh, there are also the wives who survived for us from above. There are also dead ones. As long as there is a boy in the family, you can get one. If you don't have one, you can also convert it into land." Mao Yunxiang suddenly remembered the parting wife. thing, and then said to the old man.

"Even after death, Wenlong is the only one left in our family." When the old man who was still grieving heard this, his eyes suddenly burst out with a glimmer of light. After all, he had already lost one son, and there was only one left. What happened? The incense of the ancestors must be passed down, otherwise if he dies, he will not be able to see his ancestors.

"I drew lots for Brother Wen Long. The family was nice. She was a girl from a Mexican noble family." Mao Yunxiang looked happy when he mentioned the drawing of lots. In his opinion, this was the only thing he could do for the dead Wen Hu. Yes.

"Nobles, we are just farmers, how can others think so highly of us." After the old man heard that he was the daughter of a noble family, he said to Mao Yunxiang with some worry. In his opinion, their family came from ordinary farmers, even workers. No, it all relies on the water provided in the castle to grow some grapes and make wine in exchange for money. How can a small family be worthy of being a noble? Isn't it better to find an aunt for your family?
"Uncle Wen, what are the aristocrats? When we played in Los Angeles, the people kneeling on the ground were all aristocrats and wealthy businessmen. In my opinion, they are nothing special." After listening to this, Mao Yunxiang replied disdainfully, with a tone of voice. Full of disdain for those Mexican nobles and wealthy businessmen.

"And this so-called nobleman is still a poor man. He can't even get out [-] pounds, so he can only marry off his daughter..." Mao Yunxiang was talking about Liu Peng's original order for the captured nobles and wealthy businessmen to pay [-] pounds each. Most of the pounds were paid as ransom money. Only some whose families were not rich or had too many people could not pay the ten thousand pounds for each person. In the end, they either sold off their property in the city or ended up like now. This is to avoid fines by marrying their daughters to Liujiabao soldiers. Many aristocratic and wealthy businessmen in Los Angeles are doing this now, and more than one family is doing this.

After all, Liujiabao takes not only those prisoners, but all the high-status families in the city. This is also a disguised form of suppression... Liu Peng can be said to be very familiar with these things. Isn't it just to persecute people? Have you never eaten pork or seen a pig run away? ?

"Okay, our family finally has a baby..." After listening to Mao Yunxiang's description, the old man's face full of pain finally revealed a trace of relief, "It's a pity that this is all the result of my dead son. ..." But soon, the old man thought of his eldest son Wenlong who died on the battlefield, and tears flowed down again.

"If Uncle Wen doesn't dislike it, I will be your son from now on. I will call you godfather. If you lose a son, I will give you another one!!" Mao Yunxiang said to the old man with a guilty look on his face, "Godfather... ..." He called the old man, and then Mao Yunxiang kowtowed three times to the old man in front of him.

The old man held the ashes of his son Wen Hu and looked at Mao Yunxiang who was kowtowing to him. He was speechless for a long time, and finally tremblingly uttered:
"Wenhu, I have a son again, and you have a new brother."

The old man held the urn and seemed to be talking to himself, but also to the dead Wen Hu.

(End of this chapter)