Chapter 7 Going to School

Days passed by, and before they knew it, it was June 1958. Gu Yihan was six years old and a second-grade student.

"Grandma, I'm back. I got perfect scores on both tests." Gu Yihan happily handed the test paper to her grandmother.

Grandma, beaming with joy, held the test paper and walked briskly to the kitchen to start cooking.

A lot has happened in recent years. Privately owned land was reclaimed by the state, and then a commune was established. Gujia Village is now under the jurisdiction of Hongqi Commune.

Gu Yihan's adoptive parents have not been able to conceive again.

The constant arguing made Zhang Cuihua increasingly disgusted with her, and she projected all her misfortunes onto her, but she didn't care, since her grandmother protected her.

As the family sat down to eat, Grandma Gu suddenly spoke up, "Hanhan got two perfect scores on her test today!" Her tone was filled with undisguised pride.

Not to be outdone, Gu's sister-in-law Wang Ni said, "Mom, your eldest grandson is also quite good. His grades in junior high school in town are exceptionally good. You can just wait to enjoy your retirement."

Zhang Cuihua snorted coldly: "Mother, no matter how much you love her, she can't take care of you when you're old. When you get old, you'll still have to rely on Ai Dang and his brothers."

Grandma Gu sneered, "At least I have someone to rely on. What about you? You don't even have anyone to rely on."

Zhang Cuihua trembled with anger when she heard Grandma Gu say that.

Gu Yihan whispered in her grandmother's ear, "Grandma, don't worry, I'll take care of you."

Grandma Gu appeared expressionless, but inside she was overjoyed. She knew this child truly adored her.

Gu Aidang listened to the argument at the table, but he didn't care about any of it; he had a lover outside the home.

Zhang Cuihua had not gotten pregnant over the years, and he felt that Zhang Cuihua's land was not suitable.

Looking at Gu Yihan, who was dressed neatly and cleanly, Gu Meng felt increasingly resentful. Why were her parents the same, yet she wasn't allowed to go to school and could only do housework at home?

The resentment in his heart was all reflected in his eyes as he glared directly at Gu Yihan.

Seeing Gu Meng's gaze, she didn't care. Originally, her grandmother didn't want her to go to school. She had been on good terms with her cousin since she was two years old, and read his books over and over again.

She told her grandmother countless times, and only after seeing her persistence and genuine love for learning did her grandmother agree to let her study.

Gu Meng will never know how much effort she put into going to school.

It was almost the second half of 1958, and natural disasters were already foreshadowed.

"Grandma, don't you feel like it's been a long time since it rained?" Gu Yihan said casually.

Grandma Gu looked up at the sky and said, "It seems like it hasn't rained in a long time." She continued mending Grandpa Gu's clothes as she spoke.

Since the implementation of the ration coupon system a few years ago, my family hasn't made clothes for several years. The occasional cloth coupons we get are used to buy cloth before they expire, and we just leave them there because we can't bear to use them to make clothes.

Grandma Gu bit through the thread she was mending and said, "Don't worry, you won't go hungry!"

“Oh, I just saw Lai Di and Dai Di. They’re so thin and dark-skinned. Every time I see them, I feel like I must have done something good in my past life to have met such a wonderful grandmother.” As she spoke, she rested her head on her grandmother’s lap.

Grandma stroked Gu Yihan's hair with her rough hands and said with a smile, "Little flatterer."

Gu Yihan looked up at Grandma Gu: "I'm afraid of going hungry. They say they've never had a full meal, and they're worried that if it doesn't rain, they'll go hungry too."

"Hehehe, Grandma will tell you a secret, our family won't go hungry," Grandma Gu whispered in her granddaughter's ear.

"Really?" Gu Yihan looked at her grandmother with bright, sparkling eyes.

Grandma Gu thought she had been frightened by the two siblings. She smiled and nodded.

That night, Gu Yihan lay in bed, half-asleep, when she heard Grandma Gu say, "It hasn't rained in a long time, has it? How's the harvest this year?"

Grandpa Gu said in a simple and honest manner, "Oh no, the crops will be less productive this year."

"How much grain will our family get this year?" Grandma Gu asked worriedly.

"It's hard to say. Since the commune was established here and the village implemented the work-point system, there's no comparison when the grain is distributed for the first time at the end of the year," Grandpa Gu said helplessly.

"Old man, don't separate Hanhan's bed yet, buy more food instead," Grandma Gu said worriedly.

Grandpa Gu looked at her in confusion: "What's wrong? There's still some grain you've hidden at home, enough for our family to eat for two years. Didn't you say last time that you wanted to give Han a room?"

Grandma Gu: "I'm not at ease. I'm really afraid of being hungry. I'll save the money to buy some food for the house first, and build another house later when I have more money. We still need to plant more sweet potatoes in our private plot."

Grandpa Gu: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Gu Yihan eventually succumbed to sleepiness and fell asleep.

The next morning, she was relieved; there was food at home, and they didn't need her.

After happily finishing breakfast, I skipped and hopped off to school.

Gu Yihan secretly drinks milk and eats a steamed bun every day, which is why she is taller than her peers. She always sits in the last row at school.

Summer vacation has started, and Gu Yihan doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning because her grandmother has gone to work in the fields.

Zhang Cuihua came back to get water and saw that Gu Yihan hadn't gotten up yet: "Which family's good-for-nothing girl lives as comfortably as you? Other girls are this old and already know how to help their families with chores. You're such an ingrate."

Vicious words came out of Zhang Cuihua's mouth.

"Sister-in-law Cuihua," Liu Zhaodi said with ill intent, "Don't be angry. She's just a little girl. In a couple of years, we'll find her a man to marry and we can even earn a dowry."

Zhang Cuihua watched as Liu Zhaodi held the child born on the same day as the money-loser.

She was utterly disgusted: "What kind of good thing are you? Why don't you take me to your house instead of causing me to have a premature birth and harm my health?"

Zhang Cuihua hated children born on that day. She believed they were all bad luck to her.

When Liu Zhaodi heard Zhang Cuihua recount what happened that day, she felt extremely guilty and quickly left with her child.