In the days that followed, Lin Wanqiu busied herself preparing things for Shen Nian'an for the start of school. She took out a new set of bedding from her spatial storage, sewed a duvet cover out of floral fabric, and even embroidered the words "Nian'an" on it. She also went to the department store in the county town to buy a new washbasin, towels, and even chose the mint flavor for Shen Nian'an's toothpaste and toothbrush. Shen Tingzhou, on the other hand, used the weekend to take Shen Nian'an to the key junior high school in the county town to familiarize him with the environment, inquire about the school's schedule and curriculum, and even paid a special visit to the homeroom teacher to ask the teacher to take good care of Shen Nian'an.

The night before school started, Lin Wanqiu sat in Shen Nian'an's room, helping him pack his schoolbag. As she packed, she kept reminding him: "When you get to school, get along well with your classmates and don't argue with anyone; listen carefully in class and ask the teacher if you don't understand anything; make sure you cover yourself well with the blanket at night so you don't catch a cold..." Her nagging instructions were full of a mother's concern.

Chen Nian sat quietly to the side, watching his mother's busy figure, and suddenly said, "Mom, why don't I go to the commune's middle school? That way I can come home every day and help you and Dad with the work." He knew that going to school in the county town would not only cost more money, but his mother would also have to worry about his life, and he felt really bad about it.

Lin Wanqiu stopped what she was doing, squatted down in front of Shen Nian'an, and gently patted his head: "Silly child, the teachers in the key junior high school are better, which will be more beneficial to your future development. It doesn't matter if your mother and father work a little harder. As long as you study hard, that is the best reward for us. Don't worry, Xiulian and the others are helping out at the food workshop now, so I can handle it. You just need to focus on your studies."

Shen Tingzhou also entered the room and sat down next to Shen Nian'an. His tone was gentle but firm: "Nian'an, a man should have ambitions beyond his immediate surroundings. He shouldn't let trivial matters hinder his future. Your father used to be in the army, and he couldn't come home for several years to protect our country. You only come home once a week now, which is already very fortunate. When you become successful in the future, you will be able to better protect your mother and sister. That's what a real man should do."

Looking into her parents' determined eyes, Shen Nian'an nodded vigorously: "Dad, Mom, I understand. I will definitely study hard and live up to your expectations!"

On the first day of school, Shen Tingzhou took a day off and drove the army jeep to take Shen Nian'an to the county town. Lin Wanqiu also went with them, helped Shen Nian'an make her bed, tidied up her belongings, and greeted her roommates and parents, asking them to take good care of Shen Nian'an.

As Lin Wanqiu left the school, she couldn't help but look back several times until she could no longer see Shen Nian'an's figure before reluctantly getting into the jeep. Shen Tingzhou held her hand and said gently, "Don't worry, Nian'an has grown up and can take care of himself. We'll come to see him every week from now on, bring him some food, and let him know that we always think about him."

Lin Wanqiu leaned on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder, watching the fields flash by outside the car window, her heart filled with emotion. From a poor widow who couldn't even afford to eat, to now having a son and a daughter and a thriving food shop, her life had undergone such a dramatic transformation. This was inseparable from the help of the space, and even more so from the support of those around her. And now, her son had been admitted to a prestigious junior high school; the future was sure to be even better.

Shen Nian'an's school life at the prestigious junior high school was not easy. The courses were much more difficult than in elementary school, especially English and physics, which he struggled to keep up with. In the first monthly exam, he only scored 65 points in English. Holding the report card, he felt both sad and anxious. That night, he hid under the covers and secretly wiped away his tears, afraid of disappointing his mother.

When he went home for the weekend, Shen Nian'an hid his report card at the bottom of his schoolbag, not daring to tell Lin Wanqiu. But Lin Wanqiu still noticed his unusual behavior—in the past, he would always excitedly tell his mother about the interesting things that happened at school when he came home, but this time he was taciturn and had little appetite.

That evening, Lin Wanqiu sat in Shen Nian'an's room and asked softly, "Nian'an, have you encountered any difficulties at school? Tell Mom, and we'll figure something out together."

Shen Nian'an looked up and saw her mother's gentle eyes. She couldn't hold back any longer and took out her report card, her voice trembling with tears: "Mom, I didn't do well on my English test. I only got 65 points. Am I stupid?"

Lin Wanqiu took the report card, but instead of scolding him, she smiled and said, "Silly child, it's normal to fall behind in English when you're just starting junior high. When I was your age, I hadn't even learned English. Don't worry, we'll catch up slowly." She took out a set of junior high English tutoring materials, an old-fashioned tape recorder, and English tapes from her spatial storage. "These were bought from out of town by a friend. Listen to the tapes for half an hour every night and read along. Look up any unfamiliar words in the dictionary or ask me. Although my English isn't good, I can still help you with these basics."

In the days that followed, Lin Wanqiu spent every evening helping Shen Nian'an study English, correcting his pronunciation, and memorizing vocabulary with him. Shen Tingzhou would also accompany Shen Nian'an in his spare time to do physics experiments, using everyday household items as experimental equipment to help him understand complex physical principles. With his parents' help, Shen Nian'an's English and physics grades improved rapidly. In the midterm exams, he scored 89 in English and 92 in physics, ranking third in his class overall.

On the day she received her report card, Shen Nian'an wrote a letter to Lin Wanqiu, saying, "Mom, thank you and Dad for helping me. I'm starting to enjoy studying more and more. I want to be number one in the county and go to university in Beijing so I can take you to see Tiananmen Square."

Lin Wanqiu held the letter, reading it several times until her eyes reddened again. Shen Tingzhou hugged her from behind, his voice filled with relief: "Look how sensible our son is, he'll definitely amount to something. By the way, I recently heard from a colleague in the army that the top high schools in the city are better than those in the county. If Nian'an can go to high school in the city, he'll have a better chance of getting into university. However, the top junior high and high schools in the city are combined, so if we want Nian'an to go, we might need to prepare in advance, such as buying or renting a house in the city to make it easier for him to attend school."

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