Chapter 224 Extra Chapter 02: Literacy

Jiang Guiying had only been living in Ginkgo Hutong for three days when she got to know all her neighbors in the entire courtyard.

In just three days, the entire alley was in such a chaotic state that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as a scene of utter chaos.

Unlike in the village, where everyone knew each other well, now most of the neighbors living in the same courtyard were complete strangers. As soon as they were allocated houses, everyone moved in with their families, busy buying necessities for daily life, especially with the toughest winter approaching and the worry about feeding their families.

Neighbors come and go, and there are plenty of bad people these days. If you turn your head and aren't careful, someone will steal your things.

Some families wanted to build houses in the yard, and several families fought over the open space. No one would give way to anyone, and the argument escalated into a fight.

In short, with over a thousand people moving into this newly renovated Ginkgo Alley, noise is inevitable.

Jiang Guiying and Fang Qin gradually became more acquainted amidst their bickering, and the two families helped each other quite a bit.

Guan Canghai and Lin Qingsong, who worked in the factory, never had a day off. They walked to the factory early in the morning and didn't get home until evening. Sometimes they couldn't even come home and would spend the night at the factory.

Whether they're going to work or staying home busy, they're all spinning like tops and can't stop.

But no one complained that life was hard.

Even the hardest times couldn't be worse than those earlier years; you never knew how long you'd survive. Things are different now, at least there's no more war, right?

Two weeks later, when Guan Canghai came home from get off work, he took out an aluminum lunchbox with some soup inside.

He got the soup from Chef Ming at the factory canteen.

Guan Canghai lowered his voice and instructed that this matter must not be spread, otherwise Master Ming would be in a difficult position.

When he took some time to visit his younger sister, he met Master Ming on the way, who had his wallet snatched. He helped him get the money back, and that's how they became friends.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to bring it up.

His youngest daughter was weaker than his three older children, and he was worried she wouldn't survive.

"Okay, leave it for Xiaohua to drink." Jiang Guiying glanced at the other two people next to her who were drooling with envy, took a spoon, fed each of them a spoonful, and put the rest away.

Guan Canghai would bring back half a box of meat soup every few days and feed it to his little girl for four whole months, getting her through the winter. Once the child seemed to be able to survive, Guan Canghai stopped shamelessly going to Master Ming's place.

As soon as spring arrives, the families of unemployed workers are not idle either. They go out to the streets to find work, and some even go to the suburbs to dig for wild vegetables.

Jiang Guiying left all three children at home. Her eldest son was old enough to take care of his two younger sisters and look after the house.

She also asked Fang Qin to bring her two children over; the oldest one from next door was only three years old.

"Dafu, you stay home and look after your younger siblings. If they get hungry, just heat up some porridge in the pot."

Dafu nodded solemnly, "Understood."

Back in Fengshou Village, every household had older children taking care of younger ones, and he was used to it.

In fact, someone nine years old like him should have been working in the fields long ago. If it weren't for the fact that there were two younger children at home who needed someone to look after them, he would have gone to dig for wild vegetables too.

Once the adults left, only five children, both big and small, remained in the room.

The two babies, both not yet a year old, were rolling around and playing on the bed. The younger one kept trying to bite, while the older one couldn't speak yet and could only howl.

Dafu skillfully separated the two girls and then looked at the other two, who were also three years old.

His older sister disliked the boy next door and wouldn't let him sit on their stool. The boy next door wasn't angry; he stood by the bed with a stern face, holding his sister. When his younger sister crawled over, drooling and about to bite him, he looked at him with dissatisfaction, as if to say: You should also control your sister.

After many such situations, the five children of different ages found a way to get along.

The adults, like ants carrying food, gradually filled the house over the next two years, and life finally became smoother.

For ordinary people like them, just getting by has already taken all their energy. As for major events outside, they hear about them, make a few comments, and then move on.

They will only talk about things that are truly relevant to their daily lives.

For example, all the shops outside were to be converted into joint ventures, and state-owned stores also appeared, and the chaotic prices were adjusted.

In 1953, a national census was conducted.

That same year, Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying took their three children to the Changhu Street Police Station to register their marriage.

"You three children? What are your names?"

Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying were prepared; they took a piece of paper out of their pockets and handed it over.

The paper contained the names of the three children, which Guan Donglin and Chen Pei had discussed and decided upon.

Guan Donglin has completed literacy classes in the past two years. Chen Pei has learned just as much as he has. They are now the most educated adults in the family.

The staff meticulously recorded the words on the paper, praising, "Your children's names are very cultured. Your two daughters are named Yuehua and Yuehe; they sound like names given by cultured people."

As for the oldest one named "Jianguo," the staff were very familiar with that name. There were too many men named "Jianguo" among those who came to register, ranging from those in their thirties and forties to those who were only a few days old.

From that day on, Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying stopped using their nicknames and called them by their full names.

As people kept calling him that, they got used to it and gradually forgot about his old nickname.

Also in 1953, they started using ration coupons.

Grain coupons, cloth coupons, oil coupons, and so on became the vouchers for purchasing daily necessities. Without these coupons, you couldn't buy anything even if you had money.

Even getting a haircut requires a receipt.

Guan Canghai got more haircutting work and was no longer assigned to be a porter; he spent all his time cutting hair.

—

One day, Jiang Guiying was taking out her thick winter quilt to air it out when officials from the neighborhood committee came to her door.

We encourage everyone to attend the literacy classes organized by the neighborhood office.

"Oh my! We can learn to read now?" Jiang Guiying was so happy she couldn't stop smiling. In the past, only wealthy families would send their daughters to school to learn to read. She never expected that she would have the opportunity to learn to read at her age.

"Then I have to sign up! Fang Qin, are you going?"

Fang Qin clapped her hands, "Go!"

Her parents used to say that no matter what, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.

See, it's good to be alive. The longer you live, the more new things you encounter!

The female staff at the neighborhood office wrote down their names and praised them for being conscientious and ambitious.

This year, the country promulgated the Election Law, which clearly stipulates that women and men enjoy equal voting rights.

However, most women across the country are still illiterate, so this literacy campaign is very important!

So, after finishing their daytime work, Jiang Guiying and many other women took their children to the neighborhood office to start learning to read.

If you learn five characters a day, you can learn 150 characters in a month.

Although she learned new things but forgot the old ones, over time, Jiang Guiying found that she could write quite a few characters. It's just that when she wrote them out, the characters were bigger than her fist.

"This character is written wrong. It should be written like this." Guan Yuehua corrected her mother's writing, and wrote the correct character next to her with a stick of firewood.

Upon comparing the two, Jiang Guiying chuckled and corrected herself, saying, "You're really clever."

Fang Qin, who was standing next to her, also laughed and said, "Yes, your Yuehua is so smart. She's only five years old and she already knows so many characters and remembers them so well. She'll be amazing in the future."

Guan Yuehua, who was praised, did not become arrogant. Just as she was about to continue practicing her calligraphy, she turned her head and saw her younger sister grab a cabbage from the basket and take a big bite.

She was quite generous, and casually slipped a piece of vegetable leaf to Sitian next door as well.

The neighbors also registered their marriage. The staff at the registration office helped them come up with the names for the two children: one named "Yi Ku" (meaning "Remembering the Bitterness") and the other "Si Tian" (meaning "Thinking of the Sweetness"). Fang Qin and her husband were very satisfied with the names of their two children.

Just as Guan Yuehua was about to remind her mother and Aunt Fang, Lin Yiku was quicker to act than she was.

Lin Yiku skillfully pinched their mouths, picked out the cabbage leaves, and moved the cabbage aside.

Unable to steal a bite, Guan Yuehe looked at her hands and then at Lin Yiku, pouted, and started wailing at the top of her lungs.

Lin Sitian spent every day with her, and when she saw her cry, she cried along with her.

The courtyard was filled with their wailing.

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Let me see.