Chapter 235 Extra Chapter 13: The Red Flag

When Yuanbao was two years old, Zhou Hongqi obtained a Level 6 welder's certificate.

In the factory, her master was the first welding technician, and now she is the second.

To commend her, the factory leaders specially approved a TV ticket for her.

The Sunday they received the TV ticket, the family of three went straight to the department store early in the morning, waited for a long time, and brought back a TV set.

Don't let Yuanbao's age fool you; he's only two years old. His smugness is exactly like Yuehe's from the neighboring courtyard number two.

Sitting in the child seat on the bicycle crossbar, chin held high the whole way, and on the way back, she greeted everyone with a smile: "We bought a TV!"

Yuanbao had only ever seen a television set at Grandma Su's house, where there were little figures that could run, jump, and talk, unlike the radio at home that could only talk.

This is a big item that can be exchanged for a lot of White Rabbit milk candies; it's the most expensive item in the house.

Jin Junwei, supporting the large suitcase on the back seat, said, "In our family, gold ingots are the most expensive item, and the television is the second most expensive."

Yuanbao instantly grinned happily, "Mom and Dad are the most expensive too!"

“Yes, they’re all the most expensive.” Zhou Hongqi pressed her down. “If you keep gurgling, you’ll fall in.”

"Hehe." Yuanbao had been quiet for less than a minute when, as soon as his bicycle turned off Changhu Street and before he even reached the alley entrance, he saw his usual playmate and started waving his arms and legs again.

"Sister Jingjing, my family bought a TV!"

"Sister Tingting..."

Their television was the first television set in Ginkgo Hutong.

From that day on, her house was packed with people coming to watch TV in the evenings. Sometimes they would move to the yard to watch, and the front yard of No. 3 courtyard would also be crowded.

However, this excitement didn't last long.

People in the alley started getting their hands on TV tickets, and the excitement began to spread to various courtyards.

Although we have a TV at home, Yuanbao prefers to watch it at his aunt's house next door.

As soon as the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came out, the adults in the alley forbade the TV to be turned on at night, saying that it would affect the older brothers and sisters' studies.

Around that time, Zhou Hongqi was invited by a state-owned factory in another region to help solve technical problems.

The father and daughter were left at home. He was already no match for her in a fight or argument, and she was still a little kid.

Yuanbao had no choice but to run to his aunt's house in the next courtyard.

As more and more people from the alley were admitted to universities, Yuanbao reached the age where he could start primary school.

While Yuanbao was fast asleep, Zhou Hongqi and Jin Junwei discussed sending her to school this September.

While her friends went to preschool, Yuanbao still played wildly in the alley every day. A dime in her pocket could make her happy all day.

One day after Yuanbao started school, she suddenly told her parents that she remembered the scene when her family bought a television.

Her parents didn't take it seriously, thinking she was just talking nonsense.

When we bought a TV, Yuanbao was just a two-year-old toddler who couldn't even speak properly. What could she possibly remember?

"I just remember!" Yuanbao's face puffed up with anger, and he snorted several times. It would take giving him pocket money to buy an ice cream to appease him.

Just as Zhou Hongqi was about to reach into his pocket, Jin Junwei coughed twice as a hint, and the money that had only been partially visible was put back into his pocket.

The division of labor in this family is very clear: Zhou Hongqi is in charge of external affairs, while Jin Junwei makes the decisions about family matters and how to take care of Yuanbao.

As my aunt often says: "A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned, and a person will become arrogant if they're not disciplined."

Don't underestimate a child just because they're young; they still need to be disciplined.

Jin Junwei spent the most time with Yuanbao, so the task of taking care of and teaching the child naturally fell to him.

So when Jin Junwei said he wanted to enroll Yuanbao in a foreign language class, Zhou Hongqi thought he was provoked by Guan Yuehe across the street.

The couple across from us were even more ruthless than Zhang Desheng. At least Zhang Desheng waited until his youngest son started elementary school before he began to seriously enforce his studies, but the couple across from us started teaching our babies foreign languages ​​from birth.

That's terrifying!

But when Zhou Hongqi heard that Yuanbao could understand some foreign languages, he immediately changed his attitude.

No one specifically taught her, yet she still managed to learn. What does that show? It shows their daughter has a natural talent for learning!

In this respect, he is quite similar to Junwei.

Zhou Hongqi made the decision to enroll Yuanbao in a foreign language class. Before going to bed that night, he said to Jin Junwei, "If you had had the opportunity to study before, you would definitely have been able to get into university."

Like Xie Zhenhua from Courtyard No. 3, he used to be a college student.

"However, Xie Zhenhua is no match for you. The older women in our workshop even said that among all the workers and their families in the factory, not a single man is as handsome as you."

It's been so many years, and not a single one more handsome has come from the factory. Her Junwei, though he's gotten older, looks even more handsome now.

Zhou Hongqi sighed with satisfaction, praising himself for his excellent judgment back then.

One compliment after another showered Jin Junwei with praise, making him blush.

Although they have been married for fourteen years, he still can't help but blush sometimes when they are chatting on the kang (a heated brick bed).

—

Yuanbao wasn't enrolled in a foreign language class, but he was enrolled in a martial arts class. He spends his days at home humming and laughing, and even gets a group of kids to practice with him.

Jin Junwei resigned himself to his fate. Seeing Yuanbao grow taller rapidly after starting the martial arts class, he felt that the money hadn't been wasted.

Yuanbao led her classmates in martial arts practice at school, and in the most recent exam, many students' grades dropped significantly. Jin Junwei went to pick her up from school but was kept behind by the homeroom teacher for a reprimand, who said that Yuanbao's grades had declined the most, and that parents shouldn't just focus on cultivating their children's interests; academics are still the most important thing...

The culprit had no self-awareness; after the teacher finished criticizing him, he dragged him straight to the stall in front of the school.

"This stall just opened the day before yesterday, it's really delicious, but it's always crowded." Yuanbao fed her dad a bite, then fed herself a bite, and the father and daughter ate most of it, leaving the rest for her mom.

Jin Junwei watched her carefully protecting the small paper bag in her arms, thinking to himself, "So what if the grades are a little bad? At least the child is healthy, can eat and drink well, and can jump and play."

Having come to terms with it, he told his daughter to sit down, "Let's go home."

"Dad, I want to eat meat today!"

"Okay, we'll see if we can buy it later."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his daughter's cheerful humming came from behind him.

Both Zhou Hongqi and Jin Junwei had trouble getting enough to eat when they were young, so their most basic principle when it comes to raising a daughter is: to ensure she is well-fed.

Yuanbao has never been short of food since he was a child.

They had only gone halfway when Zhou Hongqi, who was off work, caught up with them.

Yuanbao planned to run to the back of her mother's motorcycle to save her father some effort.

Otherwise, with her dad driving her, it would be even harder for him to keep up with her mom's car!

She was about to run over when her mother stopped her.

"Go ride your bicycle, and let your dad ride the motorcycle."

Despite his slender arms being no match for his mother's thighs, Yuanbao reluctantly took the bicycle and followed behind his mother's motorcycle like a little tail.

Jin Junwei was the busiest, busy talking to Sister Hongqi and also busy looking back to see if his daughter was keeping up.

"Sister Hongqi, I've found a bungalow I like outside. Let's go take a look together while you rest."

Although only Sister Hongqi earns money in their family, her salary is high, and she can save a lot of money each month. Not long ago, Sister Hongqi took the Level 8 worker exam. She hasn't received the certificate yet, but once she does, her salary will increase by one level.

Ever since Guan Yuehe fired the "first shot" in buying a house, other people in the alley have followed suit and started buying their own houses outside.

He and Sister Hongqi had already discussed it; following a smart person was definitely the right thing to do.

So Jin Junwei also started taking time to look at houses outside. If he saw a house that wasn't suitable, he would ask other neighbors who wanted to buy a house and give them a heads-up.

He finally found a suitable one and thought he should go see it and buy it as soon as possible.

Zhou Hongqi was worried. "The city has organized a technical training course, and the factory recommended me to go and learn new technologies. It will take a month. You and Yuanbao should go and take a look. If you think it's good, we'll buy it."

"What if..."

"What ifs? The house doesn't expire. Okay, it's settled then."

For the first two years of their marriage, Zhou Hongqi controlled the majority of their savings and gave Jin Junwei a monthly allowance. Later, as life went on, the family's money was gradually handed over to Jin Junwei to manage.

Other families do it the same way; whoever manages the household affairs is also in charge of the money.

But you know what? She thought her Junwei was incredibly good at managing accounts.

They gradually added big items to the house, and the amount in their savings account increased year by year.

With a solid financial foundation, she feels at ease every time she goes to work.

When Zhou Hongqi returned after completing her studies, her family had two more certificates, including a bungalow under her name.

Jin Junwei tidied up the house himself in his spare time, planning to rent it out again after a while.

"Let's call my aunt and ask when she's coming to Beijing. We have a place for her to stay at her house."

Unfortunately, my aunt couldn't leave; she said she had to help my cousin take care of her child. She'll come back in two years.

Two years later, his aunt was still busy, while Jin Junwei finally found something to do.

Yuanbao started junior high school, so the time to pick him up from school changed to the evening. Meanwhile, Engineer Su retired, and Zhou Hongqi, as the factory's only level-eight welder, often couldn't go home until late at night either.

He made several trips a day to deliver meals to them.

After sending him to school for a while, Zhou Hongqi felt sorry for him and told him to stop running back and forth. So Yuanbao went to eat at the factory canteen and either went home with his mother after school or took the factory bus home with his classmates and friends.

"I heard from Aunt Hu that the neighborhood committee is going to set up a community drama troupe. Why don't you give it a try?"

Zhou Hongqi took his hand and said earnestly, "You should also do something you like."

Jin Junwei's eyes welled up with tears as he said, "I also enjoy working at home."

People laughed at him, calling him a gigolo who lived off women, and he seemed quite pleased. Little did those people know how wonderful it was to be a kept man.

“Hey! People can’t just do one thing they like.” Zhou Hongqi said, “I like being a welder, and I also like to coax you. These things don’t conflict.”

Jin Junwei felt a little embarrassed, as his daughter was still standing next to him.

Sitting between the two of them, Yuanbao looked at his father and then at his mother, and chuckled.

"I love my mom, and I love my dad too."

She also likes to imitate her mother. When her mother isn't home, if anyone argues with her father, she'll stand up for him and yell back. She also knows how to say sweet things to coax her father, who is very easy to please!

"Dad, I'll come see your performances sometime!"

A few days later, Jin Junwei registered at the subdistrict office and became a member of the Changhu Mass Drama Troupe.

And because he was the only one with some skills and the youngest among all the applicants, he was chosen by everyone to be the head of the mass drama troupe.

A year later, their drama troupe was invited to participate in the city's National Day cultural performance.

Zhou Hongqi and Yuanbao took half a day off to watch his performance.

"Dad, you guys are amazing! You won third prize!"

Zhou Hongqi felt it was only natural; if she were to judge, it would at least be second prize!

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[Hugs] I've been so busy with work lately, so updates might be a bit slow. I won't abandon this project! [Heart]