When they got home, Song Shishi and Xu Li were too tired to move.

They made some food, lit the stove, washed up, and snuggled in the warm room. Only then did they feel alive again.

"Lili, come with me to Uncle Zhao's place tomorrow."

Normally, when Song Shishi went to Carpenter Zhao's place, she would go alone.

But if the matter to be discussed this time is related to Xu Li, some things still depend on her own opinion.

Xu Li didn't think too much about it, so she nodded and agreed: "Oh, okay."

Song Shishi read English books to increase her knowledge, and Xu Li was also busy. She was reading the composition books that Song Shishi lent her, mainly to learn how to write.

Xu Li can now read books smoothly. If she encounters words she doesn’t know, she will look them up in the dictionary herself and basically doesn’t need to bother Song Shishi.

Although Xu Li worked very hard, she lacked too much knowledge, and she probably would not have been able to pass the college entrance examination in 1977.

...

...

After Xu Li has caught up on the cultural content before junior high school, if Xu Li is willing, Song Shishi will find a way to let her go to high school and then take the college entrance examination.

"Sister, are you asleep?"

At night, they lay in bed, and there was silence all around them. Xu Li couldn't fall asleep.

Song Shishi responded softly: "Not yet."

"What's wrong?"

Xu Li was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Sister, what are your plans after you return to the city? Are you going to be a translator in the future?"

Xu Li was a little confused about her future, so she wanted to ask Song Shishi.

"Are you planning on doing that? As for work, I will probably translate documents for the time being to supplement my family income, but my main focus will still be on my work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But I will continue to study, academic qualifications are also important.

As for living, when we go to Beijing, I will rent a room near my workplace and we can live there together."

"Rent a house? Don't you live at home?"

"My home is a bit far from the Diplomatic Administration Building, which is not convenient for going to work. I am also worried that you will feel constrained if you live in my home with my parents, and it will not be as comfortable as living on our own."

Song Shishi said it casually, but Xu Li understood that Song Shishi wanted to rent a house just for her.

Xu Li suddenly felt like a burden to Song Shishi.

"What about me? What can I do? In the village, at least I can earn work points and raise chickens and grow vegetables. If I go to Beijing, it seems like I can't do anything."

Xu Li thought too much and started to feel timid.

Since her parents passed away when she was young and her brother Xu Qiang went to join the army, Xu Li had to live alone with her aunt.

Now that I have finally escaped from my aunt's house, I no longer have to endure hunger and no longer have to worry about being beaten for saying something wrong or doing something wrong.

But this comfortable life did not last long before she had to leave her familiar environment again, which made Xu Li feel uneasy instinctively.

"Lili, I suggested that you come with me to Beijing because I thought you could go to a good environment, see a different world, and concentrate on your studies.

Of course, you can choose to do other things as well.

I can only give you advice, and the final decision is up to you, because this is your life."

"I heard that it's hard to find a job in the city. That's why so many educated youth went to the countryside. If even those educated youth can't find a job, then I can't find one either, right?"

Without waiting for Song Shishi to reply, Xu Li continued, "I don't want to be someone who only knows how to sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. I want to give for you. I want you and my brother to see that I can also help you and that I am not a burden. But... I can't seem to do it now."

Song Shishi didn't expect Xu Li to think so much and so far.

But this is also a good thing, which shows that Xu Li's thinking is more mature than she expected.

"So you want to work first, right?"

"Well, I want to work during the day and study at night, just like you usually do. If you can do it, I believe I can do it too."

When Xu Li said this, she sat up directly, with an extremely serious expression, although Song Shishi couldn't see it.

"That will be very hard." Song Shishi turned sideways and faced Xu Li.

"I am not afraid of hardship. I have endured such difficult times before. Compared with the past, this is nothing." Xu Li said firmly.

Song Shishi had no choice but to work, but she suddenly thought of Su Yaqin.

Xu Li might not be able to work at Li Chengde's clothing factory, but she might be able to find a job in the clothing stores and tailor shops managed by Su Yaqin.

Learning tailoring is also a skill.

If done well, it’s not bad.

Thinking of this possibility, Song Shishi felt that maybe she could really give it a try, but the prerequisite was to ask Xu Li's opinion.

"Would you like to learn tailoring? If so, I can ask Sister Qin."

"Is it the kind that uses a sewing machine to make clothes?" Xu Li asked.

Song Shishi was not sure either. She didn't know much about this. "Maybe. I'll have to ask Sister Qin what it is like. You sew clothes normally, and I think you're pretty good at it. If you're willing, you can give it a try."

"I am willing to do so. As long as Sister Qin is willing to accept me, I will definitely study hard."

Perhaps it was because she had a goal, Xu Li went from being listless to being energetic in just a moment.

At this moment, in the darkness, there was light in her eyes.

Song Shishi could hear the excitement in Xu Li's tone.

Since Xu Li is willing, she will naturally put more effort into this matter.

"We haven't told Sister Qin about this yet, so we're not sure if it will work. Don't get your hopes up, or you'll be disappointed and sad."

After all, Xu Li is young and has little experience. Song Shishi is afraid that if things don't work out, she won't be able to accept it, so she can only give Xu Li a "vaccination" in advance.

"Okay." Xu Li was in high spirits, so naturally she agreed to whatever Song Shishi said.

It was obvious that he didn't take Song Shishi's words to heart.

…

The next day, Song Shishi and Xu Li tidied up the house before going to Carpenter Zhao's house.

Only halfway through the journey, I heard people talking about Zhou Jianguo's family affairs.

"Captain Zhou is so unlucky to have such an in-law."

"Who said it wasn't? I heard that the eldest brother of the Zhou family knew that Captain Zhou was beaten into the hospital, so he asked for leave to return from the army today."

When Song Shishi passed by, she glanced at the women.

These people don't mind the cold weather outside because they want to chat about family matters.

Moreover, you never see them doing anything outside, but they know exactly what is happening in every household in the village.

This is also a skill.

"Who told him that?"

"Who else could it be? It must be Old Lady Zhou."

"Then the Zhou family will be even more lively."

"There's nothing we can do. The parents of An Zhiqing are like dog-skin plasters. They said they had no money to take the bus back home and begged the Zhou family for money. Old Mrs. Zhou and Aunt Qian refused, so they stayed at the Zhou family's house to eat and live. Every day they complained that the food was not good and they wanted to eat meat."

"How can you be shameless? The girl from the Zhou family married An Zhiqing, not An Zhiqing marrying the girl from the Zhou family."

"It's useless for you to say these things. They said that their son is considered to be marrying into the Zhou family. The son they raised with great effort now has to work hard for the Zhou family, so they have to pay him."

"this……"

The incident between An Jinsheng and his parents at Zhou's family spread like wildfire in the village. Almost everywhere you went, people were talking about it.

Xu Li tried to say something to Song Shishi several times, but was stopped by her.

"If you want to say anything, wait until we get to Uncle Zhao's place."