After the Zhang family had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhang Qiurui saw that her third brother looked hesitant, as if he had something to say but was not sure how to start. Seeing this, Zhang Qiurui felt a slight change in her mind.
"Your sister and Mingqi helped our production team win the literary competition between our production team and the Zhu family production team by letting them pass the recitation of quotations. They came back and told me that they wanted to continue to study in junior high school.
I thought to myself that they were still young and could not spend their whole lives digging for food in the fields like us. I thought about letting them finish junior high school and see if there was any opportunity, so I agreed to let them go to school.
There are two middle schools in the county. Is it better for them to go to No. 1 or No. 2?" Zhou Guihua asked her youngest son after dinner.
"Studying is good! Whether before or now, I support my younger sister and the younger generation in studying.
There's no difference between No. 1 Middle School and No. 2 Middle School, but No. 1 Middle School is closer to the shoe factory where I work, so I'll go there. It'll be more convenient for me to handle anything I need. "When Zhang Wenmin heard his mother agree to let his younger sister and Mingqi go to school, he didn't know what he was thinking about. He was moved and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"Okay, then let's go to No. 1 Middle School. Come back at this time next month and I'll give you money to pay the tuition for the aunt and niece." Zhou Guihua nodded in agreement.
She knew that in this era of male chauvinism, making the decision to allow her daughter and granddaughter to continue their education was not an easy one. But she also understood that education was the key to changing one's destiny, and she was willing to fight for her children's future.
The premise is that they want to study.
"Mom, the county is quite far from our production team. If we walk there, it will take Qiurui and Mingqi nearly three hours to go back and forth.
I think it would be better to rent a house for them in the county and let them use the time they spend on the road to study and do their homework." Zhang Wenmin glanced at his mother and said cautiously.
"No, renting a house is expensive! It costs at least one or two dollars. It's a waste of money. I'm worried about letting them live outside. What's wrong with letting them run back and forth a few times? Children from the countryside are not that pampered. Didn't you go through the same thing when you were a child? Besides, walking more can exercise the body, which is good for study." Zhou Guihua glared at her youngest son, with an unquestionable determination in her tone.
Zhou Guihua is determined not to spend money on things that can be solved with time.
Zhang Wenmin sighed secretly in his heart. He knew that his mother had always been frugal and was reluctant to spend money on these "extra" expenses.
When Zhang Qiurui saw her third brother suddenly proposed to rent a house in the county for her and her niece to study, she suspected that things might not be that simple.
Her younger brother works in a shoe factory, which provides dormitories for employees. Now her third brother rents a house under the pretext that they are studying. It should be that her third brother wants to rent a house so that he can date his partner and have a place to be alone.
Her brother earns 355 yuan a month, and he needs to hand over 28 yuan, of which 7 yuan is used for daily living expenses. If he rents a house in the county without telling his mother, he will have to spend at least one or two yuan, which is not enough for his own living expenses.
Zhang Qiurui thought about her future studies. If she rented a house in the county, she wouldn't have to commute back and forth every day, which would reduce her physical fatigue. More importantly, it would increase her free time, making it more convenient for her to do other things.
Now she and her third brother are on the same front, so let her third brother deal with her mother as soon as possible.
"Mom!" Zhang Qiurui kicked Zhou Guihua's foot under the table.
Zhou Guihua was about to get angry, but after seeing the look in her daughter's eyes, she looked at her youngest son.
Seeing her youngest son's expression showing some regret and disappointment, Zhou Guihua thought about it and had some guesses.
She frowned slightly, but did not get angry immediately. Instead, she asked in a deep voice, "Third brother, come to the room with mom."
"Tell me honestly, third son, was this idea of renting a house your own or was it suggested by someone else?" The mother and son came into the room and closed the door. Zhou Guihua looked at her youngest son carefully.
Zhang Wenmin felt a little uncomfortable under his mother's sharp gaze. He lowered his head and said, "Mom! Yangyang and I have a good relationship! It's just that sometimes we don't have a place to be alone. If you don't want Qiurui and Mingqi to go to the county to study, why not just rent a house.
Firstly, it makes it convenient for them to study, and also gives Yangyang and I a place to be alone.”
After Zhang Wenmin had spoken out, he felt a sense of relief. After all, these words had been bottled up in his heart, making him feel particularly heavy. He looked up at his mother, hoping to see a hint of understanding and recognition in her eyes.
Zhou Guihua's eyes flashed with complexity when she heard this. She understood the thoughts of young people, but as a mother, she was always worried that her child would take a detour and get hurt.
She sighed softly, her tone a little softer: "Third brother, Mom knows that you young people have your own ideas, but you must remember that no matter what decision you make, you must consider the consequences and be responsible for yourself and Yangyang.
You and Yangyang have been together for two years and your relationship is going well. What are your thoughts on further development? You are not young anymore, it is time for you to start a family and build a career."
"Three turns and one ring." Zhang Wenmin said with some difficulty.
The three turns and one ring consisted of a sewing machine, a bicycle, a watch, and a radio. If you bought all of them, it would cost at least five or six hundred yuan. In addition, you had to buy clothes, jewelry, and other things for the girl from the county you married. All in all, the cost would be at least seven hundred yuan.
In this day and age, a wedding in the countryside costs no more than thirty yuan, maybe five or six hundred. Can their family afford that?
He joined the army at the age of sixteen and retired at the age of nineteen. He worked in a shoe factory for the first two years, earning only twenty-eight yuan a month. He kept seven yuan for himself and handed over twenty-one yuan. Multiplied by 24 months, it was five hundred and four yuan.
The following year, he was promoted to captain of the security team and his salary increased by seven dollars. He kept seven dollars for himself. Twenty-eight times 12 months is three hundred and thirty-six dollars. Adding five hundred and four, the total is eight hundred and forty dollars.
If I get married on my own, I'm afraid I'll have to empty my family's savings.
The younger generation in the family needs to go to school, and food and drink require money. They also plan to build a house. Once I get married, I am afraid that everything will be delayed.
"Third brother, you always tell mom that now that you and Yangyang are getting married, are we going to split up the family business?" Zhou Guihua took a breath when she heard the sound of the third turn, and she didn't speak for a long time. After a while, she took a deep breath with a solemn expression.
Zhou Guihua knew that her youngest son was dating a girl in the county, and that they had a good relationship. If they got married in the future, his wife's family would definitely make some demands. She didn't expect that the sensitive and complicated topic of "dividing the family" would be touched upon so soon.
She felt mixed emotions, hoping for her youngest son's future happiness but also worried about the current situation of her family.
After all, in their traditional rural family, dividing the family not only means the redistribution of property, but also a major test of the emotional ties between family members.
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