Chapter 45 Women don’t need to study, they should get married and have children
Zhong Qiao took his father to a clothing store and changed all the wet clothes.
The owner was a cheerful Shandong woman. She had witnessed the father and daughter's heroic act of saving people from across the river. Not only did she give them a discount, she also served them tea and water and even boiled a large pot of hot water.
"Beautiful lady, my second brother works at a nearby health center. He told me that this person fell into the water and should not be taken lightly. First, drink hot water to drive away the cold, then boil hot water to soak your feet and take a bath."
"My small shop can't accommodate your dad's bath, but it can still be used to soak your feet."
Zhong Qiao looked up and saw that the female owner had quickly poured hot water into the basin and put a bunch of mugwort in it. The hot water soaked the mugwort, and the water turned from clear and transparent to gray-brown, with a very pungent smell.
There are folk recipes for soaking mugwort to remove dampness, but this is the first time Zhong Qiao has heard of this method being used when someone falls into the water.
"Oh, beautiful lady, just rest assured, I can't harm you."
The female owner saw her worry. She put on blue eyeshadow, tied her hair into a high ponytail, and carried a shoulder bag around her waist. She wore very fashionable clothes at the time, but she was completely unpretentious. She directly grabbed Mr. Zhong's feet, which were frozen blue, and put them into the basin.
"Ah--" Zhong Qiao was about to step forward to stop him, but unexpectedly, Mr. Zhong beside him let out a comfortable sigh.
She was stunned for a moment, and hurried to check on Mr. Zhong's condition: "Dad, are you feeling better?"
The originally majestic Father Zhong now huddled in a small ball on a bench, holding an enamel cup. He drank a few sips of hot water, soaked his feet, and changed into new clothes. The chilling feeling he had originally felt seemed to have disappeared.
"It seems to be working." said Mr. Zhong.
He felt as if soaking in the mugwort water, the soles of his feet seemed to infuse a force of warmth and flow into his limbs.
"I said it would be useful."
The female shop owner smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed into slits, and she didn't forget to lean against the shop door and eat melon seeds.
"Two years ago, my son Huzi accidentally fell into the river. His face turned purple from the cold. My second brother's method saved him half his life. He is now full of energy."
Zhong Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and expressed his sincere gratitude.
"No, no," the woman waved her hand. "You are the kind-hearted ones. It's freezing cold, let alone a young man in his early twenties, how many of you would dare to go down and save people? Only your father is kind-hearted."
When Zhong Qiao heard this, he felt touched, proud, and a little angry.
It was the coldest time of the year and the river was frozen, making it very dangerous. Dad was already in poor health, but he jumped into the water without saying a word. If something happened, both of them would be gone. Or if they saved the girl, Dad would be exhausted and swept away by the river. What would they do?
"Dad, you're too reckless." Zhong Qiao sighed. "I'm not saying you were wrong to save someone, but you should at least stay calm. If the same situation arises on the street in the future, are you going to just jump in without even looking?"
Normally, when the two met at home, although they were father and daughter, they felt awkward getting along. This was the first time she said these words to Mr. Zhong.
Father Zhong sighed: "Dad just saw that the girl was about your age, and I thought about what would happen if you fell into the river and were in danger, and if no one rescued you, what would you do? So I jumped in..."
Zhong Qiao didn't hear the rest of the words clearly.
But now, at this moment, Mr. Zhong's words made her feel mixed emotions and heartache. Even the scene of being strangled to death in her previous life suddenly appeared in her mind.
At that time, he was isolated and helpless and was strangled to death, just like the girl who fell into the river.
The river was fast-flowing and bitterly cold. If one was not careful, one would be swept away by the current. However, she did not know her own character well and let the wolf into the house, ending up in an irretrievable situation.
The only difference is that this girl met a kind-hearted person, but at that time, I had no one behind me.
Zhong Qiao sighed and softened his tone: "Dad, you're not wrong, but next time you encounter something like this, don't be reckless."
Mr. Zhong's face looked a little embarrassed, but also a little happy.
What embarrassed him was that as a tall and strong man and the head of the family, he was scolded by his daughter in front of him and he didn't dare to talk back.
What makes me happy is that because of this incident, my daughter and I have become closer. At least we don’t have to be as restrained as before and can say whatever we want.
"Okay, Dad got it." Mr. Zhong nodded in agreement, with the corners of his mouth rising wildly.
After a while, he suddenly thought of something, slapped his thigh, and said in panic, "Oh, I forgot the most important thing! Didn't I sign you up? I was so busy saving people, how could I forget this!"
Zhong Qiao also remembered it.
I actually forgot about registering.
"Register?" the female shop owner pricked up her ears and eavesdropped. "Register for what?"
Mr. Zhong said, "It's the July 21st Workers' University. My daughter wants to go back to school."
"Your daughter wants to go to school?" The female shop owner was stunned and looked at Zhong Qiao in disbelief.
But it was no wonder she was surprised.
In their hometown village, smart boys are better off because the elderly in their family will support their education.
But it is not the same for girls. Kind families can still let girls go to school for a few years, but most of them only go to junior high school and then go out to work.
Isn’t there a saying in ancient times?
It is said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent.
How could something passed down from our ancestors be fake?
These women will get married and have children in the future, so reading these books is useless.
However, since Zhong Qiao was still there, she was not stupid enough to say bad things in front of others.
"Beautiful lady, why don't you go and sign up now?" the female shop owner said earnestly, "I'll take care of your dad here. By the time he's done with his bath, you can sign up too."
Zhong Qiao looked at Zhong's father worriedly, but Zhong's father also signaled her to go with his eyes.
"Dad, wait for me then." Zhong Qiao squatted down and put the coat on him. "I'll be back soon."
Mr. Zhong nodded.
Zhong Qiao lifted the curtain at the door and left.
As soon as Zhong Qiao left, the female owner started to make a fuss.
"Oh, brother, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're really running out of money."
The female shop owner smacked her lips and said to Mr. Zhong, "I think your daughter is not young anymore, and she's not ugly. It's time for her to get married and have children. It's hard to find a partner if she studies so much!"
"Can't find it?" Mr. Zhong asked in confusion.
The female shop owner was so disappointed that she slapped her thigh exaggeratedly: "Hey, big brother, are you really stupid or are you just pretending to be stupid? How many people in your hometown village are educated? Your daughter is full of books, but when she gets married, her in-laws' sons haven't read much either. Isn't your daughter slapping them in the face?!"
Mr. Zhong smiled and said, "I can't control this. My daughter has her own say on her own affairs."
"My son Hu Zi is not cut out for studying, and he's a boy." Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, the female shop owner cited her own child as an example. "He doesn't study, and it's okay. At worst, he can go to work in a factory. There's no need for a girl in your family."
She spoke so enthusiastically that she had no idea she had crossed the line.
Mr. Zhong's face was not very good, and his tone was also stiff: "Hey, big sister, I don't like to hear this. Since my daughter is willing to study, then we as parents will support her. Anyway, the money will be spent sooner or later, so it is better to spend it on the children now."
"Stop talking." He waved his hand and took the initiative to end the topic, which left the female owner speechless.
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