However, one cannot bully people too much, otherwise it would be a great sin to cause psychological trauma to the child. Lin Xiazhu knew when to stop.
He laughed and said, "We'll have fresh fish for dinner tonight! Come on, let's go home."
There are basically no people shopping at night, except for those who do buy things, so Yanxin closes her shop around 5 or 6 pm and goes home with them.
There was a well in the yard, which made it very convenient to wash things. After bringing the fish back, Lin Xiazhu went to take a bath first. Since it was hot, there was no need to boil water. She simply drew a bucket of well water, took her clean clothes, and went to wash.
The fish was left to Lin Chacha to handle. By the time Lin Xiazhu finished showering, Lin Chacha had already scraped off the scales, removed the internal organs and gills, rinsed it clean with water, and then chopped it into pieces.
"Sister, how do I cook this?" She knew her sister had a variety of cooking styles, while she only knew how to make simple stews and cook them until they were done.
"Use the head section for soup, and fry the tail section." This fish is so big, we can eat it all at once, and fry some so we can eat it tomorrow.
Unfortunately, tofu couldn't be bought in the evening, otherwise fish head stew with tofu would have made the fish soup especially delicious. I could only make do with some ginger and stew it together, but you should fry it slightly before stewing so that the soup will be thicker and whiter.
September 1st arrived in the blink of an eye, the start of the school year. Lin Xiazhu took her younger sisters and Xiao An to the elementary school in town.
Lin Taozi and Lin Xiaoxue attended kindergarten together. At that time, kindergartens and primary schools in Shanhe Town were combined and not separated, which made it convenient for Lin Xiazhu and the others to go to and from school together.
Actually, Lin Taozi was a bit too young and should have been attending a nursery or preschool, but in those days, there weren't classes for such young children in the countryside.
The school is quite lenient in accepting students; Yan Xin just talked to the teacher and it was settled. Nowadays, many people still look down on kindergartens, feeling that it's a waste of money to send their children there.
Yan Xin took the money Lin Xiazhu gave her and readily handed it to the kindergarten teacher. Without saying a word, the teacher wrote Lin Taozi's name on the registration book for the junior class.
So Lin Xiaoxue and Lin Taozi started kindergarten together. Lin Xiaoxue protested, "Taozi is too young. She should stay home and play. It's impossible for her to start first grade in two years."
The kindergarten only has two classes, one big and one small. You can go to the first grade after two years.
“I’ve already spoken to the teacher. Taozi will stay in kindergarten for another year or two. She’s repeating a grade.” Otherwise, the teacher wouldn’t have accepted her so readily. Lin Xiazhu not only guaranteed that Lin Taozi would repeat a grade, but also guaranteed that Lin Taozi would be able to take care of herself when she needed to use the toilet and would never wet her pants or poop.
That's more like it, but Lin Xiaoxue still felt embarrassed, feeling that going to school with her younger sister made her look bad.
However, she didn't dare show it in front of Lin Xiazhu, for fear of angering her older sister and being barred from going to school.
Despite her young age, she knows a lot.
Lin Xiazhu didn't care what Lin Xiaoxue was thinking. After registering at the kindergarten, she led everyone to register at the primary school across the street.
Lin Chacha was in first grade with her. Lin Chacha was seven years old (by Chinese reckoning), which was perfectly fine for her to have been in first grade. Lin Xiazhu's age would be considered old for a year in later times, but now she had to enroll in first grade.
Anyway, she can still skip grades in the next few years, so she'll definitely skip grades then.
Xiao An is also going to start first grade with us. After these few months of rest, he can walk now, but his bones haven't fully healed and he still has a slight limp. He can't run, and he won't be able to attend physical education class anymore.
Time flies, but unfortunately there has been no news of Xiao An's family. During this time, Lin Xiazhu would occasionally go to the county town to inquire about the situation, but the police officers regretfully said that they had no clues.
It seems they can't find it, which is why Lin Xiazhu enrolled Xiao An in school as well. She couldn't let the child's studies be delayed, and it's not like they couldn't afford the tuition of thirty-odd yuan.
While Lin Xiazhu and the others were at school, Yan Xin was responsible for cooking for them at noon and in the evening, in addition to minding the shop. She had been learning for several months, and although her cooking skills were average, they were edible once cooked.
Yan Xin initially disagreed with cooking for them. She wasn't their mother, so why should she serve them like a maid? She wouldn't do it.
"If you don't learn to cook and interfere with our studies, I'll send you back to Linjia Village and make you do farm work for the rest of your life. Don't forget, I started this shop, and I can close it down whenever I want," Lin Xiazhu said to her with a cold smile in private.
Yan Xin: "..." What else could she do? She was under someone else's roof and could only obediently agree to learn to cook.
Fortunately, they can wash their own clothes, and sometimes Lin Chacha will even help them wash their clothes. Every morning, Lin Chacha gets up very early to make breakfast, so she can sleep in a little later.
Lin Xiazhu didn't say anything about these things, because Lin Chacha had secretly told her, "Sister, Mom's cooking is terrible. She either forgets to add salt or puts it in too much salt. The rice is always mushy. How can she be so clumsy?"
"The more this happens, the more we should make her do it. I've heard that people with mental disabilities will become demented if they don't learn to do something. If Mom becomes completely stupid, then we're doomed." Lin Xiazhu had to scare Lin Chacha to stop her from coming back to cook lunch and dinner.
"...That's so pitiful, if a grown-up still wets the bed..." Not daring to think any further, Lin Chacha decided to give her mother a chance to exercise more.
She stopped fighting with her mother over cooking to avoid studying, at least not for lunch. Studying was tiring for her too, both mentally and physically.
There are three classes in the first grade. Lin Xiazhu, Lin Chacha and Xiao An were lucky enough to be assigned to the first class. Lin Chacha is the youngest in the class. The other students are the same age as Lin Xiazhu, some are eight years old and some are nine years old.
At that time, people in the countryside started school late, and this child was only eight or nine years old when he started first grade.
Lin Xiazhu and Xiao An—oh, Xiao An has now officially joined the Lin family. His full name is Lin Ru'an, given to him by Lin Xiazhu in the hope that his future life will be smooth and peaceful.
On their first day of school, they arrived late and all the seats were taken. Lin Xiazhu, being tall, sat at the back of the first row, while Lin Chacha sat in the empty seat at the front, and Xiao An sat at the third table in the second group.
Normally, sitting separately like this wouldn't be a problem, but Xiao An is so pretty that all the girls in the class like to look at her and talk to her after class.
This aroused the interest of Xiaoman, Xiao'an's deskmate Zhang Haiteng. The reason, of course, was that the girl Zhang Haiteng liked didn't pay attention to him, but took the initiative to talk to Xiao'an.
As a result, Xiao An was targeted. Zhang Haiteng didn't dare to do anything in class, but during breaks, he acted like a little tyrant, leading a group of his underlings to drag Xiao An to a corner outside the teaching building, where he raised his fists to beat him up.
Just then, Lin Xiazhu came back from the toilet, and Lin Chacha hurriedly grabbed her and ran, "Sister, hurry up! Tangtang just told me that Xiao An was kidnapped by Zhang Haiteng. Xiao An is so weak, he will beat her to death."
Lin Xiazhu's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Xiao An was not in good health and had not recovered after his serious injury. What if Zhang Haiteng beat him badly?
"If you dare hit Xiao An, I'll smash him to pieces!" Lin Xiazhu roared in anger.
"Yes, we must beat him to death." Lin Chacha clenched her fists angrily.
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