Chapter 21 Teaching
"What? You want my daughter to raise pigs? Why doesn't Jiang He ask his daughter to go?"
Mother Meng was so angry that she slammed the table. Meng Yanchun and Dong Hanyun were also very angry, secretly cursing Jiang He as an old beast and saying that he was not a human being.
Although Xiaowan does not work, her family does not need her work points and can still support the family.
"That's what I said, but that bastard Jiang He said something about the busy farming season coming up soon, and everyone has to be busy then, even pregnant women and children have to go to work. We can't let Xiaowan, a grown-up, stay home and rest."
Meng Aiguo was so angry that his teeth were itching, and he wanted to punch that bastard Jiang He to death.
"That Jiang He, he must have done it on purpose."
Pei Xingzhi frowned. No wonder the Jiang family had been silent for so long after he lost face. It seemed like they were waiting here.
Instead of dealing with him, they targeted Meng Wanqiu.
Meng Wanqiu looked at her father, then at her mother. "It's okay, just feed the pigs. I've fed pigs at home before, but how many work points can I get from feeding pigs in a day?"
Dong Hanyun shook her head and explained, "Xiao Wan, our family is different from the ones in the village. We only have one pig at home, but the village has two. And the woman who raises the pig, Mrs. Zhou, is an old scoundrel. She doesn't like cleanliness and is very lazy. The pigpen is dirty and smelly. In the past, her three daughters-in-law came to help her, so she could keep doing the job."
"If you go, Mrs. Zhou will definitely not do anything and will let you do everything. Besides, she's an old woman, and it's not easy to argue with her. I've seen Mrs. Zhou quarreling with her daughter-in-law before, and the abuse was really unpleasant."
Dong Hanyun told Meng Wanqiu about her concerns.
"There is such a thing?" Meng Aiguo was shocked. It was the first time he heard of it.
Mother Meng squinted at him and said, "You know nothing. The Zhou family fights every day. Mrs. Zhou single-handedly challenges her three daughters-in-law. And you dare send your daughter to live with her?"
Meng Wanqiu pricked up her ears and listened carefully to her mother's gossip about the Zhou family.
Meng Yanchun was anxious. "Oh, Dad and Mom, please think of a solution quickly. We can't really let Xiao Wan go raise pigs with that Mrs. Zhou, can we?"
Hearing this, Meng's father and mother fell silent. Before, Meng Wanqiu was not married and never went out. In addition, she had been stupid before, so few people would notice her, so it was nothing that she didn't go to work.
But after that it will be the busy farming season, and every household in the Qinghe Production Team will be busy. It will be difficult for Meng Wanqiu to stay at home at that time.
Meng Wanqiu didn't care. Since it was not convenient to stay at home, she would just go out to work. Would she be afraid of an old lady in her sixties or seventies who really dared to cause trouble for her and make a scene with her? She was not a pushover.
Pei Xingzhi pursed his lips, feeling a prick of needles in his heart, knowing that it was because of him that Meng Wanqiu had to go to work.
After thinking for a while, Pei Xingzhi looked at Meng Aiguo and said, "Dad, I remember the broadcast just now said they were recruiting scorekeepers. Why can't Xiaowan go and try?"
Meng Aiguo was stunned for a moment, then said, "I've thought about it before, but the scorekeeper has requirements."
Meng Aiguo didn't say what came next, but everyone understood what he meant. A scorer should be educated and be able to use an abacus, but Meng Wanqiu's mind was not clear for the first ten years, and when she recovered, she was already fifteen years old. She had never been to school, so how could she be selected?
Hearing this, Grandma Meng glanced at Meng Aiguo and spoke.
"Do you think that when Xiao Wan and I stay at home, we just stare at each other?"
Father Meng's eyes widened. He wondered what his mother meant by this.
Meng Wanqiu was amused by her father's surprised expression. How could Grandma Meng, such a wise person, let her granddaughter become illiterate!
Meng Wanqiu is not only not illiterate, but also knows a lot.
Pei Xingzhi looked at Meng Wanqiu and felt relieved. He had just felt very depressed, thinking that there was really no way out and he had to think of other ways.
Now that Meng Wanqiu could actually read, with some practice, becoming a scorekeeper shouldn't be that difficult. If things really didn't work out, we could think of other options. We couldn't just let Meng Wanqiu feed the pigs.
Meng Yanchun slapped his thigh excitedly: "Oh, I almost forgot, grandma was once the only teacher in Qinghe Village. How could she not have taught Xiao Wan?"
Mother Meng pushed Father Meng away, who was in the way. "It's true, mother. You're more thoughtful than us."
Father Meng smiled innocently, and finally felt relieved.
Dong Hanyun finally felt relieved after hearing this. She turned her gaze to Meng Wanqiu and noticed the little movements between her and Pei Xingzhi.
When Meng Wanqiu heard her family asking her to apply to be a scorer, she still didn't care. Since they wanted her to go, she would just go.
Seeing Pei Xingzhi looking at her, Meng Wanqiu blinked and inexplicably thought of what happened a few nights ago. Although they didn't finish it, they did kiss and touch each other.
After that, when the two looked at each other, Meng Wanqiu pursed her lips unconsciously, and her gaze was so lingering that it was almost tearing.
Pei Xingzhi put his hand to his mouth and coughed lightly, and with his other hand, he pinched Meng Wanqiu's hand under the table, signaling her to restrain herself.
Meng Wanqiu sighed, lowered her head and stopped looking at him. She then grabbed Pei Xingzhi's hand as he was about to leave, and started playing with it in her palm.
Pei Xingzhi's fingers are white and slender, with distinct joints and thin calluses on the fingertips. This is the result of doing farm work in the countryside for several years. They feel a little hard to the touch, but they seem more real.
Pei Xingzhi's ears turned red, but he did not pull back. He let Meng Wanqiu do whatever she wanted and he could do nothing to her.
Dong Hanyun raised her eyebrows slightly. She had originally wanted to give Pei Xingzhi a warning, but now it seemed that their relationship was progressing well, so it seemed that there was no need for her to do anything unnecessary.
Grandma Meng also noticed the little movements of the young couple, and her expression was calm. At her age, she had seen everything.
But, there is one more thing I want to say.
"Xingzhi, can you do abacus?"
“I” / “He will.”
Meng Wanqiu interrupted Pei Xingzhi's answer, patted his leg with her hand under the table, and answered first: "He can."
Pei Xingzhi looked confused for a moment, but still nodded in agreement with Meng Wanqiu's words.
Grandma Meng's expression softened. "That makes things easier. I just gave Xiaowan some simple abacus formulas before, and she hasn't practiced much. You should help Xiaowan practice more in the next few days."
"Okay." Pei Xingzhi stared at Meng Wanqiu and agreed.
After the short family meeting, the two returned to the room. Pei Xingzhi sat on the chair, crossed his arms, crossed his legs, and tilted his head to look at Meng Wanqiu.
"Tell me, why did you say that just now?"
Pei Xingzhi really didn't know how to use an abacus, he had never learned it, but why did Meng Wanqiu lie in front of her family?
Meng Wanqiu didn't say anything, but took out the abacus from the bedside table and started operating it smoothly.
She didn't even look at the abacus, but was typing blindly. Pei Xingzhi saw it, and although he didn't understand, he could tell that Meng Wanqiu's hand movements were very regular.
Meng Wanqiu is demonstrating her strength through practical operations. In her previous life, she played with the abacus the most. After she was found to have no talent for martial arts, she tried various skills, but only the abacus was finally mastered by her.
Thanks to her amazing talent in arithmetic, Meng Wanqiu was appreciated by the leader of the organization and was able to survive successfully.
Pei Xingzhi was amazed by Meng Wanqiu's gorgeous hand movements and stared at her motionlessly.
Finally, with a "click", Meng Wanqiu put all the beads back in place.
"Well, I don't need anyone to teach me now, right?"
Meng Wanqiu looked down at Pei Xingzhi, her tone surprisingly containing a hint of arrogance. In her previous life, it was thanks to her superb calculation ability that Meng Wanqiu was able to survive in the organization. In Meng Wanqiu's heart, this was what she was most proud of.
Pei Xingzhi was confused. Grandma Meng had clearly said before that she had only taught Meng Wanqiu a few formulas, so how could Meng Wanqiu use the abacus so well? And judging from the expressions of other people, it seemed that they didn't know that Meng Wanqiu knew how to use the abacus.
Where did Meng Wanqiu learn this, and why did she hide it from the Meng family?
There was doubt and inquiry in Pei Xingzhi's eyes. He vaguely realized that Meng Wanqiu seemed to be hiding many secrets.
Facing Pei Xingzhi's gaze, Meng Wanqiu silently looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. She didn't like lying, but there were some things that couldn't be said. She would rather remain silent than lie.
Noticing Meng Wanqiu's evasion, Pei Xingzhi sighed. If she didn't want to say it, then forget it. Anyway, as time went by, clues would eventually be revealed.
Moreover, Meng Wanqiu chose to escape with silence instead of just saying a few words to perfunctorily deal with him. This was already very good. At least she did not choose to hide it.
Meng Wanqiu always remained true to herself in front of Pei Xingzhi. Although she occasionally played some tricks, they were all harmless.
Pei Xingzhi hopes that no matter what time or what happens, Meng Wanqiu can always remain the same.
As for those secrets, they would be told when she was willing to believe him. Pei Xingzhi no longer tried to find out her secrets.
He put down his legs, reached out and pulled Meng Wanqiu into his arms. The warm milky aroma entered his nose. Meng Wanqiu had been eating White Rabbit milk candy every day these days, and her body was also filled with the sweet smell.
"Very impressive. I guess no one can teach you anymore."
Pei Xingzhi let Meng Wanqiu sit on his lap, put his arm around her waist, turned her around, faced the dressing mirror, and took out the paper and pen he had bought earlier.
"How's your handwriting, though?"
Pei Xingzhi had bought paper and pen at the supply and marketing cooperative before, and he planned to teach Meng Wanqiu how to write when he came back. Given Meng Wanqiu's speed of absorbing knowledge, Pei Xingzhi knew that she was very smart, so he taught her.
But unfortunately, the next day after returning, all the men in the Qinghe Production Team were called to dig ditches, and they never had the chance to teach Meng Wanqiu.
Pei Xingzhi wrote a few words on the newspaper with a pen, which was Meng Wanqiu's name.
"You can actually recognize words. Why don't you try writing a few?" Pei Xingzhi put the pen in Meng Wanqiu's hand.
Meng Wanqiu glanced at Pei Xingzhi, then gripped the pen in her hand, subconsciously using the same posture as holding a writing brush, with her wrist suspended in the air, her thumb pressing down on her index finger, her middle finger hooked over, and her four fingers holding it in place①.
Pei Xingzhi silently raised the corner of his mouth.
Sure enough, using the gesture of holding a brush, Meng Wanqiu couldn't write a single word. The tip of the pen was stuck on the newspaper, and the paper wrinkled into a ball as soon as her hand moved.
Meng Wanqiu frowned. She had always used a brush, which had a soft tip and didn't rub against the paper. She pressed her hand against the paper and tried to write again, but this time the brush wouldn't produce any ink.
Pei Xingzhi smiled and adjusted Meng Wanqiu's posture. "If you become a scorekeeper, you can't carry a brush and ink with you, so you have to learn to use a hard pen quickly."
"I've never used this kind of pen." Meng Wanqiu was adjusted several times by Pei Xingzhi, but still couldn't get it right, and her tone was a little helpless.
"It's okay, this is simple, it will be fine once you get the hang of it."
Pei Xingzhi corrected Meng Wanqiu patiently and did not rush her. Just as Meng Wanqiu said when they first met, she has always been a very smart person and Pei Xingzhi believed that she would master it soon.
Under Pei Xingzhi's gentle and careful teaching, Meng Wanqiu calmed down and began to study with the same enthusiasm she had used to survive in her previous life. After writing half a page of newspaper, Pei Xingzhi let go of her hand.
At this time, Meng Wanqiu was completely immersed in practicing calligraphy. Pei Xingzhi left the room and prepared to ask Meng Aiguo for a list of all the people in Qinghe Village to facilitate Meng Wanqiu's practice, which would definitely be useful later.
After coming out of Meng's father's room, Pei Xingzhi was about to go back to his room, but Meng Yanchun happened to come out of the room opposite him.
"Big brother."
"Xingzhi, you..."
Meng Yanchun scratched his head, looked at Pei Xingzhi hesitantly, and glanced into his room from time to time.
Oh, my wife is such a fool. How can she, as the elder brother-in-law, have the nerve to say these words to her brother-in-law?
Pei Xingzhi saw this and guessed that this was Dong Hanyun's intention. He didn't know what Dong Hanyun was instructing Meng Yanchun to tell him, so he asked directly.
"Brother, just say what you want to say."
Pei Xingzhi had said this, so Meng Yanchun decided to give up and waved to Pei Xingzhi. The two of them walked to a corner and whispered, "Xingzhi, when you came back from the county last time, did Xiaowan give you any trouble?"
Pei Xingzhi was confused and shook his head: "Xiao Wan is very normal, why do you say that?"
Meng Yanchun's eyes widened in disbelief. "Xiao Wan wasn't angry. You didn't even tell me, and you just ran off to town alone. Xiao Wan didn't even know about it, and she even worriedly ran to the Youth League House to find Xiao Pi and ask about your whereabouts?"
"I'm not saying you're wrong. Men are naturally careless, and since you've just gotten married, your mindset hasn't changed yet. I understand. But, you know your sister-in-law. She's always worried about Xiao Wan, so let me tell you something. After all, you're married now, not alone anymore. No matter what you do or where you go, you should let them know in advance so they don't worry."
Pei Xingzhi clenched his hands, his eyes showing complex emotions, and his heart softened. After Meng Yanchun finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Thank you, brother. I'll remember that and pay attention to it next time."
There was no excuse, only a straightforward admission of negligence, and he really had not thought about these problems.
After getting married, as a husband, I need to tell my wife before going out to do anything. It’s not to control her, but just to avoid making my family worry.
Pei Xingzhi has been living alone since he was a teenager and has long forgotten the common sense of family life. He needs to learn how to be a qualified husband.
Meng Yanchun patted Pei Xingzhi on the shoulder and said loudly, "Hey, I trust you to do your job. Don't take it too seriously. We've all been there before."
Although they had not been together for a long time, Meng Yanchun knew Pei Xingzhi's character. Since he had made the promise, he would not do it again.
After saying this, Meng Yanchun noticed Pei Xingzhi's expression. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about him, he went back to the house with peace of mind. He had completed the task assigned by his wife without causing any complaints. He was really getting smarter and smarter. He went back to ask his wife for a reward. Zhuangzhuang was more than three years old, so it was time to have another daughter.
Pei Xingzhi was lost in thought, finding a loophole in Meng Yanchun's words. According to Meng Yanchun, leaving the house without saying goodbye and causing his family to worry should be a serious matter. Logically, Meng Wanqiu should be angry, but he had not noticed any changes in her mood in the past few days since he came back, and she had always been the same as before.
So, is Meng Wanqiu careless?
Or, she just doesn't care at all?
Pei Xingzhi quickly discarded the second idea, thinking that Meng Wanqiu couldn't possibly not care about him. If she didn't care about him, why would she pick him up late at night and take the time and effort to make shoes for him.
He thought that Meng Wanqiu might not love him, but she must feel the same way about him as he did about her. They both had a good impression of each other and wanted to live a good life.
Meng Wanqiu was not angry. It was probably because she was careless and did not pay attention to these details, so she did not cause trouble for him as Meng Yanchun said.
Inside the house, Meng Wanqiu sneezed, put down her pen, rubbed her wrist, and wondered if someone was talking about her again.
Looking at the words on the newspaper on the table, Meng Wanqiu sighed that this hard pen is indeed much more efficient than a brush.
But the next second, seeing her twisted and distorted handwriting next to Pei Xingzhi's smooth, neat, vigorous and powerful regular script was simply an eyesore.
Meng Wanqiu didn't have much of a competitive spirit, but seeing such a sharp contrast, she couldn't help but feel determined to improve her calligraphy. Although she couldn't reach Pei Xingzhi's level, it couldn't be as unsightly as it is now. At least people could understand it.
Perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, Meng Wanqiu's straight back bent down and her eyes got closer and closer to the table.
"Sit up straight."
Pei Xingzhi walked in and saw Meng Wanqiu sitting in an improper posture. He put his hand on Meng Wanqiu's back and patted her to correct her.
"Be careful of myopia." After Meng Wanqiu sat up straight, Pei Xingzhi put his hand on Meng Wanqiu's eyes. His palms were warm. After practicing calligraphy for so long, Meng Wanqiu's eyes were a little sore, and this was just the right way to relieve the fatigue.
"What is myopia?" This is another unfamiliar term to Meng Wanqiu. She has recently been interested in all the new things Pei Xingzhi said, and always likes to ask Pei Xingzhi why.
Pei Xingzhi pressed Meng Wanqiu's temples with his thumb. Meng Wanqiu closed her eyes comfortably, like a lazy big cat, very much like Dammi.
Da Mi is a male cat. Pei Xingzhi has only seen it a few times, but Da Mi has been in heat recently. He runs out every day to fool around with other female cats. When he is hungry, he catches mice to eat. He has not been home for several days.
"Myopia, that is..."
At the same time, the Jiang family.
"Dad, did you really tell Secretary Meng that? Let that idiot of his and Mrs. Zhou go feed the pigs?"
When Jiang Xiuxiu came back from town, she heard that Jiang He had arranged for Meng Wanqiu to feed the pigs, which almost made her laugh to death.
In the past half month, she went to the city every day and never went to the abacus teacher's home. She only went to the black market and scrap yard.
The tuition fees Jiang He gave her were also converted into capital by her, which she used to buy some accessories and secretly gave them to the female students at the school gate. In the past half month, she had earned twice the capital. This amount of money would not be enough in the future, but it was not a small amount at the moment.
She also went to the scrap yard, hoping to learn how to find bargains like others, but she didn't have the eye for it, so she could only try to buy a few blue and white porcelain vases.
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't dare buy other old books. She had been unruly in recent years. There were always people from the cultural patrol team patrolling the town. It would be bad if she was caught.
Jiang He chuckled, picked up the hot tea on the table, put it to his lips and blew on it. Tea foam splashed on the edge, soaking his arm, but he didn't care and took a sip. "Of course I said it, the Meng family didn't give our family face and even asked Pei Xingzhi to marry them. Humph, you didn't expect that I wouldn't bother Pei Xingzhi, but that little fool instead."
Jiang Xiuxiu raised the corners of her mouth, and her eyes were full of gloating. Pei Xingzhi looked down on her and instead married that Meng Wanqiu. She didn't know how many people laughed at her.
Isn’t the Meng family protecting Meng Wanqiu?
Now, not only can Meng Wanqiu not stay at home anymore, but she also has to be wasted by the old woman from the Zhou family. She remembers that Old Woman Zhou is not an easy person to deal with. If Meng Wanqiu works with Old Woman Zhou, she will be in for a good show.
"Dad, you're so smart. When you dealt with Pei Xingzhi, only he suffered. But if you deal with Meng Wanqiu, not only Pei Xingzhi will suffer, but everyone in the Meng family will suffer as well."
Jiang He smiled proudly and tapped Jiang Xiuxiu on the forehead. "Yes, Xiuxiu is smart."
Jiang Xiuxiu hugged Jiang He's arm and said affectionately, "Of course, don't you see whose daughter I am?"
Jiang He loved to hear this, he laughed out loud, the breath from his mouth went straight to Jiang Xiuxiu's door. Her face froze, she resisted the urge to feel sick, and let go of Jiang He without a trace.
"By the way, Xiuxiu, how are you doing with the abacus?" Jiang He suddenly remembered that there were only a few days left before the scorekeeper selection.
Jiang Xiuxiu felt a little nervous, but she forced a smile. "Of course it's no problem. I've been studying with the teacher for so long, I'm sure I'll be selected. Don't worry, Dad."
Jiang He nodded, then became a little angry again: "Dad wanted to tell you the answer to the question, but that old guy, Old Wu, refused to tell you and insisted on announcing it that day. There's nothing I can do."
When the broadcast was being made, Accountant Old Wu made it clear that no one could take any backdoors, so he announced that anyone who wanted to run for the scorekeeper position should contact him privately to register and not spread the word.
As a result, Jiang He didn't know how many people were participating, nor did he know what the questions were that Old Wu had set.
Jiang Xiuxiu was also very angry when she heard what Jiang He said. Why did this old man have so many things to do that she had to practice privately.
Jiang Xiuxiu used the tuition money to do business. Although Jiang Xiuxiu didn't want to be a scorekeeper, her father was still the boss of her family. Jiang Xiuxiu didn't dare to be too arrogant. If she went to the competition without learning anything, she would definitely be scolded by her father.
But even so, Jiang Xiuxiu is still full of confidence. She is different from these peasants in the village. In her previous life, in order to cultivate her sentiments, she attended several days of serious training courses. She learned flower arrangement, wine tasting and other things quite well.
Youth League House.
Ever since they learned that the village was going to select scorekeepers, Ding Heng and Zhang Xiuqing became active in their thinking. As ordinary youths work hard every day for only a few cents, they might as well strive to become scorekeepers. Although the salary is not much, at least they don't have to work so hard every day.
Of course, they were the only two people in the Youth League who wanted to compete. Both of them knew how to use an abacus. Zhang Xiuqing later went to the town to buy an abacus to practice, while Ding Heng wanted to get close to the accountant, Old Wu.
He went to the town to buy meat, candy and snacks, but Old Wu has always been impartial and fair. He said on the radio that he would not use backdoors, so how could he accept Ding Heng's gifts?
Ding Heng's flattery backfired. Not only did he fail to get close to the old man, but he was also scolded by Old Wu, who said that he had improper thoughts. This scared Ding Heng so much that his face turned pale. At that time, having improper thoughts and taking the wrong path was a very serious matter.
However, although Old Wu was a rigid and serious person, he had a good heart. After a few words, he let Ding Heng go back and allowed him to continue to participate in the selection.
At the Meng family, Pei Xingzhi was also giving Meng Wanqiu intensive training. He was not teaching her how to use the abacus, but mathematics and calligraphy. During the day, he took Meng Wanqiu out to work. He did nothing else but let Meng Wanqiu recognize people and keep score as a scorekeeper. It was impossible for him not to even recognize people.
At the same time, Meng Wanqiu was asked to observe how the accountant Old Wu usually did his work as a scorekeeper. Of course, she couldn't go directly to Old Wu's house to ask him questions at this time, for fear of gossip, so she watched and listened from a distance and learned as much as she could.
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