Chapter 225 Extra Chapter 03: Going to School
With a bright child in the family, Jiang Guiying and Fang Qin's efforts in teaching literacy were very effective. They would walk around the stove with the child, feeding him the words one by one.
Two years passed in this way. Thousands and tens of thousands of yuan worth of money became worthless paper. The most common money in everyone's hands became one cent, one jiao, one yuan, etc. Jiang Guiying's family finally gained a foothold in the city.
As more and more women participated in social and economic development, in 1955, the Wuxing Automobile Factory recruited a group of female workers from the families of its workers for the first time.
The most talked-about topic in Ginkgo Hutong lately is factory recruitment.
Regardless of the recruitment requirements, everyone knew they had to seize this opportunity to get into the factory. Having more workers in the family would make life much easier.
Women ranging from those in their fifties and sixties to those as young as eleven or twelve flocked to the Five Star Automobile Factory.
Jiang Guiying and Fang Qin, whose educational level was designated as primary school level through literacy classes, immediately enrolled.
They both got jobs at the factory and became workers. Because they had only a primary school education, one was assigned to work as a waitress at the guesthouse and the other was assigned to work as a cashier at the clinic.
Both families became dual-income households, and after they received their first month's wages, their lives underwent a dramatic change.
When Jiang Guiying returned with her fifth month's salary, she laid out both her and Guan Canghai's salaries for the month on the table.
It totaled fifty yuan, plus some tickets.
This year, the state has set unified wage standards. At the same time, urban residents must purchase grain using grain ration coupons or ration books. These grain rations are also tiered, with specific quotas for heavy manual laborers and mental laborers, adults and children, each only allowed to buy a prescribed amount. Not enough to eat? Then you'll have to find a way to exchange with someone.
The three children sitting around the small table stared intently at the money and tickets on it. The youngest of them had just turned four, but he already knew that the money and tickets could be exchanged for delicious food.
Jiang Guiying was wary of the youngest one, fearing that she might be too quick and snatch the money and tickets to have a taste.
The reason the couple lets their children know about the family's financial situation is not because they are particularly enlightened, but because the children are growing up and both of them have to work, so the housework has to be left to the two older children.
For example, when buying grain and oil, even if they had money and ration coupons, supplies were scarce in those days, and grain and oil had to be bought in a rush. As soon as the supply and marketing cooperative had supplies, they had to hurry to queue up to buy them.
If it were just the two adults doing all the work, the rice jar at home would probably remain empty for years.
However, besides buying rice, flour, cooking oil, and other miscellaneous items, there is another important matter to discuss today.
“The factory is going to set up a school for its employees’ children. Once it’s set up, you two can both go to school,” Jiang Guiying said to her two older children.
Judging from the current progress, he should be able to go to school next month.
Guan Yuehua's eyes lit up.
In July of this year, the country held its first large-scale national college entrance examination since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The former teacher of the literacy class got into university this year, and she wants to go to university too...
Guan Jianguo, who is already eleven years old, scratched his head. He had never been to school before, but now he was going to school and would have to start learning from scratch with his sister who was six years younger than him. They might even be in the same class.
Jiang Guiying couldn't be happier. "Being in the same class is perfect. From now on, you two can go to and from school together, and go home after class. Don't be like that naughty boy Yi Ku, always running around playing, and taking Si Tian with him..."
As she spoke, Jiang Guiying tapped Guan Yuehe's forehead again, "Especially you, you're not allowed to run around outside with her."
This little girl of hers, no matter what others say, if she doesn't like it, she just ignores it. She's only thinking about food.
Lin Yiku from next door said he was going to take Sitian to buy soy sauce, and she eagerly followed behind, wanting Lin Yiku to be her older brother.
Guan Yuehe turned her back, leaving her with only the back of her head.
Guan Yuehua then remembered and pointed at Guan Yuehe, "What about her?"
"What can we do? I'll talk to the teacher and have you two put in the same class. You can attend class, and Yuehe can wait at the back of the classroom."
Guan Yuehua thought about it and agreed.
The younger sister isn't as boisterous as Lin Yiku next door. Apart from being restless in her sleep and often kicking her face, she's fine. So she'll just keep her around.
But, "Mom, quietly tell the teacher not to put Lin Yiku in the same class as us."
They were the same age, but Lin Yiku was always running around and never stopped, which annoyed her.
Jiang Guiying couldn't help but laugh when she saw her eldest daughter's disgusted expression.
She even joked with Fang Qin when they went out to dig for wild vegetables that since their children were about the same age, they might become in-laws in the future.
Now it seems uncertain!
However, their two little daughters get along well, running in and out hand in hand every day.
Guan Canghai looked at his wife, then at the children. Once the matter was settled, he reached out for the money and tickets, saying happily, "I'll take them out to buy some candy."
Jiang Guiying generously took out two one-yuan bills and gave them to him, instructing him, "Buy more, and ask someone to take them back to your elder brother and sister-in-law another day."
"Okay." Guan Canghai was about to put his hat on when his little girl climbed onto his back, her intention quite clear: she wanted some candy.
"Come on, you two come with us too." Jiang Guiying shooed the remaining two out as well.
When Guan Canghai was passing by No. 3 Courtyard with his three children, he saw people moving. He glanced at them and knew that the family that had just moved into No. 3 Courtyard was surnamed Xu.
Just as he was about to continue forward, Comrade Ding, who lived in Courtyard No. 3, nodded to him and greeted him, "Taking the kid out?"
"Yes, I'm going to buy soy sauce."
While the adults were exchanging pleasantries, Guan Yuehe, clinging to her father's back, turned her head to look at the child behind the uncle. She and Sitian often ran around in the alley and knew that the child's name was Ding Xuewen.
Last time, she and Sitian threw the shuttlecock onto the roof, and he had to go to an adult to borrow a ladder to help them get it down.
This guy is much easier to talk to than Brother Yiku. Thinking of this, Guan Yuehe grinned at this not-so-familiar friend.
Just as Ding Xuewen was about to reach out to say hello, the adults had already finished their conversation, and Uncle Guan strode away in two long strides.
In the courtyard behind him, he heard his newly moved-in aunt call out, "Chengcai, come and look after your little sister."
"oh."
—
Before the two kids even started school, we had to move.
Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying are both workers with three children, the oldest of whom is eleven years old. They still live in this small room of less than ten square meters, where there is hardly any room for people to move around.
They submitted an application to the leadership, and after six months of applications since Jiang Guiying first joined the factory, it was finally their turn to be assigned a new house.
Actually, it was because the factory built two residential buildings on the other side, which were mainly for leaders and technical personnel, that the empty houses in Ginkgo Hutong became available.
Jiang Guiying never expected that both her family and Fang Qin's family would be assigned to Courtyard No. 3.
Their two families each took one and a half rooms in the three main houses of courtyard number three, and continued to be neighbors.
From then on, Guan Yuehua and Guan Yuehe were arranged to sleep on half of the kang (a heated brick bed) and in the same quilt.
Guan Yuehua and Guan Jianguo were finally able to attend the factory's affiliated school.
Guan Yuehua was even more excited about going to school after learning that she hadn't been assigned to the same class as Lin Yiku.
Another morning.
Guan Yuehua hurriedly threw off the covers, "Guan Yuehe! Get up right now! I'm going to be late for school!"
"I don't want to go to school." Guan Yuehe burrowed under the covers again to cover her ears. It was very cold outside, and it wasn't her turn to go to school yet, so why should she have to go?
"You have to go, whether you want to or not!" Guan Yuehua didn't care what the younger one thought. She threw the blanket aside, grabbed him, and started putting on his clothes.
She's eaten three years more than Guan Yuehe, how could she not control this bean sprout?
After they finished tidying up, Guan Yuehe had a sweet potato stuffed into her hand and was pulled outside by her older brother.
After walking only a few steps, Guan Yuehe turned around and found Ding Xuewen lying by the courtyard gate, staring intently at the people rushing to school.
When she turned around again, she saw that Xu Chengcai, the crybaby from the front yard, dragging Ding Xuewen to pick up coal again.
Fortunately, Guan Yuehe didn't have to go to school with her older brothers and sisters every day. She also spent a lot of time at the guesthouse, clinic, or barbershop, usually with Sitian.
Guan Yuehe played with Ding Xuewen and Xu Chengcai from the age of four to six. When she wasn't taken to the factory, she mostly played with them, along with Lin Sitian. The four of them were the best friends.
At the age of six, she, Lin Sitian, and Xu Cheng were sent to school and became first-grade students at the Wuxing Automobile Factory Children's Primary School. The three of them were in the same class.
Every day after school, she would run home as fast as she could. Once home, Lin Sitian would call up Ding Xuewen, who hadn't started school yet, and excitedly take them to sign up for the other children in the alley to play house.
"I want to join the Red Army! You can be the Japanese soldier!"
"I don't want to!" The kid who was chosen to be the Japanese soldier jumped up and down in anger.
"You lost the game last time, and we agreed that the loser would be the Japanese!" Ignoring his wailing, the person who organized the game asked again, "Whose turn is it to be the bandit?"
No one answered.
At this moment, someone whispered a suggestion: "Lin Sitian, why don't you go find your brother and make him a bandit?"
The others remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescence.
They felt that Lin Yiku was quite suitable.
Lin Yiku rolled his eyes when he got home from school. He didn't want to play with these little brats, but his younger sister grabbed his leg and said, "Brother, brother, you be the bandit, no one else will."
Guan Yuehe was covering her mouth and chuckling when, a second later, she was told, "Yuehe, you'll be a bandit's wife."
Guan Yuehe's smile froze instantly. She looked at the others, then at Lin Yiku, and shouted angrily, "I don't want to!"
Unable to refute her, Guan Yuehe rolled up her sleeves and scratched the person who had just made the suggestion, and also scratched Lin Yiku, who was gloating.
As the fighting progressed, it escalated into a group brawl.
Guan Yuehe initially tried to scratch herself, but after Lin Sitian and the other two realized what was happening, they joined in. In the end, even Lin Yiku, who had been scratched by her, had to help them...
Children's squabbles are nothing to adults. No one gets seriously beaten; the adults just take their kids to each other's homes, give them a good scolding, and that's it.
Anyway, it was all in the past for Guan Yuehe. Not two days after the fight, she went back to playing house.
But Lin Yiku couldn't get over it, and he couldn't stand it no matter what he thought about it, so he was dragged over to "be a bandit," and as a result, he got a scratch on his brow bone.
When his parents came home that evening, Sitian was crying miserably and got another beating.
—
Guan Yuehe noticed that Si Tian's brother was staring at her, so she asked, "Brother Yi Ku, what's wrong?"
"Come and help me carry the water bucket."
"don't want."
"I'll treat you to some sweet soup."
"They're here."
Lin Yiku's water vat was full, and Guan Yuehe grinned obsequiously, asking, "Brother Yiku, where's the sugar water?"
Lin Yi chuckled bitterly, turned around and went into the house to pour her a bowl of water.
Guan Yuehe took a big gulp, then spat it out with a "pfft"—this sugar water was so salty!
————————!!————————
Let me see.
While revising the text and listing the timelines for the side stories, I made a new discovery. In the 1950s, the school system was not completely standardized. Primary school lasted 5-6 years, and junior and senior high school lasted 4-6 years. It was not until 1968 that the "5-2-2" school system was adopted, and then in the early 1980s, it was gradually changed to the "6-3-3" school system.
Another new knowledge point has been added! [Applause]
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