Xie Yan didn't want to be so cruel as to tell them that boys and girls are different in this world, even though they are all in the same classroom now because of school.
They may look the same on the surface, but what is the actual situation?
There are only three girls in the class of twenty-five. Is it because there are few girls here?
No!
If you take a stroll through the village now, you'll see countless girls working; some are washing clothes by the river, others are taking care of children, and still others are doing housework...
You can see what girls are doing.
These girls are all of school age.
Why aren't they in school? Is it because they don't want to?
No, actually they wanted the opportunity to study more than anyone else.
But I also know very well that I won't have such a good opportunity.
All I can do is work hard and be a virtuous girl, hoping to marry into a good family in the future.
Girls here don't need to go to school.
In the local parlance, girls are all going to get married anyway, so what's the point of studying so much? They'll just end up belonging to someone else's family anyway, it's a waste of money.
How ridiculous!
There is a little girl in Xie Yan's class named Zhang Honghong. She has a round face and is a very cute child. There are three children in her family, and she is the youngest.
She was able to attend school this time entirely because her older sister collected apricot kernels, cracked them open to extract the kernels (a medicinal ingredient), and sold the peach kernels (also medicinal ingredients) to earn money to support her studies.
Every day after this child comes home, he reads the text he learned that day to his older sister word for word. How smart is his older sister?
She can memorize all the words as long as her younger sister reads them only once.
If Zhang Honghong forgot any words, she would circle them and ask Xie Yan about them the next day.
Xie Yan initially thought the child was just studying hard, until he learned about it by chance.
I later had the pleasure of meeting Zhang Huohuo at a banquet. She was a very capable girl, only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet she had already taken on the heavy responsibility of supporting her family.
Xie Yan both admired her competence and felt sorry for her.
What a smart and capable little girl!
Therefore, Xie Yan couldn't stand seeing girls coming to school and forgot how hard-won this opportunity was for him.
This is a world far more cruel than the world that followed. It was only after arriving here that Xie Yan came to understand the saying: reality is often more cruel than what you see, let alone what you see on TV.
Whether in novels or on television, the world is idealized, while the real world is cruel. In this world, girls are expected to get married when they reach a certain age.
They start arranging marriages as early as fourteen or fifteen years old. The only way to escape this situation is to go out and explore the world.
There is only one path out of poverty for them: education. It is their only way out.
Therefore, he hopes that the girls here can seize this opportunity to study, go out and see the world.
Xie Yan earnestly hoped that they would strive to obtain that one-off opportunity and seize it with all their might. They were at the perfect age, and as long as they studied hard and continued their studies, they would definitely become college students in the future.
The value of a college degree in this era is self-evident.
This is their only chance to change their fate.
As long as they study well, even if their families don't allow them to continue their studies in junior high or high school, he can use that as an excuse to fool their parents and get them to continue their education.
Of course, Xie Yan did not neglect the boys because of this. Opportunities were just as precious to them. Although they had many more opportunities than the girls, the opportunity of taking the college entrance examination was the same for them.
Seeing the little girl crying so hard, Xie Yan said gently, "Now do you know why your teacher called you here?"
"Are you even going to speak anymore?"
The little girl shook her head.
Xie Yan looked at Zhang Ergou and revealed a wicked smile. Of course, different methods should be used for different people. "I heard that your father requires you to study hard. What do you think he would do if he knew that you were not studying properly at school and were gossiping instead?"
Zhang Ergou trembled, truly terrified! His father would beat him to death if he found out. He cried out, "Teacher... Teacher, I know I was wrong, please don't tell my father!"
Xie Yan sighed, "Er Gou, you heard it too, how much chores does Xiao Hua have to do when she gets home? And what about you? Your father won't let you do anything so you can focus on your studies!"
"How can you do this to your father?"
"If you don't do as well as Yu Xiaohua on future exams, do you think Dad won't beat you?"
Zhang Ergou's eyes widened, he shook his head in terror, and choked out, "Teacher, I promise I'll study hard from now on, I'll never speak again!"
Xie Yan smiled, cracking the pointer in his hand. Looking at the trembling child, he nodded in satisfaction. "From now on, you must finish all your homework in the classroom and learn to write characters. Go home and do your chores properly. I will check on you at home from time to time. If I find that you are not complying, I will tell your father about today's events!"
Zhang Ergou blinked, "What does 'teacher outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant' mean?"
Xie Yan: "..."
This is a great time to learn!
He licked his back teeth, suppressing the urge to curse, "It's exactly what you're thinking!"
Ignoring the boy's wide, frightened eyes, she said, "Alright, both of you go back to your homework. If I find out there's a next time, the consequences..."
With the cracking sound of the pointer, the two quickly fled.
Upon reaching the door, Yu Xiaohua ran over again. Xie Yan put down the pointer in his hand and nodded to Zhang Ergou, signaling him to go back first.
After Zhang Ergou left, Xie Yan said, "Say what you have to say!"
Yu Xiaohua mustered her courage and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, why do I have to do so much work, while Zhang Ergou doesn't?"
"Is it because I'm a girl?"
Xie Yan nodded, "You're right, it's precisely because you're a girl that you have to do so much work!"
Seeing the little girl puff out her cheeks in protest, like a little pufferfish, Xie Yan resisted the urge to poke her. "You must think this is unfair, right?"
Yu Xiaohua nodded, "Yes! It's just not fair!"
Why shouldn't boys have to do chores?
"That's because your younger brother is still young, so you don't feel it yet. When your brother grows up and can go to school, you'll understand..."
Xie Yan couldn't bring herself to say anything more.
The preference for sons over daughters is very serious in Xiliu Village, and Yu Xiaohua's family is no exception. This is not something Xie Yan can solve, and he doesn't want to tell Yu Xiaohua about gender equality against his will!
This will only harm her.
She is able to go to school thanks to the head of the student council.
After all, her family was the only one in the entire Yu family who had a child of school age and could afford the 50-cent tuition fee. It was only after the brigade leader persuaded her father that she was able to attend school.
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