Chapter 138 Bitter Youth
On New Year's Eve, all the migrant workers returned home. Gu Yin also saw Li Fengni, whom she had bumped into when she went to take out the trash that day. Li Fengni was much more cheerful and fairer. She greeted Gu Yin and then went to the street with Li Dahu to buy New Year's goods.
After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, everyone chatted and slept around the fire.
"Those kids who went to work in other provinces all came back with cell phones, new clothes, and lots of New Year's goods, including cigarettes, alcohol, chicken, and duck. I saw their families, and they were all beaming with joy! Everyone in the village had a truly fulfilling New Year!" the old lady said with a smile as she put sweet potatoes to roast by the fire.
Gu Shu, who was reading a book, smiled when he heard this and said, "I went to the playground with them during the day and heard them say that they earn more than two thousand yuan a month, with room and board included. They've been working there for half a year and have already earned over ten thousand! After the New Year, all the other uncles in the village will go with them!"
Gu Hua sighed, "I've heard about it too. The village is getting restless. Many parents aren't letting their daughters go to school anymore and want them to go out to work. At first, those people weren't willing, but when they see the girls coming back from work, wearing bright clothes and leather boots, with all sorts of pretty hairstyles, and their lips painted red, and talking about skyscrapers and the glitz and glamour of city life, they're all tempted!"
The old man was putting tobacco into his pipe when he heard this. He paused for a moment, then looked at the people in the room and said, "We don't care what others do. Don't try to persuade others just because you think studying is the right path. Otherwise, all those parents will turn against you and think you're hindering their wealth! Cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents. It's not good to do something good but end up doing something bad. When we meet the village chief, I'll talk to him and ask him to persuade them. If it works, great; if not, that's their fate. Anyway, their parents think going to the factory is better than studying, so we shouldn't say too much."
Gu Yin particularly agreed with the old man's words. This had happened in her previous life. Back then, the village chief went to persuade them. Some children listened to the advice and didn't go to work, but the parents wouldn't listen. Seeing that their children refused to go, they directed all their resentment at the village chief and cursed him from time to time!
Especially during the Spring Festival, when they see others returning home with all sorts of New Year's goods and giving money to their parents, and some even bringing their girlfriends back with their sweet words, those people are absolutely furious. They squat in front of the village chief's house every day, cursing and swearing. They can't be driven away, and anyone who tries to persuade them gets cursed at!
"Grandpa, go back and tell the village chief that if he can persuade them, he should; if he can't, then so be it, so as not to cause trouble!" The village chief's duty required him to persuade them, but it wasn't his fault if he couldn't persuade them.
Grandpa Gu nodded: "I know, don't worry."
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Gu family had no relatives, so they only visited the village chief's and Li Li's homes to offer New Year's greetings. However, almost all the children in the village came to the Gu family to wish them a Happy New Year.
Luckily, we had enough New Year's goods and one-yuan red envelopes prepared at home, otherwise we would have made a fool of ourselves!
After the Lantern Festival, everyone went out to work. Gu Qinglang and Li Li also went back to their studies. Gu Yin didn't hear anyone cursing the village chief. It seems the village chief has learned his lesson this time.
After the Lantern Festival, students returned to school.
Gu Shu doesn't need anyone to take her to school this time, and Gu Yin and Gu Hua don't need any adults to accompany them either. However, Gu Le needs Li Mengxin to accompany her.
After the start of the semester, the pace of teaching for all subjects has increased significantly. Even Feng Jiangyue frequently sets out test papers and goes to the classroom to check on students and address any questions they may have.
Gu Yin's math Olympiad training has been temporarily suspended, and she has focused all her efforts on preparing for the high school entrance exam. She only studies in the system at night before going to bed. Wang Zhi is relieved to see how self-disciplined the two of them are.
After the Qingming Festival, Z City became extremely hot.
Gu Yin, who was finally able to sleep in on the weekend, was woken up by the clanging of machines outside.
Gu Yin stood up and kicked Gu Hua: "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"
Gu Hua rolled over and muttered, "There's road construction today, so it's quite noisy. It'll be like this for the next two weeks or so, so you'll have to get used to it."
Gu Yin almost forgot that they had talked about it last year. They originally thought they would start construction in the spring, but it was the rainy season then, so they couldn't start construction at all, and it has been delayed until now.
After washing up, Gu Yin went outside and saw her grandfather repairing the road near their home with a hoe.
The main tasks were cutting grass, leveling the ground, and placing stones to cushion low-lying areas. Everyone worked very hard, creating a lively and bustling scene.
Gu Yin turned and went into the kitchen, where she saw her grandmother cooking mung bean soup.
"Is this for the villagers outside to drink?" Gu Yin went over to help add firewood.
"Yes, it's hot, and after sweating so much, some mung bean soup is good! Only those of us outside can have some, there won't be any more." The old lady was mainly worried about the old man. Originally, Gu Qingming was supposed to do this, but the market needed him to go, so the old man took over. Fortunately, the old man was still in good physical condition and could do it!
As for the others, they were just incidental!
Gu Yin nodded, then, thinking about the donation, asked, "How much did our family donate?"
The old lady laughed and said, "Several people who do business or work outside contributed one or two thousand each! Li Mingxuan's father contributed 5,000, and we followed suit." Those people referred to were middle-aged people who work or do business outside, not young people.
There are over a hundred households in the village, and cement isn't expensive now. In fact, this money is more than enough to last. Even if I hadn't taken care of my family in my previous life, I wouldn't have been able to spend all 5,000 yuan. The rest of the money was kept in the village's account until the construction of the new rural area, when all of this money was finally used up.
After all the cement roads in the village were completed, Gu Yin entered the final sprint stage.
With only a month left until the high school entrance exam, Gu Yin was increasingly leaving early and returning late. When Wang Yanni took the placement exam in the second year of junior high, her grades dropped significantly, and she was assigned to the second class. As a result, the dormitory was very peaceful. Whenever the people in the dormitory saw Gu Yin resting or reading, they would consciously quiet down.
That day, after lunch, Gu Yin didn't go home for a nap. Instead, she planned to walk a few laps around the track to digest her food.
Just as she finished her lap, she saw Song Pengfei riding his bike in from the school gate. When he saw Gu Yin on the track, he waved, parked his bike, and quickly ran over.
When he walked up to her, Gu Yin asked in confusion, "Don't you eat at school?" Didn't he often eat with her and her friends when he was in the first year of junior high?
Song Pengfei walked ahead and saw Gu Yin following him. He smiled and said, "I stopped eating at school after the second year of junior high. Are you digesting your food?"
Gu Yin nodded: "I've almost finished walking. Are you still going?"
Song Pengfei did not reply and continued walking forward. Just as he was about to reach the exit, he turned to look at Gu Yin.
The girl's delicate face was fair with a rosy glow, and when her clear eyes looked at you quietly, it felt like you could be drawn into them. He took a few deep breaths and looked into the distance.
Where do you plan to apply for high school?
Gu Yin looked at the boy in front of her and saw that his hands were clenched tightly and his ears were red. Suddenly, she thought of something.
Ah, youth.
"Jiang Gao."
Song Pengfei smiled bitterly to himself. Sure enough, with grades like hers, how could she possibly get into a top county school?
"Your grades should be good enough. Do you think there's any chance I could pass the exam?"
Gu Yin didn't look at him, but looked into the distance, and said with a smile, "Anyone is possible, it just depends on how much you are willing to give. How will you know your bottom line if you don't try?"
Song Pengfei knew his own capabilities; as for Jiang Gao, he could only dream about it.
"Where do you want to go to university?"
He was unwilling to give up and still wanted to follow in her footsteps.
Gu Yin shook her head: "I don't know yet. I'll understand when I take the college entrance exam. It's too early to ask now."
Song Pengfei nodded and looked at Gu Yin again: "If, I mean if we go to the same university, can we still eat together in the cafeteria like we did in the first year of junior high?"
Gu Yin nodded: "Of course! We're old classmates, what's the big deal? You and Xiaomin both need to work hard! We can go eat together then!"
The words that were not yet spoken were pressed down in my heart, like eating unripe fruit, both sour and astringent.
Song Pengfei swallowed the bitterness and nodded with a smile: "Okay, we will try our best."
Gu Yin glanced at the time, waved to him, and said, "I'll be going now, goodbye!"
Watching her receding figure, Song Pengfei knew that from now on, she would be an eagle in the sky, while he would be a grasshopper on the ground. No matter how high he jumped, he could never reach that existence on the horizon again. Perhaps he could occasionally look up and see her figure passing over the sky, but she would not stay for him.
Isn't that what youth is all about?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com