Chapter 32
During the time that Tao Zhi was accompanying her, Cheng Xiangqian delivered meals to her every day, but if you think that they were loving meals made by him personally, you are totally wrong.
No male in the Cheng family has ever mastered the skill of cooking.
The day after Cheng Xiangqian came back, he encountered cold pots, cold bowls, and a cold stove, so he decisively went to hire an aunt.
From then on, Cheng Mingcheng and Aunt Li ended their miserable days of having to eat out in small restaurants.
Before, because there were few people, Tao Zhi felt it was unnecessary, so she would rather eat outside.
In short, now that we have a chef at home, we can just tell him what we want to eat and we don’t have to worry about anything.
He also said about Tao Zhi: "You spend a small amount of money to achieve a big goal, but you don't even know how to calculate it."
"Yes, yes, you are right." Tao Zhi appreciated his kindness and was too lazy to refute him.
Therefore, Cheng Xiangqian went out to buy groceries, leaving Tao Zhi at home to accompany his second uncle and others.
Tao Zhi led them to visit the house. Every blade of grass and every tree was done by her, and she was familiar with every inch of it.
As she was talking, she suddenly thought: Can I buy this house?
First, she spent a lot of money; second, she put a lot of thought into it; third, she had developed feelings for it.
Tao Zhi hadn't even considered what to do if the landlord refused to sell. In her opinion, if things couldn't be agreed upon, it simply meant one thing: the price you offered wasn't high enough.
As she walked, she introduced the guests and said, "Since it's a rare visit for you, you should stay longer."
Second Aunt said, "We just came to take a look. There are still a lot of things to do at home."
Tao Zhi smiled and said, "Second Aunt, then take a few more glances at it, and then go back and tell the children to study hard so that they can all get into big cities in the future."
This hit the nail on the head, and Second Aunt smiled from ear to ear: "Okay, this is great, I'll show it off to them when I get home."
Speaking of children, Tao Zhi suddenly remembered and asked Cheng Dachuan: "Where is your big fat boy?"
"At home."
"How old are you now?"
"Just one and a half years old." Cheng Dachuan was very happy.
"You all go to work, what about the child?"
"Let my parents help take care of it for a while."
Tao Zhi thought of a word: left-behind children. She recalled the news reports on left-behind children a decade or two later.
She regretted speaking too hastily. Instead of letting them stay like this, it would be better to go to the machinery factory. This way, they could go home every day and the children could see their parents every day.
Although the words had been spoken, they hadn't been finalized yet, so there was still a chance to salvage the situation. She needed to learn more before making a decision.
"Have you ever thought about bringing the child over?"
Cheng Dachuan rubbed his hands and said, "I want to, but I don't have anyone to take me there."
Tao Zhi suddenly realized that with more than a dozen people from her hometown working at the board factory, that meant more than a dozen families were experiencing the separation of mothers and children, or fathers and children. As more and more people went out to work, she suddenly realized that this wasn't just a problem for one family.
Tao Zhi had a vague idea, but she still needed to think it over, so she decided not to bring it up for now.
She smiled and comforted Dachuan: "Let's get the job done first."
I had a very sumptuous meal at noon.
Cheng Man originally wanted to say that she would bring the food upstairs and eat with her friends on the third floor to avoid making everyone feel uncomfortable.
As soon as she started talking, Ms. Tao glanced at her and said, "Are you mentally healthy?"
Cheng Man understood that Ms. Tao was calling her rude. They'd been riding together for the same trip, so they were familiar with each other. Why should she be uncomfortable? Furthermore, in the presence of her elders, Cheng Man was clearly in the wrong, so she didn't dare to bring up such remarks again.
The guest rooms were all on the first floor. After a satisfying meal and a few drinks, Tao Zhi made beds for her uncle and aunt, leaving Dachuan's room to herself. Fortunately, there were enough rooms, so Tao Zhi also arranged for the two male students to stay on the first floor. As for the girls, Tao Zhi left them alone, letting Cheng Man make her own arrangements.
While they were taking a nap, Tao Zhi pulled the old man over and told him his thoughts in detail.
Cheng Xiangqian's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea. I'll go to the board factory later and ask Village Chief Zhou."
Zhao Zihao arrived at Cheng's house at two o'clock, picked up Cheng Xiangqian, Cheng Dachuan and Qin Yufen, and headed towards the board factory.
After the car stopped, Cheng Hui was not there, but Cheng Xing came to greet him.
She greeted them warmly: "Brother Chuan, Sister Fen, come, I'll show you around."
Cheng Xiangqian walked towards the village by himself.
Cheng Dachuan asked, "Isn't Uncle coming with us?"
Cheng Xing glanced over and saw her father walking so fast he was almost out of sight. She smiled and replied, "Don't worry about my dad; he's gone to see his old friend."
When Cheng Xiangqian arrived at the village committee, Village Chief Zhou happened to be in the office.
When he knocked on the door, Zhou Shangmin looked up and said, "Brother Cheng, long time no see."
He wanted to help get the stool, but Cheng Xiangqian quickly stopped him: "No, no, I can do it myself."
Zhou Shangmin followed him and turned around to make a cup of tea.
After they both sat down, Cheng Xiangqian got straight to the point: "Is there a kindergarten in the village?"
Zhou Shangmin laughed. "Brother, look at us here. We only have two mu of thin land per capita. When the harvest is bad, we only have a few dollars left at the end of the year. How can we afford to open a kindergarten?"
"Where do the kids go to school?"
"Younger children are generally taken care of by their grandparents. When they are around five years old, they can be sent to preschool. Here, it takes one or two kilometers to walk to the school, which is built by several villages together."
“Is there someone to help take care of every household?”
Zhou Shangmin sighed: "That's definitely impossible." After he replied this, his brows furrowed, obviously thinking of something bad.
Cheng Xiangqian did not ask any further questions. He thought of the wonderful idea that Tao Zhi mentioned.
So he asked, "If we build a kindergarten in the name of the board factory, what kind of support can the village give?"
Zhou Shangmin was puzzled: "Why in the name of the board factory?"
"Because this is an employee benefit, the factory helps them take care of their children for free, allowing them to work with greater peace of mind."
"This is a private act of the factory, and the village cannot give any discounts." Village chief Zhou said regretfully.
Cheng Xiangqian smiled and said, "What if this kindergarten also accepts children from the village?"
Zhou Shangmin's eyes lit up instantly, flashing with dazzling light, but then dimmed again.
He shook his head: "It's useless. Parents won't send their children there if they charge money."
He went on to say, "Children, they just run around in the fields, jump around, and grow up in a flash. Why should they spend money to send them to kindergarten? It's not a place where they can study and learn to read seriously." To be honest, Village Chief Zhou himself couldn't quite understand it.
"Brother, you're right. This money shouldn't be spent. So we thought of opening it to the villagers for free."
When Zhou Shangmin heard this, he immediately sat up straight, "Brother, what do you mean?"
Cheng Xiangqian said, "First of all, building this kindergarten, whether for the employees or for other reasons, is all for the children. Do you agree with this?"
Zhou Shangmin nodded.
"The main expenses for building a kindergarten are the building and the teachers' salaries. Since we're providing free services to the staff, why not also provide free services to the villagers? Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"
Zhou Shangmin didn't fall for it: "No, no, if there are more children, the expenses will increase accordingly."
Cheng Xiangqian smiled brightly: "So, I'm looking for your help, brother?"
Well, the topic is back to normal again, and Zhou Shangmin is a little distressed.
Seeing that he still didn't understand, Cheng Xiangqian simply laid it all out: "Brother Zhou, let me be frank. The village provides the land, and we pay to build the house. Once the house is completed, the property will belong to the village, right?"
Zhou Shangmin suddenly realized: "So you just pay money and get nothing?"
"That's not how it's calculated. As long as the board factory is here, we have to use this house."
Zhou Shangmin laughed heartily: "That's not a big problem. If you guys help take care of those naughty kids, I don't know how much trouble it will save the village."
"Brother Zhou, are you letting go?"
"Of course I'm willing to do that. So, where do you plan to build it?"
"It's best to be close to the road so it'll be easier for you to attract business later. Even if it's converted into a shop, it's guaranteed to be profitable. Also, it shouldn't be too far from the board factory."
Zhou Shangmin understood what was going on. He said, "Brother, wait for me for two days. I'll call a meeting for the village. Then we'll go through the formal procedures, signing what needs to be signed and stamping what needs to be stamped. Is that okay?"
Cheng Xiangqian patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's do it."
He hummed a little tune all the way and walked slowly back to the board factory.
After arriving home, the first thing he did was to take credit for his achievement to Tao Zhi.
Tao Zhi usually doesn't let him drink, but today she personally poured him a glass of Moutai.
Cheng Xiangqian was beaming with joy, but then he looked over and saw Tao Zhi pouring more wine for his uncle. Well, today he was just a guest. No matter what, as long as he could drink, he didn't care what the reason was.
Cheng Man requested beer, and Tao Zhi prepared some for her. Unfortunately, Cheng Man could only watch her friends clink glasses while she could only drink soda. People's joys and sorrows are not shared, and no one present sympathized with her. She sighed deeply.
Tao Zhi asked Tan Yufen, "How was your viewing today?"
Tan Yufen's face flushed: "Aunt, Cheng Xing said I can go to work too."
"So do you want to go?"
"Aunt, I'm more than willing to do this. I never thought that even though I have no education, I could become a worker today." As Qin Yufen spoke, she began to cry with joy.
Tao Zhi, too, was filled with emotion. The machinery factory didn't need female workers, and those from her hometown who had little education were asked to work far away, but many lacked the courage. With their families tying them down, they waited endlessly for a job, waiting for no one to know how long.
Tao Zhi stroked her back and said, "It's because you are capable that I accepted you."
"Then I will do my best."
"If you don't do your job well, you won't get any food, okay?"
Tan Yufen burst into laughter and said, "Aunt, you always know how to make fun of people."
"Where's Okawa?"
"I'll stay at the board factory too."
"Then call your parents tomorrow and ask them if they'd like to work at the board factory."
Cheng Dachuan doubted his ears: "My parents? Work in a board factory?"
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