Chapter 139 139

Father Jiang got off the car and stood at the gate of No. 1 Middle School. He seemed to be in a trance, and walked towards the gate of No. 1 Middle School with some disbelief.

He looked up again, and there were three banners on it: [Congratulations to our student Jiang Xi for winning the provincial first prize in the physics competition] [Congratulations to our student Jiang Xi for winning the provincial first prize in the chemistry competition] [Congratulations to our student Jiang Xi for winning the provincial first prize in the mathematics competition].

Before the gate of No. 1 Middle School was opened, his eyes fell on the school wall, and he saw that there were also banners on the school wall.

He walked along the school wall, starting from the left, and walked around the wall.

The whole No. 1 Middle School was surrounded by banners.

Father Jiang couldn't tell what he felt for a moment. He felt proud and a little sad, as if his perseverance over the years had paid off.

No wonder his daughter didn't come back for the New Year. It turned out that she went to winter camp.

His daughter was so promising. Of course, her studies were important. What was the big deal if she didn't come back?

He smiled widely unconsciously. When he walked around and came to the front of Jiang's shop, he saw Grandpa Jiang lying on a recliner with a thick blanket covering his legs, swaying slowly.

"Dad!" Dad Jiang shouted in disbelief, startling Grandpa Jiang, who was sunbathing with his eyes closed and listening to the radio. He opened his eyes and scratched his ears: "Why are you talking so loudly? You've deafened my ears!"

He continued to rock on the rocking chair. Dad Jiang strode over and When he saw Jiang Xi, who was typing intently on the computer in the store, he was stunned for a moment, then shouted happily: "Xi Xi, is it you on the banner at the gate of No. 1 Middle School?"

Jiang's father's voice was really loud, and Jiang Xi's thoughts were confused. She turned her head to look at Jiang's father, smiled, and nodded: "Yeah."

Jiang's father was so happy, "Is it really you? I said it shouldn't be someone with the same name. I thought of you when I saw you!" Jiang's father said with emotion: "You have been smart since you were young. I said you were smart. When you were a child, I taught you math, and you learned it right away!"

Otherwise, she would not have been sent to elementary school by Jiang's father at such a young age and was in the first grade.

When Jiang Xi went to school, the school did not have a preschool class. The school was not in their village, but in the neighboring Xujia Village. To walk from the embankment of Jiangjia Village to Xujia Village, one had to cross a very deep and wide ditch with only a crooked single-plank bridge over it. In spring, summer, and autumn, it was OK because the children were brave enough to hold the single-plank bridge and crawl across.

Jiang Xi was young, and when she crossed the single-plank bridge, it was too cold in winter with ice and snow. She couldn't hold on and fell down countless times. There was water in the ditch, and she would get soaked in ice water every time she fell down. She would walk back alone, change her clothes, and continue to go to school.

She still remembered one time when she was so dizzy from fever that Grandpa Jiang carried her to Xujia Village for an injection. On the way, she met an acquaintance who greeted her and asked Grandpa Jiang, "Where are you carrying Xiaoxiao?" Jiang Xiao, who was lying on Grandpa Jiang's back, replied vaguely, "To get an injection."

Jiang Xiao herself didn't remember this very clearly, but Grandpa Jiang often talked about it, using it to prove that Jiang Xiao was very well behaved. She didn't even cry or make a fuss when she got an injection. She was very well behaved.

Later, Jiang Bai also came back to school. Every time he pulled her and led her, moving her over little by little, and the two of them were often late because of this.

Teachers at that time were not like today's teachers. They could not punish students physically. At that time, they punished students physically. The lighter punishment was to stand in the corner or at the door. The heavier punishment was to kneel at the back of the classroom or

hit the palm with a bamboo stick. Jiang Xi's grades were very bad at that time. A teacher from Xujia Village teased Jiang's father: "Didn't you say your daughter is very smart? Are you bragging?"

He teased Jiang's father in front of Jiang Xi. She has blurred the teacher's face, but she still remembers the incident clearly and feels ashamed.

Since then, she has never been called smart again. From childhood to adulthood, all she has heard are "as stupid as a pig", "as stupid as a big goose", "as stupid as a donkey", and "I wouldn't say anything if you were half as smart as your older brother". After her

parents scolded her so many times, her eldest brother would also say, "How can you be as stupid as a donkey!"

The children in the village would also say, "Jiang Liu, you are as stupid as a pig, I won't play with you!"

She was already several years younger than the children in her class, and her father liked to force her to learn. When she was young, her family had many elementary school students' Olympic competition questions, classical Chinese articles, etc., and asked Jiang Liu to recite a classical Chinese article every day. When Jiang Liu was in the third grade, her father taught her the fifth grade Olympiad math questions. She studied until twelve o'clock every night, and she was so sleepy that she kept nodding her head, and she had no idea what Jiang's father was talking about.

People who have tutored their children to do homework know how frustrated parents are when they teach their children to do homework. Jiang's father was so angry that he broke his pencil when he saw that she couldn't do it no matter how he taught her.

Father Jiang was a relatively stable person with no violent tendencies. Among so many parents in the countryside, Father Jiang was a tall man among the short ones. He was really a good father. At least, he was willing to send his children to school and never beat them.

But Jiang Xiao was beaten. After she failed to learn no matter how hard she tried, Father Jiang was so angry that he smashed a math book on her head. The angry smash made the young Jiang Xiao's head buzz.

Later, Jiang's father completely gave up the idea that his daughter was a genius. In addition, he worked away from home all year round, so it was impossible for him to help her with her homework. Instead, he stopped helping Jiang Xi with her homework. When he and Jiang's mother were not at home, she finally didn't need to study ahead of time. Her grades got better and better .

But at this time, Jiang's father proudly said that she was smart since she was a child.

He seemed to have forgotten what he said about her being as stupid as a big goose and as stupid as a donkey.

Jiang Xi just looked at Jiang's father and smiled.

Father Jiang was still excited: "I saw a banner saying that you were admitted to Kyoto University in advance. Is that true?"

After Jiang Xi nodded with a smile, Father Jiang was so happy that he didn't know what to do. He said with regret: "Such a big thing, why didn't you tell me! You should call me and tell me!"

Jiang Xi saved the document on the computer, turned off the computer, turned around and looked at Father Jiang and said: "This happened in the winter camp. I just came back from the winter camp. Besides, this matter will take another year. I can't start with this class of freshmen until next year. " I'm going to college together."

Although Jiang's father taught her elementary school Olympic math problems, he himself had never participated in a competition. There was no such competition in his era, and he didn't know what winter camp was. He just nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, yes, you just came back." Jiang's father happily walked around the store, looked up and saw the store, and asked her, "Is this store opened by your grandfather?"

He had wanted to rent a store for a long time, but who knew that his own store had not yet opened and he was still setting up a small stall every day, but his father actually opened a store.

Although the rent in a small county town cannot be compared with that in a big city like Shenzhen, it is still a store.

He didn't expect that his father was more courageous than him. He said he came out to pick up rags and beg for food, but he didn't expect that he would open a store directly.

The people in Jiangjia Village did not think begging was a big deal. It was quite common in their area, especially during the Chinese New Year period, when children would often lead the elderly to go from house to house begging by saying auspicious words. Those with skills would even bring an erhu and play it from house to house. Some people would give them money without waiting for them to start playing, and then they would go to the next house. Some people would not give them money, so they would play the erhu at the door until someone gave them money, and then they would go to the next house.

If they don't have a erhu but have a good voice, they can sing in their local dialect, singing all kinds of auspicious words. Some people invite them to sing at the doorstep when there is a lot of activity, and they want to hear some festive words. If they can't sing, they can just talk. They hold a clapper in their hands and beat the clappers while saying auspicious words. After a round of auspicious words, the host will usually be happy and smile. Some will give a little, some will give fifty or eighty cents. They are all locals, and they know each other. Sometimes they will invite them to sit down and chat.

They are called beggars, but they are not different from the beggars who kneel on the ground outside and wear tattered and dirty clothes. Their clothes are all clean. Except for begging, they are no different from ordinary people. They even have children.

Jiang's father asked Grandpa Jiang, "Dad, are you okay?"

Grandpa Jiang said, "I'm fine!" "

Ailian and I thought something happened to you during the New Year and that's why you didn't come back. We were so worried. You're fine, why didn't you come back for the New Year? Ailian and I waited for you. The table of food was cold, but no one came, and there was no call."

Grandpa Jiang said, "Why didn't you call? Didn't Baizi call and go back?"

In the entire Jiangjia Village, only the brigade headquarters had a telephone. Jiang's father thought the call was answered by the person guarding the brigade headquarters, and said, "Old Yang is getting more and more confused. I went to the brigade headquarters to call before, and he didn't even tell me that you called and came back. Ailian and I were so worried!"

At this time, he didn't know that Jiang Hehua was in prison. He just thought that the old man was confused and forgot about it.

Grandpa Jiang knew that Jiang Wu probably had a conflict with Jiang Hehua, otherwise the brigade secretary would not have sent him so many fruits and cakes, and wanted to find Jiang Wu through him. But Jiang Wu did not tell Grandpa Jiang what it was about, and Grandpa Jiang did not ask. He was not a talkative person, even silent. No one came to Grandpa Jiang to gossip about him, and Grandpa Jiang really did not know that Jiang Hehua was in jail.

Jiang Bai didn't know anything about it in Shanghai. When he was in Wucheng, except for Tong Jingang, he basically kept to himself and didn't gossip with anyone. Even if others gossiped about him, they couldn't find him. After he and Tong Jingang returned to Wucheng, their minds were full of making money. They came to the store early in the morning every day, grabbed the clothes and rushed to the countryside. They didn't return to Wucheng until the evening. They went straight to Tong Jingang's house at night, so he didn't know anything about it.

"Where is Baizi? Why didn't Baizi go home for the New Year?" Jiang's father asked again: "Dad, why didn't you go home for the New Year?"

Grandpa Jiang said unhappily: "Why don't you know why I don't go home? You and your wife have no trace once you go out. You don't pay for the children's tuition and living expenses. This street is usually empty. If I don't make more money during this period at the end of the year, I and Xiaoxiao will starve to death!"

Grandpa Jiang is not a fool. If he is a fool, he will not become the only person in the entire Linhe Brigade who gets paid except for the cadres of the brigade.

Even if he goes back to brag, he will brag selectively and will not tell everything.

Grandpa Jiang did not dare to mention Jiang Xiao's purchase of a house to anyone, let alone let Jiang's father and mother know.

If her mother knew that she had to pay back a huge loan of more than 7,000 yuan a month, and owed hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan in loans outside, she would probably want to beat her to death and cut off all ties with her immediately.

For this reason, Grandpa Jiang didn't dare to say a word.

Grandpa Jiang's words made Jiang's father feel a little embarrassed. He looked at Jiang Xiao: "Didn't I pay you the tuition for last semester?"

Without waiting for Jiang Xiao to speak, Grandpa Jiang retorted: "The tuition has been paid, but what about living expenses? Buying books and notebooks is free? What about this semester's tuition? Are you going to give it to us or not? What should we do if you don't give it to us?"

Grandpa Jiang no longer had his usual leisurely look. He sat up straight and said to Jiang's father: "Xing Xiao has been admitted to a university in advance. It is not clear whether she will go to university next semester or stay in Wucheng. If she goes to university, the tuition will be quite a lot per year. How can I count on you?" As he said that, he leaned back in the recliner, closed his eyes, and stopped talking to Jiang's father.

These words made Jiang's father embarrassed. He took out the three thousand yuan he had hidden and stuffed it into Jiang Xi's hand, saying, "Use this money to pay the tuition first. If it's not enough, tell me later."

He was afraid that something might happen to the old man, so he didn't come back for the New Year. When he came out, he took out all the private money he had saved this year. Although he estimated that if something really happened to the old man, a few hundred or a thousand should be enough to cover it, what if it happened? And seeing Jiang Bai, he could also give him this year's tuition first. Unexpectedly, when he arrived in Wucheng, he saw the good news that Jiang Xi was admitted to Peking University.

After knowing that Jiang Xi was fine, Jiang's father was relieved and asked Jiang Xi curiously: "What is this? Is it a TV? Why are there two TVs here?"

The shape of the computer screen is really no different from that of a TV in this era, except that there is no button on the right side to adjust the channel.

Jiang's father had never seen a computer before and just thought it was a TV.

Jiang Xi did not explain and said: "The TV belongs to my second brother's friend, brother Tong Jingang. His family bought a new large color TV and the old TV was no longer used, so he moved it to the store."

Jiang's father did not know Jiang Bai's friends. Jiang Bai, like Jiang Xi, did not like to bring friends home.

He just said "Oh" and asked, "Where is Baizi? Why can't I see him?"

Jiang Qing said, "Second brother went to the town below to sell clothes, right?"

"Where did he sell clothes? I didn't see him when I came up from Shuibu Town."

"He doesn't only sell in Shuibu Town. He goes to whichever town has many people and good business."

Jiang's father suddenly realized, "No wonder he doesn't go home for the New Year." Jiang Song was not at home during the New Year last year. He thought that it was already the coldest year. Unexpectedly, this year is even colder. There are only him and Jiang's mother. Thinking of the two of them facing the empty and cold home at that time, and their mood at that time, Jiang's father couldn't help complaining, "No matter what, you have to go home for the New Year."

Thinking of the two children who probably still think that the family is as difficult as in the past few years, he thought of When my daughter was about to go home because she had to earn more money to pay for her tuition during the Spring Festival, Jiang's father couldn't help but smile and said, "When you meet your second brother, tell him not to sell clothes outside to earn money during the Spring Festival. Your dad has earned a lot this year!"

He was filled with pride and said to his daughter with a smile, "By the way, Xiaoxiao, our family is preparing to build a big house now. In the future, you and Baizi can bring any classmates or friends home to play. The new house will have many rooms and everyone will have a place to live!"