"No need to be so polite. Since the brigade leader said so, he probably agrees. He asked me because he was afraid I would have any thoughts later. Don't worry, I discussed it with the old village chief today. If our primary school opens, we will definitely have two classes, one fast and one slow. The older children will be in one class, and the younger children in another. That way, we will indeed need two teachers."
After Ma Yuying left, thanking her profusely, Xiuzhi lowered her head and sewed. "That educated youth, Gao, is a bad person. My mother made him talk to my sister, and he told her to pursue her own happiness and not be bound by her family..."
Xiuzhi thought for a long time, "Anyway, just tie something."
"Bound by family."
"Yes, I understand what he means. He means to tell her not to listen to her family, right?"
Xu Keke laughed, "You're right, that's exactly what he meant."
I don't know what Ma Yuying said to Xiuhong, but the next morning Xiuhong came to see her wearing a nearly new blue corduroy jacket.
Perhaps she had always been unkind to herself, and couldn't change her attitude all at once. Standing outside the door, she awkwardly tucked her short hair behind her ears, then, remembering it didn't look good, quickly pulled it forward.
As Xu Keke was tidying up the sheets of paper she had drawn yesterday, she caught a glimpse of her daughter's little actions out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but smile. She was still just a child.
Xu Keke came out of the house, and Xiu Hong called out shyly, "Bai Zhiqing, my mother said she wants to ask you if you can take Xiu Mei with you. If not, she can go to the fields to help."
Xiumei peeked her little head out of the house, waiting for Xu Keke to decide whether she should stay or leave.
What help would he get in the fields? He'd just be running around playing and helping the adults. Judging from the little guy's expression, he seemed to want to come with her. Xu Keke smiled and waved to Xiumei, "Don't go to the fields, come with us."
Upon hearing Xu Keke's words, Xiao Xiumei rushed out with a toothless grin.
Xiuhong gave her a disdainful look. "All you do is grin like an idiot. You don't even know to cover your teeth. You look awful."
Xiumei wrinkled her nose at her, took Xu Keke's free hand, tilted her head and gave Xu Keke a smile that made her eyes crinkle.
Children are very perceptive; they not only know who treats them well, but they also know what those people like best. Xiumei knew that Xu Keke loved seeing her smile. So whenever Xu Keke was happy, she would smile even more brightly.
"Your second sister and I still have work to do in a bit, so you'll have to go to the old village chief's house and wait for us. You and Xiaodouzi can draw together, just like you did yesterday afternoon, okay?"
Before Xiao Xiumei could react, Xiuhong instantly straightened her back upon hearing the word "work," feeling like she had become an adult. Hearing Xu Keke utter those two words, "work," felt strangely different, almost sacred.
Not long after the three of them left, Xu Keke noticed Xiu Hong's change. She looked like a girl who had just put on new clothes and was walking down the street, with her chest out and head held high, exuding a kind of inexplicable pride and a bit of pomp.
Xu Keke guessed that this new identity gave her some different ideas.
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