The next day, Qian Duoduo went to the home of a fellow villager nearby to order some seafood. After learning that they usually returned to port by boat in about three days, Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "If a boat returns to port, please have someone go to the military compound to let me know. My surname is Qian, and I am the sister of Commander Qian."
No sooner had he said that than a boy of about 10 years old, who had been watching his younger siblings from the side, stood up and asked, "Are you Commander Qian's sister?"
Qian Duoduo looked at the person in front of her who was not tall, had a dark tan, and was rather thin. His clothes were probably altered from adult clothes.
She bent down to look the little boy in the eye and said with a smile, "Yes! You know my brother?"
The little boy's eyes lit up: "I know him, he saved me. I always watch them run. I want to join the army too, to be a soldier under Commander Qian!"
Qian Duoduo smiled, not expecting that this was one of her older brother's little fans. She asked, "So, are you in school?"
The young fan's bright eyes suddenly dimmed: "Where can I go to school on this island? I heard that Commander Qian is a college student, he's really amazing!"
Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "Yes, my older brother is really amazing. He was very good at school when he was a child, and he was the top student in the whole school!"
The little fanboy looked at her with an air of "My idol is amazing," which made Qian Duoduo laugh even harder. She patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let me tell you, I'm a college student too!"
Upon hearing Qian Duoduo's words, the little fanboy said earnestly, "You're Commander Qian's sister, so it's only natural that you study well!"
Upon hearing his words, you immediately smiled and asked, "My name is Qian Duoduo, what's yours?"
The little fanboy puffed out his chest and loudly proclaimed, "My name is Yudan (Fish Ball)."
Qian Duoduo looked at him incredulously, then pointed to the little boy squatting on the ground playing in the mud and asked, "What's his name?"
Fish Ball said, "His name is Fish Boy."
Qian Duoduo then pointed to a baby who was chewing on his fist and asked, "What about this one?"
Fish Ball smiled and said, "She's my little sister, her name is Little Fish."
Watching Qian Duoduo and her eldest son's conversation, Fish Ball Mom felt a little embarrassed and said, "We've been fishermen for generations, we're not very educated, and the child's father only knows fish and crabs from the sea, so he just named the child randomly."
Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "Children still need to learn some culture. They need to be able to read and write and do arithmetic. With culture, they won't be easily deceived in the future."
Fishball Girl sighed and said, "There are no schools on this island, so it's very difficult for children to learn even if they want to."
Qian Duoduo nodded: "That's a difficult problem too."
After all, no one does anything for nothing. In my hometown in Northeast China, the village school was built because children from several nearby villages needed to attend. The county only approved the construction of the school because several college students came from my village. Otherwise, they would have to go to the town school, which is much farther away and more expensive. Many parents probably couldn't afford it, so their children would drop out of school.
However, she still decided to go back and talk to her older brother. Building a school on the island would be beneficial to the unity between the military and the people. Moreover, with a school, there would be a few job opportunities for military spouses, which would make them feel more at ease staying here.
She asked the fish ball, "What's your last name?"
Fish Ball said, "His surname is Yu!"
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "I think we should be friends now, and I want to call you something different from what others call you."
Fish Ball asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Qian Duoduo said, "Because I'm different from the other kids around you!"
Fish Egg nodded and said, "That makes sense. You're a college student, different from us fishing kids! So what will you call me?"
Qian Duoduo tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Your name is Yudan, so I'll call you Danzai! Your younger brother is called Yuzai, it sounds neat!"
Fish Ball nodded and said, "Okay!"
Qian Duoduo happily grabbed his hand and said, "I want some fish, preferably big ones. Also, octopus or squid would be fine, as well as shrimp, crab, oysters, clams, and anything else!"
Fish Ball thought for a moment and said, "Fish, shrimp, and crabs are in the sea, but oysters and the like can only be dug up by yourself when you go beachcombing in the morning!"
Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up when she heard about beachcombing: "When do you all go beachcombing?"
Fish Ball waved his hand and said, "We all get up at 3 or 4 o'clock, but you people can't get up at that time!"
Qian Duoduo said, "It's okay to do it just once in a while. Are you going to go beachcombing tomorrow? If you can, I'll get up early tomorrow and take me with me, okay?"
Fishball hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you really going? Sometimes you might not even get to go beachcombing!"
Qian Duoduo laughed and said, "I've never been to the beach before, but I want to give it a try. Besides, I have you, right? You're so capable, you can definitely do it!"
Feeling a little embarrassed by her friend's affirmation, Yu Dan scratched her head and said, "Okay then, I'll wait for you tomorrow!"
Qian Duoduo: "What do I need to prepare? Like a bucket and a shovel, anything else?"
Fish Balls: "These are enough!"
Seeing that Qian Duoduo and Yudan were talking without any of the disdain some military wives might have shown, Yudan's mother didn't interrupt. Once they had finished discussing, she asked, "Comrade Qian, when do you need these things?"
Qian Duoduo said, "It's okay, I'm not in a hurry. When your older brother comes back, have Yudan come to the military family compound to find me."
Seeing the fish ball's bright, sparkling eyes, Fish Ball Girl nodded in agreement!
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
