Gu Lanyan came in carrying a bowl of soup. She put the soup on the table and said, "That's the truth. Before, I was always thinking about how to save money and how to eat my fill. Now I'm thinking about making more money. With an income, I don't feel bad about spending money."
Hua Kai said to Gu Lanyan, "Mom, I'll teach you how to make smoked meat pancakes in the next couple of days. This will stabilize our family's income. In the future, when it's not busy in the winter, you can make some red bean pastries and sell them. You can earn a few extra dollars a day, and your family can also have some to eat."
Gu Lanyan quickly agreed, "Yes, Mom is very excited right now, very willing to learn, very willing to set up a stall, and feels especially at ease when collecting money."
Hua Wanjiang said, "That's right, my heart was racing when I received the money."
Hua Kai remembered that the family didn't have a bicycle yet, and said, "Dad, go to the village and buy a bicycle in the next couple of days. This will be our family's tool for making money in the future."
Hua Wanjiang laughed and said, "Do you think Dad didn't think of that? I had your Aunt Feng ask around for me, to see if anyone in the village has an old one. We don't need to buy nice ones here, anyway, it's just for going to the market. Everyone needs to get a new car when they get married or something, so the old ones will sell for a lower price."
Hua Kai laughed as she listened to Hua Wanjiang's words: "Dad, old ginger is spicier, you're still the smartest."
As Gu Lanyan spoke, she brought in the food: "Eat up. We're in a good mood today. Qingyi, have a couple of drinks with your dad."
Hua Qingyi went to the kitchen and got a wine cup: "It's really great that my sister can go directly to high school. If it's delayed for a year, it will cause a lot of trouble. It's worth celebrating."
Hua Qingyang said, "And the fact that our family can always eat meat is also worth celebrating."
Hua Wanjiang tapped his son on the head: "All you do is eat. I told you to go to school quickly, how many days have you been putting it off?"
Speaking of this, Hua Qingyang was a little embarrassed: "I'm embarrassed to go. I haven't studied for half a year, and I don't know if I can keep up with the progress if I go."
After listening to Hua Qingyang's words, Hua Kai pondered for a while and asked Hua Qingyang, "Qingyang, are you willing to study? If you had to choose, would you rather go to a vocational school to learn a skill, or would you rather take the high school entrance exam and go to university?"
Without even thinking, Hua Qingyang said firmly, "I'm not the kind of person who particularly loves studying. I actually quite like driving. I want to go to a vocational school and learn how to repair and drive cars, is that okay, sister?"
Huakai has always believed that work is something that accompanies a person throughout their life, so choosing a job that you like and that brings you joy is essential for a better work-life balance.
In this day and age, you can do almost anything. Learning to drive and repair cars is a good option. You can open a car dealership or a repair shop in the future. Anyway, there will be more and more cars in the future, so this industry has a promising future.
So she said, "Sure, as long as you like it. If you want to go to a vocational school, with your abilities, plus me coming back on weekends to help you review, and me tutoring you during winter and summer vacations, I think you can just stay in your original class."
Because after entering a vocational school, there are not many academic courses required, so it doesn't matter if your foundation is weak, as long as you can pass the exam. It's not like taking the high school entrance exam to go to university, where you have to have a solid foundation in every aspect.
Hua Qingyang could hardly believe that he would actually be able to learn to drive. He looked at Hua Wanjiang and Gu Lanyan and asked, "Mom and Dad, is what my sister said true? You really let me learn to drive?"
Hua Wanjiang said, "Your sister has a lot of education and is knowledgeable. Your mother and I don't object to what your sister says."
Hua Qingyang jumped up happily and said to Hua Kai, "Sister, I promise I'll pass the exam, but you'll have to tutor me afterwards."
Hua Kai smiled and said, "It's only right that I tutor you. Your older brother can listen in too. When our family's financial situation improves, we can let him go to adult education. Learning is always useful."
Hua Qingyi smiled and nodded: "I don't demand to go to school, but I'm willing to learn something."
Hua Wanjiang looked at the children, his eyes reddening: "Good, they're all good kids. Tell me, as their father, how much have I delayed their upbringing?"
Hua Kai said, "Dad, you've been good enough to us. What other family in the village supports a girl's education like this? If anyone is causing a delay, it's me who's causing a delay for my older brother. He was a good student to begin with."
Hua Qingyi quickly said, "I'm not as good at studying as you. Even if I went, I might not get into high school. Besides, I'm a boy, so I can't do any kind of work. Girls should go to school and work in an office. It's so much better that they can stay out of the wind and rain."
Hua Kai looked at her older brother with warmth and said, "Big brother, I will definitely work hard in the future so that you won't have to suffer from wind and rain."
Gu Lanyan said, "From now on, our family will work together to make sure things get better and better."
The happy conversation at the dinner table was all about looking forward to the future. When people have hope, they have something to strive for.
After dinner, it was still early. Hua Kai originally wanted to return Li Jing's bicycle and chat with her, suggesting that she also repeat a year of high school and go to a nursing school or teacher's college next year.
Unexpectedly, just as the bowl and chopsticks were put down, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old came over and said that his grandparents wanted his uncle and aunt to come over.
Judging from the way he was addressed and his age, Hua Kai guessed that this must be Hua Qingfeng, the only son of her fourth uncle, Hua Wanhai.
Seeing that her parents had gone over there, Hua Kai sensed something was wrong here, so she followed along out of concern.
They hadn't gone far when Hua Qingyi caught up, saying that Hua Qingyang could look after the house himself, and that he had come over since he had nothing else to do, though he was just worried about him.
When they arrived at Hua Wanhai's house and saw the brand-new tiled house, Hua Kai was truly struck by the vast difference between her biological mother and stepmother.
In their rural area, most elderly people live with their youngest son, and since their youngest son was born after their remarriage, it's more reasonable for them to live together.
The families of Fourth Uncle Hua Wanhai and Second Uncle Hua Wanhe lived close by, separated by only two households, so the elderly couple frequently visited each other every day.
Although the second and fourth uncles are half-brothers, they have a very good relationship because they were both loved and cared for by Zheng Shuzhen when they were young.
Unlike Hua Wanjiang, who, despite sharing the same father with his third and fourth uncles, had a distant relationship with them.
Upon entering the courtyard, there was a storage room on the east side and a pigsty on the west side, indicating that it was a well-off family.
Hua Kai followed her parents and brother into the house. Although it wasn't dark yet, the room was a bit dim at this time of day.
There were quite a few people in the room. Fortunately, Hua Qingyi was also there. As long as Hua Kai followed her older brother's address, she wouldn't make a mistake. Once they addressed each other, they would know who was who.
Sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) were stepmother Zheng Shuzhen, third aunt Wang Min, and her two daughters, Huashuang and Hualu.
Hua Chongzhi sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) near the head of the bed, rolling a pipe. His third uncle, Hua Wanhu, and fourth uncle, Hua Wanhai, sat at the tea table near the north window.
Fourth Aunt Zhao Xiuzhi carried a freshly brewed teapot and poured tea for Hua Wanhu and Hua Wanhai.
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