"Go find your father?" Zhao Yunxiang began to consider the possibility of this matter.
"Mom, go, go! Take my brother with you. I heard from my uncle last time that my brother is doing very well in preschool! He always gets first place in the exams. If Dad knew, he would definitely be happy." Zhou Yuanyuan added fuel to the fire.
When Zhao Yunxiang heard Yuanyuan talking about Zhou Jiasheng going to preschool, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
In September this year, the Young Eagle Kindergarten in Sanhe Town recruited a group of preschool children aged six to eight and set up a preschool class.
The only kindergarten in Sanhe Town, the Young Eagle Kindergarten, mostly has children whose parents work in the town. Located in a village surrounding Sanhe Town, the Kindergarten is what would later become known as an "aristocratic school."
In those days, every household had many children, from the oldest to the youngest, and it was common for a family to have three or five siblings. Despite having so many children, no farmer would send their children to kindergarten. Many people believed that children should go straight to elementary school at age eight. Why would they go to kindergarten? It was a waste!
With more children, the burden on parents has also increased. In rural areas, it is a luxury for the whole family to have enough food to eat. Where can they afford to send their children to kindergarten?
However, the villagers were still envious when they saw the children coming out of the Young Eagle Kindergarten dressed neatly and behaved politely.
The Young Eagle Kindergarten will enroll 20 students in its preschool class this time. The most important thing is that students do not have to pay for the class themselves. The tuition and living expenses will be paid by the town, which can be considered a benefit for Sanhe Town and its subordinate units.
Zhao Yunxiang's younger brother, Zhao Guohui, is the director of the Sanhe Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative. He was just named an advanced model worker in the first half of the year, so he was awarded a free place in kindergarten.
Zhao Guohui had recently married and didn't have any children of his own. After discussing the matter with his wife, Xu Liqin, he decided to give the spot to Zhao Yunxiang's son, Zhou Jiasheng. Firstly, Zhao Guohui only had one biological sister, Zhao Yunxiang, and his nephew, Zhou Jiasheng, had just turned six this year, meeting the preschool enrollment requirements. Secondly, the town leaders said that if they didn't have a child of the right age, a relative's child would be acceptable.
Zhao Yunxiang was naturally delighted that Zhou Jiasheng could go to school in town. Children his age were full of energy and prone to mischief. Besides helping his mother with chores, Zhou Jiasheng spent the rest of his time playing with a host of other children around the village.
Zhou Jiasheng was bright and clever, and had loved learning since childhood. When Zhou Zhixin was at home, she bought a bunch of picture books for the children. Zhou Jiasheng was fascinated by them and often pestered Zhao Yunxiang to teach him how to recognize the characters in the books. Before he knew it, Zhou Jiasheng knew quite a few characters.
If Zhao Yunxiang hadn't been living in the Zhou family's difficult times, she would have wanted to send Yuanyuan and her siblings to kindergarten in town. Zhao Yunxiang believed that learning more knowledge was a good thing, as it could be useful at any time.
Zhao Yunxiang, a junior high school graduate, was considered somewhat educated in her rural village. Her ability to understand the styles and proportions in clothing books helped her acquire the fine craft of tailoring.
The clothes Zhao Yunxiang sews sometimes have an extra pleat at the waist, and sometimes they are two points smaller at the trouser legs. The clothes she makes are surprisingly more beautiful than those made by other tailors. Therefore, many young women and wives in Zhoujia Village like to ask Zhao Yunxiang to make their clothes.
After Zhou Jiasheng started school, Zhao Guohui would get up early every Monday and rush from Sanhe Town to Zhoujia Village to pick him up and take him to town. Zhao Guohui had a bicycle, so the trip from Sanhe Town to Zhoujia Village took just over 20 minutes. If Zhao Yunxiang had walked her child to school, it would have taken her over an hour.
Zhao Guohui would send his nephew back to Zhou's house only on Saturday afternoon when school was over.
Zhou Jiasheng loves studying and has a good personality. He is often praised by his teachers in preschool. For a mother, there is no greater joy than seeing her child succeed.
Yuanyuan's words resonated deeply with Zhao Yunxiang. Zhou Jiasheng had changed a lot in the past six months, from a mischievous boy to a gentle and well-mannered young man. Zhao Yunxiang really wanted to show her husband Zhou Zhixin that their son had grown up.
However, getting from Zhoujia Village to Zhou Zhixin's unit required both a bus and a train ride. Zhao Yunxiang gave every penny of Zhou Zhixin's monthly salary back home to Wu Jinfeng. In her spare time, Zhao Yunxiang made clothes for others, earning only a few cents per piece. With household expenses like cooking oil and salt to cover, Zhao Yunxiang barely had any money left in her pocket.
"Yuanyuan, let's wait for your father to come back at home! Maybe your father has already left? Besides, Mom has no money on her." Zhao Yunxiang said the last three words very softly. If Zhou Yuanyuan didn't have very good hearing and the two of them were not close to each other, Zhou Yuanyuan would not be able to hear what she said at all.
Zhou Yuanyuan thought about it and understood Zhao Yunxiang's difficulties.
It was all because of that old Wu Jinfeng, otherwise, their family wouldn't have had such a hard time.
Zhou Yuanyuan was secretly resentful, and a stern look unconsciously appeared on her face.
"Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing that Zhou Yuanyuan looked unwell, Zhao Yunxiang thought she was feeling unwell again, so she quickly put her hand into her clothes to warm it for a while before covering Yuanyuan's forehead with it.
Fortunately, I don’t have a fever.
Zhao Yunxiang breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the cautious Zhou Yunxiang, Zhou Yuanyuan felt her nose sore and her eyes were instantly filled with tears.
Why didn't her mother, such a gentle and kind mother, have a good ending?
In her previous life, after Zhao Yunxiang died, the Zhou family spoke of her with disdain. They wouldn't even call her by her name, instead calling her "crazy woman."
Mom, in this life, I, Zhou Yuanyuan, will never allow anyone to hurt you in the slightest, even if it costs me my life!
Zhao Yunxiang felt heartbroken when she saw her daughter's tears.
It's all her fault as a mother who is incompetent and only cares about the family's reputation. Otherwise, she wouldn't have still not sought justice for her child.
On such a cold day, even an adult would get sick if they fell into the water. There was a woman in Zhaojiagou, Zhao Yunxiang's hometown, who caught a cold when she fell into the water as a child. She was still unable to conceive in her thirties.
Her home is still so small. What should she do if she gets injured by catching a cold after falling into the water, and it affects her future life?
Zhao Yunxiang was almost overwhelmed by deep guilt.
"Mom, I want to go find Dad, okay?" Zhou Yuanyuan saw that Zhao Yunxiang's face was not looking good, and knew that she was blaming herself again, so she hurriedly said something to divert Zhao Yunxiang's attention.
Zhao Yunxiang came back to her senses and looked at Zhou Yuanyuan, whose face was full of expectation. She wanted to smile at her daughter, but found that she couldn't open the corners of her mouth.
Not only did Yuanyuan miss her father, Zhao Yunxiang herself missed Zhou Zhixin as well. Over the years, in order to ensure Zhou Zhixin worked hard in the army and didn't have to worry about his family, Zhao Yunxiang had basically only reported good news and not bad news regarding the situation of her and her daughter in the Zhou family.
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