"Villagers, please gather at the square for a meeting within thirty minutes."

The radio sounded, and the voice of the village chief Du Zai De came from it. The villagers still respected the village chief very much, and usually the matters announced by the loudspeaker were very important.

"Come on, stop standing in that couple's yard and go to the square."

"That's right."

Everyone left here in groups of two or three. Li Chunlan and Shen Aiqiu looked at each other and walked at the end of the team, hoping to sneak back when Shen Zhizhu's family was not paying attention.

It seemed beautiful, with a few aunts flanking them on either side, chatting about family matters. They couldn't go back quietly, so they had to give up for the time being.

The two of them got together to discuss it.

"Mom, what should we do when they do this? It's too late to go back now. We won't be here by then, and if something is lost in their house again, everyone will know it was us."

Li Chunlan looked at Shen Zhizhu who was surrounded by several women in front of her, and couldn't understand how she was so lucky that the injured wild boar happened to be seen by her man.

She comforted Shen Aiqiu. "Let's gather first and see if there's any chance to slip away."

The mother and daughter discussed in a low voice.

In the square, Du Zaide was already waiting there. Du Manjun was sitting on one side with a pen and paper in his hand. There were benches scattered around, and some people were already sitting on them.

Everyone found a seat and started to discuss why they were called over. Some of them were impatient and asked directly.

"Village chief, why did you call us here?"

"Yes, village chief, why make such a big scene?"

Du Zaide slowly adjusted his collar, buttoned his wrists, cleared his throat, and then spoke in a controlled voice.

"Ah, that's right. I'm sure everyone knows about the resumption of the college entrance examination."

The man who had just spoken forgot to put his shoes on the leg of the stool and knocked the mud off the soles of his shoes.

"I know, but what does this have to do with us? Going to school costs a lot of money, and we don't have that kind of money."

The man's words were recognized by many people.

They work hard all year round, facing the loess and with their backs to the sky, and that's all they can harvest. If God is not kind to them and there's a drought or flood, all their work will be in vain.

Only a few families go to the town or city to work in a factory, which is barely enough to feed the family. They don't have any spare money to educate their children.

After finally saving some money, I want to buy some new things for my home, decorate it, and buy some meat to improve my diet.

Du Manjun stood up at this time, walked among the crowd, and pushed up his glasses.

"Everyone, learning is the easiest way to change your life. The better the place you go, the easier it is to change your current situation. Look at me, I am the best example. I studied in a school in the city. With my literacy, I taught children in the city and wrote for others, and I was able to earn a lot of money."

This is the truth. Du Manjun is the youngest son of the village chief Du Zaide. He has been smart since he was a child and doesn't like to work in the fields. He just likes to hold a book and talk about literary things.

Everyone was discussing behind the scenes, saying that it was a waste of money. The eldest son worked hard in the fields and on construction sites to earn money, but ended up using it to pay for the younger son's studies.

Later, he went to the city to study and often brought back money he earned. The village chief's family was originally richer than theirs, and later, with the money earned by Du Manjun, their family became the richest in the village.

Seeing that everyone was hesitant, Du Zaide continued.

"Well, everyone, go back and think carefully. Can the country's open policy harm us? If you are willing, go to the Manchu army and register your name. I will report it in three days."

"Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan are going to school to take the college entrance examination. Please ask the village chief to register them."

Shen Zhizhu and Xu Haonan stood in the corner and were the first to sign up. Du Zaide was always willing to help Du Manjun. In his previous life, he often used his position as the village chief to bribe Qiao to get her to contribute money and effort, such as building bridges and roads in the village and building an ancestral hall in the village.

At that time, I was deeply in love with Du Manjun and agreed to everything he asked for.

She was the first one to say in public that she did not choose to go to the village chief to register alone later because she was afraid that Du Zai De would say one thing in public and another in private, saying that he had not seen them register.

When the first leader appears in the crowd, it is easy for a second one to appear. Those who just thought there was no need to learn will begin to waver in their hearts.

Shen Ai Qiu looked over in disbelief, holding the clothes in her hands. The man who used to follow her around and only wore the clothes she didn't want was now worthy of going to school and taking the college entrance exam?

Thinking of the truckload of goodies she saw in the afternoon, she shook Li Chunlan's hand.

"Mom!"

Li Chunlan was also very angry. Her little Jie had never been to school yet, so what was the basis for this small loss of money?

"Oh, the girl who needed me to raise her has grown up and has her own ideas. She is unwilling to even talk to her aunt about such an important matter as going to school. A daughter who is married off is like water spilled out of the water. I have raised you for so many years in vain."

"You bought so many things at once, and you didn't even bring some good food for your brother. As a sister, why don't you give some money so that your brother Xiaojie can go to school as well?"

"Auntie is still as thick-skinned as ever. When we can't afford meat at home, you can cut some of it and make a dish. If you are really short of money, don't you have a cousin? Marry her and get 600 yuan. Then you can have money for Xiaojie's schooling. Why bother a poor person like me who is alone and helpless?"

Of course Shen Zhizhu didn't give her any face, and said insulting words without even thinking. The people around him couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The fact that Li Chunlan sold her daughter at a high price was no longer a secret in the village. People would not talk about it when they met each other, but they would always talk about it when the three of them got together.

Li Chunlan stood up suddenly, and Shen Aiqiu, who was sitting on the same stool with her, lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Shen Zhizhu! You money loser, I raised you from childhood, how much money did I spend, now you are married and rich, you treat us like this, I tell you, as long as you go to school, I will go to your school to make trouble, let everyone know what kind of person you are, let's see how you can go to college."

"Oh? Then tell me, what do you want?"

Li Chunlan thought that Shen Zhizhu was threatened by her and was afraid. She couldn't help feeling proud and thought she had found Shen Zhizhu's weak spot.

She pulled Shen Ai Qiu up, put the boss's stool in place and sat down, then made the conditions in a haughty manner.

"Your family bought a sewing machine and so much cloth, you want to make clothes, right? It's not too much to make two sets of clothes for you and your family. And I just ran out of rice, flour and oil, you can give some to us first. When your uncle comes back in a couple of days, he will definitely leave some for you if he brings back good things from town."

"Oh, and one more thing. You two young people spend your money lavishly now that you have some. Why don't you leave it with me and let you watch over it? I'll give you as much as you need every month."