Shi Zhen's family was very curious as to why he suddenly returned.
Shi Zhen glanced at Zhao Dongjuan and asked his father, "Dad, did you read the letter I sent back before?"
His father was illiterate, but his sister could read letters to him.
Shi Dalin immediately said, "I saw it. You said you're doing well outside, that you've found work, and that you can earn a lot of money."
When Shi Dalin said "you can make a lot of money," Zhao Meiyun and Zhao Qiujuan were very happy, but Zhao Dongjuan rolled her eyes.
Shi Zhen said, "Dad, things are completely different outside now compared to here. I came back this time because I want you to come and live with me outside."
"Go live outside?" Shi Dalin was taken aback. "What about the land back home?"
Shi Dalin had lived in the village his whole life and had only been to the county town once. When his son asked him to go out, he felt as if he had been hit on the head and was completely dizzy.
“The land at home can be given to others to cultivate,” Shi Zhen said.
"But……"
"Dad, I'm too busy with my business outside and I need your help."
Shi Zhen knew that although his father couldn't speak, he loved him very much.
He said how great it is outside, but his dad might not be willing to go. He said he needed his dad's help, and his dad might agree.
"You came back just to make your parents go out and do chores for you? What a great idea!" Zhao Dongjuan said sarcastically.
"Dongjuan," Zhao Meiyun called softly.
Zhao Dongjuan curled her lip in disdain.
Shi Zhen didn't take her words seriously and said to his father, "Dad, I came back because I want you to go out and help me. I'll take my sister with me too. Anyone else in the family who wants to come with me can come, but it's okay if they don't."
Shi Zhen knew very well that as long as he could persuade his father, his stepmother would definitely go out with him.
His older sister doesn't need to worry either. She's indecisive and listens to everything, whether it's his father, his stepmother, or him.
If Zhao Dongjuan doesn't want to go... that would be best, but of course, there's a high probability that Zhao Dongjuan will go with her.
Zhao Dongjuan is actually the smartest of the three sisters.
Shi Dashan hesitated: "Your sister still needs to go to school..."
“I just want her to come with me to study outside,” Shi Zhen said.
He didn't put any effort into his studies, but his grades were still among the top in his class.
Where is his sister?
At this time, his younger sister had not yet seen the outside world, and there was nothing fun in the countryside. She was very eager to study. When she was in elementary school, the first thing she did when she got home every day was to finish her homework. When she entered junior high school, she was also very serious about doing her homework. She never missed a day of homework, even if it was more than the required amount.
Shi Zhen, who never did homework when he was in school, felt helpless seeing her working so hard but still not getting good grades.
Of course, poor grades are nothing to worry about. The most important thing is that he doesn't want his sister to be like she was in her previous life, knowing nothing but how to spend money, and every man she dates has to rely on her for food.
She actually has her strengths, and Shi Zhen wanted to take her out to see if he could get her to become an art student or something.
While we're at it, let's also reshape our views on consumption and relationships.
Children... should be relatively easy to teach?
However, his sister wasn't home at the moment; she was in junior high school.
The junior high school was too far from their village, so the children in the village all lived at the school and only went home once a week.
When he was at home, he would usually visit his sister once a Wednesday to bring her some food, but during the time he was away, I'm afraid no one would visit her.
His father never cared about these things, but his stepmother was still a distant figure.
"Shi Ting's grades mean it'll be the same whether she goes to school or not, right?" Zhao Dongjuan asked.
Shi Dalin also said, "Yes...wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
Shi Zhen didn't want to talk about this, so he simply continued to talk about his difficulties: "Dad, I get up before four o'clock every day and don't go to bed until after ten o'clock at night. I'm really too tired... Please help me."
Shi Zhen never complained before, but Shi Dalin felt sorry for him: "Why are you making yourself so tired? You're not made of iron... If I could do those jobs, I would... But even if we go out, there's the matter of eating, drinking, and taking care of the toilet..."
"Dad, I'm a bit tired outside, but I can earn twenty yuan a day." Shi Zhen didn't reveal his actual income so as not to scare his father.
Shi Dalin was stunned: "Twenty yuan a day?!"
It's twenty yuan, not two yuan?
They grow mushrooms and such in the village, and they only earn a few hundred yuan a year. Shi Zhen earns twenty yuan a day, so he can earn six hundred yuan a month!
That's an incredible amount of money!
Now, Shi Dalin doesn't even care about his own land anymore. He can't earn as much as Shi Zhen earns in a month even if he works hard at home for a year.
And since his son is so busy, he definitely wants to help: "I'll go with you."
Shi Zhen had anticipated this outcome and smiled.
“Dad, you don’t understand anything about what’s going on outside, why do you want to go? What if you can’t earn this much in the future? And you don’t even know what my brother is doing outside…” Zhao Dongjuan shouted.
Seeing this, Shi Zhen looked at Zhao Dongjuan and said, "If you don't want to go, you can stay at home. There's enough food for you."
Zhao Dongjuan shut her mouth and looked at Shi Zhen with dissatisfaction.
After Zhao Meiyun's divorce, Zhao Qiujuan and Zhao Dongjuan took her surname.
After Shi Dalin married Zhao Meiyun, he did not allow his two stepdaughters to change their surnames, but he did change their way of addressing him. Zhao Qiujuan and Zhao Dongjuan both called Shi Dalin "Dad".
No one knows what Shi Dalin is really thinking, but on the surface, he treats his two stepdaughters no differently than his own youngest daughter.
"Ah Zhen, the food is ready." Zhao Qiujuan brought a bowl of noodles to Shi Zhen.
This is made by mixing flour and water to make a batter, then pouring the batter into water and cooking it. An egg and some pickled vegetables are also added to the dumplings.
This is a rare delicacy in their family.
Shi Zhen picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Zhao Dongjuan saw this and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times out of jealousy.
While Shi Zhen was eating, Shi Dalin asked about Shi Xinghuo.
Shi Zhen said, "He has made some money in the past few months. It would be too much trouble for him to come back and forth, so I didn't let him come along. However, I brought back the money he earned in the past three months."
All the money Shi Xinghuo earned was given to him, and he has now saved over a thousand.
Before he returned, he asked Shi Xinghuo what to do with the money. Shi Xinghuo said to give the money to his parents, so Shi Zhen brought the money back.
He's going to his uncle's house tomorrow to deliver money.
Shi Zhen's uncle's family had three sons and one daughter, with Shi Xinghuo being the eldest.
His family members are all good people; Shi Zhen had a very good relationship with them in his past life.
However, people in his village who were older or the same age as him, such as his cousins, all had the same problem—because they hadn't received much education, they were all unable to stand on their own.
This "reading" refers to the most basic education, namely primary and junior high school education!
Most of the people he initially took from the village didn't even know pinyin or could read all the characters. Asking them to help with bookkeeping would result in a lot of typos.
Later, when they started using computers, they were absolutely unable to create a spreadsheet or similar task.
Therefore, these people, after working hard for him, can generally become moderately wealthy, but it is difficult for them to expand their business.
However, they were already quite satisfied.
Actually, if he hadn't met Guan Baiyu, and if Guan Baiyu hadn't loved learning, he might have ended up just like them.
When he was a child, even the teachers at his school hadn't mastered pinyin, so how could he possibly learn it?
Shi Zhen's bed was originally placed in the dining room, next to the stove. Since he had been away, his family had put it away.
After Shi Zhen finished eating, he went to the backyard to wash himself with well water. When he returned to the house, his father had already remade his bed and was bending over to wipe the bed board for him.
Shi Zhen quickly grabbed the rag and started wiping it himself.
His father had a really tough life for the past forty years, and he wants to make sure his father has a better life from now on.
Shi Zhen had been traveling for two days without a proper rest, falling asleep as soon as he lay down. He was woken up by rustling sounds the next day, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Meiyun quietly cooking.
Shi Zhen paused for a moment before getting out of bed and asking, "Aunt Zhao, what's for breakfast?"
Zhao Meiyun smiled at Shi Zhen: "I cooked porridge, and your dad also told me to steam the salted meat that was cured for the New Year."
Upon hearing this, Shi Zhen said, "I brought some food with me this time. I'll go get it."
When he came back this time, he brought some things to share with the villagers, and Shi Xinghuo also asked him to bring some things back.
Shi Zhen opened his snakeskin bag, took out a packet of fried peanuts mixed with salt, and put it on a plate at home.
No one grows peanuts on the mountain here, and he has hardly ever eaten peanuts since he was a child. He had just bought some wholesale before coming here, so he brought a lot with him, but most of them were raw and not many were fried.
In addition, he brought a lot of dried salted fish, which they didn't have in the mountains, but which was easy to preserve and inexpensive, making it a good gift for the villagers.
In addition, there are candies and snacks, which the children in the village should like.
Shi Zhen brought home only normal things, but Shi Xinghuo was different.
Among the things he asked Shi Zhen to take home to his parents was a large cup of lard.
Shi Xinghuo bought a large enamel mug, poured a full cup of rendered lard into it, tied it in a plastic bag, and gave it to his family... It was actually quite practical.
It's true that it's not easy for them to get lard up in the mountains.
Just as Shi Zhengang took the things out, his uncle rushed over.
His uncle, Shi Dashan, came in and asked, "Azhen, you're back? Where's Xinghuo?"
Shi Zhen said, "Uncle, it's quite troublesome to come back, so I let Xinghuo continue working over there. But Xinghuo asked me to bring you some things."
"Is he alright working alone outside by himself?" Shi Dashan was a little worried about his eldest son.
Shi Zhen said, "No problem. Xinghuo can do all the odd jobs we hire outside, like dredging mud and digging riverbeds."
“Yes, yes, he can do all these jobs! Ah Zhen, it’s really a lot of trouble for you to take care of him all this time,” Shi Dashan said.
“It’s alright, Xinghuo is very obedient,” Shi Zhen said.
"Sigh, that's all he has to offer."
As they were talking, Shi Zhen took out the lard that Shi Xinghuo had asked him to bring from his bag: "Uncle, this lard is what Brother Xinghuo asked me to bring for you. I also brought back some peanuts, salted fish and other things. Take some back and eat them."
Shi Zhen quickly packed a bag of salted fish and a bag of peanuts for his uncle.
“I’ve already troubled you to work with Xinghuo, so I can’t take your things. You can keep these and eat them slowly,” Shi Dashan said.
Shi Zhen said, "Uncle, you can keep this. Oh, by the way, Xinghuo also asked me to give you his salary from the past few months... The money is here."
As Shi Zhen spoke, he took out a roll of money and gave it to Shi Dashan.
The roll of money wasn't thick, but Shi Dashan was stunned when he saw it.
These are hundred-yuan bills, and there are several of them!
“This money, this…” Shi Dashan felt the money was burning his hands. “Azhen, Xinghuo didn’t do anything bad, did he?”
“Uncle, you’re overthinking it,” Shi Zhen said, both amused and exasperated. “This is all money Xinghuo earned doing odd jobs.”
Shi Dashan opened his mouth: "How come there are so many? It's only been a short time..."
“Xinghuo works outside and earns about ten yuan a day on average,” Shi Zhen said.
“He doesn’t earn ten yuan a day, that’s not this much…” Shi Dashan counted and found a thousand yuan inside. He thought of something and said, “Azhen, I told you before that he would give you half of what he earns, didn’t you take it?”
“Uncle, I earn more than him, so I won’t take his,” Shi Zhen said.
"What about his food and drink? We can't let him eat and drink your food!" Shi Dashan was very uneasy. He knew his son well. Without Shi Zhen's help, his son would probably have to beg for food outside.
“I made him do some work for me,” Shi Zhen said. “Uncle, I’m not one to suffer losses. This money belongs to Xinghuo, so you can keep it.”
Shi Dashan passed away in a daze.
Shi Zhen was very grateful to his uncle in his previous life.
When Shi Xinghuo passed away, his uncle did not blame him and even lent him part of the compensation that person had given him.
Without this money, he would have had a hard time becoming wealthy in his previous life.
Shi Dashan was summoned by Shi Dalin. When he saw his son give his brother a thousand yuan, Shi Dalin was a little dazed: "Azhen, can Xinghuo earn so much?"
“Dad, Xinghuo is strong and hardworking,” Shi Zhen said.
"That's true." Shi Dalin thought of his silly nephew who only knew how to work, and wholeheartedly agreed.
But no matter what... Shi Xinghuo can earn a thousand if he goes out for a few months, so he shouldn't be unable to make money if he goes out.
Shi Dalin was initially a little apprehensive, but now he feels at ease.
As we were talking, breakfast was already prepared.
The porridge that Zhao Meiyun made was not white rice porridge, but mixed grain porridge, a type of food that Shi Zhen disliked very much.
Shi Zhen would love to eat multigrain porridge if it could be cooked as soft as canned eight-treasure porridge, but they don't have time to cook it for too long when they make it at home.
Mixed grain porridge that hasn't been cooked long enough is so tough and hard to swallow, it's nothing compared to plain white rice porridge.
Even if the multigrain porridge is hard to eat, it's still better than making him eat potatoes.
Shi Zhensheng had just sat down after serving the porridge when Zhao Meiyun brought out the steamed salted meat and placed it in front of him.
There are four children in the family, and Shi Zhende admits that he is the most valued one.
After all, he was Shi Dalin's only son.
Zhao Qiujuan understood this perfectly well and thought it was a matter of course, but Zhao Dongjuan was different; she was always very jealous.
For example, at this moment, Zhao Dongjuan gave Shi Zhen a dissatisfied look.
Shi Zhen was speechless—what right did Zhao Dongjuan have to be dissatisfied?
If their whole family were city dwellers, and Zhao Meiyun had a job like Shi Dalin, then it would be normal for Zhao Dongjuan to feel dissatisfied with this differential treatment.
But their home is in the countryside, even in the mountains.
In the early years, his father did most of the work in the fields, with Zhao Meiyun only helping out. But when he was thirteen or fourteen, he became stronger than Zhao Meiyun, and he took over the task of helping out.
What about Zhao Qiujuan and Zhao Dongjuan? They definitely had to do the work, but it was all easy work.
Normally, when the family needs water or the fields need watering, he and his father would carry it themselves, making trip after trip; they would never let the women do these things.
In this situation, how could Zhao Dongjuan possibly expect to receive the same treatment as him?
It's impossible for Zhao Dongjuan to even receive the same treatment as her own sister.
There's a huge difference between being related by blood and not being related by blood.
If Zhao Dongjuan were his full mother, Shi Zhen wouldn't dislike her even if she was annoying.
Although the salted meat was placed in front of Shi Zhen, Shi Zhen had never been one to eat alone since he was a child, and he never hoarded it.
Today, he showed even less interest in the salted meat.
The salted pork from the Lunar New Year has been sitting around for ages, and the taste has changed. It's nowhere near as good as the peanuts I brought back.
Shi Zhen loves peanuts, as do the others.
As they were eating, other villagers came over and asked Shi Zhen what was happening outside.
Shi Zhen then recounted some of the things that had happened to him.
"Shi Zhen, why didn't you go to a big city? Why did you go to a small place?" someone asked, puzzled.
Shi Zhen made up a story off the top of his head: "Big cities are too big. I don't even know what I could do there."
Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "Yeah! What if you get lost in a big city?"
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, and many were tempted to go out and work.
Shi Zhen said, “Going out to work can earn a lot of money, but it also costs a lot. Renting a house and other things all cost money. The reason I was able to settle down outside this time is actually largely due to finding a relative on my mother's side. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to earn money so quickly.”
Shi Zhen is very willing to take the villagers out to work, but now is not the time.
He no longer has that ability.
Shi Zhen told the people in front of him that he made money by selling food and doing small business outside, and that he was staying in a small town where it was not easy to find a job... Most of the people in the village gave up the idea.
For those who hadn't given up on the idea... Shi Zhen wouldn't mind taking them out, but he couldn't guarantee they'd find jobs.
After chatting with these people and distributing the peanuts and dried salted fish he had brought, the morning passed quickly. After lunch, Shi Zhen said goodbye to his father and planned to visit his younger sister at the junior high school.
There were still some fried peanuts left, which Shi Zhenquan took with him, along with some snacks, such as bottled sweet milk.
His sister's junior high school was about two hours away from their village. Shi Zhen could walk or run there, and it would take him about two hours to get there.
The teaching building is a two-story, square building with cement walls. There are bamboo fences at the front and back of the building, keeping the chickens raised by nearby farmers out.
The fence in front encloses an open space, which is also the school playground, while the fence behind it encloses a vegetable garden.
Those were planted by the school teachers, mainly for their own consumption. Occasionally, when there was an extra, they would cook it to add to the meals for the children at the school.
This school has no gatekeeper, and there are few teachers; there is only one class per grade.
When Shi Zhen arrived, the students were in class. He found his sister's class and saw her sitting in the middle of the classroom, looking at the teacher blankly.
He almost didn't recognize his sister.
He knows all kinds of skincare and cosmetic products like the back of his hand, has all kinds of beauty devices, and occasionally goes for cosmetic procedures. Even though he is in his forties, he looks like a girl under thirty. Right now, he is dark-skinned and thin.
Even though she was dark-skinned and thin, she was still the prettiest girl in the class.
Shi Zhen glanced around at the people around her... In this class, some girls were bringing their babies to class.
This is not uncommon here.
Adults are busy, and the elderly can't take care of the children too much, so parents will let the older children take care of the younger ones.
When older children need to go to school and there's really no one to look after the younger ones, the older children will bring the younger ones to school so they can attend classes with them.
Yes, generally, it's women who are responsible for taking care of the children, while men are usually asked to do farm work.
They've lived like this for generations, until physical strength becomes less and less important, and then everything changes quietly.
Shi Zhen stood at the classroom door for a while, and the students inside saw him and turned to look at him, waiting for his sister to turn around...
The teenage girl jumped up immediately: "Brother!"
The teacher wasn't angry when she saw this, and said in broken Mandarin, "Shi Ting, go out now, and you should all go somewhere else!"
Then, Shi Zhen saw his sister running out of the classroom.
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