Chapter 21
Study for another year?
Qian Jin refused subconsciously: "I have taken the exam twice. I don't think our family is destined to succeed."
There is no smoke coming out of the ancestral tomb, so it is useless no matter how hard you try.
"She applied for a bachelor's degree in her first year, but her score was only good enough for a junior college. Her score in her second year was not even good enough for a junior college."
Qian Jinlai frowned, "One or two years, she keeps taking the exam even if she fails. Does that mean she will have to stay in school for her whole life?"
He regrets it now. If he had known that he would not learn anything after four years of study, he would have let Qian Ping drop out of school after graduating from the third year of junior high school. It would have been better than being stuck in the middle school now.
Jian Feng wants to say that learning is not only about the children themselves, but also about the school and the teachers.
At that time, Qian Ping's high school entrance examination results were among the best in the county. With that score, not only could he go to the No. 1 high school in the county, but he could also get into a good school in the city.
But Qian Jinlai and his wife only set their sights on the three years of tuition and accommodation fee waiver at the town's high school, and insisted on letting Qian Ping stay in the town.
So-called, Wang Yuexi and his wife are both teachers in this school and can help them take care of Qian Ping.
Wang Mengmei talked to her sister about this matter many times, and urged her to send Qian Ping to the city so that she could take care of him nearby. But when Qian Ping heard that the tuition fee for the city was three or four hundred yuan per semester, he immediately declined.
Jian Feng felt sorry for Qian Ping. If he had gone to middle school in the city, perhaps the child's path would have been smoother.
He wanted to persuade her again, but when the money came, he had already raised his hand to check the time.
Qian Jinlai is currently in charge of two construction sites in the county town. In addition to picking up Qian Ping, he came to the city today for some other things.
Qian Jinlai: "Okay, I have something else to do. I'll pick her up around 2 or 3 pm. Please take care of Xiaomei during this time. We'll have a drink later."
Money comes and goes quickly.
Jian Feng waited until he got off work at noon before rushing to the market to inform his wife.
Here in the market, people come to order lunch after 11 o'clock.
Wang Mengmei cooks noodles for customers in a freshly heated steel pot. She puts the hand-cut noodles into the pot and tosses them, tosses a handful of green vegetables and bean sprouts on the bottom. When the hot noodles are out of the pot, they are sprinkled with a spoonful of tomato and egg or green pepper and egg broth.
Wang Mengmei was making noodles while Qian Ping was collecting money and giving change.
A bowl of noodles costs one dollar, and you can choose these two toppings.
If you want something more expensive, that's fine too. Freshly-fried stewed pork with peppers or pork with potatoes are all for 1.8 yuan a bowl.
When Wang Mengmei first started, most of the customers ordered noodles for one yuan at noon. Few people ordered pickled mustard greens for one yuan and eighty yuan, and there were only three or four of them every day at noon.
But it's quite impressive after a day.
Wang Mengmei used to think that selling food was a way to make money, but when she started selling noodles for lunch, she realized what it meant to make money. Just by frying some bread and cooking some noodles at noon, she could make a net profit of 10 to 20 yuan.
Just when she was busy, Jian Feng came and brought some not-so-good news.
Jian Feng specifically called Wang Mengmei aside and said, "She said she wanted to take Ping Ping back with her. I tried to persuade her but it didn't work."
Jian Feng had already discussed the arrangements regarding Qian Ping with his wife.
It is not possible to let Qian Ping live in their house all the time. It is a 30-square-meter tube-shaped building. If there were only Wang Mengmei and Jian Li, it would be fine. But with Jian Feng at home, it is not very convenient to go in and out.
The two of them wanted to wait for Wang Menglan to come over, have a good talk with her, and then ask Qian Ping what she thought. If she didn't want to study anymore, Wang Mengmei would find her a job in the city. If she still wanted to study, she might as well stay in the city to repeat her studies.
Wang Mengmei had seen many students in the city who had to repeat a grade or two, and she thought that since her elder sister's family was not short of money, why not let Qian Ping try again?
The two had a good discussion, but when the money came, they gave up the idea.
Wang Mengmei frowned: "Why is he here? This is hard to say."
Although Wang Menglan is usually loud and noisy, Wang Mengmei knows very well that her sister is a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Sometimes, when she talks to her sister in a nice and gentle tone, her sister will still listen to her.
But if it were her brother-in-law...
It’s not that Wang Mengmei wants to compete with others, it’s just that Qian Jinlai is too stubborn and greedy.
This kind of saving is not only about food, clothing and daily necessities, but also about all "expenditures that cannot see immediate returns."
Wang Menglan once said that she was dumbfounded the first time she followed Qian Jin to work after her marriage. Qian Jin came to work for others and wanted to be paid in cash every day.
If the master didn't settle the bill within two days, he would quit his job.
Wang Menglan once complained to her sister: "I don't want to stay at home to take care of the children, but look, how can I not follow him? He works for others, either to pick up the material money or the wages. He dares to secretly replace the material that the employer wants with a lower quality one, just to pick up a few dozen yuan in kickbacks."
If Wang Menglan hadn't followed us to calculate the bills and purchase materials, we would never have been able to expand our business to the county town based on money alone.
It is because of Wang Menglan's presence and financial support that the couple is able to live their current good life.
In recent years, Wang Menglan has been busy with housework and her temper has become more and more severe. Wang Mengmei has advised her sister before.
But Wang Menglan herself was also full of grievances.
"Your brother-in-law has always thought about making money and then lying down. He drinks and plays cards with others when he has money. He doesn't gamble, but he is just a lazy person."
"If I don't scold him, he won't make progress."
"You don't know how people in the town talk about me because I gave birth to a daughter. But he is so good. He is a big shot when he has money. If I don't ask him to make progress, I will be drowned by the spit of others."
"Money is a good thing. As long as I make money, people will avoid saying those unpleasant words to me."
Wang Menglan was devoted to making money, and of course she loved her daughter, but this love was mixed with reluctance and a determination to fight for her own place, which made Qian Ping and Wang Menglan extremely miserable.
Jian Feng asked Wang Mengmei hesitantly, "What should we do? Just let him take Ping Ping away?"
Wang Mengmei raised her eyebrows: "What are you thinking about!"
In the past, she might have thought it over again.
Not now.
"I can earn more than a thousand a month. Why should I ask my niece to go back to the construction site?"
"Okay, don't worry about it. I'll talk to him this afternoon."
After being busy at noon, Wang Mengmei told Qian Ping that Qian Jinlai would pick her up in the afternoon.
"Ping Ping, you don't have to think so much. Just think about your own plans now."
"If you still want to study, I will find a review class for you. You don't have to worry about the tuition. If your mother can't pay, your aunt will pay. You can work hard for another year. Whether we pass the exam or not depends on this year. Don't leave any regrets for yourself."
"If you don't want to study anymore, you can open a small stall with your aunt. You've been here for a few days and you can see how much money your aunt makes every day. If you're willing to work hard, you can start your own stall later. Or if you want to find an office job, your aunt will keep an eye on you."
Wang Mengmei patted her niece's hand and said, "Auntie actually doesn't recommend that you go back."
What was she going to do? Qian Ping was a high school graduate, so what topics did she have in common with the people in the town? If people said that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the east family had a fight, or that the uncle and his wife in the west family had an affair, would Qian Ping be able to join in the conversation or accept herself in such an environment?
Wang Mengmei said earnestly: "It's not that I'm talking after the fact, it's the reality. If you didn't go to this high school and graduated from junior high school, I wouldn't worry at all that you wouldn't be able to fit in. But after all, you've been in high school for a few years. If you can't make it, what can you do when you go back?"
In the early years, you could still be a teacher in a village primary school, but now all village primary school teachers are included in the staff, so it is not so easy to find a job.
As for the construction site in terms of money, it is even more impossible.
Qian Ping's character has already been formed, to use Jian Li's words.
"My sister is too reasonable and gentle, so she definitely can't stay on the construction site."
Wang Mengmei felt that Qian Jinlai was worthy of being a father, and she decided her daughter's future easily without considering Qian Ping at all.
Qian Ping burst into tears after hearing what Wang Mengmei said: "Auntie... I, I still want to study."
She was unwilling to accept it.
After eighteen years of studying, she was unwilling to accept this result.
If it was because she didn't study well, she would admit it.
But Qian Ping always feels that something is missing.
"I won't be willing to die if I don't try it once."
Qian Ping has been struggling these days, and in the end, she feels that it doesn't matter if her parents don't support her, so she decides to give it her all and try again.
That time may be next year or the year after, but she has to study.
Wang Mengmei got her niece's approval and said, "Okay, I'll talk to your dad this afternoon."
When Qian Jin came over in the afternoon, Wang Mengmei directly told her plan, which was to let Qian Ping repeat a year.
Qian Jinlai's face turned pale: "Still reading?"
He stared at her, not daring to say anything to Wang Mengmei. He only stared at Qian Ping: "Tell me, do you want to repeat another year?"
Qian Ping lowered her head and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "I want to study for another year."
Qian Jinlai suppressed his anger and said, "What if I can't read it?"
Qian Ping said nothing.
"Let me ask you, if you haven't read it, Qian Ping, have you ever calculated how much you spend in a year?"
Wang Mengmei: "Brother-in-law, what you said..."
Qian Ping held onto her aunt and forced her eyes to look at her father. Her voice was still soft, but firm: "What did I spend?"
"The 500 yuan you paid for repeating your exam last year is not money?"
Qian Ping: "In the past three years, I didn't spend a penny of your money."
Qian Jinlai was speechless for a moment and could only angrily ask, "What do you mean? Now you are accusing us, the elders, of being bad to you? Why didn't you say that you failed the exam for two consecutive years?"
Qian Jinlai became more and more angry and wanted to slam the table, but then he remembered that this was not his home, so he angrily put his hand back and gave Qian Ping an ultimatum.
"Are you leaving or not? If you don't leave today, I will pretend that you are not my daughter. As for repeating your studies, don't even think about it! Your family has supported you for the past few years and you are doing them justice. Look at what you have learned after all these years of studying. You are still a fool who only knows how to study!"
This book cannot be read anymore. The more you read it, the more ignorant your daughter will become.
Qian Jinlai regretted: "I shouldn't have listened to your mother and let you go to high school."
Perhaps it was this last sentence that became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
She wiped away her tears fiercely: "Then why don't you strangle me to death earlier! Just so that it's over once and for all, and you don't even have to pay for my elementary school!"
He was breathing heavily through his nostrils, angry about the money.
Wang Mengmei was watching with her heart pounding, fearing that Qian Jin would get angry and something bad would happen to him.
Qian Jinlai finally calmed down and sneered, "Okay, okay!"
Without saying a word to his daughter, he stood up, slammed the door and left.
Wang Mengmei had originally wanted to persuade him in a more gentle way, but in the end, it was still a mess. But selfishly speaking, it was better for Qian Ping to say these words than for her to say them first.
Qian Ping said to her in a low voice, "Aunt, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
Wang Mengmei perked up: "Whatever you want to say, just get it out of the way. I'll call your mom later and we'll talk."
Alas, why isn't her sister here? Her sister is easy to talk to about studying as long as you give her some advice.
Qian Ping: "Aunt, I'll write you an IOU. I will definitely pay you back for this year's expenses."
Wang Mengmei pretended to be angry and clapped her hands: "You are still a child, what childish words are you saying."
Not to mention that Qian Ping doesn't spend much money a year, she may be making money now.
Including the money from selling noodles this month, one thousand dollars is not enough.
Money is a person's courage.
Wang Mengmei is very courageous now.
She called Wang Menglan and tried to persuade her for more than ten minutes. Although Wang Menglan didn't give a definite answer in the end, Wang Mengmei knew that her sister would definitely give in.
"My sister didn't finish her education because of the family."
Wang Mengmei lay in bed unable to sleep at night and talked about the past with her husband.
"My mother gave birth to my two younger brothers after us. Yuedong was already several years old when my mother gave birth to the eldest and youngest, Yuexi."
Perhaps because she gave birth to a child at an old age, her mother looked at Wang Yuexi like the apple of her eye.
"At that time, my elder sister and I were both in school, but my mother said that there was a lot of work to do at home, so she let one of us go home after school. To make it fair, she also gave us two grass stalks. The one who got the longer one would go to school, and the one who got the shorter one would go home."
In the end, Wang Mengmei took the short one, and she cried loudly.
"It was my sister who took my grass stalks away, saying she was going to school."
Wang Mengmei felt heavy in her heart.
Although she didn't study for long, in the second year of junior high school, her sister got married, and the family lost a helper. At the same time, in order to support her two younger brothers to go to school, Wang Mengmei also dropped out of school.
Then, Wang Yuedong dropped out of school after junior high school in order to support his younger brother's education.
There are four siblings in their family, and three of them are obsessed with going to school.
"I just hope Ping Ping can study hard this year, which will help fulfill my sister's dream."
****
After Jian Li knew that Qian Ping was going to review the paper, she raised her hands in agreement.
"Sister, you can definitely do it!"
Qian Ping didn't sleep much the whole night and there were dark circles under his eyes.
Even she herself wasn't sure whether another year was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do.
But Jian Li was very persistent: "You will definitely be able to get into a good university."
Qian Ping was stunned for a moment: "How do you know?"
Even she herself doesn't dare to make such a guarantee. Where does Jian Li get the confidence from?
Jian Li: “I just know it!”
Jian Li thought, isn't this a done deal?
Her sister failed the exams twice in a row. Firstly, the education level in the town was much lower than that in the city. Secondly, her sister’s study environment in the past two years was not good at all. Thirdly, her sister was under too much pressure before the exams.
Jian Li heard from Wang Yunyun how her aunt treated Qian Ping before the exam.
He would ask Qian Ping eight hundred times a day whether he had the confidence or not, and he would always say "You have to make me proud".
In this kind of environment, it would be impossible to do well in the exam.
Qian Ping was amused by her cousin: "Okay, I will study hard this year."
Wang Mengmei found a refresher class for Qian Ping at the Cotton Mill Middle School, which cost eight hundred yuan a year.
In addition to this, the accommodation fee is one hundred yuan, and the book and miscellaneous expenses are one hundred yuan, which makes a total of one thousand yuan.
The money and savings Wang Mengmei had were just enough.
Wang Mengmei handed over all the money to Qian Ping without saying a word.
Her sister hasn't believed it yet, and Wang Mengmei can't wait for Wang Menglan to figure it out before enrolling her niece in school.
Wang Mengmei paid the money and patted Qian Ping on the shoulder: "Study hard."
Qian Ping said with a nasal voice: "I know."
My aunt has already taken a huge risk to help her.
When no one was optimistic about her, Qian Ping felt that her life had regained its luster after receiving such help.
She entered the campus and quickly immersed herself in her studies.
In just a few days, Qian Ping discovered the difference between the city school and the town school.
Not to mention the level of the teachers, most of the high school teachers in the city are experienced old teachers, especially the teachers who teach refresher classes, each of them is very capable.
All the questions that Qian Ping didn't understand before were answered here one by one.
The teachers did not discriminate against her for repeating the lesson twice. Instead, they asked her about her strong subjects and told her that the most important thing was to find out what she had missed and fill in the gaps.
"There are only six classes a day at school, and the rest are mostly self-study classes. You have to manage your time well and plan your studies well."
The teaching progress for repeat students is different from that of ordinary senior high school classes, and the school gives them a certain degree of autonomy.
Six classes a day are taught by teachers of different subjects, and other teachers will be assigned to take charge of the rest of the time. If students have any questions during self-study, they can go to the teacher of the corresponding subject to ask.
Qian Ping quickly adapted to this rhythm.
In such an environment, she found herself in a new world with a refreshing feeling.
The learning environment is good and classmates get along well with each other.
Although it was a review class, everyone was able to have fun despite the hardship and the relationships were harmonious.
Within a few days, Qian Ping found someone to eat with in the cafeteria, and during every meal, the other person would pull him aside to chat about gossip.
Although Qian Ping rarely speaks, she is a good listener.
After listening to these gossips about life, we returned to class and started studying hard again.
Unlike in the town, she dared not relax at all, fearing that her teacher would report her to her second uncle and second aunt. When she was in the second year of high school, someone wrote her a love letter, which she did not open, but her second aunt saw it, and the news reached her mother. Qian Ping was slapped by her mother at home, saying that she did not love herself...
Qian Ping told herself that all that was in the past, she was very happy here now, and her aunt was not as complaining as her second aunt.
Soon Qian Ping had been in school for a week.
When she returned to her aunt's house on the weekend, her aunt had specially prepared a table of food for her.
"After dinner, put your changed clothes in the washing machine to wash them."
Qian Ping: "...Aunt, did you buy a washing machine?"
Wang Mengmei smiled and said, "Yes. I just bought it."
The double-tub washing machine, a swan-shaped one, cost 700 yuan. Wang Mengmei had wanted to buy it before, but she had never saved enough money. When she finally saved enough money, she used it to pay Qianping's tuition.
This time, it was her sister Wang Menglan who sent her two thousand yuan.
He said this jokingly: "Anyway, this money was reserved for her to go abroad. If she doesn't go abroad, then this money will be kept for her. I want to see what she can do with it."
What Wang Menglan didn't say was that she had a big fight with Qian Jinlai over this money.
The two quarreled so much that they even talked about divorce. Wang Menglan didn't want to pay a penny, but she thought her sister was right.
After a long quarrel, Wang Menglan still went against the majority opinion and gave the money to her sister.
Wang Mengmei asked her if she wanted to go to school to see Qian Ping, but Wang Menglan said no.
"It's just the same as before. He looks good during normal times, but his flaws are exposed during the exam."
Wang Mengmei: "...Sister, please stop talking about the child."
As a parent, how can you let your child down all by yourself?
Wang Menglan waved her hands wearily: "It's up to you. The construction site is still busy. I'll go back first."
The money from Wang Menglan went into the hands of Wang Mengmei, and Wang Mengmei did not hide the money.
"Now you can rest assured, right? Study hard. Even though your mother is good at talking, she still loves you in her heart."
Qian Ping hummed.
*****
With the money on the right track, Wang Mengmei once again fell into a whirlpool of busyness.
She thought about it and decided to find a helper. She offered him a salary of 150 yuan a month to help her.
As soon as the news got out, trouble soon arose.
Both Xu Jianguo and Zhao Xiaopeng wanted their wives to come.
Zhao Xiaopeng came directly to the door and said this.
"Brother Feng, given our relationship, you still don't trust me? Haixia is usually very skillful, you don't have to worry about anything when she goes."
Jian Feng didn't say anything. He was too embarrassed to say that he had no say in the matter, so he could only say, "I'll talk to your sister-in-law."
Zhao Xiaopeng cursed him in his heart, but he still suppressed his anger, thinking that he could not turn against him.
"Okay, Brother Feng, please talk to my sister-in-law. Our family is burdened right now. If Haixia can get a job, it will be a great help to me."
Zhao Xiaopeng took the lead and Xu Jianguo followed.
But unlike Zhao Xiaopeng who is eloquent, Xu Jianguo is dull and slow in speaking.
He came in with half a pound of sesame oil in his hand and just said that his wife asked him to give it to him.
Jian Feng knew his childhood friend's temper very well, so he sighed and asked him, "Did Sun Yan ask you to come and ask about the job?"
Xu Jianguo nodded.
"I can't make the decision. Go back and tell Sun Yan that this matter still depends on your sister-in-law."
Xu Jianguo said "oh", walked out a short distance, and then came back.
His face flushed: "Brother Feng, Brother Feng, I'll take this away."
Jian Feng: “…Take it away.”
That half pound of sesame oil could be taken away any way you wanted.
Jian Feng felt uncomfortable, but he could also feel sympathy for Jianguo.
Among his childhood friends, Xu Jianguo was the most miserly and listened to his wife in everything.
Sun Yan only came to see them when she had something to do, and ignored them when she had nothing to do.
Xu Jianguo was treated by Sun Yan in the same way as his grandson.
In Xu Jianguo's home, Sun Yan's words are what Xu Jianguo means, and Xu Jianguo cannot say a word. Once he says something, Sun Yan will not care about the opinions of people around her and will threaten to die at any time.
"well."
Jian Feng didn't know what to say, he could only stop himself from thinking about those things and think carefully about what he should do.
His wife was busy here, so he couldn't just sit there doing nothing, could he? Seeing the factory going downhill, anyone with a sense of smell knew to find a way out for himself.
Wang Mengmei also said that since the small stall has made money, Jian Feng doesn't need to be under so much pressure and should think carefully about the future path.
Jian Feng racked his brains and finally made up his mind the next day.
So that night when Jian Li was having dinner, Jian Feng announced his decision.
"I plan to get a driver's license."
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