Chapter 16 Dropping out of school
Chen Guilan was very excited and belatedly asked Su Jiaojiao, "How do you know the leader at the market?"
She was surprised at how experienced her daughter was in dealing with people.
Moreover, the leader not only confiscated their stall fees, but also helped them sell goods. She couldn't even imagine it.
She also thought that if this episode didn't sell, she would continue selling other episodes. She knew that this was her daughter's tuition and she couldn't slack off.
Who would have thought that they were all sold out!
"Mom, we met at the last fair." Su Jiaojiao still didn't mention the incident of her catching the thief, and said vaguely, "I did a little work for them, and they said they wouldn't charge us for the stall. Don't think too much about it, it's just a few cents, don't take it to heart."
Chen Guilan is worried.
She didn't want to make her worry.
Chen Guilan didn't ask any more questions.
From time to time, stall owners would come over and ask if they had any waist bags left. When they learned that they were all sold out, they were very disappointed and asked them if they would come to the next big market. Chen Guilan repeatedly assured them that they would come and make more waist bags for them.
At twelve o'clock, the market was greeted by a wave of people getting off work.
All the head flowers were sold out, and there were four left, which Su Jiaojiao bought for one dollar.
It’s worthy of being a county fair, there are really a lot of people.
Four hundred yuan was her first pot of gold since she started her business!
Chen Guilan was a little overwhelmed holding the four hundred yuan in her hand.
She ordered over and over again, but was afraid of being seen by others, so she simply turned her back to order. She had never taken so much money before.
With this money, my daughter's tuition is paid for.
She had already inquired about it, and found out that the tuition and miscellaneous fees for one semester of high school was a total of 260 yuan.
There is still 140 yuan left, which is just enough to buy some daily necessities for living on campus, and it is enough for this month's living expenses.
After selling the grain next month, she can make some extra money to cover her living expenses before the New Year. If that doesn't work out, she can deliver meals to the school.
Su Jiaojiao and Chen Guilan had completely different ideas.
Head ornaments and waist bags are just small-time, stopgap measures that can only earn you some hard-earned money.
She and Chen Guilan spent three nights trying to save the four hundred yuan. They couldn't eat or sleep well, and even dreamed of sewing machines. So it wasn't a long-term solution.
If you really want to make money, you have to think about your main business, clothing.
The clothing market in the 1990s was booming. If you seized the opportunity, you could make your first pot of gold. In her previous life, when she worked at the Jiali Garment Factory, she worked overtime day and night. Many orders were expedited, and it was common to ship orders in the middle of the night to catch a plane. The market at that time was really full of vitality!
The mother and daughter each had their own thoughts and bought fabrics and cotton for making quilts and bedding at the market. There were only two quilts at home, and they had to carry them back and forth during the holidays. Chen Guilan insisted on making a new quilt for her daughter. As a mother, she certainly didn't want to let her child down, as she had any extra money. So she bought some miscellaneous daily necessities and spent 50 yuan.
After returning home, Chen Guilan bent over the sewing machine and started making quilts and bedding. She also reminded Su Jiaojiao: "Study hard when you get to school, and don't worry about the things at home."
"Mom, what should we do if my grandma comes back and makes things difficult for you?" Su Jiaojiao asked her. Chen Guilan smiled and said, "It's okay. Your grandma has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She'll let it go with a few nice words. As a family, we don't mind a few bumps and bruises."
"Mom, you are just too kind." Su Jiaojiao looked at Chen Guilan quietly, her heart filled with too many emotions, touching, sad, sweet, and more of it was gratitude. She was grateful that she was back, she was grateful that she had time to spend with her mother, no need to envy others anymore, where her mother is, there is home!
Thinking of Su Houli, her heart sank again.
She disdained to use her father's money, but she wanted to vent Chen Guilan's anger. Even if they divorced, she couldn't let Su Houli and the mistress get away with it. She had to fight for the house they lived in.
Fifteen years later, their village will be demolished and this yard can be replaced with two houses.
"As long as you're fine, I'm fine with anything." Chen Guilan skillfully operated the sewing machine, but she was also a little worried. "Our anti-theft waist bags are selling well, but you're going to school now, so you can't spend the money you have, and we're out of fabric."
"Don't worry about that. I'll report to school tomorrow morning. I have nothing to do in the afternoon, so I'll go to Hualian Department Store to buy all the fabrics and accessories and bring them back. I'll be back to school in the evening." Su Jiaojiao knew what was going on. "My second uncle won't be selling tofu tomorrow, so he won't be using his bicycle."
"Then what will you do with your living expenses?" Chen Guilan was worried about this. To buy fabrics and accessories, she would have to use the remaining living expenses. She had no money on hand. She had not yet paid back the 20 yuan she borrowed from her second brother last month.
"Mom, the money in your hand can only play its greatest role if it is circulated freely." Su Jiaojiao said with a smile, "I'll just keep five yuan. You can work hard these few days. When we sell our waist bags at the next big market, we'll have money!"
The meals in Jiaoxian’s high schools and junior high schools are the same.
You can buy steamed buns for free at school. You can exchange your own flour for steamed bun tickets at the grain station.
The face value is one tael or two taels.
Two liang is one steamed bun, and one liang is half a steamed bun.
The price of the dish is 80 cents per portion and 40 cents for half a portion.
The only difference between high school and junior high school is that the food in high school is more varied, and the prices are about the same. During the junior high school entrance examination, Su Jiaojiao went to Jiaoxian No. 1 Middle School to take the exam, and she had a meal at the school.
"Okay." Chen Guilan nodded. "I'll take you to school tonight and ride my bike back. After I sell these waist bags, I'll go to school and give you your living expenses."
Early in the morning, Su Jiaojiao went to her second uncle's house to borrow a bicycle, saying that she was going to report to school.
Chen Juan was very envious and very happy. She even ran over to help her pack her luggage. The two of them tied the quilt and bedding to the back seat of the bicycle, put the daily necessities in a net bag and hung it on the handlebars. They walked her all the way to the village entrance and told her: "Study hard, go to college in the future, and leave our farmland!"
"Thank you, I will." Su Jiaojiao smiled.
Bedding is much easier to carry than conch shells, and even the big Golden Deer bicycle is effortless for her to ride. Along the way, the wind is sweet, and the scenery along the road remains the same, but the destination has changed, becoming unfamiliar but also making her yearn for it.
Half an hour later, she pushed her bicycle into the campus of Jiaoxian No. 1 Middle School.
The registration process is not complicated. You just need to take your admission letter to the new student registration office at the school gate to register, then send your luggage to the dormitory and settle in, and then go to the classroom to report.
Su Jiaojiao arrived early, but there were still people who arrived earlier than her.
She parked her bike and went to the new student registration office to line up. When it was her turn, the female teacher in charge of reception couldn't find her name after searching through the dormitory registration form. She pushed her glasses and confirmed again and again: "Are you Su Jiaojiao from Wutong Town Central Middle School?"
"That's right." Su Jiaojiao replied.
"Student, your name isn't on the dormitory registration form." The female teacher looked at the admission notice in her hand, flipped through the roster, pointed to the classroom in the back, and said, "Well, please go to the second office over there and wait. I'll check the situation when the other teachers arrive."
"Okay." Su Jiaojiao heard the teacher next to her call her Teacher Zhang and said, "Then I'll trouble Teacher Zhang."
Clean classroom, old doors, windows, tables and chairs.
It was the place where she woke up from her dreams countless times.
Su Jiaojiao found a seat at random, sat down, smelled the lingering smell of chalk in the air, and looked around the classroom carefully. This was a high school classroom, and she could finally go to school.
At noon, Teacher Zhang rushed over and said, "Student Su Jiaojiao, someone withdrew you from school a few days ago, so your name is not on the dormitory registration form!"
"Drop out of school?" Su Jiaojiao suspected that she had heard it wrong.
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