Chapter 106 The Admission Notice: Is being a teacher really that great?
Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang tried on the clothes. Qin Zihang's clothes weren't too long, while Zhang Xiaohu's were a little long. Song Fenglan knew that Fatty always bought longer clothes for Zhang Xiaohu, so she bought clothes for him according to Fatty's suggestion.
Zhang Xiaohu is different from Qin Zihang, and Zhang Xiaohu himself knows that.
Back in Nancheng, Qin Zihang's new clothes didn't seem very long, but Zhang Xiaohu's new clothes were. Zhang Xiaohu was already used to it; longer clothes could still be worn next year.
"It fits perfectly," Zhang Xiaohu said. "And it looks great too."
Zhang Xiaohu touched the fabric and felt that the clothes were very comfortable to wear.
"That's fine then," Song Fenglan said.
With two teenagers at home, Song Fenglan and her husband instructed Sun Mei to cook more food, including more meat. This way, Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang could eat more. Seeing that there was plenty of food on the table, Zhang Xiaohu wasn't afraid to eat.
They usually eat one meal a day, and Zhang Xiaohu knew this, so he didn't stand on ceremony.
"I think I'm going to gain weight," Zhang Xiaohu said.
"No," Song Fenglan said. "I didn't notice any weight gain."
"It's okay, you won't gain weight. You, me, and my dad can go for a run together," Qin Zihang said. "Running burns calories, so it's not that easy to gain weight. See, I often run with my dad. We run in the morning, we run at night, whenever it's not hot. Running outside in the sweltering heat can easily lead to heatstroke."
“Okay, I’ll run with you too,” Zhang Xiaohu said.
"If you're going to run in the morning, you have to go before breakfast. Are you going?" Qin Zihang asked.
“Go!” Zhang Xiaohu replied; of course he would go.
"Sure, I'll call you then," Qin Zihang said.
The next morning, Qin Zihang actually asked Zhang Xiaohu to go for a run together. Zhang Xiaohu got up and jogged along with him, and didn't find it tiring at all.
A neighbor spotted Zhang Xiaohu and asked, "Are you running with them?"
“Yes, let’s run together.” Zhang Xiaohu nodded.
"You two have such a good relationship," the neighbor said with a smile.
The neighbors didn't look down on Zhang Xiaohu. Zhang Xiaohu was Song Fenglan's guest, and it wouldn't look good if others found out if they did. They just went through the motions, and the matter was over. Besides, Zhang Xiaohu wasn't even in their house, and it wasn't a big deal for their children to play with him.
Some people even wanted to show their children the people from the south of the city, because people in other places didn't live as well as people in the capital.
When Qin Zihang played with the neighbor's children, he also included Zhang Xiaohu, not leaving him out in the cold. Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu had been friends for several years; he wasn't trying to embarrass Zhang Xiaohu.
When Tang Lu arrived in Nancheng, she went back to her dormitory. When Jian Lili saw her, Jian Lili was quite puzzled.
"Didn't you go back to the capital to visit your family? Didn't you say you'd come to Nancheng after your vacation ended?" Jian Lili said. "Your vacation isn't over yet."
"I found it boring, so I came back," Tang Lu said.
"This... your family is pressuring you to get married?" Jian Lili asked.
“Pretty much. My dad and his family brought people home to meet me. I’ve already told them that I can’t stay in the capital, at least not for the next few years,” Tang Lu said. “No matter what I say, it’s no use. They think I’ve already been in the military for a while and it’s time for me to go back and get married. They’ve put a price tag on me and want me to go on blind dates with people.”
Tang Lu felt nauseous whenever she thought about what that man had said.
“I am a living, breathing person, not a commodity to be traded,” Tang Lu said. “No matter what they think, I will not do what they say.”
"Have you seen your mother?" Jian Lili asked.
“It wasn’t just my biological mother, I also saw my stepmother.” Tang Lu sneered, “My stepmother is on my father’s side, just wanting me to get married as soon as possible.”
“Your own mother can’t do that,” Jian Lili said.
“She’s my own mother, but I’ve only seen her a few times,” Tang Lu said. “She only let me in once, and then she never let me in again. In her eyes, I’ll always be a member of the Tang family, no matter how hard I try to do things right.”
Tang Lu had told her mother that she didn't want to be like the Tang family, nor did she intend to side with them. Aunt Song didn't take Tang Lu's words to heart at all; hadn't the Tang family deceived her countless times?
Aunt Song believed that the Tang family members were all lying and trying to take advantage of her. Aunt Song couldn't let them succeed. Whether Tang Lu returned to the capital to visit relatives or not was irrelevant; Aunt Song didn't necessarily need to see Tang Lu.
Tang Lu was always thinking about Aunt Song.
She felt she deserved some respect, and she considered severing ties with the Tang family, but that was impossible. The Tang family raised Tang Lu and sent her to school; Tang Lu couldn't completely resent them.
“Well… she’s still willing to see you, even once is good enough,” Jian Lili comforted Tang Lu. “At least she’s not completely unwilling to see you.”
"That's the only way to think about it," Tang Lu said.
Lately, with the hot weather, Jiang Ersao has to be careful when making tofu to prevent it from turning sour. Everyone can easily tell if tofu is sour by taste. Some people buy tofu from outside, and after cooking it, some of it turns sour. Children don't like this sour tofu, but adults don't want to waste it, so they eat sour tofu.
People asked Jiang Ersao why her tofu hadn't turned sour.
“We make them by hand,” Jiang Ersao explained. “Except for the ones that need to be fermented to grow bacteria, the tender tofu is all made to order and sold fresh. It’s never been left out for very long. When you come over, you can see how fresh it is.”
"That's true," the neighbor nodded.
“Some people are hosting banquets, and others are ordering tofu from our family,” said Jiang Ersao.
Some families would cook their banquets at home, setting up several large pots by the roadside. They would have a continuous feast, eating several meals in a row, but not every meal would have a lot of meat. Those people would order some tofu. The tofu made by Jiang Ersao and her husband was tender, so those people would come and order it.
When the neighbors saw the changes in Jiang Ersao, they could hardly believe that she could have changed so much. They thought she would revert to her old self in ten days or half a month, but she persisted.
Jiang Ersao already knew that making tofu could indeed be profitable, no worse than working in a factory. The key was skill; with good skills, she and her husband could earn more money selling these things together. After the couple earned some money, they used what they had for household expenses and buying ingredients to pay back their relatives, little by little, until one day they could pay it all off.
In the southern part of the city, Guo Dasao's daughter was crying, and Guo Furong stood beside her. Guo Furong was a little scared; she didn't know why her younger sister was crying.
"Grandma." Guo Furong looked at her mother nervously, afraid that her mother would dislike her.
"Your little sister has wet herself, we need to change her diaper, but it's okay," said Guo's mother. "Go and play with the others."
Guo's mother didn't say anything bad about Guo Furong; that's how children are.
Guo Furong is not Guo Peng's biological daughter. She wants to get close to the child born to Guo's sister-in-law, but she is not very daring to get close, for fear of being misunderstood as bullying her younger sister.
"Grandma." Guo Furong glanced at her little sister and then went out.
"Wait a minute," said Guo's mother.
Guo Furong became somewhat nervous upon hearing her mother's words.
"Come here," said Guo's mother.
Guo Furong walked up to her mother, but fearing she would be beaten, she still went over. While playing outside, Guo Furong had seen other children being beaten.
"Candy." Guo's mother took out a few candies from her pocket and handed them to Guo Furong. "Don't be afraid. Your sister is still young. She can't talk. When she's hungry, wet, or poops, she just cries."
Guo's mother explained to Guo Furong that although Guo Furong was their biological child, she still had to be careful around her because of her surname. Guo's mother had previously raised Fan Yani, and she knew how pitiful these children who didn't grow up with their biological parents were. These children worried about upsetting their adoptive parents and about doing something wrong. Even if they hadn't done anything wrong, they still worried.
Fan Yani was, after all, a time traveler. Even though she possessed the original owner's memories, they weren't entirely real. Fan Yani also had to run her business, so she might not have noticed Guo Furong's strange behavior. Guo's mother noticed, so she said a few words to reassure Guo Furong.
"Grandma." Guo Furong's eyes were slightly red.
"It's alright," said Guo's mother. "Don't worry, you were the same way when you were little. You would cry whenever something happened. If you didn't cry, no one would know if you were hungry."
"Is that so?" Guo Furong asked.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s not just you who’s like this, your sister is like this, and all your brothers and sisters are like this,” said Guo’s mother. “Go play, don’t worry.”
"Mm." Guo Furong nodded.
Guo's mother changed her granddaughter's diaper and comforted her, and the child quickly stopped crying. Guo's mother then made some formula for the child. As the child grew a little older, Guo's sister-in-law went to find a job.
Sister-in-law Guo thought that it was better for two people to work than for one to work. Although she and her husband had a daughter, their daughter would still need a dowry. As for whether their daughter would marry into the family, that was a matter for the future; what they needed to do now was earn money to support their daughter.
When Guo's sister-in-law went to work, Guo's mother helped take care of her granddaughter.
In the evening, Sister-in-law Guo came over looking for Fan Yani. Since Guo's mother was mainly helping her own family take care of the children, it wasn't appropriate for her to stay with Fan Yani any longer.
"How about we let Mom stay with us? We have a spare room there," said Sister-in-law Guo.
“That’s not important. Mom is fine staying with me,” Fan Yani said. “We’ll have Dad come over at the end of the year. Cuihua and her husband are buying a house with lots of bedrooms, so Mom and Dad can move in.”
"Has it been decided?" Sister-in-law Guo asked.
“Yes, it’s decided,” Fan Yani said. “They don’t have enough money, so they’ll borrow some from us.”
“They didn’t even ask us for money,” said Sister-in-law Guo.
“You just had a baby, and the baby still needs formula, which is expensive,” Fan Yani said. “It’s not that Cuihua is being polite or that she’s afraid you won’t lend them money. It’s just that they considered your family’s situation and didn’t ask you for a loan.”
“We’re all family, no need to be so polite,” said Sister-in-law Guo. “If you’re in any trouble, just let me know.”
“They’ve made some money running their restaurant these past few years, and someone nearby is selling a house,” Fan Yani said. “It’s a single-story house, not a tenement building. Those people want to live in tenement buildings, so they’re selling the single-story house. Cuihua asked me whether it’s better to buy the single-story house or one of those high-rise buildings. I said, buy the single-story house. No matter how big the yard is, you can always raise chickens and ducks. They run a restaurant, so there will inevitably be leftovers, which will make it easier to feed the chickens and ducks, right? Raising pigs is out of the question; pigs smell bad.”
“That’s true.” Sister-in-law Guo nodded. “Single-story houses do have many advantages, except that they are very damp.”
"It's alright," Fan Yani said. "If you have the money, you can buy a house too."
"Buy a house?" Sister-in-law Guo asked doubtfully. "Wouldn't that be a bad deal?"
“How could it not be a good deal? It’s a great deal,” Fan Yani said. “The housing prices aren’t very high now. But who knows how high they will be in the future? Right now, a few dozen yuan per square meter is already a lot, but in the future, it could be hundreds or thousands, or even tens of thousands.”
"That's so exaggerated?" Sister-in-law Guo couldn't believe it.
“It’s very possible,” Fan Yani said. “Now that the policies have been relaxed, nobody knows what will happen in the future. Even if house prices don’t rise, you can still rent them out, right? You won’t lose money. The economy is generally on the rise. Even if there are some ups and downs in the middle, it will still be pretty good in the end. If you have money, buy a house as an investment. Sister-in-law, don’t take offense at my bluntness, but my brother has a good job at the Grain Bureau. But how many years can he work there? Some factories have changed their recruitment policies, and some factories have even been sold to private individuals.”
If Li Hui were still Guo Peng's wife, Fan Yani wouldn't have said these things; she would have just waited to see Guo Peng lose his job. But since Guo's wife seemed alright, Fan Yani wanted to give her a heads-up.
They were both women, and Sister-in-law Guo never made things difficult for Fan Yani. Sister-in-law Guo did far better than Li Hui.
“Waiting until the policy changes before making a decision is ultimately not a good thing. It’s better to make a decision sooner rather than later,” Fan Yani said. “If you have money, buy a house. Don’t make any other investments. We don’t know if other investments are good or bad. We don’t want to lose money without careful consideration. Sometimes something makes money last month but loses money this month.”
"you……"
"Do you know Sister Pang?" Fan Yani said. "Sister Pang and Sister Fenglan are close. Sister Fenglan is also talking about buying a house. Sister Fenglan and her husband are both from the capital. If they're both saying they're buying a house, how could that be false? If you grit your teeth and buy a house now, you can look forward to a comfortable life later. I'm not saying your house has too few rooms and your parents can't live comfortably, but buying a house is really the best choice."
"I believe you!" said Sister-in-law Guo. Fan Yani was originally supposed to marry Guo Peng, but the marriage didn't happen, and she was still so good to the Guo family. If Fan Yani really wanted to treat the Guo family badly, she would have done it long ago, instead of waiting until now. "I'll talk to your older brother, but... all the money your older brother had before was spent by your ex-sister-in-law. When I married him, he only had two or three months' salary left. He even used that salary as my dowry."
When Guo's wife married Guo Peng, she had suspected that Guo Peng might not have much money. After the marriage, she asked him a few questions, and Guo Peng admitted that he indeed had no money. Guo Peng used to give most of his salary to Li Hui, but when Li Hui eloped with someone, she took all the family's money, leaving Guo Peng penniless.
“If we want to buy a house, we need to save up some money,” said Sister-in-law Guo.
“Okay, I just wanted to talk to you so you can make a plan,” Fan Yani said. “If you buy a house, you don’t necessarily have to bring your parents over. Your younger brother and sister-in-law can let them live there. Anyway, it’s nearby, so you can visit them whenever you have time.”
"Okay." Sister-in-law Guo nodded. "Then Mom will stay with you for the time being."
“No problem,” Fan Yani said. “Don’t worry, as long as we have food to eat, Mom will have food to eat too.”
Fan Yani didn't let her child steal the milk powder from Guo Dasao's house. Guo Dasao and her husband brought the milk powder over, and Fan Yani also bought other milk powder, so all the children in the family could drink it. Fan Yani was very attentive to her children and couldn't bear to see them watching others drink, afraid that they would stare intently at what others were holding.
Since her family had the means, they could easily buy all that food, so Fan Yani didn't hesitate to share, and even Guo Furong got a share.
Back in her hometown, Li Hui caused quite a bit of trouble with her family. She was with other men, but they weren't married. These men just wanted to play around with Li Hui, and Li Hui knew what they were thinking. All she cared about was money.
Li Hui couldn't find a suitable job in her hometown. She knew how to dance, so she thought about teaching children to dance. However, when the children's parents saw her, they were unwilling to let their children learn from Li Hui.
"No, no, she was having an affair with another man while she was married, and she was abducted after eloping with him."
"I can't let my child learn bad things from her, I can't let her teach my child."
“If your organization makes her a teacher, we won’t apply to your organization.”
...
Some parents threatened the training institution, so the institution's leaders had no choice but to fire Li Hui. Li Hui hadn't even been a teacher for two days before she was forced to quit. Li Hui wanted to do something else...
She complained about being a waitress, saying it was tiring; she complained about having to get up early to clean the streets…
In short, Li Hui did nothing; she simply lived and ate at her parents' house. Her sister-in-law disliked her intensely, but Li Hui pretended not to notice. Either these people would find her a childless man who would treat her well, or she would stay at home for the rest of her life.
Evil people will be punished by other evil people; Li Hui and her family tormented each other.
The Li family refused to bring Guo Furong back, insisting that she stay at their home. Li Hui wasn't afraid of being kicked out by her family; if they dared to, she would lie down at the door and let everyone know how her family treated her.
Suddenly, the Li family became infamous throughout the entire county. Everyone knew that the Li family had produced a shameless woman named Li Hui, and that one of their daughters hadn't died but had been given away by the Li family. Even after Li Hui returned, the Li family still abandoned the child at her ex-husband's house.
When the neighbors and other families in the county town mentioned the Li family, they all shook their heads.
“Their family members are of bad character, not at all.”
“They gave away their own child without a second thought, and even let the child stay at Li Hui’s ex-husband’s house. Aren’t they afraid that someone will abandon their child?”
"Who would dare to associate with such a family? They'd be afraid of being devoured alive."
...
The Li family's reputation was ruined in the county town; even their children were talked about. Other children didn't want to play with the Li family's children, afraid that others would think they were bad kids too.
No one often talked to Song Fenglan about the Li family, and Fatty Sister-in-law didn't say much either. After all, the people in the family compound weren't from the same place as Li Hui, and even if some were from the same place, they couldn't keep asking about Li Hui.
As a result, Song Fenglan rarely heard about Li Hui anymore.
Song Fenglan took Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang to Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Qin Zihang said he also wanted to study airplanes in the future, and if that were the best choice, Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics would be the best option. As for what major Zhang Xiaohu would study, that was up to him. However, Song Fenglan still brought Zhang Xiaohu to Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics just to take a look; what harm could it do?
With so many universities in the capital, it's enough to just look at the good ones; as for the less prestigious ones, it's fine to skip them.
"Brother Tiger, look, an airplane." Qin Zihang pointed to the airplane placed on the lawn.
That plane was a scrapped aircraft, and the school specially found it and placed it on the lawn for the students to see.
"Wow, it really is an airplane!" Zhang Xiaohu exclaimed.
“We can go and take a look,” Song Fenglan said.
"I'll go with Brother Xiaohu." Qin Zihang pulled Zhang Xiaohu over.
They could not only go over, but also board the plane to take a look. This plane was not a fighter jet, but a passenger plane, with many seats on it.
"So this is what an airplane looks like." Zhang Xiaohu noticed the window on the plane. "Can this window be opened?"
“The curtains can be opened,” Song Fenglan said, “but the windows cannot be opened.”
If airplanes can open their windows freely when they fly high into the sky, something bad will happen.
Some passengers don't believe what the flight attendants say; they always want to try it out.
In her past life, Song Fenglan saw a news report about someone throwing coins into an airplane engine to make a wish. Flight attendants reminded passengers that there was no danger and they shouldn't press emergency buttons, but some passengers insisted on trying. The emergency ladder caused hundreds of thousands of yuan in damage, and the airline demanded compensation from the passengers. The passengers claimed they didn't know the emergency ladder was so expensive and said they accidentally bumped into it.
Nobody believes those people did it accidentally; they did it on purpose. Some even said that the emergency ladder hadn't been used for so long, who knows if it was working properly or not? He was just helping the airline with the maintenance.
Some people are just shameless. They think that by making a scene in front of reporters and getting them to help them get on television, they can avoid paying compensation.
Song Fenglan looked at Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang with a smile on her face.
“Some airports are for both military and civilian use,” Song Fenglan said. “In such airports, the curtain is lowered and cannot be opened. Passengers cannot look outside or take photos.”
“There are planes flying around nearby, making a lot of noise,” Zhang Xiaohu said.
Fighter jets would fly overhead every few days, and Zhang Xiaohu had seen them quite often.
"When I grow up, I want to study airplanes. What about you, Brother Tiger?" Qin Zihang asked.
"Me?" Zhang Xiaohu hadn't really thought about it. He just wanted to study hard. "My mom said I should get into high school first, and then we can talk about what major to study."
“Your mother is right.” Song Fenglan nodded. “You’re not in high school yet, and you haven’t learned many things. You can’t be sure what kind of major you like. When you get to high school, subjects like chemistry and physics will be much more difficult. These subjects are not as simple as they were in junior high. What you learned in junior high was very simple and superficial.”
"Then I'll decide after I get into high school." Zhang Xiaohu didn't know what the future held for him; he only knew that he had to work hard to get into high school. "My brother is going to be a teacher."
“Being a teacher is a good job,” Song Fenglan said.
“My mother is a teacher now,” Qin Zihang said. “My mother has students, and they call me junior brother.”
Ding Wenbo and his group called Qin Zihang "Junior Brother, Junior Brother".
Qin Zihang was very happy to hear them call him junior brother.
"Auntie is amazing!" Zhang Xiaohu exclaimed.
“Of course my mom is amazing,” Qin Zihang said. “But I don’t tell anyone else how amazing my mom is anymore. My mom says we should keep a low profile, and we should all keep a low profile and not be too high-profile. There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. Others may be even more amazing, and if I say that, people will laugh at me.”
"No way, I think Auntie is incredibly amazing, really, really amazing." Zhang Xiaohu thought to himself that he had never seen anyone more amazing than Qin Zihang's mother.
"Alright, I invited you to visit the school, not for you to flatter me." Song Fenglan wanted to laugh when she heard what the two children said.
When Qin Zihang was little, he especially liked to say that Song Fenglan was amazing, and that many people liked her, and many people wanted to be his father, saying that his mother was incredibly powerful...
The child is young, so it's okay to say it; it won't be too embarrassing.
The child is already so grown up. If Qin Zihang is still saying those things in public, it feels different.
Song Fenglan also
Qin Zihang said, "Tell your child to talk about it less in public."
"Take a look around here, I'll go check out other places later," Song Fenglan said.
“There’s an exhibition hall here. I’ve been here a few times already,” Qin Zihang said to Zhang Xiaohu. “Brother Xiaohu, I’ll take you there. You haven’t been before. We can have lunch here at noon.”
"Okay." Zhang Xiaohu nodded.
Qin Yizhou wasn't there; Song Fenglan was with the child.
Of course, with the people protecting Song Fenglan included, it wasn't just Song Fenglan raising the child alone.
Song Fenglan and her friends were walking on campus when they ran into Ding Wenbo.
"Teacher." Ding Wenbo greeted Song Fenglan as soon as he saw her.
"Didn't you go home for summer vacation?" Song Fenglan asked.
“I didn’t go back,” Ding Wenbo said. “I’m going to pursue my doctorate, and there’s still a lot to prepare.”
For a doctoral student to graduate smoothly, there are even higher requirements, and Ding Wenbo is still hoping to graduate smoothly.
Ding Wenbo was Song Fenglan's first graduate student and also her first graduate student. He didn't want to embarrass his teacher and was determined to work harder.
"Don't work too hard," Song Fenglan said.
"Okay." Ding Wenbo nodded. He saw Qin Zihang not far away. Qin Zihang was a distance away from him, so he didn't go over to greet him.
Song Fenglan continued to stay with Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu as they toured the school. Zhang Xiaohu had been to Nancheng University before, and he felt that Nancheng University was quite different from the schools in the capital.
"There are a lot of willow trees here." Zhang Xiaohu saw several willow trees by the lake.
"There are a lot, especially in spring when there are many willow catkins," Qin Zihang said. "Willow catkins can cause allergies, so be careful when you go out and don't play with fire, as the catkins can easily catch fire."
"Willow catkins?" Zhang Xiaohu asked, puzzled.
You should know that the willow trees in the south of the city are just one or two scattered here and there. There are never several at once, and you might not see a willow tree when you go out.
“Yes, the ground was covered with a layer of willow catkins,” Qin Zihang said. “They would catch fire at the slightest touch. Someone tried to set one on fire and got beaten up.”
"Like a dead leaf, it catches fire instantly?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.
“Yes,” Qin Zihang said. “You’ll be able to see it when you go to university here in the future.”
"Hmm." Zhang Xiaohu thought about it and realized that he would be able to see it when he went to university in the capital.
At noon, the group ate lunch at the school cafeteria, specifically the student cafeteria. During summer vacation, fewer students stay on campus, but the school still keeps the student cafeteria open; they can't let these students go hungry.
“I’m still eating, it’s even better than my mom’s cooking.” Zhang Xiaohu always liked to say that.
“Your mother’s cooking is quite good,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s just that you eat your mother’s cooking so often that you don’t find it particularly delicious. Many people’s cooking is not as good as your mother’s.”
“My mom…” Zhang Xiaohu thought about the food his mom used to cook, “After I came out, I did miss my mom’s cooking a little.”
Zhang Xiaohu thought about what his mother might say. His mother would definitely say: "If you dislike my cooking so much, then you shouldn't eat it."
It's impossible for Zhang Xiaohu not to eat; he won't let himself go hungry. He still needs to eat, and he needs to eat more.
“If you miss your mother, you can call her when you get back,” Song Fenglan said. “Don’t worry about the phone bill, eat up.”
There was a chicken leg in Zhang Xiaohu's bowl and a chicken leg in Qin Zihang's bowl. Song Fenglan bought them specially.
Song Fenglan herself didn't eat the chicken leg. She didn't really like chicken legs that much. It wasn't that she didn't have enough money; it was mainly because she preferred other foods. Eating a chicken leg occasionally was fine.
Zhang Xiaohu wasn't particularly picky about food; he felt that since arriving in the capital, he had been eating mostly delicious food. He hadn't even eaten this much meat at home, but since coming to the capital, he had been consuming a lot of meat.
After dinner, Song Fenglan took Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang to sit in a classroom on campus for a while so they could rest. After resting for a bit, they strolled around the campus before heading home. By the time they got home, it was almost four o'clock. After playing around for a while longer, it would be time for dinner.
Zhang Xiaohu didn't call his mother immediately, fearing she might be busy and not home. He waited until around 7 PM before calling her.
Qin Yizhou and Song Fenglan were not in the living room; it was Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu who were there.
Song Fenglan didn't watch Zhang Xiaohu make the call; he could make the call for as long as he wanted.
“Mom.” Zhang Xiaohu had never been away from his mother for so long, and he really missed her.
The plump woman noticed something was off about Zhang Xiaohu's voice. Song Fenglan wouldn't make things difficult for her son. "Zhang Xiaohu, have you gotten into trouble?"
"No, no." Hearing his mother's strong voice, Zhang Xiaohu instinctively wanted to cover his bottom. "Mom, I didn't do anything wrong. I just... I just missed you a little."
"Stop being so dramatic," the plump woman said. "You stay with your Aunt Fenglan, watch carefully, and learn diligently, understand?"
“We went to Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics today. There are airplanes there,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I also saw that my younger brother Zihang went there. He’s been there several times already.”
"Of course, your brother Zihang lives in the capital, he can go there anytime. Just like you, if you want to go to Nancheng University, you can go there anytime," said the plump woman. "You have to work hard, otherwise you won't even be able to get into Nancheng University, let alone want to go to a better school in the capital, isn't that just wishful thinking?"
Everyone in the family compound knew that Zhang Xiaohu wanted to go to a university in the capital, and they all laughed. They thought that Zhang Chenghai and Fatty Sister-in-law were both uneducated, so how could their son possibly be so well-educated? Look at Zhang Wen, he could only go to a vocational teacher's college; he couldn't even finish high school.
As for Zhang Xiaohu, his grades are decent right now, but this is junior high, not high school. To get into high school, he has to take the high school entrance exam, and to get into university, he has to take the college entrance exam. Each level eliminates many people.
“I know,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “We have teachers, several teachers, each teaching us a subject.”
After arriving at Qin Zihang's house, Zhang Xiaohu realized that learning could be done this way. If he hadn't come, the teachers would have been teaching Qin Zihang alone. Zhang Xiaohu hadn't received this kind of treatment back in Nancheng.
"You've gotten a good deal," the plump woman chuckled. "Your Aunt Fenglan hired a good teacher; it must have cost a lot of money. If it were our family, we couldn't afford such a good teacher for you. You must study hard over there and not be playful."
"Okay, sure," Zhang Xiaohu said.
“Brother Xiaohu is studying hard,” Qin Zihang said. “Let’s work hard together.”
After hanging up the phone with Fatty Sister, Zhang Xiaohu felt much better. His mother was right; now that he was here, he had to study hard and not be playful. He couldn't miss such a good opportunity.
If Zhang Xiaohu doesn't come to the capital next year, he'll have to rely on himself, or see if his mother has enrolled him in a training class.
Hiring a private tutor for one-on-one lessons at home would cost a lot of money. Aunt Pang might not be willing to spend that money, and even if she were, she'd have to consider how much she has. The more tutoring the child needs, the more money it will cost.
But Aunt Pang was saving money. She had thought about it, and next year she would arrange for a tutor to give Zhang Xiaohu extra lessons. Zhang Wen's future was already set, but Zhang Xiaohu's future was still uncertain. They could work hard to give Zhang Xiaohu a better future.
Zhang Wen's teacher training college admission notice has been sent home, and he has received it.
Some of the children in the family compound were in the same grade as Zhang Wen. They preferred technical schools, such as those related to cotton mills, which offered direct entry into the factories.
On her way back, Fatty met people from the family compound.
"Is your son Xiaowen really planning to go to teacher's college?" the neighbor asked.
“Yes, let him go to teachers’ college,” the plump woman said, “so he can become a teacher in the future.”
"Is being a teacher really that good?" the neighbor asked, knowing that in the past, being a teacher wasn't considered a very desirable profession.
"Yes, it's fine," said the plump woman.
“Many people don’t become teachers,” the neighbor said. “Teachers have to take care of a lot of children, and it’s not always pleasing to the eye. Working in a factory is better; it’s much better than being a teacher.”
“We’ve already talked to our son about it; he’s going to a teacher’s college,” said the plump woman. “We asked him about it before, and he said it was his own choice.”
"Aren't you afraid he'll resent you later? He'll say you didn't choose a good path for him."
"It's alright," said the plump woman. "It's all settled."
The woman, nicknamed "Fat Sister," doesn't regret choosing this path for her son. Song Fenglan's analysis was correct, and Fan Yani also said that being a teacher is a good thing.
“Your child will be good to work in a factory in the future, very good,” said the plump woman. “It’s a sure thing.”
The fat woman knew what these people wanted her to say. "Your child is good. You know, it's not easy to get into those schools at this time of year. Many people are vying to get in."
“Many people are scrambling to go there,” the neighbor said. “The school hasn’t even admitted that many students yet. If a family has two children who want to go at the same time, they can’t both go. Some people are waiting to take over their parents’ jobs in the future, while others would be useless if they went, so they might as well choose another school.”
It's not that two children can't attend school at the same time, but many parents consider the possibility of their children taking over their parents' jobs, and there will be competition between the children.
In most families, it is rare for two children to take the high school entrance exam together; this phenomenon is only seen in a very small number of blended families.
"Hello to your family," said the plump woman. "No one in my family works in the factory, mainly because I don't have a job. If I did, Xiaowen could take my place, and I wouldn't need to consider teacher's college."
“Yes,” the neighbor nodded. “If you had a job, that would be much better.”
"I have something to do, so I'll head back first." The plump woman didn't want to keep flattering these people. It didn't matter what school her son went to; it had nothing to do with these people.
The fat woman was worried that Zhang Wen would be unhappy. Everyone said that to her face, let alone to Zhang Wen.
“Those people are really something. They were asking me over there if I was sure I was going to teachers’ college, and I said yes.” When the fat woman got home, she saw Zhang Wen as soon as she entered the door and started talking. “They act like teachers’ college is something terrible. I think it’s great. If you’re a teacher, you can teach your children when you have them. Being a teacher is good. Don’t listen to those people’s nonsense, and don’t think about going to work in a factory.”
“I don’t want to,” Zhang Wen said.
"They're all a bunch of blind people," said the plump woman. "What does other people's business have to do with them? They're just spouting nonsense. Xiaowen, don't be upset, don't blame anyone. Your future is still bright."
It's still growing.
Fan Yani ran a shop and did business. She also heard people talking about Fat Sister's family. Those people said that Fat Sister was going to ruin Zhang Wen's life and that Fat Sister and her husband didn't know how to plan for Zhang Wen.
"A lack of education is a lack of education. It concerns the children's future, and they don't even think about it," a customer said while buying egg tarts. "You're so close to Fatty Sister, didn't you try to persuade her?"
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