Xu Dashan and his wife spent all their savings and tried their best to get him a job as a waiter in a grocery store.
Thanks to the kindness of his boss, who was not a mean person, Xu Changgen learned a few words during the years he worked in the shop. In his last year, he even learned how to use an abacus.
This was a remarkable ability for the Qingshan Brigade, where the illiteracy rate was nearly 80% when the People's Republic of China was first founded.
Of course, this is also because Qingshan Brigade is close to the commune and the county seat and is relatively wealthy.
In some remote villages, there may be only four people who can read.
All in all, the hard work of Xu Dashan and his wife was not in vain. Xu Changgen successfully became the captain with his knowledge and ability to calculate.
Influenced by his grandfather, Xu Changgen also hoped that his children could study and learn. After all, studying was the only way for a peasant family like theirs to move up.
By Xu Sui's generation, the eldest brother Xu Hongjun and the sister Xu Mian studied until junior high school, but did not continue their studies due to the disaster in 1989. The second brother Xu Weiguo and Xu Sui both studied until high school.
In the whole commune, high school graduates are considered rare top students.
Mr. Xu doesn't believe the view of modern people that if you can't get into university, studying is useless. If it was really useless, why would factories require academic qualifications when recruiting workers?
He said that arranging Xu Sui to be a teacher at the primary school was also Xu Changgen's consideration. Who doesn't have a little selfishness? Besides, his daughter's academic qualifications are the best in the entire brigade.
Xu Changgen said, "The commune has just approved the primary school for the brigade. We will use the building that was originally used as the Xu family ancestral hall. The plan is to enroll students in September this year. The teachers must be selected before September. Our brigade will recruit two teachers in total."
"This is what I think. Since they are recruiting teachers, let's have an exam. In a formal classroom, no one can talk nonsense."
"We won't choose from the educated youth anyway. There's no one in our team with a higher education than Weiguo and Suisui."
There are not that many junior high school graduates, but they are enough to teach in primary schools.
Grandpa Xu was also satisfied with this method. Today's schools are in a mess, students are not like students, teachers are not like teachers, and many people have learned nothing after a whole year in school, but their families force their children to study hard.
This was also something Xu Changgen had thought about carefully. Although the girl studied hard, there were few teachers in the school who could give lectures, and they all taught the children to learn quotations, so the girl's grades were only average.
Personally, he did not want to let the educated youth participate in the teacher selection. Besides, he was willing, and the members of the Qingshui Brigade would not agree.
Zhang Yunxiu added: "Then let Sui Sui not go to work during this period of time, and stay at home to study hard."
Others think so.
Xu Sui said in a low voice: "Dad, doesn't our team have a quota for educated youth to return to the city? Have you decided who to choose?"
Xu Changgen frowned, "No, why, do you have someone you want to recommend?"
Zhang Yunxiu had already become alert in her heart, waiting to see which male educated youth's name the lady would mention next.
"I'm not familiar with them." Xu Sui paused, "But this quota must be decided as soon as possible, otherwise it will easily cause trouble."
When she said this, the others remembered the quarrel between the educated youths from the neighboring brigade over the quota to return to the city, and their faces turned a little unhappy.
Xu Changgen picked up the dry cigarette and said, "That's right."
Their brigade started to have educated youth working in the countryside in 1960, and as of this year there are still 45 educated youth in the four production teams.
There was a rumor that the brigade had quotas for returning to the city, and many educated youth tried every means to establish connections with him, and many even gave him gifts, but they were all rejected by Xu Changgen.
Xu Sui added: "I think, if we really don't know who to choose, we might as well choose Sister Yulan. She has been here a long time, works hard, and is a nice person."
The Yulan she was talking about was named Wang Yulan. She was an educated youth who went to the countryside in 1962. She was also one of the few educated youth who had not married locally after ten years in the countryside.
Wang Yulan's parents were both ordinary workers. At that time, they were among the first batch of people who responded to the country's call and actively signed up to go to the countryside. They never expected that they would never have the chance to return to the city.
It was not until 1968 when the country launched a large-scale campaign to send urban youth to the countryside that the hope of returning to the city became even slimmer. It was also from that time that those who had been in the countryside for a long time would choose to marry locals and put down roots there completely.
Wang Yulan is quiet and hardworking. She also learned a little medicine from her grandfather. Normally, she would actively diagnose and treat people in the team who have minor illnesses.
Therefore, the people in the brigade looked down on other educated youth but liked her.
Zhang Yunxiu heard Wang Yulan's name and clapped her hands. "Yes, Yulan was only sixteen years old when she first came to the brigade. We can't delay any longer."
Xu Changgen nodded, "I discussed this with your uncle Li Rong before, and it was decided to choose between Wang Yulan and Lin Jianguo, but later he was busy applying for Dadu Primary School, so the matter was put on hold."
Lin Jianguo is also an old educated youth. He is good at his job and often takes the initiative to help people in the team. He is very popular in the team.
Xu Hongjun finally interrupted, "Dad, Lin Jianguo seems to be an honest man, and he can do the job, but he seems to have a crush on Xiaofen from the accountant."
"I saw them talking on the sidewalk a few times last month, but I haven't seen them for a while."
This period of time is when I heard that there were spots available to return to the city.
Mrs. Xu, who had been silent the whole time, also spoke up. "I was wondering why Xiaofen has been so quiet at work these past few days."
They didn't explain it too clearly, and we couldn't speculate on the matter, but everyone knew it.
Originally, among the two educated youths, Xu Changgen also preferred Wang Yulan, and he immediately made the decision, "Then it's Wang Yulan. I'll discuss it with the others later. Let's hold a meeting after work today."
After dinner, Xu Sui cleaned up the dishes and returned to her room.
The original owner lived in the same room with Xu Mian. After Xu Mian got married, she had her own room.
The furnishings inside were very simple: a camphorwood box for storing clothes, a small desk with only junior high and high school books on it, and a bunk bed.
The room faces south and has a small window made of paulownia wood. However, glass was not yet popular at that time, so the windows were covered with a layer of white paper. Even during the day, the room was a little dim.
Everyone in the Xu family wanted to take the time to sleep for a while. Xu Sui closed the door and gently pressed the red mole on the inside of her wrist.
As she silently muttered to herself, she had already arrived in another space.
Yes, Xu Sui also has a golden finger.
The difference is that she had this golden finger before she traveled through time.
The space is only the size of a six-meter-by-six-meter container. I don’t know what the walls and floor are made of, but they are jade white.
There are no windows in the entire space, only a pool in the middle. The water in it is running water and always remains warm.