Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Don't accept your fate
Jiang Xi had just received a guarantee from Zhao Guoqiang, and now Liu Weiqiang said so, it seemed that the store at the train station was a sure thing, and they must have discussed it beforehand.
Even though the shop next to the train station was led by the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, Zhao Guoqiang, as the county magistrate, must have known about such a big project.
Although he understood the twists and turns involved, Jiang Xi still acted politely and did not discriminate against anyone. Instead, he thanked Liu Weiqiang sincerely.
After seeing the two giant Buddhas, Jiang Xi felt that he had completed his social life for the day. He was very happy that the store at the train station was confirmed. With such a good location, he would have no problem selling the food.
Jiang Xi is very confident about the store at the train station. Not only can it sell goods, but it can also serve as a publicity outlet. After all, the people coming and going at the train station are not just from Changfeng County, but from all corners of the world.
If the subsequent performance is good, the store at the train station can also become a place to negotiate cooperation with agents from all over the country. Therefore, the selection of the store manager at the train station is very important. He must be familiar with the products. Ability is one thing, but the most important thing is that he must be of the same mind as Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi will definitely stay in Shanghai in the future. After all, Shanghai's business environment and market potential are much better than Changfeng County. However, the stall in Changfeng County still needs to be set up. Jiang Xi was thinking about the candidate for the manager of the store at the train station all the way, and unknowingly walked to the school.
Before Jiang Xi went to Shanghai, he went to school to take an exam. Only after he got a relatively good score did Xia Juhua let Jiang Xi go to Shanghai.
Xia Juhua is a responsible teacher and cannot bear to see a good seedling buried like this. This is true for Jiang Xi and other students as well.
Xia Juhua hadn't been having a good time these past few days, and was brow-beaten. She saw Jiang Xi as soon as she walked out of the school gate.
Jiang Xi also saw Xia Juhua and greeted her: "Hello, Teacher Xia, are you off work?"
Xia Juhua forced a smile: "Yeah, it's time to get off work. You're back from Shanghai? Did you catch up on your studies?"
Jiang Xi said, "No, I will study whenever I have time. Don't worry, Teacher Xia, I know how important the exam is to me."
Xia Juhua hummed and sighed, "It would be great if everyone was like you."
Jiang Xi observed Xia Juhua's expression, and felt something was wrong, so he asked, "What's wrong, Teacher Xia? You look very unhappy."
Xia Juhua sighed again. She didn't know where to start.
Since she became a teacher, the most frustrating thing she has encountered is not that students cannot concentrate on learning or have poor grades, but that many good students do not continue their studies for various reasons.
This situation especially occurs in the second semester of the second year of high school. Even before the college entrance examination, many people suddenly decide not to take the exam and choose to go home and no longer go to school.
Girls account for a large proportion of them. For many rural parents, instead of educating their girls to go to school, it is better to give the opportunity to the boys in the family.
It is extremely difficult for a girl to go to school, and it is even more difficult if she wants to achieve something famous. Recently, there was a student in Xia Juhua's class who had good grades. If she worked harder, she could at least get into a junior college. But she was suddenly told that her family would not allow her to go to school. Xia Juhua tried to persuade her for a long time, but it was useless. The girl could not resist her family and has now left school.
Xia Juhua said, "This girl's situation is similar to yours, but she probably won't have the chance to return to school like you did. What hurts me most is that none of this was her own will. But she has no choice, and neither do I."
Xia Juhua said sadly, "That day she cried and told me she couldn't go to school. I tried to persuade her for a long time, but I knew it was useless. She really wanted to go to school, but her family wasn't well off. I tried to persuade her parents to let her go to school for another year or two, so she could get into university and earn her own money. But her parents refused, saying they couldn't afford it."
Xia Juhua's brow furrowed even more as she spoke. "I don't understand what they're thinking. At this critical juncture, as long as she can pass the exam, even if she goes to a technical secondary school, wouldn't having a job be better than what she has now?"
Xia Juhua became angrier and angrier as she spoke: "No, I have to go to her house again. I just don't believe it. I can't convince them!" Xia Juhua said and looked at Jiang Xi again: "Are you free later? Do you want to go with me?"
Xia Juhua wanted Jiang Xi to share his experience and persuade the girl and her parents. Even though Jiang Xi is doing so well in business now, he has not given up going to school. This shows how important going to school is.
What future does a rural child have if he doesn't go to school? Moreover, even though he has good grades, he's heartbroken because he's not going to school at this critical moment. The college entrance examination is a turning point in one's fate. For something so important, Xia Juhua wants to give it another try.
Jiang Xi was being pulled by Xia Juhua, so it was hard for him to refuse. After all, he had finished what he needed to do today. Jiang Xi said, "Okay, Teacher, I'll go with you."
Xia Jihua then revealed a somewhat happy expression: "You are still young, you don't cherish opportunities, and you don't know the importance of choices. Sometimes if you make the wrong choice, you will be delayed for a lifetime. It will be too late to regret it then. Many things are just a matter of a single thought. If you persist, it will make a big difference."
Xia Juhua said earnestly that there was very little she could do and she could only try again.
The girl Xia Juhua was talking about was called Lin Hongmei. Lin Hongmei's home was in a village near Changfeng County, about half an hour's drive from Changfeng County. Compared with several nearby villages, the village where Lin Hongmei lived was considered relatively wealthy.
Lin Hongmei has two daughters and two sons. Besides her, she has a younger brother who is still in school. As far as Xia Juhua knows, Lin Hongmei is the only one in her family who has dropped out of school, and her younger brother is still in school.
Along the way, Xia Juhua briefly informed Jiang Xi about the situation at Lin Hongmei's home.
At Lin Hongmei's home, her eyes were swollen like peaches, and she lay motionless on the bed. Lin Hongmei's elder sister Lin Xiuzhen advised her, "Hongmei, your parents are doing this for your own good. Why would a girl go to school so long? Besides, you're going to college away from home. If you get bullied, who will help you? It's better for you to stay home early and help your family with some things. Then we can find you a good husband."
Lin Hongmei's eyes were dull and she didn't react at all, as if she hadn't heard the words at all.
Lin Xiuzhen sighed. Her younger sister was very stubborn. Her family didn't allow her to continue going to school. She went on a hunger strike for several days before she got the chance to go to high school.
But this time, it might be difficult. Lin Xiuzhen couldn't bear to see Lin Hongmei like this, and continued to persuade her: "Little sister, I know you are very upset, but our family's conditions are like this. We can't afford to support two college students. You can't blame your parents. When you drew lots, you chose the one who didn't go to school. It's fate. Little sister, just accept it."
After hearing this, Lin Hongmei gasped, her eyes sparking with anger. Unlike the lifeless look just now, she was now filled with anger. "I accept my fate, big sister, you are too naive. The two pieces of paper both say the same thing. My parents told me to catch it first. No matter how hard I try, I can't continue to go to school! Only you would be fooled by them. Big sister, they don't take girls seriously at all. They just favor boys over girls, so they let my younger brother continue to go to school. If big brother had good grades, they would sell everything they had to let him go to school!"
Lin Xiuzhen was a gentle person who listened to her parents. She didn't believe Lin Hongmei's words at all. She just thought that Lin Hongmei was too sad and overthinking it. "Hongmei, your parents are not that kind of people. They really have no other choice. They only have that little money at home. They can only do this. If they were that kind of people, why would they let you go to high school?"
Lin Hongmei snorted, "You don't know, but they let me go to high school not because I hadn't eaten for days. They felt sorry for me, but because I told them that if they didn't let me go to high school, I wouldn't let their son go to school either. Anyway, I'm not afraid of those who wear shoes because I'm barefoot. If they don't let me go to school, I'll risk it all. No one else can go!"
Lin Xiuzhen's eyes were filled with disbelief. "How is this possible? Little sister, you're thinking the wrong way. It's impossible, absolutely impossible. I know you're upset, but you can't think of your parents like that. They're all our children, and they've never treated us unfairly. It's just because they don't have that much money."
Lin Hongmei closed her eyes and refused to say anything more. Her eldest sister was timid and used to listening to her parents. She had no ability to think. What was the point of saying so much to her?
Lin Hongmei just hated herself for not saving any money. If she had money, she could pay for her own schooling. Now she was too young to find a decent job, but why now?
There are not many days left before the college entrance examination, why now? Liu Hongmei clenched her fists, she was unwilling to accept it, how could she be willing to stay in this village for the rest of her life? Lin Hongmei knew very well what kind of life the women in the village lived, they had to do housework, take care of children, and farm, and they would quarrel over trivial matters.
From childhood to adulthood, Lin Hongmei has never seen any woman in the village live a good life. They can't even eat an egg. Lin Hongmei dare not even think about such a life. A long time ago, Lin Hongmei decided that she did not want to live such a life and she wanted to leave here.
So Lin Hongmei studied hard. Even when she went to school with her younger brother and her family did not allow her younger brother to do housework but instead assigned her a lot of work, Lin Hongmei would finish the work, even if she had to sleep less to study hard.
Because of Lin Hongmei's hard work, her grades are much better than her brother's. However, despite this, her parents still decided to let her brother continue to go to school. Is it just because she is a girl?
Lin Hongmei was filled with grief, anger, and despair. What could she do? The teenage Lin Hongmei couldn't think of any solution, so she could only passively resist by harming herself.
Xia Juhua brought Jiang Xi to Lin Hongmei's house, and met Lin Hongmei's mother Guo Cuiying before they even entered the door.
Guo Cuiying's first reaction when she saw Xia Juhua was unhappiness. Why did this teacher come again? She had already said that her family had no money to support Hongmei, so what was she doing here again?
Guo Cuiying's attitude was not very good: "Teacher Xia, I know what you are here for, but I told you, my family is poor and can't afford to support two children. You should go back. Even if you talk nonsense, no money means no money. Money can't fall from the sky, and you can't give me money. I am just digging for food in the fields. I have only this little ability. Hongmei was born in my family and couldn't go to school. It's her fate. Who made her have a bad fate? If she was born in a rich family, she wouldn't have this problem. Teacher Xia, please understand me. Hongmei has been making a lot of noise at home these days, and I feel bad too. If you say a few more words, Hongmei will make more trouble. How can our family live?"
Before Xia Juhua could say a word, Guo Cuiying started talking a lot. Jiang Xi observed calmly. This Guo Cuiying was not an easy person to get along with. She had some calculations in her mind. It seemed that things would not go so smoothly.
Xia Juhua had met Guo Cuiying a few times before and knew that she was the stubborn type. However, she had originally wanted to give it one last try, so she wasn't dissuaded by Guo Cuiying. Instead, she said, "I understand your family's financial difficulties, but you've made it through high school for several years and now you're on the verge of success. It would be a shame to give up. Hongmei is a good child, hardworking and filial. If you support her for a few more months, she can get into college and find a job easily. If she's more filial, you too can live a good life."
Xia Juhua spoke earnestly, but Guo Cuiying remained unmoved: "Live a good life, Teacher Xia. I am not very knowledgeable and can only see the present. Right now, our family can't even afford to eat. If we continue to provide for them for a few more months, we won't be able to afford it for even a single day. I dare not count on a better future. We can't even make ends meet now. Teacher Xia, don't say anything. I really have no choice. Please leave quickly."
Guo Cuiying ordered them to leave again. Now that things had come to this, Xia Juhua didn't know what to say next. It wasn't that she wanted to stay and be annoying, but it was really a pity for Lin Hongmei's child.
Xia Juhua could only say: "Then let me see Hongmei, is she at home?"
Guo Cuiying said decisively, "She's not here. I asked her to go out and relax these days. Besides, what good will it do if you look for her? She might feel even worse after hearing what you said. If she becomes depressed, can you take the responsibility? Teacher Xia, you'd better leave. My family is like this anyway. There's nothing we can do."
Xie Juhua was speechless after being told this by Guo Cuiying. She moved her mouth but didn't say anything. A hint of pride flashed in Guo Cuiying's eyes. She was a teacher, but she was only this good. She easily defeated her. Guo Cuiying raised her eyebrows and said, "Go back. Don't come to my house anymore. Let's have a few days of peace."
Just then, the door of the Lin family creaked open, and Lin Hongmei came out.
Lin Hongmei was lying in bed when she heard the noise outside and realized it was Xia Juhua's voice.
Xia Juhua was very good to her. She took good care of her when she was in school and patiently explained to her the questions she didn't understand. Besides herself, the one who was most sad about Lin Hongmei not being able to go to school was probably Xia Juhua.
When Lin Hongmei heard Xia Juhua's voice, she struggled to get up and hurried out to find Xia Juhua.
The Lin family's yard is not big, and Xia Juhua and Guo Cuiying did not lower their voices during their conversation, so Lin Hongmei heard everything. She gritted her teeth. It seemed that her mother really didn't want her to continue going to school. Even when the teacher came to their home, she still refused so firmly.
Lin Hongmei opened the door. Xia Juhua was surprised to see Lin Hongmei, and then she carefully observed Lin Hongmei's expression. She had lost a lot of weight, her lips were chapped, and she looked unhappy. Xia Juhua felt a little sad. This child must have had a hard time these days. Xia Juhua still remembered that when Lin Hongmei was forced to leave school, she cried heart-wrenchingly. This child wanted to continue going to school so much.
Lin Hongmei greeted Xia Juhua politely: "Hello, Teacher Xia."
Xia Juhua nodded at her: "How have you been these days?" Xia Juhua knew that her question was nonsense. Looking at Lin Hongmei's expression, she knew that she was not doing well.
These words made Lin Hongmei's nose sore. Lin Hongmei knew that Xia Juhua cared about her, and her eyes turned red. Before she opened her mouth, tears came down.
Guo Cuiying's eyes widened: "What are you doing? You've been fighting with me at home these past few days. Who are you showing this to now? Someone who doesn't know would think I'm abusing you."
Just now, in order to get Xia Juhua to leave quickly, Guo Cuiying lied and said that Lin Hongmei was not at home. Now Lin Hongmei comes out by herself. Isn't this a slap in her face?
This dead girl refused to say a word to her these past few days. When she saw the teacher, she cried as if she saw a relative, and she cried so miserably. Guo Cuiying felt a surge of anger in her chest.
The older this daughter gets, the more disobedient she becomes. She has learned how to threaten her parents since she was young. It was because I was too soft-hearted at the beginning that I let her threaten me, which is why she was able to go to high school. Now she is in trouble because of going up to school.
Guo Cuiying was so angry that her teeth were itching. Why couldn't Lin Hongmei be as obedient and sensible as her elder sister Lin Xiuzhen? Guo Cuiying was so angry with Lin Hongmei. The child she gave birth to was not a daughter at all, but a debt collector!
After crying, Lin Hongmei wiped her tears and just looked at Xia Juhua without even glancing at Guo Cuiying.
Guo Cuiying became even angrier. This damn girl hated her. In order to appease this damn girl, Guo Cuiying had specially thought of a trick and asked Lin Hongmei to draw lots. In this way, she could not blame others for what she drew.
But after Lin Hongmei caught him, she asked to see what was written on the other note. Fortunately, Guo Cuiying was quick-witted and tore up the other note directly, otherwise the girl would have seen through it.
Lin Hongmei has been shrewd since she was a child. I don't know who she has been influenced by, but she knows how to manipulate her parents at such a young age. Even so, she was still able to let Lin Hongmei go to college. Now they look down on them. She will become even more wild after going to college. Maybe she won't even come home. Then what's the point of raising this daughter? A girl is worthless. After raising her for so many years, she is going to let her go for nothing. Isn't that even more unprofitable?
Guo Cuiying secretly thought that Fujun was right. A little girl should be properly disciplined and not given everything she wants. Besides Guo Cuiying, the decision to stop Lin Hongmei from continuing her studies was made by Lin Fujun, the head of the family.
Lin Fujun originally decided not to let Lin Hongmei go to school, but he persuaded Guo Cuiying with just a few words, and Guo Cuiying stood on the same side with Lin Fujun.
Xia Juhua had already realized that Guo Cuiying would never agree to Lin Hongmei's schooling, but it would be a shame to let such a good girl not go to school.
Xie Juhua asked Lin Hongmei: "Do you still want to continue going to school?"
Lin Hongmei nodded: "Teacher Xia, of course I want to continue my studies. I want to go to college." She wanted to leave home.
Guo Cuiying gritted her teeth, "Why are you going to school? My family can't even make ends meet, how can we support you in school? What are you trying to do by agreeing with your teacher? Are you forcing me? Whose family are you from? This is why I can't let you continue to go to school. You've become so distracted by school. Which girl in the village is like you? You haven't eaten for the past few days and you're threatening me. You're really driving me crazy!"
Guo Cuiying was so angry that she couldn't hold it in any longer and exploded.
Lin Hongmei acted as if she hadn't heard what Guo Cuiying said. If she wanted to continue her studies, her only chance was to ask Xia Juhua for help: "Teacher Xia, I want to continue my studies. Please help me. I will study hard and repay you in the future!"
Xia Juhua looked at Lin Hongmei who was trying hard to make sure, and decided to persuade her again. She said to Guo Cuiying, "See how much her daughter wants to go to school, just let her continue. She is a good child who knows how to repay her gratitude. She did this for me, and it will only be better for you."
Xia Juhua gave Lin Hongmei a look. Lin Hongmei knew that Xia Juhua meant well to persuade Guo Cuiying to change her mind, but Liu Hongmei still did not move. Her mother was determined not to let her go to school. No matter how much she begged, Guo Cuiying would not change her mind.
As expected, Guo Cuiying simply put her hands on her hips and started to curse, snorting, "You're just wasting your time. Teacher Xia, what are you doing with nothing to do? I've already told you, don't you understand? You're a teacher, you've been to school, but you're worse than me, who can't even read a single word. If you don't leave now, I'll kick you out!"
These words were unpleasant to the ears, and Xia Juhua's face changed. Jiang Xi, who had been quiet at the side, spoke up, "Dear parent, Teacher Xia came here today because she couldn't bear to see such a promising student buried like this. Lin Hongmei has excellent grades. If she just keeps on persevering, she can go to a good university and change her life. I think as a parent, you want to see your child succeed the most, right? Otherwise, why would you insist on letting Lin Hongmei's brother go to school?"
Although Jiang Xi did not say it explicitly, his meaning was very clear. You, Guo Cuiying, have the ability to send your child to school, but you chose another child instead of Lin Hongmei. To put it bluntly, you are biased.
Guo Cuiying's face turned a little ugly. "Who are you? I really saw a ghost today. You two came to my house one by one and talked for a long time. Why do you say that to me? I have my own children. I can let whoever you want to go to school!"
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