Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Rescue Fund
Guo Cuiying was so irritated that she simply stopped acting. She still remembered Lin Fujun's words that girls should not go to school so much, because once they become wild in heart, there is no redemption. Now while she can still discipline Lin Hongmei, she must do so in time, otherwise, once Lin Hongmei finishes the exam and leaves, her daughter will be completely raised in vain.
Guo Cuiying felt more and more that what the head of the family said made so much sense. Lin Hongmei's face turned pale. Her mother finally told her the truth. She was the one who was not chosen.
Lin Hongmei felt sad. In addition to her mother, her father was also involved in this matter. After all, her mother listened to her father the most.
With no support from her parents and no understanding from her sisters, Lin Hongmei felt isolated and helpless and couldn't help crying again.
Jiang Xi remained calm. She ignored Guo Cuiying's outburst and turned to Xia Juhua, saying, "Teacher, there's no point trying to convince this person. She's already made up her mind. No matter how much you try to persuade her, it's useless. Your starting point is for the child's best interests, but this parent's heart isn't with Lin Hongmei; she's worried about someone else."
Jiang Xi had quickly revealed the essence of the matter, and Xia Juhua was well aware of it: "I know, Jiang Xi, it's just... well." She still wanted to help Lin Hongmei, believing that having parental support was better than having none at all. It was just that Lin Hongmei's parents were too partial.
When Lin Hongmei heard Jiang Xi's name, she stopped crying and suddenly raised her head to look at Jiang Xi.
Lin Hongmei had never met Jiang Xi. To Lin Hongmei, Jiang Xi was a very mysterious person. He was like a legend in the school.
Although Lin Hongmei and Jiang Xi were not in the same class, she had heard about Jiang Xi. Because his family was poor, Jiang Xi stopped going to school, but later returned to school. Although he was not studying at school, he was still learning and did well in several exams.
Xia Juhua had praised Jiang Xi many times in class. Lin Hongmei was very curious about Jiang Xi, especially after she heard that Jiang Xi made money by doing business to support her schooling. Lin Hongmei became even more curious about Jiang Xi. She also wanted to be like Jiang Xi, but she had no capital and didn't know what she should do.
Finally meeting Jiang Xi today, Lin Hongmei felt not only curiosity but also admiration for Jiang Xi. Jiang Xi made Guo Cuiying speechless with just a few words. Lin Hongmei admired Jiang Xi very much. She was not good enough and she wished she could be as good as Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi's words were very clear, and he tore off Guo Cuiying's mask. Guo Cuiying's face turned pale: "What nonsense are you talking about? You have no right to meddle in my family's affairs! Hurry up and leave, or I will chase you away with a broom!"
Lin Fujun had just returned from the fields. He saw a group of people standing at his door from a distance and heard Guo Cuiying's roar.
As Guo Cuiying's voice grew louder, the neighbors around came out to watch the fun.
"The teacher means well. Why are you being so mean to her? She's just trying to get Hongmei's grades. How can you be so ungrateful?"
"She just doesn't want Hongmei to continue her studies. It would be a shame if she doesn't go after studying for so long."
"Teachers care about their children's future more than you do. How can you, as a mother, do this?"
Everyone started talking at once and criticizing Guo Cuiying. Guo Cuiying sneered and said to the onlookers, "You have nothing better to do than worry about what you are doing. What's your business in my family? Please leave now and stop making a fuss at the door. You just love to make trouble. I don't have the time to waste on you."
After being scolded by Guo Cuiying, the onlookers were unwilling to accept it. A somewhat dark woman said: "Guo Cuiying, we have provoked you, and you are spewing filth here. We are just reminding you with good intentions. Why are you like this now? You are so unreasonable. No wonder you did something like making the child drop out of school."
"You're just mad because you were stabbed in the lungs, so you're making such a fuss and trying to drive us away. You're afraid of others knowing what you did. You have no conscience."
Guo Cuiying's saliva flew all over the place and she said loudly: "Stop talking nonsense. Why don't you let the little girl go to school? Instead of running here to lecture me, wipe your mouth clean first, then continue talking!"
Guo Cuiying was very combative and with just a few words she silenced the onlookers.
Everyone has a similar idea. Why should a girl go to school? It’s better to save the money. Girls are raised by other families anyway. Who has so much spare money to spend on girls now?
However, there are still a few people who think that Guo Cuiying's behavior is not fair. They also heard that Guo Cuiying let her son go to school but not her daughter. Moreover, her daughter's exams are about to begin. At this critical juncture, she doesn't let her go to school and pulls her daughter back. Isn't this ruining her future?
Someone spoke up, "As for Cuiying, the teacher has come to your house, proving your daughter's grades are good. She's been attending school for so long, why not let her continue? Wait until the exams are over and see. If she does well, it will bring honor to the family. If she doesn't, she can come back to help. There's still time."
Guo Cuiying raised her eyelids and said, "What honor do you want for our family? My family doesn't need a little girl to bring honor to it."
The performance was no longer going on, and a few people started chattering and shouting in all sorts of words, which attracted more and more people to watch.
Some people agree with Guo Cuiying's idea that girls should not go to school so much, but many people also think that Guo Cuiying is too extreme.
She deliberately dragged her daughter back home at this critical moment. Didn't she see that Lin Hongmei's eyes were getting more and more angry? She was trying to make enemies with her own daughter. Even if some people would be biased, they would not do it so blatantly. Guo Cuiying is simply amazing.
Lin Fujun secretly cursed her as an idiot. Even if she thought so, Guo Cuiying couldn't say it out loud. She had a boy at home who was still in school. She didn't care about her reputation.
Although most of the villagers do the same thing, only allowing boys to go and not girls, only a few people would say it so clearly. Now Guo Cuiying has expressed her attitude so bluntly. How will her youngest son behave in the future? What will the villagers say? Isn't this just giving others a handle?
Lin Fujun's eyes were full of gloom. Guo Cuiying had been married to him for so long, and he had been teaching her for so long, so why couldn't she learn it?
Lin Fujun was the man behind the scenes, instigating Guo Cuiying to charge into battle at the front, but in fact, the idea was all his. The villain let Guo Cuiying do it, but he acted as if nothing had happened, reaping all the benefits and maintaining a good reputation. There are many men like Lin Fujun.
Lin Fujun ran back in a few steps. Seeing that Lin Fujun had found his backbone, Guo Cuiying said to him, "Master, Teacher Xia came to our house and I told her that Hongmei would not continue to go to school, but she refused to leave."
Lin Fujun suppressed his anger and smiled at Xia Juhua, "Teacher Xia, I know you mean well, but our family really doesn't have that much money, and I'm not partial to anyone. I supported both children in going to school. I was willing to tighten my belt to support them if they had a bright future, but now there's really no other way. So I let the two children draw lots, and it was Hongmei who drew the paper ball that didn't go to school. It's fate, and there's nothing I can do."
Lin Fujun quickly shifted the blame, saying that Lin Hongmei was just unlucky and caught the paper ball that couldn't go to school. Only Lin Hongmei knew the truth, but even if she told it now, no one would believe it.
It was because Lin Fujun had a very honest face and he had a good reputation in the village. Sure enough, as soon as Lin Fujun said it, some of the onlookers started talking about it.
"Every family has a hard time, Fujun, you've been working so hard for the family for so long and have done your best. There's nothing we can do."
"Which parent doesn't want their children to succeed? Aren't we the ones who suffer the most when our children can't go to school? But ability is just that. Even if you kneel on the ground and kowtow to God, money won't fall from the sky. There's nothing we can do about it."
Someone tried to persuade Lin Hongmei, "Hongmei, don't blame your parents. We're just ordinary people, so how could we have so much money? We're lucky enough to be able to support you to this level."
"You were born in a place like this. It's all fate. There's nothing you can do about it. There's nothing you can do about it."
Lin Fujun pretended to be lost and lowered his head, but a hint of pride flashed in his eyes. He was not as stupid as Guo Cuiying, who was caught with just a few words.
Lin Fujun has four children in his family. The one he hates the most is Lin Hongmei. This child is very cunning and has learned to fight with him at a young age. But after all, he is still the head of the family, and he has to let this little girl see who has the final say in the family.
Jiang Xi observed the performance of several people. Lin Fujun was a hypocritical person to the extreme. Jiang Xi quickly came up with an idea and said to Lin Fujun, "You mean that you feel sorry for the child. If you had the chance, would you let Lin Hongmei continue to go to school?"
Lin Fujun had never met Jiang Xi and didn't know where this person came from, but when asked this question, Lin Fujun could only say: "Of course, both of them are my children, and I feel sorry for them, but the conditions at home are there, and I can only support one. If the conditions were better, I would definitely let Hongmei continue to go to school."
This is what Jiang Xi wanted: "Okay, now I can lend you some money so that she can continue to go to school."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience fell silent. Nowadays, everyone wants to borrow money from others, but no one would take the initiative to lend money to others.
Lin Fujun was stunned, and the people around him who were watching the fun were chattering and talking at the same time.
"Who is this girl? She's so young. If she has money, just lend it to her."
"Did I hear correctly? How can someone still offer to lend money to others these days? What if they can't pay it back?"
"Isn't what I just said true? This girl can borrow money, but I don't know if Lin Fujun wants to lend it to her."
"Didn't Lin Fujun say that if there was a chance for Hongmei to go to school, he would be willing to sell everything he had. Now that the money is at his doorstep, how could he not lend it? Hongmei can go to school if he lends it to her."
…
When Guo Cuiying heard that Jiang Xi wanted to lend them money, she was not only surprised but more angry. Although she was not sure whether Jiang Xi was serious, Guo Cuiying's first reaction was to refuse.
What a joke! Even though her family is rich, she doesn't want Li Hongmei to continue going to school, let alone lending money to this girl to go to school. She is not that confused.
Guo Cuiying immediately started cursing, "You little girl, who the hell are you? You've been gossiping since the beginning, and you even said you'd lend us money. We won't lend you money. We want to live a good life and eat as much as we can. Don't even think of putting us in debt!"
For rural people, being in debt is a serious matter, especially since the money was delivered to their doorstep. Lin Fujun finally found a way out: "That's right, little girl, although our family is poor, we have backbone and will never borrow money to get by. Besides, there are so many scammers nowadays, how can we know if you are deliberately setting a trap to deceive us? Our family is poor and we can't afford it. I appreciate your kindness, but let's forget about the loan."
Jiang Xi said calmly, "Is that so? So you're unwilling to lend money to let Lin Hongmei continue her studies?"
Lin Fujun struggled and said, "It's not that I don't want to lend, but I can't pay it back even if I borrow it. We are just digging for food in the soil, and we dare not go into debt."
Guo Cuiying and Lin Fujun had expressed their opinions, and Jiang Xi had not originally intended to lend money to the couple.
Jiang Xi asked Lin Hongmei directly: "Lin Hongmei, if I have money to lend you so that you can continue your studies, would you like to borrow it?"
Liu Hongmei nodded immediately: "I want to borrow it. Please lend me the money so that I can continue my studies. I will definitely pay you back in the future!"
For Lin Hongmei, the biggest problem now is that she has no money to go to school. Jiang Xi can help her solve this problem, so how could Lin Hongmei refuse?
Lin Hongmei was so enthusiastic that Guo Cuiying almost gnashed her teeth: "You damn girl, why are you borrowing money? How are you going to pay it back? Don't drag our family down to pay off your debt when the time comes!"
Lin Fujun's fatherly mask was about to fall off. He said in a deep voice, "Hongmei, why are you getting more and more disobedient as you get older? We've already said we can't afford it and can't pay it back, so why are you still borrowing money? We're all tightening our belts now. If you lend us money, how can we survive?"
Lin Fujun said sadly, "I'm a man, and I shouldn't say these things. Saying these things will make people laugh, but our family is really too poor to make ends meet, so we can't support you. I know you have grievances, but Hongmei, you can't act blindly because of a momentary grievance. You're so young and you're borrowing money and getting into debt. What are you going to do in the future?"
Lin Fujun's rank was much higher than Guo Cuiying's, but Jiang Xi had a plan. She said to Lin Hongmei, "Lin Hongmei, if you want to borrow money, I can lend it to you, but you need to write an IOU. I don't need to pay interest on the money I lend you, as long as you pay it back within three years after you get into university."
The conditions for borrowing money are very relaxed, and the money can be repaid within three years after going to college. As long as Lin Hongmei can be admitted to college and assigned a job after college, it will be easy to repay Jiang Xi's money.
Lin Hongmei almost knelt down before Jiang Xi. She said gratefully, "I'll lend it to you. I'll write you an IOU. I'm borrowing it in my own name. It has nothing to do with my family."
There was a look of determination in Lin Hongmei's eyes. She was extremely disappointed with Lin Fujun and Guo Cuiying. These were her parents who had been digging holes for her and wanted to crush her into the mud.
Lin Hongmei said to Lin Fujun and Guo Cuiying, "Mom and Dad, I understand everything you said, but I want to go to school and pass the exam, so I'm borrowing money in my own name. Don't worry, even if I can't pay it back in the future, even if I have to go out and pick up trash, I will pay it back to others. It has nothing to do with the family."
Lin Fujun couldn't hold back his expression any longer. "What do you mean? It has nothing to do with the family? Are you going to sever ties with us?"
Lin Hongmei said: "How is that possible? I don't want to cut off ties with my family. I just want to go to school."
Lin Hongmei's eyes were filled with tears. "Dad, Mom, I have always studied very hard. My grades are much better than my brother's, but you insisted on drawing lots. You can draw lots, but why are the two pieces of paper with the same words written on them? What difference does it make whether I draw first or later? I can't go to school..."
Lin Fujun interrupted anxiously: "What are you talking about? Not letting you borrow money is for your own good. Why are you talking about all these useless things?" He couldn't let Lin Hongmei expose his secrets in public.
Lin Fujun was also angry. Lin Hongmei was trying to put him down: "Okay, you can go to school, and you can borrow money, but remember what you said today. You have to pay back the money you borrow yourself. Your family won't help you pay it back."
Lin Hongmei said firmly, "Of course, I will pay it back myself, and I never expected you to pay me back."
Guo Cuiying felt like her brain was about to explode. She slapped her thigh and shouted, "This is raising a girl! What's the point of raising a girl? She's so young and already pushing her parents like this. How can she be so opinionated? What sin have I committed to raise a debt collector?"
Lin Hongmei had made up her mind and ignored Guo Cuiying's crying and wailing. She said directly to Jiang Xi, "Should I write you an IOU now or later?"
Jiang Xi said, "Let's go back to school and write it. Let the teacher witness it. It would be better if we could call the principal. Having a witness would be better for both of us."
Jiang Xi is not blindly kind-hearted. To lend money, all the procedures must be prepared. People's hearts are the most difficult to guess. Lin Hongmei is like this now because she is forced into a desperate situation, but what about the future?
Jiang Xi hopes that her kindness will not be in vain. The most effective measure is to protect this kindness firmly, think of all possibilities, and take risk prevention measures in advance.
Lin Hongmei nodded: "Okay, I'll go back to school with you." Anyway, Lin Hongmei didn't have much attachment to this home. She hadn't been able to go to school these few days and was worried about falling behind in her studies. She couldn't wait to go to school again.
Seeing Lin Hongmei about to leave the house without looking back, Guo Cuiying shouted in an extremely sharp voice: "Lin Hongmei, if you leave this house today, you are no longer a family member!"
Lin Hongmei turned her head slightly and stared at Guo Cuiying as if she were a stranger. She then looked at Lin Fujun and said, "You have never treated me as a family member. Am I your child? Think about it, how much affection do you have for me?"
Guo Cuiying hadn't expected Lin Hongmei to ask this. How much affection did she have? Of course, there wasn't much, but even she understood. She couldn't say that at this moment, so she could only shut her mouth in frustration.
Lin Fujun gritted his teeth and for the first time he felt like he was being pushed to the edge of a cliff. This damn girl was a debt collector and was born to bring bad luck to him. It was better for her to die. He would just pretend that he didn't have this daughter.
Guo Cuiying and Lin Fujun stopped trying to stop them, and the crowd automatically made way for them. Lin Hongmei was completely heartbroken.
Lin Hongmei left home with Xia Juhua and Jiang Xi. Xia Juhua comforted Lin Hongmei: "Hongmei, temporary difficulties will never defeat you. Don't worry, as long as you hold on, study hard for a few months, and get into college, your future will be bright. Your parents will understand too." Xia Juhua's voice unconsciously lowered a lot in the last sentence. How could she not see that Lin Hongmei was not valued at all at home.
Liu Hongmei's eyes were filled with tears: "Teacher Xia, I know. I will study hard and learn as much as I can to show those who look down on me that I can live a good life. I will make them regret it."
Xia Juhua touched Lin Hongmei's head and said to Jiang Xi, "Jiang Xi, thank you. I am really grateful that you can do this."
Xia Juhua only asked Jiang Xi to be a lobbyist, but she didn't expect Jiang Xi to contribute money and manpower. Xia Juhua thought of Jiang Xi's friendship, but couldn't help worrying: "You just said you wanted to borrow money from Hongmei. Do you have enough money?" Although Xia Juhua knew that Jiang Xi was doing business, she was also worried. Jiang Xi asked to borrow money out of necessity.
Jiang Xi said, "Don't worry. Since I offered to lend money to Lin Hongmei, I've already considered it carefully. I have the ability."
Jiang Xi asked, "Teacher Xia, are there many cases like Lin Hongmei?"
Xia Juhua sighed. "There are many cases like this. Changfeng County is not so bad, but there are many students in the surrounding villages like Lin Hongmei who can't afford to go to school. Most of them are girls."
Xia Juhua often brought food to these children and bought them some notebooks and pens, but her salary was very low, and there was not much left after helping these children, so she had no ability to help much.
Jiang Xi lowered his eyes and thought for a while before saying, "Teacher Xia, I want to set up a special aid fund in the school to specifically support girls' education."
Xia Jihua was surprised: "Are you serious? That will cost a lot of money. Do you have that much money?" Although Xia Juhua was happy that Jiang Xi could make such a suggestion, she still didn't want to burden Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi gave Xia Juhua a soothing look: "Teacher Xia, since I made this suggestion, it means I can afford it."
Xia Juhua was overjoyed. "That's fantastic, fantastic! You don't know those girls. They've all had such a hard life. They don't even have a decent pen. They have to use those pencil tips and can only write with two fingers. In the cold winter and hot summer, their hands are frozen red, but they still insist on reading and writing. They're all very hardworking. It's just that their families are too poor, so they can't go to school. So many good seedlings have been delayed. If they can continue to go to school, their future lives will definitely change a lot. They definitely won't be stuck in the village like they are now, wasting their lives."
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