Chapter 245 Don't Mess Around
As she spoke, she gently placed the thermos on the bedside table, unscrewed the lid, and a warm, fragrant aroma immediately filled the air.
She smiled a little shyly, fiddling with the hem of her clothes: "My mom said that you are the most important person in our family now, and we can't be careless at all."
Ever since exposing Zhang Jianshe and Fang Wanyu's scheme to plot against Qiao Wanyin, Qiu Zishu has become a completely different person.
She used to be timid and cowardly, always afraid of offending people, but now she dares to look her mother-in-law in the eye and say to her face, "This is not right."
She not only sincerely apologized, but also went to the hospital every day to help deliver meals and pick up medicine. She even let Qiao Wanyin sleep a little longer and stayed by her side to take care of her IV drip.
Qiao Wanyin took the soup bowl, the warmth of which traveled through the ceramic to her palm.
She lowered her head and blew a breath, then suddenly looked up and asked seriously, "Zishu, would you be interested in helping me open a kindergarten?"
"kindergarten?"
Qiu Zishu was stunned, her eyes widened, and her voice rose a little, "What kindergarten? Right here in our residential compound?"
Qiao Wanyin didn't rush to explain. Instead, she slowly took a sip of soup to moisten her throat before calmly and gradually revealing her thoughts.
From the current state of nurseries to the lack of education for children; from the teaching model of government-run kindergartens to the actual needs of families in residential compounds; she even mentioned preliminary ideas for curriculum design, toy procurement, and teacher training.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Zishu's eyes lit up instantly, like a light bulb suddenly turned on in the dark, and he became energetic.
"Absolutely amazing!"
She slapped her thigh, almost making the bedside table shake. "The nursery in our residential compound has broken windows, old tables and chairs, and half of the paint on the walls is peeling off. It's like an old-fashioned storage room! The children are locked up in there. It's not like they're going to school; it's like they're being kept in a pen!"
She became more and more excited as she spoke, her face turning red: "Sister Wanyin, I'll do anything to help you with this! Really, whatever you ask, I'll do it without hesitation!"
Qiao Wanyin felt relieved, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.
She knew that although Qiu Zishu had gone astray in the past, he was not a bad person at heart, and what was even more rare was that he was driven and loyal.
"I knew you'd be on my side."
She nodded gently, "And you know the situation in the neighborhood best. You know exactly who has a child, how old they are, who wants to send them to daycare early, and whose elderly relatives can't take care of them."
Don't worry!
Qiu Zishu patted his chest, making a loud thumping sound like he was beating a drum, "I'll take care of everything! I can run to every single house for you!"
From that day on, the two of them were like clockwork, spending every day together.
They went to every household in the residential compound, squatting on small stools in front of people's doors, and patiently asked: How old is the child?
Who usually takes care of them?
Have you ever thought about starting school earlier?
What are your expectations for kindergarten?
They climbed the borrowed ladder and measured the length, width, and height of the dilapidated rooms in the nursery bit by bit, even noting down the cracks in the corners of the walls.
They drew sketches, marked functional areas, and even noted the location of the toilets and ventilation conditions, revising them repeatedly until their fingers ached.
They also sneaked into the municipal kindergarten, hiding in the bushes behind the classroom window, holding their breath to listen to how the teacher led the children in reading pinyin and playing games.
One notebook was used to record the teaching process, and the other to record classroom management. The notebooks were filled with dense writing, and even the corners of the paper were worn and frayed.
They stayed up for three whole nights, their eyes bloodshot, but neither of them was willing to go to sleep first.
Finally, a plan so thick it could almost be used as a pillow was produced – “The Construction Plan for the Factory-Affiliated Kindergarten”.
The cover was written by Qiao Wanyin, stroke by stroke, with neat handwriting that showed her seriousness.
The next morning, the two washed their faces, combed their hair, dressed neatly, and carrying the heavy plan, went directly to Director Wang of the Logistics Department.
Director Wang is in his early fifties, quite old, with slightly graying temples and wrinkles around his eyes that look like they were carved with a knife, making him appear exceptionally serious.
He wore thick reading glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses showed signs of fatigue and impatience. His face was tense, without a trace of a smile, as if the expression of laughter had long been completely erased from his face.
He casually picked up the documents on the table and flipped through a couple of pages. His movements were casual but clearly perfunctory. However, after less than half a minute, his brows furrowed tightly, as if they were tied in a knot that he could not untie.
"Open a kindergarten?"
He suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping coldly over the two of them from above his glasses, his tone full of doubt and disdain. "Isn't daycare pretty good now? They eat on time every day, have toys to play with, and the kids can play together. Isn't that good enough? What, you still want to create some kind of kindergarten?"
Qiao Wanyin had rehearsed what she was going to say many times in her mind. She stood up straight and spoke in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant: "Director Wang, you are right. The current daycare centers can indeed solve the basic problem. But nowadays, the idea of 'starting children's education from an early age' has become popular in the city. Our factory workers' children will have responsibilities in the future, and we can't let them fall behind others at the starting line."
"yes!"
Qiu Zishu immediately chimed in, her voice clear and urgent, as if afraid the opportunity would slip through her fingers, "My cousin is a primary school teacher in the provincial capital, and she told me herself—those children who have attended early education classes and regular kindergartens, when they first enter first grade, their vocabulary far surpasses that of other children, and they can also do arithmetic problems quickly and accurately. The teachers all like them very much and often praise them in front of the whole class!"
Director Wang waved his hand dismissively, his movements as rude as if he were shooing away an annoying fly, his face clearly saying, "Don't give me that."
"Kids only need to be able to count to three, and be able to recite the Three Character Classic. Why make such a fuss? Running a kindergarten? It's easy for you to say! It costs money. You need to hire people, arrange courses, buy teaching materials, and manage the school. Every single one of these things requires real money. Where would we get so many resources here?"
"We can find a way to make the money ourselves!"
Qiao Wanyin quickly replied, her tone firm and sincere, her eyes fixed on Director Wang without flinching, "We don't need any funding from the organization, nor will we take a single penny from the public. As long as you can approve a suitable venue and help us contact a few educated, patient, and willing family members to be teachers, we'll take care of the rest ourselves!"
Director Wang slowly removed his glasses, wiped the marks on his nose with the corner of his shirt, rubbed his sore eyes, sighed, and his voice carried a hint of weariness and a barely perceptible wavering: "Comrade Qiao, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you. But your idea... is far too advanced. In the current factory regulations and environment, your superiors simply won't approve. If something goes wrong, who will be responsible?"
After he finished speaking, he gently pushed the plan in front of her, his movements slow but carrying an undeniable resolve: "Stop making a fuss, take it back. Taking good care of the child and living a good life is more important than anything else."
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