"Don't worry, big brother, I will study hard. The family's money is still needed to support our younger siblings, so I don't need it."
"You've got it. Go back to sleep, everyone. You took on the chores at home on your own initiative, and you'll continue to do them from now on."
"Then how am I supposed to find time to read?" Liu Daya protested. Why should she have to do housework?
Li Cuihua sat on the kang without saying a word, but she was quite angry after hearing her eldest daughter's words: "I will cook from now on, but Er Ya will cook when it's busy with farming. Washing dishes, sweeping the floor, and feeding the pigs are your chores."
Liu Daya was very pragmatic. She thought that it would be good if she didn't have to cook anymore. Every little thing she did was better than nothing. The three sisters also went back to their room.
Liu Jianguo stayed until the very end, and seeing her hesitant expression, Liu Maocai asked, "What's wrong? Is there something else?"
"That's all, I'm going back to sleep." But I felt uneasy, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. It wasn't because my second sister was still in school. Anyway, I just felt uneasy.
The elderly couple lay down, and Liu Maocai sighed deeply. "I'm useless. I can't even afford to send the children to school, and I don't know how to teach them. Let's not even talk about Daya, but why is Jianguo so stingy?"
"It's settled, go to sleep. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. We'll be fine as long as we can support them." What could Li Cuihua say? They were all her own flesh and blood; she had to accept them no matter what.
After washing up, Liu Erya lay down in the blankets that Sanya had tucked her in, completely ignoring Liu Daya's nagging.
"Second Sister, are you really going to study with Zhang Hongmei?"
"Well, I'm not busy now, so I'm free to read a book. Sanya, you should go back to school after the New Year. You must study hard so that you won't have to farm in the future."
Before Sanya could speak, Liu Daya said sarcastically, "You two think you can get into the city? Dream on. Your ambitions are higher than the sky, but your lives are as fragile as paper."
The two girls exchanged a glance but neither spoke. Er Ya was too lazy to pay attention to her, while San Ya was afraid of her.
Seeing that neither of them spoke, Liu Daya thought smugly to herself, "You two have to listen to me."
The next morning, Er Ya got up early and swept all the rooms, wiping down the cabinets. "Why aren't you sleeping so early in the morning? Doesn't everyone else sleep either?" Liu Daya was woken up and was very dissatisfied.
Liu Erya didn't even look at her, and went out to fetch firewood to start a fire and cook.
Li Cuihua got up and saw her second daughter had already prepared the meal, and she felt quite uneasy. Her eldest daughter, being a boy, received more attention and favoritism, and her eldest daughter, Da Ya, also received special care because her grandmother had almost smothered her to death. When Er Ya was born, the family was struggling financially, and they barely paid attention to her. But now, she felt only her second daughter was truly good.
"You don't need to get up to cook anymore, I'll do it. You should go back to reading. I've also taken care of the house and yard."
"No need, Mom, I can do it myself, it's not tiring. Mom, you watch the fire, I'll go find my old schoolbag and sharpen my pencils in a bit."
"Okay, go ahead and bring Hongmei a bowl of porridge later."
"No, she's probably finished eating by now. Don't worry, Mom, I'll repay her kindness later. Anyway, I already owe her."
"Okay, as long as you know what you're doing, that's fine." Li Cuihua hadn't expected her second daughter to be so perceptive. Since the child was sensible, she decided not to say anything more.
Liu Erya packed her schoolbag, and the whole family got up. She sat at the table and drank two bowls of pumpkin porridge. "Mom, I'm leaving. Sanya doesn't need to call me for lunch. I'll come back to eat when I'm hungry. If I don't come back, please save some food for me."
“Okay, go ahead and study hard. If Hongmei can learn on her own, my Erya can too.”
Liu Erya didn't think so. She really couldn't compare to Zhang Hongmei. Zhang Hongmei was already reading junior high school textbooks. She couldn't understand what Zhang Hongmei was writing and drawing. But she didn't say anything. No matter what happened to Zhang Hongmei, good or bad, she wouldn't let her mouth know. Since they were friends, she should protect her.
Zhang Hongmei got up and went to fetch water. She quite enjoyed doing this work, even though her shoulders hurt a lot. But she could still persevere.
Looking at the leftovers from the past two days, I've decided not to cook anything new for lunch. I'll just make some sweet potato balls and steamed buns. That way, there'll be less work to do. I'll probably have to stay on the kang (heated brick bed) all day today, so I'll boil some water. I can't let myself get cold.
When Liu Erya arrived, the two of them went about their own business. However, looking at the stitches Zhang Hongmei was making, Liu Erya couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop wasting things. I'll finish sewing my pants first before I read."
Zhang Hongmei was also ashamed, realizing she had really tried her best. "Sister Erya, is my sewing really that bad?"
“A little better than Sanya.” Zhang Hongmei was speechless. Comparing herself to a six-year-old child was really hurtful.
"Actually, your fabric is so well woven that you don't even need to hem it, otherwise it would take even longer to finish."
Zhang Hongmei, in a fit of desperation, handed the book to Liu Erya and went to read. "Why are my hands so clumsy?" she thought. She looked at her own hands; while not delicate, they were quite pretty. "Why can't I do anything right?"
Liu Erya didn't even look up, continuing her needlework.
"Sister Er Ya, after you finish making the pants, let's go to the main room to read. It's a bit cold, but it's better than inside. It's too dark inside, and even with candles, it's hard on our eyes. I'm afraid we'll both go blind."
"Okay." He didn't say anything more.
Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, feeling embarrassed, "How serious is this?"
Around 10 o'clock, Liu Erya finished making both pairs of pants, put on the pockets, and even sewed on the buttons at the waist.
"Sister Er Ya, you're so quick." After saying that, she got off the table and put it on. The two of them sat opposite each other on a stool and started reading. To be honest, the main room was really cold. It would be better if the door was closed, since both stoves were often used for cooking. But they left the door open, letting in the light from outside, as well as the cold air from Hongmei.
After Liu Erya had been studying Chinese for over an hour, Zhang Hongmei noticed a problem with her approach. "Erya, I need to cook now. You should take a break too. Let's talk about study methods."
Liu Erya looked at Zhang Hongmei with a puzzled expression, wondering what kind of learning method she was using.
Zhang Hongmei picked up the table and gathered firewood to start a fire. "It'll heat up the food in no time," she said, speaking as she tended the fire. "When you're looking up words in your Chinese textbook, first underline the ones you don't know. If you have a dictionary, look them up yourself; if not, I have one. When you look them up, read the meanings and phrases several times. Once you know all the words, read the text several times. It would be best if you could memorize it. Finally, write down any unfamiliar words several times until you can write them correctly."
Listening to Zhang Hongmei's explanation, Liu Erya suddenly felt enlightened. In the past, she had only memorized things by rote without understanding the meaning. She wondered if Zhang Hongmei's method would work. She would try it in a while.
Zhang Hongmei had heated up the rice, but there were no stir-fried dishes, so they just ate it plain.
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