Ji Xianglong refused: "No."
“If I go out and make money, I’m sure I can earn more than Ji Huaizhi.”
"When I leave, I can find a wife from the city, and she can stay in the city. I can also bring you two old folks to the city." Ji Xianglong's kind words came out without hesitation.
I've said that many times before.
Seeing her son like this, Ji's mother turned to her husband and said, "Why don't we let him give it a try?"
"If the second son can do it, he should be able to too, otherwise he'll just keep causing trouble." Mother Ji still had some confidence in her son.
“If you learn a skill, you can still go out and make your way in the world, right? The craftsman I found can also do ceiling work and plastering. If he learns all of that and works for others, do you know how much money he can make?” Father Ji couldn’t understand why his mother and son didn’t understand him.
What's so good about working for someone else?
It's definitely more profitable to do things yourself.
To be fair, Uncle Ji's judgment was quite good.
He observed the foreman for a long time and inquired about his wages. It was no small feat to earn that much over the course of a year.
These days, who's so busy not for a house?
"Dad, think long-term. How much money can you make from these chores around the house?"
Ji Xianglong used to think this job was alright, but now he completely looks down on it.
Outside, the traffic is heavy, the buildings are tall, and the atmosphere is bustling and prosperous.
He didn't want to stay in his hometown anymore.
"I want to go out. Will you see me out?" Ji Xianglong said again when his father remained silent.
“I won’t go to that master’s place. If you don’t agree, I might just quietly leave one day.”
Ji's mother pulled him back, saying, "Don't say that. Aren't you tearing our hearts out?"
Ji's father looked worried: "You wanted to stay in the provincial capital, why didn't you say so sooner?"
“You only told me when we got home that you wanted to go back. If you had told me earlier, I would have contacted your Uncle Ji and let you stay there.”
Ji Xianglong: "Didn't we not think it through at the time?"
Father Ji: "What about this skill? Your mother and I tried every means to send you things, and now you're saying you're not going."
"Let my younger brother go; his grades aren't good either," Ji Xianglong said, directly pushing his younger brother out.
“Let him learn a trade, as if I, as his older brother, am taking care of him.”
Father Ji angrily pointed at him: "Remember this, this opportunity to become an apprentice was originally yours, but you didn't go."
"Don't blame us or your brother later."
He knew his son too well.
After the Jiang family arrived home, Jiang Ermei immediately made an excuse to feed the pigs. Jiang Sanhua had been doing all the housework for the past two days. When she saw her parents return, she happily asked if her older sister had come back yet.
She missed her older sister, but as soon as she asked, her father hit her.
"From now on, we'll pretend Jiang Xiaomei doesn't exist in our family. If anyone does the same thing as her, I'll break their legs!"
Jiang Ermei overheard this from the pigsty.
She wrapped the money her older sister had given her in a plastic bag and put it in the crevice under the pig trough.
When she returned, feeding the pigs became her job. Jiang Shengyao disliked the smell of the pigsty and would never come, nor was he afraid that she would find the plastic bag.
After putting it away, she remembered Ji Huaizhi's words: after she grew up, she should find a way to go out and find work.
She won't stay here forever.
"Jiang Ermei, are you slacking off again? You've been out so long and there's so much work to do! Are you going to die in the pigsty?" Jiang's mother roared.
"Coming," Jiang Ermei replied.
Ji Xianglong lay in bed dreaming of making a name for himself in the provincial capital. His family had arranged a marriage for him, but he refused.
Having seen girls from big cities, he now looks down on the village girls here.
Once he gets to the provincial capital, he wants to find a local girl there, preferably an only child.
He heard that in big cities, due to the one-child policy, most people are only children, so he felt that he could definitely find his dream girl.
I fell asleep dreaming of such a beautiful dream, amidst the questions from my brother Ji.
"Why won't you let me go to school? My second brother got into university in the city." Brother Ji said unhappily, "I want to go to university too."
My older sister sat to one side without saying a word, her eyes darting around as if she were thinking about something.
“Don’t follow your second brother’s example. He’s no good.” Ji’s mother tried to brainwash him: “He doesn’t recognize us anymore.”
"Keep your life comfortable outside without us knowing. Go learn a skill, and you'll be more sought after than college graduates."
Brother Ji pouted and frowned: "I don't want to go. Weren't you planning to send my eldest brother?"
“Your older brother said he’s giving this matter to you, so you should remember his kindness.”
When Ji's father said that, his sister rolled her eyes where they weren't looking.
“It’s a good thing to learn a trade. Your grades aren’t good to begin with. Do you think you can get into university?” Father Ji looked at him and said, “You’ll have a hard time even getting into a junior college.”
"You really don't want me to go?" Brother Ji felt uncomfortable, as if he wanted to take what his older brother didn't want.
He looked at his silent older sister and asked, "Sis, what do you think?"
The older sister looked up and said, "Just listen to Mom and Dad. Do you think they would harm you?"
Father Ji's brow relaxed: "You said something that made people happy today."
"Dad, what you're saying makes it sound like I'm being disobedient. These days, everyone says daughters are their parents' little cotton-padded jackets, right? Am I leaking air?" The older sister, who is usually pampered at home, also has this cleverness in her.
They were so happy when they came back that they didn't notice their expressions.
“I’m the only one in the family going to school now. You and Mom are both busy. I’ll come back to help with the chores when I have a holiday.”
"Once I finish reading it, you and Mom will be able to enjoy life."
Seeing how sensible she was, Mr. Ji felt embarrassed to suggest that she also drop out of school.
"Let's give it a try then," my younger brother said, looking down unhappily.
Ji's mother and father were also quite happy.
When my sister finished tidying up and was about to go to bed, she overheard my parents chatting in the main room.
"It's good that the third child can go. Although he's a bit young, he'll learn things more easily."
Father Ji: "I'll call Ji Decheng tomorrow and have Xianglong bring two packs of cigarettes over. Tell him to keep a close eye on Xianglong."
"Sigh, how did the second son turn out like this?" Mother Ji thought of her eldest son going to the provincial capital and then thought of her second son: "He used to be a cunning little devil, always competing with Xianglong."
"I'm not fighting anymore, and I don't even want my family anymore."
"Don't mention him again. Just pretend he never existed."
"Perhaps everyone will forget about these things in a few years. Before I left, I asked the policeman for my second son's phone number. Our eldest son lives so far away; we can't always take care of him," Mrs. Ji said seriously.
“He’s complaining about us now, but they’re still brothers.”
After listening, the older sister went back to her room.
There were two beds in the room, with a sheet hanging between them as a curtain.
"Sis, why did you agree to let me drop out of school?"
"Do you think we can rebel just because you disagree?" The older sister lowered her eyes, changed into her pajamas, and got into bed. "Believe it or not, next time they'll make me drop out of school."
Brother Ji rolled over: "Is our family very poor?"
“Our family isn’t poor, but most of the family’s assets were left to my eldest brother. You’re more popular than my second brother, so you should get a share. My second brother and I probably won’t get anything.”
"But I'm a little luckier than my second brother."
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