Jiang Yonghua returned home at about 8:30.
The three women in the family were sitting in the outer room waiting for him to come back.
When Jiang Yonghua's bicycle entered the passage, he rang the bell, which sounded particularly crisp in the quiet night.
Zhang Xiuying and Jiang Lan stood up at the same time and rushed to the door:
"Xiao Jiang, are you done with the meeting?"
"Dad, you're back!"
Jiang Jun stood silently by the table. When he saw Jiang Yonghua come in, he respectfully called out, "Dad!"
Then he shook his head slightly, indicating that Zhang Xiuying did not ask about the fall that night.
Jiang Yonghua understood immediately.
Zhang Xiuying flatteredly gave up her chair to her husband and sat down in Jiang Yun's seat. She asked in a negotiating tone, "What kind of meeting is going on at school?"
Jiang Yonghua cleared his throat and said, "From now on, all the children in our compound will be able to attend Liujiazhong Middle School. The meeting tonight is mainly about this matter."
Zhang Xiuying was quite surprised. She glanced at Jiang Yun, then turned to ask Jiang Yonghua, "Xiao Jiang, is this true?"
Jiang Yonghua's face darkened. "The meeting has already taken place, what's the real deal? Principal Qi asked Teacher Chen to come forward and talk to the Liujiaji County Party Committee."
Zhang Xiuying looked embarrassed: "I saw you were gone for such a long time, I thought there was something else."
Jiang Yonghua hummed and looked down at his hands. "After the meeting, a dozen of us talked together for a while. I plan to buy another bicycle so Xiaojun can ride to school."
Zhang Xiuying was immediately anxious. A bicycle was a big item, and buying one was a big deal. Besides being expensive, she also had to find someone to get a ticket. Her family wasn't well off, and Jiang Jun had to not only continue to eat for free, but also have to shell out money for a bicycle. How could that be possible? "Xiao Jiang, Liujiaji is so far away, and I heard it's quite chaotic. What if I lose my bicycle if I ride it to school? I think it's not far to walk, or maybe I can take a ride with a classmate."
Jiang Yonghua frowned and glanced at Zhang Xiuying. "Principal Qi said that priority will be given to families with school-age children. Section Chief Huang, Staff Officer Fu, and the others are all vying for tickets. You expect me to refuse? Besides, there are about ten children in the yard who go to school there, and Teacher Chen's children are there too. With so many people, who would dare to bully them?"
Jiang Jun raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Yonghua: "Dad, I can learn to ride a bike. I promise I can learn it in three days."
She thought the bicycle Zhang Jie was pushing was just a men's bicycle, but it was still a means of transportation after all!
Jiang Yonghua smiled and said, "Great! You're brave enough to take the pledge." It seemed his daughter wasn't as timid as he'd thought, but rather quite brave. Jiang Yonghua was very pleased. "I'll come back on Sunday and teach you how to ride a bike. You'll be able to learn in just one afternoon."
This smile was particularly dazzling in Zhang Xiuying's eyes, which meant that Jiang Jun had someone to support him!
"Xiaojun, you want to rebel!" Zhang Xiuying shouted angrily, "Whatever you want, do it!"
Jiang Jun looked into Zhang Xiuying's eyes and forced a smile. "Mom, I want to continue my studies. I want to go to university in the future!"
She flipped through the few new middle school textbooks in the drawer, especially the algebra and plane trigonometry textbooks, which were very simple. In the 2020s, they were only at the elementary school level. She just needed to pick them up and review them.
Teenagers are the best age to study.
Zhang Xiuying objected: "No, your brain is damaged, why go to school? You'd better go to the countryside to work as a sent-down youth. When you're old enough, your father can find a way to get you into the army."
Jiang Jun's smile faded. "Everyone else is going to school, why should I go and cut in line?"
"You dare to talk back? Ah!" Zhang Xiuying was furious. "I think your brain is really not working well after the fall!"
As he said this, he raised his arm and slapped Jiang Yun again, causing Jiang Yun to stagger to the side.
Jiang Yonghua's forehead veins bulged violently, and he gritted his teeth and growled, "Zhang Xiuying, you dare try that again! I must buy this bike! I'll buy it tomorrow!"
Zhang Xiuying's face turned red with anger. She gritted her teeth and glared at Jiang Yun, breathing heavily.
Jiang Yonghua was even more angry: "Zhang Xiuying, this is your daughter, not your enemy! Can't you just talk to her nicely?"
Zhang Xiuying turned around and yelled at Jiang Yonghua, "When have you ever spoken to me properly?"
When the couple started arguing, Jiang Lan started crying first: "Dad, Mom, I won't go to school anymore. I'm going to queue up. I don't want a bicycle. Please stop arguing."
Zhang Xiuying hugged Jiang Lan tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Xiao Lan, wuwu...my Xiao Lan is the most sensible. Wuwu, why do I have such a miserable life?"
Jiang Jun's head started aching again from the crying, so he hurried away: "Dad, I'm going to take my medicine first."
No matter what Jiang Yonghua's starting point was, whether it was to make it easier for his daughter to study or to establish his authority as a parent in front of Zhang Xiuying, Jiang Jun knew that she had to do something to gain Jiang Yonghua's trust so that Jiang Yonghua would continue to support her.
"Go ahead, take your medicine and go to bed early." Jiang Yonghua's expression softened a bit. He was very pleased with Jiang Yun's change. Not only was she sensible, but she also knew how to assess the situation instead of just cowering in a corner and secretly crying. "Wait until I bring you a new bike tomorrow."
The most important thing is that Jiang Yun does not seem to be as unreasonable as Zhang Xiuying, and there is still hope for her reform.
This is what Deputy Political Commissar Wang told him. If he couldn't educate his own family properly, how could he educate the soldiers? If he just stayed in the office, would his wife become self-disciplined? Isn't the soldier's discipline the result of daily education?
Jiang Jun answered "OK" obediently and went back to his room.
She has taken the first step and there is no need to rush.
Back in the room, Jiang Lan also came over, wiped her tears, grabbed Jiang Yun's arm, and whispered mysteriously in Jiang Yun's ear: "Sister, let's listen to see if our parents are going to quarrel?"
The inner room where she and Xiaolan slept was actually only separated from her parents' master bedroom by a wall. There was also a ventilation hole two palms wide on the ceiling. By pushing the small window open a crack, the sounds coming from the other side could be heard clearly.
After entering the bedroom, Jiang Yonghua lowered his voice and continued to quarrel with Zhang Xiuying.
My mother, Zhang Xiuying, who lives in my hometown in Jiangnan, is unemployed and both of her daughters are in school. These are not small expenses. Can quarreling solve the problem?
Jiang Yonghua is very concerned about his reputation and hates Zhang Xiuying quarreling with him the most. However, every time he comes home, the two of them will start quarreling within half a day. There was such a loud noise just now, and the neighbors must have heard it. Where is his face?
Zhang Xiuying's muttering was so frequent that it pierced Jiang Yonghua's ears like a devil's sound. He was so annoyed that he slammed the door and rode away on his bike.
After listening for a while, Jiang Lan and Jiang Jun buried their heads under the quilt and did not hear Jiang Yonghua go out.
Jiang Jun lay on the kang, constantly touching his left and right foreheads with his fingers, but there was nothing in his mind.
Suddenly, the quilt on her body was pulled back, and Zhang Xiuying swung her rough hands and hit her hard.
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