When Gu Qi hurriedly rode his bicycle to the gate of Shuiyue Primary School, the sky had already darkened.
The school gate was empty, without a single person in sight.
He stopped his bike and walked towards the guard room.
"Dad!" A surprised and clear voice sounded.
Gu Qi looked in the direction of the sound and saw his chubby son being led by an older brother in his teens, walking out of the classroom office building nearby.
Little Tiger ran over and hugged Gu Qi's thighs excitedly.
"Dad! You're finally back!"
Gu Qi picked up his son and held him in his arms.
"Have you been waiting for a long time? Mom was very busy and asked me to pick you up. I am a little late."
Little Tiger narrowed his eyes and smiled, shaking his head: "I know Mom must have been too busy to remember. It's okay, I went to ask the principal for advice after school. Look, I just came out after the talk and you're here."
Gu Qi: “???”
The principal greeted him with a smile, then said in a low voice, "Xiao Gu's suggestion is very good...but our school's current schedule is unified by the Education Bureau, and we cannot change it without permission."
Gu Qi smiled slightly and nodded politely.
Little Tiger on the side pouted: "The principal said that he will give suggestions to the leaders in the future. However, I still have to come to class on time in the future. There is no way to change it."
Gu Qi didn't quite understand what was said, so he thanked and said goodbye to the principal, then drove his son back.
Little Tiger was still very depressed and asked, "Dad, why can't we let the children and teachers sleep for one more hour and finish school an hour later this afternoon?"
Gu Qi raised his eyebrows: So that’s what it is!
"If school ends at around 4pm in the afternoon," Gu Qi had to explain, "The winter days in the north are very short. During the winter solstice, it gets dark at 3pm. It's hard to walk on the cold roads in winter, and it's even harder to walk when it's dark. It won't be too late to finish school after 3pm."
"But we are in the south!" Little Tiger grumbled in dissatisfaction: "Why do the study hours have to be the same in the north and south? Three o'clock in the afternoon is still very early here. It's so difficult to get up so early in the morning!"
Gu Qi gently rubbed his son's head and smiled: "When you grow up, write a letter to the leaders of the Ministry of Education, hoping that they can formulate their own schedules for students according to local conditions.
"Do I have to grow up before I can write?" Little Huzi couldn't help asking.
Gu Qi replied: "No, you can write anytime as long as you can. You can find the specific address by yourself. Remember, where there is a will, there is a way."
"Okay!" Xiao Huzi said proudly, "I must make an analysis table, and then analyze it rationally and clearly, distinguish the pros and cons, and strive to get the approval of the leaders."
Gu Qi: “…”
He secretly felt a little amused and said, "Where did you learn this set of words?"
"These are what Uncle Liu always says during meetings." Little Tiger replied, "I've eavesdropped on them a few times!"
Gu Qi couldn't help but make a promise to his son: "When you go to college in the future, your study schedule will be more flexible, and you won't have to follow a rigid schedule. For example, your mother sometimes doesn't have classes in the morning, and sometimes doesn't have classes in the afternoon. She and Uncle Dali occasionally don't go to class, and study at home by themselves, so they have a lot of free time to study."
Xiao Huzi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately set a small goal for himself.
——He doesn’t want to go to primary school anymore and will try to go to university next year!
…
In the next few days, Chen Xingling and Ma Dali were very busy. On the one hand, school had started and they had to attend some occasions; on the other hand, the green grass in Gaoshan Park had to be completed, and the factory was also rushing to finish it.
Chen Jixing had gone out to sea, and Zhu Siya knew nothing about building a house, so she stayed in Huiqiao Village waiting for her husband to return, and entrusted the factory matters to Chen Xingling and several brothers.
Gu Qi had just started working and was not too busy. He was responsible for all the tasks of picking up and dropping off Xiao Huzi and taking care of his studies.
Chen Xingling goes out early and comes back late. He has to do homework and do accounts at night and has no time to take care of his son.
Gu Qi took his son for a bike ride in the evening. The father and son recited ancient poems while riding.
Chen Xingling was busy at night, so the father and son played chess or did math problems together, and occasionally made wooden models together. There was something going on every day, and Chen Xingling never had to worry about anything.
The three members of the family all insist on going to bed early and getting up early. They basically go to bed around nine o'clock and get up at seven in the morning.
Gu Xuan eats at Sanyuan in the morning and evening. Lunch is prepared by Chen Xingling. It usually consists of rice, some barbecued meat or fried chicken legs, and two kinds of vegetables, which is considered to be very rich.
She found that her sister-in-law was always impartial. Whatever she prepared for Xiaohuzi, she would also prepare for her and would never leave her out in the slightest.
Gu Qi was reluctant to let his son eat lunch at school, worried that he would not have enough.
But after observing for a few days, I found that the lunch boxes my wife prepared for the two students at home were very rich, and my son adapted very well. Not only did he not lose any weight, but he gained more than a pound. So I stopped worrying.
The winter in Chongqing is always short. The weather after the Lantern Festival is already very warm, so sweaters are basically unnecessary and only thicker gowns will be enough.
The north wind is gone, and only moist warm wind from the sea can occasionally blow, and the river wind from the dock is no longer biting.
After get off work, Gu Qi took his son to the shipyard to see the large machinery in the machinery department and analyzed for him how various types of machines worked together. Little Hu was very happy and pestered his father every day to go see the machinery.
In the evening, Chen Xingling drove Zhao Xiaoxing back to Sanyuan and found that only Gu Xuan was reciting his lessons in the yard. Gu Qi and his son had not returned yet.
"He's probably still playing in the factory." Chen Xingling asked suspiciously, "Huh? Why hasn't Gu Yi come back today? It's too late for us to come back at this time. The factory workers have already left work."
Zhao Xiaoxing's eyes flickered as she answered, "He...he was helping his friend with an electrician."
"Uh?" Chen Xingling couldn't help but ask, "Evening shift? Midnight shift?"
Zhao Xiaoxing shook her head and whispered, "It's not a factory job... He said his colleague hired him for the job, and it's the kind of job that involves installing light bulbs in people's dormitories. It's not a hard job. He said he's free at night anyway, so he might as well make a few more bucks."
Chen Xingling frowned slightly and asked, "How much is it? Is it safe?"
"Several people worked together." Zhao Xiaoxing replied: "They said they were hired by a formal unit, but the deadline was a bit urgent, so they found more people to help out at night. The money they paid was quite good. From the evening to 10 o'clock at night, you can earn three or four yuan."
Chen Xingling secretly felt distressed and whispered, "It's not easy for him to work all day and take turns at night. When we cook, leave some meat and vegetables for you to bring back and steam for him when he comes back. It's all physical labor and it's very hard."
"Yeah." Zhao Xiaoxing's eyes were red: "...Thank you, sister-in-law."
Chen Xingling laughed softly, "It's no use thanking me. You cooked most of the meals. Thank yourself. Remember, you have to love your man. He doesn't spend money recklessly. He works hard to earn money to support the family and fights for your little family. You should really love him."
"Yeah." Zhao Xiaoxing nodded heavily; "I know."
While picking vegetables, Chen Xingling asked, "How much money did you send over in the end?"
"One hundred yuan." Zhao Xiaoxing replied, "I discussed it with Ayi, and one hundred is enough. My mother said that my father stayed in the county hospital for a few days, his leg was reconnected, and his other injuries were not serious. He was carried back home soon. Half of the medical expenses were paid, and my father had no money left. My eldest brother refused to pay, and my youngest brother also refused, saying that they had no money and I had to pay, saying that I had money... I cried and said that it was not easy for Ayi and I to make money here. My mother also cried... Later I said that I would send one hundred yuan back home, and I could only use it to pay for my father's medical expenses, and the rest would be given to them two old people, and not to anyone else."
Chen Xingling nodded approvingly and asked, "When was it sent?"
"After the phone call the day before yesterday, Ayi sent it off." Zhao Xiaoxing replied: "I reminded him that he could only use my mother's name and let my mother choose it. Ayi knows my parents' names, so he won't make a mistake."
Chen Xingling poured the vegetables into the basin to wash them, and whispered, "I heard from Ayi that your family's money was used by your eldest brother and his friends before?"
"Yeah." Zhao Xiaoxing explained with a dark face: "My mother said that my betrothal money was used to repair their house. Later, the money was not enough, so they found excuses to ask me to pay. When my mother was sick, it was not serious, but they also found excuses to ask for money. The house was repaired, they lived in it by themselves, and my parents did not get any. The money I sent at the end of the year was used to buy rice and grain, which was enough for the family to eat for half a year. I told my mother to keep the one hundred yuan and I will send it to them before the Mid-Autumn Festival. There is no more."
Chen Xingling smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It shows how important communication is... Being able to talk and communicate in time will avoid causing more misunderstandings and troubles."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
