Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3089 It's Better to Have More Children

The sixth day of the first lunar month.

It's still so cold that no one wants to go out.

Yang Xiaotao stayed home after getting off work and had no intention of going out.

But when there are too many reasons or motivations to go out, some people will voluntarily leave their warm comfort zone and go out to suffer.

Before it even got dark, the courtyard was already buzzing with excitement.

Everyone ate dinner early and then prepared to go out as soon as it was light.

Lou Xiao'e and Liu Lixue greeted Duanwu and the others at the door of their house, urging them to hurry up and go out.

Ran Qiuye dressed the children neatly, making them all look like little bears. Even so, she didn't forget to put a tiger-head hat on Dudu, covering his face completely, for fear that the cold wind would wrinkle it!
After everything was ready, I also picked up my bag, which contained snacks for dinner and a water bottle.

Then he checked again to make sure nothing was missed before going out of the house to chat with the people in the yard.

"Dad, hurry up, everyone's waiting for you."

Miao Miao, wearing Yang Xiaotao's military overcoat, hat, and little leather shoes, ran quickly into the kitchen.

Yang Xiaotao, who was clearing away the dishes, looked helpless.

Tonight is the day for an internal screening of nine new films. We've invited some 'audience members' to watch, and we want to see if they'll like it.

Of course, it's not free.

Viewers are required to leave their comments after watching, either by writing a note or by speaking to someone in the Publicity Department of the Ninth Division.

If this were in later generations, where you had to write a review after watching a movie, probably 90% of people wouldn't bother, because they'd be too lazy to write one.

In this day and age, it's good enough to have a movie to watch, why be picky?

Nothing.

Yang Xiaotao just wasn't in the mood to watch it. He had been busy all day and just wanted to find some time for himself in the evening to get some rest.

However, once a man has a family, his time is no longer his own.

Looking at the eldest daughter who came in, she was graceful and had a smile on her face.

After the New Year, Miao Miao will be 15 years old, and in the blink of an eye, she will have grown into a young lady!
The current school system in Beijing is still 5 years of primary school, 2 years of junior high school, and 2 years of senior high school.

This is different from the three-year system of later generations.

Of course, it could also be due to limited educational resources and educational levels.

Because of the earthquake, Yang Xiaotao brought Miao Miao back to Beijing to study, but she started school a little late. This year is the end of junior high school and the time for the high school entrance exam.

Of course, given Miao Miao's usual performance, getting into high school shouldn't be difficult.

Even if they don't perform well and fail to get into high school, they can still go to a technical school.

Moreover, Yang Xiaotao had already prepared everything for her; she would be interning at headquarters and studying computers.

But this child always had his own ambitions; he wanted to become a police officer.

Yang Xiaotao was still somewhat worried about this.

Given their family's circumstances, finding a more comfortable job wouldn't be difficult at all.

But every time Yang Xiaotao and Ran Qiuye saw Miao Miao exercising in the yard with a stick, and with that determined look, they felt there was no need to interfere.

It's always good for children to have dreams.

Unlike my past life, when I was a child, my teachers asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and my relatives and elders asked me what I wanted to do.

As a result, the dreams of youth have all become topics of conversation in the past.

The fact that he would have to live on campus when he entered high school made Yang Xiaotao feel somewhat reluctant to leave.

"I'm coming."

Seeing his daughter walk in and pull him out by the arm, Yang Xiaotao had no choice but to put down his chopsticks and leave!

Looking at his daughter, who had grown up to his shoulder, Yang Xiaotao still felt a little sentimental.

This time of day is truly awful.

How can it run so fast?

The thought of my daughter getting married in the future brings me a strange feeling.

"Dad, you should wear more clothes, it's cold tonight."

"Coat, hat, gloves, and scarf"

Miao Miao was busy searching here and looking there, having a great time.

Ran Qiuye, Liu Lixue, and Lou Xiao'e were chatting at the door when Cuiping led two children over from the backyard, shining a flashlight on them.

"Look, look, what a considerate girl she is."

Cui Ping laughed and joked from the side. Ran Qiuye saw this scene and glanced at the children playing around during the Dragon Boat Festival. She nodded and said, "Indeed, this girl is more considerate than the son."

Liu Yuhua came over at this moment and chuckled, "Yes, my daughter is indeed more considerate!"

"But these days, which family doesn't need a son?"

"The Li family in the next courtyard has already had five daughters in their quest for a son, and they say they want another one this year. I wonder if Old Li's health can handle it!"

As he spoke, a group of older women around him chuckled. They were in their prime and not afraid of the men in their families.

Xiao Liu's wife chimed in, "And my aunt's family, they kept having children just to have a son."

"There are many more in their village!"

As they were talking, Liu Lixue, who was standing nearby, said with dissatisfaction, "What do they take us women for?!"

"Are we treating them as tools? Are we even considered human beings?"

"These egregious acts must be resolutely resisted!"

"It must be changed!"

Lou Xiao'e nodded in agreement, "That's right, it's so unfair! Why should a woman be held responsible for not being able to give birth to a boy!"

"A man like that deserves to be single!"

The two spoke with a shared sense of righteous indignation, and although those around them thought it made sense, they didn't know what to say.

Liu Yuhua and Cuiping looked helpless.

Hearing this, Cuiping sighed and said, "It takes two to tango."

“There are family reasons, women’s lack of self-respect, and many times women have absurd ideas such as ‘their womb is not up to par’ or ‘they can’t hold their heads up in the village’ and actively want to have children.”

"These kinds of things happen all the time, a lot of times!"

Liu Lixue nodded, "Yes, but I think it has a lot to do with perspective and knowledge."

"The principles of having a boy or a girl are now explained in junior high school biology classes, and it is entirely related to men."

"If men are incapable, why should women suffer?"

"Therefore, improving the overall quality of women is the most important thing!"

"As long as women's education levels rise, society will gradually change!"

"Besides, if you can give birth, you can raise a child."

"Can't even steamed buns feed a person?"

"Can't we eat pickled vegetables and radishes anymore?"

"Isn't life now better than working for the landlords before?" After Wang Dashan's wife finished speaking, the old women around her immediately agreed.

They all have a large family of siblings. Although life is tough, they understand that there is strength in numbers.

Without a sister to help me, what will I do if I suffer losses in the future?
They understand even more clearly that these days, without landlords and the mountain above their heads, even if they are poor, they can still live peacefully and steadily!
Ran Qiuye laughed and said, "I know, that's what you're talking about."

"Insufficient educational resources should not lead to a reduction in the number of students, but rather to increased investment in education so that more people can access these resources."

"Otherwise, it would be like drinking poison to quench thirst!"

Liu Lixue sneered, "It seems some people are just bored and have nothing better to do!"

Everyone knew Liu Lixue's identity and her personality; she was a woman of her word.

Since she said it, she'll definitely do it.

However, no one felt sorry for them. They were all adults; they could speak without thinking, but they had to be responsible for their words.

Cuiping nodded, then said, "My husband also said that the investment in education resources has been quite substantial, at least their funding is high!"

"It's just that some things are easier said than done."

"We have been doing these things all these years: getting more rural children into schools, getting more rural girls into classrooms, and enabling them to receive an education!"

"But…"

Cuiping took a deep breath. "The more we get to know them, the more powerless we feel, like we're facing a towering mountain!"

As he spoke, he looked at Ran Qiuye, and everyone else looked over as well.

Ran Qiuye took a deep breath, feeling the cold in her nostrils, and a trace of weariness flashed in her eyes. "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

"We've started organizing student records from various regions. Looking at the records we've compiled now, over 90% of them are boys."

"In one family, there were three girls and one boy. The girls were very smart, but their parents made them work in the village to earn work points."

"We are doing our best to give children in rural areas a fair opportunity to go to school!"

When Ran Qiuye said this, Yueyue and Rongrong, who were standing next to her, both looked puzzled. Rongrong even said unhappily, "Mom, this is too biased!"

Yueyue nodded in agreement, "Yes, why can't girls go to school? These adults are so mean!"

Rongrong got so into character that when she saw Dudu chuckling, she went up to him and forcefully pulled on his hat.

Dudu was terrified of this young lady and usually dared not provoke her. Now that her hat was being pulled down and covering her eyes, she dared not resist and could only burrow into her mother's arms.

"Alright, alright, that's someone else's house, not ours!"

Ran Qiuye pulled Rongrong's mischievous little hand away, and then straightened Dudu's hat.

At this moment, Liu Lixue laughed and said, "That's right, your family is different from other families. The father dotes on his daughter but not his son!"

"You guys are just happy!"

Hearing Liu Lixue say that, Rongrong immediately raised her head and said with a touch of pride, "Of course! Dad said he'll be counting on me to buy him wine in the future!"

Cuiping stepped forward and patted Rongrong's head, "Then you'd better earn more money, otherwise, given your dad's drinking capacity, this amount of money might not be enough!"

Hearing this, everyone laughed.

At this moment, Yang Xiaotao, dressed and ready, followed Miao Miao out of the house.

"What are you saying, you're so happy?"

Yang Xiaotao pretended not to know and asked.

Rongrong ran over, "Dad, I said I'll buy you wine when I grow up!"

Yang Xiaotao nodded with satisfaction, "Okay, Dad will wait for you to buy the wine!"

Rongrong tilted her head again, "But Aunt Cuiping said you can drink too much, and I might not have enough money."

"How about this, Dad? Give me the money, and I'll go buy you a bar!"

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Row!"

Yang Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded vigorously in agreement.

No matter what, they're still my biological children.

"Okay, pinky promise!"

Rongrong extended her little finger, and Yang Xiaotao, speechless, took off his glove and hooked his finger with hers.

"Pinky promise, a hundred years from now, never to be broken..."

Seeing the father and son's expressions, everyone couldn't help but laugh again.

"Let's go, let's not waste time!"

Yan Fugui's voice came from the front yard. Behind him, three aunties and Yan Jiedi each held a child. The boy and girl were both Yan Jiefang's children.

The three aunties went to the Northwest to help take care of the children last time, so they brought the children back to the courtyard house for the Spring Festival this year.

They will be sent back to the Northwest after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

In recent years, train services have been opened in Northwest China, and the speed of trains has also increased significantly. What used to take a week can now be reached in just three days.

Moreover, thanks to the Hongxing Machinery Factory, there is now a direct train service.

The elderly couple can now visit their grandchildren simply by buying train tickets.

Perhaps this is the change brought about by the nine departments, and also the change brought about by the exchange and development between the two places!
"Hey, you'd better hurry, or we'll miss out on the good spots!"

Yan Fugui urged him on, but his words revealed his joy.

Now the second son in the family has become successful and has become a workshop director.

My wife went to the Northwest, where she lives a more comfortable life than in the courtyard house. All she has to do is look after the children and cook.

The food was good, and they could even buy a can of pork every other day.

The only downside is the weather in the Northwest; I'm not used to living there.

The third brother is also on the road to success. He became the group leader of the electrician team, managing seven or eight people. This year, he even sent back twenty yuan, saying he wanted to pay back the money. Does our family really need that little bit of money?

The problem is that neither of the boys can come home for the Chinese New Year.

Everyone is busy.

It's good to be busy, to fight for the revolutionary cause, rather than to stay at home and wait to die.

Besides, when they have grandchildren in the future, the old couple won't even look at these two brats.

Moreover, when the child grows up, they will send him to school in Beijing. The two of them are still healthy enough to support him and they are determined to raise him to be successful.

The key point is that this courtyard house is their ancestral home. As long as the Yang family is here, they would not sell it even if they were offered mountains of gold and silver.

Nowadays, many families in the compound have started to buy houses from the neighborhood committee.

Why?

It's because they're afraid the neighborhood committee will take it back and relocate the house.

If they leave the courtyard house, how will they maintain a close relationship with the Yang family in the future?
We are not stupid!
Then think about the eldest child in the family…

Yan Fugui shook his head. Ever since his eldest son ran off with Yu Li's family.

We don't know if they're alive or dead, and we have no idea where they are.

They tried to find out more a couple of years ago, but they never found out!
Forget it, let's just pretend we don't have this son!
I am determined. Luckily, we have many children in the family. Otherwise, if we only had the eldest child, how would we manage in the future?
So, it's better to have more children!
It has a high tolerance for error!