Rebirth: Starting from a Trainee Teacher

Chapter 747: Walking the Child's Path

The next day, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, after lunch, Zhou Jing and Gu Jia took the children to the county town to experience the New Year atmosphere of the small town and buy some New Year goods.

At the end of the year, the small town is full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The streets are decorated with lights and lanterns everywhere, and lanterns and colored lights are hung on the trees on both sides of the street. There are shops selling New Year's goods one after another on the street. You can't feel this kind of New Year atmosphere in big cities.

In order to celebrate the New Year, Gu Jia dressed the child in newly bought clothes, a red cotton jacket and a red cotton hat before going out.

"Want to go to the county town home?"

Arriving at the county town, Zhou Jing found a parking space and parked the car.

"If there's nothing else to do, I won't go. I'll go back the day after tomorrow and take a bath."

Gu Jia had no attachment to the building. After returning to Qing County, she would rather live in the countryside. If she wanted to take a bath, she could just go to her home in the county town. The old man's house in the countryside had a special bathing room, but it had no heating and was a bit cold in winter.

"Next year when the weather gets warmer, let the old man build a bigger bathroom, one that can be used for fire, so it will be more convenient to take a bath in winter."

Zhou Jing said as he got out of the car holding the child.

"If we want to build it, we should plan it carefully to see if we can expand the homestead."

Gu Jia got out of the car, slung the bag over her shoulder, and said while holding Zhou Jing's arm.

"Mom, pull me!"

The child liked to walk among the adults, pushing Zhou Jing and Gu Jia away, and letting the two adults hold one of his hands each.

"Mom wants to hold Dad's hand."

Gu Jia pushed the child's hand away and said.

"Then I won't be friends with my mother."

The little girl stamped her feet and said.

"It's enough that your father and mother are fine."

Gu Jia did not continue to tease the child, but held the child's hand and walked.

"Is it okay for Dad to just be with Mom?"

Zhou Jing looked at the child and said.

"No, Dad and I are best!"

"Who is the best with mom then?"

Zhou Jing continued.

"My mother is also my best friend."

"You are so domineering. Who are you best with?"

Gu Jia gently held the child's hand and said.

"I'm best with my dad. I'll be good with my mom if she's not mean to me."

The little girl said with a fearless look.

"Mom doesn't care. It doesn't matter if you like it or not. Anyway, Dad will be good to Mom."

Gu Jia paused, kicked the child on the butt and said.

"Dad is only nice to me!"

The little girl hummed in dissatisfaction.

Gu Jia pretended to be angry and stood there refusing to leave. Zhou Jing came to coax her but she still didn't leave to see how the child would react.

"You've made mom angry again. What should I do? Forget it. Don't want mom anymore. Let's go. Dad will take you to buy jelly and Oreos."

Zhou Jing pulled Gu Jia's hand and said to the child.

"Mom, don't be angry, let's go buy something good!"

The little girl thought Gu Jia was really angry, so she happily walked up to Gu Jia and grabbed her hand.

"Who are you best with then?"

Gu Jia held back her laughter, her love for the little girl was not in vain.

The little girl tilted her head and said in a baby voice, "It's best with mom."

"That's pretty much it."

Gu Jia touched the child's head.

"Aren't you the best with Dad? Then Dad won't leave."

Seeing this, Zhou Jing stepped back and sat on the steps outside the supermarket.

"No need for daddy, let's go."

Gu Jia pretended to pull the child away.

"Dad, Mommy is waiting for Daddy!" The little girl's young heart understood what it meant to be caught in a dilemma. She was still a child but had to be appeased by both sides. The little girl leaned over to Zhou Jing's ear and whispered, "Dad and I are best friends."

"Daddy's little cutie."

Zhou Jing kissed the child and stood up.

"There is a saying that children from poor families grow up early. If parents are immature, will their children grow up early?"

Gu Jia said with a smile.

"You must first teach your children to be sensible."

Zhou Jing often teaches his children how to coax Gu Jia, and over time the children naturally know how to coax adults.

"We are taking the child's path and leaving him with nowhere to go. Mom and Dad are ignorant. Zhou Zhou needs to coax Dad more. Mom and Dad remember?"

Gu Jia smiled and pinched the child's face and said.

Not wanting to run into acquaintances or be recognized by strangers, Zhou Jing and Gu Jia wore masks and came to the largest shopping supermarket in the county. Zhou Jing took a shopping cart, put the child on it and pushed it. There was nothing to buy in the supermarket. For the New Year, pork and mutton were bought in the village, chicken was from a big rooster raised by an old lady, and vegetables were bought at the vegetable market. Going to the supermarket was mainly to take the children out for fun and feel the difference between the New Year and usual days.

After strolling around the county town, I returned home when it was time for the children's lunch. Wu Suqin had already prepared meals for the children. People in the countryside eat early in the afternoon, and they have lunch before eleven o'clock. Wu Suqin also made some lunch for Zhou Jing and Gu Jia.

Someone was slaughtering a sheep in the village today. The old man bought half a sheep, a set of sheep offal, a pig's head and four pig's trotters. At this moment, the old man was burning charcoal outside to process the hair of the pig's head, sheep's head, pig's trotters and sheep's trotters.

After lunch, Zhou Jing took the child's outdoor toy box to the yard to play. The child's outdoor toy box contained a shovel, a ball, and a toy car. Zhou Jing put the toy truck next to the sand pile, uncovered the plastic sheet covering the sand pile, and the child picked up the shovel to fill the truck bed with sand.

"Oh, ha, the car flipped over!"

The little girl shoveled sand one shovel at a time, and the babbling sound from her mouth was very pleasant to the ear.

"If you put it here, it won't turn over."

Zhou Jing put the car on flat ground and followed the child wherever he moved, never leaving his side.

"Moo, moo, where is the cow?"

Hearing the cow mooing, the little girl stood up and looked around.

"Let's go see the bulls!"

Most people cannot understand a baby’s babyish voice, but Zhou Jing, who has passed the ninth level of infant language, can understand what the child means.

"Moo! Ha, Cow! Dad, let's go play with Cow!"

When they reached the yard, the little girl pointed at the cows in the jujube field at the bottom of the slope and called out.

"Have you seen the horns of the bull? The bull can butt people. Are you afraid?"

Zhou Jing sat on a rock at the entrance of the yard and supported the child.

"Why doesn't Niu Niu push people?"

The little girl leaned on Zhou Jing and said.

"Because it's afraid that we will bully the calf."

Zhou Jing took the small shovel from the child's hand and dug under the dry branches of the hollyhock outside the courtyard wall. After digging up the dry branches and leaves, he could see green buds beginning to emerge. The old man's house faced the sun, so it was not that cold at the end of January.

"Is Zhou Jing having trouble coaxing the child or the company?"

a neighbor asked Zhou Jing.

"Corporate trouble."

Although taking care of children is troublesome and tiring, Zhou Jing's company is even more troublesome at its current size.

"Dad, let's go over there!"

The little girl pointed in the direction of the courtyard and said.

"What's over there?"

"Yes, woof!" Hearing the hen's call, the little girl said excitedly, "Cuckoo, it laid eggs. Dad, let's go find the eggs!"

"Go ask grandma for a basket so we can go collect the eggs."

Zhou Jing carried the child back to the yard.

"Grandma, basket, I want to collect eggs with Daddy!"

The little girl staggered toward the house and shouted.

"Are you going to collect eggs?"

Gu Jia came out of the house with a basket and went with them.

"Eh, I heard Gugu laying eggs!"

"Coocoo will peck you, why don't you wait outside?"

When they got outside the chicken coop, Zhou Jing said.

"I won't be afraid of Gugu if Dad holds me!"

The little girl hugged Zhou Jing and said.

Zhou Jing picked up the child and followed Gu Jia into the chicken coop and closed the door. There were many eggs in the rows of thatched nests on the wooden racks where the hens laid eggs. Zhou Jing held the child up to let him feel the joy of collecting eggs.

"For mom, be careful not to break them." Gu Jia took the eggs collected by the child and put them in the basket and said, "This chicken can lay such big eggs in winter. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Zhou Jing said: "According to the theory of evolution, chickens came first."

"It turns out this question is so simple. I discussed it with my classmates but couldn't get the answer."

Gu Jia felt that studying liberal arts was equivalent to being half illiterate.

"See if there are any more balls?"

After collecting the eggs, Zhou Jing held the child and looked at each thatched nest one by one.

"No more!" The little girl looked into the basket and said, "There are so many eggs, feed them to the dog!"

"The dog is not hungry now. Be careful of being bitten by the dog when playing with it."

With Zhou Jing around, Gu Jia has a very relaxing day. During holidays, Zhou Jing stays with the child all day long, and Gu Jia, as a mother, can do whatever she wants.

"Woof woof woof! Eh-ho!"

The child jumped in front of the dog, and Zhou Jing blocked the dog's mouth so that the child could touch it.

"Dog's ears, dog's eyes, this is a tail! Dad, why does the dog have a tail but I don't?"

"We humans don't have tails!"

Zhou Jing also felt this question was very strange.

The sun was about to set and it was getting colder outside. Zhou Jing took the children back to the house and asked the old man to call the village secretary to discuss continuing to help the villagers with poverty alleviation when he was free.

(End of this chapter)