Back to 1979: Sending the Educated Youth’s Wife Back to the City

Chapter 124 Solution
The other five people in the dormitory came over, and Cheng Guangzhi introduced them to them.

Of the eight people, three, not counting Fang Mingche, were natives of the capital, while the others were recruited from other places through examinations.

The one who had his mother take care of everything was a local named Zheng Xing. His mother was a small clerk in the government office.

Yesterday, she misunderstood the origins of Fang Mingche and Lin Yan, two locals who lived in the area and dressed respectably. And she was caught on the spot, so she felt somewhat guilty.

If they knew they were just children from ordinary working-class families and small vendors, they would definitely not be so polite.

Zheng Xing was close to two other locals: Yu Moran and Chang Zhihao.

There are also two outsiders, Qian Bijun and Sun Xi, who just arrived at the school today.

During evening study on the first day of school, the instructor gave a group talk. Those who shared a dormitory chose to sit together. They didn't even recognize anyone else.

The counselor arrived just as the bell rang and immediately wrote his name, Wang Shan, and his phone number on the blackboard. He wrote it in large letters so that the students in the back row could see it.

He studied at a normal school, so he must be very good at writing on the blackboard. This phone number is downstairs from his dormitory, so he can come downstairs to answer it if he needs anything. But I can contact him.

"If you need help with anything, you can call me. It doesn't matter how late it is!"

I guess no one calls just for fun. Phone calls aren't cheap these days, especially since the cost of installing a phone is exorbitant. So the phone charges aren't cheap.

Fang Mingche asked Cheng Guangzhi to call him if anything happened, and he also promised to reimburse him. If you are just a college student, the highest level of subsidy is 22 yuan.

A phone call costs only a few cents, which is really not cheap. People don't make calls often. If there's no urgency, people from far away would rather write a letter with a stamp. If things are close by, they'd rather talk in person.

The counselor first introduced himself, saying he was an English major from the class of 77. Then he asked everyone to go up to the stage and introduce themselves according to their student numbers.

On the first day of school, everyone introduced themselves in a proper manner. After all, they were going to be teachers in the future, so they basically took a steady approach.

Fang Mingche explained that he graduated from a secondary normal school at 18 and taught at a village primary school for several years. He had been taking the college entrance exam since its reinstatement, and finally passed on his third attempt. He hoped to learn and improve together with everyone over the next four years.

Oh, by the way, he is also a party member. My cousin also helped him transfer his party organization relationship. Yesterday, he was transferred to the department.

Someone laughed and said, "I heard that bicycle with a child seat outside is yours?"

It was parked outside the classroom, and everyone couldn't help but take a few more glances as they came in. When they heard that it was the gentleman on the stage, many people laughed.

Fang Mingche nodded on the stage, "Yes, I am married and have children. My wife is a local and studies at Capital Normal University. My daughter is studying in the Education Red Class near home."

There were 48 people in the class, with a moderate ratio of boys to girls, about half each. Fang Mingche was considered to be a good-looking guy among the boys. He was tall and handsome, but a little dark. But since he was married and had children, there was definitely no chance.

The girls will simply exclude him, and other boys will no longer see him as a rival.

Everyone came on stage to introduce themselves, and most of them were transferred to this major.

Counselor Wang Shan came to the stage and the next topic was the election of class leaders.

"You are not familiar with each other yet, so let me make the appointment first. After a month, we will see if there is any need for any changes."

Fang Mingche's total score was just above the passing line, so he had no role to play in the election of class leaders. He wasn't even eligible to be the head of the department.

He then realized that he could get into Beijing Normal University with this score. Fortunately, the English Department of Beijing Normal University was short of people. He was also fortunate that he scored 96 points in English!
So, he didn't suffer any loss from the mutual use between him and the handicraft cooperative.

When he thought of this, he understood that these people were the reserved teaching talents for teaching English in middle schools in a few years.

He wrote down the name and phone number of the instructor in the notebook, and then the names of the monitor, study committee member, league secretary, party secretary, and others.

There were a dozen or so Party members in the class, all of whom were working. Fang Mingche had become a Party member right after graduation, returning to his hometown. After all, he was returning to support rural education. The truth was, his family wasn't well connected, so he couldn't stay in the county or town.

He had good grades at first, but was squeezed out by someone with connections, which made him somewhat negative for a while.

But his education was really impressive enough for him to teach in the countryside. There was a quota for joining the party in the village, and when the election was made, the villagers unanimously agreed that he should be an active member of the party.

He was everyone's child's teacher. The villagers all had a simple respect for teachers and education. The more competent the teacher, the more helpful it would be for the children's learning.

But in a place like Beijing Normal University where competition is fierce, it is not easy to join the party. He saved a lot of effort. You know, the identity of a party member is also a plus for distribution.

Wang Shan said, "In 1978, the country resumed its policy of publicly funded overseas study. The first group of 12 people set off on December 26th of last year. It's not like the government will accept anyone we send. They will conduct assessments. The most commonly used exam these days is the TOEFL, an entirely English-language one. In this sense, our English department is strong."

Someone below said, "But brother, weren't the people who went there last year concentrated on engineering technology, agricultural science, medicine, literature, and economic management? Our English department, or the English department of the Normal University, is specifically to prepare teachers for the future English courses."

This is actually good, at least everyone can be assigned to teach in a first-class high school in a big city. This is the bottom line! As for the upper limit, it depends on each person's own ability. But studying abroad doesn't seem to have much to do with them.

Wang Shan said, "The country has clearly stated that study abroad quotas will favor students in these majors. They've also said they'll strive to send 3000 students annually. The problem is, the students in these majors aren't good at English right now. They can't pass the TOEFL, and we don't have enough people. If we're determined to study abroad, wouldn't that be an opportunity? Surely, we won't be barred from going because we can't reach the required number? Who says we can only become English teachers? We all need to be prepared; opportunities favor those who are prepared."

Everyone nodded, understanding. Yes, if people in these majors were rejected because of their English, it would indeed be an opportunity for them.

Who wouldn't want to study abroad at government expense? It's good to go out and see the colorful world. And if you go abroad, your English will definitely improve.

Fang Mingche raised his eyebrows. According to the information he read later, the country only gave the first batch of 52 people 50 US dollars, which the team leader had to keep carefully. The average amount per person was less than one dollar.

It can be seen how tight China's foreign exchange reserves were at that time! When China just opened its doors to the world, it was really poor and had a lot of work to do!

The chief designer proposed to US President Carter to send 5000 international students to the United States. This really shows that a man of poor means but has great ambitions!
President Carter even generously stated that he was willing to accept 100,000 Chinese students.

One thinks that if one out of ten comes back, I will make a profit; the other thinks that the more pro-American Chinese elites, the better.

At the time, there were no direct flights between China and the US. The 52 people, stranded in the airport transit hall, didn't even dare use the restroom, fearing they would have to pay a tip and spend less than a dollar per person in foreign currency.

I heard that those 52 people on the plane were discussing whether the US used food stamps. Before opening up our borders and going abroad to broaden our horizons, everyone's thinking was that simple.

Of course, these 52 individuals were all elites from universities like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Jiaotong University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The oldest was 49, the youngest 32. Crucially, they all returned to China and became leaders in their respective fields.

Fang Mingche currently had no intention of seeking government funding to study abroad, so he didn't take the counselor's suggestion seriously.

After the meeting, he said goodbye to Cheng Guangzhi and went out to ride his bike.

He looked at his watch. It was almost eight o'clock. He would have to ride home at least half past eight, which was Yanyan's bedtime. Fang Mingche ran away in a flash, causing Wang Shan to look at his back several times.

Cheng Guangzhi helped explain: "Xiao Fang's daughter is still in the care of a neighbor. She is only three years old, we can't leave her alone."

"Where's his wife?"

"His wife is from Capital Normal University, and she is also gathering today. And it would be a bit difficult for a female comrade to ride back."

Wang Shan said, "The department has arranged for dormitory inspections, so make sure he's there. They might inspect tonight."

Cheng Guangzhi nodded. "He copied the class schedule and went back to make arrangements with his wife."

He understood the meaning. As long as it wasn't discovered, everything would be fine. But if it was discovered, he would have to bear the consequences himself.

"Ah."

Back in the dormitory, Cheng Guangzhi unwrapped Fang Mingche's quilt and lowered the mosquito net, pretending that someone was sleeping.

He also put a salt water bottle filled with boiling water in it.

After lights out, someone from the student union came to check the dormitories. He said Fang Mingche had gone to the toilet.

The two men reached out and felt around; the blanket was warm, but their slippers were gone (Cheng Guangzhi had taken the saline bottle and slippers away after hearing a knock on the door). They didn't insist on waiting for anyone to return, and noted that the dormitory was full.

After the people who checked the dormitory left, Xu Mengfei, Zheng Xing and others all praised Cheng Guangzhi for being amazing.

“This is the wisdom of life.”

Cheng Guangzhi also breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately no one was so serious as to go to the toilet to take roll call.

"Old Cheng, you are so experienced, is it because you often sneak out in the middle of the night?"

"Nothing happened. Besides, why would I sneak out in the middle of the night?"

"Secretly meeting the young widow in the haystack!"

The people in the dormitory burst into laughter, and then stopped abruptly, fearing that the dormitory inspectors would be called back again.

Cheng Guangzhi laughed and scolded, "Get lost! My wife is very fierce. No woman in the village dares to flirt with me."

Qian Bijun also laughed and said, "I heard Fang Mingche's wife is very beautiful? No wonder he went home without any complaints."

"She is very pretty. But his wife lives in the school tonight, so he went back to take care of his daughter. Oh, you don't understand. A father's heart aches for his daughter the most. Especially since his daughter is only three years old and looks so cute. She came over yesterday and called me uncle and Xiao Xu uncle. Today when we went to her house, she even moved stools for us to sit on."

"Old Cheng, did you go to Fang Mingche's house? Is he living with his father-in-law? No, if he lives with his father-in-law, then we don't have to entrust our daughter to the neighbors."

Cheng Guangzhi said, "They are a family of three and live near Tiananmen Square. They must be renting a house."

"Are you still renting? Don't you have too much money to spend? The rent for houses around here is really expensive."

Fang Mingche was so focused on riding his bike home that he didn't even think about the attention his roommates or even classmates were paying him.

He rushed home and went to see Yanyan. Yanyan was listening to the radio with Gu Zhiguang and Grandpa Gu, her chin in her hands. She hadn't noticed her father coming.

"Yanyan, Dad is back. Thank you, Grandpa Gu and Uncle Gu. Let's go home."

The father and daughter said their goodbyes and went back. Fang Mingche quickly bathed his daughter and put her to bed. He also took a quick shower himself and went to bed in his pajamas.

There are no classes tomorrow morning. But the counselor asked us to gather at 10 o'clock. He led us around the campus to recognize the various teaching buildings and other buildings. Then we had to go to get textbooks.

In this way, Fang Mingche can calmly send Yanyan to school and then ride his bike to school.

The next day, Yanyan happily followed Sister Niuniu with her backpack on her back. She was very excited when she waved to Fang Mingche.

"Dad, I'm going to school."

In the little girl's heart, she was going to do some serious work.

Fang Mingche also waved to her and watched her walk into the alley where the Yuhong class was located before riding away.

When he arrived at the dormitory building to meet up, Cheng Guangzhi and the others were already ready to set off.

Seeing Zheng Xing almost had dark circles under his eyes, Fang Mingche couldn't help but ask, "You know your bed?"

Zheng Xing said, "No, someone was snoring and grinding their teeth. If I had known I would have learned from you and gone home to sleep."

Fang Mingche understood, and it was his first time experiencing collective life.

The young comrade mentioned in his self-introduction yesterday that both his parents are state cadres (the name for civil servants in this era).

It seems that this person is not living in a tube building. The sound insulation effect of the tube building is not good at all. Wang Dexian has experienced it himself. I am afraid that he can hear the faint noise when the couple next door do things at night. It is hard to be single!
No wonder Zheng Xing’s mother tore up the paper with her name on it and prepared to change her bed.

But Xiao Zheng doesn't seem to be a cunning person. She has red lips and white teeth, and seems kind.

His mother probably wasn't a leader, but it looked like his grandfather was. Or maybe his father's family had some high-ranking officials who could live in a suite.

"You can only try to adapt to it. Everyone has different living habits. If you go back home for this reason, people will say you have no sense of community."

Zheng Xing frowned. Wasn't this the reason why he came to live in the school dormitory?

Fang Mingche suggested, "Go to the Overseas Chinese Store and ask if they have any high-quality noise-isolating earplugs."

This kind of thing is not sold in the current supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores. Basic living needs cannot be met nowadays. Who will produce this kind of thing that the petty bourgeoisie needs?

Of course, we can change our attitude towards overseas Chinese and foreign friends in order to earn foreign exchange.

The country’s foreign exchange reserves are so scarce that it is reluctant to give even an extra $2 to the first batch of students studying abroad at government expense.

Zheng Xing nodded after hearing what Fang Mingche said, and felt that this big brother was a pretty good person. This suggestion was very pertinent, and he didn't think that he was too busy and had a masterly style like other roommates.

"I'll call back and ask someone to check it out for me."

Everyone gathered at the intersection in the center of the campus. This was also where the various departments liked to use blackboards to announce things.

Fang Mingche hadn't been a student for many years. He was a little uncomfortable walking in a row of four people.

But seeing that the big brother Cheng Guangzhi was quite disciplined and everyone else was also very honest, he could only try his best to adapt.

Wang Shan introduced the campus buildings to the group of junior students as they walked. When they arrived at the teaching office, they were just in line to get books.

"Take all the books from the dormitory back together."

In fact, no one brought any tools, although they knew they were going to get the books.

Because no one prepared a big school bag. I couldn't get any tools I wanted.
There were some, a few classmates from the countryside who had brought a shoulder pole. This was the tool they had used to carry their luggage yesterday. Once tied together, they could carry much more.

Fang Mingche looked at the books of the eight people in their dormitory. There were dozens of them placed on the newspapers. It was no problem for him to carry his own books back, after all, he had been carrying the teapot for half a year.

Old Cheng and Xiao Xu, who have been doing farm work, should be fine. But the difference between humans and animals is that humans know how to use tools.

He looked around and said, "I'll go to the store over there and see if I can borrow a cart."

As he spoke, he turned around and asked what was the hardest selling item.

The salesperson asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"I'd like to borrow your cart to push my books. But I can't just ask you without any reason."

The salesperson smiled and said, "You should buy something you need. We have nothing that is hard to sell here. There are so many students in this school."

"Then, give me a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes!"

You can keep this cigarette and give it to counselors, teachers, or leaders when they need it.

Fang Mingche borrowed a very small cart that could barely hold all the books in the dormitory. Since he borrowed the cart, he didn't have to push the cart or hold the books along the way.

Other dormitories saw it and said, "Classmate, you guys are done pushing it, lend it to us for a while."

Cheng Guangzhi and others who were pushing the cart looked at Fang Mingche.

Fang Mingche said, "The store guy only agreed to lend it to me for fifteen minutes. Otherwise, you can wait until I pay it back and then go back to borrow it."

Fifteen minutes is enough to run back and forth.

Back in the dormitory, Cheng Guangzhi distributed the books to everyone. Fang Mingche placed his copy side by side against the wall of his bed.

In this way, when I look back and compare it with the timetable I copied next to it, I can see at a glance what books to take.

When he went to return the cart, someone from an unknown dormitory asked to borrow it from him.

"I've paid it back, you can borrow again."

"Why bother?"

"If you take it like this, you won't have any trouble. If you borrow this car again and again, where is it and where can I find it? If you want to use it, wait until I pay it back and then borrow it again."

He couldn't even identify the person. If something went wrong, he wouldn't know who to turn to.

Before this person could say anything else, someone else had already followed Fang Mingche away.

"Student Fang, come here, I'll push it. Return it first, and then borrow it in my name."

Fang Mingche nodded, "I bought a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and borrowed them."

"what?"

"You can talk to the salesperson and maybe she won't buy it. She doesn't get any commission anyway."

Fang Mingche went to return the cart first. Whether the classmate borrowed it or not was none of his business; he had already returned it. Then he went to the cafeteria for lunch, and Xu Mengfei brought his lunch box to him.

Today he went to borrow a stroller, saving everyone the trouble of carrying the baby back. Everyone in the dormitory had a positive impression of him.

Fang Mingche ordered two meat dishes and one vegetable dish and ate with everyone else at the table.

Among the others, only Zheng Xing ordered two meat dishes and one vegetable dish like him. He was still complaining that the meat was like a side dish and was too little.

Most of the other people chose to eat vegetarian or at most one meat. Although there was a subsidy, the food in the cafeteria was not too cheap.

Old Cheng, for example, only ate one vegetarian dish. His wife and children were still in the countryside. If he saved a little, he might be able to send them some money back at the end of the month.

Xu Mengfei asked directly: "Lao Fang, Zheng Xing's family is a cadre family. What about you? Didn't you say that your family is farmers? Could it be that your father-in-law..."

Fang Mingche raised his left hand and said, "My father-in-law is just an ordinary worker, and he has a son. What I eat is earned by myself."

"Ok?"

Fang Mingche said, "I previously set up a big bowl tea stall in Tiananmen Square for three and a half months, and later in Dashilan for more than two months. The tea stall you saw at the handicraft cooperative yesterday was originally mine."

Xu Mengfei asked in surprise: "Why would they let you set up a tea stall there?"

"I helped them communicate with foreigners to do business, and I also taught them simple English. It took me nearly three months to get the qualification to set up a stall."

Cheng Guangzhi said, "Have you planned to take the English major exam?" Then you live a very planned life.

"No. I found that the competition for setting up a tea stall in Tiananmen Square was quite fierce, so I taught myself a few simple English words to greet foreign tourists. Then gradually my interest was piqued, and I learned more and more."

Zheng Xing said, "I've heard of the big tea stand in Tiananmen Square. It was mentioned in the newspapers. It's said that it helped many educated youth who returned to the city find jobs. Does it make money?"

"It's not bad. At two cents a bowl, I can make 10 or 20 yuan a day by selling a lot!"

When the words "you can earn 10 or 20 yuan a day" were spoken, the others who originally thought it was disrespectful for a college student to set up a tea stall immediately shut up.

Earning 3000 to yuan a day was part-time work. Hey, after working for half a year, that would be yuan.

After deducting the expenses and costs of these months, there will be at least 2000 yuan left.

"So you're not doing it now?"

Fang Mingche spread his hands. "They've learned all the clichés I use to greet foreign tourists. Why should I set up shop in their stall?"

Sun Xi asked, "Then, Lao Fang, you are very rich?"

With the rarity of those earning 22 yuan, a four-digit net worth is considered wealthy, especially if they are students. The maximum subsidy is only 5 yuan a month.

Fang Mingche said, "I bought two houses. My landlord was desperate to raise money to treat his son's leg, which was injured by a young player. But 2000 yuan wasn't enough, and he still owed me 2000 yuan."

Xu Mengfei said, "So your two rooms are already yours. Why are you still renting them? You can obviously put your daughter at your father-in-law or mother-in-law's place."

The students in the dormitory all looked at Fang Mingche with a new eye. He had bought a house in the capital! And it was near Tiananmen Square. Although he still owed 2000 yuan! Even Zheng Xing was envious, because he didn't rely on his family.

Fang Mingche had classes in the afternoon, so he went to the public phone downstairs to call Lin Yan and discuss their plans for after school. If it wasn't convenient, he would skip the second class.

Nowadays, everyone has finally been admitted to university, and many people come to audit classes, but few skip classes. But if you don't call the roll, the audit students can easily cover up their absence.

Lin Yan's classes today are concentrated in the morning, and she has no classes in the afternoon.

"Well, I've had lunch and will be back soon. I'll just go pick up Yanyan."

"That's great! I'll be back after school this afternoon."

"Well, let's have dinner together. Let's go over the class schedule tonight and see how to arrange the six days of the week."

Since everyone has no classes on Sundays, they're definitely all home. Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to arrange things for my daughter from Monday to Saturday. It would be best if we can avoid sending her to her grandparents' house.

Of course, if their schedules overlap significantly, then sending the child to a neighbor is a necessary evil. Entrusting the child to a neighbor can only be an occasional stopgap measure.

Yanyan is only three years old, and it is not possible for her to be a key child.

Xu Mengfei came over and told Fang Mingche about the dormitory inspection last night.

"It shouldn't be necessary to check last night and check again tonight, right?"

"Probably not."

After going upstairs, Fang Mingche thanked Cheng Guangzhi.

Cheng Guangzhi said: "If you can get away with it, just get away with it. If not, you can only blame yourself for your bad luck." Alas, he missed his wife and children too.

Fang Mingche could only pat him on the shoulder and said, "Maybe in two years, my nephew will be admitted here and become our classmate."

Tsk, that sounds a bit weird! Never mind, he should just take a nap. But he has to remember Old Cheng's favor and repay him when he has the chance.

Fang Mingche was someone who could fall asleep while sitting on a train, so he wouldn't care too much about whether someone was snoring or grinding their teeth.

He was wearing a vest and pajamas and fell asleep quickly. He was woken up by the alarm clock, got up, changed clothes, washed up, took his textbooks and went to the classroom with others.

There were eight of us, taking turns to reserve a seat. It wasn't his turn today. This way everyone would have a seat.

The lecturer had studied in the United States before the Liberation Army, and spoke fluent American English. Beijing Normal University is truly honored to have such an experienced lecturer teaching freshmen.

Fang Mingche, who had only learned the basics on his own, found it a bit difficult to follow. It was over, and he had to continue studying.

After class, Fang Mingche ran to ask the old man how he could order written materials for learning English.

The old man said, "I'll go back and sort it out and talk about it in the next class. There are still very limited channels like this in China now. Moreover, the materials are often expensive. If it needs to be mailed from abroad, it would be best if everyone in the school can pool together to post the package."

"Thank you, teacher!"

When the old man came downstairs after school, he found Fang Mingche pushing a bicycle with a child seat and couldn't help laughing.

"So it's you!"

Fang Mingche smiled and nodded, "Yes." He probably became famous because of this little chair.

"It's too late to pick up Yuhong from school now, isn't it?"

Fang Mingche said: "My wife has no classes in the afternoon, she will go."

The main point isn't that Yanyan needs to be picked up. She, Niuniu, and the other kids in the alley can go back and forth together without any problem. The main point is that an adult must be home when she returns. The child is too young!

The culture of small dining tables has not yet emerged in the capital, otherwise she could go to a nearby small dining table and stay with other children.

Today was Saturday, and everyone was going home. So there were quite a few bicycles out and about. Fang Mingche pushed his bike around the school, then got on once outside and pedaled as fast as he could.

The other three people in the dormitory seemed to take the bus.

After all, it is ten kilometers into the city, so some students choose to take the bus. If their home is close to the station, it is completely fine.

When Fang Mingche returned home, Lin Yan was already there. She was listening to Yanyan telling her about her first day of school. The little girl was quite excited.

Also, Xiao Gang came over. Hadn't Fang Mingche told him to come get English review materials if he needed them? He had some free time on the first day of school, so he came over.

Fang Mingche had sorted it out before and gave it to him directly. Then the three of them and the child went to Cui's restaurant for dinner.

It's so hot, it's too painful to get close to the stove! Anyway, Lao Cui has to earn this hard-earned money, so let him earn it.

Mrs. Cui brought in the vegetables and said with a smile, "I got these vegetables and eggs from you."

Xiao Gang also felt a little emotional. In such a hot day, his mother couldn't escape the fate of cooking because their family couldn't afford to eat out whenever they wanted.

When Mrs. Cui saw that there was a young scholar in the room today, she asked, "Xiao Lin, is this your brother? Didn't I hear that your brother is talking about marriage with someone?" He looks quite immature.

Lin Yan said, "This is my aunt's cousin, he is still in middle school."

Xiao Gang also hurriedly greeted, "Hello, Sister Cui—"

"Okay, okay, eat slowly. You are so polite, little brother. I like you just by looking at you. I will give you a dish of preserved egg with green pepper tonight."

Fang Mingche smiled, "Thank you."

Yanyan said, "Aunt Cui, I want yellow eggs."

"Got it. Our Yanyan doesn't like to eat black preserved eggs. The green peppers shouldn't be too spicy. Yanyan can't eat them."

Yanyan nodded with a smile.

She gestured to her family, "We'll have lunch at noon, one lump per person." She cut it into pieces horizontally and vertically with her hands.

She gestured twice, and Fang Mingche realized. It should be the kind of rice that is steamed on a large tin plate, and then divided vertically and horizontally with a spatula. A child divides it into small square pieces.

He asked, "Does everyone have the same amount?"

Yanyan shook her head. "Teacher's fingers aren't very accurate. Some are bigger, some are smaller. If it's not enough, you can add more. If you can't finish it, you can tell me."

"Well, then you have to eat enough! If you get hungry, you'll suffer the consequences."

Yanyan nodded, "I'm full. There are no snacks or fruits in school."

When she was at home, she could occasionally lift a stool to open the drawer and look for snacks. Fang Mingche was afraid that she would have to climb high, so he placed the drawers where she could reach them with a stool.

There are also fruits, which many families are reluctant to buy these days. But he also buys them every day to ensure that his family gets enough vitamins.

But when I go to school, I get a small piece of fruit at best, and the same goes for snacks. Maybe the so-called snack is just a lollipop. The tuition is not expensive, so what else do you want?
Without the occasional snack at home, Yanyan ate half a bowl more than usual for dinner.

Yanyan saw her uncle looking at her rice bowl, smiled and said, "My iron rice bowl."

Xiao Gang laughed, "What kind of bowl do you use at school?"

"It's also a stable job, just like this one. This way I won't make a mistake. There's even a word Yan engraved on it."

The family brought their own bowls and chopsticks to eat at Cui's house. Yanyan also brought the same bowls and chopsticks to school, bought on the black market, but they were newer.

When we first rented our apartment, we went to the black market to buy some necessities and saw children's tableware. We bought a set for Yanyan, and she loves it.

When Xiao Gang got home, his parents said to him, "You went to get the information, and you followed me to the restaurant. You really don't consider yourself an outsider!"

"He's definitely not an outsider. Who can my brother-in-law ask to get English review materials? I can't afford it, so I'll just have to sell my small business for now."

He saw that the clothes on his mother's back were getting wet again. He took a palm leaf fan and inserted it into the elastic band of his pants to stretch the clothes on his back.

This way, sweaty clothes won't stick to your back, and there will be some breeze.

"Mom, why don't you bring the fan in to cook?"

"How can the fire withstand the blowing? It's okay, I'll cook and your father will wash the dishes and clean up. Women hold up half the sky, but they don't have to do everything."

At this moment, Lin Yan's uncle is still cleaning up in the kitchen.

Xiao Gang said: "I still think it's better to find a way to make more money like my brother-in-law did. That way my cousin won't have to suffer this."

It’s great to have money! And it has to be an income far above the average wage, so that you and your family can live a good life.

My aunt said, "Who are we doing this for? We're just trying to save some money so we can pay for a tutor if you need one. Your cousin and brother-in-law don't have to worry about that for now. They both got into college, and Yanyan isn't old enough to spend money. They should have saved a lot of money from their tea stall, so they can live comfortably through four years of college. The key is that once they graduate, they'll definitely have good jobs waiting for them, especially your brother-in-law."

Xiao Gang knew his parents believed that since his cousin and brother-in-law had both been admitted to university, they should focus on their studies. So he didn't mention their new vegetable business.

Anyway, when he gets into college, he will work part-time to earn money for his studies! With money in hand, everything will be easy! College students should also participate in social practice.

After dinner, Lin Yan and Fang Mingche took Yanyan home and took out each other's class schedules to compare.

It is known that Fang Mingche has no classes on the morning of September 9st, Saturday, so he can send his daughter to school. Lin Yan has no classes in the afternoon and can come back.

Skip Sunday and start again on Monday.

After thinking about it, they found that in the remaining five days, neither of them could make it back to accompany Yanyan in the afternoon for two days.

The couple looked at each other, wondering what to do these next two days. They couldn't just keep skipping classes. It would affect their studies and their school records. It wouldn't be worth it if it affected their future placement after graduation.

So who should I hire to look after it? It's better to pay for it in full. Who can be trusted with such free time?
Just at this moment, Xiao Xie and Teacher Gao came over.

"Are you guys back?"

Fang Mingche and Lin Yan looked over and hurriedly put away their timetables.

Xiao Xie said, "We heard outside that you won't be able to come back to accompany Yanyan after school for two days, right? That's fine, hire me. I'll stay here with her until you get home."

She was talking about hiring, which Fang Mingche and Lin Yan were more receptive to. It's not good to owe too many favors. If all else fails, it's better to have the mother-in-law come over.

Lin Yan asked: "Then what price do you think is suitable?"

Xiao Xie said, "We are here to borrow money. We want to borrow 240 yuan to buy a bicycle for our teacher Gao. The only way to take the bus here is to walk back from the square. Besides, the bus doesn't leave whenever it wants and is sometimes not on time. We thought it would be more convenient to have a bicycle. It can also be considered a big item for the family. But you know our family situation. We have never saved any money. It's hard to think about having to save for eight months. But paying back debts is motivation. And you can use it in advance. How about this, we count it as two yuan a month. Eight months, that's two semesters, and it's the interest. We'll talk about it next year if we need it again."

Teacher Gao felt a little embarrassed standing next to them. Although he knew that the couple would not embarrass him, as a Chinese intellectual, he just couldn't bring himself to do that.

Xiao Xie's solution was acceptable to both parties. Lin Yan immediately agreed to go get 240 yuan tomorrow to lend to Xiao Xie. Xiao Xie would sell eggs every month to repay the money.

The interest is also what should be paid. 240 is not a small amount, it is half a year's salary for an ordinary worker. In ordinary relationships, no one would be willing to lend out so much.

But Lin Yan said, "Teacher Gao, you should write the IOU. You have a stable income, so you're more reliable. Besides, if Xiao Xie runs away midway, where will I find her?"

Teacher Gao nodded, "Okay, I'll write the IOU."

I heard that the house in the east wing is also in the name of Teacher Lin. There is no official house title yet, but the deed signed by both parties with the witness of the housing management department is also valid.

Teacher Lin used to transfer her household registration with this deed. (During the housing reform in the 80s, this kind of paper deed was also recognized and replaced with a real estate certificate.)

The bicycle belongs to him, and he should get a share of the money if he wrote the IOU.

Xiao Xie smiled at Lin Yan, knowing that she was thinking about him.

The two sides reached an agreement, and this solved a problem for Lin Yan and Fang Mingche. Xiao Xie was a reliable person.

They discussed it with Yanyan. The little girl heard that her parents would just be a little late in those two days, but at least one of them would come back. Auntie Xie would come to accompany her to wait for her parents, so she nodded, "Okay."

It was Xiao Xie who came over, not Yan Yan. After all, the Gao family had patients all year round. Yan Yan was still young and had a weak immune system.

Before, Teacher Gao had worried about Xiao Xie going out to sell snacks, because people knew that his family was worried about his health.

However, Lin Yan found a job for Xiao Xie selling eggs in front of the hospital, which avoided these two situations.

She didn't process the raw eggs. She was already selling them to patients and their families at the hospital entrance. Why would she worry about whether the disease would pass?

Therefore, Xiao Xie's egg business was not affected at all.

Fang Mingche said to Lin Yan, "That saves us trouble!"

Lin Yan also nodded, "Xiao Xie is actually very smart. If she is given the opportunity to study from a young age, she may not fail to get into university."

Fang Mingche asked, "You're not going to bother me with teaching others to read, are you?"

"She's gone since the start of the school year. She should have let go of her shyness and started studying with Teacher Gao. This is great. I'm giving her a head start."

(End of this chapter)