Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 77 Changing the Child's Name

Chen Wenjun agreed without hesitation, "We need to change our household registration anyway, let's do it together."

Previously, his household registration was that of a Tanka people, but now that he owns land, he can change it to that of a farmer.

Lin Qin was overjoyed and quickly called Liu Yaya over, "Yaya, how about Mommy changes your name?"

Liu Yaya stared wide-eyed with curiosity, "Change what?"

"How about your full name is Chen Xinyue from now on?"

This was the name Lin Qin had been thinking of all the way.

Liu Yaya immediately fell in love with the name and jumped up and down, "Great! I love this name! Grandpa, I'll be called Chen Xinyue from now on, not Liu Yaya."

After showing off to Lin Yi, Liu Yaya ran to Chen Wenjun, her face flushed red.

Chen Wenjun affectionately patted her head and said with a smile, "Chen Xinyue, from now on my girl's name is Chen Xinyue."

Liu Yaya's eyes lit up instantly, and she mustered her courage to say loudly, "Thank you, Dad!"

Chen Wenjun was stunned for a moment, his eyes turning from shock to joy. He picked up Liu Yaya and walked towards the gap in the gate, saying, "Daddy will take you to change your name now."

Lin Qin snapped out of her daze, slapped her thigh, and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Hey! Where are you going without your ID?!"

Lin Yi laughed until tears streamed down his face, "Hurry up and go back inside to get your documents!"

Lin Qin then turned and ran into the house.

The house is now empty, with valuables kept in a locked box in the room.

Lin Qin had just found the things when she saw Chen Ping'an sitting obediently in the yard, looking enviously in the direction of the gap. She immediately picked up Chen Ping'an and said, "Come on! Let's go together."

Chen Ping'an wrapped his arms around Lin Qin's neck, burying his head in her neck. He also wanted to change his address like Ya Ya, but he didn't have the courage.

Lin Qin had no idea what the child was thinking. As they walked, she gently asked, "Ping An, would you like to change your name to something nicer like Ya Ya did?"

Chen Ping'an initially wanted to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he mustered his courage and said, "Auntie, please get it for me."

Lin Qin chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Let me think! What should we call him? How about Chen Ruiyu, and his nickname is Ping An? What do you think?"

Chen Pingan nodded vigorously, "Okay!"

The two boarded the fishing boat, and Lin Qin told Chen Wenjun about it.

Chen Wenjun grinned and said, "Then let's change our names together. It'll sound better to use our formal names when we go to school."

A family of four went to the police station to handle household registration. They explained the situation, and changing names was simple at this point, especially for the child. They submitted the documents and came back to pick them up in a few days.

It won't delay your child's registration.

In the following days, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin resumed their hard work to earn money. They paid off all their debts the day before they received their new household registration book. When they got the new book, Chen Wenjun even bought a two-pound piece of pork belly to celebrate.

The family hadn't checked the name on the household registration booklet carefully until the day of registration. The teacher flipped through the booklet and wrote "Chen Ruiyu" on the registration form. Only then did they realize the name was wrong. The two looked at each other, and under the teacher's suspicious gaze, gritted their teeth and accepted it.

The teacher continued to fill out the registration form, her attitude somewhat perfunctory. "You weren't originally villagers of Anshan Village. The Education Bureau made an exception and allowed you to study at our village primary school. Given your child's situation, there are some things we need to explain to you beforehand."

Fighting is prohibited at school, but it's normal for kids to bicker occasionally, and minor conflicts are nothing to worry about. I'll try my best to keep an eye on things, and you should also remind your children not to cause trouble.

Lin Qin felt uncomfortable listening to the teacher's words and was about to speak when Chen Wenjun stopped her, saying, "We know that our child is well-behaved and obedient, and will not fight. You can rest assured about that, teacher."

The teacher didn't say anything, just collected the two children's registration forms and told them to go to the classroom to clean and get their new books.

The couple were worried, so they went to wait at the school gate.

Lin Qin had to go to the construction site to cook, so she had to ask Chen Wenjun to stay and watch over things.

On the way, she was worried about the two children and was somewhat distracted while cooking. After finally finishing the meal and everyone had finished eating and cleaned up, she hurriedly ran back.

When we arrived at the Nanxi River, our own fishing boat was waiting there.

Lin Qin quickly boarded the boat. "How are things? Are the children adjusting well? Have they been bullied?"

Chen Wenjun smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry, everything is fine. The two kids came out before noon and said they had been working. Although Ping An is not as quick as the others, he still carried water when he was supposed to, but he could only carry half a bucket. Ya Ya followed him the whole time, and the two of them sat together. She wasn't bullied, but her seat was a bit far back."

Lin Qin felt much relieved upon hearing this. "It's good that I wasn't bullied. It's fine if my seat is in the back, as long as they can see me."

When they got home, Lin Qin couldn't wait to ask the two children about their school life. Seeing that the two children seemed quite happy, she felt relieved.

Summers in Anshi are long, and it doesn't get cool until the eighth month of the lunar calendar.

Several heavy rains have occurred recently, especially in late summer and early autumn. The continuous rain for half a month caused the water level of Nanxi to rise again and again, but fortunately it did not flood the island.

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun made a fortune by catching eels with nets at the upstream inlet during the past two weeks.

With this money, they were able to start renovating the second floor.

To save money, Lin Qin and Lin Yi discussed asking Lin Qingxiang to help lay the floor tiles, while they would paint the walls themselves, hoping to save as much as possible.

Lin Qin bought the floor tiles through Huang Wenlong. She chose tiles that were slightly white with patterns. Each tile looked elegant and beautiful, and these tiles would never go out of style even decades later.

When the items were delivered, Lin Yi looked at these floor tiles as if they were precious antique vases, and handled them with extreme care.

Lin Qingxiang was so nervous by what he did that he teased, "I said, is it really necessary! Let me tell you, the villagers don't believe that your son-in-law built a two-story house of nearly 200 square meters. They even said I was bragging. Especially your younger brother, he actually came to my house and cursed me, saying that I had ulterior motives and that I was just trying to steal your land by flattering you everywhere. He's like a lunatic!"
But seriously, you've recovered enough, haven't you? When are you planning to go back? I can't possibly keep farming like this forever!

Lin Yi shook his head, "Let's talk about it after Aqin's house is completely finished. Right now, the two of them are only thinking about making money. Someone has to pick up the child when he crosses the street to go to school, otherwise I won't feel at ease. Once this house is finished and they can manage, I'll go back."

Actually, he didn't want to go back at all. Putting aside everything else, the only person he could talk to in the village was Lin Qingxiang. Lin Qingxiang couldn't talk to him every day. If Lin Qingxiang didn't come to sit with him, he might stay silent all day.

The days were boring and dull.

It's so much more comfortable and carefree here! Besides, Chen Wenjun has so much land to cultivate, and no one else can take care of it. I can also talk to the kids after school, and the whole family is together in a lively atmosphere. It's a completely different feeling.

(End of this chapter)