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

Chapter 85 Life is Full of Hope
Fortunately, the money was spent on things that were visible, otherwise she would have been heartbroken.

The mother and her two children returned to Nanyu.

Lin Yi knew that Lin Qin had bought a lot of things for the children, but he didn't say anything. He just silently carried his hoe and worked hard to clear the land.

Early Monday morning, Lin Yi got up early to make a hearty breakfast for the children: two fried eggs, sweet potato porridge, and a soy sauce-braised eel.

"Eat quickly, and then go to school with your mother. Remember, we don't cause trouble, but we also can't let others bully us."

The two children nodded emphatically. Their wounds had begun to scab off, and they looked much more energetic in their new clothes.

Lin Qin was also wearing a new dress, which Chen Wenjun had secretly bought for her.

A white short-sleeved shirt made of polyester, paired with a floral maxi skirt and women's sandals, along with shoulder-length short hair, completely transformed her overall look.

Anyone who didn't know better would think she worked in a respectable company!
The mother and her two children were crossing the river by boat when they happened to encounter Chen Yongding's fishing boat.

Zhou Shuifang was quite surprised to see the mother and her two children dressed up in their new clothes, and she went up to the deck to gossip, "Oh! Where are you going dressed like that?"

Lin Qin gave her a reserved smile.

Ping An immediately perked up when facing acquaintances, and before Lin Qin could speak, he loudly replied, "Grandma, my mom is taking us to school in the city, to the city's experimental primary school!"

Zhou Shuifang looked at Ping An in surprise, "The Municipal Experimental Primary School? They accept kids from our area too?"

Everyone knows the reputation of the Municipal Experimental Primary School; it's the best primary school in Anshi.

Ping An shook her head and said proudly, "It was Mom who fought for us! Goodbye, Grandma."

The two ships missed each other.

Zhou Shuifang was a little confused. She ran to Chen Yongding's side and whispered, "Did you hear that just now? That woman is really capable. She actually got Ping An to call her 'Mom'! What's her family background? How did she get both children into the Municipal Experimental Primary School?"

Chen Yongding rolled his eyes speechlessly. "You're asking me? I think Wenjun is really something. Look how long it's been, he bought land, built a house, and Ping'an can even go to school in the city. Who knows what kind of future she'll have. Stop nagging about her. Wenhai and Wenjiang are coming back for the New Year this year. Take some time to tidy up the house."

Chen Wenhai and Chen Wenjiang are Chen Yongding's sons. One is twenty years old and the other is eighteen. They both work on boats in Nangang and only come back once a year for the Lunar New Year. Although it is hard work, they earn a lot, so their family is more well-off than other Tanka people.

Speaking of her two sons, Zhou Shuifang couldn't help but mutter, "They should be getting married by now. I wonder if they have any suitable candidates. We've had a pot of grass on the bow of our boat for a year now. It's not that no one has inquired about it, but none of the families seem quite right. With my sons not coming back, there's no plan for what to do with the boat."

The Tanka people's wedding customs are as follows: when there is a girl of marriageable age in the family, a pot of flowers is placed on the boat; when there is a boy of marriageable age, a pot of grass is placed at the bow of the boat. Land dwellers build a new house to get married, while Tanka people build a new boat to get married. If they don't have the money to build a new boat, they will refurbish the old boat.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yongding went to the cabin to discuss it with Grandpa Chen.

At this moment, Lin Qin had already driven the two children onto the highway.

Monday was a busy day in the city, with bicycle bells ringing everywhere. She parked her bicycle at the city's Experimental Primary School, took the materials, and led the two children to see the principal.

The principal was a middle-aged man who looked very cultured. He spoke in a calm and unhurried manner, which explained why he was qualified to be the principal of the municipal primary school.

Under the principal's guidance, Lin Qin and her two children were assigned to Class 3, Grade 1. The homeroom teacher, surnamed Zhao, was an elderly teacher nearing retirement. He had a good temper and a kind face, and seemed like a gentle person.

Teacher Zhao had seen the two children beforehand and was quite satisfied with their attitude towards learning. After learning that Chen Ruiyu had a congenital disease, she made an exception and gave him special care.

Introducing the two children to the whole class, the teacher said loudly, "Although Chen Ruiyu and Chen Xinyue are temporary transfers to our class, I hope everyone can get along peacefully. Also, Chen Ruiyu is not in good health, and I hope you can help him more and be helpful children."

"Yes!" the whole class answered loudly.

Lin Qin peeked through the back door, her eyes brimming with emotion. Seeing the two children being seated in front and beginning their lessons, she quietly withdrew, repeatedly expressing her gratitude to the principal.

The principal, with a gentle expression, reassured Lin Qin, "I've heard about what the two children went through. A teacher like An Meihua would never stay at our school. Besides, we have special needs children with more serious problems than Chen Ruiyu, but they haven't encountered any bullying here. You can rest assured, Comrade Lin."

Lin Qin was even more grateful and said many more words of thanks before leaving with peace of mind.

Along the way, she was in high spirits, feeling as if she had suddenly seen the light in her past life and that life was full of hope.

With a bicycle, it was convenient for her to go anywhere. She simply went to the Xiatian vegetable market, explained the situation to Chen Wenjun, and helped him sell fish for a while. She then picked out the small fish, shrimp, and snails and took them to the construction site first.

After Chen Wenjun finished his work, he rode his bicycle to pick up the child, and she then pushed the stroller back to Nanxi.

After a week, the two children had fully adapted to life at their new school.

Lin Qin also noticed that Ping An had become much more cheerful than before, and would sometimes speak to strangers on his own initiative, his eyes no longer darting away.

You can tell how well a child is doing at school just by looking at their behavior.

Lin Qin was overjoyed and wanted to thank Huang Weixiong properly, so she asked Chen Wenjun to inquire about it.

After learning of her plan, Chen Wenjun pondered and said, "I did ask Gao Lei for help that day, so I should thank Gao Lei as well. He even bought so many materials for me. I don't know how to repay this favor."

Lin Qin was quite open-minded. "You saved his life, and he helped us a lot too. We can't really sever all ties. We should just express our gratitude and keep in touch in the future."

Chen Wenjun nodded, then asked, "Shall we deliver cigarettes, alcohol, and tea?"

Lin Qin hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "They probably don't lack cigarettes, alcohol, or tea. Let's give them some valuable fish instead. It will show our sincerity without being too conspicuous, and they won't have any reservations about accepting it."

Since getting to know Gao Lei's family, Lin Qin has also figured out their rules of conduct. For people like them who have no background, if you offer them something too nice, they won't dare to accept it.

Since they wanted to thank them, they couldn't be stingy. Chen Wenjun specially caught a lot of bamboo shoots, and Lin Qin also caught a lot of big fish with her two children.

Two copies were sent to Gao Lei, one of which was asked to be given to Huang Weixiong by Gao Lei.

Gao Lei looked at all this food and laughed, "Brother Wenjun, do you want me to be a fishmonger? I can't possibly eat all of this!"

Chen Wenjun grinned and said, "If we can't finish them, we can give them away. They're all big, fresh fish. We can keep them alive and eat them slowly."

(End of this chapter)