Chapter 199

He Daqing did not run far. He was always thinking about his daughter, so he often sent money and food to her, and also took Yu Shui to stay with the White Widow for a while.

This allowed He Yushui to have a relatively complete childhood and adolescence. Perhaps his academic performance improved, plus he had good luck this year!

"Well, Brother Li, let's go out first."

"Goodbye dad."

Guan Xiang waved his little hand.

"Wait, here's some cash. The three of you are going to eat out at noon. Don't be stingy!"

Li Zhiguo stuffed the money into Yu Shui's hand, saying that he was the oldest and had to take care of his younger brothers and sisters.

"Thank you, Brother Li!"

"Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Well, the generations are pretty messy, and the three children followed him.

Li Zhiguo was still a little dazed. If he wanted to change to another school to study in high school, he would be in the same class with Yu Shui. Even if they were different classes or the same school, it wouldn't work. He felt a little embarrassed and couldn't save his face!

Summer, 1960!

Siheyuan, front yard.

Li Zhiguo stepped over the threshold carrying his bicycle. This bicycle was turbocharged, foot-driven, and could be powered by both oil and gas. It consumed twelve tons of gasoline per 100 kilometers.

This old Phoenix car, model year 1956, can still be kept for a while, so that Jingru can use it to buy groceries and send children for transport.

There is a bag tied to the back seat with supplies in it. Don't study anymore, you need to get enough nutrition.

"Uncle, I'm busy."

"Oh, you're back so early. You bought some nice things again. Are you really not going to live your life anymore?"

Yan Bugui is taking care of potted plants. This is the good thing about being a teacher, especially an elementary school teacher, as you have many holidays.

"What can I buy? I don't have any tickets. These are all given to me by my friends."

Li Zhiguo made up an excuse and said, "Uncle, I have something to tell you. Do you know any leader of Red Star High School? Please introduce him to me in a few days."

He can go find the person directly or use his position to pressure them, but neither is as good as asking them out and giving them gifts. This involves comments on moral character.

Giving some gifts to get yourself a class leader is definitely the material for being a leader and you should go to university.

"I know one or two leaders like that. No, why are you looking for a high school leader? Isn't Jingru only in the second half of the year?"

Yan Bugui was puzzled because no one in this college had been admitted to high school so far.

This year, Yushui from the He family and Guangtian from the Liu family both took the high school entrance exam, but I guess neither of them passed.

"Well, isn't today the college entrance examination? I thought about it and decided to extend my schooling and go to high school in September, and then try to get into an undergraduate university.

When I graduate from university, I will be a cadre, and my family’s life will surely take off.”

Since he has already made up his mind about this matter, he has no choice but to hide it. He has a wife to support him and he can study, so there is nothing wrong with that.

Next year will be the third year of the disaster, and it will also be the best year to take the college entrance examination. Otherwise, if you wait any longer, enrollment in higher vocational colleges will be cancelled and the admission rate will drop sharply to more than 20%, making it difficult to get into college. Alas!
"What? You want to go to high school and take the college entrance exam."

Yan Bugui raised his voice. This was even more shocking than the hail in the Beihe River next door.

The bad boy is already 29 years old this year, 30 years old in lunar age, and is going to high school. This is not the time in the previous dynasty when the only way to be a scholar was to die.

"What, Li Zhiguo, you want to go to college?"

Aunt Wang came out quickly from the room opposite. She had just been cutting vegetables inside and could no longer stand when she heard this.

"I'm going to take the college entrance exam, what's wrong?"

He has a son and a daughter, a harmonious family, and no apparent income, so he might as well study.

As long as you are still on campus, you will never have problems finding a job.

It’s just like the undergraduates in later generations. If they feel they can’t find a job, they go to graduate school and delay it for as many years as possible. It’s all basic training.

"Oh, is this possible?"

Aunt Wang felt that this was unreliable. The bad boy had a good brain, but he didn't use it in studying.

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

Jia Dongxu came out of the central courtyard and was about to go out for a tricycle ride so that he could have a meal outside at noon.

"Dongxu, your brother wants to go to high school and take the college entrance examination..."

"What, brother, you want to study?"

Jia Dongxu was excited and subconsciously wanted to learn. He was a few months younger than his brother, so he could also go to school and let his mother, no, now his wife, support him.

After a while, all the residents in the courtyard gathered in the yard. This was a big event, and Li Zhiguo's every move affected the hearts of the people in the courtyard.

Even Chunyan came with her child to watch the fun. The reason she moved back now was because she stayed at her mother's house for too long and the neighbors there were gossiping about her.

Also, because Xiao Hongxing was going to kindergarten and was three years old, she could take care of him alone, and for some other reasons, she moved back.

"Li Zhiguo, you really need to study. Even if you pass the exam, you will have to go through three years of high school and four years of college. By the time you start working, you will be thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the residents in the courtyard all reacted and thought, yes, isn’t he a little too old?

Li Zhiguo smiled and said, "It's only seven years of study. It's okay. Huairu is working. When I graduate and start working, life will be better for our family."

"That's the truth."

The residents said this, but they didn't think so in their hearts. Qin Huairu supported you in the beginning, and you lived a good life for a few years, but now hard times are back again.

So Qin Huairu has to raise two children and support you, a man, to study. What if he fails the exam?

But it didn't seem to be a big deal, the bad boy didn't go to work anyway, and he was still the same as before.

"It's over, I'm going home to study."

Li Zhiguo pushed the cart back home. It was a perfect time to sleep in the hot summer weather. He closed the door and took a nap first. He would ask Yan Bugui to introduce a school leader to him another day.

He left, but the yard was far from peaceful. It was like a huge rock thrown into the lake, causing waves.

Before the end of get off work, the news spread like wildfire to the steel mill.

"What, Li Zhiguo wants to study and take the college entrance examination?"

Sha Zhu was originally lying in the kitchen, but now he couldn't lie there any longer.

"Liu Lan, where did you hear this news? This is impossible!"

"Why not? I had something to do at noon and went home. I heard it at Chunqiao Grocery Store."

Liu Lan heard a few old men playing chess talking about this when she was passing by.

"No, he's almost thirty!"

Sha Zhu only has primary school education and has given up all thoughts of continuing his studies. Now he just wants to find a wife.

At first glance, when I heard that Li Zhiguo was going to high school and take the college entrance examination, wouldn't this add to Sister Qin's burden?

In the second workshop of the steel rolling mill, Tang Rude came back on time and he also went home at noon.

"Have you heard? Li Zhiguo is going to high school."

"What, you're talking about Li Zhiguo? What does he want to do?"

"Tang Rude, where did you hear this gossip? It's unreliable. Li Zhiguo has retired due to illness. If he recovers, he won't have to come back to work. His salary is so high..."

"Qin Huairu, your man really needs to go to high school."

Fellow workers surrounded Qin Huairu. Such important news had to be verified.

"I don't know! I didn't hear him mention it when he left home this morning."

Qin Huairu was confused. This couldn't be true. Guan Xiang was in elementary school and Chaoyang was in kindergarten. If her man went to high school, how would she introduce them to others when they asked about it?
In the workshop, Chen Bihua and Yi Zhonghai were also confused. What was going on?

In the afternoon, more and more news came in, so orderly that people had to believe that it was true.

After waiting for a long time until the bell rang for the end of get off work, Qin Huairu hurried out and rode her bicycle back to the yard.

"Qin Huairu, have you heard that your man is going to high school and take the college entrance examination..."

"Huai Ru, you've suffered so much. The younger one hasn't grown up yet, and the older one has to start school..."

The residents greeted Qin Huairu one after another, wanting to see her reaction. She must not abandon her responsibility and must take good care of Li Zhiguo, otherwise they would be the ones in trouble.

Qin Huairu hurried back home and saw the man lying on a chair, with Jingru fanning him with a fan. Does this look like he is going to high school and take the college entrance examination?
"Shh! My brother-in-law is asleep. Guan Xiang is doing his homework in the next room."

Qin Jingru had also heard about her brother-in-law's studies, but she didn't have the chance to ask because he wasn't awake yet.

"Jingru, is your brother-in-law really going to study?"

Qin Huairu lowered her voice. There was no point in being impatient. She had to wait until the person woke up.

At this moment, Li Zhiguo opened his eyes, "Hey, when did you come back?"

"Zhiguo, wake up. I heard you want to go to high school?"

Qin Huairu went over and took the fan and fanned herself with it. It was really hot and she was sweating profusely.

"That's true. I saw the college entrance examination during the day and suddenly had this idea."

Li Zhiguo yawned, and with the help of Qin Jingru, he sat up. When studying, he had to concentrate, and he couldn't do anything else at home, otherwise he would be distracted.

"Ah! I really need to study. This, this is good!"

Qin Huairu doesn't like to discourage others. If it was a few years earlier, she thinks it would be okay, but now she is almost thirty years old. Can she still learn it?
She judges others by her own standards. There are many books at home, but she has never read them. She doesn't even want to read her son's textbooks.

"I thought so too. Reading is so good. Go and cook. I'm hungry." Li Zhiguo didn't explain much to Qin Huairu. He was the head of the family and his word was final.

Just like Mencius said, one becomes an official not because of poverty, but sometimes one becomes an official just because one is too poor!

Marrying a wife is not for the purpose of supporting her, but sometimes it is for the purpose of supporting her, otherwise how can one concentrate on studying and becoming an official?

The ancient sages would not lie, and he had realized this long ago, otherwise he would not have been able to live such a leisurely life.

"Li Zhiguo, you really need to go study."

Xu Damao came. He also had a bicycle, so he came back a little late.

"Da Mao, I have a son and a daughter... I have nothing to do but stay at home and recuperate. It's better to go and read a book. Sitting and reading is also a way to recuperate."

Li Zhiguo said as he walked outside the house and placed chairs there so that he could enjoy the cool air in the evening.

"That's true, but you're almost thirty."

Xu Damao didn't want to go to school, but he always felt that it was unreliable for this guy to study. Wouldn't it be better to raise the child well and have someone to take care of him in his old age?

"Da Mao, live and learn until you are old, this is the realm!"

Li Zhiguo lit a cigarette. These truths are present in every aspect of life.

"Okay, you study hard! I'm going home to cook."

Xu Damao just came to hear the exact news. He can't be persuaded. Just don't cheat others.

Li Zhiguo shook his head. It was a disaster year. There was no way to hold a graduation banquet or something. What a pity.

He had just laid down when unexpectedly Shazhu came running over.

"Li Zhiguo, are you really going to school? Wouldn't that mean you'll be in the same grade as Yu Shui?"

Shazhu was confused. Li Zhiguo was several years older than him, but he studied with Yushui. Was this reasonable?

"Hehe, what's the big deal? There's nothing shameful about studying at any age."

Li Zhiguo has recovered now. This situation is rare now, but it will be very normal by the time 1977 comes.

For example, after taking the college entrance examination, she would rush out to breastfeed her baby, and after the exam, she would go back to continue her confinement.

Or there are several children at home waiting to be cooked.

It is really lively when candidates who have been waiting for more than ten years gather together.

"Then, you go to school and let Sister Qin support you? This burden is too heavy!"

Sha Zhu felt sorry for Sister Qin, saying her whole life had been wasted here.

"What's the big deal? I eat in the cafeteria at noon, which is cheaper than going to a restaurant. If you have something delicious, make an extra portion and let the rainwater bring it to me."

Li Zhiguo is a shameless person. He has sat through the rain.

"No, you...ah!"

Sha Zhu sighed and said, "I've found another person I like. Can you help me?"

"Who do you like again?"

Li Zhiguo wanted to hide, but Shazhu had changed so much that he fell in love with every girl he met, but it hasn't worked out until now.

But it's normal when you think about it. In the original drama, the single Sha Zhu was 31 years old when he first appeared. At that time, Jia Dongxu had been dead for less than four years, or maybe less than three years.

Even if Sha Zhu was affected later, what about before he was 28? Wasn't he single all the time? He didn't have a wife.

"I didn't like anyone, just Liang Ladi. Her husband went to escape the disaster and died on the way. You can imagine how hard her life must be with a daughter!"

"Her man is not dead, what are you talking about, idiot?"

Li Zhiguo was so annoyed. Can you be a little more ambitious? When Liang Ladi was single, you looked down on others, but now you feel sorry for her?

"No, how do you know her husband is alive? If he really didn't die on the way, she would have given birth to a child, how could she not show up?"

Sha Zhu felt that his guess was correct. He used to think Liang Ladi was not that great, but that was because she was not fully grown yet. It is different now.

"Okay, stop thinking about Liang Ladi. She's not divorced yet. If you look for someone else, you'll be committing bigamy. You should go back and have a drink and get some rest. You can dream about anything."

Li Zhiguo got up and went back to the house, too lazy to talk to the ruffian any more.

"Hey, I don't usually dream."

Sha Zhu shook his head and went back. If Liang Ladi didn't work out, then he would keep looking. There would always be a time when destiny would come.

"Jingru, just watch the pot. I'll be right back."

Qin Huairu was just listening at the kitchen door. Who made Liang Ladi be mentioned?

"Sister, go ahead and do your work. I'm here to take care of this."

Qin Jingru was tearing pickles. People in Beijing like to eat pickles, especially when there is a shortage of fresh vegetables outside the winter, they rely on pickles to survive.

Qin Huairu arrived at the main hall and asked, "Zhiguo, why did you and Shazhu just talk about Liang Ladi?"

"What else can I do? Sha Zhu has fallen in love with Liang Ladi. This is not okay. It's against the law!"

Li Zhiguo once again felt what Lao Cai felt. This is not a human being.

"Ah! Why doesn't Shazhu find an older girl? Liang Ladi just gave birth to a child. By the way, after dinner, I'll use up our eggs and send them to her in the courtyard."

Qin Huairu had said before that she was going to see Liang Ladi, and she happened to go there today.

"Okay! I won't go. I'll study at home."

Li Zhiguo was worried that his past would be exposed, so he wanted to delay the matter as much as possible.

"Ok!"

Qin Huairu didn't want to discourage him. She thought, it's good for a man to study. She can be more at ease at school instead of staying at home doing nothing every day. He might have a mistress one day.

Although she has two children and is not worried about being kicked out of the house, she doesn't want to share her man with others.

After the meal, Qin Jingru cleaned up the dishes and Guan Xiang also helped. He didn't want to eat for free, otherwise he would be unable to do anything when he went to the countryside to join the production team.

Qin Huairu took the purchase certificate from her family and went to the grocery store to exchange it for four pounds of eggs, which was the amount she had for the month.

She asked someone to keep these eggs in the morning, otherwise they would be hard to buy.

Then she went to the small courtyard. This place held many good memories for her. She thought that her family had many houses and could afford to raise another child. After the disaster was over, she would have a third child.

Even if her husband is studying, he doesn't live on campus, so it won't affect her having children, and she can earn money to support him.

"You are here to see Ladi."

Liang's mother saw a strange woman coming into the yard with a basket in her hand. She must be here to deliver something.

"Yes, I'm looking for Liang Ladi. We work in the same workshop. Auntie, which room does Ladi live in?"

Qin Huairu has never been here since Liang Ladi moved in.

"It's the house on the left!"

As Liang's mother spoke, she called out, "Ladi, your co-workers are here to see you."

"Aunt, this egg is for you. I'm going in."

Qin Huairu handed over the basket of eggs, but was thinking, there are eight rooms in the yard, including the north room, why did Liang Ladi choose the west room? According to the location, it is the worst room.

"Sister Qin, you are here."

Liang Ladi arrived at the door of the house. The rules for confinement after childbirth vary from place to place. Some places are not allowed to leave the room, and some are not allowed to leave the house. But one thing they all have in common is that they cannot catch a cold.

There is a saying that if any part of your body hurts or you catch a cold during the confinement period, that part of your body will feel pain when you get older.

"Lady, I came to see you."

Qin Huairu went into the house and went to see the child. She was an experienced person and knew how to hold the child well.

"Ladi, have you named the child yet? He is so pretty. My father Zhiguo wants a daughter. I am thinking that after the disaster is over, I will give him a third child and try for a daughter."

Liang Ladi whispered, "I've chosen a name. Her full name is Liang Xiu'er, and her nickname is Xiu'er."

"Xiu'er, this is a good name!"

Qin Huairu took out a red envelope and handed it over, saying, "This is for the child. I said I would give it to you when you get married, but it didn't happen, so I'll give it to you all at once."

"Thank you, Sister Qin!"

Liang Ladi accepted the red envelope. She had to accept it to save blessings for her children.

"By the way, Ladi, why don't you live in the north room? The east room would be fine too."

Qin Huairu asked the question in confusion. In the courtyard house, the north is the most important, followed by the east, the west is slightly worse, and the south is for servants. This is the opposite of the development direction of the city.

"I am just an ordinary citizen. I cannot live in the north room. I leave it for my brother."

Liang Ladi herself made her identity clear: she was a mistress and had no official status.

"Who is your brother?"

Qin Huairu was puzzled. She had never heard of it. Did the Liang family have such strict rules that all married daughters had to be subject to the rules?
"It's Brother Li, your man. I recognize him as my brother. The north room is yours. I can't live in it."

Liang Ladi realized that Li Zhiguo didn't mention this.

"Oh, that's good."

Qin Huairu thought to herself, you are jealous but can't get it. You came too late because she got married first. But it's good for Liang Ladi to recognize her as a brother so that she won't have any more thoughts about it in the future.

She stayed for a while and then left, feeling somewhat relieved.

(End of this chapter)