Chapter 201

“You guys are so nice!”

Yu Haitang was very envious. She only had one dime in her pocket, which she had to beg from her mother with great difficulty.

Afterwards, they went to stroll along Wangfu Street, where they could have fun for most of the day without spending any money.

At noon, while eating noodles, Yu Haitang suddenly said in surprise: "Brother Li is going to be a freshman in high school, this is impossible.

When I was eight years old, I met him at the entrance of the vegetable market. He was already an adult. How many years have passed? I took the high school entrance exam, and he also took the high school entrance exam?
Guan Xiang, your father is thirty years old, right? "

"Sister Haitang, my dad wants to go to high school. He also has to take the college entrance exam."

Guan Xiang was so proud that he would tell his classmates about this after school started.

Qin Jingru also said: "My brother-in-law is very capable, he will definitely be admitted to university."

“This, I just find it incredible.”

Yu Haitang was stunned for a while. Shouldn't a 30-year-old man work hard to earn money to support his family? How could he go to school?

……

On this day, Li Zhiguo went to Qianmen Street because he had to register for Xueyi in advance as it was time to go to primary school.

In his family, two sons are in elementary school and one is in kindergarten. If Little Red Star is included, there is also a son named Jiuyue who is in kindergarten.

There is also a little girl who is crying for food. If he doesn’t have some family background, he can’t afford to support her at all.

"Xueyi, you must study hard in the future and go to college like your Uncle Li."

Chen Xueru still has confidence in her man. She can't say for sure about Peking University, but the University of Mining and Technology should be no problem.

"Good mother."

Xueyi started school half a year later than other children, but he got enough nutrition and grew well. He was half a head taller than other first-grade students.

Li Zhiguo also went through the admission procedures. Students with local household registration were admitted in advance, and registration at the beginning of the school year was just a formality.

But those who live outside of town can only try their luck by waiting until school starts, because the population has exploded since the founding of the People's Republic of China, with more than 20 million newborns a year, plus the increasing number of urban residents.

As a result, all primary schools in Beijing are full due to a shortage of places, so register early to ensure peace of mind.

After coming out of school, the family of three went shopping. Chen Xueru not only bought things for the man, but also bought gifts for her sister and two children.

"Zhiguo, when are you going to bring Guan Xiang here? He is also my son. If I don't get close to him, I'm afraid he will disown me in the future."

Chen Xueru brought up the matter again. Xue Yi is already so old, so she is not afraid to confront Qin Huairu.

"Ahem... Let's talk about it later! Next year, when I get admitted to university, we can celebrate together. This year, we are still suffering from the disaster, so forget it."

Li Zhiguo still wants to delay it a little longer to maintain his image as a loving and devoted father.

"Then let's do it next year. It's settled! I'll go back later and ask Aunt Ding to take Xue Yi out to play."

Chen Xueru gave a look, and it was time to give money to the family again.

"This, this is fine!"

He seems to be a man of great integrity, not at all weak, and he is still young, having just graduated from junior high school, which means he can barely enter high school.

……

A week later, Ding Qiunan's admission letter came. Because she lived nearby, if she was from another place, she would have to wait about a week to receive it. Some college entrance examination candidates would go to the post office to check every day, for fear that the letter would be taken by mistake.

Without this thing, it will be useless at school.

After the notice arrives, you can go through the household relocation procedures and register at the school. From then on, you will be able to eat the government's food and receive subsidies even during summer and winter vacations.

After graduation, you are guaranteed a job, a stable job, and a high salary. You are either a technician or an official. You will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life, and housing is also allocated to you. Isn’t that great?

Taking the college entrance examination is like a real leap forward, and it can change your destiny immediately.

When one family is supported, the family members will benefit as well, and the fellow villagers will also benefit.

However, on this day, the gift that Li Zhiguo promised was not delivered. He was temporarily requisitioned to go to the countryside for research with people from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The reason was that the commune's big pot dining system could no longer be run, and the authorities were considering abolishing the public canteens and distributing food based on work points. However, if the harvest was good that year, a portion of the food would be withheld as emergency food to deal with possible disasters in the future.

"Team Leader Li, do you think we should go directly to the commune for dinner, or find a restaurant along the way?"

On the minibus, a middle-aged man wearing glasses asked in a low voice, "Who asked Director Fang to appoint Li Zhiguo as the team leader? There is no place to complain."

"Let's go to the commune and eat directly. We are conducting research and want first-hand information."

Li Zhiguo had no choice but to make the trip, as it was to give himself an insurance policy. In case he failed the exam next year, he could be recommended to go to university and be directly admitted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The reason why we are not recommending him for admission this year is that he only has a junior high school education and cannot be admitted.

But next year I can take the exam in advance and get a high school diploma, which will be very nice.

Today we went to Fangshan, which is next to Fengtai. It is currently called Zhoukoudian, but because it was formerly called Fangshan, the name was retained.

"Master, drive directly to Liangxiang Commune."

Dai Jun shouted, there were more than a dozen people in their group, and it was inconvenient to travel by car, so they found a minibus.

The whole journey was more than 40 kilometers, and we set off early in the morning.

It seems far away, but this place is on the edge of the South Sixth Ring Road in later generations!
This is the place chosen by Li Zhiguo because it is within the jurisdiction of Liangxiang Commune, and is where Han Chunming will go to work in the countryside in the future.

Look, going to the countryside is actually quite good. It is equivalent to running from the second ring road to the sixth ring road. The conditions are not really that difficult. People who move to Beijing to work in later generations may have to run farther than this to commute.

There are good and bad ways to go to the countryside to work. Some people go directly back to the village and live in their own homes.

Some people go to the countryside from the town. If they have a bicycle, they can also go home to eat, go on blind dates, get married, and have children without any interruption.

But for many people who go to the countryside, it takes several days just by car to get there, not to mention places like the Great Northern Wilderness.

Li Zhiguo was just making an inspection by the way. Guan Xiang would definitely go to the countryside to work as a sent-down youth. If Qin Huairu were to have a third child, Chaoyang would probably also have to go to the countryside.

Then plan ahead and choose a place with beautiful scenery and abundant resources, so that you can go home and stay for a few days when you have time.

Whenever he misses his son, he can go see him anytime.

"Sister Wang, I'm going to take a nap first. Call me when you get there."

"Okay, go to sleep."

There were several acquaintances in the car, so it was easier to get things done.

When Li Zhiguo woke up, he had already arrived. He got up too early. He would enjoy the scenery along the way after he got back.

The minibus stopped in a large courtyard. The place was built like a courtyard house, but it covered a very large area.

There is a large venue that can accommodate thousands of people, surrounded by public canteens, kindergartens, office buildings, and dormitory buildings.

Xu Damao went to the countryside to show movies in venues like this, with food and accommodation provided, which was pretty good.

"Welcome all leaders to come and inspect!"

A commune cadre came to receive them and first took the group to the public canteen nearby.

Li Zhiguo went inside with curiosity and saw some slogans on the wall, such as "Work hard on production and eat for free."

There were no private rooms here, just a long table in the cafeteria, and they were quickly seated.

Then someone brought in bowls of food. There was a bowl of tofu and a bowl of cucumbers, which were rare, but that was all.

The staple food is gray flour steamed buns and sweet potatoes, which people in Beijing like to call white potatoes.

"Leader, can someone please pay for the food coupons and meal expenses?"

A young man asked shyly.

"Yang Guangan, do you have any foresight? The leader's meal is so cheap."

The commune cadre in charge of reception scolded him, saying, "I know you are anxious, but can't you ask later?"
Li Zhiguo smiled and said, "It's due, Sister Wang, please settle the bill."

When you go to the countryside for research, you cannot eat and drink for free. Even if you are treated to a meal, you still have to give food coupons.

"Young man, your name is Yang Guangan, what do you do?"

Li Zhiguo took a gray steamed bun while speaking. It was handed to him by Aunt Wu next to him. Grassroots work requires dealing with aunties, so he specially picked a few aunties to follow him, so that their food and drink will be guaranteed along the way.

"Reporting to the leader, I am the canteen manager, mainly responsible for distributing food."

Yang Guangan started working at the age of sixteen and is only eighteen this year, a real young man.

"Very good, come with me later, I need to understand some situations."

Li Zhiguo took a bite of the gray flour steamed bun. How should he describe the taste? It was like eating whole wheat bread, which was made from undebrinated wheat that was ground into flour.

The meal was quickly finished and someone came to clear the table. He was about to light a cigarette when he saw an old lady grabbing the sweet potato peels they had peeled on the table and eating them in one bite.

"Yang Guangan, are the conditions in your commune so bad?"

Li Zhiguo was really shocked. He had been reluctant to let his son go to the countryside before, but now he felt that he should send him down to suffer a little. Only then did he realize that every grain of rice is hard-earned!

"It's not too bad, it's just that everyone is used to saving money."

Yang Guangan is young and courageous and dares to talk to his superiors.

Li Zhiguo thought for a moment and said, "Give me your cafeteria's account book."

"okay!"

Yang Guangan went to the office to get the account book. If the leader wanted to check it, he had to give it to him.

At this time, Sister Wu and Sister Wang came over and asked, "Team leader, can you check the accounts?" "Of course, I am an expert in this."

Li Zhiguo smiled and took the tea handed to him by Sister Wang. This scene made the other cadres very envious.

After a while, the account book was delivered. Li Zhiguo looked through it carefully and asked the receptionist to bring the grain reserve book.

Right in this cafeteria, I learned everything I needed to know.

The situation is indeed bad, but not as bad as imagined, thanks to the relatively abundant water resources in Liangxiang Commune.

In addition, wheat and cornmeal have just been harvested, and sweet potatoes will be on the market soon, but wild vegetables have been dug two months ago.

In addition, there are more than a hundred patients who are off work. Their daily ration is half a pound, just enough to keep them from starving.

"Come on, take me to the village."

Li Zhiguo personally went to the field to investigate. Since he led a team to conduct research, he had to know the real situation.

He visited several villages throughout the commune and had a general idea of ​​the situation.

"Yang Guangan, I just learned about your situation. You originally graduated from junior high school and participated in teacher training.

When I got a job in the big canteen, I became an accountant, and now I am the canteen manager.

It's pretty good. The accounts are well managed and the food arrangements are reasonable. How long do you think the current reserves can last until next year?"

Li Zhiguo handed out a cigarette, and the young man took it and helped him light it up. He was not a fool.

"Boss, I estimate that the bottom will be reached by March next year. If the weather doesn't improve next year, there will be big problems."

Yang Guangan was telling the truth. There were too many patients who needed to be taken off work, nearly 10% of the population. In addition, there were those who could not work, and those who could not work at all.

This has also affected the harvest, and there is no good solution.

"Okay, I get it. Yang Guangan, I think you're a nice person. Here's my address. If you have any problems, write to me."

Li Zhiguo smiled and stuffed ten kilograms of national food coupons into the boy's shirt pocket. He said, "I'm on a business trip, and it's a good thing to have this thing. It's a good thing to have this thing with me, so that I can find you easily when I come back later."

Yang Guangan quickly pulled his pocket and wanted to refuse, but when he saw that it was a national food coupon, he had to bite the bullet and change his words: "Thank you, leader!"

It’s not that he wasn’t persistent enough, it’s that he gave too much, and there were so many people in his family, but they still couldn’t get enough to eat.

"Okay, thank you for your help today."

After Li Zhiguo finished speaking, he got into the car. He had to hurry back. He was just going to conduct research, not to work.

In fact, every production brigade had cadres who went down to the countryside to participate in the labor together.

So, these days, it’s not easy to be a cadre. It’s better to be a worker. If you make a mistake, the worst that can happen is you just have to clean up.

But there are also those who are particularly unlucky and are transferred to difficult positions. It depends on the situation in the factory.

On the way back, Li Zhiguo finished writing the report on the way. He understood what Director Fang meant. The real purpose was not to investigate, but to make him invent something.

Otherwise, when he borrowed a car last time, could the Ministry of Agriculture have given him the best car to use at will?

But invention requires a flash of inspiration. There isn’t much that can be done in a disaster year, and if things go wrong it will easily lead to a waste of time and money. So wait a little longer. It won’t be too late to invent something during college.

……

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of August and school was about to start. His schoolbag, pencil case and other items were all ready, and he was returning to school at the age of 30.

The road is long and arduous, but I will search for it up and down!
He hid from Ding Qiunan and did not go to meet her. He just asked Ding's father to pass on a watch as a gift, putting his studies first.

"Brother, school starts tomorrow, and I want to study too!"

Jia Dongxu had a miserable look on his face. He had previously told his family that he wanted to study, but his wife disagreed and his mother almost beat him up, thus ending his path to school.

"Dongxu, studying is hard, you should just focus on making money!"

Li Zhiguo had no way to comfort him. Even if he could help get Dongxu into school, who would give him living expenses?
If Dongxu is really a genius, he doesn't even need to go to high school. It would be fine for him to study at home.

"Ugh!"

Jia Dongxu sighed and left. He decided to go out for some work, play a game of chess, and have a meal at a restaurant for lunch.

……

Early that morning, Li Zhiguo felt his face getting hot while he was still asleep.

"Zhiguo, wake up, it's time to go to school."

Qin Huairu was washing the man's face so that he could wake up.

"Turn off the sound, and drive slowly on the road."

Li Zhiguo replied in a daze and wanted to turn over and continue sleeping.

"Dad, you have to study too!"

Guan Xiang pushed his sleeping father, he really sleeps so well.

"what!"

Li Zhiguo opened his eyes and came to his senses. Yes, it was officially school time today.

"Brother-in-law, Sister Yushui is waiting for you."

Qin Jingru trotted in. She had already put on her schoolbag and was going to go to junior high school, which was actually the same school.

The area is not divided, the junior high school and the high school are separated by a wall, but they share a large playground.

The reason for separation is that the quotas and meals on both sides are different. There are also other reasons, as they are worried that it will be difficult to manage if they are mixed together.

"Get up now."

Li Zhiguo quickly sat up, Qin Huairu quickly put on his clothes, and Qin Jingru also hurried to squeeze toothpaste for her brother-in-law.

Guan Xiang was also very sensible and helped his father peel the eggs.

Qin Huairu finally watched the man push his bicycle and take the two children out. She quickly cleaned up the house, locked the door, and went to work.

There are four people living in the family now, and three of them are still studying, in elementary school, junior high school, and high school. If we add in the youngest son who is in kindergarten in Daqianmen, the whole family is complete.

And on the surface she was the only one working, and many people in the hospital advised her to hold on, saying that she was not tired, but that time was a bit tight in the morning.

In the Intermediate Court, Guan Xiang and Bang Geng went to school together, and Jia Zhangshi sent them there. As for Jia Dongxu, he went to the train station to do some work last night and couldn't get up in the morning, so he stayed at home taking care of Xiaodang.

"Li Zhiguo, go to school with peace of mind. Guan Xiang, I will pick you up."

Jia Zhang was going to send the stick anyway, so it was just a matter of convenience.

Li Zhiguo parked his bicycle, walked up to Jia Zhangshi, put his arm around her shoulders, and whispered, "I'll give you five cents a day for your travel expenses. Please take good care of Guan Xiang.

If he wants to buy any snacks, you pay for it first, and I'll give you the change later."

"Got it!"

Jia Zhang was smiling from ear to ear. The bad boy was not good at anything else but promised to pay her without paying a penny less. He had asked her to take care of the pregnant Qin Huairu before and paid her generously.

"It's settled. I'm going to work. I'm going to... I'm going to study!"

Li Zhiguo looked at the time and realized that it was getting late, so he quickly called Yu Shui and Qin Jingru out of the yard.

The three of them can go together. Qin Jingru is petite and not as tall as Yushui, so she can just sit on the front bar. But she can't do this often. After all, she is not small anymore, and she might be reported for hooliganism.

Bicycles are fast, and after a while, they arrived at the entrance of the junior high school, and Qin Jingru got off first.

"Goodbye, brother-in-law!"

"Bye, pay attention in class!"

"Brother-in-law, if you listen carefully in class, you will definitely be admitted to university."

This style of painting always feels a little off.

Li Zhiguo shook his head, carried his schoolbag, and went to the high school department in the rain.

"Hey, wait a minute. Parents need to register before they can enter the school."

The security guard stretched out his hand to stop him. The management of the high school department is stricter than that of the junior high school.

"No, I'm not a parent. I'm also a student."

Li Zhiguo thought that something was wrong. How could he be a parent when he was such a handsome boy?

Well, I just remembered that I have been lazy these days and didn’t shave. I was too anxious in the morning, so I’ll just make do with it!

Yu Shui also hurriedly explained: "We are in the same class."

The guard nodded. "I see. But you look a bit old, like you are about 25 or 26."

"I have good development, and I look younger after shaving."

Li Zhiguo breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was not old enough to be an uncle yet.

After explaining everything clearly, I rode my bike in, parked it in the parking shed, and then went to find the classroom.

Everything is fate. He didn't use any connections, but in the end he was still assigned to the same class as Yu Shui, Class 3 of Grade 1.

I guess this is because the registered residence addresses are the same.

"Well, Yushui, you go to the classroom first. I'm going to shave."

He still wanted to act young and not enter the classroom, as it would have been awkward if he had looked older than the teacher.

(End of this chapter)