From Cultivator to Widow

Chapter 68

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It was not all smooth sailing for Zhang Fenghua in the fourth grade this time.

Many people don't send their girls to school, and even if they go, they can count, write names, and recognize common characters in the second and third grades, and that's enough.

Just like her two younger sisters, they have also reached the age of school, but Zhao Laidi disagreed, so no one specifically asked them to go to school.

Zhang Fenghua graduated from the third grade, and Zhao Laidi already thought it was okay.

She has already reached the third grade, almost.

But Zhang Fenghua really wanted to continue reading.

Apart from the son, among the remaining three daughters, Zhao Laidi really loves the eldest daughter the most, and her grades are also very good. While studying, she also tutors her two younger sisters with homework, and can manage the house properly. , She begged herself like this, Zhao Laidi could only scold her as a prodigal, but finally agreed to let her continue reading, but she also had a request.

She continued to read, so she would have to spend the money back. She didn't plan to let her two younger sisters go to school, but as the eldest sister, she was responsible for teaching them, and she couldn't be worse than others who graduated from the second and third grades.

Zhang Fenghua has always taught her two younger sisters to study, which is not a problem for her, and she will teach them seriously even if her mother doesn't say it.

In the third grade, the number of girls in the class dropped sharply. There were only two girls left in Zhang Fenghua's class, and the rest went home.

In the third grade, there is no one under the age of 10. Those who go to school not only need to spend money, but also cannot earn work points.

Because of this behavior, Zhao Laidi was also said by some people that she loves her daughter.

She can't say that she loves her daughter like this, so what else should she count

Generally speaking, if you promise your child to study in the fourth grade, he will also study in the fifth grade. Otherwise, it will be a year short of getting a diploma, which is too bad.

Zhang Fenghua seems to have no problem getting his primary school diploma.

There are quite a few people, not to mention their daughters, their sons will not let them continue reading, such as Fang Shun who is not far from Su Hui's house.

Except for the eldest son in her family who has entered the third grade, the rest have not gone to school, whether it is a son or a daughter.

They spend their whole lives in the fields, so what's the use of learning to read

How about continuing to dig food in the ground with a hoe, as long as you learn to write your own name and learn arithmetic, that's enough, and it's enough if you don't become a complete illiterate, why bother to waste that money.

This is not just a case, but the norm.

Like Su Hui, who can get full work points because he is a teacher, and Zhang Baoguo, he will also go to see what kind of work is available, go to the fields, and try to earn as much work points as possible. After doing this for a year, he earned more than thirteen yuan last year. , which is all income.

Kankan is equal to their tuition expenses this year, but this is on the premise that they have no other expenses.

Although most of the farms are self-sufficient, there are some things that cannot be self-sufficient.

One is for salt, one is for matches, one is for illness, and the other is a rare big expense, such as the expenses for repairing damaged ironware such as hatchets and iron pans at home. If you want to buy them, it is even more serious. During the period of large-scale steel smelting, it became scarce by a large margin. Now it costs dozens of yuan to buy an iron pot, and you need industrial coupons. If you don’t save it for a few years, you can’t afford it at all. In addition to expenses, there are major life events. When children reach their age, they have to prepare for them. Those who have sons have to prepare a house gift, and those who love their daughters have to prepare a dowry for their daughters. There is simply no money left throughout the year.

That's why people at this time value the livestock at home so much. Raising a pig can be sold for less than a few tens of dollars, and the chickens at home are well served. The steady stream of eggs is their money bag, which can save the family. Covering trivial expenses such as matches and salt, you don’t have to pay for savings at every turn. Most of them live stingy. Do they want to live so stingy

no.

It is the life at this time that forces them to do this, otherwise there will be no next meal after this meal. After today is over, what will they do tomorrow

Let Zhang Fenghua continue to read, that is the expenditure of six yuan, which is half a year's work points for one of the husband and wife.

But Zhang Zhao Laidi has already made up her mind, elementary school is over, and she will never spit out what she said in junior high school.

Why do girls read so many books

After graduating from elementary school, you will be in the sky, and if you continue to study, you will delay finding someone else.

After graduating from elementary school, she can make a move, otherwise the man will dislike her for reading too much.

Zhang Fenghua will still go to the second aunt's homework at noon to do homework. If there is anything she doesn't understand, ask them to answer for herself. She is in the third grade, and the twins who are younger than her have skipped a grade. Zhang Fenghua said that it is impossible not to be discouraged, but She did not have any negative emotions. She knew that she didn't have so much time to study. She went to class in the morning and came here to do homework and answer questions at noon. Her foundations are solid.

And for her questions, you don't need to ask your second aunt, you can get answers by asking your cousins, even the twins.

It's always easier to talk to your peers.

She also thought about it, what would happen if they were her own brothers and the second aunt was her own mother

She thought, maybe she didn't need her to beg at all, and she would let herself continue to study. After graduating from elementary school and junior high school, she should be able to go to high school after graduating from junior high school. Go on to college

She will not prohibit her from studying just because she is a girl, and she will not say that it is a waste of money. I don't know why, and she has never asked, but Zhang Fenghua has this feeling, she is sure.

But no if.

The second aunt is not my mother, she is my second aunt.

She is not bad now, at least she has the opportunity to go to school, and now she can continue to study, and she should be able to finish elementary school. Compared with her two younger sisters, she has already taken advantage of it.

However, she drank the sweet mung bean water, which was sweet with a little sugar, and she took small sips, drinking it cherishingly, and drinking it slowly.

The second aunt is really nice. She even cooked mung bean syrup for them. She also encouraged herself, saying that she should study hard by herself, keep going, don't worry too much, and go forward bravely according to the road she wants to take...

She supported her to read on. The second aunt is so kind, she will definitely study hard!

She cherishes the opportunity very much. Even if she can't compare with their four brothers, she can't be too slow.

When Zhang Baoguo was in junior high school, Zhang Chengye thought he would cancel the morning training, but he didn't, because he had to go to town earlier, so he chose to get up early.

Automatically and self-consciously makes people feel very comforted. With such a reference point in front of them, it is really easy for people to become angry with their own children who are not up to date. At the beginning, he urged them, one by one, and complained if they couldn't hold on for too long , It's not like others, I haven't said that I'm tired or bitter after so long.

With that elegant demeanor, sometimes when I see him, I feel as if I have returned to my life in the army in a trance.

It would be a pity not to send such a good boy with strong will, perseverance and patience to the army.

But he is up to the standard now, and he is not old enough, and it will take a few more years.

He sent him back. In a way, he was doing his best for the country, helping the country deliver good seedlings, defending the country and the territory.

In comparison, his younger brother Baoguo is a little inferior. His perseverance is not as good as his brother's, and his intentions are not as firm. However, after persisting for a while, his frizzy temper has been smoothed out a little, and he has become more stable. He is also a very good seedling, but a little worse than his brother.

Moreover, he has a clever mind and can understand everything. From time to time, he has some whimsical ideas that people don't know how to answer. He is lively. Compared with his elder brother's stability, he has another personality.

Maybe the old man would prefer this one, he is sweet-talking and can grind people, but personally, he prefers his brother's one.

For Su Hui, having a junior high school student in the family does not have a big impact. Although junior high school is full-time, school ends at 4:30 in the afternoon and comes back at 5:00. Had a personal meal.

However, the impact cannot be said to be non-existent. Except for rest days, he was still able to work in the fields in the afternoon to earn work points, but now there is no other way.

He spent the day in the town. After staying for a while, he adapted to the current situation of the school and often spent time in the school library.

Although many books in the library were thrown away and burned, the remaining number is still huge for him, and there are all kinds of subjects, and because there is only one middle school in their town, including middle school and high school , so it covers a wide range.

Every time he goes, he can find the books he wants to read.

After staying in school for a long time, he also found some tricks.

For example, there are black people. Some students are richer. You can tell from the food and clothing. When everyone is eating coarse grains, he only has dumplings, steamed buns and rice in his bowl. The family’s conditions are not good. , can you afford this

Then he was reported by jealous people.

All of a sudden, no one rushed to the front, even if these things came from legitimate sources.

In order to avoid problems, the lunch that Zhang Baoguo brought to school basically followed the trend. He ate at home in the morning and evening, so he had enough time to stuff his portion into his stomach, so why bring it to the school to cause disputes in public.

After watching several inexplicable farces, he just felt blocked, and he didn't want to be a part of the farce at all.

However, after observing for a long time, he will also discover some things carefully, for example, the alley behind their school often has people walking by in a hurry.

Where are they going

At first he thought he was just passing by, but when he happened to see something protruding from someone's arms, he realized it, and then found a break at noon and followed him from afar.

It's not for nothing that he followed the captain's uncle for so long, and he was not discovered.

Then he followed to a small alley extending in all directions, the people here are very vigilant, their eyes are looking in all directions, why are they so vigilant

The boy's heart rose.

My mind is full of spies, spies, and traitors in the movie...

As a member of Huaguo, he can also serve...

His fervent heart to serve the country was poured cold water after seeing two people trading a small bag of rice like thieves.

Secret agents, shouldn't they be so precious in exchange for two catties of rice

Or does rice have other, deeper meanings

After watching several transactions of rice, pork, and even eggs, Zhang Baoguo fell silent.

He thought too much just now, maybe this is the legendary black market in the town

The black market is not allowed, and only in the places stipulated by the state can trading be allowed, so privately and secretly buying and selling is called the black market, there is no fixed stall, and the consequences of being caught are serious. You can see it, and then immediately find a way to escape is the most suitable "stall location".

His idea of doing meritorious service was ruined, but he became excited again after thinking about it.

This is the black market, a black market that can be traded freely. Here, you should be able to sell your things for more money.

How about he try it too, he left excitedly, he stayed here for a long time, there is no one around here, it seems that everyone is still very vigilant, if he really wants to sell something, You must also be fully vigilant. If you are caught, the consequences will be disastrous, so you must think ahead of time, and his escape route in case of a situation, to ensure that you will not have such an accident.

Just now I saw that they all lowered their faces on purpose, either with hats or other things to cover their faces, and the clothes on their bodies were also very ordinary, very common, with almost no recognizable features.

He is not very old, but he is tall enough. If he covers his face with a straw hat or something, and deliberately lowers his voice to speak, people who don't know him will not know that he is still a child.

He was thinking about the details on the road, and when he returned to school, his face was completely calm, as if he had left school and gone for a walk, making it impossible to see any clues.

He is a person who likes to plan before making moves. After he has an idea in his heart, he starts to prepare.

It may be a coincidence that he stepped on the spot every time, he had to find out the rules first before he could act. He also paid more attention to the people wearing red armbands than ever before, paying attention to the rules and timing of their appearance.

He hid his thoughts very well, even Su Hui didn't notice his thoughts, and he confessed them on his own initiative.

He didn't know much about the black market in the town before, but as he got to know it better, the more he felt that his mother might, probably, should, maybe have been to the black market.

When the family first separated, except for the necessary things, they basically purchased everything by themselves. At that time, my mother still had some money in her hand. Later, my mother hunted and ate a lot at home, but there must be other things in exchange. Something else

The frequency of eating refined grains in their family is more than a little bit higher than that of other families.

Where did those fine grains come from

However, he squatted in the black market several times, but he never saw his mother there, and he never saw him in another place.

The black market is not fixed, there are other places, otherwise it is always fixed in one place, even if the location is better and it is convenient to leave, it is prone to problems.

Is it just wrong

He tentatively asked Su Hui: "Mom, what do you think of the black market in the town?"

Su Hui paused while she was cooking. She turned sideways, with a smile in her eyes: "Why did you ask this suddenly? What happened? You went to the black market."

Discourses are not interrogative sentences.

I can't hide it from my mother at all.

He admitted bluntly: "Yes, I am curious to follow the two people and see their transactions behind them. There is food and use, but most of them are food." Some of them should have no food stamps , can only buy food at high prices, some supply and marketing cooperatives are out of stock, and they buy from others at a higher price in private, and some are in short supply and cannot be bought.

He looked at Su Hui: "Mom, I want to try it too, I've asked about it."

He disguised himself a bit, and asked the price a few times: "A fish that weighs more than a catty can be sold for two to three cents, and some people want the dried vegetables that he dried himself, which can be sold for ten cents per catty. Dried mushrooms are also needed. Dried fungus." They are all higher than the purchase price of the supply and marketing cooperative, and the lowest is 0.5 times higher.

Su Hui looked into his eager eyes: "Baoguo, if you are caught, it is basically impossible for you to join the army."

Zhang Baoguo seemed to have been splashed with cold water.

"..."

Su Hui sprinkled a circle of oil on the pot, and as the temperature rose, she sprinkled a few peeled garlic on the pot, the hot oil stimulated the aroma of the garlic, and then she put the beans down to fry.

"Before doing something, think about the consequences of failure. When it is too big to accept, you can change the way."

She pointed to the oil tank at home: "Didn't you ask me before that we need to save oil at home, otherwise it will not be enough, but look, has our oil tank bottomed out?"

Zhang Baoguo's eyes sparkled, he knew what his mother was going to say next, he made a shush gesture first, and walked around in a circle.

Fine, still no one.

Seeing his actions, Su Hui smiled: "You must have guessed, I can give you an affirmative answer, but do you know how I did it?"

"And not even the closest of you knows how I do it, and I promise, no one knows where they came from."

At first it was bought on the black market, but later it was planted in her mustard space, and no one knew about it except herself.

Zhang Baoguo: "Mom, how did you do it?"

He pondered: "Did Mom go there while going into the mountains to collect firewood?"

He guessed the time correctly, after all, it was obvious that she had to attend classes in the morning except on rest days.

My mother went to the mountains to collect firewood and dig herbs, and if she got something, she should send it to the black market to sell it, or directly replace it with what she needs.

But my mother basically didn't delay the time to go home. Is it sure to be able to sell it in time? Or... have regular clients

Su Hui closed the lid, squatted down and pushed the firewood inside.

"I took you to the hospital to deliver herbs once, do you remember?"

Zhang Baoguo nodded.

The herbal medicines processed by them are basically taken to the pharmacy of the hospital.

The purchase price is not bad, because they deal with the best ones, but because the quantity is not large, the common herbal medicine hospitals often don’t accept them, and they already have them, so there is income, but not a lot.

"You may not have paid much attention to it. I also took two fish to the doctor who received the medicine. I told you that it was a thank you gift. Someone was there at the time. Later, when I went to deliver the medicine, he would pay it according to the market price. me."

Zhang Baoguo: "..." I didn't notice this at all.

"So it's not a thank you gift?"

"right."

"Also, do you still remember the jars of sauce that your Uncle Sun Qiang took away a while ago?"

Zhang Baoguo nodded: "I remember." He was the one who went to run errands.

"Only two cans of that one belonged to him, and the rest belonged to his colleagues. Do you still remember the package you brought back?"

Zhang Baoguo: "... I remember."

He also took it back, but he remembered that it wasn't an extra item from Uncle Sun's friend's house and gave it to them!

Su Hui blinked at him, and Zhang Baoguo was shocked when he saw the smile on the corner of his mouth: "So, do you think I went to the black market? If someone comes to find fault, do you think there will be problems with us?"

This is obviously a proof of comradeship! What does it have to do with the black market? What does it have to do with trading

Zhang Baoguo: "I have to think about it."

I have never thought about this before, but now it seems that the layer of fog has been blown away, and the hidden things are looming.

He thought of the civet cat uncle who sent big and small packages every time, and the educated youth who often asked his mother to make sauce.

Zhang Baoguo: "..."

He is still too young.