Ten soup dumplings and two bowls of beef and vermicelli soup cost four yuan in total. Zhu Yun Xuan and Zhu Qiu Yue both ate to their hearts’ content.
“Qiu Yue, I’ll buy you a doll. That way, you can make clothes for the doll instead of sewing sachets all day!” In just a few days, Zhu Yun Xuan had already received seven or eight sachets! Still, when he saw that Zhu Qiu Yue had sewn a bellyband from scraps of fabric and put it on herself, he found it hilarious. If there had been a camera at home, he definitely would have taken a photo to keep as a memento!
“Really?” Zhu Qiu Yue looked completely shocked.
The plastic Barbie doll wasn’t a genuine brand, so the arms and legs couldn’t bend, but they could be detached easily.
A beautiful princess dress, along with some small accessories, was packaged nicely, all for six yuan.
Zhu Qiu Yue was flattered and didn’t dare to take it. But Zhu Yun Xuan didn’t think much of it, after all, with broader experience, six yuan really wasn’t a big deal.
Everything that followed went smoothly. Zhu Cheng Gong began selling pork with Zhu Ah Da. At first, the two of them sold together and split the earnings each night. Later, after a few outbursts from Wang Feng Er, they each started selling a whole pig on their own. Thanks to a local steamed bun shop that needed meat regularly, even though Zhu Cheng Gong sold slower than Zhu Ah Da, he was still able to sell out every day. When there was extra meat, he’d bring it home to cook, rendering pork fat or making braised pork, until even Zhu Qiu Yue, who had never refused fatty meat before, didn’t want to eat any more of it.
Still, Zhu Cheng Gong was now making about ten yuan a day, and things were only looking up.
Now that Zhu Cheng Gong was earning money, he naturally became more concerned about Zhu Qiu Yue’s schooling. At that time, there were two kindergartens in Wende Town. A few years later, as the town’s population increased, you couldn’t even get in without household registration. But now it was much easier, and before long, Qiu Yue’s enrollment was taken care of.
Since being reborn, it had only been half a month. But watching his family work hard and live their lives again in this era, Zhu Yun Xuan felt as though a long, long time had already passed.
In the town, kids started kindergarten at the age of three, sometimes even earlier. Their parents were educated, so they often spoke Mandarin at home. But in the countryside, everyone was used to speaking the local dialect. At this point, not a single person in the Zhu family could speak Mandarin. When Mandarin-speaking customers came to Zhu Ah Da and Zhu Cheng Gong’s meat stall, it often felt like a chicken talking to a duck. Even the village schools used the local dialect. Although Qiu Yue earnestly sat in front of the TV every night to watch Journey to the West, Zhu Yun Xuan helplessly realized that she actually didn’t understand much of it.
In his previous life, when he first went to kindergarten in town, he had suffered a lot simply because he couldn’t understand what was being said. By senior kindergarten, they were already teaching things like addition and subtraction within ten. The teacher had handed out worksheets for everyone to do, telling them to start when she said so. The girl sitting at his table tricked him, saying it was okay to start, and he believed her. As a result, he got scolded by the teacher for being dishonest and was dragged to stand in the back of the classroom…
At that time, he didn’t even know how to defend himself, he hadn’t even figured out what was happening. Looking back, how could that kindergarten teacher so easily assume a child was dishonest just because he started early?
If kindergarten was already like that, elementary school would be even tougher. The elementary school in Wende Town was known throughout the city for its strictness. Of course, among all the public elementary schools, it was also the best one in this county-level city.
Wende Town
Although Wende Town was a town, it had a large population. In ancient times, it was a county seat, and twenty years ago, it was even referred to as a small city. The town boasted the best elementary school in the entire city, one of the top two middle schools in the city, and a high school ranked second in the city.
However, over the next twenty years, private institutions were established for both elementary and middle schools, and several new high schools were built. As a result, Wende Town’s situation became less noticeable.
One of the school rules was that speaking in the local dialect was prohibited. If anyone spoke in dialect, they would lose a point. This was one of the minor rules in Wende Town’s school because points affected class rankings, which were closely monitored by teachers. Losing a point often meant being punished by staying after school to do cleaning. In his previous life, Zhu Yun Xuan had already adapted to speaking Mandarin in elementary school, but Zhu Qiu Yue, who had grown up in a rural kindergarten, struggled with Mandarin. As a result, she was often kept after school to clean and became more withdrawn and silent.
The fragments of red bricks from the kiln could easily leave red streaks on the cemented threshing ground. Zhu Yun Xuan didn’t want to overdo it, so he had Jiang Yue Xiu write Zhu Qiu Yue’s name on the threshing ground. While doing so, he taught her how to speak Mandarin.
Children learn things quickly, and Zhu Qiu Yue was full of enthusiasm for reciting nursery rhymes. She eagerly joined in, and Zhu Yun Xuan, in high spirits, also taught her how to write numbers like 1, 2, 3, 4.
“Zhu Yun Xuan?” A somewhat familiar female voice called out. As Zhu Yun Xuan looked up, he saw Li Rui’s mother, whom he had met before.
She wore a simple yet elegant dress, always fashionable with a black-and-white combination, high-heeled sandals on her feet, and a leather bag in her hand. She was getting off a rickshaw, which seemed out of place in this small village.
Zhu Yun Xuan glanced at the narrow road in front of his house, made of cement and large stones. The road was so narrow that cars couldn’t get through. No wonder she had to take a rickshaw!
“Auntie, it’s you!” Zhu Yun Xuan smiled at her, not expecting to run into Zheng Xiao Qing again so soon.
Zheng Xiao Qing also didn’t expect to see this child again so soon. However, the impression she had of Zhu Yun Xuan this time was completely different from the last.
Last time, Zhu Yun Xuan had been forceful and aggressive, but whether it was the Zhu Yun Xuan smiling at her now or the one she had seen earlier teaching others arithmetic, both gave off a gentle vibe. “Zhu Yun Xuan, do you still remember Li Rui?”
“Of course, I remember!” Zhu Yun Xuan immediately responded. Judging by Zheng Xiao Qing’s expression, he guessed that Li Rui must have caused some trouble again.
As a fellow member of the reincarnation army, Li Rui’s life had been so miserable, yet he was still willing to lend a hand. Zhu Yun Xuan didn’t know what the reason was this time.
“Rui Rui misses you a lot. Would you be willing to go to Shanghai to study with him?” After hearing Zhu Yun Xuan’s name from Li Rui yesterday, Zheng Xiao Qing had returned to the small town.
Her impression of Zhu Yun Xuan wasn’t very good, but since her son liked him, it would be fine for him to study with Li Rui. At least her son would have a companion, and she believed that Zhu Yun Xuan wouldn’t bully Li Rui the way Li Jia Jie and Li Jiahui did. It could be as simple as having another study companion!
“Go to Shanghai?” Zhu Yun Xuan raised an eyebrow, then immediately cut in firmly, “I’m not going.” Actually, going to Shanghai had many advantages, but along with the benefits came many disadvantages as well.
After being reborn, the one thing Zhu Yun Xuan most wanted was to be with his family. If he went to Shanghai, how could he be with his family? Besides, although there would be many opportunities in Shanghai, he was only six years old. Even if there were opportunities, he wouldn’t be able to use them… He couldn’t go to Shanghai now.
“Kid…” Zheng Xiao Qing didn’t take Zhu Yun Xuan’s words seriously. In her opinion, Zhu Yun Xuan probably had no idea where Shanghai was. “Are your parents home? I need to talk to them.”
Zhu Yun Xuan became wary. What Zheng Xiao Qing wanted to talk about with Jiang Yue Xiu was definitely about taking him to Shanghai, right? Damn Li Rui, what exactly did he want? Thinking about the way Li Rui had looked at him earlier, Zhu Yun Xuan frowned.
Li Rui must like him, or he wouldn’t have paid so much attention and come to find him right after his rebirth. But now, he had made up his mind not to act rashly like in his previous life. Even if he was looking for a partner, he would take it slow. If Li Rui was in too much of a hurry…
However, after a while, Zhu Yun Xuan relaxed. Thinking about how much his parents cared for him, he soon calmed down. Back when he was in high school in his previous life, Jiang Yue Xiu was reluctant to let him go to the city’s high school. Now, they wanted him to go to Shanghai? Jiang Yue Xiu would never agree unless she was possessed!
“My mom’s inside,” Zhu Yun Xuan glanced at Zheng Xiao Qing and then led her into his house.
The Zhu family’s house had been built for several years. It looked decent in the countryside, but in Zheng Xiao Qing’s eyes, it must seem shabby and run-down. However, there was no sign of any surprise on Zheng Xiao Qing’s face. She even casually chatted with Jiang Yue Xiu, who was sitting by the sewing machine.
Jiang Yue Xiu wasn’t very fluent in Mandarin but could understand it because she had attended school when she was younger and watched TV regularly now. Zheng Xiao Qing, being naturally intelligent, had lived in this area, with both her husband and mother-in-law being locals, so she could understand the local dialect. The two conversed without many barriers.
Zheng Xiao Qing thanked Jiang Yue Xiu for her previous help and then mentioned her son’s illness before finally apologizing and explaining her purpose for coming: “Sister, you know, Rui Rui refuses to speak now. He’s fixated on Xiao Xuan… I feel bad about it, but I really don’t know what else to do… Sister, could you let Xiao Xuan go to Shanghai to keep Rui Rui company?”
“Shanghai? That’s no problem, but school enrollment is on September 1st…” Jiang Yue Xiu replied. Shanghai wasn’t far, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to send Zhu Yun Xuan there for a visit.
“Sister…” Zheng Xiao Qing smiled. “What I mean is, let Xiao Xuan go to Shanghai for school. He can stay at my house, and I’ll cover all the expenses… Shanghai’s educational environment is much better than here. There’s no harm in going.”
“Mom, I don’t want to go to Shanghai! I want to stay at home! Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at night!” Zhu Yun Xuan ran over and hugged Jiang Yue Xiu.
“You can’t go to school that far. I won’t be able to take care of you!” Jiang Yue Xiu, who had been uneasy even when he just stayed for a few days, couldn’t bear the thought of him going that far to study. Since she stopped working after becoming pregnant, she had become accustomed to having Zhu Yun Xuan around her all the time.
“Sister, I’ve hired a nanny who will take good care of the child. The conditions in Shanghai are also better…”
“Gold nests and silver nests are no match for the grass nest at home. After all, home is the best. Besides, can a nanny really take care of the child properly? Xiao Xuan doesn’t like many things, and he always kicks the blanket at night. He doesn’t even know to change clothes when it’s hot or cold…” Jiang Yue Xiu muttered.
“Exactly, Rui Rui says he only sees you a few times a year. You’re not good to him, so how can you be good to me?” Zhu Yun Xuan hugged his mother’s waist, blinking a few times to blink away the tears.
His family treated him so well, and no matter what, he didn’t want to leave this home. The days he spent away from home in his previous life were ones he never wanted to experience again.
Zheng Xiao Qing’s face turned sour: “I…” She didn’t know what Li Rui liked to eat, nor whether Li Rui kicked the blanket at night. Even though she had now realized her mistake, Li Rui was also being taken care of by a nanny.
“My Xiao Xuan likes to make noise. When he stayed at my mom’s place overnight before, he cried and wanted to go home because he wasn’t used to it. If he really went to Shanghai, he’d probably cry to death. I can’t bear to let him go.” Jiang Yue Xiu wasn’t indifferent, but since Zhu Yun Xuan didn’t want to go, how could she send her son away? Plus, it was the first time she was meeting Zheng Xiao Qing!
“Sister, I was too rash…” Zheng Xiao Qing reflected on whether she had been too hasty, barging in like this. No wonder they didn’t believe her…
Maybe, she could arrange some work for the Zhu family and personally take them to Shanghai to see the situation. She didn’t believe they would still oppose it when the time came!
“Auntie, why don’t you let Rui Rui come to my house and go to school with me? My mom will definitely treat him well!” Zhu Yun Xuan lifted his head from Jiang Yue Xiu’s arms and smiled as he spoke.
Li Rui wanted him to go to Shanghai? He had the guts to come to Wende Town if he wanted!
Zheng Xiao Qing was stunned.
That was her son, who wasn’t even close to her. If he stayed in someone else’s house… but would he be closer to her if he stayed in his own home? Wouldn’t he still be looked after by the nanny?
Back at the guesthouse in the town, Zheng Xiao Qing saw someone who she didn’t expect to see there.
The nanny, Xiao Hui, was standing outside the guesthouse with her younger son. When she saw Zheng Xiao Qing, Li Rui looked at her with determination on his face: “I want to stay here!”