Bai Shuhua got the first-grade textbook that Bai Dabo-niang had found right after breakfast. It was like it had been chewed by a dog. Not only were the edges rolled up, the cover was gone too, and the book was filthy. No one knew how Bai Dajun had trashed it. It was like he had eaten the book.
She was complaining in her heart, but on her face she still wore a smile as she took the book. She also did not forget to say a few more nice words, after all, they did not cost anything.
With the book in hand, she went back to the third room and got straight onto the kang.
She flipped through it roughly. The content was very simple, and she felt relieved.
However, if she wanted to build a little genius persona, she could not seem to understand everything without a teacher.
“Dad, Mom, how do you read these?”
Bai’s parents could both read, they were not illiterate.
Bai dad was a little uncertain. “This is pinyin, kid’s mother, is it read ‘a, wo, e’?”
Bai mom confirmed again and again, “Right.”
“A, wo, e.”
Bai Xiaojun, who loved to join in the fun, opened his little mouth and read along.
Bai Shuhua pointed with her finger and mumbled along as she read.
“And the ones below?”
Bai dad pushed the book away. “Big girl, what are you rushing for? When you start school, the teacher will teach you. Anyway, we already spent the money, if you do not let the teacher teach you, would you not be losing out?”
Bai Shuhua was stunned. This did not seem wrong.
She quickly shook her head. She could not be led astray. “I want to study hard, then go to middle school, and get into high school on the first try.”
So what was wrong with learning in advance?
Bai mom immediately said, “Do not learn from your youngest aunt. You do have to study hard.”
Bai dad also said, “If you study well, your grandparents will not be able to stop you from going further. Going to school is better than working in the fields.”
Bai Shuhua understood. They really were her real parents. This was them teaching her how to slack off… actually, she already understood it long ago.
She nodded hard. “I will study hard. Dad, how do these few read?”
Bai dad twitched his mouth corners, not understanding why she had gone back to this again. He discussed it with Bai mom, and only then did he stammer out the pronunciation.
Bai Shuhua did not let herself laugh. She learned along with them in a very proper way.
Later, seeing how painful it was for them, since they were her real parents, she still felt for them, so she decided to go to the main room to find Bai Xiaogu.
Bai Shuhua saw that Bai dad and Bai mom both let out a breath of relief. The two learning failures.
As soon as she entered the main room, she saw Grandmother Bai, who was still holding a piece of green cloth.
She quickly called out, “Grandma.”
“What are you running outside for in this cold weather?” Grandmother Bai muttered.
Bai Shuhua quickly made way. Watching Grandmother Bai go out the door, she could not help complaining in her heart, It is cold and you are still going out!
“Aunt, I want to ask about a few pinyin.”
Business first.
“No time.”
Bai Xiaogu was lying on the kang reading picture books, not even lifting her head.
Because she was doted on by her parents, Bai Xiaogu naturally had confidence and did not really pay much attention to these nephews and nieces.
Bai Shuhua was not angry either, this was within expectations. “Aunt, you are the best learner in our family, if I do not ask you, who would I ask?”
This rainbow praise was still useful. Bai Xiaogu asked with some impatience, “Which ones? Hurry up.”
Bai Shuhua quickly pointed them out. “Just these few. My father and mother already taught me the ones before.”
Actually they had not, but by fooling both ends like this, her learning efficiency would increase greatly.
She believed Bai dad and Bai mom would not go around comparing exactly what each had taught her.
Bai Xiaogu was very unwilling. “If you learn so much at once, how many can you remember? Do not be like a bear picking corn, picking one and throwing one away, listen carefully…”
Bai Shuhua did not argue. She listened seriously, then read them over and over.
After that she asked about a few more characters. She did not disturb Bai Xiaogu either, and curled up at the edge of the kang to silently memorize them.
Actually, she was killing time.
If she went back now and told her parents she had learned a lot, the loophole would be huge.
Lying also had to follow basic logic.
When Bai Xiaogu saw that she was not making a sound and could not disturb her, she stopped paying attention and went back to reading her picture book on her own.
Bai Shuhua felt the time was about right, so she closed the book. “Aunt, do you have paper and pencil? I will buy them from you.”
She was not taking them for nothing.
Although Grandmother Bai had given her the money, in this freezing weather her parents had no intention at all of going to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative.
She could only buy them from Bai Dage or Bai Xiaogu.
Bai Xiaogu became a little interested. “You have money?”
Bai Shuhua answered honestly, “The money Grandma gave me to buy paper and pencil.”
Bai Xiaogu muttered, “Poor ghost.”
She looked down on her, but still got up, rummaged around for a while, and threw out several notebooks, then threw over half a pencil. “Two mao.”
Bai Shuhua did not rush to bargain, but checked them first. Good grief, the notebooks had all been used, and both sides had been used too. Did she think she was a recycling station?
“You are just learning to write, good notebooks would be wasted. I am giving you a few extra notebooks, you are not losing out.”
Bai Xiaogu really had a thick face, she was turning black into white.
“This kind of notebook is sold to the scrap collection station for one fen a jin.” She knew the price, so do not take her for a sucker. “Why not just find me two that have only been written on one side?”
She showed a little weakness at the right time. It was not yet time to turn hostile, after all she still had to ask her about pinyin and characters.
Bai Xiaogu really was like someone selling junk. She fished out several more notebooks, did not even look at them, and tossed them over. “I already had your grandma sell all my old notebooks. These are all there are.”
Bai Shuhua sorted them out. “Aunt, these add up to five fen. Any more than that and my parents will definitely not give it.”
Bai Xiaogu did not want to face her older brother and sister-in-law, so she accepted it when she could. “Fine, five fen it is.” That could still buy two candies.
Bai Shuhua held the notebooks and tucked the pencil away. “I will give you the money at dinner tonight.”
Bai Xiaogu was not afraid she would renege. She waved her hand and told her to get out quickly.
“What did you take from your aunt?”
Grandmother Bai came back, and as soon as she saw Bai Shuhua holding so many things, she was unhappy.
Bai Shuhua had not seen the cloth in Grandmother Bai’s hand. It had been given away, so she explained, “I bought some used notebooks from Aunt. I want to practice writing.”
Bai Xiaogu also shouted from inside, “They are all old notebooks I used before.”
Only then did Grandmother Bai let Bai Shuhua off.
Bai Shuhua was already used to Grandmother being so openly partial. Combined with recovering memories of her past life, she took it very calmly.
She held the notebooks back to her own room. “Dad, Mom, later give Aunt ten fen, I bought some paper and pencil.”
Bai mom muttered, “Giving so much, your aunt would have such kindness?”
After looking through them and seeing they had all been used, she could not help curling her lip. “I said she did not have such a good heart.”
Bai Shuhua took out two practice notebooks that had only been written on one side and put them aside separately.
She said very casually, “I still have to ask Aunt about characters later.”
So was this five fen for used notebooks? No, it was tutoring fees. Once she thought of it like that, five fen was really too cheap.
Bai mom asked with some gossiping curiosity, “Your aunt did not snub you, and just taught you properly?”
Bai Shuhua wore an expression that said, You know perfectly well. “Anyway, she taught me.”
Bai dad chuckled. “It is fine if you learned it. What can it do to take a couple of snubs, it does not lose a piece of meat.”
“Where is there meat?”
Bai Xiaojun, who was playing with stones on the ground, only half-understood, but the word meat was too tempting.
“Where is there meat? Your little butt has the most meat.” Bai dad reached for his son’s little backside.
Bai Xiaojun squealed and ran off, shouting as he ran, “My meat is stinky, it is not tasty!”
Bai Shuhua looked at her family, and warmth rose in her heart.