Others might not know, but she had learned quite a bit during her years as a ghost. In five or six years, the situation would change—things like purges and reclassifying family backgrounds. The Xu family was undoubtedly poor peasants for eight generations, so she wasn’t worried about that. Plus, her father was in the military, so they wouldn’t be affected much. But then, university entrance exams would be abolished.
She didn’t have an obsession with schooling herself, but going to school meant meeting more people and being exposed to new things. It would also give her a reason to push her uncle to take the university entrance exam. Judging by Xu Yongze’s current age, there were still two years until the college entrance exam. If nothing unexpected happened, he should graduate before that movement began. After that, he could find a stable, non-sensitive factory or work unit—nothing was more important than security.
Five or six years—for those now in elementary or middle school, that goal seemed a bit distant. But with effort, Changshun could make it through high school graduation, and Changbai should have no problem finishing middle school. As for the younger ones, they couldn’t be counted on yet. The older ones could teach the younger ones. When the college entrance exams were reinstated—whether in ten years or a few more—they would still be young, so there was still hope.
No matter how the situation changed, having two family members in the military and one university graduate would make people think twice and look up to them. The Old Lady would probably laugh in her sleep.
Oh, and there was Changsheng. Having two university graduates in the family—wouldn’t that be like the ancestors’ graves smoking with good fortune?
Thinking this way, she suddenly felt that going to school wasn’t such a bad idea. She could carry a little whip and act as the overseer.
“Tao’er, what are you laughing about?”
“Huh?”
She hadn’t noticed, but she really had laughed out loud.
“Grandma, I’ve decided. I’m going to school. I want to go to school with Uncle and Changsheng-ge.
What about Changshan-ge, Changqing-ge, and Changsong-ge? Are they really not going to school anymore?”
What did she mean by going to school with Yongze and Changsheng? The Old Lady felt something was off, but then she heard the next question.
“Well, they’ve been saying for the past couple of years that they don’t want to go anymore. Back then, they were too young to do much if they dropped out. Now they can work, so if they don’t want to go, let them drop out. They know how to read, so if there’s ever a job opportunity, they can give it a try.”
That made sense. Although everyone knew that talk of job opportunities was just talk—any family with a job position would pass it down through generations, from father to son, son to grandson—coming from a rural old lady, it sounded quite far-sighted. Xu Zhitao gave a thumbs-up.
“My grandma really has vision. In other families, who would be willing to spend so much money?”
“Go on, you’re just saying nice things to flatter me.”
The Old Lady couldn’t help but smile. Surrounded by boys and daughters-in-law, there was always a bit of distance in their conversations. But a little girl like this—her words were sweet and comforting.
“Our family isn’t at the point where we can’t put food on the table. Letting the kids learn more isn’t a bad thing. Your mother dared to go out and make her way. You’re all young—you can’t spend your whole lives stuck in this little village.”
Hearing this, even Xu Yongze was surprised.
“Old Lady, you’re even bolder than I am!”
The Old Lady picked up a shoe sole and threw it at him.
“Get out of here! I was part of the Niangzijun back in the day. Did you think I was like those people who cling to every penny they have? Let me tell you, when school starts, you can’t keep slacking off like this. You’re the uncle! If you keep this up, people will laugh at Tao’er behind her back!”
“Alright, alright, you’re right.”
Xu Yongze smiled helplessly; these were the only two people who could leave him at a loss.
“I have no problem with it, but you better keep your daughters-in-law in check. Tell them not to gossip for no reason. My fourth brother may not be home, but he sends plenty of money back. They’re spending his money—I don’t expect them to treat the child exceptionally well, but they shouldn’t completely disregard decency.
If they really can’t stand it, then let’s split the household. I’ll live with Taotao.”
The Old Lady glanced at the little girl, then turned to glare at her rebellious son, wanting to hit him. How could he say such things in front of the child?
Xu Zhitao wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. Her father had contributed money, and he was the main contributor—the one being taken advantage of.
“Grandma, I know all about it. I don’t pay them any mind. I’ll just listen to you.”
Xu Yongze spread his hands. See? Did they really think the child was foolish?
“Alright, alright, stop dawdling. Don’t you have something to give the Old Lady? Hurry up, or are we not going up the mountain anymore?”
“Ah, I’ll go get it right away.”
All six packages were quite large. Apart from the first one, which was wrapped around a good amount of food, the rest contained a bundle of cotton and four bundles of fabric. The whole bolts of cloth were simply folded in half, with four bolts stuffed into each bundle, including both dark and light colors.
Truth be told, this was quite decent—all practical items for this area.
Xu Zhitao, being the carefree one, took out two rolls of dark-colored fabric and one roll of light-colored fabric. As for the rest, Xu Yongze had already forcefully helped her store them in the cabinet, along with the food.
Just as she stepped out of the western wing, Xu Yongze took the bundles from her and delivered them straight to the main room. Before the Old Lady could raise a hand to hit him, he grabbed Xu Zhitao and dashed outside.
“Little one, you watch over things. We’re heading up the mountain and will be back soon.”
Xu Zhitao also felt that the atmosphere since her return had been somewhat strange. But having been a ghost for so many years, she was no longer truly a thirteen-year-old child. Some things were worth caring about, while many others simply weren’t necessary. Besides, she had returned for the people she cared about—it had nothing to do with those who were irrelevant.
However, since the day she gave away the fabric, she could clearly sense that the family had become much warmer toward her, including her fifth aunt Lin Huizhen, who loved to stir up trouble, and her unfamiliar sixth aunt Zheng Hongxia. She didn’t pay it much mind. For now, she was just a child—a child whose parents weren’t around—and didn’t need to understand too much about worldly sophistication or tact.
The daughters-in-law of the Xu family had different temperaments, but it could be said that none of them harbored ill intentions. Still, compared to the others, the first, second, and third branches were much more genuine, especially since the child had grown up alongside them.
Feng Cuilian, in particular, had married into the family when Xu Yongqing was still a child of about ten. Having spent so much time together, their bond had naturally grown much deeper, and she was quite fond of this child.
Zhu Hehua of the third branch only had sons. Back when Guo Hongying gave birth to Xu Zhitao, she had her third son and had envied Guo Hongying at the time. Moreover, since Changping had joined the military through Xu Yongqing’s connections, she felt even closer to Xu Zhitao.
So, after the Old Lady distributed the fabric among the various branches, the two sisters-in-law began discussing making a set of clothes for Xu Zhitao.
Xu Zhitao knew nothing of this. At the moment, she was in a daze because Zhang Zhaodi had come looking for her. She didn’t know what it was about, but she was still somewhat happy. It had been a week since she returned, and they had barely exchanged a few words. Today, Zhang Zhaodi had actually taken the initiative to seek her out. This was truly wonderful.
She smiled obediently.
“Second Aunt!”
Zhang Zhaodi felt somewhat dazed; she couldn’t recall this child, yet upon seeing her, she still felt an urge to draw close—a rather contradictory feeling.
“Taotao, I’m going up the mountain to dig for some wild vegetables. Do you want to come along?”
All the adults in the family had gone to work, the little ones were napping in the main room, and the old lady was watering the backyard garden. This sudden closeness unexpectedly stirred a sense of grievance in Xu Zhitao, and she nodded eagerly.
“I want to go, I want to go! I’ll go get the basket. Second Aunt, wait for me a moment.”
In the first eight years of Xu Zhitao’s childhood, Zhang Zhaodi’s significance was on par with Guo Hongying’s—perhaps even greater. Xu Zhitao didn’t want to let this chance slip away. She hurried to the woodshed to fetch the basket, unable to contain the smile on her face.
“Second Aunt, let’s go!”
As for Zhang Zhaodi, suddenly being affectionately linked arm in arm, she froze on the spot.