The Old Lady paused her hand, and Xu Yongze’s gaze also grew dull. Even she had noticed something was off…
The Old Lady felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. Why was her granddaughter’s fate so bitter?
“It’s the conflict between her and your mother. It has nothing to do with you, a child. You were just caught up in it.”
“Speaking of which, your second aunt is also a woman with a hard life. Back then, she finally became pregnant with her second child, already over six months along, but… she couldn’t keep it. Since then, her spirits haven’t been quite right.”
“She used to like you the most. Don’t hold it against her.”
Xu Zhitao understood now. It was that woman, Guo Hongying, who had caused this misfortune. Back then, she was still young and didn’t understand anything. In her previous life, she never had the chance to return, so she truly hadn’t known about these things.
But Zhang Zhaodi had genuinely been good to her.
“Grandma, how could I? I know Second Aunt was good to me. She always gave me her treats, held me often. When I was little, I even mistook her for my mom.”
The Old Lady felt like sighing again. Back when Chang’an was just a month old, Guo Hongying had left without a second thought, showing no reluctance. Now, after Taotao had lived with her for five years, she just sent her back like this. That woman truly had a heart of stone.
“Our Taotao is a good child. You know who treats you well.”
Xu Zhitao lifted her chin proudly.
“Of course I know. Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, and Fifth Aunt—they’ve all been good to me.”
Sixth Aunt Zheng Hongxia was married into the family after she left, so she hadn’t interacted with her.
“In the future, I’ll be good to all of you too.”
As she spoke, she hugged the Old Lady’s arm, leaning against her with a sense of dependence.
“Grandma treats me the best.”
Actually, that wasn’t entirely accurate. The Old Lady was impartial, which was quite evident in a society that generally favored sons over daughters. The Old Lady herself knew the truth of this statement.
Besides, as the matriarch of the family, she was busy and didn’t have the emotional capacity to show favoritism toward anyone.
“You’re still just a child. Talking about being good to this one and that one… Grandma understands. This is your own home, and you’re just a child. Don’t worry about adult matters.”
“Children should do what children do. Play when it’s time to play, cry when you feel like crying.”
“Oh, right. School starts in just over a month. You should be going to middle school now, right?”
“Perfect. Changsheng and Changshun both go to school in the county town. They can take you with them.”
The sudden change of topic caught Xu Zhitao off guard for a moment.
She knew that the Xu family children all went to school, but as for her… wasn’t it unnecessary?
Having been a ghost for so many years, although she had never been able to stray too far from Guo Hongying, she had visited plenty of places like schools and libraries. Perhaps it was because ghosts were clever, or maybe it was just sheer boredom and having nothing else to focus on, but she found that she could remember everything she read in books after just one glance. By that measure, she could be considered an intellectual. That was probably the only benefit of being a ghost.
She believed she was different from children in their teens. Sitting in a classroom with them would feel… awkward.
After thinking for a moment, she didn’t outright refuse.
“Grandma, I haven’t been to school these past few years. I’ve just been studying at home on my own. I’m not sure which grade I should be in. How about we go to the school and ask when it starts? If my grades are decent, maybe I could continue studying at home and just go in for exams…”
Unexpectedly, the Old Lady flatly refused.
“A girl just over ten years old should be lively and cheerful. When it comes to school, take it seriously. Grandma knows Taotao has a good head on her shoulders. I won’t say whether she can get into university in the future, but there are so many classmates at school. Go out more, socialize, and make a couple of friends. At home, it’s all boys—what good can you learn from them?
Go to school, meet some girls, dress up nicely—how wonderful.”
“Grandma…”
“Be good. Home is right here. You can go up the mountain or down the river anytime you want.”
Who would have thought? Who would have thought that the usually easygoing Old Lady would be so insistent about school? If she continued to argue, the Old Lady would eventually give in, but she truly had her best interests at heart, and she couldn’t bring herself to oppose her further.
“Well… alright then!”
The Old Lady immediately smiled.
“That’s more like it. A child like you shouldn’t always be worrying.”
She had noticed it as soon as the child returned—none of her former cheerfulness remained. She was distant, cautious, weighing every word before she spoke. In her opinion, this child simply thought too much. This was her own home—how could she not feel at ease here?
“When school starts, go to school. Attend whatever grade you can manage.
Changqing, Changsong, and Changshan are all saying they won’t go back to school after it starts. Your little uncle and Changsheng are in high school, and Changshun is in middle school. They can take you along.”
The eldest branch, Xu Yongjiang and Feng Cuilian, had three children: Changlin, 20; Changsong, 17; and Changqing, 15.
The second branch, Xu Yonghe and Zhang Zhaodi, had only one child, Changsheng, who was 16 this year, the same age as Xu Yongze.
The third branch, Xu Yonghai and Zhu Hehua, had the most children: Changping, 18, who had joined the army last year; Changshan, 16; Changshun, 13; and Changming, 11, still in elementary school.
The fourth branch, Xu Yongqing, had only two children, Xu Zhitao and Chang’an. He had remained single ever since divorcing Guo Hongying.
The fifth branch, Xu Yongbo and Lin Huizhen, had two children: Changbai, 8, and Changrui, 6.
The sixth branch, Xu Yongtao and Zheng Hongxia, had been married only a few years and had just one child, Changzhao.
Xu Yongze was still in school.
Nowadays, attending school required tuition: one yuan per year for elementary school, about three yuan for middle school. Add in meals at school, sometimes boarding, and occasional purchases of school supplies and study materials—for middle school alone, it would cost at least ten yuan a year. It might not sound like much, but for rural families whose annual income might only be twenty or thirty yuan, it was truly a significant expense.
Elementary school lasted five years, middle school three, and high school another three. Without a family fortune to fall back on, one would have to work desperately hard to afford it all.
It was rare to see a family like the Xus generously supporting several students at once. In truth, without Xu Yongqing’s monthly stipend—a reliable, steady income—it would have been impossible. Every branch had students, and the Old Lady said they all owed it to Xu Yongqing’s support. No one could deny that.
Every village had its own elementary school, but for middle school, one had to go to the county town. So, while elementary school was mandatory for the children at home, middle school was voluntary. The old couple’s principle was: if the child wanted to attend, they would support them. Money spent on education was never wasted—learning more was always beneficial, and whatever knowledge they gained would become their own skills.
But not everyone was interested in school. Changlin had dropped out after finishing middle school.
Changsheng and Changshan managed to struggle through until junior high school graduation, having just received their diplomas before summer vacation. Changsong was in his first year of high school in the first half of the year, and by this summer vacation, he was also starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed. Seeing the family continuously spending money on their education, they couldn’t bear it and began considering dropping out.
On the other hand, Changsheng was clever and meticulous, consistently achieving good grades.
Xu Yongze had a carefree and irresponsible nature, but he possessed considerable talent in academics. He was in the same class as Changsheng and Changsong and would be entering his second year of high school when school started.
Changshun would be starting his first year of junior high school in the county town as well. The first-year high school curriculum wasn’t too demanding, so he could travel to and from school with Changsheng and Xu Yongze.
Changming and Changbai attended elementary school in the village, and in the second half of the year, Changrui would also be starting first grade.
Based on her age, if Taotao were to attend school, she would most likely be in junior high. Old Lady’s idea was also that if she passed the entrance exam, they could speak with the principal and have her placed in the same class as Changshun, so they could look out for each other.
With all these calculations, Xu Zhitao’s thoughts grew increasingly complex.