Chapter 21

Repeat a year?

Qian Jinlai instinctively rejected: “She’s already tried twice, and I don’t think our family is destined for it.”

The ancestral grave hasn’t emitted any smoke, so no matter how hard we try, it’s useless.

“Her first year she applied for an undergraduate program, but ended up with just a college-level score. The second year, her score couldn’t even make it to a college.”

Qian Jinlai furrowed his brows: “One year, two years, if she still can’t pass, does she want to stay in school for a lifetime?”

Now he regrets it. Had he known that after four years of study, she would end up with nothing, it might have been better to have let Qian Ping drop out after junior high. It would have been better than now, stuck between high school and not making it.

Jian Feng wanted to say that education isn’t just about the child; it also depends on the school and teachers.

Back then, Qian Ping’s high school entrance exam scores ranked among the top in the county. With those scores, she could have gone to the top high school in the county or even to a good school in the city.

But Qian Jinlai and his wife only focused on the three-year tuition and accommodation discount at the town’s high school and insisted on keeping Qian Ping there.

They claimed that Wang Yuexi and his wife, both teachers at that school, could help look after Qian Ping.

Wang Mengmei had told her sister many times, urging her to send Qian Ping to the city so that she could take care of her. But when Qian Jinlai heard that tuition alone in the city would cost three or four hundred a semester, he immediately declined.

Jian Feng felt sorry for Qian Ping. Had she gone to the city’s high school back then, maybe her path would have been smoother.

He was about to persuade them again when Qian Jinlai already raised his hand to check the time.

Qian Jinlai was currently overseeing two construction sites in the county town. He came to the city not only to pick up Qian Ping but also for some other business.

Qian Jinlai: “That’s settled, I have some things to do. I’ll pick her up again around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Sorry to trouble you and Xiao Mei. Let’s have a drink when we get the chance.”

Qian Jinlai hurriedly arrived and then hurriedly left.

Jian Feng waited until noon when he finished work and then went to the market to discuss things with his wife.

At the market, after 11 a.m., customers started coming in for lunch.

Wang Mengmei was serving customers noodles from a steel pot she had just heated. With skilled hands, she cut the noodles and dropped them into the boiling pot, adding a handful of small vegetables and bean sprouts at the bottom. After cooking, she poured a ladle of tomato egg or green pepper egg sauce over the noodles.

While Wang Mengmei was serving the noodles, Qian Ping was beside her, handling payments and giving change.

A bowl of noodles cost one yuan, and customers could choose from two types of toppings.

If they wanted something more expensive, they could have a freshly stir-fried topping like chili stir-fried pork or potato stir-fried pork for 1.80 yuan per bowl.

When Wang Mengmei first started, most customers just ordered the one-yuan noodles, and only a few ordered the more expensive toppings, around three or four people every day.

However, by the end of the day, the earnings were still considerable.

Wang Mengmei used to think that selling stuffed pancakes was profitable, but after working at the lunch stall making noodles, she realized what real profit was. Just stir-frying a topping and boiling noodles for lunch could bring in 10 to 20 yuan in pure profit.

While she was busy, Jian Feng arrived and brought some not-so-good news.

Jian Feng deliberately called Wang Mengmei aside: “They said they want to take Pingping back. I tried to persuade them, but couldn’t change their mind.”

Jian Feng had already discussed Qian Ping’s arrangements with his wife.

It wasn’t feasible for Qian Ping to stay at their place. With only 30 square meters in the tube-shaped apartment, it wouldn’t be convenient with Jian Feng coming and going.

They thought they would wait for Wang Menglan to come over and have a good talk with her, and then ask Qian Ping about her plans. If she didn’t want to continue studying, Wang Mengmei would find her a job in the city. If she still wanted to study, she could stay in the city and repeat the year.

Wang Mengmei had seen many students who repeated a year or two in the city and felt that since her elder sister’s family wasn’t lacking money, why not let Qian Ping try again?

They had a good plan, but Qian Jinlai came and immediately dashed their hopes.

Wang Mengmei furrowed her brows: “Why is it him coming? This makes it harder to talk.”

Although Wang Menglan could be loud and noisy, Wang Mengmei knew her sister had a soft heart, and sometimes, if spoken to nicely, she would listen.

But when it was her brother-in-law…

It wasn’t that Wang Mengmei wanted to compare people, but Qian Jinlai was too stubborn and too tight with money.

This tightness wasn’t just about food, clothing, and daily needs, but also about any expenditure that “didn’t have immediate returns.”

Wang Menglan once complained to her sister: “When we first got married and went to work with Qian Jinlai, I was shocked. He would ask for payment every day after finishing work. If the employer didn’t pay in two days, he would stop working.”

Wang Menglan had even complained to her sister: “I don’t mind staying home to take care of the kids, but look at this. If I didn’t follow him, he would cheat people on material costs or labor costs. When the employer asks for certain materials, he’d secretly switch them just to pocket a few dozen yuan in kickbacks.”

If it weren’t for Wang Menglan keeping the books and managing the supplies, Qian Jinlai would never have been able to do business in the county.

Thanks to Wang Menglan’s efforts, they were able to live a good life now.

Over the years, Wang Menglan had become even more fiery after dealing with both work and home. Wang Mengmei had tried to persuade her, but Wang Menglan had her own grievances.

“Your brother-in-law is the type who only thinks about relaxing once he earns money. When he has money, he drinks and plays cards. He doesn’t gamble, but he’s full of laziness.”

“If I don’t scold him, he won’t know how to improve.”

“You don’t know what the people in the town say about me just because I had a daughter. He, on the other hand, goes out, and with money, he acts like a king. If I don’t push him to do better, people’s spitting will drown me.”

“Money is a good thing, you know? As long as you earn money, those nasty words, people will avoid saying them to me.”

Wang Menglan was completely focused on making money, and although she loved her daughter, this love was mixed with a sense of unwillingness and determination to prove herself, which made both Qian Ping and Wang Menglan suffer immensely.

Jian Feng hesitated and asked Wang Mengmei, “So what do we do? Just let him take Pingping away?”

Wang Mengmei raised her eyebrow. “What are you thinking!”

In the past, she might have thought it over carefully, but now, she wouldn’t.

“I earn over a thousand a month, and you want me to let my niece go back to work on the construction site?”

“Forget it, you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll talk to him this afternoon.”

After lunch, Wang Mengmei told Qian Ping that her father, Qian Jinlai, would come to take her this afternoon.

“Pingping, don’t worry too much. Just think about what you want to do.”

“If you still want to study, I’ll find a repeat class for you. Don’t worry about the tuition; your mom won’t pay for it, I will. You can focus on studying for another year. Whether we pass or not, it all depends on this year, and don’t leave any regrets.”

“If you don’t want to study, then you can come with me to run a small stall. You’ve seen how much I earn in a day. If you want to work hard, you can set up your own stall later. Or if you want to find a desk job, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Wang Mengmei patted her niece’s hand. “Actually, I don’t recommend you go back.”

What’s the point of going back? Qian Ping has gone through high school. What common topics would she have with the people in the town? When they talk about quarrels between mother-in-laws and daughters-in-law or infidelity, can Qian Ping engage in those conversations or accept being in such an environment?

Wang Mengmei sighed. “It’s not that I’m being negative, but the reality is like this. If you hadn’t gone through high school, just graduated from middle school, I wouldn’t worry about you fitting in. But since you’ve been through high school, if you can’t make it, what will you do when you go back?”

In the past, she could have been a teacher in the village school, but now the teachers are already full-time staff, and it’s not so easy to get in.

As for the construction site that Qian Jinlai mentioned, that was even more impossible.

Qian Ping’s character had already formed. To put it in Jian Li’s words:

“My sister is too reasonable and gentle, so she definitely won’t last on a construction site.”

Wang Mengmei thought that Qian Jinlai didn’t deserve to be a father. He made decisions about his daughter’s future so lightly, without considering Qian Ping at all.

Qian Ping, listening to Wang Mengmei’s words, was on the verge of tears. “Aunt… I… I still want to study.”

She was unwilling.

She had been studying for eighteen years, and she was unwilling to let it end like this.

If it was because of her own failure, she would accept it.

But Qian Ping always felt that she was just one step away from success.

“If I don’t try once, I’ll die without peace.”

These days, Qian Ping had been struggling. In the end, she decided that if her parents didn’t support her, it didn’t matter. She was determined to give it her all and try again.

Maybe next year, maybe the year after, but anyway, she wanted to study.

Wang Mengmei got her niece’s approval. “Alright, I’ll talk to your dad this afternoon.”

In the afternoon, when Qian Jinlai came over, Wang Mengmei directly told him her plan to have Qian Ping repeat a year.

Qian Jinlai’s face turned livid. “Repeat?”

He glared, but didn’t dare say anything to Wang Mengmei. He focused on Qian Ping. “You, do you want to repeat another year?”

Qian Ping lowered her head, her voice faint like a mosquito’s, “I want to repeat another year.”

Qian Jinlai gritted his teeth. “What if you don’t make it?”

Qian Ping didn’t say anything.

“I’m asking you, do you know how much money you’ll need for one more year of study?”

Wang Mengmei intervened, “Brother-in-law, what are you saying?”

Qian Ping grabbed her aunt’s hand and forced herself to look at her father, her voice still soft but full of determination: “What money have I spent?”

“The five hundred you paid last year to repeat?”

Qian Ping: “In the past three years, I didn’t spend a penny of yours.”

Qian Jinlai was momentarily speechless, then he exploded. “What do you mean? Now you’re trying to make us look bad? How about you admit you failed two years in a row?”

The more Qian Jinlai thought about it, the angrier he got. He almost slammed the table but stopped when he remembered it wasn’t his home. He clenched his fists and gave Qian Ping an ultimatum.

“Are you going or not? If you don’t leave today, I’ll act like I don’t have a daughter. As for repeating, don’t even think about it! We’ve supported you enough. Look at what you’ve achieved after all these years of study. You’re still a fool who only knows how to study!”

She couldn’t study anymore. The more she studied, the more ungrateful she became.

Qian Jinlai regretted it. “I shouldn’t have listened to your mother and let you go to high school.”

Maybe it was this last sentence that broke Qian Ping.

She wiped her tears harshly. “Why didn’t you just strangle me when I was a kid? That would’ve been the end of it, and you wouldn’t even have to send me to elementary school!”

Qian Jinlai was so angry he was panting heavily through his nose.

Wang Mengmei watched in horror, fearing that Qian Jinlai might get so worked up that something bad would happen.

Qian Jinlai finally calmed down and sneered, “Alright, alright!”

Without saying more to his daughter, he stood up, slammed the door, and left.

Wang Mengmei had originally planned to persuade in a gentler way, but in the end, it was still a mess. However, privately, she thought it was better that the words came from Qian Ping instead of her.

Qian Ping muttered to her, “Aunt, I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Wang Mengmei perked up, “What are you saying? It’s better that we talk things out. I’ll give your mom a call and explain.”

Sigh, why wasn’t it her sister handling this? Her sister could persuade well enough, especially when it came to studying.

Qian Ping said, “Aunt, I’ll write an IOU. I’ll definitely repay you for this year’s expenses.”

Wang Mengmei pretended to be angry and slapped her hand, “Still a child, saying such childish things.”

Not to mention that Qian Ping wouldn’t spend much in a year, she might even be earning money now.

With the money from selling noodles this month, it wasn’t even a stretch to say she made a thousand.

Money gives people courage.

Wang Mengmei’s courage had grown.

She called Wang Menglan and persuaded her for over ten minutes. Though Wang Menglan still didn’t give a definite answer, Wang Mengmei knew her sister would eventually soften.

“My sister didn’t go to school because of the whole family back then.”

That night, Wang Mengmei couldn’t sleep and talked to her husband about the past.

“After my mom had us two, she had two younger brothers. Yuedong was several years older, and only after that did she have the youngest, Yuexi.”

It was probably because of having children later that her mom doted on Wang Yuexi like a treasure.

“Back then, both my older sister and I were in school, and my mom said there was too much housework, so one of us had to drop out. To be fair, she made two straw sticks. The longer one would continue school, and the shorter one had to drop out.”

In the end, it was Wang Mengmei who picked the short one and cried loudly.

“Still, my sister took my stick and said she would drop out instead.”

Wang Mengmei’s heart felt heavy.

Although she didn’t study much later on—only through the second year of junior high—her sister got married, and the family lost a helper. Also, to support the two younger brothers’ education, Wang Mengmei also dropped out.

Later, Wang Yuedong also dropped out after junior high to help support his brothers’ schooling.

Of the four siblings, three had an obsession with education.

“I just hope that Pingping can study hard this year. It would also fulfill my sister’s dream.”

When Jian Li found out that Qian Ping was going to repeat the year, she enthusiastically raised her hands in approval.

“Sis, you’re definitely going to make it!”

Qian Ping had trouble sleeping that night, with dark circles under her eyes.

Even she wasn’t sure if another year would be the right decision.

But Jian Li was firm: “You’re definitely going to get into a good university.”

Qian Ping was stunned: “How do you know?”

Even she didn’t dare to make that guarantee. Where did Jian Li’s confidence come from?

Jian Li smiled, “I just know!”

Jian Li thought to herself, wasn’t this a done deal?

Her sister didn’t do well in the past two exams for three reasons: one, the education level in the town was vastly different from the city; two, the learning environment for the past two years was poor; and three, the pressure before the exams was too much.

Jian Li had heard from Wang Yunyun how her aunt treated Qian Ping before the exams.

She would ask her a hundred times a day if she had confidence, and constantly say, “You have to make me proud.”

In that kind of environment, how could anyone do well?

Qian Ping laughed at her cousin’s joke: “Alright, I’ll study hard this year.”

Wang Mengmei found a repeating class for Qian Ping at a cotton mill high school. The tuition for the year was 800.

On top of that, accommodation cost 100, and books and miscellaneous fees were another 100, totaling 1000.

Wang Mengmei’s savings were just enough.

Without hesitation, Wang Mengmei handed over the money to Qian Ping.

Her sister hadn’t agreed yet, but Wang Mengmei couldn’t wait for her sister to come around before enrolling her niece.

Wang Mengmei paid the fees, patted Qian Ping’s shoulder, and said, “Study hard.”

Qian Ping, sniffling, replied, “I know.”

Her aunt was already taking a huge risk to help her.

When no one believed in her, she received such help, and Qian Ping felt that her life was starting to shine again.

She entered the campus and quickly immersed herself in her studies.

In just a few days, Qian Ping noticed the difference between the city school and the town school.

The level of the teachers was one thing—most high school teachers in the city were experienced, especially the teachers in the repeating class, all of whom were quite skilled.

The things Qian Ping didn’t understand before were all explained clearly here.

The teachers didn’t discriminate against her for repeating the year; they asked about her strengths and emphasized the importance of filling in the gaps.

“The school only has six periods a day, and the rest is self-study. You need to make good use of your time and plan your studies well.”

The students in the repeating class didn’t follow the same curriculum as regular senior year students, so the school gave them some autonomy.

The six daily periods were for each subject, and the rest of the time had a teacher supervising the class. During self-study, if students had any questions, they could go ask the teacher.

Qian Ping quickly adapted to the rhythm.

In this environment, she was thrilled to find herself in a new world.

The learning environment is great, and the classmates are easy to get along with.

Although it’s a repeat class, everyone makes light of their hardships, and the atmosphere is actually quite harmonious.

Not long after, Qian Ping found someone to go to the canteen with her. During every meal, the other person would chat with her, gossiping away.

Although Qian Ping doesn’t say much, she is a good listener.

After hearing these little stories that help lighten the mood, they return to the class, and everyone begins to study hard again.

It’s different from when she was in town; she never dared to relax, fearing that the teacher might report her to her second uncle and aunt. When she was in the second year of high school, someone wrote her a love letter. She didn’t even open it, but her second aunt saw it. The news reached her mother’s ears, and Qian Ping was slapped by her mom at home, told she wasn’t self-respecting…

Qian Ping told herself that all of that is in the past. She’s happy here, and her aunt isn’t like her second aunt, always tattling.

Soon, Qian Ping had been at school for a week.

When she went back to her aunt’s house for the weekend, her aunt had prepared a full table of dishes for her.

“After dinner, put your dirty clothes in the washing machine to wash.”

Qian Ping: “…Aunt, did you buy a washing machine?”

Wang Mengmei smiled: “Yes, I just bought it.”

A twin-tub washing machine, from Little Swan, cost seven hundred yuan. Wang Mengmei had been thinking about buying one but hadn’t saved enough money. By the time she finally saved up, Qian Ping had already used the money for tuition.

This time, it was her sister Wang Menglan who gave her two thousand yuan.

She said it with a bit of frustration: “Anyway, this money was meant for her to go abroad. If she doesn’t go, I’ll just use it to support her studies. I’ll see what she can make of it.”

To get this money, Wang Menglan hadn’t mentioned that she and her husband, Qian Jinlai, had a big argument.

They almost said they’d get a divorce. Qian Jinlai didn’t want to give a single cent, but Wang Menglan felt her sister was right.

After arguing for a while, Wang Menglan managed to go against everyone’s opinion and handed the money to her sister.

Wang Mengmei asked if she wanted to visit Qian Ping at school, but Wang Menglan said no.

“It’s the same old story. She seems fine usually, but when it’s exam time, she always falls short.”

Wang Mengmei: “…Sis, stop putting the kid down.”

As parents, how can you always discourage your children?

Wang Menglan waved tiredly: “Do whatever you want, I’m still busy on the construction site. I’ll leave now.”

When Wang Menglan gave the money to Wang Mengmei, she didn’t hide it from Qian Ping.

“Now you can relax, right? Study hard, your mom’s harsh with her words, but she still cares about you.”

Qian Ping responded with an “Mm.”

While Qian Ping got back on track, Wang Mengmei fell back into the busy whirlpool of her work.

She thought about it for a while and decided to formally hire some help. She would pay 150 yuan a month to assist with some chores.

Once the news was out, trouble quickly arrived.

Xu Jianguo and Zhao Xiaopeng both wanted their wives to take the job.

Zhao Xiaopeng came directly to her house.

“Feng Ge, with our relationship, you still don’t trust me? Haixia is very quick with her hands and feet, once she’s there, you won’t have to worry about a thing.”

Jian Feng didn’t speak, feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t want to admit that he had no say in the matter, so he just said, “I’ll talk to your wife about it.”

Zhao Xiaopeng cursed him in his heart but held back his anger, thinking he couldn’t fall out with him.

“Alright, Feng Ge, you talk to your wife. Our family is under a lot of pressure right now. If Haixia can get a job, it will be a big help to me.”

As soon as Zhao Xiaopeng left, Xu Jianguo arrived.

Unlike Zhao Xiaopeng, who was smooth-talking, Xu Jianguo was awkward and blunt.

He was holding a half-pound of sesame oil, and when he entered, he could only say that his wife had sent it over.

Jian Feng, knowing his childhood friend’s temperament, sighed and asked, “Did Sun Yan ask you to come and talk about work?”

Xu Jianguo nodded.

“I’m not the one in charge. Go back and talk to Sun Yan, this still depends on your wife.”

Xu Jianguo said “Oh” and walked out, but not far before he came back.

He was blushing: “Feng Ge, Feng Ge, I’ll take this away now.”

Jian Feng: “…Take it away.”

That half-pound of sesame oil, he could take it whenever he wanted.

Jian Feng felt irritated but also pitied Xu Jianguo.

Out of all his childhood friends, Xu Jianguo was the most downtrodden, always listening to his wife.

Sun Yan would only come when there was something, otherwise, she wouldn’t even care about them.

Xu Jianguo was treated like a grandson at home.

In Xu Jianguo’s family, Sun Yan would say something, and it would be as if that was law. Xu Jianguo couldn’t even speak. If he did, Sun Yan would disregard the people around her and threaten to make a scene.

“Sigh.”

Jian Feng didn’t know what to say, so he just tried to focus on what he should do.

His wife was busy, and he couldn’t sit idly at home. With the factory facing tough times, he could smell the danger and knew he needed to find a backup plan.

Wang Mengmei had also said that since the small stall was making money, Jian Feng didn’t have to be under such pressure and should consider his next step carefully.

After thinking hard, Jian Feng finally made up his mind.

So, that evening, when Qian Ping was having dinner, Jian Feng announced his decision.

“I’m thinking of getting a driver’s license.”