Chapter 36: Of Course, We Should Go to School

The journey from the village to the county by ox-cart took almost two hours. He Zhuzhu and the others were pulling a cart, so their speed would be much slower. If they encountered a queue for selling grain, it was normal for them not to return yet.

Seeing Mingming and Goudan unusually quiet, Wang Shuning guessed they were worried. Unsure when He Zhuzhu would return, she said to them at dinner, “How about you sleep with your sister tonight?”

He Guoyue blinked. They had never slept with anyone other than their mother and grandmother. “Sister Shuning’s bed isn’t as big as my mother’s; it seems too small.”

That bed had once been slept in by He Guoyue’s grandmother, and she knew how big it was.

Wang Shuning didn’t mind. He Zhuzhu wouldn’t be gone all night; she could just bring the children back when she returned. “We can squeeze.”

Goudan and Mingming specially washed themselves. Looking at the bed with its floral cotton quilt, it looked so soft, unlike their own beds.

Wang Shuning’s quilt was brought from home—a new one from last year. Goudan and Mingming’s quilt, however, was a ten-year-old one, its warmth greatly diminished, and naturally, not very soft.

With two extra children, fearing the quilt wouldn’t be large enough to prevent drafts, Wang Shuning took out her summer quilt and placed it on top.

Mingming lay on the bed, not daring to move, unable to fall asleep for a while. After a long time, she whispered, “Sister Shuning.”

Wang Shuning opened her eyes. “What is it?”

Mingming turned to Wang Shuning. “Did Sister Shuning’s brothers and sisters go to school?”

Wang Shuning’s hand, resting on the quilt, moved slightly. “They all went to school. They all graduated from high school. Why do you ask, Mingming?”

Mingming whispered, “My mother said she’ll send my brother and me to school next September.”

Wang Shuning: “Is elementary school tuition very expensive?”

Mingming: “My mother said we only need to pay for textbooks.”

“Then what are you worried about?” Only textbook fees? He Zhuzhu was so frugal, she should be able to afford it.

Mingming said in a low, dejected tone, “If my brother and I go to school, we can’t collect pigweed to earn work points for the family. Mom will be very tired.”

Village children grow up quickly. Six years old is a time for play, but now they have to worry about their family. “Mingming, have you ever thought that your mother is saving so much so that you and Goudan can go to school?”

“But we can’t go to university anymore. Sister Shuning graduated from high school and still had to go to the countryside to farm. Is there any use in going to school? I’m a girl,” Mingming said, puzzled. Since everyone farms, whether or not they go to school shouldn’t matter, it’s just about literacy.

Besides, there were girls in the village who didn’t go to school.

Wang Shuning didn’t expect He Guoyue to say this. He Zhuzhu didn’t discriminate against girls, so why would Mingming think she didn’t need to go to school because she was a girl?

“Sister Shuning is also a girl, and I went to school. I have a sister who also graduated from high school. Not being able to go to university is okay, but people can’t be illiterate. Reading broadens your horizons. Otherwise, if you go to town to eat, you won’t even be able to read the menu.”

“In the city, if you haven’t graduated from junior high school, it’s difficult to find a job. Think about it, the village accountant and scorekeeper have the easiest jobs, but if they can’t read, they can’t do it. It’s because the family conditions are poor that they need to study harder. Your mother must think so too.”

Mingming didn’t speak.

A clearly audible breathing sound came from beside her—Gou Dan. This child would definitely snore when he grew up.

Wang Shuning and He Guoyue continued talking, from school to how city people lived, until the latter fell asleep from exhaustion.

In the middle of the night, someone knocked on the door. “Zhiqing Ning.” It was Aunt Zhu.

Wang Shuning put on her clothes and opened the door. “Mingming and Goudan are asleep.”

He Zhuzhu breathed a sigh of relief. When she got home, she found the two children weren’t in bed and worried, thinking they might be in Wang Shuning’s room, so she knocked on the door in the middle of the night. “Thank you. Your bed is small; I’ll take the children back.”

Wang Shuning agreed.

The un-slept-in bed was very cold. The two children woke up as soon as they lay down. Seeing He Zhuzhu, they became alert. “Mom, you’re back!”

“Mom’s back. Go to sleep,” He Zhuzhu stroked their heads.

The next morning, Wang Shuning carried her bamboo basket to the county.

There were no buses or regularly scheduled ox-carts from the town to the county.

However, some people did odd jobs like hauling people to earn money. Wang Shuning saw two ox-carts in the market, with people standing beside them, presumably waiting.

An old man wearing a woolen hat saw Wang Shuning circling around. “Girl, are you going to the county?”

Wang Shuning admitted, “Yes. How much is it for one person?”

The old man held up five fingers. “Five cents. I’m short one person. Let’s wait a bit.”

Wang Shuning agreed. After a while, the missing person arrived.

Everyone paid and got on. The old man drove the ox-cart forward.

When they reached the county, the old man stopped the ox-cart. “The ox-cart will be here at five o’clock in the afternoon. Don’t be late.”

Everyone replied, “Okay.”

Then the old man drove away. It seemed he wasn’t doing this professionally; he probably had something to do in the county and was taking passengers along the way.

Wang Shuning carried her bamboo basket and asked around for the location of the county’s largest market. She wandered around for almost two hours before finding out the location of the black market.

There were several black markets in Chaoyang County. Wang Shuning went to the nearest one. The alleys here were wide, like roads.

Compared to the market, the people in the black market were dressed very differently; some looked like respectable people with jobs.

Wang Shuning found a gap, opened her bamboo basket, and like other vendors, took out some samples and placed them on the ground for people to see.

There were many people in the black market. In a few minutes, a customer approached. “How much is the brown sugar? Do you want money or coupons?”

Wang Shuning replied, “Both money and coupons are fine. If you pay with coupons, the price can be slightly lower. I take all kinds of coupons.”

The woman was surprised. She takes all kinds of coupons? This girl didn’t look like a coupon speculator.

People selling things usually want one or two types of coupons. Those who take all kinds usually have ways to get rid of the coupons they have.

“Do you have five jin of brown sugar? And give me ten apples.” The woman saw that the apples were bright red and thought they must be sweet.

“I have five jin.” Wang Shuning took out the brown sugar and apples from the bamboo basket. After weighing them, there were no problems, and the other party prepared to pay.

The woman took out a small stack of coupons from her pocket, picked seven or eight, and handed them to Wang Shuning. “You know the price, right? Calculate if it’s correct.”

For ordinary coupons like soap coupons, grain coupons, oil coupons, and meat coupons, the price difference was small. Wang Shuning took out a conversion sheet from her pocket to compare. She had obtained it in the market; there were too many types of coupons, and she couldn’t remember the prices all at once.

Seeing that she still needed to check the paper, the woman smiled. “Girl, you’re a newbie. You haven’t been doing this for long, have you?”