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Zhu Qiyu simply ignored Han Cui’s words. “It’s fine. We don’t eat much. We’ll have porridge if you have it, and we’ll eat dry rations if you have those. We won’t consume much of your grain. Otherwise, your father and I can just go back, saving you both the trouble.”
Han Cui shot her husband a resentful glance, and Wang Zhenjiang wisely chose not to speak at this moment.
“Mom, please come inside quickly. We’re about to have dinner. But we didn’t know your coming tonight. You can just have some porridge. Let’s not compete with the children; they’re still growing,” Wang Zhenjiang said.
Following behind were the couple’s two children, who were both big eaters. Wang Zhenjiang knew that if they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, their grain wouldn’t be enough to fill their bottomless pits.
Wang Deshan, seeing the old lady enter the house, grumbled discontentedly, “What are you doing here? Go back home. Why are you following us? You’re just causing trouble.”
Zhu Qiyu’s demeanor changed, and she smiled even more. “Old man, I’m just here to see you. How did we end up separating in our old age? I don’t want to be apart from you. Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
Wang Deshan felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing her words. The old lady had never spoken like this before. Today, she seemed to have gone mad.
However, as long as they didn’t live together, he didn’t care about the rest. After all, there were still the second son and his wife. They would have their ways to deal with them if they were unwilling.
In the kitchen, Han Cui was also busy. She took out the pancakes she had prepared for the evening and gave them to her children to eat in another room. On the table by the kang, she prepared a pancake for the old father. She hid away the rest of the pancakes and served a bowl of porridge and a basin of pickled vegetables.
Seeing this arrangement, the old lady, Wang Zhi, and Wang Zhenguo understood that they were not welcome. However, none of them said anything. They would eat whatever was served. After all, that’s what their mother had said.
Wang Deshan didn’t know what to say when he saw the single corn pancake. As long as he had something to eat, he was oblivious to everything else.
“Dad, this pancake is specially prepared for you as an elderly person. Please don’t be polite. Enjoy your meal,” Han Cui said as she handed the only corn pancake to the old father. Meanwhile, the couple quickly drank their porridge. Wang Zhenguo and Wang Zhi didn’t even touch the dishes. They just held their bowls and drank the porridge as fast as they could. If they ate slowly, there might not be enough porridge for them.
“Mom, take your time with your meal,” Han Cui said after swallowing her porridge.
“Second son’s family, you must make some dry rations for your mother tomorrow. Otherwise, I can’t bear to go hungry. If your mother starves to death, have you thought about how the villagers will react? Remember to bring us more food tomorrow,” Zhu Qiyu demanded. However, Han Cui refused to comply. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and said, “Mom, what are you implying? If you want to eat at our house, bring your own food. I can cook for you every day without any problem. But if you plan to eat like this every day, don’t blame me for being unfilial. I don’t have enough to feed you. If you want to eat, go back to your own home.”
Zhu Qiyu remained calm and smiling. She said, “Daughter-in-law, I don’t want this either. Look, your father is talking about splitting up. What can I do? But if you can persuade your father to come back, I won’t trouble you. Also, if you can provide for your father’s old age, why not do the same for me? This reasoning is sound, isn’t it? Think about it. Let’s not make things unpleasant for everyone. It won’t benefit anyone.”
Wang Deshan remained silent, not wanting to listen or think about anything.
Han Cui had now experienced the strength of Zhu Qiyu. She had initially wanted to take advantage, but it seemed that it wasn’t so easy. Otherwise, the old father wouldn’t have been taken away so easily. The hot potato was now in her hands.
“Mom, it seems like you’re implying that we’re keeping Dad from going back. Ask Dad if he wants to go back. If he agrees, we won’t stop him,” Han Cui shifted the responsibility to Wang Deshan. Zhu Qiyu glanced at her husband, who remained silent, and said, “Daughter-in-law, if your father doesn’t want to go back, I won’t force him. From now on, you must prepare the meals. We’ll come over to eat at meal times. Zhenguo, Zhi, let’s go back.”
When Han Cui turned around and saw the empty bowl, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. She hadn’t even had a chance to eat, and the entire bowl of porridge was gone. The appetite of her family members was insatiable. Han Cui was at a loss for words. She had no choice but to accept the situation.
Zhang Lan and the others only heard from Wang Juan the next day that the old lady had gone to the second uncle’s house for dinner. Hao Lianchun couldn’t stop smiling when she heard the news.
“Lan, look at that old lady. She’s quite clever. This time, she didn’t argue with anyone. She just ate. Let’s see how your second brother’s family handles her. This old lady is really something,” Hao Lianchun remarked.
Wang Qian smiled and added, “Grandma Zuo, I think my grandmother’s talents have gone to waste. In the past, she would have been a great underground party member. It’s a shame to waste such talent.”
As for the situation at Wang Zhenjiang’s house, they no longer paid attention. They just kept to themselves.
At noon, Zuo Zhanshan and Old Wu returned with some troubling news. People had started causing trouble, desecrating temples, vandalizing graves, and burning books related to Confucius. Everyone had begun to oppose anything related to Confucius.
However, these events had little impact on the Wang family, and everyone continued with their own affairs. Mingcheng and the others’ advancement and grade-skipping matters were taken to Mr. Liu, a teacher living in a nearby village, for assistance.
The middle school principal was a former classmate of Mr. Liu, so as long as Mr. Liu intervened, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Even the experienced teacher was surprised to hear that the Wang children were collectively skipping grades after so many years of teaching.
“Zhenhe, have you thought this through? Falling behind after skipping grades can affect the children’s studies,” Mr. Liu expressed his concerns. Although he knew that these students were good learners, he had never seen anything like this before.
“Mr. Liu, please proceed. I believe they will be fine,” Wang Zhenhe replied confidently.
Seeing Wang Zhenhe’s assurance, Mr. Liu took the children directly to meet his former classmate.
After the middle school principal tested the two children, their results were unexpectedly outstanding. “Old classmate, you’ve brought me some excellent seedlings this time. Their performance after skipping grades is exceptional. I’m truly surprised. I’ll accept these two. When the new school year begins, have the siblings come to see me directly. I’ll arrange for teachers for them. If you come across more students like this in the future, be sure to let me know. Don’t let such talented students slip away,” Principal Lin Yongjian said.
Mr. Liu understood what Principal Lin meant. Over the years, many talented students had been overlooked. Seeing these two children, he suddenly felt a sense of regret for not nurturing talent.
“Alright, old classmate, they have siblings as well, and they have also skipped grades. I believe you will encounter more cases like this in the future. I think all the children in this family are quite remarkable. Please arrange for them to have better teachers. When the students succeed, it will also reflect well on you as the principal,” Mr. Liu said.
With Mingcheng and the others’ matters settled, it was now easy to handle Mingyuan’s situation. Mr. Liu took charge of them at the school. However, Liu Sulan was also delighted to see these results. She had gained two talented students.
“Mr. Liu, please remember, there is still a younger sister in their family. When autumn comes, make sure she comes to school. I’m sure that girl won’t disappoint. If there are any financial difficulties at home, we must ensure that she can attend school, even if it means reducing fees. That little girl is destined for success,” Liu Sulan emphasized.
Wang Qian had left a deep impression on Liu Su Lan. She couldn’t imagine how the little girl’s future would unfold, but such a promising student must not be deprived of an education. Although many children were not attending school, Wang Qian was determined to bring her to school.
“Mom, we’ve arranged everything today. I’ll be on my last year in elementary from now on. Hehe. Brother, you’ll be a junior high school student. You can go to school with our cousins,” Mingyuan excitedly reported the good news. With all the children’s matters settled, the couple finally felt at ease.
The work of digging tunnels resumed, and this time Wang Zhenhe couldn’t escape. He also went to work at the construction site. Zhang Lan prepared his belongings and repeatedly reminded him.
“Zhenhe, be careful when digging the tunnel, and stay far away when setting off explosives. There were injuries last year. Please take care of yourself for our sake,” Zhang Lan repeatedly cautioned before sending her husband off to work.
With one less person at home, Wang Qian felt a sense of emptiness. Tomorrow, Mingcheng and the others would be starting school, and the house would become increasingly empty.
Seeing her siblings packing their school bags, Wang Qian walked over to Wang Xuan with a sense of loneliness. “Sis, be careful when you start junior high. If any classmates bully you, tell our older brother and me. We’ll stand up for you.”
Wang Qian now felt a bit lonely. When Mingcheng and the others were at home, they used to play and have fun together. Suddenly, with the start of the school year, she found it hard to adjust.