Chapter 123

In the evening, Xiao Zhuzi and Xiao Yu both refused to leave. The six kids insisted on squeezing onto one bed, looking like a row of sausages, so tightly packed that they couldn’t even turn over.

As the night was too cold and there weren’t enough blankets, the adults couldn’t resist the kids’ demands. Zhou Yuhua and Yali had to go home and bring the children’s blankets.

When the blankets were finally laid out, there wasn’t even a tiny gap left. Su Xiaoxiao had to discuss with Xiao Doubao, “This bed is too crowded. Xiao Doubao, would you like to sleep with Mom and Dad and your siblings?”

Xiao Doubao indeed wasn’t comfortable sleeping there and nodded obediently, “Okay~~~” reaching out for his mom to carry him.

Su Xiaoxiao lifted Xiao Doubao, allowing the other five kids to lie down comfortably.

Zhou Yuhua patted his son’s bottom and said, “Look at you, little rascal, taking Xiao Doubao’s spot.”

Xiao Yu reached out his hands to Xiao Doubao and said, “Xiao Doubao, come to Big Brother Xiao Yu’s arms. Big brother will let you sleep in his arms!”

Xiao Doubao hugged his mother’s neck and shook his head. “I want to sleep with my younger brother and sister~~”

Su Xiaoxiao rubbed the baby’s head and said to Zhou Yuhua, “It’s rare to gather so many little friends. Let them just squeeze together a bit.”

These three families had a good relationship. The five older kids were just a year or two apart in age and similar in height and build. It is really rare to have such childhood friends who you can grow up together with, and it’s worth cherishing each opportunity to grow up together.

Zhou Yuhua thought for a moment and said, “You don’t have enough beds for Xiao Roubao when he grows up. I have many empty beds at my house. After the 15th day of the first lunar month, I’ll ask Xiao Du to move one over.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “Xiao Roubao can still sleep with his brothers for at least one or two more years. He usually only sleeps with Fantuan and Doubao. Even if Xiao Zhuzi comes back to sleep, it’s enough. Let’s wait until next year.”

Xiao Fantuan asked, “Mom, what about my younger sister? Can’t she sleep with us?”

Xiao Zhuzi said, “My younger sister is a girl, of course, she can’t share a bed with us, boys.”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “Xiao Zhuzi is right. When your sister gets older, we will let her sleep in a separate room. The room across is big; by then, we can turn it into two rooms, and your Grandma and Grandpa can stay there when they visit.”

“Alright, if you need beds, just move them from my place. Don’t waste money buying them.” Zhou Yuhua patted his son’s bottom. “Be careful when sleeping, don’t crush Xiao Fantuan.”

Xiao Yu, this stinky kid, likes to play with Fantuan and the others the most. 

He either clamored to be his Uncle Han’s godson or ate the food cooked by his Aunt Su all day long. He wants to live here every day and not go back. Zhou Yuhua seriously considered having a sweet and beautiful daughter like Xiao Tangyuan with Zhao Xianfeng at night so that she wouldn’t have to deal with Xiao Yu’s troublesome behavior.

Yali doesn’t mind much. Su Xiaoxiao is like a second mother to Xiao Zhuzi. In her opinion, without them, there would be no obedient and happy Zhuz now. She thinks it’s only natural for Zhuzi to be close to them.

Han Cheng’s rest day on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year was rescheduled to the fifteenth day because the kids, Dabao and Xiaobao, were going back to school tomorrow. Han Cheng wanted to spend his day off at home to accompany them.

Xiao Doubao’s puzzle was torn apart by his younger brother. Both Han Cheng and Xiao Fantuan made a new one for him. This time, Han Cheng made it harder with stronger cardboard so that even if Xiao Roubao played with it, it wouldn’t get torn. However, Xiao Roubao, who loves to eat anything, keeps stuffing everything into his mouth. Su Xiaoxiao told Xiao Doubao not to let his younger brother play with it.

Xiao Doubao put the jigsaw puzzles made by his father and brother into his little chicken backpack, not allowing his younger brother to play with them.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao are both used to life at their aunt’s house. Not to mention their younger siblings, Xiao Yu, Dun Dun, and Xiao Houzi. They all love it so much that they are reluctant to return home.

Su Xiaoxiao finished the stage background design draft of the Lantern Festival Gala before the Chinese New Year. Around ten in the morning, someone from the Publicity Department came to invite her to check the site, saying that there was a last-minute issue.

Han Cheng was on vacation, taking care of the children at home, while Su Xiaoxiao followed the comrades from the publicity department.

Upon arriving at the scene, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t notice any issues. She saw the Minister of Propaganda smiling at her and saying, “Comrade Su, we know Director Han is on vacation today, and we made an excuse to invite you over. Do you mind?”

Su Xiaoxiao: “…”

She minds very much. There are a lot of things she needs to do at home, but she can only politely ask, “Is there something the minister wants to discuss?”

The minister said again, “Comrade Su, it’s like this. I will be transferred to another place after the Chinese New Year. This is Minister Jiang, who has just been transferred from the capital to take over my position. I am very satisfied with your design and would like to meet you in person. You know how people like to gossip, so we found this excuse to avoid unnecessary rumors. I hope you understand.”

Su Xiaoxiao understood and nodded at the leader wearing glasses. “Hello, Minister Jiang, I am Su Xiaoxiao.”

Director Jiang adjusted his thick glasses and looked at Su Xiaoxiao in a very gentlemanly manner. “Hello, Comrade Su Xiaoxiao.” Then he asked the person next to him, “Doesn’t she look like her, right?”

Xiao Liang shook his head and said, “She doesn’t look like them.”

Su Xiaoxiao blinked, not knowing what riddle they were playing.

Minister Jiang smiled and said: “It’s like this. A few days ago, I passed by your doorstep and happened to meet a few children from your family. They left a deep impression with their joyful couplets. Later, I met them on the beach where they kindly treated me to roasted sweet potatoes and even cleaned up after themselves. They’re very well-mannered kids. At that time, I thought about what kind of family could raise such children. When I came back, I casually asked and found out it was your child.”

Su Xiaoxiao had no idea that the new minister had such a connection with their children, so she smiled and said, “It’s not just the adults’ effort; they are all good kids and don’t need much teaching.”

Minister Jiang knew she was being modest. As the saying goes, “Jade requires sculpting to become a gem.” Without the correct guidance from parents, such children couldn’t be nurtured. Those children were not just well-mannered due to upbringing; their demeanor, behavior, and attire—it was evident they were meticulously cultivated.

Minister Jiang didn’t beat around the bush with her and said directly, “It’s like this: I want to find a few children for a promotional campaign on popularizing education among school-age children. Your kids are excellent at writing and drawing, and they’re all good role models for children. Could you get them involved in this promotional campaign?”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t have imagined that this newly appointed official had this idea. To be honest, in this era where everyone was concerned about their own safety and intellectuals were being re-educated by the peasants, many people didn’t pay much attention to their children’s education.

Rural parents hoped their children would grow up quickly to work in the fields and earn work points, while urban parents wished for their children to finish high school early to secure good job positions. University admissions for workers, peasants, and soldiers were limited, making it difficult for ordinary people to attend. No wonder parents didn’t prioritize their children’s education.

The educational atmosphere in the military region is already excellent, but most people still believe that ideological education is more important than academic knowledge and culture. Sometimes, when buying something or being inspected by the Red Armband, you might have to recite quotations. Some parents kept their school-age children at home to help with household chores instead of sending them to school. However, ideological education, quoting various slogans and principles, was always emphasized.

Xiao Fantuan is a special case. He’s a very smart child, whether he attended school or not, he always ranked first in his grade. But others weren’t like him.

It seems that this new leader is someone who places great emphasis on knowledge and cultural education, which is quite rare during this period. The educational propaganda work was undoubtedly crucial, but it was apparent that Xiao Fantuan wasn’t a suitable candidate.

“Mr. Jiang, you may not be very familiar with our child’s situation. My eldest son, Xiao Fantuan, is indeed very smart. He jumped to third grade at the age of seven and was able to maintain his first place in the third grade. In order to help me take care of his younger brother and sister, he voluntarily applied for half-day school to help take care of his younger siblings. So, if you ask him to participate in this campaign, it might not be persuasive because he already attends half-day school.”

Minister Jiang never expected this, and others didn’t explain it to him so carefully: “He entered third grade at the age of seven.”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “This is not the point. The point is that he only attends class for half a day. How can he persuade others to go to school? The other two children are my brother’s sons. They have to go back to school tomorrow. My younger son is not yet four years old and barely knows a few characters. Zhang Hongtu’s son, Zhang Zhu, is like my elder son, he skipped third grade, and he’s good at writing and drawing. He’s the only suitable candidate.”

“Not at all, he’s suitable, just right.” Minister Jiang immediately waved his hand and said, “Comrade Su Xiaoxiao, I won’t hide it from you. Knowledge education is likely to be emphasized soon. It’s crucial to start with young children. What more reason other children can make them stay home and not attend school when Fantuan, an exceptionally intelligent child, consistently achieves the top position in the grade after skipping a grade and attending classes for only half a day?

Su Xiaoxiao: “…” She found herself unable to refute.

Minister Jiang continued, “Therefore, your child is the most suitable. Your younger son’s childish drawings are also very interesting. We’ll involve him in drawing when the time comes.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “???” Why does this new leader seem so unreliable? Her Xiao Doubao at home might be the best in her eyes, but in the eyes of outsiders, it shouldn’t be so great that he can participate in writing promotional brochures, right?

However, Minister Jiang became more and more excited as he spoke and said to himself, “That’s settled then. I’ll arrange the main framework, and I’ll have them all involved. I believe it will be very successful.”

Minister Jiang shook Su Xiaoxiao’s hand and said, “Comrade Su Xiaoxiao, thank you. Thank you for nurturing your children so well. These children are the future of our country, and they will all be pillars of our country in the future. That’s great, great.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “???” She looked at the former minister, wondering if there was an issue with the new leader. Why does he need to thank me for raising my child?

Xiao Liang sensed Su Xiaoxiao’s confusion and explained, “Comrade Su, before joining the army, Minister Jiang was a school principal for ten years. He places a great emphasis on children’s education issues. Whenever he sees promising talents, he can’t help but feel happy. Please don’t mind. Besides, this matter isn’t so urgent. We need to report it to the organization first, and with this back-and-forth, it will likely drag on until summer vacation. The kids will have time during the break, and it could be a form of exercise for them.”

Su Xiaoxiao understood. This Comrade Xiaoliang looks quite reliable.

“I’ll go home first and ask the children for their opinions. If they’re interested and willing to participate, I won’t object. But if they’re not interested, I won’t force them. In our family, we’ve always let the children’s interests lead, not compelling them to do things they don’t like. I hope you can understand that,” Su Xiaoxiao said.

Minister Jiang was even happier upon hearing this and said, “Yes, yes. As parents, we must educate our children in this way. We must understand and respect them. When children grow up feeling respected, they will have self-esteem and resilience. No wonder your family can raise such good children. You and your husband are truly excellent comrades, outstanding comrades!”

Before Su Xiaoxiao left, Minister Jiang stuffed her with a bag of things and asked her to bring it back for the children to eat.

Su Xiaoxiao returned home with a mind full of question marks. She had a premonition that her future work in the publicity department would not be as idle as before.

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Notlucia: Hello everyone, I’m back! I kinda disappeared for a month, huh? No updates or anything. My bad for ghosting like that! I promise to make it up to you all this January. Oh, almost forgot – HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing y’all a year full of happiness and success, not just this year but for the years ahead too!!

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