Chapter 48

Finally, Jiang Xi took the ten yuan and pulled out a pen from the package, handing it over. Only then did Pei Hejun stop staring.

Jiang Xi laughed and wanted to tease Pei Hejun more but quickly finished her meal.

After dinner, she needed to help her younger sisters with their homework.

Even though they didn’t need much help in first grade, she couldn’t just let them be. Seeing how parents in later generations tutored their children like nannies made her feel she should be involved.

So, she just sat and watched.

Jiang Mi’s homework was fine; all first graders wrote in big characters.

Jiang Xi just needed to ensure Jiang Mi didn’t lower her head too much, which could affect her eyesight.

Jiang Yu had some problems and asked one or two questions, but mostly did her homework independently. After finishing, Jiang Xi asked, “Anything else?”

“Read the text. The teacher said we have to read it three times,” Jiang Yu answered immediately.

Jiang Mi hesitated and didn’t say anything.

Jiang Xi wasn’t annoyed and looked at her with a smile.

Jiang Mi bowed her head resignedly and whispered, “It’s also reading the text.”

Jiang Xi clapped her hands. “Why are you still standing there? Read on, I’m listening.”

The two children held their books and started reading. One read haltingly, the other fluently, but…

“Wait, why are you reading in dialect?” Jiang Xi stopped them after listening twice.

Jiang Yu was confused. “No, it’s in Mandarin.”

Jiang Xi didn’t believe it. She took the book, pointed at the word “bo” in “sowing,” and asked, “How do you read this word?”

Jiang Yu pronounced it in the dialect version, but the correct Mandarin pronunciation for “种” (sow) is “zhong.”

Jiang Xi was silent for a moment, then explained, “This word is pronounced ‘zhong.’ Both ‘sowing’ and ‘broadcasting’ use this pronunciation. Don’t mispronounce it next time.”

Jiang Yu immediately corrected herself. “Yes, I know. It means to sow seeds.”

She trusted her older sister and naturally corrected her pronunciation.

Jiang Xi watched her read again. The word “zhong” was corrected, but many other words were still pronounced in the dialect. It sounded like “plastic Mandarin.”

She didn’t push further but thought about the class content in the original owner’s memory.

It seemed rural teachers at that time were all like this.

Because students spoke their own dialects, it was easy to use “plastic Mandarin” for textbooks occasionally. The original owner had done the same.

Jiang Xi used the original owner’s dialect in real life, so she hadn’t noticed.

It was okay, really. It was common.

But it reminded Jiang Xi that educational resources in rural areas were poor at that time and would remain so for decades. She remembered that two of the primary school teachers were educated youth, and the rest had only attended primary school before teaching.

During the original owner’s schooling, there were more excellent teachers due to favorable policies and the college entrance examination. However, some teachers were reported by students and resigned out of fear.

Now, the teachers were all new. They were neither good nor bad, only barely able to teach.

Jiang Xi rubbed her head, feeling helpless.

Where could they find teachers who could teach in pure Mandarin at this time?

After listening to her sisters read, Jiang Xi went back to her room. Her face was not very pleasant. Pei Hejun saw her and hurried to ask, “What’s wrong? Didn’t they do their homework well?”

Jiang Xi shook her head. “No, I just noticed that the teaching ability of the teachers here seems insufficient.”

After all, there is no college entrance examination now, and studying isn’t taken seriously. If factory workers didn’t need a junior high school education, even fewer people would study.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault given the current environment, but Jiang Xi knew the college entrance examination would be resumed in a few years.

Pei Hejun sat beside her, fanning her with a fan. He said tentatively, “In the military region schools, elementary school teachers are all junior high school graduates, and junior high school teachers are at least high school graduates, which is pretty good.”

Jiang Xi was intrigued and looked at him.

Pei Hejun tilted his head slightly, revealing a slightly flushed cheek. “I’m serious.”

Jiang Xi smiled. “I know.”

She considered taking her two sisters with her and leaving here.

It seemed like a good idea?

But should they leave Pei’s parents behind?

And if the whole family left, would there be enough room to live there?

While Jiang Xi was thinking, Zhang Hu’s voice suddenly shouted, “Big sister, come out!”

_

When Jiang Xi and Pei Hejun went outside, they saw Zhang Hu, his wife ^[1]refers to the original owner’s aunt., and the original owner’s grandmother standing at the gate of Pei’s yard, shouting angrily.

Since Zhang Hu was driven out by Jiang Xi before, he hadn’t come back. They didn’t expect him to show up now.

The whole family was there.

The two boys who had been kicked and hit by Jiang Xi were gasping for breath, their eyes red as if they had been badly beaten.

Seeing Jiang Xi come out, the two boys immediately started shouting, “Grandma, she beat me! She even kicked me!”

The old lady, called out by the boys, looked very stern and shouted, “Big sister, come here quickly!”

Zhang Hu and his wife glared at Jiang Xi as if she were their enemy: “Sister, even if you don’t see me as your uncle, we’re still family. How could you beat up your cousins?! Who taught you to do this? How old are you?!”

Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi, hearing the noise, ran out. Seeing what happened, their faces turned pale. They didn’t dare approach and hid behind Jiang Xi, weakly asking, “Sister, what should we do?”

Seeing Jiang Xi standing still, the old lady’s expression grew darker: “Big sister, second sister, third sister! Are you going to make a scene?!”

Mother Pei, noting the elder’s authority, tried to calm things down with a smile: “What’s the fuss? It’s just a fight between kids.”

The old lady retorted sarcastically, “What do you mean, just a fight? How old is the eldest sister? How old are her cousins? How could she do that to them!”

Jiang Xi replied with a sneer, “I did it! They were bullying my sisters every day at school, so they deserved it. What else do you want? Who do you think you are? You came here knowing I don’t recognize you? Did you even ask what your sons did? Do you have the nerve to come here like this?”

The old lady, enraged, pointed at Jiang Xi: “You! Sister, who gave you the courage to talk to me like that?”

Mother Pei was shocked by Jiang Xi’s boldness and quickly pulled her aside, saying, “Xiaoxi, don’t make a scene.”

Jiang Xi smiled, shrugged off her hands, and said to the old lady, “My father gave me the courage. Grandma, what’s the matter? Do you want to speak with my father?”

The old lady was stunned into silence and nearly fell over from anger, shouting, “Okay, don’t give me a chance, or I’ll beat these two troublemakers to death!”

Jiang Xi responded fiercely, “Okay, don’t give me a chance, or I’ll make sure your two sons become eunuchs^[2]refers to men who have been castrated, meaning they have had their testicles removed or are otherwise rendered unable to reproduce.!”

The old lady, overwhelmed, almost fainted.

Zhang Hu quickly supported his mother and glared at Jiang Xi, angered by her boldness and harshness. He gritted his teeth and said, “Sister, what’s the point of this? You beat up my sons. We came here to ask for an explanation!”

“Did you even ask why I beat them?” Jiang Xi asked coldly. “If not, ask me now. Find out why before you decide if I was right or wrong!”

Zhang Hu’s eyes darted to his sons, who were looking down in guilt. Despite knowing what had happened, Zhang Hu stubbornly said, “Can’t you just talk things over? My sons are hurt. Look at their knees and torn clothes. You need to compensate us!”

Jiang Xi shrugged and said, “No!”

Zhang Hu, furious, almost threw his mother aside. He sneered, “Fine, I’ll make you regret this. You’ll be begging us for forgiveness soon enough.”

He supported his mother and told his wife to take their sons and leave: “Let’s go. They’ll come to apologize next time.”

Despite the old lady’s reluctance and threats, Zhang Hu dragged her away. He felt it was pointless to continue the argument since Jiang Xi was now seen as cruel and unreasonable.

After leaving Pei Village, Zhang Hu said, “Mom, don’t worry. They’ll send money soon. Eldest sister cares about these two girls.”

The old lady asked suspiciously, “Why?”

Zhang Hu smiled grimly and said, “Next time, tell them to hit the girls at school. Hit them hard so they know they’re wrong!”

The two boys’ eyes brightened: “Okay!”

“What’s the point of hitting them?” one asked.

“I’ll buy you popsicles,” Zhang Hu said with a smile.

The old lady grumbled about Zhang Hu’s gambling losses but quickly stopped when she saw his reaction.

_

Meanwhile, Jiang Xi guessed Zhang Hu’s plan and knew that their threats would lead to more trouble. She understood that the two boys wouldn’t learn their lesson from a few hits. 

Jiang Xi knew she needed to be tough but also had to be smart. She didn’t want to resort to violence but had to ensure her sisters’ safety.

Pei Hejun, realizing the gravity of the situation, suggested, “Should I pick them up from school every day?”

Jiang Xi shook her head: “You can’t guard against everything all the time. Those boys are tough, and hitting them won’t solve the problem. We need a more effective strategy.”

Pei Hejun advised, “Just don’t repeat the violence.”

Jiang Xi smiled and assured him, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

She then turned to Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi, giving them candy and saying, “Take this and give it to your strong friends at school. Ask them to protect you. If those boys come after you, let your friends deal with them. If they help you, each one will get two candies.”

Jiang Yu, Jiang Mi: “?”

“Is this possible?”

They both nodded solemnly: “Remember!”