Chapter 472: Chapter 472

"The elementary school in our village is about to start the new term, so I’m here with Mai Guinv to register your child for school."

"Oh," Guihua smiled and said, "In our family, only Little Zhuzi is going to school. He’s starting second grade. Please register him." As she spoke, she curiously looked at Mai Qiqi, thinking that Mai Qiqi’s clothes were really pretty.

Mai Qiqi blinked and just as Huang Yan had mentioned earlier that their family had two daughters and a son, she indeed heard Huang Yan ask, "I remember your two girls aren’t that old, they’re not of age for junior high yet, right?"

Guihua let out a "heh" without much concern, "Girls don’t like going to school. Two years of schooling and learning a few characters are enough."

Huang Yan put down the pen in her hand and earnestly said, "Guihua sister, nowadays the country has implemented compulsory education. No matter if it’s boys or girls, all must go to school."

Guihua became slightly displeased and said, "My family doesn’t have that much money to afford schooling for two girls. My daughters need to work."

Mai Qiqi took a deep breath and couldn’t help asking, "Why haven’t I seen your three children?"

Guihua didn’t expect Mai Qiqi to ask this, she paused, then pointed towards the door of the house, "They’re inside."

"Oh, can I meet them? Could you please call them out?" Mai Qiqi asked politely with a smile.

Coming to her senses, Guihua smiled and said, "Girl, it’s no use meeting them. Those two girls of mine aren’t good at studying. If they were good at it, I’d definitely let them continue to study. I’d go as far as to sell pots and scrap for their education. But with their brains, studying is just wasting money. They might as well help out at home."

Mai Qiqi asked, "What about their future then? Have you thought about what they’ll do?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel★fire.net

Perhaps because the tone of her question was a bit direct, Guihua did not want to lose her temper at her and just glanced at Huang Yan, and said unhappily, "What future can rural girls hope for? When they grow up, they just get married. If the man is capable, they follow him to work outside, no need to toil in the loess."

So sad! Mai Qiqi felt sorrow for Guihua and for people who shared the same mindset as her.

She keenly spotted two girls standing at the door of the house, and she raised her voice, "Girls can also lead wonderful lives, like me. I studied at a university in the Capital City, went abroad for further studies after college, and upon returning from my studies abroad, I could join many companies. One company offered me a salary of fifty thousand yuan per month."

The company offering fifty thousand yuan was one that her uncle owned, but that was not necessary to mention.

"If I hadn’t pursued education, just like you, I couldn’t help toiling in the loess. An entire family wouldn’t even earn ten thousand a year. At best, I could go out to work, but I’d only be able to get into small factories, be exploited by others, and earn a mere one to two thousand yuan a month after exhausting work."

"What do you say is better, to study or not to study?"

Huang Yan and Guihua were both stunned by Mai Qiqi’s words, and they could barely imagine earning fifty thousand a month – how wealthy that must be!

Huang Yan was slightly better off. As a teacher in the county town for over a decade, she knew that salaries in big cities were high, but she had not imagined they could be this high.

As for Guihua, she was completely like a frog in a well. Fifty thousand! And per month! She couldn’t imagine; in their rural area, it would take several years to save that amount.

"Then... then what, if my daughter goes to school, can she also earn... fifty thousand a month in the future?"

Mai Qiqi silently gave a ’V’ sign in her heart and smiled, "I can’t guarantee that, but certainly, she would earn more than if she didn’t study. If your daughter earns more in the future, she can also help your son, right? And she’d be able to honor both of you as parents even more."

She realized that Guihua obviously favored sons over daughters, so she added a bit of persuasion, "Who knows about the future."

Guihua was swayed, but not entirely, hesitatingly she said, "That... I’ll think about it, I need to discuss it with my husband."

Hearing this, Huang Yan also became cheerful. She thought having Mai Qiqi around was indeed useful, as both she and her father hoped the village children would study more. So she smiled and said:

"Okay, Guihua, think about it carefully. If in the future both of your girls manage to get an education and work in a big city, they might even be able to bring you and your brother to the big city to live. You can’t be penny wise and pound foolish, ruining your whole life for saving in the short term—it’s your children we’re talking about. If they do well, so will you."

Guihua gave a smile but did not respond as her mind was in turmoil, all because of that ’fifty thousand’.

After leaving the house, Huang Yan praised Mai Qiqi with a smile a few steps later: "Qiqi, well done."

"It’s nothing, as long as it really works it’s good." Mai Qiqi didn’t sound very upbeat.

After a while, Huang Yan couldn’t help but ask: "Is it really fifty thousand a month?"

Mai Qiqi smiled, "It depends on the major. Graduates from top universities working in finance and IT sectors might earn a bit more. For others, it depends on luck. Once someone gains more experience and enhances their ability, they’ll earn even more. After about five or six years in the field, when they’ve moved up the ladder, it’ll be more than fifty thousand."

Huang Yan sighed: "I really envy you guys who graduated from genuine top universities. I only went to a tier-three college and now I can just teach in a small county town."

Mai Qiqi just smiled and did not speak; everyone has their own path in life, none exactly alike.

The two of them continued their visits. Most farming households were quite enthusiastic about education; whether it was a daughter or son, they all hoped their children could find a better path and not end up like their parents, toiling in the fields and dependent on the whims of the sky for their livelihood.

However, some families indeed faced difficulties. For example, the family of Zhang Qingshan at the north end of the village, who had injured his leg working in the city a few years ago, resulting in an amputation. The family was still in debt and struggling, barely able to farm, and often in need of medication.

They had three children, all sensible and hardworking in their studies.

Zhang Qingshan’s wife pleaded: "Yanzi, can the tuition be deferred until after the harvest? We could pay once we sell the crop, just let the kids go to school first?"

Huang Yan sighed, "Let the kids go to school first. As for the fees, take your time to gather the amount."

"Oh, thank you, Yanzi, you’re such a good person." Zhang Qingshan’s wife was very grateful, immediately calling out to the three children, "Quick, pick a few muskmelons from the field for Mr. Huang and this teacher to eat."

The household didn’t have much else they could offer as a gift, but as luck would have it, the muskmelons in the yard were ripe.

Swallowing hard, the three children of the Zhangs immediately went to pick the melons.

Mai Qiqi quickly grabbed the smallest child, who was running slower, and told the Zhangs, "No need, no melons. The school has rules against taking things from the students’ families."

But the eldest of the Zhangs had already picked the biggest one and looked timidly towards Mai Qiqi with the melon in both hands.

Huang Yan also hurriedly gestured, "Let the children eat the melons, we grow them in my home too. The school indeed has rules; we’re not allowed to accept things from students’ families, please don’t make us break them."

After eventually persuading the Zhangs, Mai Qiqi recorded the information of the three children and then she and Huang Yan quickly left the household.

With such poverty, how could they accept anything from this family?

By noon, Mai Qiqi followed Village Chief Huang home for lunch. After eating, they took advantage of the midday break when villagers usually returned home to rest, and continued their rounds.

By the time for dinner, their day’s work was over. Mai Qiqi declined an invitation to dine at the Huangs’ and drove back to the military families’ residential area, slightly tired.