Chapter 141: Chapter 141
Although the brigade dispatched a tractor, very few children actually go to school in the town. Many children from the village quit school after graduating from primary school. Those who can afford to attend school in the town are either from families with good conditions or families with fewer children.
Families like theirs, with many children yet able to send four kids to study in the town, are almost nonexistent.
In their second uncle’s family, Xiao Yang and Xiao Yue are attending primary school at the commune; Xiao Mei has already quit after finishing primary school and has been out of school for a year. Their second uncle and his wife wanted her to continue her studies, but she refused.
The two children of their third uncle are studying, but also at the commune. Fresh chapters posted on novelFɪre.net
The youngest hasn’t started school yet.
Out of the fifteen children on the tractor, four belong to their family.
"Xiao Xue, you’re not taking the tractor? Why are you cycling by yourself? Isn’t it tiring?" Wang Zhiyong walked over and saw Bai Ruxue was about to leave on her bike, asking curiously.
"Uncle Zhiyong, I’m not going to squeeze with them, I’ll ride my bike!" Bai Ruxue replied.
Wang Zhiyong was taken aback when Bai Ruxue called him Uncle Zhiyong and was momentarily confused.
"Xiao Xue, we’re about the same age, why are you calling me uncle? Besides, our kinship is quite distant!" Wang Zhiyong realized what’s happening and felt somewhat displeased being called uncle by Bai Ruxue.
"I just called Grandfather Captain, didn’t I? Can’t mess up the generations! Alright, let’s hurry up and go! There’ll surely be a lot of people at school today, let’s head there early!" Bai Ruxue didn’t notice anything amiss about Wang Zhiyong, and the original person also called him that, so she thought nothing of it.
However, Bai Rushan, who was thoughtful and observant, noticed something was wrong. He saw that Uncle Zhiyong didn’t like his eldest sister calling him uncle; Uncle Zhiyong’s face looked unpleasant when she did.
He pondered for a moment and came to a conclusion that Uncle Zhiyong was upset because his elder sister was already engaged, while he didn’t even have a partner yet, and being called uncle by someone who was already engaged made him feel old.
Beyond this, he couldn’t think of any other reason, because they all call him that and he never got upset before.
Bai Ruxue cycled fast all the way, and since the tractor waited a while for people, she had set off twenty minutes early, so they almost arrived at the Pingyang Town Central School at the same time.
Upon arrival, she led her younger siblings to register.
Though there were four students, two of them were in the same grade, which meant helping two students.
The tractor stopping at the school gate caused quite a stir.
Students walking over with their luggage gazed enviously at those sitting on the tractor from the Fifth Team.
Of course, only children from several teams of the Chaoyang Commune attended the commune school.
So apart from the Fifth Team, children from other teams didn’t get to take the tractor, and seeing those who could, surely made them envious.
Bai Ruxue first took the two brothers to sign Xiao Xue into Fourth Grade.
Bai Rushan wanted to enter Fifth Grade, but she worried he wouldn’t keep up, insisting on placing him in Fourth Grade.
After all, he was still young, and there was plenty of time before university entrance exams, a steady approach was more important.
When they were sent to enroll, the Fourth Grade homeroom teacher said there’d be exams, because they’d stopped school for a year, so they’d be grouped according to exam results. If they couldn’t pass the Fourth Grade exam, they’d have to start from Third Grade.
Upon hearing this news, Bai Ruchuan became extremely nervous, but Bai Rushan remained calm.
He believed that even taking Fifth Grade exams wouldn’t be a problem.
The three Bai Ruxue sisters took the two brothers to the dormitory, which housed twelve beds, bearing the characteristic of that era. Bai Ruxue felt as if she stepped into a film set.
"Xiao Shan, Little Chuan! Take care of each other, okay?" Bai Ruyun embodied the role of a sister and advised the two younger brothers.
"Got it! Second Sister, you take care of yourself, no, Third Sister, you must take good care of Second Sister, don’t let anyone bully her!" Bai Rushan was instead worried about his second sister.
"Right! Third Sister, if anyone bullies you in the middle school department, come find me! I’ll teach them a lesson they won’t forget." Bai Ruchuan clenched his fist.
"Alright, you two! Are we here for school or for fighting?" Bai Ruxue tapped their heads "No causing trouble or fighting! But if someone attacks first, it’s a different story!"
"Got it, Big Sister!" Bai Rushan nodded.
"We won’t fight! I’ll watch over them!" Bai Ruyun also nodded.
"Understood, Big Sister, if the enemy does not move, I will not move! But if they provoke us, I’ll reply tenfold!" Xiao Xia quickly grasped the meaning behind Big Sister’s words.
"What are you saying?" Bai Ruchuan frowned "Anyway, rest assured, Big Sister, I’ll take care of these three, definitely won’t let anyone bully them!"
"Alright, stop rambling! Hurry up and tidy up! We still have to take care of your Second and Third Sisters!" Bai Ruxue felt reassured, with Xiao Xia and Little Chuan around, they shouldn’t have any big problems.
"Out of the way, let me help you make the bed! Look at the state of your bedding!" Xiao Xia glanced at Bai Ruchuan, and finally couldn’t resist, stepping in to help.
Bai Ruxue actually didn’t want to help the two brothers with making their beds, she initially wanted them to learn, but the two younger sisters couldn’t bear watching their clumsy brothers and joined in to help tidy up.
The two brothers were adept at manual labor, but not good at cooking, they could manage lighting a stove! When it came to meticulous tasks like making a bed, they were quite clumsy.
Seeing her brothers’ brand new bedding, new cotton fabric, new cotton, soft and fluffy, compared to the bedding of some children who had already arrived: layer upon layer of patchwork, visibly old, it seemed putting it on wouldn’t keep warm, the cotton inside was probably blackened.
At this time, a few other students had already arrived, but none with parents accompanying them, they were all tidying up by themselves.
And very tacitly, none of them greeted the two new students.
Whether it was due to their attire and bedding or they were simply too busy tidying up.
Bai Ruxue didn’t deliberately greet those in the dorm, her two brothers would be their future classmates, and they should face peer interactions themselves.
This would better train them.
Until the two had finished tidying up, Bai Ruxue finally opened her bag and took out a small sack of food, ten pounds of sorghum rice.
She handed it to Bai Rushan.
"Xiao Shan, here’s the food we prepared for both of you, remember to eat! And also this!" Bai Ruxue took five yuan and food coupons from her pocket, actually, the money and tickets were enough for them to buy food at the canteen! But Bai Ruxue’s intention was understood by Bai Rushan!
At home, his elder sister already told them not to be too ostentatious!
They had no choice, their old quilts were simply not presentable, so they made new ones.
The clothes were tailored to everyone’s size, if they didn’t wear them, they’d grow out of them, which would be wasteful! They couldn’t not wear them.
Therefore, his elder sister was right, they must eat grains! And they must not skimp on eating!
On this matter, Bai Rushan could absolutely handle it! He would definitely not let his elder sister worry.
So, he understood the meaning behind the money, tickets, and food, and knowingly nodded to his elder sister.
Bai Ruxue felt very assured, knowing her big brother wouldn’t fail her on these matters.
Even though their family had someone working in a milk powder factory, having so many food coupons was somewhat unreasonable.