Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 153 Leaving He Ci'en

Jingyan rubbed her temples in exasperation. Was this really her own child, so silly? Thankfully, it was a girl, and the family doted on her, pretending not to notice. But Jingyan's joy was premature.

After He Ci'en finished his set of punches, he turned around and saw Zhizhi paddling around. He walked over and patted Zhizhi's arm: "Zhizhi, straighten your arm and punch harder. You're so light you can't even kill a mosquito."

Okay, Jingyan forgot that she had He Ci'en, a strict teacher, watching over Zhizhi. Zhizhi immediately felt wronged, pursed her lips, and spoke with tears welling up in her eyes:

“Brother Ci’en is bullying people. You don’t care about Brother Xiao Li or An’an, you only care about me. It’s no use for a girl like me to learn this. It’s enough to just do what you’re supposed to do.”

He Ci'en was momentarily speechless, but quickly spoke again: "It's precisely because you're a girl that you need to study even harder. If you encounter bad guys in the future, at least you'll have the physical ability to run away. If all else fails, you can fight back and buy yourself some time. So, I have to make sure you learn military boxing well. You'll also have to learn Sanda later. I absolutely won't hold back."

Zhizhi was on the verge of tears: "Brother Ci'en, I'm still so young."

"So my requirements for you are already very low. As long as the posture is correct, that's fine. I didn't even ask for speed." He Ci'en was clearly very dissatisfied with her low requirements.

Jingyan turned to look at her uncle, who only glanced at He Ci'en and turned back to stare at He Zhicheng and his brother without saying a word. The younger ones, seeing that no one was watching them, were about to relax when they met their aunt's gaze. Their skin immediately tightened, and their movements became perfectly standard.

Jingyan shrugged and turned to go back into the house when her aunt called out to her, "Jingyan, why don't you practice with the children too?"

Jing Yan was startled and quickly waved her hand, "No need, Auntie, I still have work to do. I'll make some more sausages since it's the New Year. You can take some with you when you go back after the New Year. They're delicious stir-fried with chili peppers." After saying that, she hurriedly ran back to the house without daring to delay for even a moment.

I rushed into the living room. Grandma was standing in the doorway, her tone icy: "I remember the sausages were made before the New Year. Did the meat we bought for the New Year come with sausage casings? I don't remember."

Jing Yan... bowed her hands in a pleading gesture: "Grandma, I don't want to practice. It's tiring just watching. Please, don't expose me."

Grandma tapped her forehead with a hint of helplessness: "You, well, you're already quite tired every day. If you don't want to learn this, then don't. I see Xiao Dou avoiding your uncle every day, so it seems she doesn't want to learn either."

Jing Yan suddenly remembered Dou Zhixiao, whom she had brought home for the New Year. "Right, I haven't really paid much attention to him these past few days. What has he been busy with at home?"

Grandma pointed to the study downstairs: "He's reading in there. I saw he was reading very seriously, so I didn't interfere and let him read."

Jingyan walked to the study door, quietly opened it a crack, and peeked in. Dou Zhixiao was sitting at his desk with a book open in front of him and a pen in his hand, writing and pausing in his notebook, seemingly making notes. Jingyan smiled, pulled her head back in, and closed the door. "Grandma, I'm going to bring him some snacks and tea."

Grandma nodded: "Okay, take a few more apples and oranges over too. It's the New Year, so don't let them miss out on snacks."

Jingyan prepared the food and water to be brought in and placed them in front of the desk: "Take a break after reading for a while, don't strain your eyes. If there are any books you still want to read, just tell me. After the New Year, you can bring them to the shop and read them in your room. After you've finished reading them, come back and exchange them for a new batch of books. We don't have much else, but we have quite a lot of miscellaneous books."

Dou Zhixiao was very grateful: "Thank you, Sister Yan. Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. I might come to borrow books often in the future, but don't worry, I will take good care of them and won't get them dirty."

Jing Yan nodded casually and left the study. Dou Zhixiao glanced at the snacks, tea, and fruit on the table, feeling deeply moved. Apart from his grandfather, it seemed like the first time someone had been so kind to him, asking for nothing in return, just pure kindness. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.

No matter how warm and sunny he appears to others, only he knows his true self. He is actually a very insecure person with a sensitive personality. But only here does he feel relaxed like he's at home. Meeting Sister Yan and Brother Jun must be the luckiest thing that has ever happened to him.

After breakfast, He Zhijun shook his legs, then steeled himself and went to find his uncle. He told his uncle that he wanted to keep Ci'en on the island to attend junior high school: "Uncle, Ci'en will have her high school entrance exam after the New Year, which will be after she finishes her first semester."

Time is tight and the task is heavy. The junior and senior high schools on the island have the best teachers available. More importantly, if he encounters difficulties in his studies, at least I can tutor him. Therefore, I want Ci'en to stay on the island for schooling. What's your opinion?

The uncle glanced at him and said, "You don't want to keep him here just because he's your nephew. What do you really want?"

He Zhijun... "It's all about being influenced by one's surroundings. My three children don't like studying. If Ci'en is here to compare them, maybe they'll start to pay more attention to their studies. Jingyan and I don't really have high expectations for our children. We just hope they can get into university, get a good job, and live a peaceful and smooth life. But they still have to get into university, right?"

The uncle smiled and said, "I still need to ask Ci'en what he thinks about this. If he's willing, I won't stop him."

He Zhijun nodded and went to the study on the second floor with his uncle. He Ci'en was previewing the textbooks for the third year of junior high school. Zhizhi was sitting opposite him with a comic book in her arms, flipping through it half-heartedly, and not forgetting to reach for snacks from the plate. It was obvious that she was not studying seriously.

The eldest uncle knocked symbolically on the open door of the study: "Ci'en, Grandpa has something he wants to discuss with you, is it alright now?"

He Ci'en nodded and moved the textbook in her hand to the side: "Okay, what did Grandpa want to see me about?"

The uncle and He Zhijun entered the study but did not sit down. He Zhijun looked at his daughter, whose face was covered in snacks and whose floor was covered with crumbs. He suddenly felt that dealing with his sister like this every day was a bit of a challenge for Ci'en, after all, Ci'en was a bit of a germaphobe.

"Well, your uncle and aunt like you very much. You have one more semester before the high school entrance exam. The teachers at the island schools are quite good, and your uncle can help you with your studies. Grandpa just wants to ask you what you think. Do you prefer to stay here to study or go to the place where Grandpa has settled down to study?" When asking the question, the eldest uncle gave He Ci'en the choice.

He Ci'en's eyes lit up: "Grandpa, can I stay on the island to go to school? Are there high schools here too?"

He Zhijun nodded: "Don't let Changxing Island's status as a newly established industrial base fool you; the hospitals and schools here have all been staffed with the best resources. However, you still need to take an entrance exam to get into the high school here."

The admission scores here will be the same as those for all high schools in Haishi. Students from outside the city cannot take the exam here. If a student doesn't get in here, they can still attend high school in Haishi as long as they meet the admission scores for other high schools in the city.

He Ci'en confirmed again: "Is it convenient for me to stay here? Will it be too much of a disturbance?"

He Zhijun shook his head: "No, we already have quite a few children, you're not an exception. But you're the only one who's academically gifted. Your aunt and I hope you can get into a good university. Your grandfather is strong, but he probably won't be able to help with your studies."

You're about to take the high school entrance exam, followed by the college entrance exam. Time is tight, so I think it's better for you to stay with me. Of course, I also hope that your good habits of loving to read and working hard can influence these three mischievous kids in the family. They can't sit still and can't concentrate. If they don't have a role model, I'm really afraid they won't even be able to get into high school, let alone university.

He Ci'en happily agreed: "Then I will trouble you, Uncle and Aunt. I was worried that my grandfather's job was not yet settled and I didn't know which school he would go to. I am very happy to stay here. I will tutor my little brother Xiao Li when I have free time after school and during holidays."

He Zhijun smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about Xiaoli's studies. Your aunt can teach him, and I can tutor him every day when I come back. The main thing is to let them concentrate on their studies while you are studying. It's all about having an influence. You just need to focus on your own studies and don't put any pressure on yourself."

With that settled, He Zhijun planned to visit the junior high school principal's house after the New Year to make arrangements in advance so that he could complete the enrollment procedures before the start of the semester, avoiding any unforeseen circumstances.

This year, the whole family was together, which was a rare treat. He Jiaoxu and his family stayed on the island until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year before leaving by boat to pick up their car and return to Yangzhou. The eldest uncle's family was in no hurry and planned to report to the Haishi Military Region after the Lantern Festival.

Early on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, He Zhijun, carrying the gifts prepared by Jing Yan, inquired his way to the junior high school principal's house. Before they could exchange more than a few pleasantries, the principal became impatient. In military schools, almost everyone except the teachers was a former soldier, and they were all known for their straightforward and quick tempers.

After a few words of probing, He Zhijun got a better understanding of the principal's temperament and went straight to the point, saying that he wanted his nephew to enroll in the third year of junior high school. The principal didn't care about other conditions; the only thing he valued was the family's political background.

He Zhijun quickly showed the principal his uncle's letter of introduction and He Ci'en's transfer file. Seeing that He Ci'en's ancestors for three generations were all from the military, and with He Zhijun, who worked in the area, acting as guarantor, the principal immediately assured him that enrollment would be no problem.

On the same day, they even took He Zhijun to the director of the political education department to discuss the matter and confirm He Ci'en's enrollment quota. They were just waiting for the Lantern Festival to pass before taking the documents to the school to complete the enrollment process.

With the important matter of the child's schooling resolved, the family breathed a sigh of relief. He Zhijun was about to go back to work, but Jingyan was still thinking about the telescope. However, the real problem was where to buy it.

Anyway, He Zhijun had gone to work, and his shop was scheduled to reopen after the Lantern Festival. Since she was idle anyway, Jingyan took some money, took a boat off the island, and planned to visit Haishi City. With her elder sister Wang and uncle taking care of her grandmother, she felt at ease leaving for two days.

Upon arriving in the city, Jingyan felt like a country bumpkin in the city. When she moved, there weren't many shops, but in just over six months, in the busiest area of ​​Haishi, all sorts of shops had suddenly sprung up. Restaurants were still relatively ordinary.

With the addition of a photo studio, Jingyan was thinking about whether she should gather her family together to take some family photos in a while. It would also be wonderful to have her grandmother wear a cheongsam and take some commemorative photos when the weather gets warmer.

Wandering around, Jingyan was amazed by people's sensitivity to making money. It was only 1983, and already a lot of good things had poured in. She also saw a fairly large appliance store that sold everything from watches to televisions. Although there weren't many large appliances, not many families could afford them these days. Jingyan had to admire the courage and confidence of the person who dared to open an appliance store in this environment.

Out of curiosity, Jingyan walked into the shop. The person behind the counter lazily looked up at her and casually asked, "Ma'am, do you want to look around or do you want to buy something?"

Jing Yan glanced at them casually and asked, "Where did you get these appliances from? Are they just home appliances?"

The man was instinctively wary when he heard the first part of her sentence, but he became suspicious when he heard the second part: "What do you mean? Everything here is from a legitimate source. My family has some connections and can get some goods, but not in large quantities. This house belongs to my family, so I can open it up whenever I want and sell what I can. But the most popular items here are watches. Ma'am, would you like to take a look?"

Jing Yan shook her head: "My child is interested in astronomy. I heard that there is a kind of telescope on the market that can be used to look at stars. I want to buy one for my child, but I don't know where to buy it. I saw that you have a lot of electrical appliances here, so I was thinking, I wonder if you can get that kind of thing."

The shopkeeper... after a long pause, still reluctant to let a sale slip away, hesitated for a while before saying, "As far as I know, currently only astronomy-related organizations can afford to buy and use this stuff."

In Haishi, only research institutes and meteorological stations might need it. If you're not in a hurry, I can help you inquire, but I might not be able to get you a brand new one. Would you want a used one?

Jing Yan nodded: "It has to be usable. You'd better understand how to use it. As long as it can really observe the stars, I don't mind if it's secondhand. When I bring the child over, you can just teach the child how to use it. Anyway, I can't understand it."

The shopkeeper nodded: "How about leaving a phone number?"

Jing Yan shrugged: "I don't have a phone. How about I give you an address and you send me a telegram? My home is on Changxing Island, so it's not very convenient to get in and out."