80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 338 - 335: Study Hard, and There’s a Reward

Lin Guozhu smiled. "Wood shavings aren’t dirty. You just pat the dust off and they’re clean."

Lin Changyou gave him a satisfied look. "Come by Lexing after work. I need to talk to you about something."

Lin Guozhu nodded. He knew they wanted to talk about matchmaking again. ’I’m really not in the mood for that right now,’ he thought. ’I just started at my new unit and haven’t even sorted things out yet!’

Lin Changyou could tell from his expression that he was still trying to avoid the topic. With an outsider present, he couldn’t very well press the issue, so he just told Lin Guozhu to get on with his work and not delay his duties.

After Lin Guozhu left, Carpenter He looked at Lin Changyou with envy. "You’re a lucky man, Boss Lin! Your sons and daughters are all so good to you."

Lin Changyou chuckled and nodded. "My kids are all pretty good."

Seeing how happy he was, Carpenter He thought of his own children and felt a pang of bitterness. He pushed his wood plane forcefully, as if to vent his frustration.

Lin Guoliang returned with sandpaper and tung oil, and the men—father and sons—began to sand the tabletops and stools.

Lin Lan checked on the shop, then rode her bike to Xu Ming’s house on Yucai Road to explain the children’s situation to him.

She showed Xu Ming the children’s report cards.

Xu Ming felt that, based on their academic performance, the four children would likely be at the bottom of their classes at City No. 1 Elementary. If their parents wanted them to truly succeed, it would be best for each of them to repeat a grade, especially since they had only completed half a semester. That way, they should be able to keep up with the other children.

Lin Lan couldn’t make the decision herself, so she told him she would ask the others and get back to him.

Xu Ming nodded in agreement.

Lin Lan rode her bike back to Lexing, told Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui what Xu Ming had said, and left the decision to them.

"Repeat a grade? Are the kids here really that far ahead?"

Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui never dreamed that their children, who had been above-average students at the village school, would now be at the bottom of the pile at City No. 1 Elementary.

Wu Shufen said to them, "It’s not like they’re coming back here to farm the fields. If they need to repeat a grade, let them."

The two women nodded. "Little Lan, please tell Mr. Xu that we agree to have them repeat the grade."

Hearing this, Lin Jun and the other three children hung their heads, looking dejected.

Lin Qing looked unhappily at Lin Lan. "Auntie Lan, are they going to say we were held back?"

Kids with bad grades in other classes who had to repeat a year were always laughed at by their classmates. He didn’t want to be laughed at.

Lin Lan ruffled his hair. "As long as you study hard and improve your grades once you’re there, no one will laugh at you for repeating a year."

Zhao Xiaohui shot him a glare. "Didn’t you hear your Third Uncle? Even the army requires you to be educated these days. They won’t want you if you don’t have an education."

Lin Lan smiled. "That’s right. You’ll be studying the same things they are. You’re just starting a grade over. As long as you work hard, I’m sure you can do well. If you can score in the top ten on the final exams, I’ll buy each of you a digital watch as a reward."

Zhang Xiuqing gave Lin Jun a light smack. "Aren’t you usually so full of yourself? If you repeat a grade here in East Market and still can’t make it into the top ten, you might as well go back home and herd sheep."

Little Douzi pumped his fist. "Cousin Jun, you guys can do it!"

"Alright!" Lin Jun and Lin Gang puffed out their chests. "We’ll take that challenge! Auntie Lan, you’d better get those digital watches ready."

"We’ll do our best, too," Lin Xiaohong and Lin Qing chimed in, equally determined to get the reward.

Lin Lan smiled, ruffling the children’s hair. "Good, I like the spirit. I’ll have your uncle buy you the best-looking, waterproof digital watches."

Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui said with a look of envy, "Soon you’ll all be wearing watches, and we still won’t have any."

Lin Jun puffed out his chest. "When we grow up and earn money, we’ll buy them for you. And for Grandma and Grandpa, too!"

Hearing this, Wu Shufen grinned from ear to ear.

Lin Lan made another trip to Xu Ming’s house, and they arranged to meet at the entrance of No. 1 Elementary at nine the next morning.

「On Monday, March 3rd—the 17th day of the first lunar month—Lin Lan, Zhang Xiuqing, and Zhao Xiaohui took the four children, all dressed in their best new clothes, along with Little Douzi, and headed to Yucai Road.」

From a distance, they spotted Xu Ming waiting by the school gate. Little Douzi ran up and grabbed his hand. "Uncle Xu, we’re here!"

Xu Ming smiled warmly at Little Douzi. "Little Douzi, you’ll be starting first grade this fall. You have to work hard, okay?"

Little Douzi nodded emphatically. "Yes! I’ll work hard."

Lin Lan led Zhang Xiuqing and the others over. They greeted Xu Ming shyly, but they all relaxed when they saw how easygoing he was, not putting on any airs at all.

Xu Ming had already spoken with the teachers, so he took the children to get registered with them. He reminded Lin Lan that classes started at 8:30 the next morning and that they had to be on time.

On the way back from the school, both Zhang Xiuqing and Zhao Xiaohui said they needed to properly thank Xu Ming, and they again reminded the children to pay close attention in class.

Lin Lan smiled. "It’s fine. They got a share of the fruit trees I had Eldest Brother help find last time. And they love to eat a certain kind of chicken. Once we get through this busy period, we can fence off the bamboo grove out back, raise a few extra for them, and that’ll be thanks enough."

Zhang Xiuqing nodded with a smile. "That’s easy enough. We’ll just have your Eldest Brother and the others build the fence a bit higher, and we can raise a few dozen."

Lin Jun said, "Auntie Lan, we want to go see your foreign-style house."

"Of course!" Lin Lan pointed ahead. "Go straight, make a left, and walk for about a hundred meters. You’ll see an alley. We live down there."

"I know the way! I’ll take you!" Little Douzi grabbed Lin Jun and Lin Gang by the hand and started running, with Lin Qing taking off right behind them.

Zhao Xiaohui laughed. "He was as meek as a kitten in front of the teacher, and now he’s back to bouncing all over the place."

Zhang Xiuqing sighed. "Tell me about it. Little Jun was complaining all day yesterday, saying he doesn’t feel comfortable in the city and that Shilian was better."

Lin Hong furrowed her brow. "Yeah, I like Shilian more, too. I don’t like East Market."

As they turned into the alley, Zhao Xiaohui stared in amazement at the foreign-style houses. "Xiuqing, Little Lan, the houses here are beautiful."

Zhang Xiuqing laughed. "They are. Look how their yards are filled with flowers and decorative plants, while ours is full of onions, garlic, and vegetables."

"This is the front yard," Lin Lan said. "There’s a small vegetable patch behind the house. Xiangyang and I plan to plant some vegetables there."

"Little Lan, you should just plant flowers like everyone else," Zhao Xiaohui suggested. "The vegetable fields at Lexing are huge. We already grow more than we can possibly eat."

When they reached Lin Lan’s front door, they saw that Little Douzi had already led Lin Jun and the others over to their grandmother’s house.

After visiting with their grandmother for a while, Lin Lan took everyone on a tour of her own home. Pointing at a few antique pieces, she said, "These are all vintage furniture. Xiangyang and Mr. Xu found them at a salvage yard."

Zhang Xiuqing remarked, "People from the city really do have good taste. Even old furniture can look this beautiful. No wonder Guoliang insisted on bringing the lumber here to have the furniture made."

Zhao Xiaohui grabbed Zhang Xiuqing’s arm. "Xiuqing, once we’ve earned enough money, let’s go back to Shilian and build a foreign-style house just like this one."

Zhang Xiuqing smiled. "Little Jun and the others have just started at No. 1 Elementary. There’s no way we’ll be going back to Shilian for the next few years. Let’s focus on earning money for now and figure out the rest later."

Lin Lan nodded. "Xiuqing is right. Let’s focus on making money first. We can think about building a house later."