Chapter 98 - 33: "Intellectual

Chapter 98: Chapter 33: "Intellectual

"Then you’re one of those people with a talent for cooking," Mother Gu said. "You have a talent for studying too. Da Zai and Er Zai take after you. They’ll definitely be able to go to high school."

’High school?’

’That’s not nearly enough education!’

’The book said the college entrance exams will be restored. Da Zai and Er Zai will be just in time for it. No matter what, they have to get into a university.’

"Why settle for high school? Going to university is much better."

Of course, Mother Gu wanted nothing more than for the children to become increasingly successful. Lin Zhao’s words made her feel that her third daughter-in-law truly cared for Da Zai and Er Zai and was willing to teach them. She was overjoyed. "That’s right! University!" she said. "I’ve heard there are Worker-Peasant-Soldier Universities. When the time comes, we’ll find a way to pull some strings."

Mother Gu had four sons, but she doted most on Gu Chenghuai, who had left home as a young man. As the saying goes, "love me, love my dog," and so by extension, she was especially fond of Da Zai and his brother.

Lin Zhao had a quick bite to eat. Figuring it was about time, she hurried off to work.

"She really needs a bicycle. It must be so tiring to walk all that way. I wonder if our third son can get his hands on a purchase ticket," Mother Gu murmured.

As she spoke of her third son, a flash of longing crossed her aged eyes.

The feeling passed in an instant.

She washed her own and Lin Zhao’s bowls, swept the courtyard and the backyard, and watered the vegetables in the garden.

Only then did Da Zai and Er Zai groggily wake up.

"Grandma? Where’s Mom?" The sight of Mother Gu made Da Zai instantly wide awake. His eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Lin Zhao.

"Your mom went to work." Mother Gu wiped the sweat from her grandson’s brow and poured them some water to wash their faces. "Quick, wash up. Your faces are all sweaty. You must be hot, right?"

Er Zai answered, "Yeah, really hot. The heat woke me up."

"Just bear with it," Mother Gu said. "In another two months, it won’t be so hot. I hear they have things called electric fans in the city. They create their own breeze, but they’re very expensive and need electricity."

Da Zai and Er Zai listened intently.

"You need electricity to have lights. I know that." As a little boy who had been to the county seat, Er Zai was very proud.

Da Zai asked with a puzzled expression, "Grandma, why don’t we have electricity here?"

"Yeah, why is that?" Mother Gu wondered about that too.

"I suppose they’ll get to us eventually. Getting electricity is a big hassle. I heard they have to run power lines and everything. We don’t really understand it. Some places have it, and some don’t. I guess they’re rolling it out slowly, one village at a time." She wasn’t just fobbing the two boys off; she was sharing her genuine thoughts.

"I hope it comes soon! Electric lights are so bright! You don’t need to light a lamp at night, you just pull a string and it turns on!" Er Zai said.

Mother Gu didn’t even know about pull cords. "Oh my, the light turns on just from pulling a string? It’s that convenient? How did you know you pull a string? Is it like a clothesline?" Her face was full of curiosity.

Er Zai puffed out his little chest. "My mom told me."

"Then it must be true," Mother Gu said. "Your mom is an educated woman and has seen a lot. You two learn well from her, so you can go to university in the future."

"Uh-huh." Da Zai’s expression was serious. He always listened to whatever his mom said and was eager to learn from her.

Er Zai, filled with a confidence that seemed to come from nowhere, declared loudly, "My brother and I are both going to university!" He sounded completely sure of himself.

A worried frown settled on Mother Gu’s face. It was already difficult to secure a single spot at a Worker-Peasant-Soldier University; getting two would be even harder.

They were both the treasures of the family, and she couldn’t bear to disappoint either of them.

What Mother Gu forgot was that there was a whole gaggle of other children back at the old family home. If a university spot really did become available, her worries would only multiply.

"Grandma, I’m hungry." Er Zai’s voice cut through Mother Gu’s worries.

"Grandma will go make you some steamed egg custard." Although Mother Gu felt two eggs per child was a bit extravagant, Lin Zhao had laid down the rule, so she would follow it. It was just as her husband had said: once the family splits, you become two separate households. How they lived their lives was now up to the children’s mother to decide.

Lin Zhao arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative before eight o’clock.

Someone was already inside.

She looked to be a female comrade of about thirty.

Her eyes lingered on Lin Zhao’s dress for a moment before she smiled. "You must be the new comrade, right?"

’What a striking young woman,’ Li Fen thought.

"Yes, I’m Lin Zhao. Hello." Lin Zhao smiled back.

"My name is Li Fen. I’m a few years your senior, so you can call me Sister Fen," Li Fen said with a smile.

She pointed to a two-section-long counter. "Those two sections are yours."

"Thank you so much, Sister Fen." Lin Zhao smiled gratefully, pressing a handful of crispy peanut candies into her hand as she walked toward the counter.

Li Fen paused, surprised. She accepted the candies, and her smile became more sincere. "Comrade Lin, if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me."

This was exactly what Lin Zhao wanted to hear.

"Great. I’ll be counting on you then, Sister Fen."

Having accepted Lin Zhao’s crispy peanut candies, Li Fen was not stingy in return. She told her a great deal about the job—

things like the fastest way to get up to speed, the proper way to acquire "flawed" goods from the cooperative’s inventory, the importance of keeping good work records, and so on.

After she was finished, Lin Zhao thought, ’That handful of crispy peanut candies was well worth it.’

As the morning light crept up the faded "Develop the Economy, Ensure Supplies" slogan on the wall, the other salesclerks arrived one after another.

Two were veteran employees, while the other, like Lin Zhao, was also new.

One of the veteran employees shot a hostile glare at Lin Zhao and the other newcomer, then snorted coldly. The colleague next to her tugged at her sleeve. The woman rolled her eyes, stalked over to her own counter, and started arranging things with a long face, slamming them around noisily.