Chapter 10 Two Junior High School Students’ Tuition Fee

Looking at a plate full of braised pork, Li Mingyun was stunned for a moment, “What day is it today for us to even have meat?”

“Today, your daughter and son are both admitted to the Third Junior High School.”

Meizhonghua, whose face was radiant with happiness, put the stewed pork on the table and announced as if proclaiming a major event, “Mingyun, from today on, a scholar will be born in our family. I have thought about it, both children will go to junior high school so I have to do everything I can to support them.”

Li Mingyun was surprised and pleased at the same time: “Did both of the children really get into junior high school? You aren’t fooling me, are you? “

One needs to know that she and Mei Zhonghua both graduated from primary school. At school, her grades were not bad, it’s just that her family’s conditions were not good and she was the eldest. She quit because there was really no way to continue studying. However, she never gave up her desire to study at school. Unexpectedly, she and Mei Zhonghua never had a chance to study in a junior high school, but their two children passed the exam with their own abilities. This really made her very happy.

“Can I lie to you about this matter? Even the school has published the results. If you don’t believe it, you can see it by yourself. “

Li Mingyun’s smile unfolds like a flower. For the past two years since she moved into the county, there has never been a thing that makes her so happy.

Looking at her parents’ happy appearance, Mei Xiaoran was in a complex mood, unable to say whether she was moved or sad. At last, she turned to Mei Xiaolei and said, “You see how happy our dad and mom becomes. After entering the Junior High School, you have to work harder and don’t let our dad and mom down.”

“Elder sister, I know. Can we start to eat now? “

Facing the delicious and fragrant braised pork, Mei Xiaolei had already been salivating.

The whole family laughed and had a lively lunch.

After lunch, Mei Xiaoran and her brother lay down for a rest.

Taking advantage of the fine weather, Li Mingyun takes out Mei Zhonghua’s dirty shoes to wash and brush. Under this kind of weather it will dry quickly, and won’t be affected when put to use tomorrow.

“Zhonghua, say, how much will the two children’s school fee be? Actually, can we really afford it?”

Mei Zhonghua was holding a big leaf fan and swinging it, while also calculating the tuition fee in his heart. “I inquired about the tuition fee for two students, it was estimated to be twenty to thirty yuan.”

There was no compulsory education at that time. Although the state vigorously advocates the elimination of illiteracy, it was also a fact that many children could not afford to go to school!

The average wage of ordinary workers is basically more than 20 yuan. The ones with high wages can be more than 30 yuan, and the ones with low wages are less than 20 yuan. The combined tuition fees of these two children are higher than the monthly wage of ordinary workers in a month. How can they not worry about it? The Mei’s family is just a farmer who has just moved into the city. Their life, which they managed to get by with difficulty, relies on buying and selling things. It’s not like those workers which have guaranteed income, besides, the family of four still need to eat!

“Altogether, how much money do we have now?”

Meizhonghua then took out the money from selling grains today. Li Mingyun quickly calculated it, totaling all the amount of money in their family, was only seventy to eighty Yuan. These seventy to eighty Yuan still need to be put as funds for buying grain again……It was also because of Mei family’s second older brother’s care that enabled Mei Zhonghua to take the grains first and waited until it was sold out before they paid the money. People said that biological brothers should settle accounts clearly. Mei Zhonghua is not a person that can’t differentiate good from bad, and he usually sends money to his second older brother after he sold the grains out. He can’t let the other party lend a helping hand but also has to bear the risk at the same time.

“I have to send the grain money back to my second older brother tomorrow.”

Mei Zhonghua calculated that, apart from the cost of buying grains, all his family’s money added up to only twenty Yuan, not even enough to pay the tuition fees for the children.

Li Mingyun was anxious, “If we send back the grain money, do we still have the money to pay for the children’s tuition?”

“Isn’t there still three to four days before the start of school? I’ll think of another way to make sure that all the children can go to school. “

At five o’clock the next day, Mei Zhonghua got up early in the morning. He didn’t even have any breakfast, yet already pushed the cart and went out.

“Dad, wait a minute.”

Mei Xiaoran ran out of the house, dressed neatly, “I will follow you today.”

“You’re only a kid. What do you want to do by following dad? Dad isn’t going out to play. “

Mei Zhonghua wasn’t willing to let her baby daughter go out with him to suffer. Although it’s already the last period of summer, the weather is still hot. He also went out when the weather was still cool. If he waits until the sun comes out and the harmful sunlight shines, who would still go out shopping? It must be done when it is still cool and as early as possible!

“I know. Just let me go with you. It’s cool now anyway.”

Mei Xiaoran said so while lightly and skillfully jumped onto the cart, grinning cheekily towards Mei Zhonghua, “Dad, pull me too.”

“Really had had no way with you.”

Even though Mei Zhonghua said so but he didn’t force Mei Xiaoran out of the cart. In the end he just took her together to the countryside.

The Mei family lived on the east of the small street in the east of the county, which was actually on the side of the moat, less than fifty meters away. Don’t underestimate these fifty meters as that’s the boundary line between the county and the countryside. In the early years, with only living in the inner side of the moat was already considered as living in the county. Out of the moat was a suburb which was connected with wheat fields. Now the population has grown, and there’s even more people living outside the moat. The scale of the county is larger than before, but in the eyes of the old county residents, the boundary is still clearly drawn!

Just like Mei Zhonghua’s hometown, it’s only five li* away from the county, but it was already considered as countryside. It was also because he married Li Mingyun, a city girl, that he could move into the county and can be called as half a city dweller.

(TN : Chinese mile, equals to 500 meters or 1.640 feet)

After pulling Mei Xiaoran out of the city, it’s not that far away anymore from his hometown. Originally it was only five li away and just right after they were out of the county completely. They are already about one li away, and only four li left towards his hometown. With Mei Zhonghua’s footsteps, they can get there in about half an hour or more.

“Dad, you are going home to find my paternal second older uncle, right?”

Mei Zhonghua frowned and said unhappily, “Adults matter, children better inquire less.”

“Oh, my dad. Even if you don’t say it, I also knew it. This is the way back to our hometown.”

It certainly is. Coming out from the county then follow along the main road and turn straight to the north to reach the village. It’s not like Mei Xiaoran never went there, so she remembers the road very clearly.

Mei Zhonghua then stopped talking.

“Dad, do you want to return the money to my paternal second older uncle, and then get some more grain from him to sell?”

“How did you know?”

Mei Zhonghua actually didn’t mean to hide it too, so he told her daughter frankly, “It was precisely because your dad was relying on this path that your paternal second older uncle paved for me, that it could gradually be done time and again. Without your paternal second older uncle’s support, your dad can’t make it until today.” Regardless, he married a girl from the city, settled down in the county, and mixed with the registered permanent residence of the county, so in the eyes of the rural people, this is the display of a prosperous life.

“Dad, have you ever thought about it? If you pay back the grain money owed to my paternal second older uncle now, then you won’t have much money in your hand, unless you sell the grain again to get the money. But today is already the 27th day of August, and there’s only one round left in between. Can you guarantee that you are able sell it all out?”

Mei Xiaoran had already made a calculation for her dad inside. Even if her dad could sell out all the grains in these two days, what he earns won’t even be ten Yuan. What’s more, the family still had to eat and drink, and which one of these didn’t need money?

It’s not that Meizhonghua never thought about it. He didn’t have a way either. He also didn’t want to open his mouth to borrow money from others……The eldest and second older brother all have children, and they also need to go to school. Their financial situation must be in a more tight condition than his, so he can’t bring himself to open his mouth.