NFBE Chapter 403 Beloved Little Sister 38 (The End)
Chapter 403 Beloved Little Sister 38 (The End)
Although the distance was a bit far, the whole family finally came up with a decision after discussing it.
The night before school started, Ji Xiaosong squatted in the yard, packing luggage for the four children.
The six-year-olds sat in a row on small stools, their shadows stretched long by the moonlight.
"Mom, are we really going to go to school in the city?"
Wei Guo held his abacus, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.
“Hmm,” Ji Xiaosong stuffed the folded clothes into the cloth bag, “It’s the best school in the provincial capital.”
Wei Min immediately raised his hand: "Can I bring my toolbox? Teacher Li said I can join the model airplane group!"
“Bring them!” You Yong came out of the house, carrying four brand-new military green schoolbags. “But you have to promise Dad you won’t dismantle the school desks.”
An'an and Kang Kang covered their mouths and giggled. The two little girls had already packed their beloved medicinal herb specimens and colored pencils.
Mother You came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands: "Is everything packed? Your father will come to pick us up in a donkey cart first thing tomorrow morning."
Ji Xiaosong paused in her actions: "Mother, are you really going to go with me to accompany me to school? This will be for a whole semester..."
“Of course!” Mother You said firmly. “How old are the four children? How can they manage without adults to take care of them? Your father is coming tomorrow too, and we’ll rent a room near the school.”
You Yong and his wife exchanged a glance, both seeing guilt in each other's eyes.
My parents are getting old and should be enjoying their retirement, but instead they have to work hard for their grandchildren.
"It's settled then!" Mr. You's loud voice came from the courtyard gate.
The old man was carrying half a sack of flour, with Ji Tiezhu and Wang Xiuhua following behind him.
They came all the way from their hometown because they learned about the four children.
"In-law!" Wang Xiuhua hugged You's mother tightly. "I heard you're going to the city to accompany your studies, so I brought you a new quilt!"
Ji Tiezhu then mysteriously pulled out a cloth bag: "This is the money our family made from selling medicinal herbs this year. You can use it in the city."
Mr. You waved his hands repeatedly: "No, that won't do! My wife and I have some savings too..."
"Take it!" Ji Tiezhu shoved it over without saying a word. "We can save on the tuition for the four children, but we can't skimp on their living expenses."
*
It was late at night, and the adults were still discussing the details of accompanying their children to school in the main room.
The four little ones quietly slipped into the backyard and sat around under the pear tree.
"Do you think," An'an asked softly, "are schools in the city really as big as Teacher Li said?"
Wei Guo counted on his fingers:
"Teacher Li said there are eight classrooms, two playgrounds, and a library..."
"What should I do if I miss home?" Kang Kang suddenly asked, her eyes reddening as she clutched the hem of her clothes with her little hands.
Weimin hugged his younger sister tightly: "What are you afraid of! Grandpa and Grandma are here! Besides, they'll be back this weekend!"
The next day, before dawn, the donkey cart stopped at the gate of the courtyard.
Mr. You specially laid thick cotton quilts in the car, and the four children were wrapped up like rice dumplings and stuffed into the car.
Mother You carried two large bundles, which contained homemade pickled vegetables and dried persimmons.
"Call home as soon as you arrive!"
Ji Xiaosong chased after the donkey cart, shouting, her voice choked with emotion.
You Yong put his arm around his wife's shoulder and said, "Let's go see them this weekend."
The donkey cart creaked and groaned as it drove away, kicking up a trail of dust.
Standing at the gate of the courtyard, Ji Xiaosong suddenly felt that the house, which had been bustling for two years, was now eerily empty.
*
In the provincial capital, the life of Mr. and Mrs. You accompanying their child to study officially began.
They rented a room in a private house near the back gate of the school, and the monthly rent was not cheap.
The house is very small, with only two rooms, one inside and one outside.
The father built a makeshift bed with wooden planks, where the four children slept inside and the elderly couple slept in the outer room.
The kitchen was shared, and Mrs. You would get up before dawn every day to make breakfast for the children.
"Grandma, let me help you start the fire!" Wei Guo was always the first to get up and quickly squatted down in front of the stove.
"I'll set the table!" Weimin was in charge of arranging the four small bowls neatly.
An'an and Kang Kang stood on tiptoe at the small table by the door, dividing the pickled vegetables and eggs into four portions.
On the first day of school, the four neatly dressed little ones caused a sensation throughout the school.
Their homeroom teacher, Ms. Li, specially arranged for them to sit in the front row of the classroom, which resulted in a funny incident during the first class.
As soon as the math teacher wrote "25 + 37 =", Weiguo blurted out, "62!"
The teacher pushed up his glasses in surprise: "This student needs to use vertical calculation..."
“老师，”卫国认真地说，“20加 30是 50，5加 7是 12，50加 12就是 62。”
The whole class was silent.
The math teacher was stunned for a long time, then suddenly ran out of the classroom, and the grade leader arrived shortly after.
"Let's do a few more problems," the principal personally set out the questions, "68 + 79?"
“147。”卫国眨眨眼，“因为 60加 70是 130，8加 9是 17，130加 17是 147。”
The grade leader gasped and immediately called over the teachers of the other three children.
I later learned that this child was specially recruited, and addition and subtraction were the most basic things he knew.
In that case, let's arrange even more difficult courses. Such a child should not be overlooked.
In the craft class, Wei Min's "automatic launcher" made from popsicle sticks captivated the teacher.
In science class, An'an accurately listed the medicinal value of ten plants on campus;
In music class, Kang Kang played the melody of "Let Us Row Our Boats" perfectly after listening to it only once. In art class, he also demonstrated an absolute sense of color.
When the school bell rang, the principal personally escorted the four children to the school gate.
Mr. and Mrs. You went to greet him anxiously, fearing that their child had caused trouble at school.
"Grandpa!" The principal excitedly grasped Mr. You's hand. "Your four grandchildren are all geniuses!"
From that day on, the four little ones began a "special" life at school.
Wei Guo was allowed to attend math classes for older students;
Wei Min joined the model airplane group;
An'an became a teaching assistant for science class;
Kang Kang received special attention and training from his music and art teachers.
But the burden on the parents of the wanderer also became heavier.
In addition to taking care of her daily needs, she also has to deal with a constant stream of teachers making home visits.
Mr. You specially bought a book titled "How to Educate Gifted Children" and studied it late into the night while wearing his reading glasses;
The mother went to great lengths to supplement the children's nutrition, fearing that they would overwork their brains.
On the first weekend, You Yong and Ji Xiaosong rushed to the provincial capital.
Pushing open the door to their rented room, the sight before them brought tears to their eyes:
The four children sat around a small table, and Weiguo was teaching his younger siblings math problems.
Father You was cooking at the stove, while Mother You was mending the children's worn-out elbows.
"Dad! Mom!" The four little ones cheered and rushed over.
Ji Xiaosong hugged the children tightly and checked them one by one: "You've lost weight! Kang Kang, have you not been eating properly?"
"I ate it!" Kang Kang pouted, looking aggrieved.
"Music class is just too mentally taxing..."
Looking at his parents' haggard faces, You Yong's throat tightened: "Dad, Mom, thank you for everything."
"What's the trouble!" Mr. You laughed heartily. "These four clever little devils have really made us proud at school!"
After dinner, the children eagerly shared what they had seen and heard at school.
Wei Guo said the principal gave him special permission to participate in the fourth-grade math competition;
Wei Min demonstrated his "automatic watering device";
An'an learned about twenty new herbs;
Kang Kang learned to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
In the stillness of the night, Mother You held Ji Xiaosong's hand and said:
“Xiao Song, the children are too smart, we old folks are afraid of holding them back…”
"Mother, don't say that." Ji Xiaosong held her mother-in-law's rough hand tightly. "You and Father have taken such good care of them. Yongge and I are too grateful to even think about it."
The next day, before leaving, You Yong secretly slipped two hundred yuan under his parents' pillows.
This was the allowance the couple had saved up for half a year; they had originally planned to buy a bicycle.
It's one thing for parents to save money to help, but you should also contribute more yourself.
After all, these children are his own.
*
The four children are growing up faster than Ji Xiaosong and You Yong had imagined.
At just 13 years old, the group had already received admission notices from top universities in China and achieved good grades.
It took Ji Xiaosong another five years to finally become a military doctor.
With the arrival of the new era, the family seized the opportunity and finally lived a life that others envied.
You Yong's position kept rising, and Ji Xiaosong, with her excellent medical skills, became a key member early on.
Whether it's planting medicinal herbs or growing vegetables, the Ji family has become a major household in the area.
During his university years, Ji Jianguo had a girlfriend. After they got married, they settled in the capital and returned to Beijing once a year.
With the help of the Ji family, Li Hongmei later bought the nearly bankrupt paper mill and revived it within a few years.
All the stories had happy endings.
Ji Xiaosong's ordinary life seems to have led to an extraordinary existence.