It has to be said that He Yu Cheng looked completely different when he appeared today. His whole spirit had changed!
He Yu Shui, who was also sixteen years old, looked up and down at her second brother, then said: "Second Brother, what’s wrong with you?"
He Yu Cheng simply brushed it off: "What do you mean? I just woke up earlier today and washed my face!"
He Yu Shui shook her head and said: "It’s not the same. You look full of energy."
He Yu Zhu looked at his younger brother and sister and said: "Yu Cheng, Yu Shui, I have something I want to discuss with you."
The two siblings stopped talking and wanted to hear what He Yu Zhu had to say.
He Yu Zhu organized his words and said: "Yu Cheng, Yu Shui, you know Dad is irresponsible. He ran off with a widow, leaving the three of us behind. I've been taking care of you all these years, but I'm twenty-four years old now. I need to get married and find a wife. I want to save some money. You're both sixteen and have finished junior high. How about, you don't go to high school?"
Even before He Yu Zhu spoke, He Yu Cheng had already used his telekinetic ability to read his mind. It was Yi Zhong Hai, the old rascal, who was instigating this!
Actually, there were only a few things that he kept repeating.
"Zhu, you're getting old. You need to think about your own future. In a couple of years, if you want to get married, who will marry you? Yu Cheng and Yu Shui are sixteen now. They can go out and earn money to help out at home. Back in the day, they would have already gotten married and started a family by this age."
"Besides, Yu Shui is a girl. Sooner or later, she'll get married. A married daughter is like water spilled out. What's the use of a good education! You can't be a bachelor for life!"
He Yu Cheng understood what was going on, but He Yu Shui couldn't accept it. She missed He Da Qing terribly. She was the only daughter in the family. He Da Qing always spoiled her when he was in Si Jiu Cheng. Now that he's gone, it's okay if their grades were bad, but both she and her second brother were at the top of their class, yet her older brother didn't want to pay for their education!
Thinking about this, He Yu Shui couldn't help but shed tears.
He Yu Cheng didn't care. Looking at the crying He Yu Shui, he said, "Yu Shui, don't cry. You keep going to school. I'll go out and earn money to pay for your education."
He Yu Cheng was the top student in his grade. He was willing to drop out for her. He Yu Shui looked at He Yu Zhu with tears in her eyes and said in a choked voice: "Big Brother, Second Brother and I are very frugal at school. We don't spend much. Besides, Second Brother is the top student in his grade. He will definitely succeed in the future. If it doesn't work out, we'll go out and work during holidays. Please let Second Brother and I finish high school."
From the 1950s to the early 1960s, the school system was not unified. Elementary school was divided into lower elementary, upper elementary, and complete elementary school, with a duration of 5 to 6 years. Secondary school was divided into junior high school, senior high school, and complete secondary school, with a duration of 4 to 6 years. The total duration was 9 to 12 years.
She still had three years to go before she could graduate from high school. She would be nineteen by then. On July 24, 1966, the Ministry of Education suddenly issued a document stating that the college entrance exams for that year would be postponed for six months. Moreover, future university admissions would change from the examination system to the recommendation system. Did you know? This suspension didn't last only six months; it lasted for five years. From 1966 to 1971, China's universities basically didn't enroll any students. When enrollment resumed in 1971, there was no college entrance exam. It was based on the recommendation system.
Based on her family's conditions, she wouldn't be able to get into university. It was best to find a job.
Seeing He Yu Zhu remained silent, He Yu Shui shouted: "Are you even my brother? Just consider this tuition as a loan. We'll pay you back when we get a job!"
He Yu Cheng comforted He Yu Shui and said: "I'll drop out. I'll earn money for Yu Shui's education!"
"Second Brother!"
Looking at He Yu Shui who was crying uncontrollably, He Yu Cheng smiled and said: "Yu Shui, I was planning to drop out after high school. I just didn't tell you. I have my own reasons!"
He Yu Zhu looked at his brother and sister with shame and lowered his head. He heard He Yu Cheng continue: "Big Brother, give me the family's ration book. I will make sure you get your full ration. I will give you everything."
Hearing this, He Yu Shui cried even harder. Was her second brother planning to split up? Why was he asking for the ration book? Was he worried that she wouldn't have enough money for school and was going to exchange his own ration for coarse grain or sell it for her tuition?
He Yu Zhu took a drag of his cigarette and said: "Yu Cheng, do you want to split up?"
He Yu Cheng sneered in his heart. If He Yu Zhu was still the big fool he knew, then splitting up was inevitable. He didn't want his rations to be used to support the Jia family and the deaf old lady in the courtyard.
He didn't lack food, but he wouldn't feed others with his own rations!
He Yu Cheng smiled and said: "Brother, what are you thinking? We are only three siblings left in this family. You work at the steel mill, and after I drop out, I'll be the one taking care of things at home. I'll handle the exchange and purchase of rations. Besides, as I said, I won't shortchange you on your ration. You'll get every single ounce."
Hearing what her two brothers had said, He Yu Shui cried even harder. She opened the door and ran out of the room. She went straight to Yi Zhong Hai's house.
"Waaa... Uncle Yi, my brother wants us to drop out of school. Second Brother and I have good grades. Can you lend us some money for tuition? We'll pay you back when we graduate from high school!"
It was Yi Zhong Hai who came up with this idea in the first place. The more they learned, the more they would understand. Yi Zhong Hai wanted He Yu Zhu to support the Jia family. This way, he wouldn't have to spend any money, and he would get both the benefits and the recognition. When he came back last night, he was thinking about when He Yu Zhu would ask his brother and sister to contribute. But he didn't expect He Yu Shui to come knocking on his door so early this morning.
Yi Zhong Hai was now a level-seven fitter at the steel mill, earning over eighty yuan a month. He was a manual laborer, so he received over fifty jin of rations a month. Added to Yi Da Ma's rations, they had over seventy jin of rations a month. With his high salary, even if he ate fine grain every day, he still had enough income.
But this old fox, he was willing to talk, but if you asked him for money, he would think carefully about what benefits he could gain. In his calculations, he would persuade He Yu Cheng to become a son-in-law in a couple of years and have He Yu Shui get married. Then, he would persuade He Yu Zhu to give up two rooms in the house to the Jia family and give them to his good son, Bang Geng. If he allowed them to continue their education, it would be much harder to persuade them later.