Chapter 221 – Educated Youth (6)
In the end, Gu Mingxiu did not dare to kiss Yan Jing Ze.
He grew up this old and he has never kissed or been kissed in his memory. He doesn’t know how Yan Jing Ze kissed him so naturally.
Are the people in the city so enthusiastic?
Gu Mingxiu felt that he was very hot, and when he was blown by the cold wind outside the house, the heat on his body dropped.
But when he looked at Yan Jing Ze, he got hot again when he thought of the places he had been kissed.
Yan Jing Ze went to Gu Mingxiu’s house with the woodcutting knife he had just bought and a small knife that the original owner had.
Gu Yubao and Gu Yulan had already got seven or eight bamboos back. When they got home, they just dragged two more bamboos back.
As soon as Gu Yulan saw Yan Jing Ze, she smiled flatteringly and asked for credit: “Yan educated youth, I borrowed a saw from someone and chose the best bamboo to saw. See if it’s suitable.”
“Not bad,” Yan Jing Ze said. Each of these bamboos is very big, very good.
“It’s good if you like it, Yan educated youth!” Although Gu Yulan has a sneaking things problem, she is very good at coaxing people. That’s why the villagers like her very much.
She usually takes advantage of the public storage, and the people in the village still think she can live a good life.
“Okay, you guys go eat first, come help me split the bamboo after you finish eating,” Yan Jing Ze said, putting down the woodcutting knife in his hand.
He won’t do this kind of rough work, he will just start knitting when it’s over
Thinking about this, Yan Jing Ze took the Gu family’s bamboo basket and studied it carefully.
This kind of bamboo basket and bamboo box, which every household has, is very troublesome to make. At least no one in Shangmu Village knows how to make it. However, he can see how it is made by carefully observing it himself. If he tries it more, he should be able to make it.
In fact, this thing, even if he produced all kinds of bamboo products, it is impossible to make a fortune from it. But it is always possible to use it to exchange some food with the villagers, and exchange tickets with the people in the town.
Gu Yubao: “…” He did a day of farm work today, not to mention that after work, he also dumped the toilet and cut bamboo, and now, he has to split the bamboo after eating dinner. How can there be such a hateful person as Yan Jing Ze in this world!
Yan Jing Ze ignored him, holding the bamboo basket, he looked at Gu Mingxiu, “Where is your room?”
Gu Mingxiu brought Yan Jing Ze into the room where he and Gu Yubao lived.
There are four rooms in the Gu family’s house, one is for cooking and eating, the other is the room where Gu Mingxiu’s step-parents used to live, now it is empty, and the other two rooms are where Gu Mingxiu and his four younger siblings live.
There are two beds in Gu Mingxiu’s room. One bed is a real bed, very beautiful, and the other is simply made of wood.
“You sleep on this bed?” Yan Jing Ze asked, pointing to the wooden bed.
“Yes.” Gu Mingxiu lowered his head, his bed was really messed up.
Yan Jing Ze said, “Mingxiu, I will help you discipline your younger siblings later. You will stand by my side, okay?”
“Good.” Gu Mingxiu nodded.
Yan Jing Ze asked again: “Have you read a book?”
“Read up to the third grade.” Gu Mingxiu was a little embarrassed.
The village has been in the fight against illiteracy. People of his age will basically read some books, but they generally don’t read much, and it is even impossible for him to read too many books.
“These days, you and your younger siblings will follow me together to memorize some characters,” Yan Jing Ze said.
Others don’t know, but he knows it from the memory of the original owner—in two or three years, the whole world will change drastically and the college entrance examination will be restored.
He must go to the college entrance examination himself, also learn more things—in this world, you can’t learn anything at all if you don’t go to college.
Gu Mingxiu… If possible, Yan Jing Ze hopes that Gu Mingxiu can also go to university.
Although time is a bit tight, what the school teaches is not difficult at this time. Gu Mingxiu still has the opportunity to enter the university. Even if he fails to pass the exam, he should learn more.
As for the younger brothers and sisters of Gu Mingxiu, it doesn’t hurt to teach them together.
After all, Gu Mingxiu couldn’t let them go.
No matter how many wrong things Gu Yubao and Gu Yulan did in his memory, right now, the two of them haven’t harmed Gu Mingxiu yet. Gu Mingxiu still treated them as younger brothers and sisters, and valued them.
In the future… probably as long as they don’t do anything too excessive, Gu Mingxiu will not cut them off.
Of course, he will carefully teach Gu Mingxiu. And the others? He will brainwash them well and let them learn to respect Gu Mingxiu.
“I won’t learn to read…” Gu Mingxiu wanted to refuse. He wanted to learn to read. It is not good to be ignorant, and as far as he knows, his biological father was very educated.
But he doesn’t have free time. He has to go to work during the day, and at night, he needs to catch some fish and shrimp and go home to eat when he is free.
He will have no energy if he doesn’t catch fish.
Yan Jing Ze said: “I want to hold you and teach you to read.”
Gu Mingxiu doesn’t know how Yan Jing Ze can say such words, this is too shameful!
But it can’t be denied that after hearing these words, he really can’t afford to refuse anymore.
Yan educated youth is a high school student and has read many books. If he can’t even read all the characters, what if one day Yan Jing Ze doesn’t like him anymore?
Men and women can get married and have children, but men and men can’t do anything. If Yan educated youth doesn’t want him someday, what can he do?
Thinking about it this way, Gu Mingxiu doesn’t reject studying at all.
At the same time, the Gu brothers and sisters were all eating sweet potatoes.
Gu Yukang has rice to eat, at other times, Gu Yubao will be dissatisfied, but today there is no time to pursue this.
Yan Jing Ze was still at his house, and he didn’t even think about eating.
Gu Yuxian was also worried: “Why doesn’t the eldest brother come to eat?”
Gu Yubao and Gu Yulan looked at each other and were a little worried. Gu Yubao, who saw his brother being beaten at noon, felt even more guilty.
Gu Yulan knows how to read people’s faces, so she immediately asked, “Gu Yubao, do you know something?”
Gu Yubao said, “What can I know?”
“You must know something!” Gu Yulan said, “Big Brother has something wrong this afternoon. Is it because of Yan Jing Ze?”
Gu Yubao thought for a while and whispered: “At noon today, the eldest brother was beaten by Yan Jing Ze, and the eldest brother cried.”
“What?” Gu Yulan was shocked.
“What are we going to do now? This Yan Jing Ze is too hateful!” Gu Yubao said.
Gu Yulan glared at Gu Yubao: “What else can we do? Gu Yubao, he has something in his hand that can kill you! If it wasn’t for you, why would the eldest brother get beaten?”
“I said that it was not written by me, it was written by Yan Jing Ze!” Gu Yubao said.
“You’re lying again!” Gu Yulan said.
The two quarreled again.
While arguing, Yan Jing Ze came over: “You have time to quarrel, I think you are already full… Gu Yubao, you go to chop the bamboo immediately. Gu Yulan, you move the wooden bed in your brother’s room to that empty room for Gu Yubao to sleep!”
“My brother sleeps on the wooden bed,” Gu Yubao was dumbfounded. “My bed is the other one.”
The best bed in the Gu family is the one he sleeps in. This bed is their mother’s dowry brought from Gu Mingxiu’s family.
Gu Yubao has long occupied this bed, and intends to use the empty room in their house and this bed to get married to his wife in a few years.
“The other bed will be given to me to sleep in the future.” Yan Jing Ze said: “I will live in later and sleep in this bed.”
“What about my brother? Where does he sleep?”
“Move the bed in my house and let him sleep. He will in the same room with me. I want someone to take care of me,” Yan Jing Ze said. Gu Mingxiu… Of course, he sleeps in the bed with him!
“Who are you to let my brother serve you?” Gu Yubao was furious.
It is true that he usually doesn’t listen to his brother very much and doesn’t take his brother seriously, but in the end, it is his brother, he still has feelings, and when outsiders bully his brother, he gets angry.
“I have your handle in my hand.” Yan Jing Ze said.
“You are shameless!” Gu Yubao was anxious.
As a result, as soon as he scolded, he was kicked by Yan Jing Ze: “Go and work! If I’m really shameless, I’ll report you tomorrow!”
Gu Yubao shuddered when he thought of his fate after being reported, in the end, he could only chop the bamboo with tears.
The Gu family house has a light bulb, which is usually not used, but today it was used. Gu Yubao cleaved the bamboo under the light.
Next to him, Yan Jing Ze was constantly picky: “The split is too thin.”
“This is too thick, do it again.”
“Do you know how to work or not?”
…
The whole bamboo is smooth, but if it is split, there will be bamboo splinters.
In addition, Gu Yubao didn’t know how to work. After a while, his hands were injured and he couldn’t help but feel wronged for a while.
At this time, Yan Jing Ze was still sitting next to him, flipping through his textbook, and said, “You are so old, and you haven’t done any work yet. Your brother really spoiled you too much.”
“From now on, you will work hard and earn work points for me.”
“Your brother is not obligated to raise younger siblings like you. In the future, when he earns money, he will give it to me as well.”
…
When Gu Yubao heard Yan Jing Ze’s words, he only felt that his eyes were dark, and he almost died of anger.
Sure enough, this person is just as he thought, wanting their whole family to serve him!
He’s really too hateful!
But thinking that his life was in Yan Jing Ze’s hands… Gu Yubao was scared again.
Gu Yulan and Gu Yuxian didn’t dare to talk too much. One moved the bed, the other cleaned and took care of Gu Yukang.
As for Gu Mingxiu…
Gu Mingxiu lowered his head and blushed, copying books at the table of Eight Immortals where they eat according to Yan Jing Ze’s requirements.
He listened to Yan Jing Ze’s words and he didn’t think there was anything wrong.
Their family hasn’t separated yet. If he married a wife, the family’s money should be given to his wife for managing.
Yan Jing Ze was so generous to him and gave him pork rice. He would definitely not starve his younger siblings. He should establishment the rules now.
At this time, he must stand by his wife’s side.
His brother did something wrong, and he showed such disrespect to his “sister-in-law”. He should be taught a lesson.
He didn’t know how to educate his younger brothers and sisters, so he would just listen to Yan Jing Ze.
Yan Jing Ze didn’t know Gu Mingxiu’s thoughts. He picked a piece of bamboo of suitable thickness. He held it in his hand and used it as a pointer and a stick. Once Gu Yubao was lazy, he would whip Gu Yubao’s thigh.
Not only that, he also took the time to make Gu Mingxiu memorize a text after Gu Mingxiu has copied it.
Although Gu Yubao attended junior high school, his grades were not very good and he did not like to study.
Moreover, compared to studying, he still prefers to run around.
In short, he thinks reading is tiring.
Now that Yan Jing Ze is forcing his elder brother who hasn’t read a book in ten years to study… Gu Yubao has begun to sympathize with his elder brother again.
As he was thinking about it, he heard Yan Jing Ze say: “Gu Mingxiu, you must recite this poem today. If you can’t recite it, wait for the next evening…heh!”
At night, he will carry Gu Mingxiu on his back!
Yan Jing Ze had actually said this in private before, Gu Mingxiu blushed and his head lowered.
But Gu Yubao was once again angry—what did Yan Jing Ze want to do to his brother?!
***TN
About the College Entrance Examination being restored – in the 1960s, the leaders of the country decided to close college universities. The teachers and students were sent to the farm instead to be “re-educated” by peasants. In their opinion, these youths have never had hardships or whatever before. That’s why there were foreign educated youths in farms. It’s just too bad because some of them died in the farms, their body wasn’t used to hard labor and they get sick often. In some areas that are too far from the town, they don’t have doctors or even a barefoot doctor, so if you get sick, nothing can be done. In order to survive, some of them were even forced to marry the villagers.
Talking about the restoration of the college entrance exam, most of these educated youths went back to the city without looking back, some of them left their wife/husband, and children.
It’s really…
Oh. It’s back to the normal wordcount. (੭ˊ꒳ˋ)੭✧
Aris is so hardworking! Thank you for the new, even longer Chapters♡
Thanks for the double update!😍
Its amazing how crazy this part of history was, very interesting, thanks for the chapters!!
Gu mingxiu is cute as always!!
It’s a wonder that the Chinese survived this period, not so long ago.