mesbooks Chapter 49
Chapter 49
The salesperson took a ruler, measured the fabric, and then cut it open with scissors.
Zhang Cuihua, watching from the side, asked, "Would two sets of clothes be enough?"
"That's enough. One set for each person, to wear when school starts."
Chen Zheng wrapped the cut cloth in paper and bought two jin of cotton to make quilts.
It was still early when we left the supply and marketing cooperative.
After thinking about it, Chen Zheng decided to go to the county's No. 1 Middle School to ask Lin Xiaoyun about the junior high school section.
The county's No. 1 Middle School is located at the end of East Street. Chen Zheng had brought Jiawang there once before.
I learned where the junior high school building was located.
This time, he knew the way well. When he arrived at the school gate, he told the gatekeeper that he was looking for someone.
The gatekeeper waved him in.
The teaching building is a three-story gray brick building. Some of the paint on the windows is peeling off, but the glass is clean.
The bell had just rung, and students were talking in twos and threes in the corridor.
Chen Zheng went up to the second floor and knocked on the door of the second-year junior high school office.
The person who opened the door was a middle-aged female teacher wearing glasses, with a round face, short hair, and a gray cloth shirt.
She glanced at Chen Zheng and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Hello teacher, I'm looking for Lin Xiaoyun. I'm her friend, and I'd like to ask about the junior high school's recruitment of students from other schools."
The female teacher looked him up and down, probably never having seen a rural youth dressed in a Zhongshan suit asking about enrollment before.
She turned around and called out into the office, "Lin Xiaoyun, someone's looking for you."
After a while, Lin Xiaoyun ran over from the other end of the corridor.
Today she was wearing a white shirt with a floral print, and her hair was tied in a ponytail with a blue ribbon.
When she saw Chen Zheng, her eyes lit up, and she ran up to him, her face slightly red, whether from running or something else was unclear.
"Chen Zheng? What brings you here?"
"I came to ask you something."
Chen Zheng said, "My two younger brothers, Rongzi and Fengzi, want to transfer to the junior high school section of the county's No. 1 Middle School."
My home is in the countryside, so I have to board at school. I asked Jiawang, and he said that the junior high school accepts students from other schools.
But he wasn't quite clear on the specifics of how to register, what the exams were, or what the accommodation conditions were like.
"You're from here; I'd like to ask you something."
Lin Xiaoyun tucked a stray hair behind her ear, thought for a moment, and said:
"The junior high school does accept students from other schools; every year there are several transfer students from rural areas."
To register, you must first submit a primary school report card, and then take an entrance test, which includes two subjects: Chinese and mathematics.
If you pass the test, you can join the class. As for the boarding conditions...
She hesitated for a moment, "The dormitory is a converted old classroom, with more than a dozen people living in one room. The conditions are not good."
The cafeteria is alright; breakfast includes porridge and steamed buns, and lunch and dinner consist of two dishes and a soup.
"That's enough," Chen Zheng said. "Rongzi has good grades, and Fengzi is quick-witted. They should be able to pass the entrance exam."
I'll go back and get the report card from their elementary school teacher.
Lin Xiaoyun nodded and said, "The registration deadline is next Friday."
The test is next Sunday, so go back and get it done quickly.
Chen Zheng kept the time in mind.
He glanced at Lin Xiaoyun, who was holding a stack of books.
The top book is an English textbook, with a line of English written on the cover in neat handwriting using a ballpoint pen.
He recalled what Lin Xiaoyun's mother had said at Teacher Zhao's house last time.
Lin Xiaoyun will be taking the college entrance examination next year.
"How are your preparations for the college entrance exam next year?" Chen Zheng asked.
Lin Xiaoyun lowered her eyelids and pursed her lips: "It's alright."
Math and Chinese are not a big problem, but English is a bit difficult.
My teacher said my English level is considered good in the county, but it's still a long way from being good enough for a top-tier university.
She looked up at Chen Zheng, a stubborn light in her eyes, "But I'm sure I can pass the exam."
"You'll definitely pass the exam," Chen Zheng said.
Lin Xiaoyun paused for a moment, then smiled, her eyes crinkling: "How did you know?"
"I have a good eye for people," Chen Zheng said.
Lin Xiaoyun blushed again.
She lifted the stack of books in her arms and said, "I'm going back now, I still have one class left."
He turned and ran back to the other end of the corridor.
He turned back and called out again, "If you have any questions about your brother's registration, come to me!"
Chen Zheng watched her run into the classroom, her ponytail swinging behind her, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.
After leaving the county's No. 1 High School, he bought two notebooks and two pencils at the convenience store near the school gate.
I'm going to take it back for Chen Rong and Chen Feng to use.
I went to the bookstore and picked out two junior high school math reference books, one for algebra and one for geometry.
The plan is to let Chen Rong see it in advance so that he will be more prepared for the entrance test.
The bookstore clerk wrapped the books in kraft paper and tied them with hemp rope.
Chen Zheng took it, tucked it under his arm, and walked towards the bus station.
As they passed the Dongfeng Hotel, Master Qian happened to be seeing off a guest at the entrance. He saw Chen Zheng and waved him over.
"How's the loan going?" Master Qian offered him a cigarette.
Chen Zheng took it and tucked it behind his ear: "The materials have been submitted. Director Fang said it should be approved by the end of the month."
"Okay." Master Qian nodded. "With this money, you can expand your fishpond next year."
By the way, Guo Changlin called me again a couple of days ago about the fish harvest at the end of the year.
He said the market in the provincial capital was short of goods this winter, and he wanted to buy all two thousand catties of your fish.
The price will be increased by 10% on top of the original guaranteed price.
Chen Zheng was taken aback: "Add 10%?"
"Hmm." Master Qian exhaled a puff of smoke. "The wholesale price of aquatic products in the provincial capital has gone up this winter."
If you sell it to him at the original guaranteed price, he can resell it and make a profit on the difference.
People in the provincial capital are very shrewd; they'll add 10% to the price of your fish and still make a profit.
But this is good for you. Two thousand catties of fish, selling for an extra ten cents per catty, that's two hundred yuan.
The extra money is enough for your brother to go to school for a year.
Chen Zheng kept these words in mind.
Guo Changlin paid a premium to purchase the goods not only because of the market shortage, but more importantly because he valued their quality.
The fish fry in his family were sourced from a fish farm in the provincial capital.
The method used, overseen by Zhao Deming and Zhou Haiming, resulted in products that were indeed better than those from ordinary farmers.
Fish of this quality can fetch a higher price if taken to the provincial capital.
"Master Qian, when the fish are ready for harvest at the end of the year, could you please arrange for Guo Changlin to come over? We can discuss the price in person."
"Okay. Leave this to me." Master Qian stubbed out his cigarette, patted Chen Zheng on the shoulder,
"There's something else I need to tell you."
The county decided to set up a seafood processing plant in Baiyang Town, specializing in fish balls and smoked fish.
This processing point was registered under the name of Dongfeng Hotel, but I was actually in charge of it.
If you'd like, you can send the slightly lower-quality fish from your batch at the end of the year directly to the processing center.
Prices will be based on market rates; we will not negotiate lower prices.
Chen Zheng quickly calculated that out of the two thousand catties of fish, about 70% would meet the standards of the provincial capital.
The remaining three products are of slightly lower quality.
If you sell directly to the processing point, you don't need to go through the trouble of taking it to the farmers' market for retail, saving time and transportation costs.
This means having an additional stable sales channel.
"Okay. The better quality ones will go to the provincial capital, and the lower quality ones will go to the processing point. We can use both routes, so we don't have to worry about stockpiling."
Master Qian smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Just like your father, reliable in your work."
By the time I got home, it was already dark.
Chen Feng was chopping firewood in the yard, the axe making a whooshing sound as he swung it.
Seeing Chen Zheng return, he dropped his axe and ran over: "Brother! You're back! Did the loan get approved?"
"Not yet, it won't be approved until the end of the month."
Chen Zheng placed the paper package under his arm on the stone platform. "I bought reference books for you and Rongzi. Take a look."
Chen Feng opened the paper package and saw two brand-new math books; his eyes lit up immediately.
"Dude, is this middle school math?"
"Yes. You and Rongzi will be going to the county in a few days to take the entrance exam. If you pass, you can go to the junior high school of the county's No. 1 Middle School."
Take a look at these two books first, so you have a general idea of what to expect.
Chen Feng hugged the book to his chest, his mouth agape in a wide grin. He ran to the kitchen door and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Mom! My brother said that Rong and I should go to school in the county!"
Zhang Cuihua poked her head out of the kitchen, her apron covered in flour, and she was holding a spatula in her hand.
She looked at Chen Zheng, her eyes filled with both joy and heartache.
I'm happy that my two sons can go to school in the county, but I'm also worried about the tuition and boarding fees, which will be a considerable expense.
"Mother, don't worry about the tuition."
Chen Zheng walked over and placed the medicine he had gotten that day on the stove. "You can stop taking your medicine after one more course of treatment."
Once the loan is approved at the end of the month, and the fishpond is ready for harvest at the end of the year, our family's life will be much better.
I'll pay for Rongzi and Fengzi's school fees.
Zhang Cuihua looked at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say, "You've had it tough too," but in the end she didn't say it.
She reached out and straightened Chen Zheng's collar, saying, "Let's eat."
At the dinner table, Chen Rong heard about the incident at the county's No. 1 High School. His chopsticks froze in mid-air, and he remained stunned for a long while.
He put down his chopsticks and asked, "Brother, what's on the entrance exam?"
"Chinese and Math. The Chinese exam covers reading comprehension and composition, while the Math exam covers material from fourth or fifth grade elementary school, within the curriculum."
Chen Zheng recounted the information he had obtained from Lin Xiaoyun that day.
Chen Rong nodded and silently picked up his bowl to continue eating.
But he ate much faster than usual, and after finishing, he put down his bowl and went into the inner room.
When Chen Zheng went over to take a look, he saw that the algebra reference book had already been opened.
By the light of the kerosene lamp, I read it word by word.
Chen Feng, however, was not so self-aware.
After finishing his meal, he tried to tease the eel cage again, but Chen Zheng pulled him back and pressed him down on the table.
Chen Zheng took out his elementary school math textbook.
I gave him more than a dozen word problems to do. He had to redo each one he got wrong, and he could only go to sleep when he got them all right.
Chen Feng looked distressed, counting on his fingers as he did the math problems, muttering to himself.
When he got to the third question, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Brother, what if I don't pass the exam?"
"You'll definitely pass the exam."
Why?
"Because you are my brother," Chen Zheng said.
Chen Feng paused for a moment, then lowered his head and continued solving the problem, working much more diligently than before.
Although I got three questions wrong and had to redo them three times before getting them all right, I finally finished.
Over the next few days, Chen Zheng put the loan application aside for the time being and focused on helping his two younger brothers prepare for school.
He first went to the village primary school and asked Chen Rong and Chen Feng's former homeroom teacher for their report cards.
The homeroom teacher was not Zhao Deming; he only taught there for a short period of time.
The man was in his forties and his surname was Ma.
He taught elementary school for half his life and was a well-known old scholar in Lutang Village.
He flipped through the files, found Chen Rong and Chen Feng's report cards, and said, "Rongzi has good grades and always gets first place."
Fengzi is smart, but he doesn't work hard enough; his grades are only average to above average.
"If Fengzi can really go to school in the county, he'll have someone to look after him, and he should be able to keep up."
Chen Zheng folded the report card and then went to find Zhao Deming.
Please ask him to write a letter of recommendation for his two younger brothers.
Zhao Deming readily agreed, spread out the letter paper, picked up the brush, and began to write, stroke by stroke.
His recommendation letter was written with solid wording.
It is said that the Chen Rong and Chen Feng brothers are of good character, diligent and eager to learn, and it is hoped that the county's No. 1 Middle School will admit them.
"This letter may not necessarily earn you extra points, but it at least speaks to the child's character."
Teachers at the county's No. 1 High School, please take a look.
Zhao Deming folded the letter and handed it to Chen Zheng.
Chen Zheng accepted the letter and thanked him.
He then talked to Zhao Deming about the loan and the fishpond. Zhao Deming listened attentively, occasionally interjecting a few words.
When Zhao Deming heard that the method of soaking in salt water to treat branchial fungus had been popularized in Lijiawan, he smiled and said:
"You're better than your father. Your father is a good fisherman, but he doesn't know how to teach. You do."
Chen Zheng thought for a moment and said:
"Teacher Zhao, I think that if we want to develop the fishing industry in the Baiyang Lake area, we can't rely on just one person."
The fish diseases in Lijiawan recur every year because no one teaches them how to treat them.
The training course was good, but the amount of knowledge that can be learned in five days is limited, and many people can't even understand their notes afterward.
Zhao Deming nodded: "What do you want to do?"
"I want to set up a technology promotion point in Baiyang Town."
It's not just about fish disease prevention and control, but also about feed formulation, water quality management, and fish fry selection.
These can serve as a reference for farmers in the surrounding area.
I'm learning myself, but I do have the ability to teach others what I know.
Zhao Deming leaned back in his chair:
"I mentioned this idea to Zhou Haiming."
He also felt that the Baiyanghu area lacked a grassroots technology extension point.
But he's in charge of six townships by himself, so he can't manage them all.
If you can teach others in Baiyang Town for an extended period, the county aquatic products company can issue you a technical extension worker appointment letter.
There's a monthly subsidy of a few dollars, not much, but it's acceptable in terms of status.
Chen Zheng's eyes lit up.
Although the appointment letter for a technical promoter isn't a high-ranking position,
But with this title, his words carried weight among the surrounding farmers.
Moreover, the employment letter from the aquatic products company is officially recognized, which will help in applying for various support projects in the future.
"Teacher Zhao, could you please talk to Zhou Haiming about this for me?"
"Okay. He's coming to Baiyang Town early next month to conduct winter fish disease prevention and control training. I'll take you to see him then."
Chen Zheng carefully put away the letter of recommendation and left Teacher Zhao's house.
When I got home, I put my transcript, recommendation letters, and college application into an envelope.
I went to the county's No. 1 Middle School early the next morning.
The registration process went relatively smoothly.
A young teacher from the Academic Affairs Office flipped through the materials.
After asking him a few basic questions, I told him the time and place of the entrance test.
Next Saturday at 8:00 AM, the exams for Chinese and Mathematics will be held in classrooms on the first floor of the junior high school building at the county's No. 1 Middle School.
Each session lasts one and a half hours.
After leaving the academic affairs office, Chen Zheng wandered around the campus again.
On the playground of the county's No. 1 Middle School, several students are playing basketball.
Next to the playground was a row of bungalows, with the words "dormitory" hanging on the door.
He went over to take a look; the door was open, and inside was a large dormitory room.
A dozen or so wooden-framed beds were arranged in two rows, with straw mats on the beds and quilts folded neatly.
The conditions are indeed basic, but better than the junior high school in town.
The junior high school dormitory in town was said to have been converted from an old granary. The walls were drafty and it was as cold as an icebox in winter.
Chen Zheng stood at the dormitory entrance for a while and then he got a sense of what was going on.
He went back and told Zhang Cuihua about the dormitory situation.
Without saying a word, Zhang Cuihua added another layer of cotton to the new quilt.
Over the next few days, Chen Zheng looked after the fishpond during the day and tutored his two younger brothers in the evenings.
He compiled a table of the knowledge points that might be tested in the entrance exam.
Every evening after dinner, Chen Rong and Chen Feng each do a set of practice questions.
Chen Rong works quickly and accurately, while Chen Feng dawdles and often makes mistakes, but he can get it right the first time he redoes it.
"Fengzi, it's not that you're not smart. It's that you're not serious."
Chen Zheng looked at the problems he had done and pointed to a word problem that he had calculated incorrectly.
"You wrote the correct formula for this problem, but you made a mistake in the last step."
If you did that during the exam, you'd be just one point short of passing. Would you be willing to accept that?
Chen Feng pouted and redid the wrong problem. This time he got it right.
"Brother, if I get accepted, can I go to the same school as Brother Jiawang?" Chen Feng suddenly asked.
"Yes. Jiawang also audits classes at the county's No. 1 High School. If you both get accepted, you'll be alumni."
Chen Feng's eyes lit up, and he buried himself in his work.
He was much more attentive than before, and although he still got one wrong, he made significant progress overall.
On the day of the entrance exam, Chen Zheng got up before dawn.
Zhang Cuihua cooked a bowl of noodle soup for him and his two younger brothers, with poached eggs on top.
She took Chen Rong and Chen Feng's new clothes out of the closet, one set for each of them, blue cloth shirts and gray cloth trousers, with fine stitches.
The collar and cuffs are double-stitched, making them sturdy and durable.
Chen Rong put on his new clothes, his expression calm, with only a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.
Chen Feng was different; he was so excited that he ran around the yard several times before being scolded by Chen Laosan and finally quieted down.
Old Chen, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, looked at his two sons and said, "Do your best on the exam."
If you don't pass the exam, come back to fishing; if you do pass, study hard.
The three of them took a bus to the county town.
Chen Zheng escorted Chen Rong and Chen Feng to the entrance of the county's No. 1 Middle School, stuffing their examination admission tickets and pens into their hands.
"Don't be nervous when you go in. The questions aren't difficult, just do them carefully. There's enough time, so check them after you're done."
Chen Rong nodded, turned around, and entered the school gate.
Chen Feng followed behind, and after a few steps, he looked back again.
Chen Zheng nodded to him, and he quickly followed.
When the test ended, Chen Zheng waited at the school gate.
He saw Chen Rong come out first, his expression was pretty much the same as usual.
Chen Feng followed behind, and as soon as they stepped out of the school gate, he shouted, "Brother! I've finished everything! I checked it twice!"
Chen Zheng asked Chen Rong, "How are you feeling?"
Chen Rong thought for a moment and said, "Math isn't difficult. The reading comprehension questions in Chinese are a bit tricky, but I should be able to get them right."