Return to the 1982 Staff Compound

Chapter 11 Going to School

When I got home in the evening, Chen Suniang arranged for my bicycle to be pushed into the living room.

After finishing his meal, Qiu Huoming volunteered to wash the dishes and returned to his humble room amid the strange looks from his family members.

Qiu Huoming started to do his homework. It was the first time he did homework after his rebirth, and he was still a little curious. Fortunately, the questions were not difficult, and he finished it in no time.

Then he turned his head and looked at the dusty guitar hanging on the wall.

He took the guitar down, wiped the surface clean, and checked it carefully. The surface was shiny and the joints were not debonded. There was a striking label on the resonance box. This brand was still popular even in the 90s.

He couldn't quite remember where he got this guitar, but it seemed like his father brought it back one day.

The guitar strings were still usable after being tightened, so he tuned the strings, adjusted the pitch, and tried to play a test song, "Für Alice."

Soft and cheerful music could be heard in the small room at night.

His fingering was a little unfamiliar, but his continuity was still good. At the end of the song, Qiu Huoming still felt a little unsatisfied. He didn't remember much classical music, as he was good at popular songs back then.

It is now 1982, and many familiar songs have not yet been born.

However, he could try Teresa Teng's songs. The chat with Ding Yu and others in the afternoon revived his memory of Teresa Teng. He recalled the fingering techniques and began to play her famous song "Sweet Honey". When the familiar melody sounded, the Hong Kong movie starring Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai emerged in his mind.

That was the regret he had when he was young.

After singing a song, Chen Suniang came over and knocked on the door, "Huo Ming, it's so late, don't disturb the neighbors."

"Okay, I won't play it anymore."

Qiu Huoming heard Chen Suniang closing the door and talking to Qiu Jianshe, "Huoming, this song is so beautiful. I'm afraid this kid has a girl he likes..."

Qiu Huoming admired his mother's imagination. He put down the guitar and hung it back on the wall.

Most of the people in the staff compound are directly under the county committee, and every family knows each other. My family's bungalow is the second one in the southeast corner of the compound. The first one is occupied by a college student who has just been assigned to a factory under the county committee.

Near the main gate of the staff compound are two parallel two-story buildings. The residents there usually look down on those who live in bungalows.

He glanced at the alarm clock and it was almost 10 o'clock. It seemed that the uncle would not come tonight. He must have gone to Director Chen's house to deliver pork ribs and had no time to come. He remembered clearly the words he overheard in the morning.

This person is used to putting down the weak and praising the strong. If he knew that I refused to drop out of school, he would definitely look very unhappy. The angrier he is, the happier Qiu Huoming will be.

Qiu Huoming shook his head and drove the hateful man out of his mind. He calmed himself down, took out his Chinese textbook, leaned back in a wooden chair and began to read it.

At this time, Chinese mainly relies on the understanding of the article and the familiarity with the content of the article.

There were quite a lot of texts to memorize, but fortunately he could remember 7 to 8 percent of them after reading them once. By the time he finished reading a book, it was almost 12 o'clock. He yawned, but there was no movement opposite him. The whole family had already fallen asleep.

He quickly rushed into the kitchen to wash up...

I was still woken up on time by the sounds from the kitchen in the morning.

He opened his eyes in confusion and listened to his mother talking about family matters with his father in the kitchen. The family affection that he had never longed for in his previous life was now around him. He could get a response from his parents as soon as he opened his mouth, instead of having to rely on a long telephone line to do so.

The regret I felt when I was just reborn has disappeared.

After washing up, I found that the food this morning had improved, with a few fried eggs on the table.

When Qiu Huoming was sorting out his schoolbag, he found the three White Rabbit milk candies he had put in yesterday. He gave one to each of his two younger sisters, and gave the remaining one to his hard-working mother.

The white porridge is topped with a brown fried egg, which is particularly appetizing.

"Old Qiu, why don't we order milk for the children? I see several families in our yard have ordered it. I heard that it can help them grow taller." Chen Suniang said.

Qiu Jianshe glanced at Qiu Huoming and said, "He doesn't need to grow any more." Then he looked at his two daughters and said, "Then let's order some to give to Hongye and Hongshuang..."

Qiu Huoming:...

Qiu Huoming angrily finished his breakfast, put on his schoolbag, and sat lazily on the chair, "Hongye, let's go, follow me in the car."

The little sister next to him looked at him enviously, her big eyes blinking, but she didn't dare to say anything more.

"Hongshuang, do you want to take a ride too?" The look in Qiu Huoming's eyes showed that he understood her.

"Yes." She swallowed the last bite of breakfast and looked at him expectantly.

Chen Suniang was savoring the White Rabbit milk candy her son had given her. She had originally refused it, but he peeled off the candy wrapper and threw it directly into her mouth. She couldn't spit it out, so she had to eat it.

It had been a long time, and the sweet milky aroma still seemed to fill her mouth. Seeing her rebellious son suddenly become sensible, she felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart.

No matter how hard life is, it seems worth it.

"Huo Ming is growing taller, so he needs to get enough nutrition. Let's order some medicine for the children for a month first." Chen Suniang made the decision.

Qiu Jianshe, who didn't get any candy, snorted and ordered Qiu Huoming, "Don't drop your sister!"

"Don't worry, my skills are top-notch!" Qiu Huoming stood up and adjusted the position of his schoolbag. "Two little princesses, let's go. I'll take you two for a ride."

He lifted the little sister up and made her sit sideways on the horizontal bar in front of her. She didn't know where to put her hands, and looked at Qiu Huoming with an embarrassed and excited look on her face.

"Hold the middle part of the handlebars, relax, and trust your skills." He sat on the bike, propped his feet on the ground, turned his head and told the eldest sister, "Get in the bike."

At the door, Chen Suniang worriedly warned: "You should ride slower and take it easy..."

"Don't worry, let's go!" Qiu Huoming pushed hard and the car drove forward.

The little sister's knuckles turned white from clenching her teeth, her hair was blown by the wind, she felt like she was about to fly, and she subconsciously let out a scream.

Qiu Huoming freed one hand and touched his little sister's soft hair. "Don't be afraid, I'm riding steadily."

Qiu Hongshuang's little face was blown red by the wind. She secretly looked up at Qiu Huoming. From here, she could only see his slightly immature chin. She nestled in his arms, as if she had returned to her childhood. The uneasiness in her heart had disappeared.

"Well, I'm not afraid."

She muttered quietly.

The voice was soft and well-behaved, which softened Qiu Huoming's heart. He could hardly imagine how these two little girls managed to survive after the misfortune in their family in the previous life.

No wonder his eldest sister, who loved him the most, cut off all ties with him later on. He really deserved to live a lonely life.

After crossing an old stone arch bridge, I saw my younger sister's elementary school. The entrance was very busy. Besides the children, there were some vendors. Nowadays, children almost all walk to school by themselves, and parents who send their children to school are rare.

When they arrived at the school gate, Qiu Huoming stopped the car, propped himself up with his feet, let go of the handlebars, and the little sister jumped out of the car by herself. Her classmates who were not far away saw her and asked in surprise, "Hongshuang, who is he?"

Qiu Hongshuang had a proud look on her face and said in a loud voice, "He is my elder brother."

"Your elder brother is so nice that he even sends you to school in person!"

Qiu Huoming's face turned red when he was scolded by the little girls who came up to him. He turned the car around in a hurry, pushed hard with his feet, and the car sped away.

The vendors at the entrance of the primary school have already put out their small commodities, and the streets on both sides are packed.

Qiu Huoming also took a look at some of the currently popular gadgets.

The pictures were also popular. He glanced at them, but they were probably too childish and he didn't recognize the characters in them.

The food was mainly maltose, stick candy, and fruit candy. He also saw fruit leather, "rat shit", and figs. The main drink was orange soda. The toys included glass marbles, tin frogs, and homemade slingshots...

There are many types of tie ropes for little girls...

These small items with a sense of age dazzled Qiu Huoming. When he went around to the main street, there were fewer vendors, and they were replaced by storefronts.

Passing by the vegetable market, I heard all kinds of noisy sounds, mixed with popular songs playing on various tape recorders.

"Hongye, what are the popular things for you girls to buy now?" Qiu Huoming asked after quickly passing by here.

The younger sister hesitated for a moment in the back seat, "Brother, why are you asking about a little girl? You have to go to college! You can't be distracted by premature love!"

Qiu Huoming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What on earth are you thinking about? I want to do some small business in my spare time. Don't you want some pocket money?"

“Think, what can we do?”

"Before doing business, you need to do research first. Simply put, you need to know what is popular now, such as what girls want to buy the most and what is the best-selling item in the store. You need to know all of this."

"A hairband, a pencil case, pencils and a scented eraser!" Qiu Hongye listed these things without thinking.

"Do you like the pictorial?" Qiu Huoming asked.

"I like the picture magazine, but if I buy it my mother will scold me, and I don't have the money to buy it." Qiu Hongye muttered.

"Then make money, lots and lots of money, and fill the room with picture books!" Qiu Huoming said with a laugh.

Qiu Hongye liked this kind of nonsense but more cheerful brother. She covered her mouth to hold back her laughter, and imagined this scene, her eyebrows relaxed...