Countdown to Awakening

But the village chief was very adamant and insisted on not letting her open a girls' school, and Zhang Mei had no way of convincing him.

"Zhang Mei, I can only say that the cost of running a school is beyond your means. I can't afford that much. Besides, our village already has a school, and opening another one wouldn't be in compliance with regulations. We're also short of teachers. Our village school already lacks teachers, and if we open another, the shortage will only worsen. Who will teach so many students then?" As the village chief spoke, he didn't dare look at Zhang Mei. He kept his head down, writing something with a pen in his hand.

"Besides, there's not much money to approve, so it would be a waste of effort. So you'd better give up."

Zhang Mei found it a bit unreasonable. How could it be impossible? She had heard that applying to her previous school was quite easy. Why was it impossible for her?

"Why? I already said I'm applying to a girls' school, a girls' high school. I'm not applying to anything else. Nine-year compulsory education is universal now, and once girls finish junior high and pass the high school entrance exam, they can..."

Before she could finish her words, the village chief interrupted her, saying, "Zhang Mei, I've told you this isn't allowed, and it's not that easy to do. Don't insist on doing it this way!"

Zhang Mei pondered the matter, but couldn't understand why the village chief said that. Clearly, so many girls in the village lacked education, and even if they made it to junior high school, they wouldn't necessarily be able to go on to high school. So, wouldn't it be reasonable for her to open a girls' school? Why was it such a problem? Why was it not allowed?

"Village head, don't you want to see so many girls get into college? Get into high school? Do you only want boys to study? Do you share their sentiment of favoring boys over girls? Are you also afraid that girls will graduate from high school and never come back, leaving the boys in the village without wives?"

When the village chief heard this, he seemed a little stunned. But his eyes were full of disbelief.

Zhang Mei saw his expression and was convinced she was right. She hadn't expected the always kind and dedicated village chief to share the same sentiments. Was he the same as those people...? He was also afraid of things he shouldn't be doing...

Isn't he the most righteous? Isn't he the most fair? Didn't he also support Pan Di going to college? Why is he not like that when it comes to this matter?

Zhang Mei glanced at the village chief again, and his evasive gaze revealed his thoughts...

"Zhang Mei, if you want to open a girls' school, that's fine. Go find the money yourself. I don't care what method you use. Since you're so determined, then you figure it out yourself. Anyway, I can't approve the money..."

After hearing this, Zhang Mei ran out in anger.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she went out, she heard someone saying bad things about her.

Plus, she had noticed outside just now that the village chief's eyes were still avoiding her when he looked at her... Her guess was correct.

She couldn't understand. Isn't gender equality advocated these days? Why did everyone take it for granted when they saw a girl in the village without an education? Everyone thought it was normal, that education was a boy's job. Everyone thought girls should stay home, taking care of their husbands and children? Could it be that girls couldn't go to school? What era was this?

She finally understood why there was no girls' school in the village. If it had been cleared, it would have been opened long ago. Why would she have to wait until she brought it up? Perhaps the idea had been rejected by the village chief a long time ago.

But she won't let it go.

She would wait until her child was older before planning to open a girls' school. While this matter was urgent, it couldn't be made lightly. She didn't have the time now, so she would have to wait until she had the time. She would make that decision once she had saved some money.

Zhang Mei looked at her son sleeping soundly in bed, feeling torn. If she opened a girls' school, who would help her take care of her children? If she didn't and stayed home to take care of her children, what would become of the many girls in the village? She wanted to open a girls' school, but she didn't have the money...

We can't let those girls stay here like other women in the village, waiting to get married and have children, and then talk bad about others whenever they have the chance, right?

She felt that such a life was meaningless. If she wanted a meaningful life, she should study, read more, take exams, and find a better life.

She wanted to prove that not everyone in the village was waiting to get married and have children.

But she still couldn't believe the village chief had such a mindset. No wonder he had no problem with so many girls in the village not being able to go to school, and even didn't care.

She had always thought the village chief was a very fair person, in charge of all the village affairs, big and small, and he managed them well. But it turned out that in this case, he didn't want to intervene, nor did he want to explain too much.

Perhaps he also hoped that the girls in the village would not be able to pass the exam, so that they could stay in the village and reproduce for the boys in the village...

Thinking of this, she thought of her own village, her mother and other women in the village. When they were young, they all waited in the village to have children.

They would brag about their abilities to everyone they met, telling everyone how capable they were when they were pregnant, and demanding that everyone else be like them. But she wasn't affected by this mentality.

Zhang Mei took a deep breath, then thought about it and decided to just wait and see for another two years.

At this time, the Qi family is experiencing a bloody storm...

"Why not? Wouldn't it be a glory for the Qi family if my son got into university? Yuanyuan is a girl, and she'll get married even if she gets in. Then she'll be someone else's daughter-in-law in the future. It's better to give the spot to my son."

Wang Ning stood in the yard and "discussed" the matter with them.

She thought, since her youngest son didn't get a spot, she had to get one for her eldest son, right? Otherwise, there would be no college students in their family. It wouldn't matter if Qi Yuanyuan was wronged, but her son couldn't be wronged.

"Why should I give up the spot to you? Who are you? I won't give it to you. I worked so hard to get it. Should I give it to you all of a sudden? I won't." Qi Yuanyuan's tone was naturally impolite.

She won't let you, you'll be so mad!

Qi Qingguang felt his face had been completely shattered, his face burning. So he spoke up, "Just because we're the male members of the Qi family, and you're nothing. You'll have to get married, but I don't have to. I can take care of your parents, and mine, until they die. I can do anything you can't..."

He was born with confidence and a sense of superiority. It was as if what he was fighting for was what he deserved... In fact, she thought so too. Her brother definitely didn't want this spot, so wouldn't it belong to him?

Wang Ning looked at her son. After hearing what he said, she also felt that her son had grown up and would fight for things for her and his brother. Even if Qingyang didn't want it, it would be okay to give it to Qingguang, right? There would always be someone who wanted this good thing. Qingyang is such a blockhead! He doesn't even want good things.

"Son, let's ignore her. Let's get her admission letter and change her name. Then we can contact the people in town to change it together."

Qi Qingguang held out his hand like a lord and asked, "Give me your admission letter. It's useless if you give it to us. If you give it to us, my mother will pay for your dowry. Your mother will save herself the trouble. My mother might not be so kind to her own daughter. You can take advantage of her."

Qi Yuanyuan rolled her eyes. Whoever wants to take advantage of this can do so. She doesn't want it anyway!

"I won't give it to you!"

Qi Qingguang looked at Qi Yuanyuan like this and wanted to hit her, but he knew that Qi Yuanyuan was a woman that everyone in the village knew was not easy to mess with.

"You are so good at talking that no one will want you in the future, and you won't be able to get married! You will have the same fate as Widow Zhang, and you will be unlucky in marriage!" Qi Qingguang said.

Qi Yuanyuan laughed and continued, "Humph, if everyone wants to marry a man like you, then I might as well not be wanted by anyone. Don't worry, if no one wants me in the future, you won't be much better off either. You won't be able to find a wife either."

Wang Ning's face darkened immediately upon hearing this. She turned to Qi Rongfeng and his wife, who had remained silent, and said, "Sister-in-law, what do you mean? You're just going to let your daughter talk like that in front of her own brother?!"