Rebirth of a Top Student's Handbook

When Grandma Zhou saw Zhou's mother return, she was furious, but she could only hold it in because she was afraid that her son would really divorce her. After all, apart from being biased towards her own family, Zhou's mother was otherwise a good person. Besides, what woman doesn't think about her own family?

The Zhou family spent a year in this joyless manner. Compared to Zhou Min, the oldest of her cousins ​​was only 3 years old. Because they all married relatively late, Zhou Min's uncles doted on their own children, and Zhou Min was no exception. After all, she was their first child, so everyone was very worried.

Amid everyone's worries, Zhou's mother felt even more guilty, as if she had failed as a mother.

Meanwhile, Zhou Min, taking advantage of the absence of customers on New Year's Eve, worked with Wang Jie to organize the clothes, hanging them up where they should and putting them on the mannequins where they should be worn. Wang Jie felt full of energy because Sister Zhang had given each of them an 800 yuan New Year's red envelope as overtime pay for the holiday. It's worth noting that Wang Jie's own monthly salary was only 1200 yuan.

Zhou Min not only received a New Year's red envelope, but Sister Zhang also gave her a 600 yuan travel allowance when she went to select goods last time. Zhou Min felt that if she worked hard, Sister Zhang would give her a bonus when school started. With this hopeful wish, Zhou Min became more and more motivated.

In just two days, the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Min sold more than 1 yuan worth of goods. After all, transportation was not as developed as it is now, and most people had never traveled far from home. So, for such fashionable and high-end clothes, they only felt that there were not enough, otherwise they could have bought a few more sets.

Of course, the main reason why business has been so good these past few days is that people have come out to shop during the New Year and have been attracted by the clothes that Zhou Min has placed on the mannequins at the door.

Zhou Min, engrossed in her sales career, was completely unaware that her mother had suffered another blow today. The second day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally the day for daughters to return to their parents' home, but the Zheng family's daughters-in-law always chose another day to visit their parents. This was because the Zheng family was large, and it was difficult for everyone to gather except on the second day of the Lunar New Year—this specifically referred to Zhou Min's uncle. He worked out of town and rarely came home; his visits were always a family reunion.

The only two people absent today were Zhou Min and her father. Originally, Zhou's mother didn't want to go back, but thinking that she hadn't seen her younger brother for a long time, she went back anyway.

Hearing the laughter of others in the room, Zhou's mother felt as if she were in another world. Zhou Min's uncle, seeing that Zhou's mother was not in a good state, went over and called her to the yard to ask about Zhou Min. You see, since Zhou's mother had raised him, the uncle had a very good relationship with her. He felt particularly sorry for his sister's sacrifices for the family over the years and wanted to persuade her not to continue to be so selfless, but Zhou's mother never listened.

Moreover, because Zheng Xiaojiu himself came from an educated background, he greatly admired children who excelled academically, and Zhou Min was the best student in the family. Therefore, among all the children, Zheng Xiaojiu's favorite was Zhou Min.

Uncle Zheng only heard about Zhou Min's disappearance today. He called Zhou's mother out and asked her in detail what had happened. He also called his classmate in the county public security bureau and asked them to keep an eye out. Then he started lecturing Zhou's mother. In the past, Zhou's mother might not have taken these things seriously, but because Zhou Min had been missing for many days and she had been suffering every day, she now regretted her actions after hearing Uncle Zheng talk about the child's education and the girl's psychological problems.

You know, although Zheng Xiaojiu's family only has a son who is 4 years old and has just started kindergarten, he is a university professor. When he talks about educational philosophy, he has a whole set of ideas. Zhou's mother wanted to treat Zhou Min like an ancestor in the future.

“You can’t say that. You think your Xiaomin is too wild. Country kids can’t be compared to city kids. Everyone does chores. If my Xichen weren’t in poor health, I would make her work every day too,” Aunt Zheng added after hearing Uncle Zheng’s words.

Uncle Zheng knew he was exaggerating a bit, but he only gave Zhou's mother the strong medicine because his third sister had been brainwashed too much by her maternal grandparents.

"The main thing is that Minmin has good grades. If you nurture her well, she will definitely be successful in the future. Don't put all your heart into your parents' home just because you only have one daughter. And spend more of your money on Minmin, don't give it to my parents anymore. They have money, I give them money every time I come back, they don't lack anything. You should focus your attention on your child, after all, they represent unlimited possibilities. The more you only have one child, the more carefully you need to raise her..."

Aunt Zheng went back home after seeing that Uncle Zheng was still talking. After Zhou's mother and Uncle Zheng went back into the house, they heard Uncle Zheng saying, "I guess he won't be coming back. We haven't heard from him for so long."

Suddenly, Zhou's mother overheard Zheng's uncle casually mentioning Zhou Min. She recalled how, when Xi Chen was little, she had left Zhou Min with Grandma Zhou while she devoted herself to caring for Zheng's aunt and Xi Chen. She felt like a fool; she felt sorry for other people's sick and weak children, but who cared for her own Minmin? Just because Minmin ran away from home, not only did they not help look for her, but they were also cursing her.

Seeing the angry look in Zhou's mother's eyes, Zheng's uncle felt a little embarrassed and quickly added, "We're relatives, so we're just telling the truth. Don't take it to heart, Auntie."

"Get the hell out of here! Why don't you curse your own child? I saw your sister's child run away with someone else and even had a child. Why didn't you suspect she was dead?" Zhou's mother shouted angrily.

"I was just saying something casually, why are you getting so angry?" Although Uncle Zheng knew that Zhou's mother had a strong personality, he had never known that she could be so terrifying when she got angry.

Aunt Zheng also came over to apologize, and others joined in to try and calm Zhou's mother down. Just as Zhou's mother's anger was beginning to subside, she overheard Uncle Zheng talking about breaking Zhou Min's legs when she returned. During this period of torment, Zhou's mother felt that all the blame lay with her, and that Zhou Min was merely a child she had driven out of the house and left to wander the streets. Hearing the talk of breaking Zhou Min's legs reignited her anger, and the others' attempts to comfort her included the suggestion that if they couldn't find another child, they could simply adopt another and raise them—it wouldn't matter.

Zhou's mother felt increasingly unfamiliar with the house. Recalling what her uncle Zheng had just said, she realized she had been wrong from the very beginning. Hearing this, Zhou's mother, distraught, told Grandma Zheng that she needed to go home because there was something wrong. Grandma Zheng, seeing Zhou's mother's state, felt it was an ominous sign, offered a few words of comfort, and then let her go home.

Uncle Zheng saw Zhou's mother off, comforting her along the way and telling her not to worry, assuring her that he had already asked a friend to help find someone and it would be quick. He also tried to educate her on new ideas, urging her not to be controlled by her parents and not to continue making sacrifices like before. He said that Grandpa and Grandma Zheng were very wealthy, and sacrificing her own children's interests to benefit them was incredibly foolish. As for whether her other siblings should be taken care of, he pointed out that everyone else was better off than her family, and that she was already being generous by not needing their help.