Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 28

Zhao Da'e and his mother, Cheng Jinxiang, got into the van. Xiangzi took out a towel and wiped the front and rear mirrors. It was winter, and in no time, frost covered the mirrors.

Then Xiangzi got into the car and turned on the key...

"Clatter clatter clatter clatter..." The van emitted an unusual roar, startling not only Zhao Da'e and Cheng Jinxiang inside, but also the birds perched in the trees next to the hospital. The birds were startled and all flew away in a flurry.

Zhao Da'e asked awkwardly, "Xiangzi, is your van a modified tricycle? Why is it making so much noise?"

Xiangzi chuckled: "It's an old rickshaw, I don't even know how many times it's been owned. But it's still usable, no major problems, and it's cheap. This rickshaw only cost a little over two thousand yuan, while a new one would cost over thirty thousand. I can't afford a new one."

Then Xiangzi drove the van, and the group set off.

Putting everything else aside, the roads in Longcheng are truly wide. They're six lanes in each direction, making them faster than highways in many places. Of course, this is due to Longcheng's unique geographical location, which has led to its extremely underdeveloped economy. The locals believed that to get rich, they should first build roads, so they widened the roads last year.

"Little aunt, what grade are you in? I feel like you're incredibly smart, your studies must be top-notch." Xiangzi changed the subject.

Zhao Da'e's lips twitched: "The adult world is all about scheming and deceit. I just said Xiangzi's rickshaw wasn't good, and he immediately started asking about my studies. It's really 'tit for tat.'"

However, Zhao Da'e never went to school. Not only was her family poor, but the preference for sons over daughters was also very serious. So even though Zhao Da'e was already six years old and of school age, her family never mentioned her going to school.

In his previous life, Zhao Da'e was eight years old when he barely started school. It was only after the school teacher came to his door and demanded that the Zhao family fulfill the requirement of nine years of compulsory education that the Zhao family agreed.

The Zhao family isn't feudal or bound by old traditions. After all, Zhao Chunqin is a college student; only one in a hundred or eighty miles can produce a college graduate. Therefore, Zhao Da'e's inability to go to school is entirely due to factors from other families.

Poverty was only one aspect. The main reason was that the grandparents, and even Zhao Tiesheng himself, didn't really think that it was useful for girls to go to school.

In short, to put it bluntly, Zhao Da'e was simply looked down upon. Nothing more.

Anything else is just an excuse.

“I haven’t gone to school yet. My family is thinking about letting me go back to school next spring or when school starts on September 1st next year.”

"Didn't you go to kindergarten either?" Xiangzi pressed on.

"Stop joking, our kindergarten closed down a long time ago. A few days ago, my uncle sued Xiaodoubao, which resulted in the school and kindergarten teachers being laid off. So where are the kindergarten classes now?" Zhao Da'e said angrily.

Xiaodoubao is a middle-aged woman named Che Lianyun. She was reported for some trivial matters, and it was wrong of her to teach without a primary school diploma. She then went home to rest.

The primary school where Zhao Da'e studied had mostly privately-employed teachers, many of whom stayed on to teach after graduating from primary school. This was common in those days, unlike later generations where a university degree was the minimum requirement.

"Then why did your grandpa report him?"

Zhao Da'e: "Uh... how would I know?"

Besides, even if Zhao Da'e knew, he couldn't say anything, because it would offend people. Reporting someone for no reason would cause them to lose their job, and it would later lead to many other problems. Of course, Zhao Da'e wouldn't mention this.