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After chatting with Tiger for a while, Jiang Yizhou felt a lack of connection. Tiger was similar to him, having dropped out of school early to work in the fields, and then getting married through an arranged match at a young age. Although they couldn't obtain a marriage certificate due to age restrictions, they still held a grand wedding banquet, living as honest farmers.
Perhaps soon he would also embark on the path of working away from home, becoming a silent construction worker. In the countryside, it was indeed quite difficult to support a family.
However, Jiang Yizhou couldn't help them; this kind of matter should be directed to Jiang Maoming, the foreman who had recruited many young people from the village to work on construction sites.
"Well, I’ll be off then! I still have several other places to visit!" Jiang Yizhou concluded the conversation and said his goodbyes.
Tiger saw his son engrossed in the Bubble Ring Game Machine and bent down to give him a playful slap on the backside. "The uncle who brought you gifts is leaving; aren’t you going to say thank you?"
It was easier to accidentally hurt a child by hitting their head, so it was better to pat the thicker parts like their backside.
The boy sniffled and reluctantly repeated what his father had taught him in a babyish voice, "Thank you, uncle!"
At three years old, children were still learning about the world and needed education for many things. Jiang Yizhou remembered that his memories from both his past life and this life began around four or five years old; everything before that was hazy. Therefore, he was quite lenient towards children younger than four or five.
In contrast, he was quite strict with children who had begun to understand memory and self-awareness.
He was held up at Tiger's house for a good five or six minutes by Tiger's wife, a short and plump woman who stuffed his hands and pockets with large amounts of peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Seeing Tiger's wife made Jiang Yizhou think with dark humor whether they had married because of an unexpected pregnancy; given her physique, it wasn't impossible!
Next, Jiang Yizhou went to his teacher's house. Jiang Maoyou lived on the outskirts of the village near the Village School. The entire village was actually divided into three parts: two were inhabited by those with the Jiang surname, while one part belonged to the Lin family, separated by a road. The Village School was located near the roadside area where only a few households lived, making it somewhat isolated. Those families were likely hoping to benefit from being close to the road for business purposes.
After walking for about seven or eight minutes, Jiang Yizhou finally arrived at his teacher's house. There were originally eight teachers at the school; six of them each taught one grade level, which essentially meant one class that continued until graduation. After that, students would go on to middle school in town or elsewhere. The relationship between each student and their homeroom teacher was generally good since one person taught them for six years—how could that not foster good feelings? Those who didn’t get along probably didn’t enjoy school and had left long ago.
The other two teachers are for physical education and music, and now it's uncertain how the five teachers will continue teaching. Are the sixth graders going to have to go to the village school? It seems like the Village School is declining a bit too quickly.
Jiang Yizhou only attended for three years in his memories. When he dropped out, Jiang Maoyou had also approached his parents to persuade them, and their relationship was not bad. However, the original Jiang Yizhou was quite dull and didn't interact much, so that friendship gradually faded.
"Teacher, I came to see you!" This time, Jiang Yizhou didn't bring anything. He realized that many things he needed to remember could only come to mind when he saw them, similar to the saying that one regrets not having enough books when they need them. He didn't have time to buy anything from the street; he just took some money from his father's unused house construction funds.
"Yi Zhou, why did you come? Come in, sit down! The fire is still burning in here!" Jiang Maowen had a good impression of him and was very welcoming.
After sitting down, the teacher brought out a plate divided into many sections, each filled with different snacks and fruits, placing it in front of Jiang Yizhou. "Take whatever you want; don't be shy!"
Jiang Yizhou patted his pockets and slightly "regretted," saying, "Teacher, I'm all filled up; I can't fit anything more!"
In the end, he still grabbed some sunflower seeds and started cracking them while chatting.
"Teacher, how is the Village School now?" Jiang Yizhou steered the conversation in that direction.
The teacher used tongs to poke at the charcoal in the fire pit, making it burn more vigorously, and said helplessly, "Isn't Jiang Maoming's father taking a group of people out to work? Didn't you go with them? Over the years, some kids have been taken out by their parents; others have dropped out because their families lack labor. The number of students is decreasing more and more; several teachers have left as well. Only a few of us are still here."
Then Jiang Maoyou's voice came up. "And then there's the family planning office; they're cracking down harder and harder. It was okay ten years ago, but in the last decade, it's been relentless. Most people stop after having a second child; if they have more, they get fined and can't afford it. If they refuse to pay the fine, they don't get a household registration—becoming black households!"
Black households can't go to school. Jiang Yizhou knew about this; in the future, it would become a social issue. There are over ten million black households nationwide due to exceeding birth limits. It's not far off; just asking around in each village should yield some results.
This is beyond Jiang Yizhou's capabilities. He felt somewhat emotional about how early the Village School was declining. Most villages should have started declining only after 2000 when more people began working away from home, rural living standards improved, and families could afford tuition fees or send their children to town schools. Many teachers were also unwilling to come teach in villages.
"Teacher, I have a little money here. I hope you can use it as a bonus and distribute it to the children based on their grades every year. It's just a small gesture to help out." Jiang Yizhou handed an envelope containing the money to Jiang Maoyou.
Jiang Maoyou hesitated for a moment before accepting it. He counted the money and thought, wow, this is half a year's salary! Is he really giving this away?
He quickly tried to return the money, feeling that it was too much to handle.
Jiang Yizhou smiled and refused, saying, "Teacher, just accept it. This amount of money is nothing to me. Do you believe that next year I will donate enough for a Cement Road in the village?"
Jiang Yizhou was not just boasting; he could actually do it. Whenever he thought of something beneficial for his hometown, he would take action. Of course, he would choose projects that wouldn't cause conflicts among the villagers—supporting education and building roads were perfect options. It would make the people in his hometown appreciate him, which would satisfy him greatly.
Jiang Maoyou was somewhat surprised. What has this kid been doing outside? He’s so generous; even the guy who contracted the sand pit wouldn’t dare to be this extravagant.
In the end, Jiang Maoyou accepted the money. Some children indeed needed this support, and he felt powerless to help them on his own. Now that someone was offering assistance, he couldn't refuse.
Jiang Yizhou had acted on impulse. With this money, he saw the difficulties others faced and wanted to lend a hand. Back in college, whenever he saw the Yifu Building, he felt that Shaodaheng was truly remarkable; he had only donated over a thousand yuan but felt incredibly satisfied.
Now it was time to focus on celebrating the New Year! Everything still required money to resolve, and any promises made would have to be fulfilled slowly over the coming year.
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