Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 10

In the following days, Mother Xu took the eldest son, Xu Jianguo, to the Xu family to propose marriage, but the other side made exorbitant demands.

The two families engaged in back-and-forth negotiations over the specific amount of the bride price.

During this month, Mother Xu was so angry that she felt chest pains several times and wanted to give up.

But Xu Jianguo insisted that he would marry no one but her, so in the end, Mother Xu took a step back.

The newly acquired, not-yet-used sewing machine ticket, along with 150 yuan and 50 catties of food stamps—all were given to the Xu family!

This was even after Xu Duoduo privately agreed to give her natal family 2 yuan each month for two years after marriage.

As soon as Mother Xu got home, she lay down on the bed and couldn’t get up. It took her two days to recover before she could return to work.

Because the bride price negotiations took too long, the wedding date had to be set for February 17, 1965, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month—nearly a month later than Xu Jingping’s.

“Ring—ring—ring!” The school bell rang in the afternoon, signaling the end of classes. Students started to leave one after another with their backpacks.

At this moment, a few tall boys hurriedly walked into the classroom from outside.

“Yangzi, let’s go quickly! Jinzi has arranged a basketball match against the guys from No. 3 High.”

“We need to hurry, or we’ll miss it!”

“Damn—I’m on duty today!” Zhang Xiangyang, who was not far from Xu Jing’an, shouted anxiously.

“Yangzi, you can’t bail on us at a crucial moment! We can’t do it without you.”

“Xu Jing’an, you saw that, right? We need help here. Can you take my duty today? I’ll cover for you tomorrow.” Zhang Xiangyang clasped his hands and bowed to Xu Jing’an.

“Alright, just don’t forget tomorrow. I actually have something to do in the morning and will be late, so it’ll be my turn to clean the blackboard.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”

Because of this duty swap, Xu Jing’an became the last student to leave the classroom that day.

Just as she was about to close the door, “Jing’an, wait a moment,” her homeroom teacher, Mr. Tang, called out to Xu Jing’an, who was about to go home.

“Mr. Tang, is there something you need?” she asked, noticing the sweat on his forehead.

“It’s like this—I just got notified that there’s a math competition in the provincial capital the day after tomorrow. Do you want to participate?” He caught his breath and continued, “There will be a teacher leading the team, but you’ll have to cover your own food and lodging expenses.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Tang looked at her nervously. Several students had already declined as soon as they heard they had to pay extra.

“Teacher, I’ll participate,” Xu Jing’an answered immediately. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

“Alright, then go home and prepare the things you’ll need. The time is tight; we’ll be leaving by bus at 2 p.m.”

“Remember to get the introduction letter ready; you’ll need it for accommodation. The exam is at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow, so it won’t be possible to travel there on the same day.”

“I’ve got it, Teacher. I won’t come in tomorrow morning then.”

“Alright, pack your things at home and make sure not to forget anything,” Mr. Tang nodded in agreement.

After leaving the teaching building, she wanted to go to the bathroom before heading home. Just as she reached the bathroom door, she heard people talking inside.

“Du Juan, are you going to take the internal recruitment exam for the steel plant children tomorrow?”

“Yes, I heard from my aunt. We’ll go together.”

Xu Jing’an quickly stepped aside to hide as she heard people coming out.

After they had walked far away, she came out.

It seemed that this was where the original host got the information. After a quick visit to the bathroom, she hurried home as it was getting dark.

Upon entering, she saw that Mother Xu, Father Xu, and the fourth child were all at home. The eldest and second children were not there, which meant they were likely with their significant others.

“Why are you back so late today?” Mother Xu greeted her coldly as she walked in. To be honest, since the third child took over, she hadn’t had to deal with dinner right after work for a long time.

“I forgot to tell you, Mom, that I’m on duty today,” Xu Jing’an quickly washed her hands and went to help.

“Mom, the homeroom teacher said today that I need to go to the provincial capital for a math competition.”

“All the way out there?” Mother Xu frowned.

Xu Jing’an understood that Mother Xu was worried about the expense.

“The teacher said we’ll leave tomorrow afternoon and come back the afternoon after. The school will cover all the costs for food and lodging.”

Mother Xu didn’t respond.

“Besides, my elder brother and sister are getting married, right? This is a good opportunity to visit the provincial capital’s department store. We can buy things that aren’t available here and show off a bit, plus we won’t have to pay for travel expenses.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Mother Xu said, nodding immediately.

“I’ll get the household registration book for you so you can get the introduction letter. Today is just right because the street director is on duty!” Mother Xu quickly opened the wardrobe and handed the household registration book to Xu Jing’an.

Mother Xu had to admit that although the third child’s appearance wasn’t as good as the second child’s, she was smart and good at studying. Most importantly, she knew how to manage daily life, just like her.