Chapter 147 The Whole Village Was Shocked

Chapter 147 The Whole Village Was Shocked

Liu Huakang was highly motivated in his new role. He delivered the lecture schedule to Uncle Jiu the very next day and began teaching according to the schedule on the third day. At the same time, thanks to his wife Deng Changqing's deliberate efforts to spread the news, nearly everyone in the village soon learned about it.

The entire village was stunned!

Most villagers couldn't understand why Deng Shirong would do such a thing. After all, the tuition and accommodation fees for high school were only 19.5 yuan per semester, and the fees for junior high and elementary school were even lower. Yet, even with these low costs, not every family in the village could afford to send their children to school.

Even for those who could afford it, they typically only sent their sons to school. Daughters, who would eventually marry into other families, were often denied even the chance to attend elementary school.

In stark contrast, Deng Shirong not only ensured that all seven of his children studied until they no longer wished to continue but also spent 20 yuan every month to hire a tutor for them. This level of dedication to his children's education was almost unheard of in rural areas during this era.

Deng Shirong's actions left the villagers baffled. Many thought he was simply wasting money. After all, if the children were already attending school, why spend extra money on private tutoring? Wouldn't it be better to use that money to buy meat? Even if they ate half a pound of meat every day, they wouldn't spend 20 yuan in a month. Wouldn't that be a far better use of the money than hiring a tutor?

Of course, not everyone was so short-sighted. A small number of families in the village praised Deng Shirong's approach, recognizing the value he placed on education.

Meanwhile, Liu Huakang, who had previously been a marginal figure in the village, suddenly became the center of attention due to this development.

After helping his family plant rice seedlings and shovel the mountain, Bu Dashi returned to his uncle's house to continue learning how to cook.

Cooking truly requires talent. Those with a natural aptitude can quickly master the skills and coordinate their hands and eyes seamlessly, while those without such talent often struggle to replicate what they see.

Fortunately, Bu Dashi had a decent knack for cooking. After learning from his cousin for a while, he could now prepare some home-cooked dishes better than most people in the village.

Seeing that his nephew had a solid foundation, and wanting his eldest daughter to focus more on her studies, Deng Shirong decided to personally teach Bu Dashi how to cook.

Deng Shirong taught his nephew everything without holding back—how to cut vegetables, which ones needed blanching, which required frying, how to control the heat while stir-frying, when to add specific seasonings, and even the art of pairing dishes and some special cooking techniques.

Under his uncle's guidance, Bu Dashi's cooking skills improved rapidly.

As for Jiang Dehu and Bu Dafang, the couple was far from idle. In addition to watering and fertilizing the already planted Cinnamon Flavor lychees and other fruit trees, they also planted watermelons in the open spaces between the trees. Except for returning to their uncle's house to bathe and sleep at night, they spent nearly all their time on the lychee mountain.

They didn't even come back for lunch, so Bu Dashi, who had little else to do, would bring their meals to them.

Their uncle paid the couple 60 yuan a month, and they were determined to earn every penny by working hard to care for the fruit trees.

"Uncle Jiu!"

One day, as Deng Shirong was heading to his lychee mountain to check on the trees, he passed by a slope where a heavily pregnant woman in her thirties greeted him.

The woman's surname was Zhang, and she was the seventh child in her family, so everyone in the village called her Zhang Qi.

Judging by her large belly, Zhang Qi was close to giving birth, yet she was still out in the field weeding with a hoe.

Such a scene would be unthinkable in later generations, where pregnant women at this stage would hardly be able to walk without their husbands' support.

Although this was common in this era, Deng Shirong couldn't help but say, "Ah Zhang Qi, you're about to give birth. Why are you still weeding by yourself? Let Ah Chun handle this!"

Zhang Qi forced a smile and replied, "He's busy with other work. Weeding is something I can still manage."

Deng Shirong didn't know what else to say, so he simply advised, "Be careful, and go back if you feel unwell."

Zhang Qi said gratefully, "I will. Thank you, Uncle Jiu!"

Deng Shirong nodded and continued on his way to the lychee mountain, recalling what had happened to Zhang Qi in his previous life.

After marrying Deng Changchun, Zhang Qi had given birth to five children in less than ten years. Unfortunately, all of them were daughters, which left her with little standing in her husband's family. Her mother-in-law frequently scolded her, and she never dared to speak up.

After all, even in later generations, many in rural areas still believed that failing to bear a son was the woman's fault, not understanding that the gender of a child is determined by the man.

It wasn't until her sixth pregnancy, when she finally gave birth to a son, that her status in the family improved slightly.

I wonder how many children she's carrying now?

Lost in these thoughts, Deng Shirong soon arrived at his lychee mountain.

It was the season of renewal, and plants were growing rapidly. The thorny plants he had planted earlier were thriving, and he estimated that by this time next year, the orchard would be partially enclosed.

Walking up the mountain along the terraced path, Deng Shirong saw that the Cinnamon Flavor lychee seedlings were full of life. The watermelon seedlings had also sprouted and were fertilized with wood ash and farmyard manure. It was clear that his niece and her husband had been working hard and making significant contributions to the orchard.

"Uncle, why are you here?"

Seeing Deng Shirong approach, Jiang Dehu and Bu Dafang, who were busy weeding, put down their hoes and greeted him.

Deng Shirong said, "I came to take a look. You don't have to work yourselves so hard. The work here is never-ending. For example, you can let the grass grow a bit taller before weeding it. It won't harm the saplings."

Jiang Dehu chuckled and said, "Uncle, we don't mind the work. When we see the grass growing, we just can't help but want to remove it."

Deng Shirong glanced at the sun in the sky and said, "The weather is going to get hotter. With all the trees cut down, there's no shade on the mountain. It seems we should build the house earlier. Otherwise, by June or July, you'll be exposed to the sun for hours. How will you bear it?"

Jiang Dehu and Bu Dafang had long known that their uncle planned to build one or two houses on the mountain and had already set aside space for them.

Hearing this, their eyes lit up. While they weren't afraid of hard work, they knew how intense the summer sun could be. Having a house for shade and a place to rest would be ideal.

Bu Dafang suggested, "Uncle, if we're building a house, I think a wooden one would be best. It's easy to build and doesn't cost much. We can do it in our spare time if we have the materials."

Deng Shirong agreed. Building a bungalow on the mountain at this stage would be too wasteful, so he nodded and said, "Alright, I'll have someone bring up the materials and tools. Then I'll send Dashi to help you. We'll build a wooden house first and later replace it with two bungalows."

(End of this chapter)