The months turned swiftly, and it was September. Shen Pandi needed to travel north to the capital several days in advance. Fortunately, Shen Xue would be finishing her postpartum confinement on September 8th.
Because she had been admitted to university and held a celebratory banquet for the entire village, Xiao Chen Peng’s full moon celebration was not as grand. The primary reason was that hosting such banquets was quite a laborious undertaking in those times.
Just procuring the meat and vegetables required considerable effort, especially since meat, vegetables, and grains were still rationed by ticket.
Even with Chen Yang's wealth, obtaining these tickets through Liao Erye was a taxing process.
Therefore, Xiao Chen Peng’s full moon banquet was only attended by close family: the second uncle's family, the eldest aunt's family. Besides them, only the old village secretary and Elder Tu were invited. Even Director Liu from the commune was not included.
Chen Yang had invited Hu Dong, but unfortunately, Hu Dong had been dispatched to assist with a case in another region and had not yet returned. Yu Lili, alone with two children, found it impossible to travel, so she sent her regards and a red envelope blessing through a messenger.
Shen Xue remained in the hospital for a week before being discharged. On the day she was released, all three admission letters arrived. With the little one’s full moon celebration approaching, and then another week and a half, both Shen Pandi and Shen Xue would be starting school.
Traveling north to the capital required a significant amount of time, as the green-skinned trains of that era were not fast. The capital was vast, and for Shen Pandi, a young girl venturing out of her hometown for the first time, it presented a challenge.
Thus, she planned to depart three days early, allowing some buffer time for any unforeseen delays or complications.
She packed her household registration book, letters of introduction from the brigade and village, her admission letter, and clothes and bedding prepared by Liu Chunmei. With everything ready, she set off.
Liu Chunmei had never ventured beyond the borders of Anhui province. She only knew that the north was very cold. She specially measured out several catties of new cotton to make a thick winter quilt and sewed a cotton-padded jacket for Shen Pandi.
And so, Shen Pandi, laden with large bags and packages, was driven by Chen Yang to the county town to catch a bus. Chen Yang had originally intended to escort her to the city to catch a train directly to the capital. That way, she wouldn't need assistance except when disembarking.
But Pandi was a proud girl. She insisted that Chen Yang only take her to the county town by ox cart. After specially bidding farewell to Liu Shiyun, she reached the bus station and adamantly refused to let Chen Yang accompany her further.
And so, seventeen-year-old Shen Pandi, shouldering three large bags of luggage alone, embarked on her journey to the capital for her studies.
Chen Yang watched the bus, puffing black smoke, chugging away. He couldn't foresee Shen Pandi's future.
He only knew that it would not be the same as when he returned in his previous life. At that time, he had seen a wrinkled Shen Pandi bringing a hen from home, along with various local specialties, to his car.
He would never forget how she had tried to wipe her hands on her clothes for a long time before ultimately refraining from shaking his hand.
“Teacher Chen, my hands are dirty, they smell of chicken droppings. I don’t want to dirty your hands.”
“But this chicken, and the eggs, and some vegetables I grew at home, I’ve washed them all carefully. Please don’t dislike them.”
Chen Yang would forever remember her cautious demeanor. She had come to bring gifts, yet she feared her offerings were not good enough to meet his standards.
He had merely taught Shen Pandi some knowledge. She had later dropped out of school, which hadn't significantly aided her life, yet she had remembered it for decades!
In this life, she would not marry that lame old man again, nor would she have to raise several children alone while caring for a crippled husband.
Her future lay in the capital, in Tsinghua University, in a bright dawn!
“Pandi, take our warmest wishes with you. You must live a good life!”
Chen Yang harbored no selfish intentions in helping Shen Pandi. He truly wished for her to avoid the path of her previous life, where she was forced by her mother to marry a lame old man nearly twenty years her senior.
Only when the coal-truck bus completely disappeared did Chen Yang drive his ox cart home. Shen Pandi was but a microcosm of this era; there were many girls who suffered similarly.
Only with economic development and improved education could the deeply ingrained preference for males gradually be eradicated.
This was not something that could be achieved overnight!
He could help Shen Pandi, but he couldn't help everyone. Chen Yang simply hoped that when he possessed the ability, he would contribute to society.
Build more schools, spend more money to retain teachers, and help more children who couldn't afford to study.
The world was vast. He wished for children from poor families to have the opportunity to see the world, to enjoy the benefits of future societal development.
“Brother-in-law, you want to build a school in our commune?”
Chen Yang returned home, looking at his younger son happily eating, and shared his ideas with Shen Xue and Shen Rong.
His father-in-law and mother-in-law were out in the fields, and Shen Xue was now out of her confinement. Shen Rong was watching the house, and their mother-in-law couldn't stay idle.
“Xiaogang Village has truly made a name for itself this time. I estimate that the provincial authorities will soon send people to inspect. Perhaps next year, our commune will also implement household contract responsibility.”
“When that happens, every household will strive to work hard, and no one will go hungry.”
“These older children, after school, can also help their families with farm work. But it's not necessary to spend all day farming for work points. I want to rebuild the abandoned school in the commune.”
“Then children will have books to read, and perhaps we can cultivate many university students and vocational school graduates.”
Not to mention now, even in the early 21st century, university students were considered rare talents. It wasn't until after 2010 that China's higher education enrollment rate significantly increased.
Even so, after more than forty years of college entrance examination reforms and opening up, a total of only a little over 100 million university students have been cultivated, including undergraduate and junior college students. Undergraduate students account for only about half. For China's 1.4 billion population, the undergraduate enrollment rate is less than 4%.
In the 1970s and 1980s, any university student or even vocational school graduate was an absolute prodigy.
Once admitted, the school would arrange employment. Upon graduation, they would either enter government agencies, public institutions, or state-owned enterprises. In any case, they would secure a "iron rice bowl."
For any rural child, this was a dream-come-true opportunity.
“Building a school is a good idea, but recruiting teachers is difficult, and there are various expenses. I'm afraid that even if we build a school, many families still won't be able to afford to send their children to study.”
At that time, nine-year compulsory education had not yet been popularized. Even if elementary school tuition was only two or three yuan per semester, there were still many rural families who couldn't afford it.
There was no other way. In those years, rural areas were the main labor force. Every household had three or five children, with some even having seven or eight, or even over ten.
If all of them were to attend school, it would amount to a considerable sum. Without the development of household contract responsibility and the economy, tuition fees were truly unaffordable for many.