Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 156 - 149 Top Student

Chapter 156: 149 Top Student

Shou Jizu didn’t need Weiguo to urge him in the afternoon, as he got up on his own initiative to go to work. Before leaving, he cast them a resentful glance, as if making one last effort. Tian Xinhua couldn’t be bothered to say much and stretched out his hand, making a fist-pumping gesture. Shou Jizu immediately shrank back and, with a swish, put on his straw hat and left, soon disappearing from sight.

"Jizu, why are you rushing off so fast? Wait for me!" Tian Manlan hurriedly put on her straw hat and chased after him, reminding Tian Sisi and the others before stepping out the door:

"Xinhua, Ah Nan, don’t go back home at this time. Wait until the sun is about to set before leaving. The sun is extremely harsh now; don’t get heatstroke."

Tian Sisi and the others responded with a smile. They had no intention of going home at noon anyway. For Tian Xinhua and Jianguo, the time didn’t really matter; their main concern was for Tian Sisi, who hated being in the sun the most.

In the afternoon, Jianguo was also busy. He ran up the mountain to chop several bundles of firewood and carried them back home to the woodshed. By doing more now, his younger brother would have to do less. Of course, Tian Xinhua wouldn’t just stand by and watch; after helping Jianguo chop the firewood, he went to the village entrance to draw water from the well, carrying several loads of water back to fill Tian Manlan’s big water jar to the brim.

The afternoon quickly passed by, and as usual, before leaving, Tian Sisi left a pack of biscuits and candy for Weiguo. The biscuits were for Weiguo himself, and the candy was to be shared with the village children, so Weiguo could build good relationships with them.

Tian Sisi originally intended to leave some more money as well, but Weiguo declined, saying he hadn’t even spent the ten yuan Sisi had left last time.

"Weiguo, money is meant to be spent. Didn’t I tell you to go to the village and buy eggs to eat?" Tian Sisi took a lot of convincing before Weiguo agreed to make sure he ate an egg every day.

Actually, Weiguo didn’t really see the need to eat eggs. Compared to the past, life now was worlds apart. Being able to eat full meals every day, with meat on the table every now and then, the food quality was even better than that of the village head’s household. Compared to the past when he couldn’t even get full on watery porridge, Weiguo felt immensely satisfied.

"Weiguo, you must keep a close eye on Daddy at home and be very careful that he doesn’t steal Mama’s money and sneak out. Keep your own money safe as well. Once school is out, I’ll come back and we’ll look after Daddy together, and from then on, we’ll always stick together. We three brothers won’t be separated."

Jianguo earnestly advised his younger brother but his words provoked an exclamation from Tian Sisi. Tian Xinhua seemed to have anticipated this all along and remained indifferent.

"Jianguo, are you not planning to go to school anymore?" Tian Sisi was anxious. If Jianguo dropped out of school to keep an eye on Shou Jizu, wouldn’t that change his entire future? Wouldn’t that be a loss greater than the gain? Then what was the point of her effort to reform Shou Jizu?

"Of course not. You can go to school in Huangkeng Village too, just that I can’t accompany Sisi to school anymore."

Jianguo sounded a bit dejected. He truly wanted to go to school with his cousin, but after all, he belonged to Huangkeng Village; this was his home. Although his grandparents, uncles, and aunts were very kind to him, in the end, he had to return to his own home, and he was also worried about Weiguo being at home alone.

"Oh, Huangkeng Village has a school too, I just didn’t think of it earlier, heh heh." Tian Sisi smiled awkwardly, she was in a hurry just now and forgot about this point. As for going to school, heh heh, she won’t have to do that anymore in the future.

"I won’t have to go to school next semester, I’ve already made a deal with Grandpa. As long as I score above 90 on my final exam this term, I won’t have to go to school to study. I’ll only need to take the final exams, haha, I’m not like someone who can only get 80, hmph!"

Tian Sisi recalled what Tian Xinhua said about her earlier, and didn’t forget to throw a little ridicule his way. Tian Xinhua watched Tian Sisi with a smile, noticing the girl sure could hold a grudge.

Jianguo didn’t expect that there was this way of studying, where you don’t have to go to school every day. This seemed like a good idea, and his eyes lit up, "If that’s the case, then I don’t need to transfer schools either. As long as I take the final exam with you, Sister Sisi, then I can both work and study without missing out on anything, and I can earn money too!"

Some time ago, Jianguo took Weiguo with him to sun-dry some local specialties like black fungus, dried mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. He Xuewen helped sell them, and Jianguo made around fifteen or sixteen yuan in pocket money. Jianguo gave this money to Granny Zhao for living expenses, but she refused to take her grandson’s hard-earned cash and insisted on saving it for him!

Though it wasn’t a lot of money, it was earned through his own hard work. So, when Jianguo heard that he didn’t have to go to school, his mind started racing with ideas. The school lessons were quite simple, and he could study at home. If there was anything he didn’t understand, he could just ask Brother Shouhua for help. With the extra time, he could gather mushrooms, black fungus, and medicinal herbs in the mountains, all of which Uncle He would buy.

Thinking about the future possibility of earning his school fees and contributing to the family expenses, Jianguo’s smile grew wider. Tian Sisi hurriedly said, "That won’t do, Jianguo. You absolutely must go to school for classes. You’re still too young, and making money shouldn’t be your concern. Brother Xin Hua and I will take care of making money."

Tian Sisi was anxious. She could afford not to go to school because of her knowledge from a previous life. Besides, she never intended to be a scholarly prodigy in this life. And for Tian Xinhua, it was because she knew that in the future, he wouldn’t rely on academics to become successful.

But Jianguo was different. In his previous life, Jianguo was a top student, a fighter jet among scholars. If he became a poor student because of her bad idea, wouldn’t she be committing a sin?

"Sister Sisi, I’m not little anymore. You’re only one year older than me, and not even a full year at that. I was born in the early part of the year, and you’re from the latter half, so really you’re only half a year older than I am. Besides, I’m already taller than you!" Jianguo was dismissive, truly finding the idea excellent. He could take care of both aspects, which was perfect. Tian Sisi kept persuading him, but Jianguo was determined and refused to budge. Tian Xinhua was puzzled by her urgency and inquired with his eyes several times. Tian Sisi felt it was pointless to continue persuading, so after thinking for a while, she said:

"If you don’t go to school for classes, that’s fine. But you must score above 98 in your exams. If you ever score below that, you’ll have to attend school."

A super top student naturally needs a high standard. Tian Sisi had originally thought of setting it at 100, but reconsidered and figured 98 was challenging enough. Jianguo, not worried in the slightest, casually agreed, looking relaxed as if the high standard of 98 points set by Tian Sisi didn’t concern him at all.

Tian Sisi looked up to Jianguo with admiration. Could it be that all top students exude such mastery from a young age? However, did all the excellent genes of the Shou Jizu family end up with the three Jianguo brothers? Why else would it be that in their previous lives, the Shou family produced only these three elites, while the rest of their cousins were just regular folks without anyone particularly outstanding. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation or monthly ticket on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)