The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 601 - 570: Quota, Establishing a School_1

Chapter 601: Chapter 570: Quota, Establishing a School_1

The reason Qi Shuli stood out was not without cause.

Firstly, his daughter, Qi Zhenzhen, had graduated from junior high and was eligible to be a teacher, which was a respectable position.

Secondly, his son-in-law, Li Mingkai, had graduated from high school and was even more qualified to be a teacher.

Actually, there was an even more important reason. Qi Shuli learned from his second daughter, Qi Fenfen, that Li Mingkai, that rascal, had been flirting with some women in the commune, and it was only a matter of time before trouble would arise.

After learning about this, Qi Shuli started considering getting Li Mingkai to come over and become a teacher.

On one hand, it would allow his daughter and son-in-law to earn a bit of money; on the other hand, it was also to maintain the integrity of a complete family.

Li Mingkai might not be worth much, but his grandchildren were his precious treasures.

Village Chief Qi did the math, and indeed it was so, there were several junior high graduates in the village. He said, "That’s fine, everyone in the village who qualifies, sign up. Any educated youths willing to teach, sign up as well. We’ll select the best candidates."

Wang Lei and Zhang Qingshan might not have been happy with the arrangement, but they were helpless.

After all, they were outsiders, and Qi Shuli also mentioned that, given the chance, they’d be willing to return to their hometowns since all their relatives and friends were there.

Everyone left their names, waiting for the review. With the number of students high, the demand for teachers was also high, so it should not be a problem.

He Tiantian wasn’t worried about not being able to become a teacher, given the relationships between the two families, and also because she had a good reputation in the village.

Returning home, Huo Yingjie smiled and asked, "Do you want to become a teacher?"

He Tiantian smiled and said in a low voice, "Compared to being a shit-shoveler at the animal husbandry team, I’d prefer to be a teacher."

"Shit-shoveler?" Huo Yingjie was taken aback and then laughed out loud, "Hahaha, that’s quite an apt nickname!"

In the evening, Secretary Qi came over with a bottle of liquor, looking to drink with Grandpa Qi, He Jingyu, and Huo Yingjie.

When He Tiantian saw Secretary Qi had arrived, she quickly fried up two more dishes.

During the meal, Village Chief Qi shared his dilemma, "The young people from the city living here are all doing well, and our village’s younger generation isn’t bad either. It’s just that we have a few extra people, and if we can’t find placements for them, I’m afraid there’ll be an uproar in the village again."

"Hehe, that’s true, so you’ll have to weigh your options carefully," He Jingyu said. "If you don’t let the villagers be teachers, they’ll have complaints, but stepping down from city life as a young person isn’t easy either."

Huo Yingjie smiled and said, "Actually, think about it. There are so many kids in the village, and during busy times, there’s just no time to look after them. One- and two-year-olds are fine since they can’t go far and the elderly can keep an eye on them, but those three- and four-year-olds run around everywhere, and the elderly can’t keep up, which can lead to accidents. It’d be better if you set up more Yu Hong Classes in separate courtyards with toys, slides, and balls for the kids to play with. If they’re all in one courtyard with teachers watching, there won’t be any serious issues."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Qi slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, that’s a great idea! These naughty kids love to run around, and I’m afraid they’ll go near the water. It’s such a pity, last year two kids from the village snuck off to Dark River and were lost."

Old Man Qi also agreed, "It’s indeed a pity! Dazhu, with the Yu Hong Class kids being young, set up a separate courtyard next to the primary school, make some classrooms, let a few junior high grads watch over the kids. If you’re short staffed, you can pick someone a bit older from the village, nimble and capable, even if they only finished primary school."

"Mmm, that sounds good," Village Chief Qi noted. Qi Shuliang had mentioned in his letter to make the primary school better.

Children who came to Qijia Village Primary School to study would only be charged half the tuition fee, and Qi Shuli would take care of the textbook fee.

With the teacher’s salaries and subsidies from Third Grandma Qi, Dazhu wasn’t worried about the money issue.

This way, everything could be handled well, to everyone’s satisfaction.

Qi Fangfang heard about the benefits of being a teacher and was very tempted.

However, she had caused quite a commotion at her cousin Qi Zhenzhen’s wedding, embarrassing Zhenzhen’s family and her second uncle’s family; thus, she felt embarrassed to apply.

When Qi Fangfang spoke to Mother Qi about this matter, she said, "Mom, they’re building a primary school in the village now, and there’s a salary of twenty-five yuan a month, plus ten jin of rice, ten jin of flour, and twenty jin of cornmeal. Such a good opportunity—I want it too. But I’m afraid they won’t accept me."

After hearing this, Mother Qi realized that with so many benefits and the school being close to home, it indeed was a good job. She reassured her daughter, "Don’t worry, your mother will definitely be able to get you the job as a teacher."

Qi Fangfang smiled proudly, certain that her mother would speak to grandma and then to her second uncle’s family.

Sure enough, Mother Qi took her mother-in-law straight to Qi Shuli’s house.

In the formidable and tearful presence of Old Lady Qi, Qi Shuli promised to secure a teaching position for Qi Fangfang at the school.

Although Qi Shuli didn’t like Qi Fangfang, he thought about her family struggling financially and Fangfang being relatively well-behaved over the years, so he agreed.

"Shuli, I want to be clear up front; if Fangfang doesn’t do well as a teacher, I will fire her," said Qi Dazhu. Although the school hadn’t been built yet, as the village secretary with control over funds—despite the funds being sponsored by Qi Shuliang, who had entrusted him fully—he had the authority to do so.

Qi Shuli snickered without any real happiness, displeased internally, but at least he had accounted for his mother’s wishes. He responded, "Okay then, any teacher who doesn’t perform well should be fired; we can’t let them harm the children of Qijia Village."

"It’s even better that you think this way," Secretary Qi nodded. Since Qi Shuli was sensible, he wouldn’t make things too difficult for him.

In such a large village, there were times when a person like that could be useful.

He Tiantian received the letter of appointment personally written by Secretary Qi and was extremely delighted, carefully putting it away.

After that, Qijia Village began to bustle with activity.

Finally, under the decision of Village Chief Qi and several other village officials, a piece of woodland and wasteland on the east side of the village was cleared and levelled to serve as the school site, covering an impressive thirty-plus acres!

Trucks filled with bricks, tiles, and stones arrived in Qijia Village.

Village secretaries from the other three villages came with people to dig the foundation and build the school.

With the strength of many and sufficient funds, plus support from the county, everything was ready in half a month, and construction of the buildings began.

In those days, houses were self-built, but to ensure the construction of spacious classrooms, a few individuals were sent from the commune to direct the work.

In just a month, the school was built—red bricks, green tiles, and tall courtyard walls.

The classrooms had bright windows and clean cement floors.

The houses in the school were much better than those in Qijia Village.

Many villagers came over to look and were very envious, wondering when they too could live in a big tile house with a cement floor.

The weather was splendid during this period, with warm sunshine and light breezes. After opening the windows to air out for a few days, the buildings dried out.

What followed was the arrangement of rows of new desks and stools neatly placed in the classrooms.

The paths around the school were lined with newly planted saplings, as well as hardy flowers like cockscomb, Balsam Apple, and poppies.

A primary school, amidst the eager anticipation of everyone, was built.