Chapter 279: Dropping Out and Returning Home
Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Dropping Out and Returning Home
Xu Jiaxin immediately said, "I think that’s a great idea, Zhaozhao. Can you mail it to me in the future? I’ll pay."
"Of course. This is one of my new business ventures."
Su Zhaozhao chatted with Xu Jiaxin as they walked. She was seeing Xu Jiaxin to the guest house when a voice suddenly called out from nearby.
"Teacher Su, what a coincidence to run into you! I came to say goodbye."
The voice was still tinged with a bit of childishness.
Su Zhaozhao turned her head and saw a very small and skinny girl.
Su Zhaozhao recognized her. It was Wang Zhaodi from the sixth-grade, class two.
"Zhaodi, what’s wrong?" Su Zhaozhao looked at her.
"I... I can’t continue my studies. My mom is sick and not doing well, so I have to stay home and do farm work." She clutched the straps of her schoolbag, looking timid.
Wang Zhaodi’s family didn’t live in the military compound.
The reason she could attend the military district’s elementary school was that her grades were excellent, and her home was nearby.
The student body of the military district’s elementary school wasn’t composed entirely of people from the compound; it also accepted some high-achieving students from the surrounding area.
Otherwise, the children from the military compound alone wouldn’t be enough to form an entire elementary school.
After hearing Wang Zhaodi’s words, Su Zhaozhao frowned. "Is it that your family doesn’t want you to go to school anymore?"
She spoke softly and gently, and Wang Zhaodi’s eyes immediately reddened.
But she still shook her head. "My mom said that knowing some characters is enough, and that I don’t need to learn too much. I also think I’m already better off than many people. There’s nothing to be done, with my family facing such difficulties right now."
Hearing Wang Zhaodi’s words, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but frown.
In this era, the nine-year compulsory education system had not yet been implemented. Even if someone dropped out after elementary school, no one would force them to continue.
After listening to Wang Zhaodi, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but sigh.
It was true that in this era, many people, due to poverty and a lack of emphasis on education, had no particular academic expectations for their children.
Especially for girls.
Judging from Wang Zhaodi’s name, Su Zhaozhao knew exactly what her status was at home.
She guessed that Wang Zhaodi’s family probably had a younger brother.
In such families, favoring boys over girls was quite common. The older sister would drop out of school to support the family, while the younger brother continued his education.
But she couldn’t stand to see such things happen. Since it was occurring right under her nose, Su Zhaozhao felt she couldn’t just ignore it.
"Zhaodi, how about you discuss this properly with your parents? Your studies should be the priority. Your grades are so good, and you love learning so much. I’ve noticed in every class that you’re especially diligent, and your homework is always well-written. You can’t just give up like this."
Listening to Su Zhaozhao, Wang Zhaodi was on the verge of tears.
"Teacher, to be honest, I really do want to keep going to class. But... my family’s situation is so bad right now. My mom is sick and needs me to take care of the family. I really have no choice... My little brother is also very young, and I have to look after him."
Su Zhaozhao knew it was a situation like this. She thought for a moment and said, "How about this: take me to your home, and I’ll talk with your parents?"
’If I can help even one person, I should.’
Su Zhaozhao knew deep down that for a girl in this kind of family, the only way to escape her current fate was to get more education and leave this place.
’When there are difficulties, you just have to work hard to overcome them.’
Su Zhaozhao looked at Xu Jiaxin. "Jiaxin, I’ll come find you later. I’m going to accompany her home first and talk with her parents."
"I’ll go with you. I did teach them for a few days, after all," Xu Jiaxin immediately chimed in, ready to go.
She was also worried it wouldn’t be safe for Su Zhaozhao to go alone. If two of them went together, at least they’d have company.
"Okay, let’s go together then."
Wang Zhaodi was also hopeful that Su Zhaozhao could persuade her parents, so she led Su Zhaozhao and Xu Jiaxin to her home.
Her home was a bit far from the military district, about two kilometers away.
It took them half an hour to walk there. Su Zhaozhao was a little amazed. She had no idea how Wang Zhaodi managed it; walking back and forth like this every day was just too grueling.
But for a family like this, that was just how it was. There was really no other choice.
Wang Zhaodi’s home was a mud-brick house, which looked very old and dilapidated.
As they walked in, a gust of wind blew a cloud of dust into the air. Xu Jiaxin couldn’t help but cough, and she frowned.
’Can people really live in a place like this?’
She had always been in the urban area of West State. Although it was also desolate, urbanization had begun, so it didn’t look this dilapidated.
Later, when she came here, the development around the military district was also very new, so she hadn’t felt anything particularly special.
It wasn’t until now, seeing how desolate the surroundings were, with the scattered houses being these crumbling mud-brick structures, that Xu Jiaxin realized for the first time the huge gap between the inland and the coastal cities.
Wang Zhaodi led them into a room.
The room also looked extremely simple; there was basically nothing in it, giving it a shabby and broken-down appearance.
On a bed in the room lay a woman. She looked incredibly old, and her complexion was very poor.
Next to her was a child who looked to be about two or three years old.
Su Zhaozhao now pretty much understood why Wang Zhaodi couldn’t continue her studies.
With a family like this, Wang Zhaodi was destined to stay home and take care of the child.
She suddenly thought of Wang Dahua. The fates of girls like them were sometimes beyond their control.
Failing to help Wang Dahua before had made Su Zhaozhao very sad. Thinking about it now still filled her with a sense of regret.
So this time, Su Zhaozhao hoped she could help Wang Zhaodi.
"Mom, these are my two teachers."
"Are the teachers here for a home visit? COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." The woman spoke weakly, and as soon as she finished, she couldn’t control her coughing.
Su Zhaozhao was a little worried. It seemed the woman was quite ill, though she didn’t know what the illness was.
"Yes. I heard from Zhaodi that she can’t continue her studies, so I wanted to come and ask about the situation."
The woman sighed. "It’s not that I don’t want her to keep going to school, but I really have no choice. I haven’t been well recently, and there’s no one to look after my son. As the older sister, she’s not a little girl anymore. She can stay home to care for the child and do some housework."
"What about your husband?"
"My husband went south to find work," the woman said. "So there’s nothing I can do. My parents-in-law went to live with his younger brother, so we have no help."
As she said this, the woman started coughing again.
Su Zhaozhao could feel that this woman didn’t lack love for her own daughter.
’In that case, she had a chance.’
"What illness do you have now? Is it serious?"
"Sigh, I’m just in poor health and haven’t gotten any rest. The village doctor took a look and said this illness can’t be cured, that it has to be managed slowly over time. But I have to look after my child and work the fields at the same time. Where would I find time to rest? I’ve been so weak these past few days I can’t even get out of bed. If Zhaodi doesn’t help, we won’t even have anything to eat."
Su Zhaozhao sighed. It was all just so difficult.