B5SB -Chapter 7 Going to School

Time passed day by day. In the blink of an eye, it was June 1958. That year, Gu Yihan turned six and was already a second-grade elementary school student.

“Grandma, I’m back! I got perfect scores in both subjects!” Gu Yihan happily handed her test papers to Grandma Gu.

Grandma Gu beamed with joy as she took the papers. She walked briskly into the kitchen and began cooking, her steps light with happiness.

Many things had happened over the past few years. Private land had been reclaimed by the state, and communes had been established. Gujia Village was now under the jurisdiction of Red Flag Commune.

As for Gu Yihan’s so-called parents, they had never managed to conceive another child.

They argued constantly. Zhang Cuihua grew more and more resentful toward Gu Yihan, blaming all her misfortunes on her. But Gu Yihan didn’t care—she had her grandmother’s protection.

That evening, as the family sat together for dinner, Grandma Gu suddenly said proudly, “Our Hanhan got double perfect scores today!”

Not to be outdone, the eldest sister-in-law, Wang Ni, said, “Mom, your eldest grandson isn’t bad either. His grades at the town middle school are excellent. Just wait—you’ll be enjoying your later years soon.”

Zhang Cuihua snorted coldly. “Mom, no matter how much you dote on her, she won’t support you when you’re old. In the end, you’ll still have to rely on Aidang and his brothers.”

Grandma Gu sneered. “At least I still have someone to rely on. What about you? You don’t even have that.”

Zhang Cuihua trembled with anger when she heard this.

Gu Yihan quietly whispered in Grandma Gu’s ear, “Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

Grandma Gu kept a straight face, but she was secretly delighted. She knew the child truly cared for her.

Listening to the quarrel at the table, Gu Aidang didn’t bother getting involved. He already had another woman outside.

Zhang Cuihua had been unable to get pregnant for years, and he felt that she was “useless land.”

Gu Meng watched Gu Yihan, who was always clean and neatly dressed, and felt growing hatred in her heart. They had the same parents—so why wasn’t she allowed to go to school, and had to stay home doing housework instead?

Her resentment shot out through her eyes, staring straight at Gu Yihan.

Seeing Gu Meng’s gaze, Gu Yihan didn’t care.

In fact, Grandma hadn’t wanted her to go to school at first. Since the age of two, she had deliberately built a good relationship with her cousin, borrowing his books and reading them over and over.

She had begged Grandma countless times. Seeing her persistence and genuine love for learning, Grandma finally agreed.

Gu Meng would never know how much effort she had put in just to attend school.

It was almost the second half of 1958, and signs of natural disasters were already appearing.

“Grandma, don’t you think it hasn’t rained for a long time?” Gu Yihan said casually.

Grandma Gu looked up at the sky. “Seems like it really hasn’t.” As she spoke, she continued mending Grandpa’s clothes.

Since ration coupons had been introduced years ago, the family hadn’t made new clothes for a long time. Even when they occasionally got fabric coupons, they would buy cloth before it expired and store it away, reluctant to use it.

Biting off the thread, Grandma Gu said, “Don’t worry. You won’t go hungry.”

“Sigh, I saw Laidi and Daidi today. They’re so thin and dark. Every time I see them, I feel like I must’ve done good deeds in my past life to have such a good grandma.” As she spoke, she rested her head on Grandma’s lap.

Grandma stroked her hair with her rough hands and laughed. “You little flatterer.”

Gu Yihan looked up at her. “I’m afraid of being hungry. They said they’ve never eaten their fill. If it doesn’t rain, I’m worried I’ll starve too.”

“Hehe, Grandma will tell you a secret—we won’t go hungry,” Grandma whispered deliberately into her ear.

“Really?” Gu Yihan asked with sparkling eyes.

Grandma thought she had been frightened by those two siblings and nodded with a smile.

That night, Gu Yihan lay in bed with her eyes half-closed, pretending to sleep.

She heard Grandma say, “It really hasn’t rained for a long time. How will this year’s harvest be?”

Grandpa replied honestly, “Not good. The crops will yield less.”

“How much grain will our family get this year?” Grandma asked worriedly.

“It’s hard to say. Since the commune system started and work points were introduced, this is the first year of distribution. There’s nothing to compare with,” Grandpa said helplessly.

“Old man, let’s not divide a room for Hanhan yet. Let’s buy more grain first,” Grandma said anxiously.

Grandpa looked puzzled. “Why? Don’t we still have the grain you stored? It’s enough for two years. Didn’t we say we’d build her a room?”

“I don’t feel at ease,” Grandma replied. “I’m afraid of hunger. Let’s keep the money for grain first. We can build later. And we should plant more sweet potatoes on our private plot.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” Grandpa agreed.

Soon, Gu Yihan couldn’t resist sleep and drifted off.

The next morning, she felt relieved. There was food at home, and she didn’t need to worry.

After breakfast, she happily skipped off to school.

Every day, Gu Yihan secretly drank milk and ate a bun, so she was taller than most children her age. She always sat in the back row at school.

When summer vacation arrived, she didn’t want to get up early anymore. Grandma had gone to work in the fields.

Zhang Cuihua came back to fetch water and saw that Gu Yihan was still asleep.

“What kind of worthless girl lives as comfortably as you? Girls in other families already help with chores at this age. You’re nothing but an ungrateful wretch.”

Her vicious words poured out.

“Cuihua,” Liu Zhaodi said maliciously, “don’t be angry. She’s just a useless girl. In a couple of years, you can marry her off and earn some bride price.”

Zhang Cuihua looked at Liu Zhaodi holding a child who looked just like that “money-losing girl.”

She felt disgusted. “What good are you? If you hadn’t dragged me to your house, would I have gone into premature labor and ruined my body?”

She hated children born on that day. She thought they brought her bad luck.

When Liu Zhaodi heard her mention that day, she felt guilty. She quickly hugged her child and left.