"Come, come, eldest brother, second brother, I'll toast you both."
Zhao Donglai was very happy, holding a large ceramic bowl, he took a big gulp. He was happy today and drank a little more.
"Donglai, our family is having one good thing after another. You're happy, and we brothers are also happy for you and our sister."
Shen Futang also took a big gulp. His elder sister and brother-in-law had always looked out for them, the two brothers. As the elder brother, he kept it all in his heart.
Now that the son-in-law was successful, he had helped his elder sister's family, brought in money by helping his elder sister do business, and also helped his elder sister's husband get promoted to workshop director at the factory.
It was precisely because of the changes Chen Yang had brought to his elder sister's family that his elder nephew, who had been unable to find a wife, had found a good one.
With the son-in-law being successful and helping his elder sister's family, as the elder brother, he felt at ease. The better his elder sister's family did, the more at ease he felt in his heart.
"Elder brother, it's all thanks to Yang Zi's help. Without Yang Zi..."
As Zhao Donglai spoke, he was about to toast Chen Yang. Chen Yang quickly stood up, picked up his bowl, and toasted his paternal aunt's husband.
No matter what happened outside, at home, Zhao Donglai was the paternal aunt's husband and an elder. Chen Yang could not be presumptuous and let an elder toast him.
"Paternal Aunt's husband, we're family, let's not be so formal."
"Besides, regarding the last incident, if you really want to thank me, how can I thank Wukang?"
Chen Yang took a big gulp. The last time he went home, if it wasn't for Zhao Wukang, Chen Yang's life might have ended there.
"Yang Zi, Wukang is your brother. If he doesn't help you, who will? As the old saying goes, 'Brothers fight side by side on the battlefield, fathers and sons fight together in war.' It's only right that he risked his life."
The paternal aunt's husband's words warmed Chen Yang's heart. These were true relatives. Therefore, in many cases, there was no one-sided help between relatives; it was mutual.
Except for those ungrateful wretches who were lazy and only knew how to eat, truly sensible people would always think about how to maintain a good relationship with relatives like Chen Yang.
If you have such a powerful backer, you should just hold on and be happy. Who would want to offend such a relative? Wouldn't that be like driving away the god of wealth? Only people who are out of their minds would do such a thing.
Chen Yang was willing to help such grateful relatives. Who would like to help those who showed no gratitude?
"Why are we talking about this among family? Let's drink, let's drink."
"Today, my second wife and I have made so many dishes. You must eat and drink to your heart's content. No one is allowed to go hungry."
Mother-in-law Liu Chunmei saw them rambling on and was afraid that someone might get drunk and say something that would cause offense. There was no need for pretense among relatives.
In her eyes, no matter how much money they made or how commanding they were outside, when they got home, they had to follow the family hierarchy. A big family should be lively and harmonious.
She was a peasant woman with little experience, and she only hoped that this big family would always love each other, no matter what.
"Come, come, Dad, Second Uncle, Paternal Aunt's husband, let's drink, let's drink."
Chen Yang could naturally see what Liu Chunmei was thinking, so he quickly urged them to drink.
...
In the end, the four of them drank nearly four catties of rice wine brewed by his father-in-law. Although it wasn't purified, it was very potent. In the end, Chen Yang felt a bit dizzy.
If it weren't for Shen Mei, who was sitting in the corner of the table and refused to leave, he probably would have gone back and fallen asleep.
"Meizi, what are your thoughts? You really don't want to study anymore?"
"Don't worry about falling behind. If you really want to study, and you want to take the vocational school exam or the university entrance exam, then I'll tell your parents to pay for a tutor to help you catch up on the lessons you've missed, and then you can go back to school."
"At worst, you can repeat a grade. As long as you're willing to learn, there will always be a way."
Teachers' lives were hard back then. If you gave them ten or twenty yuan, there would be plenty of teachers willing to stay after class to tutor Shen Mei in elementary school knowledge.
No matter when, children from wealthy families could always enjoy higher quality education more easily than children from poor families.
This was also a major reason why everyone wanted to be rich. If you had no money and no education, you could only suffer and work hard, doing the most tiring jobs for less pay than others.
Then, your children could only attend the worst schools in the countryside. Perhaps schools that other children could easily get into, your children wouldn't even have the qualifications to step through the door.
This was reality.
Chen Yang knew the current situation in rural areas. A large proportion of rural children, even after the resumption of the college entrance examination, still lacked the conditions to study.
They had wasted a lot of time, and even if they really tried to study, it would be difficult to keep up. Shen Mei was just one of these numerous rural children.
She was not the first, and she would definitely not be the last.
This was also why Chen Yang felt that after he made money in the future, he must donate to education.
He hoped that through his own small efforts, he could at least help some children from poor families who couldn't afford to study to have a chance.
At least give them a chance to change their own destiny!
The college entrance examination and going to university were truly the only opportunities for countless rural children to change their destiny.
"Brother-in-law, I've thought about it. I don't want to study. I'm not as smart as sister Panti or sister Rongrong. I've been stupid since I was little. It took me half a day to learn addition and subtraction."
"Even if my parents hire someone to tutor me, I might not be able to learn it. I'd rather follow my dad to work in the fields and raise fish in the pond."
"Whatever my fate is in the future, it is what it is. I don't have the fate to study. It can't be forced."
"The path I choose myself, no matter how it turns out, I won't blame my parents. They gave me the opportunity, and it's my own fault for being useless."
Shen Mei smiled freely. Chen Yang looked at her and suddenly smiled too.
No wonder this girl later encouraged her husband to go south to work after getting married, then set up a street stall, opened a clothing store, and even eventually opened a small garment factory.
This girl was a person with her own opinions and ideas.
"Okay, as long as you've thought it through, that's fine. Don't regret it later when you see Panti and Er Ni go to university and move to the city."
"If you don't study, in a few years, you'll get married, become someone's wife, and take care of the household chores, food, drink, and daily life."
"Will you still think it's good to give up studying and work with your dad then?"
Chen Yang looked at Shen Mei. He was describing Shen Mei's actual experience in his previous life. He was essentially letting Shen Mei know all this in advance so she could consider it before making a decision.
"There's nothing wrong with that. I'll get married and have children sooner or later. As long as I can find someone I like who treats me well, I will naturally take care of the home, because that will also be my home."
Shen Mei looked at Chen Yang. She had no fear of the future he described. This was her truest thought.