Old Niu took out his cell phone, glanced at it, and quickly answered, "Hello, Da Zhuang, what's up?"
"Dad, I don't want to live anymore." A depressed male voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Huh?" Old Niu was stunned. "Dazhuang, what's wrong?"
This Niu Dazhuang was Liu Yuhan's younger brother. He was six years younger than her. When Liu Yuhan was kidnapped, he was already born, but he did not have any impression of him. It was undeniable that people in the countryside had a patriarchal mindset.
Although his family was poor, Niu Dazhuang was rarely wronged. Ever since he entered junior high school, he was sent to Kun City to study. They lived frugally and gave Dazhuang 600 yuan every month for his living expenses. Fortunately, Dazhuang worked hard and often came home with all kinds of awards and certificates. But now, he suddenly said that he didn't want to live anymore. Old Niu's heart sank.
At this moment, his mother-in-law pushed his arm and said softly. "Put it on speaker."
Old Niu nodded. Soon, Da Zhuang said bitterly, "Dad, I got fifth place in the class for this monthly test. The total score of the three subjects was 450, and I got 410. But the form teacher said that I didn't perform as well as I should have, and criticized me for being useless."
"Dad thought it was something serious. This is a good thing. The form teacher hopes that you can improve yourself!" Old Niu said angrily.
"Sigh, that's true. But the form teacher suggested to let my three teachers give me special tutoring in private. She said that I'm in my third year of high school. As long as I make good use of my time, entering a top university will not be a problem!" Niu Dazhuang sighed.
"Son, your form teacher is right. You should make good use of your time. You must work hard and cooperate with the teachers." His mother-in-law reminded him.
"It's not that I don't want to cooperate. It's just that the teachers don't have that much time. They have to rest during their free time. Usually, tutoring students costs 200 RMB per hour. But they know about my family's situation, so they only charge me 100 RMB per hour. I roughly calculated that it will be at least 2000 RMB for tutoring. It should not be a problem for me to get into the top three in my class and the top 20 in my grade!
But I know that our family's armor harvest this year isn't good. I didn't want to ask you guys, but I'm afraid I'll be scolded by my teacher. "Niu Dazhuang sighed.
"Da Zhuang, have you forgotten what Dad told you? You can save on other things, but you can't save on your studies. This is a long-term investment, just like cotton and wheat. If you don't plant them, where will you get the income? Our family won't be stingy with your studies."
Old Niu said in a slightly reproachful tone. However, when he thought that his son was thinking for the sake of the family's situation, he felt a little sad. They could only blame themselves for not being able to earn much money.
Not to mention two thousand, even if it was one or two hundred, Niu Dazhuang would still call to ask for instructions.
"Two thousand dollars, right? I'll get Ah Mao to transfer it to you later. In the future, when you have a bright future and settle down in a big city, you can easily earn a few thousand or ten thousand a month. So, don't have any psychological burden, and don't take things too hard," Niu Tiehan said earnestly.
"Ah, why are we still looking for Ah Mao? Aren't we in Kun City? Why don't we go to Zhuangzhuang's school? We can also see him. Ever since the summer vacation ended, I haven't seen him for a few months. It must be tough for him," Niu Tiehan said.
"Ah, Dad, Mom, you came to Kun City?" Obviously, Niu Dazhuang was a little surprised.
"Yes, we have something to do here. We will pick you up for dinner tonight, and also give you tuition fees," Old Niu explained.
However, when he heard this, Niu Dazhuang seemed to want to avoid it. He still asked his parents to transfer the money to him.
If it was any other day, it would be fine. But today was an unusual day for the Niu family. Their long-lost daughter had miraculously returned to their side. Also, on the way to Kun City, Niu Dazhuang had decided to go to school to see Niu Dazhuang. Since high school, Niu Dazhuang had become very independent. He didn't ask them to go to school all the way. Even after the summer vacation, he would carry his luggage and travel far away.
Under Old Niu's insistence, Niu Dazhuang finally agreed. His parents didn't mention anything about Liu Yuhan. They wanted to give their son a surprise.
It was late. Since we were taking a taxi, we directly went to Dazhuang's school.
Along the way, Niu Dazhuang's parents praised him. They said that he was diligent in his studies, sensible, and ambitious. They said that Old Niu's family was lucky to have a son like him.
However, I thought that they didn't know that Liu Yuhan was a talented student. They thought that a high school student with excellent grades had unlimited potential. They were short-sighted.
Of course, I also felt that my parents valued boys more than girls. As a kid from the countryside, I had seen this kind of thing many times. It wasn't strange at all.
Most of the older generation preferred boys. In the past, when a woman got pregnant, they could check if it was a boy or a girl. However, since girls weren't treated well, many of them died prematurely. That was why the ratio of men to women in Hua Xia was skewed. There were a lot of single men. To prevent the situation from getting worse, the country had to issue a series of rules. Medical organizations were not allowed to reveal the gender of the baby. Otherwise, they would be severely punished. I thought it was a wise decision.
Although they had just found Liu Yuhan, they couldn't hide their concern for Da Zhuang. When they learned about Liu Yuhan's past, they comforted her and wiped their tears.
Actually, after they got lost, they just went to the police station to report the case. At that time, there were no surveillance cameras. Moreover, the police's power was limited at that time. That was why Liu Yuhan couldn't be rescued for several years in her adoptive father's house.
Later on, Teacher Liu helped her find her relatives, but it was only a one-sided effort. The two elders had already walked out of their sorrow and lived their lives as usual. In fact, they did not hold any hope. After all, she was a weak little girl. To put it bluntly, it was highly possible that she would be sold to a ravine and become a child bride. Perhaps, her organs would be dug out. The possibility of her living until now was very slim. Moreover, because they had not seen each other for so many years, the kinship that was blood was thicker than water could not be cultivated in a short time.
Obviously, if the boy in the family got lost, they would have to find him even if they had to spend all their money.
It didn't take long for us to arrive at Kuncheng No.1 Middle School. It was one of the top middle schools in the province. It was famous for its high enrolment rate. When I was in No.3 Middle School, the most common thing the teachers said was, "You're not a student of No.1 Middle School, so don't think too highly of yourself."
But then again, no matter which school it was, there would always be good students and bad students. There were a few guys in school uniforms smoking in front of the school. Just a moment ago, my parents said that students from No.1 Middle School must be good students of Upwards Ho!, but now they were embarrassed.