Chapter 41: Encouraging Learning
An Sancheng followed An Ning’s finger, looking at the newspaper plastered onto the mud wall. The paper was covered in tiny bumps and dips from the uneven surface beneath it.
"Remember what? The words on there?"
An Ning nodded. When she saw An Sancheng shake his head blankly, she said, "I can."
An Ning confidently pointed to a random news article. She stared at it for a moment, her body tensing slightly, but then she stubbornly turned her back to the wall.
"Revolution... something something... long live... something..."
After reciting a few words, An Ning finally turned back to An Sancheng in frustration.
"I’ve memorized it, but I don’t know how to pronounce the words. I haven’t finished the dictionary yet."
She frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "It’s okay. I can draw them."
As An Sancheng watched in confusion, An Ning found a pencil and a notebook, flopped onto the edge of the kang, and began to "draw" the characters.
She was truly drawing them.
An Ning didn’t know the proper stroke order for writing; she only knew what the characters looked like. She drew each one as if it were a picture.
"Dad, I’m done. Can you check it?"
An Sancheng took the notebook and compared it to the newspaper. He didn’t know many characters himself, so he had to check them one by one.
They seemed to be all correct. Even the size of the characters was the same.
"You really memorized it, and you can even write it out exactly the same?"
An Ning nodded. ’A basic operation for spiritual power.’
But An Sancheng didn’t know that. Excitement, thrill, and pride all mixed inside him before slowly settling.
"An Ning, you should go to school."
"No."
An Ning’s refusal was so blunt that An Sancheng asked, confused, "Why not?"
"I don’t want to go to school."
An Ning’s reason was simple and blunt, but she had underestimated the era’s obsession with education as a means to change one’s destiny.
An Sancheng put down the notebook, his expression turning grim for the first time.
"An Ning, I can’t listen to you on this. You must go to school."
"Let me tell you, life in the village and life in the city are completely different. You have a brain that so many people would kill for. Go to school."
Standing on the floor, An Ning looked stubbornly at An Sancheng and firmly uttered three words.
"I won’t go."
"I’m the one who makes decisions in this family! If I say you go, you go!"
An Sancheng’s raised voice and wide eyes spoke of his resolve.
This matter was not up for discussion.
Unfortunately, An Ning’s presence was even more formidable than his, though her words were exceptionally calm.
"Even if I go, I won’t study. I’ll do nothing and get a zero on every test. You can’t force me on this."
"You—"
An Sancheng was so enraged by An Ning that he shot to his feet on the kang. BANG! He smacked his head on the ceiling.
But he couldn’t be bothered with the pain!
"You’re rebelling against me!"
An Sancheng’s temper truly flared. He snatched a small broom from the kang and pointed it at An Ning.
"Are you going to study or not?"
"I’m not."
The two firm and forceful words made An Sancheng so angry he jumped off the kang without even putting on his shoes.
The commotion between them sent An Guoming, who had been eavesdropping outside, scrambling to call for reinforcements—Lin Cuihua.
"What’s all this! Is there anything you can’t talk about properly? That’s your daughter, not one of those little rascals. Are you really going to hit her?!"
Lin Cuihua immediately snatched the small broom from An Sancheng’s hand, though An Sancheng had also intentionally loosened his grip.
"Who said I was going to hit her! Just listen to what your precious daughter is saying! I told her to go to school, and she refuses to, no matter what!"
An Sancheng was truly both angry and frustrated. He was anxious on An Ning’s behalf. A better life was clearly within reach if she just wanted it, but the child simply refused to believe it!
He was so worried!
Lin Cuihua understood An Sancheng’s anxiety. All parents want their children to have a good life.
She turned, her gaze on An Ning complicated.
"Daughter, what are you really thinking? Here in the village, you can work a whole year and not even save twenty yuan. If you go to the city, you won’t have to toil in the fields every day, and you’ll even get a monthly salary. Why don’t you want to go?"
An Ning could feel her parents’ urgency and desperation, but she really couldn’t go. Her life’s purpose was to provide the interstellar worlds with high-quality seeds.
She wasn’t just one person; she carried the survival of the entire interstellar community on her shoulders.
She could transmit the seeds even if she left, but it was nowhere near as effective as staying by the fields. Tending to the crops helped her recover her spent spiritual power; no other method worked.
"Dad, Mom, what you really want is for me to have a better life and earn money easily. But I can achieve all of that right here in the village."
"As for school, I don’t think the teachers can teach me much. I can learn everything in my little brother’s textbooks just by reading them once."
"I promise you, whether I go to school or not, I will keep learning new things. I’ll also live a very good life. I like the countryside, and I like farming."
After An Ning finished speaking, Lin Cuihua and An Sancheng fell silent.
The main issue was that if An Ning refused to cooperate, no one could force her.
An Guoming, standing at the door, felt a pang of guilt. ’If I hadn’t opened my big mouth, would any of this have happened?’
’But Little Sis...’
"Little Sis, did you know there are universities specifically for learning how to farm?"
With that one sentence, An Guoming lit a flicker of hope in Lin Cuihua and An Sancheng’s hearts. They looked at An Ning with expectant eyes.
An Ning’s interest was indeed piqued, but she had her own plans.
For someone who hadn’t even fully adapted to a single village, going to a bigger place and meeting more people was not a good idea.
’The teacher said to lie low, keep a low profile, and protect my identity.’
Studying agriculture was a good idea, but she didn’t want to go now. It could be put on the back burner.
"I don’t want to go for now. We can talk about it later."
The hearts of the three adults sank again, but at least she hadn’t given a final "no."
The atmosphere grew heavy, and An Ning didn’t like it.
"Let’s make the schoolbags. Let’s look at the fabric Second Brother and I brought back."
An Ning abruptly changed the subject. An Sancheng had to let his anger subside. He waved his hand and said, "Go get it. Let everyone have a look."
"I’ll go! I’ll go!"
An Guoming said, trying to liven things up, "Mom, Little Sis and I also bought several other pieces of fabric. They’re perfect for making clothes for the family."
"Really? Was it expensive?"
Lin Cuihua’s interest was piqued as well. Who doesn’t like new clothes?
"Not at all! It’s all fabric with slight defects. You can’t even tell unless you look closely. It was a real bargain!"
The four people inside the room filed out one by one. Her eldest brother and sister-in-law, who had been standing nervously in the kitchen outside for a long time, also started to move.
No one mentioned what had just happened.
Soon, all four large bundles were placed in the kitchen. With all the people standing around, the kitchen was packed.
"Oh, my, this material is really nice. It feels so good." Lin Cuihua held a piece of navy blue fabric, turning it over and over in her hands.
"There’s nothing wrong with this."
"Mom, there’s just a patch in the middle where the color is off."
Lin Cuihua flipped it over again and finally saw it. She said dismissively, "What kind of flaw is that? This fabric is a real find."
Next, Lin Cuihua took charge and divided the fabric they’d bought for the family among everyone.
Her sister-in-law was smiling from ear to ear. Such a large piece of cloth was enough to make several outfits.
After the fabric was divided, everyone looked at the two large bundles of canvas and another bundle of scraps.
After An Guoming explained his idea to everyone, he received their unanimous approval.
"Alright," An Sancheng announced. "Eldest’s wife, you and your mother can stay home and make these schoolbags. Second Brother, you stay and help. The rest of us still have to go to the fields."
After giving his orders, An Sancheng saw An Ning smiling at him. He turned his face away, coughed awkwardly twice, and called for his eldest son to leave with him.
"Dad, you guys go ahead. I’ll be there in a bit."
An Ning heard An Sancheng’s casual "Alright," and went back inside. She took out a pen and paper and started to draw a diagram.
The diagram she drew was very unusual.
An Ning had deconstructed the entire schoolbag, like a diagram from a machine’s assembly manual. It was marked with dimensions and steps, making it exceptionally clear and easy to understand.
"Second Brother, do you understand?"