Chapter forty-ninth: ear and temple grinding
Huang Daozhou loves to sing, and he was learning to sing "Olive Tree" on the way, and he entered the city without knowing it.
It was less than eight o'clock when the father and son returned home. Huang Han took a shower, ate a bowl of noodles with a boiled egg, and ran to school burping.
As soon as I ran to the door of the classroom, the bell rang for the end of morning reading class.
Huang Han spent a total of twenty minutes at home taking a shower and eating breakfast, and the excited little girl followed behind and chatted for twenty minutes.
Of course she was talking about her experience selling tea eggs last night, the fact that Zhang Chunmei and three other girls came to sing and cheer, and she also reflected on why she couldn't muster up the courage to sing to help her mother attract business.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Chunmei was so enthusiastic. Huang Han became very fond of her. He walked up to her and sincerely thanked her when he entered the classroom. Then he said thank you to Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Qian.
The three little girls were even happier. The sense of accomplishment they gained from helping others and being recognized made them feel honored.
Suddenly, Huang Han felt something strange, because he found that the eyes of his classmates were a little special. When he came into contact with Cheng Wenge's eyes, he found that there seemed to be little stars in his eyes.
The little lolita Xiao Qiang kept looking at her face with a smile, and when she came to her seat, Huang Han asked: "Xiao Qiang, you are smiling brightly today, are you happy about something?"
"Asking even though you know it!"
"I really don't know what makes you happy!"
"What can I be happy about? I'm still the same as before. I didn't expect you to be the first in the class in the mid-term exam and still be so calm?"
"First in the class? Me? Have the midterm exam results been announced?"
"You don't know? By the way, where did you go in the activity class yesterday? The whole class was applauding you, but it's a pity that you didn't see it."
"I went to the countryside and just came back this morning. You haven't told me what score I got and where are the test papers?"
"We are only one point short of double hundred. Together with Zhang Chunmei, Wei Hongxing, and Kang Jing, we are tied for first place in the class, and tied for seventh in grade, because there are six students in the whole grade who took the double hundred test and are tied for first place."
"Oh! It's not a perfect score. What a pity. Where did you lose a point?"
"Huang Han, you are so boring, don't act like this! Aren't you disgusting me by saying this?"
"Ah? I didn't mean that! How did you do in the exam?"
"Hmph! If I don't tell you, I'm not as good as you anyway. Just wait, I won't be compared to you."
Although she said this, Xiao Qiang really lost the confidence to surpass Huang Han again, and her heart was filled with disappointment.
Seeing that the little Loli was so angry, Huang Han approached her and whispered, "Do you want to eat crayfish?"
"Gudong!" The little Lolita is such a sweetheart. She reacted so quickly that she swallowed a big mouthful of saliva and suddenly asked with her beautiful eyes flashing: "Are you going to send another bowl of crayfish to my house today?"
"One bowl is not enough, but I would like to trouble you to make an appointment with Zhang Chunmei, Liu Xiaoli, and Zhang Qian to your home."
"Why?"
"Because last night..."
Huang Han softly told how Zhang Chunmei and the others helped their family sell tea eggs last night, and Xiao Qiang nodded.
The two of them were whispering, and it looked as if their ears and temples were rubbing together. Zhang Chunmei had been looking at them for a long time, and the smile on her face had become unnatural.
After a while, Xiao Qiang ran to her side and whispered. Xiao Qiang did not mention Huang Han, but invited her to come home from school in the afternoon to do homework together. She had something delicious to bring out for everyone to try.
Zhang Chunmei heard that two good friends, Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Qian, were going with her. She agreed and was curious about what the food was.
This period is completely different from that of 20 or 30 years later when parents would pick up their children and go home from school. It was normal for several close classmates to go to a classmate's house to do homework together after school.
Xiao Qiang's home is close to the school. Although the living conditions at home cannot be compared with those in the future, it is still not too crowded.
In the early 1980s, except for a few privileged people who enjoyed spacious homes, most families could be described as living together.
Huang Han was very concerned about Chengwenge's midterm exam results. After talking to Xiao Qiang, he sat in the last row. Chengwenge immediately took out the meat buns from his arms.
Huang Han had just eaten a bowl of noodles and an egg. He was full and said, "You can eat it. I just had breakfast and I'm not hungry."
"How can this be done? This is your share. I've already eaten mine, and I can't eat any more!"
Knowing that the child was sincere, Huang Han stopped rambling, took the meat bun wrapped in white paper, put it into his pocket and asked: "How many points did you get in the test? What's your rank?"
Cheng Wenge said happily: "Mathematics 73, Chinese 71, improved by seven places. My parents were so happy last night. They asked me to invite you to my house to play."
"Don't worry, let's wait until you advance to tenth place!"
"No! You already said last time that as long as I improve five places, you will come to my house to play. You can't just say it."
They talked so much during this period that Huang Han really couldn't remember saying this as an excuse to shirk Chengwen Pavilion's invitation.
"Did I say that?"
"I said it, I really remember it."
"A gentleman will do what he says and he will do what he says. I will definitely visit your house after a while."
"Yeah! Well! Not for a while, just this Sunday."
"I'm not sure, and I don't know if there is anything going on at home."
"It's okay. I'll go to your house and wait on Sunday morning. I'll help you with anything."
"Oh well!"
Seeing Huang Han agreed, Cheng Wenge smiled even more happily.
Huang Han said: "Chengwen Pavilion, when you go to school at noon, you bring an enamel basin with a lid and put it in a net bag."
As he spoke, Huang Han gestured to the size of the enamel basin and asked Chengwen Ge: "Do you have one at home?"
"Yes, I have quite a few at home. They are issued by my parents' work. They seem to be issued every year, and more than once. I can give you a few."
Cheng Wenge treated Huang Han sincerely and wished he could feel his heart out. When he saw Huang Han asking him to get an enamel basin from home, he thought it was Huang Han who wanted to borrow it, and he generously expressed that he would give it to Huang Han.
Characteristic of the times, wages in units are fixed.
A third-level driver like Cheng Wenge's father has a monthly salary of 47 yuan and 70 cents, and a business trip subsidy. He is one of the few high-income earners in Sanshui County.
For factories with good profits or many cooperative units, departments often improve employees' salaries through welfare benefits.
There are all kinds of things handed out, the most common ones are enamel cups, enamel basins, enamel food bowls, towels, and sometimes hot water bottles and sheets.
The workplace of Chengwenge's parents is very popular and profitable, and it is not a lie that there are too many enamel products distributed in the workplace at home.
Because the briquette factory in Kuhaha has distributed this stuff more than once, every enamel product used in Huang Han's home has red printing on it.
The purpose of Huang Han asking Chengwenge to bring a net bag and an enamel food bowl was to give him some crayfish for him to take home and eat while they were hot. He did not want to borrow these things at all.
After nearly half a month of contact, Huang Han has been able to conclude that Chengwenge is simple in nature, has a good heart, knows how to be grateful, and is more interested in trying to change his original life trajectory.
He said: "Chengwen Pavilion, you should be honest with each other, but you can't be honest enough to make me say anything, so you have to give me that thing, which will make it impossible for me to chat with you in the future."
"Hey! I just hope I can help you!"
"I know what you mean. Remember, the most important thing is to study hard. I will explain the test paper to you after class."
"Uh-huh!"
Chapter completed!