Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 217 He Jin'an's College Entrance Examination

Master Zhou thought for a moment and said, "You always go to Yangzhou for the Spring Festival. Rong Gang and Rong Qiang here are good cooks and can handle the New Year's Eve dinner without any problem. As for after school starts... why don't you bring the kids to the restaurant to eat? It's convenient to cook here, and there are several chefs. It won't be a problem to take care of things for a year or two. You just need to take care of breakfast at home."

Jingyan had been playing the victim for ages, just waiting for this sentence. She immediately transformed from a gloomy, miserable girl into a smiling Yanyan: "Then it's settled. The meal expenses will be charged as usual; it'll be easier to record that way. It'll be perfect after my An'an finishes his college entrance exams. He can cook during summer vacation, I'll cook while he's at school, and I can step away from the kitchen when they're on vacation. Hmm, perfect~"

Mr. Zhou finally couldn't hold back: "Don't you plan to hire another nanny?"

Jingyan shook her head: "Actually, we invited Sister Wang over mainly to help take care of Grandma. But as we spent more time together, our bond deepened, and later no one in our family treated her like a nanny. We treated her like family."

"I'm pretty idle anyway. With you guys at the shop, there's not much of a need for me. Taking care of the family at home keeps me occupied. You can't be too idle, otherwise you'll easily find things to do. This is fine."

Seeing that she understood, Master Zhou didn't say anything more. After agreeing on a time to pick up the processed snacks, Jingyan went home first. Now that she had children at home, the kitchen was not short of manpower.

Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao squatted in the kitchen picking vegetables with long faces. Zhizhi muttered, "I used to learn cooking from Aunt Wang because I was interested, but now, my interest has become my job. Why am I so unhappy?"

Xiao Xiao patted her: "It's okay. Auntie said that we will only take over the kitchen during the winter and summer vacations. The rest of the time, Auntie will still cook. Think about it, if we only do it twice a year, Auntie will be stuck here every day. Wouldn't she be even more unhappy?"

Besides, didn't you hear what our classmates were saying? In their families, the mothers cook, do laundry, and clean after get off work. Their fathers don't even help with chores; they wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. Compared to that, you can see we're born into a very fortunate family.

Zhizhi nodded in agreement: "Now that you mention it, it seems to make sense. When I grow up, I don't want to get married. I want to live on my own. I can be as hardworking as I want, or as lazy as I want, and no one can stop me. That would be such a comfortable life."

If I married a dad like the one my classmate had, I reckon just looking at him would drive me crazy. I'd be spending all my time and energy looking for trouble. Ugh, I couldn't live like that for even a day.

Xiao Xiao raised her chin towards An An: "If you met a man like your brother, who is both elegant in public and skilled in the kitchen, would you marry him?"

Zhizhi pouted: "Well, he can work, but believe it or not, he might not be so hardworking after he gets married. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Besides, how many times have we fought since we were little? I'm his own sister, and he doesn't even know how to give in to me. If he were a wife, hmph, I guess he'd have even less of a chance."

Xiao Xiao thought about it seriously and then nodded in agreement: "Then let's live together from now on. We'll go to the same school and live in the same city. Of course, it would be best if we could work together, but it's okay if we can't. We can live together. You can be in charge of grocery shopping and cooking, and I can be in charge of housework. How does that division of labor sound?"

Zhizhi nodded repeatedly: "I think it's okay."

An'an, busy wielding a spatula to stir-fry the vegetables, was completely unaware that his two younger sisters were looking down on him. He was still focused on cooking, but Zhizhi had said that stir-frying produced a lot of oil and smoke, which was bad for his skin, so the job fell to him. As he worked, he muttered to himself:

"Other people's younger sisters are all delicate and sweet, but my own sister is different. She only knows how to fight with me. With this temper, what will become of her when she grows up? Will she even be able to get married? In the future, I, as her older brother, will still have to worry about her a lot."

He was still lamenting the hardships of being an older brother, completely unaware that his two younger sisters had already made preparations to remain unmarried and childless.

The Spring Festival followed the same old traditions: Jingyan's family returned to Yangzhou, while the rest of the family gathered together in this house to celebrate. The two rooms on the first floor had large kang beds that could fit several people, and they could choose any room they wanted, as there was enough room for everyone.

When they returned from the third year of junior high, everyone was still lively. Suddenly, Zhizhi remembered her previous thoughts and tentatively asked Jingyan, "Mom, if I don't want to get married by the time I'm thirty, will you urge me to get married?"

Jingyan shook her head: "Marriage is not something that can be rushed. When you meet the right person, you will naturally want to get married. If you don't meet the right person, it's better to stay single than to force yourself to marry someone and live an unhappy life. At least there won't be anyone to make you uncomfortable, and you can enjoy peace and quiet."

"Mom, your thinking is so unique. Other parents think that if their child is still unmarried at a certain age, it's either because they can't find a wife or can't get married, and that the child must not be good enough or outstanding enough."

"There will be neighbors gossiping behind my back, and there might even be discrimination. Doesn't Mom care about any of that?" Zhizhi was genuinely surprised. She had always known that her mother's thoughts were different from those of ordinary people, but she was still quite surprised by how big the difference was.

"Whether my child is outstanding or not is none of anyone else's business. Besides, we didn't grow up eating their rice, so why should we listen to their gossip? We live our own lives behind closed doors, not for them to see."

"As long as we can let things slide, we can ignore whatever others say, no matter how much they complain. Let's see who ends up getting angry." Jingyan spoke with conviction, yet she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This paradoxical statement was something Xiaoyue had said in her past life.

She seemed to defy everyone, always having her own ideas and theories. Sometimes what she said seemed absurd, but upon reflection, it wasn't entirely without merit. In that life, she was obsessed with living in the eyes of others, terrified of being ridiculed. She was fiercely independent her whole life, yet she became a laughingstock, and in the end, it was her own daughter who suffered.

She came to terms with her life and realized that living according to Xiaoyue's ideas had indeed led her to a completely different path in this life, but it was for the better. She was very satisfied with her life now.

After the children started school, life settled into a peaceful routine, and Jingyan began her belated work as a housewife. To be honest, she really disliked housework; she'd rather be setting up a street stall.

Since the children are all grown up and responsible for keeping their own rooms clean, Jingyan doesn't actually clean many rooms. Besides, she's not the kind of person who's obsessed with cleanliness.

I clean a little bit every day, and I can clean the whole house in about a week. I can get some exercise every day, which is a different kind of exercise. Thinking about it this way, I feel much more at ease.

This was the first time in over a decade that He Zhijun had seen Jing Yan act like a devoted wife and mother for such a long period of time. It was quite a rare sight for him. However, knowing that Jing Yan was impatient with housework, he took the initiative to take over the cleaning duties after dinner every day.

With someone helping to share the burden, Jingyan's mood wasn't so depressed anymore. In recent years, Jingyan had been poisoned by a comfortable life, and even normal housework felt tiring. It can be seen that the old saying is true: it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Fortunately, although the children are picky eaters, Master Zhou helped them out, so the quality of their food did not decline. Before the college entrance examination, when it came time to fill out college applications, An'an didn't have any particular interests, so she was very casual about her choices.

The child can do whatever he wants, but the parents have to pay close attention. In the end, in addition to asking about his own wishes, they also asked He Zhijun about his future career development. Finally, they decided on business administration as his major, which would be a respectable position in a company after graduation.

However, An'an was different from other children. He longed to go out and see the world. Boys always want to go out and explore when they grow up and don't want to stay with their parents.

Finally, with the help of her family, An'an decided to apply to Northwestern Polytechnical University. Despite having "Northwest" in its name, the university is actually located in Xi'an, a historic ancient city. An'an felt that as long as it was far from home, it would be fine.

Moreover, this school is a key undergraduate institution, so he was only worried that his score was not high enough. After all, the school's admission score in previous years had exceeded 500 points, and his usual grades were only around 520 or 530. This score was quite risky.

So after confirming the school, An'an studied even more diligently, focusing on the areas where she was previously weak. In this tense environment, July arrived, and it was time for An'an to take the college entrance examination.

Jingyan personally escorted him to the examination hall and waited outside. An'an felt embarrassed and tried to stop her several times, saying, "Mom, I'm all grown up now. I'm a boy. It's a bit embarrassing for you to have to pick me up and drop me off for an exam."

"Shameful? Do you know what the college entrance exam means to all students? There's no room for error. Back then, I personally picked up and dropped off your older brothers Ci'en and Xiao Li."

They didn't feel ashamed, but when it comes to my child, I'm the one being looked down upon." Jingyan pinched his ear and scolded him without any politeness.

Ann...

"He Jin'an, He Jin'an, you're here." A group of high school boys came over from a distance and waved to An'an.

As the group approached, An'an's face turned bright red, and she stammered, "Did you all come together? Didn't your parents come to see you off?"

One of the boys looked dejected: "No, I've been pestering my parents since yesterday to have one of them pick me up, but neither of them is willing to take time off work, so a few of us have to go together. He Jin'an, is this your mom? That's great, your mom is willing to pick you up, I'm so envious."

He Jin'an asked with some surprise, "Don't you guys think it's too dependent of me to still need my mom to pick me up and drop me off at this age?"

“The college entrance exam is so important. Any family that values ​​it will come to pick you up and drop you off. What’s this about being independent? It’s a sign of love. You’re so lucky, you don’t even know it.” It was that boy who answered again.

Jingyan was very pleased that An'an's classmate was so sensible, and gently instructed her, "Have you brought your admission ticket? Have you prepared your pencils, erasers, and pens? Don't forget anything in the exam room."

"We still have plenty of time. Let's check it one more time. If anything is missing, we can swap them out. If all else fails, we can buy something else." The children obediently checked again, and everything was fine.

Seeing that they only carried a pencil case and a transparent document bag, making their belongings very clear, Jingyan took out several packs of tissues from her pocket and handed them out one by one.

"It's July, and the weather is so hot. These little packets of tissues are easy to carry. Each of you should have one to wipe your sweat. After your exams, Auntie will treat you to ice water to cool you down."

By the way, none of you have sensitive stomachs, right? If anyone can't drink cold drinks, please let us know in advance. These three days are very important; your health cannot be compromised in the slightest. This concerns your entire lives, so please take it seriously.

The children nodded repeatedly: "Auntie, we are all in good health. We will pay attention to our diet these days. Thank you for your reminder."

Just as Jing Yan finished giving her instructions, the principal, along with several teachers from the academic affairs office, stood at the main entrance, shouting through a loudspeaker: "Students taking the college entrance examination, please prepare to enter the examination room. Bring your admission tickets and pens. Don't rush, keep a normal mindset, and strive to perform exceptionally well and get into your desired schools!"

After the exam, Jingyan kept her promise. Each of the children had a bottle of ice water. They cooled themselves down first and only drank it when it wasn't so cold anymore. At that moment, no one was willing to take any risks.

After three days of exams, the kids were visibly sluggish. Besides the mental stress, the main reason was the hot weather. As soon as the college entrance exam was over, the first thing He Jin'an did when he got home was to stand in front of the fan.

This was strictly prohibited for the three days of the exam, but it was finally lifted today. Jingyan happily grabbed a watermelon and put it in the refrigerator to chill. After the temperature dropped, Zhizhi, Xiaoxiao, and An'an sat in the living room, enjoying the cool breeze from the fan and munching on the icy watermelon. They were having a wonderful time.

Jingyan breathed a sigh of relief: "An'an, now that you've finished your exams, I'll leave the cooking at home to you until you go back to school. Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao can help him out. Hmm~ I can finally rest for a while."

Watching Jingyan stretch and stroll leisurely into the bedroom, the three children, who had been happily munching on watermelon, suddenly found the watermelon less appealing.

An'an looked at her two younger sisters: "At most, I'll just do more work this year. If I can get into Northwestern Polytechnical University, it's too far from home, so I plan to come back for Chinese New Year every winter vacation."

As for the summer vacation, I'll see if I can find some work there to get a feel for the rules of society. From now on, the kitchen will be your responsibility during the summer breaks.”

Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance and sighed. They didn't want to do it, but there was nothing they could do. No one could argue with their mothers. What else could they do but obediently get to work?

But thinking about it, at least my brother is here this summer, which makes me feel much better.

Jingyan was too lazy to deal with the squabbles between her children. She was lazy, but she wouldn't exploit her own children. However, as the children grew up, they needed to have the necessary life skills. You may not have to do them, but you can't be ignorant of them.