MDMP Chapter 18.1

After receiving the radio notice from the family compound, Feng He took her two children to Hongqi Commune the next day.

Hongqi Commune is not close to the Songnan Army, but fortunately, there are military vehicles picking up and dropping off every morning and evening, so it is convenient for children to go to school.

There are many families in the family home who are willing to send their children to school.

After all, they have more or less work to do in the family home, so how can they usually have time to take care of their children?

Since the suspension of classes, these children had been running around in the family compound all day long, causing a lot of trouble. Now that they heard that the school had resumed classes, many family members of the military couldn’t wait to pack up and send their children there immediately.

Feng He, the mother and children just happened to catch up with the military vehicle going to school to register.

There were already a lot of people sitting on it. The women were sitting together and chatting, while the children were gathering in a group to play together.

Feng He was called over by a familiar woman to talk, while Zhao Suisui and Zhao Jingcheng got together among the children.

Wang Yue, a little girl who played with her, pulled Zhao Suisui and sat down next to her. It was not easy to fight in the military vehicle, so a group of children could only gather around and chatter non-stop.

Some people expressed that they did not want to go to school, saying that school would not be as fun as running around and having fun every day.

Some people thought that they could play with more children when they went to school, so they were looking forward to it.

Zhao Suisui had never gone to school, but her brother must go to school, so she must go with him. Otherwise, it would be boring to be at home alone.

Anyway, the stepmother hasn’t come yet, so she will go to school to play first. When the stepmother comes, she will immediately drop out of school and go back!

The construction of Hongqi Brigade Primary School is pretty good. There are several rows of small bungalows built with blue bricks. There are separate classrooms for grades one to five. Unlike some primary schools in the brigade, several grades may have to be squeezed into one classroom.

Outside the classroom is a playground with a concrete floor. Flag-raising exercises and other various activities will be held on this playground.

At this time, there were several tables on the playground. Behind the tables, teachers from the commune primary school were busy registering.

Feng He first found the registration office for the second grade and took Zhao Jingcheng to register.

Zhao Jingcheng previously attended elementary school in Beijing. Although he did not finish the first grade, he was studious and Feng He taught him his homework at home, so there was no need to go to the first grade again.

“Mom, what about me?”

Zhao Suisui waited eagerly for the teacher behind the desk to register her name, but only waited until Feng He paid the teacher a yuan for tuition before dragging them away.

“This is the second grade. You are going to the first grade.” Feng He explained.

Zhao Suisui was younger and had never been to school, so naturally, she had to start studying in the first grade.

In fact, she deliberately did not let the two children be in the same class, mainly because she was afraid that Zhao Jingcheng would continue to spoil Zhao Suisui without any principle.

Feng He was not worried that Zhao Suisui would be bullied by others in the class. Zhao Suisui had a good personality, and many of the children who played with her in the army were also in the first grade. Besides, the school was just so big, she could quickly find her brother if anything happened.

After getting the explanation, Zhao Suisui felt a little regretful: “Can’t I be in the same class as my brother?”

“Mom, how about I go to the first grade too?” Zhao Jingcheng proposed the idea of downgrading, which made Zhao Suisui’s eyes light up.

Feng He: “…”

She just said. He’s not even in the same grade yet, but it’s already here!

“No, Chengcheng will be in the second grade and Suisui will be in the first grade. That’s it.” Feng He decided without allowing the two children to refuse.

“Okay then.” Zhao Suisui saw Feng He’s attitude and could only compromise.

Arriving at the first-grade registration table, the female teacher behind the table looked at Zhao Suisui and asked hesitantly: “Is this child a bit young? Are you sure you want to go to school now?”

Nowadays, primary schools generally start at the age of six. Zhao Suisui is not yet five years old, so she is indeed very young.

Feng He nodded, smiled, and said, “Well, let’s go to school and give it a try first.”

Since the parents had said this, the female teacher naturally had no objection.

Nowadays, there are still many people who are unwilling to send their children to school. Naturally, they welcome those who take the initiative to send their children to school. Moreover, the little girl looks pretty and cute, so she is not a cause for trouble.

The first-year tuition fee was a little cheaper, 80 cents per semester. Feng He readily paid the fee.

After registering, the mother and children were about to leave, but unexpectedly, they bumped into Lu Zhou, who was being carried over to register.

“Uncle Lu, Brother Lu Zhou!” Zhao Suisui had sharp eyes and shouted happily as soon as he saw them.

“Is Brother Lu here?” Feng He said hello with a smile.

When she heard the notice, Feng He asked Zhao Haoyang to ask Lu Rong if he wanted to send Lu Zhou to school.

Today, before they came to register, they made a special trip to the Lu family, but they couldn’t find anyone, so they came here on their own.

 

*****

Translator’s Little Encyclopedia:

Chinese Education In 60s-70s (Part 1)

The early stages of the Cultural Revolution disrupted education, which became one of the most contested socio-political matters.

Mao Zedong viewed the Chinese education system as hampered by a formalism that wasted young people’s talents. By 1964, he argued that school curricula, which had been copied closely from the Soviet model of the 1950s, should be reformed.

In June 1966, the national university entrance examinations were suspended. With the disruption in education, the secondary school classes of 1966, 1967, and 1968 which were unable to graduate on time later became known as the Old Three Cohort.

Alongside a break in the direct progression from high school to college, the rural education system was expanded, and rural high school graduates were expected to later return to their villages to contribute to rural development.

Mao proposed reducing the number of school years so that teaching could be combined with activities in fields like agriculture, industry, military service, and politics. Mao argued that these changes would overcome the limits of specialization and established social hierarchies.

(To be continued…)

 

 

---

The event is over~~~

Ehem, the result is…

None of you have the right answer~

This lovely translator’s shio is GOAT 🐐

Ꮚ´ꈊ｀Ꮚ Ꮚ´ꈊ｀Ꮚ Ꮚ´ꈊ｀Ꮚ Ꮚ´ꈊ｀Ꮚ

 

Well, really sorry for everyone, since there was no one got the right answer, so there is no Bonus Chapter.