Chapter 64: Summer Vacation

After the three of them left, the Deaf Old Lady finally spoke.

"Zhonghai, what are your thoughts?"

"Godmother, they are all my children. Please rest assured, you will be treated exactly as you have been in the past, and that will not change in the future."

Yi Zhonghai naturally knew why the Deaf Old Lady was unhappy; wasn't it just the worry that once his own wife had children, she would no longer be able to look after her?

A year ago, the Deaf Old Lady had even suggested that Yi Zhonghai adopt a child, but after enjoying a year of VIP treatment where food was brought to her mouth and clothes were put on her back, she naturally did not want to return to how things were at the start.

"Zhonghai, you could have just adopted a boy; why did you have to bring back a yellow-haired girl too?"

The Deaf Old Lady was a classic example of someone who valued boys over girls; in the show, her attitudes toward Shazhu and Yushui were completely different.

"They are siblings. Xiaocui has taken a liking to them, and my salary can afford to raise them, so I brought them both back."

"Fine." Now that the matter was settled, since Yi Zhonghai had kept it from her before, it meant everything was already decided; opposing it now would only cause resentment.

Yi Zhonghai returned home, and Tan Cuicui had already coaxed the two children to sleep.

"The old lady, she..."

"It's fine. Things will continue as they have been. It's just that you will have to work harder."

"I'm not tired. I used to look after Yushui, so I'm used to it."

"That's good. I will come back as soon as I finish work from now on."

"Okay."

Time flew by, and a month passed quietly. Yi Jiabao and Yi Jiabei had also become familiar with life in the Siheyuan, and they were able to play together with Yushui, Xiaoling, Guangfu, and Guangtian.

Yi Zhonghai's home had two side rooms, and there was another one belonging to the He family. However, since the children were still small, there was plenty of space, though Yi Zhonghai was also planning to renovate the house once the children grew up.

During this month, Tan Cuicui had also learned how to operate the Sewing Machine, so Yi Zhonghai bought one. It was rare to have three Sewing Machines in one Siheyuan.

Zhang Ping'an would be on summer vacation in half a month. Zhang Ping'an was also very surprised by Yi Zhonghai's behavior; the plot was now completely in disarray.

From the current perspective, Yi Zhonghai was happy every day, and he likely wouldn't control the Siheyuan in the future as he did in the show, though of course, nothing was certain.

Apart from delivering goods to the Rolling Mill, Zhang Ping'an had spent these two months mostly at Jishitang, occasionally going to the Library to look up information.

In terms of medical skills, aside from pulse diagnosis which was still slightly raw, he could explain everything else quite well. Seeing this, his two senior fellow apprentices were stunned, completely unable to understand the world of a top student.

"Ping'an, these past ten-plus years, I've truly learned nothing."

"This is Ping'an's talent; you don't need to envy him," said the Divine Doctor.

"Senior brothers, I have a strong memory, and I started reading medical books before I began learning from Master, so it's a case of slow accumulation leading to a breakthrough."

"Alright, Changming and the others, you don't need to compare yourselves to Ping'an; your talents are not on the same level."

"..."

"Master, couldn't you be a bit more tactful?"

"Tactful about what? There are no outsiders here. You only have to work harder now to avoid being surpassed by Ping'an in the short term."

"Ping'an only lacks experience right now, but if he trains for two years, it won't be hard for him to surpass you."

"Master, I'm going to get back to work."

"Me too." Both of them were hit hard and ran off.

Zhang Ping'an was left between laughter and tears; although his master was telling the absolute truth, it was a bit too direct.

"Those two brats, they can't take even the slightest blow."

…………

Half a month later, during the final exams, Zhang Ping'an once again scored near-perfect marks, handing in a satisfactory answer sheet to Principal Fu.

"Not bad, not bad. Keep up the good work next semester."

"Will do, Principal. This is some Tiger Bone Wine I bought while procuring goods in the countryside. Have a cup tonight, and you'll definitely feel vigorous the next day."

"You kid... alright, consider it bought. How much?" Indeed, no one could refuse Tiger Bone Wine.

"No money needed."

"That won't do. A teacher cannot accept that."

"Alright then, just give me 100,000."

"How much? This is all there is." Principal Fu took all the money out of his pocket and stuffed it into Zhang Ping'an's hands.

"Deal."

Zhang Ping'an didn't count it. It was already good for an average person to carry 80,000 or 100,000 on them. Of course, as a principal, he had a bit more in his pocket. After giving instructions on the dosage, he went outside to wait for Wang Xiaoling.

"Xiao Ling, Yingnan, how did you do on your exams?" Zhang Ping'an's exam papers were always sent to the principal for grading immediately after he finished.

"Should be good. I felt like I knew how to do everything."

"About the same for me."

"That's good. Let's head back first."

"You guys go ahead. My dad is coming to pick me up in a bit," said Mu Yingnan.

"Alright, we're off then." Zhang Ping'an pedaled his tricycle and zoomed away.

"Zhang Ping'an, slow down!"

"Hahaha, okay!"

It was finally a day without Mu Yingnan, that third wheel. Zhang Ping'an had wanted to show off some of his cheesy pickup lines, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't find any suitable ones; things from the future still felt a bit frivolous in this era.

Wang Xiaoling already had hazy feelings for him, but she was still young, so he needed to take it slow. It would be about right once she graduated from junior high.

Fourth Sister Zhang Lanhua had also graduated from elementary school. Although learning from Yan Bugui for a summer vacation was a bit like "pulling up seedlings to help them grow," after the consolidation of her sixth-grade year, her grades were quite good.

During the summer vacation, Zhang Ping'an didn't let Fourth Sister go back; instead, he had her learn to make clothes with the Sewing Machine from Zhang Xiaohua. Even if she only graduated from junior high later, with this skill, she might be able to get into the Textile Factory.

The addition of Fourth Sister Zhang Lanhua also gave Third Sister Zhang Xiaohua more time to look after the children; the two of them were now like shift workers.

Because they were cheap and skilled, the three Sewing Machines in the Siheyuan now contracted most of the clothing production in Nanluoguxiang. With small profits and quick turnover, they earned quite a bit of money.

Fourth Sister Zhang Lanhua was indeed talented; in just ten days, she had learned most of it. This gave her the idea of making a living from this; it seemed that going to school wasn't that important anymore. Of course, she didn't tell anyone about her thoughts.

This day, Zhang Lanhua finally made a piece of clothing for herself; it was different from the rigid styles on the market, instead incorporating a bit of youthful flair, making it more suitable for young girls.

"Not bad, not bad, little sister, you truly have a talent for this."

"San Jie, what do you think if I don't go to school and make a living from this instead?"

"Hmm~ that could work."

In Zhang Xiaohua's view, her little sister was already eighteen years old this year, an age for marriage, and there was no real use for women to go to school anyway; it was better to learn a trade, which was more practical.

With Zhang Xiaohua's support, Zhang Lanhua plucked up the courage that evening to speak to Zhang Ping'an about it, as she felt her decision would disappoint her little brother, who had always supported her schooling.

"Si Jie, I support you."

"Really?"

"Yes, Si Jie, I have always supported your ideas, not just the act of going to school."

Zhang Ping'an thought this was fine; at the very least, his fourth sister had graduated from primary school, so she could be considered someone with an education who could read and write.

Besides, since she couldn't go on to further her studies at a technical secondary school or university, there wasn't much difference between a junior high and a primary school education.

Since she had a talent for designing and making clothes, it would be better for her to focus deeply on that.

"Thank you, Ping'an."

"Si Jie, we are family. Since you can operate independently and design clothes, let's just go buy a Sewing Machine tomorrow."

"Ah? This..." Zhang Lanhua wanted to buy one in her heart, but she didn't want to make her little brother spend the money.

"Ping'an, let the money for the Sewing Machine be a loan from you to Si Jie; I will pay you back once I start earning money."

"Alright." Zhang Ping'an knew his fourth sister's personality, so he did not refuse.