She Only Cares About Cultivation

"Sister, you really have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. You said you’d give only one sack, but in the end, you couldn’t bear it, right?"

An Yi glared at the two of them: "Just for this morning, everyone who comes gets some. If anyone comes this afternoon or tomorrow, I won’t have any more. I can’t take care of even the children of married daughters, can I?"

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, daughters return to their mother’s home. Children from the village go to other villages, and children from other villages return to this village.

"Tomorrow I have to close the front door. You all come early. Tomorrow we won’t go out, nor will we interact with anyone."

Besides this, An Yi was actually afraid they would be saddened by the memories, as most who come back to their mother’s home are childhood playmates!

Of course, there weren’t many playmates, as most of them died four or five years ago; only a small number of those with great fortune survived.

Almost every settlement is like this, but like their sisters being rescued, there are fewer than five people per village.

I’ve heard some prefer to stay outside rather than return. These people must be considered smart because they know staying outside is better than returning; just the rumors in their own village could drown them.

Some were pregnant back then. Not many could terminate the pregnancy during that period. Most babies were either drowned or strangled after birth.

The nightmares would etch themselves deep into their memories with that child. Later, those among them who could marry did so, while those who couldn’t married remained alone till the end.

This depends on the strength of their minds and physical reactions. Some feared seeing men again, let alone being touched. Some lost the ability to conceive. No matter the reason, the majority remained alone till death.

For those without relatives, after Chinese New Year’s Day, it’s considered the end of the New Year.

Early on the second day, Qiuxia and Caihua came to An Yi’s home and shut the front door. That day, they didn’t open the door no matter who knocked.

"Yesterday, the two of us ran into nephews from our family. Today, our nephews have returned home."

Qiuxia had two sisters, Chunxia and Xiaxia. The two sisters just happened to go to their uncle’s home back then and were unharmed, including the sister-in-law and brother’s wife, which left Qiuxia as the only unusual one in the family. Now mentioning the time around New Year, those nephews naturally asked her for sweets, without even a lucky word or respectful demeanor, causing her eyes to redden.

Caihua grasped her hand beside her to comfort her: "You still have us, don’t you?"

Qiuxia sneered, "I pushed them away and left, warning them not to call me aunt. I’m not their aunt. Their aunt is dead. Why is it that the greatest harm comes from the closest people? Sister An Yi, it’s you who healed our lives!"

An Yi shook her head: "You two healed yourselves. If you have the determination and want to live a good life, why not achieve it? You’re younger than me. Study well. It’s not impossible to become a teacher in the future."

Private teachers will also receive a pension after a certain number of years. Of course, if they strive hard and pass the exams for formal positions, it would be quite a remarkable achievement.

She herself staying in the rural isn’t an issue. But if these two kids can get into college, wouldn’t they regain their confidence?

Getting into college may be impossible, but obtaining a junior high or high school graduation certificate shouldn’t be difficult.

Even in the 1990s, having a junior or high school diploma made it easy to find a job.

Since they’ve already decided never to marry or have children, why not pursue a future? They shouldn’t waste their remaining lives here.

In the future, just being a village teacher would suffice for their livelihood, earning a government salary, much better than working tirelessly all day. In the future, with further education and passing the official exams, they could receive a pension in old age.

The more An Ran thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, so she asked them: "Are you afraid of being embarrassed?"

"It’s never too late to learn, no matter how old we are. As long as we’re sitting in the classroom, we won’t fear embarrassment."

"That’s right. That’s a good saying. Since that’s the case, learn with me. Next spring, go to take the entrance exam at school. With your tenacity, can’t you finish the elementary courses in the next few months?"

The elementary courses in this era aren’t like those in future generations. All that’s needed is arithmetic and Chinese—a bit of math and literacy. Start with phonetic alphabets; it’ll ease their reading and recognizing words in the future. It’s not difficult. As long as they study earnestly and steadily, she’s confident about getting them into school. If they’re capable, they can go to high school. As long as they get a high school diploma, they’ll have smooth sailing in the future.