"Mom, this is the food given to me by the textile factory, there's even meat, all untouched and clean.
This is the cloth material I bought from a friend, it's defective goods but really cheap, so I bought some extra."
Originally, there were only a few yards of the fabric, but Xu Ying thought of her family's worn and tattered clothes and exchanged all her remaining points for material.
Xu Ying put the things on the table and called out, "Eldest Sister-in-law Xu, when you have time, make clothes for Shitou and Hu Zi out of the cloth on the table."
"Ah!" Eldest Sister-in-law Xu from the kitchen was taken aback as if in a dream.
"Mom, with what's left, make a set for yourself and dad, and oh, make one for Second Brother Xu as well."
"Why make it for your second brother? Mom will make you a set."
"Mom, I don't want it, I really don't like the color of these clothes. Besides, I have so many skirts in my room that I can hardly wear them all.
And Second Brother is about to become a teacher soon, he'll definitely need to wear a new set of clothes, all neat and tidy for his teaching job."
Mrs. Xu thought about it and realized it made sense; if the second son became a teacher, he would indeed have a respectable job.
He couldn't continue wearing those patched-up clothes.
She steeled her heart and agreed to make a set of clothes for her second son.
At dinner, Mrs. Xu didn't forget to indoctrinate her children: "Second Son, look how much your little sister cares about you, buying fabric she won't even use herself, insisting on making a set of clothes just for you.
She even said you should dress better when you become a teacher, and as for Eldest Son's family, see how much your little sister cherishes your sons. She bought the fabric and wouldn't wear it herself, giving it all to you.
Ah, my daughter is just too kindhearted, I'm afraid that when she goes out into the world, she might suffer and be deceived by others."
Eldest Sister-in-law Xu was moved, "Mom, little sister you can be assured, from now on I'll work hard to earn more work points, and then I'll buy new clothes for little sister with the money.
Shitou, Hu Zi, when you grow up, you must also take good care of your little aunt."
Xu Er also hurriedly expressed his stance: "Mom, I will definitely treat little sister even better in the future."
Xu Da also wouldn't be outdone: "Mom, once I get the teacher's job and become regularized, I'll give little sister five yuan each month as pocket money."
Mrs. Xu snorted coldly: "Your little sister doesn't need you to earn money to buy her clothes; she can make money on her own, and she earns much more than you."
With that, she bragged about her daughter earning ten yuan today.
The entire Xu Family was shocked upon hearing this, even Mr. Xu was surprised for a long while.
After dinner, Xu Ying went to find Xu Shengcai and talked about her encounter with Accountant Xu.
This made Second Brother Xu study even harder.
Soon, the preliminary examination day arrived, and people from various villages took the test in their villages.
Three candidates were selected to compete in the next round.
Because the son of the team leader from Xujia Village was taking the test, the team leader was stripped of his right to proctor the exam, replaced by the deputy leader.
Besides the deputy leader proctoring, the outside of the room was lined with villagers supervising the test.
The exam soon ended, and everyone went home with anxious hearts full of speculation.
The next day, after the results were announced, the top three candidates earned the chance to compete at Yushan Commune.
The top three were Lu Caocao (Lu Daya), Xu Shengcai, and Chen Yanran.
Mr. Xu was overjoyed for several days upon learning that his son had qualified for the next round.
Mrs. Lu, who had previously been reluctant about her daughter studying, immediately changed her attitude.
"Daya, you don't have to do the farm work these few days. Just focus on your studies at home, and strive to secure a teacher's spot for the glory of our family."
Lu's father felt the same; their family had never produced a formal worker before. If Daya succeeded, they would be the envy of everyone.
When the actual examination time came, the Xu family was nervous.
The Lu Family and Chen Yanran were no better off.
Especially Dong Wenzhong, who on one hand hoped Chen Yanran would pass, but on the other, hoped she wouldn't.
If Yanran passed, their lives would definitely improve in the future, but there was a downside – he was afraid that if Yanran passed, she would start to drift away from him.
What if she ended up marrying someone from a matching family background?
Dong Wenzhong's injuries had more or less healed in these days; apart from his hand which still couldn't move, he could walk around.
To ensure he wouldn't be abandoned by Yanran if she passed, he personally escorted Chen Yanran to the exam site.
Xu Ying's family escorted Xu Shengcai to the test site, and the Lu family did the same. It wasn't that they were overthinking things, but in those times, people would do anything for their own selfish desires.
Especially since this job was seen as extremely precious by everyone.
When Xu Sheng entered the room to take the test, many relatives surrounded the place, all waiting eagerly for their family members to pass.
The afternoon passed quickly, and hardly had they waited for the exam to end, Xu Shengcai walked out of the classroom. Mr. and Mrs. Xu immediately ran over, "How was it, are you confident?"
Xu Shengcai nodded, because the content of his test was what his little sister had marked as key points, so he was full of confidence in this exam.
"Mom, you guys go back first; I want to look around the school a bit more," Xu Ying said before running into the school.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu thought their daughter wanted to watch the classes and weren't concerned, so they went back home.
Xu Ying entered the school and immediately looked for the principal. Not fearing ten thousand, but just in case, Xu Ying was really worried their family might be schemed against, especially thinking of Accountant Xu, she had some concerns that her Second Brother's scores might be swapped.
"Principal, I've heard people at Yushan Commune say you have great integrity, full of righteousness, never blinded by dirty affairs." Xu Ying began with a flurry of flattery.
The principal was an old man in his fifties, with whitening hair. Hearing these words, the stern face finally showed a smile, "You child are full of praise, tell me, what do you want?"
"Principal, I think this recruitment is very significant, and it needs your personal marking of the papers to highlight your regard for this school and its students," Xu Ying said earnestly.
The principal looked up, tapping the tip of his pen on the desk before smiling and saying, "You're right, child. I value the students of this school very much.
As the principal, my greatest desire is to see the students excel under my guidance, to become pillars of the nation. The selection of teachers is naturally not something to be negligent about."
After saying that, he stood up to fetch the papers.
The teacher who was originally marking the papers, seeing the principal taking over, tried to protest, but the authority of the principal was not to be contested, and ultimately he took the papers.
During the marking of the papers, one of the female teachers saw the principal take over and was filled with resentment.
She was so close to altering the papers. Now, she couldn't fulfill her task, and her nephew would be unable to join.
What was the principal doing, meddling in everything?
Ultimately, after the principal stayed up all night to mark the papers, the results were published three days later.