Chapter 158: Let the Children Keep Reading

Li Sheng had come to realize that, although he was passively married to Tang Xin in the beginning, and only felt a basic fondness for her, as they spent more time together, he grew to love her more and more, until he was utterly infatuated.

Li Sheng simply could not fathom how he could possibly go on living if his life lacked Tang Xin.

Now that he had finally returned, that little vixen kept swaying right in front of his eyes, making his head spin, yet he still had to deal with his family first. Even though Li Sheng had played games happily with the little ones in the courtyard that evening, the truth was that his burning gaze had never left his young wife. Because of this, whether he was playing the old hawk or the mother hen, he threw himself into the roles with absolute dedication.

Ahem, even if he couldn't actually feast just yet, simply holding her in his arms to slightly appease his hunger was already a blessing, wasn't it? So when the two of them finally had their time alone at night, could anyone really blame him for going a bit overboard?

Of course, while nighttime inside the bedroom allowed for unbridled abandon, it was now broad daylight, and the two of them were sitting in the main room having a conversation. Recalling the fiery passion of the night made Li Sheng feel slightly embarrassed. Fortunately, his skin was naturally dark, so his blushing face went unnoticed by his wife.

Having finished all the eggs and feeling a bit choked, Li Sheng brought over a cup of warm water.

Tang Xin never drank cold water. Even in the dead of summer, she only drank warm boiled water, so every time she woke up, she would pour a cup of water and leave it there to cool.

Come to think of it, Tang Xin had some rather peculiar little habits. For instance, while she refused cold water, she would still eagerly eat popsicles and ice cream during scorching hot weather, purely for the delicious sensation on her tongue. Or, for another example, she loved sweets but disliked sweet soups, and loved flour-based foods but refused to eat noodles. Just a few odd and tangled little quirks like that.

What was even stranger was that Tang Xin still retained the memories of the original body, so many details about the original owner—including various lifestyle habits—were slowly coming back to her. After remembering them, she was horrified to discover that those strange habits of hers, which had once been criticized by her friends, bore a striking resemblance to those of the original owner.

Could this be the reason she had transmigrated into this world?

Tang Xin felt it didn't quite add up, giving her a creepy, unsettling sensation. She had transmigrated into a book, not dropped into some concrete historical timeline. How could the characters in a novel just happen to share such a connection with her?

Oh well, if she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't dwell on it. At any rate, her life right now was going quite well.

Tang Xin had always been an immensely optimistic person who knew how to take things as they came. Therefore, she posed another question that had been lingering in her mind: "Everyone in the family went out to work, and even Mother isn't home?"

This was rather strange. Although her mother-in-law was bolder now than she used to be, she rarely went out alone without family accompaniment.

At the mention of this, Li Sheng couldn't help smiling. "She did go out. We really have Eldest Sister to thank for this."

Noticing the peculiar smile on his face, Tang Xin instinctively asked, "What did Eldest Sister say?"

If Li Jiang, Li Hai, Gu Nan, or even Li Kai had been here right then, they would have vividly re-enacted the morning's events for Tang Xin with grand gestures and lively storytelling. But since it was Li Sheng, naturally he could only deliver a dry, plain narration.

In short, Li Sheng mentioned a single remark Li Xihua had made that morning, which had stirred something deep within their mother's heart. Consequently, their mother had actually ventured out that morning to make social calls, and was currently chatting at Eldest Aunt's place up front—she probably wouldn't be back anytime soon.

Tang Xin understood. In truth, their mother had simply been far too timid and cautious in the past; the women in the production brigade weren't all like Second Aunt Li.

People are born inherently good—this was something Tang Xin firmly believed, and the majority of people were still kind at heart. Aunt Fang had a pleasant personality and spoke in a gentle, agreeable manner. Venturing out to make friends would certainly make her well-received.

Tang Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Good, oh good, at least everyone didn't know she had slept in until this late today.

Hehe!

Still, she remained curious: "What on earth did Eldest Sister say to make Mother actually willing to leave the house by herself?"

Tang Xin considered her question perfectly normal, so why was Li Sheng's expression so bizarre, like he was constipated?

Li Sheng had always deeply respected his wife. Even though he found it awkward, he answered honestly when she asked: "Eldest Sister told her, 'Mother, you're not sitting on an egg in a nest, why do you hole up in the house every single day without stepping outside?'"

Tang Xin burst into a giggle. That definitely sounded like something Eldest Sister would say.

Still, being able to prompt their mother to take the initiative to step out of the house without any companion meant Eldest Sister truly deserved a massive amount of credit.

The children were all performing quite well at school, too. In the past, they simply hadn't had the conditions to study, nor the inclination. But now, thanks to Tang Xin rousing their enthusiasm for learning, they were all thoroughly invested.

Their academic scores naturally couldn't be bad, especially Gu Nan's. Li Sheng had personally gone to pick up the three younger ones from school today. Upon returning, he told the family that the teacher had praised all three children, saying that although they started their schooling late, they were quick-witted and far superior to many students who had been studying there for over a year.

Gu Nan in particular had only scored a few points in both Chinese and mathematics when he first enrolled. Yet a few months later, he had achieved a perfect score in math, and his Chinese score was the highest in the class as well.

One had to understand that when children came to school nowadays, many families simply had no one to look after them at home and sent them there just so they could play with others. Having finally stumbled upon a moldable talent like Gu Nan—along with Li Jiang and Li Hai, who also looked quite promising as they walked to and from school—their teacher was absolutely thrilled.

The teacher had also heard of Li Sheng's prominent reputation, and by chance happened to run into him when he came to pick up the children today. Consequently, the teacher pulled Li Sheng aside and chattered on at length, the main point being that if the children were willing to study, they should be allowed to pursue their education properly.

Everyone knew what the current situation was like, and the teacher had been teaching at this school for several years now; it was rare for students to successfully graduate. Even if this was only an elementary school.

Social conditions were generally like that, with many families believing that education was useless. In the beginning, they sent their children to school simply because it was inconvenient to leave them unattended at home. A few years later, once the children reached their early teens, they could essentially go out to do manual labor. Even earning just five or six work points a day was enough to help support the family.

Therefore, many children dropped out by the fourth or fifth grade. It wasn't that they didn't want to continue, but rather that their families wouldn't allow it.

The teacher knew that Li Sheng drove trucks for a living and possessed broader horizons than ordinary rural folk. Coupled with the fact that he had married an educated youth from the city, perhaps his ideological level would be somewhat higher?

That was why the teacher had said those things to him.

Li Sheng had simply listened in silence until the very end, when he finally replied, "Teacher, rest assured, our family fully supports the children's education."

In truth, back then, he, his eldest sister, and his younger siblings hadn't wanted to quit school; it was simply that their parents lacked the means to support their education. Now that he had the capability, and Tang Xin's attitude made it crystal clear that she supported it as well, Li Sheng naturally intended to properly fund the education of his remaining younger brothers.