Chapter 460

Pu Jianyi thought about it some and said, “Okay, I see what you are saying. I’ll look for a good time to apologize to Comrade Jiang.”It was already dark by the time Tong Xuelu made it back to the city. East Wind Restaurant was already closed, so Tong Xuelu went straight home.As soon as she walked inside, she saw Tong Mianmian pitter pattered over in her chubby little legs. “Big Sister, how come you are home so late today?”Tong Xuelu rubbed her on her head. “Big Sister had something to take care of today. What did you do all day long?’Tong Mianmian toyed with her fingers, “Grandma Shen taught us to sing The Red Star Over Our Head when we Fight. Mianmian had learned the whole song already!”Tong Xuelu smiled and said, “Oh, Mianmian is so smart. Would you like to sing it for Big Sister?”Tong Mianmian blushed and she said shyly, “Yes!”Having said that, she cocked her little head and started to sing. “Small bamboo rafts sailing in the river / majestic green hills on both sides / the eagle spreads its wings / even if the wind and rain are strong / the revolutionary burden is on my shoulders / the party's teachings are in my mind… …”Tong Mianmian’s voice was crisp and sweet. It was still milky but one could already see the shadow of that singer who would rise in population throughout the entire country and even known in other countries.Tong Xuelu finally understood at that very moment how Tong Mianmian could become so popular. Her singing was just that good.She was still so young and yet she was able to make the song sound so melodious and so filled with emotions. That was certainly a talent.When she was done singing, Tong Mianmian looked at her Big Sister with limpid eyes and eager for compliment.Tong Xuelu hugged and kissed her. “Mianmian’s singing was so amazing.”Tong Mianmian was so happy that she blushed. She thrusted her chest out and she was both shy and proud at the same time.Witnessing the scene, Tong Jiaxin lowered his head and looked unhappy.Tong Xuelu saw him out of the corners of her eyes. She blinked and said nothing.Tong Xuelu waited until the siblings had finished their homework and Tong Jiaming had gone shower before she walked over to Tong Jiaxin. “How come you are so quiet all night long? Is your homework too hard?”Tong Jiaxin gave her a look and lowered his head again to look at his notebook. “Big Sister, am I just very useless?”Second Brother was good with his schoolwork and he learned so effortlessly. Little sister was good at singing. He seemed to not have a strength in anything.Tong Xuelu, “Says who? Everybody had their own strength. Aren’t you very good at drawing?”Tong Jiaxin was in more dismay after he heard that. “The teacher doesn’t allow me to sketch on my textbooks. She said that was a waste of time.”Tong Xuelu, “You can draw in a separate notebook. And I don’t think that’s a waste of time. You can draw whatever you want after you are done with your homework. People can become artists in the past. There are no artists anymore, but garment factories still need people to design and draw. As such, being able to draw is not useless.”Tong Jiaxin’s eyes lit up right away. “Big Sister, can I really become a designer at a garment factory if I can draw?”Tong Xuelu nodded, “But first and foremost, you need to be educated. More and more factories are going to require their employees to be educated beyond junior high school. There will be more and more educated people in the future. As such, you will need to study hard if you want to get a good job.”Tong Jiaxin hated studying but, knowing that he could get a job as an artist instead of returning to their hometown to pick up pigs’ droppings, all of a sudden studying didn’t seem that bad after all.“Big Sister, I don’t have any more notebooks. Can you buy me a new one?”Tong Xuelu said with alacrity. “Sure. I will get you the ones meant specifically for drawing. But you must promise me that you will only draw after you have finished your homework and you must pass all your tests. Do you think you can do that?”Tong Jiaxin nodded eagerly. “I promise I will finish my homework and that I will pass all my tests!”It wasn’t difficult to just pass the tests so long as he didn’t have to do well in them beyond that.Tong Xuelu did not ask him to get good grades. She made a mental note of their conversation.