Chapter 261: Humbly Seeking Guidance

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Humbly Seeking Guidance

Once things were more or less settled, Han Xiaorui settled the accounts with Zhang Guangnan and hurried home to take a shower.

After changing into a nice outfit, Han Xiaorui went to the kindergarten to pick up her two daughters.

As Pingping and An’an walked out of the kindergarten, they saw their mother not far away and ran over happily, "Mommy, Mommy..."

They were as happy as little swallows seeing their mother, chirping away about everything they had seen and heard at school.

Although what they said was a bit disjointed, at least they were starting to talk more.

Since it was a kindergarten they had opened themselves, Han Xiaorui wasn’t worried about her children being bullied there.

All in all, everything was heading in a good direction.

Wu Jiao helped carry their little backpacks while Han Xiaorui held Pingping with one hand and An’an with the other, singing nursery rhymes with her daughters on the way home.

When they got home, Wu Jiao started making dinner.

"Sister Xiao Rui, how about we have noodles for dinner tonight?"

Han Xiaorui nodded with a smile. "Let’s have your Henan-style braised noodles."

Wu Jiao’s eyes widened for a second, then she nodded repeatedly. "You got it! I’ll start right away. It’ll be ready soon."

Wu Yao had already prepared the dough and let it rest. After Wu Jiao got home and washed her hands, she began to roll out the noodles.

If the chewy noodles were too long, they were pulled apart to ensure they cooked evenly when mixed.

She placed the pulled noodles into a basin, added a suitable amount of rapeseed oil, and mixed it by hand until the noodles were evenly coated to prevent sticking.

The noodles were steamed over high heat for ten minutes.

Side ingredients were chosen according to personal preference, such as green beans, soybean sprouts, and carrots, which were cut into long strips and stir-fried with pork belly.

Water was added, then the noodles were placed on top of the vegetables to braise for ten to fifteen minutes.

Served with a bowl of thick millet and rice congee, the flavor was absolutely divine.

Pingping and An’an loved the braised noodles. With vegetables and meat, each of them could eat a whole bowl.

They were healthy and sturdy, and they had grown a lot taller too.

"Wu Jiao, I think your cooking has gotten even better." Han Xiaorui didn’t hold back her praise. It was truly delicious.

Han Xiaorui never turned down any good food. Her only requirement was that it had to be delicious.

Wu Jiao looked pleased, chuckling. "Sister Xiao Rui, my skills haven’t actually improved that much. It’s just that the ingredients here are much more abundant. More ingredients mean more delicious possibilities."

"Without so many ingredients, even a skilled cook can’t make a meal out of nothing. The south is so much better. Now that Wu Yao and I are earning money, I’m thinking of bringing my mom, my younger brother, and my younger sister over."

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment, then said, "Before long, the dormitory building at the aquaculture farm will be finished. I can assign you two an apartment. If your family wants to come over, they’ll have a place to live."

Since Han Xiaorui still entrusted the sea fishing trips to Wu Jiao and Wu Yao, she wanted to ensure they received the best possible treatment.

She had already planned to give them housing, to make them feel a sense of belonging here, that it wasn’t just a place to earn money.

Wu Jiao’s eyes lit up. "We can get an apartment too?"

Han Xiaorui nodded. "You’re my employees too. I’ve included your employment records in the aquaculture farm’s organizational files, so of course you’re eligible for housing."

"If you’re willing, you could even transfer your mother’s, brother’s, and sister’s household registrations over. You could settle down and make a home here."

"In that case, I’ll write a letter home and ask my mom," Wu Jiao said with a smile. "Thank you, Sister Xiao Rui."

Wu Yao sighed. "Actually, we’ve told her before. The money we two earn is enough for our mom to bring our brother and sister over, but she won’t agree. She’s afraid that if we’re all over here, there will be no one left to pay respects to my father and my older brother."

Although many people were gradually leaving their homes to work elsewhere these days, the mindset of being reluctant to leave one’s homeland still deeply influenced many.

"How are your brother’s and sister’s grades?" Han Xiaorui asked.

Wu Jiao was very happy that Han Xiaorui was willing to talk about their family. "My sister got into our county’s high school. Her grades are excellent. My brother’s grades are average, but he’s good at martial arts."

Han Xiaorui tried to persuade them, "Although the college entrance exams have been reinstated, I’ve heard that there are too many people taking the exam in Henan, and Henan itself doesn’t have many good universities."

"But Shencheng is different. There are more universities, and there are preferential policies for local students. Your sister’s grades are good back home, so if she works hard, she’ll do well here too. With the same scores, she could get into a better university here."

"As for your brother, if his grades are average, he should focus on his martial arts. If he enlists in the army in the future, he should be able to make something of himself."

Wu Jiao shook her head. "My mom won’t let my brother enlist. My older brother is gone, so he’s the only son left. If something happened to him, the Wu family line would end."

Han Xiaorui froze, thinking of how Ye Feng’s mood would plummet and how he would even shed tears whenever he mentioned his comrades at the Yunnan Martyrs Cemetery.

It was understandable that Wu Jiao’s mother wouldn’t let her youngest son enlist.

"If his grades aren’t good and he doesn’t enlist, there’s no way for him to get ahead back home besides going into business."

Wu Jiao nodded, deeply agreeing. "Yes, Sister Xiao Rui. My brother has a talent for martial arts. If he opened a martial arts school in Shencheng, would people be interested in training?"

"Yes, of course. If your family opens a school here, I’ll send Pingping and An’an. With the village children, it’s a case of keeping up with the Joneses. If your kids are learning, my kids have to learn too. You wouldn’t have to worry about recruiting students."

"Practicing martial arts builds strength and fitness, and it also teaches them to protect themselves. Of course, parents would want their kids to be more agile."

Hearing Han Xiaorui’s words, Wu Jiao and Wu Yao looked at each other, seeing the pleasant surprise in each other’s eyes.

"Sister Xiao Rui, if my family wants to open a martial arts school here, what preparations do we need to make now?"

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment, then said, "If you’re planning to open a martial arts school, you should really transfer your household registrations. With local registration, you can buy a residential plot in the village. Since you have a large family, you could buy a bigger plot, then build a house and the school."

"You should handle the registration transfer as soon as possible. With the Reform and Opening-up in Shencheng, more and more people will be coming here. It will get harder to get local registration, and harder to buy a residential plot. If you trust me, you’ll do it quickly."

Wu Jiao had complete faith in Han Xiaorui. "Sister Xiao Rui, we both trust you."

Han Xiaorui suggested, "I’m quite busy right now, so I can’t have you go back to handle the registration transfer. Wait until the end of the year. I’ll give you time off to go home for the New Year, and you can take care of it then."

After all, she had too much on her plate right now. It would be impossible to find someone to look after Pingping and An’an on short notice.

The two sisters quickly agreed. "Sister Xiao Rui, we can’t delay your work. This concerns our future and our siblings’ futures. The New Year will be the perfect time to have a good talk with our mom and persuade her."

"If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me. I’ll tell you everything I know," Han Xiaorui said with a smile. "You’ve worked hard. I’ll stay with the children tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see the new underwater salvage ship."

"An underwater salvage ship... that must be for searching for undersea treasure," Wu Jiao exclaimed. "That must be so interesting!"

The next morning, when their group arrived at the deep-water pier in Shencheng, they saw a large ship over sixty meters long, as well as several other boats that were twenty or thirty meters long.

Han Xiaorui gazed at the massive vessel, overcome with envy.

’If only my fishing boat were this big!’