They dared not ask.
They were afraid of dampening Whitaker Scarlett’s enthusiasm.
William also privately discussed with his sister, Elizabeth:
“If Scarlett wants to study, why don’t we let her start from the first year of high school? Don’t worry about tuition fees; I, your uncle, will take care of it!”
Elizabeth wasn’t keen on using her brother’s money for her daughter’s education.
“I’m learning from Scarlett’s business. Even if she goes to school, I can support her.”
Her business acumen wasn’t as good as Scarlett’s.
Things like the eel business—even if Elizabeth were beaten to death, she wouldn’t be able to find the connections to the Municipal Committee guesthouse. Faced with the same opportunities, personality determines destiny. Even if , the eel noodle boss, told Elizabeth the connections, Elizabeth wouldn’t dare buy a pack of cigarettes to approach Hughes Lawrence, the guesthouse’s purchasing manager.
But Elizabeth felt she could handle the oil residue reselling business. These days, she had learned to ride a bicycle, although she had bruised her hands and feet. She was stronger than Whitaker Scarlett; carrying 100 pounds at a time was no problem. This oil residue business alone would ensure the mother and daughter’s livelihood and save Scarlett’s tuition and living expenses.
Elizabeth was radiating with energy.
Regardless of whether it was the old society or now, regardless of how society changed, even the most unworldly farmers knew that this was the right path. The poorer one was, the more one needed to strive for upward mobility. The ability to escape poverty and become rich, to transform from a peasant to a city dweller—this has been an unchanging truth from ancient times to the present.
Whitaker Scarlett no longer cared about food, clothing, and appearance. She kept herself clean and tidy every day, but she no longer meticulously groomed herself.
She had matured overnight, understanding the importance of striving for progress. If she didn’t pass this time, she could start from the first year of high school… Whitaker Scarlett was only 18 years old; three years of high school would only make her 21. Those who had failed the exam for several years, those who worked for several years and then took the college entrance examination, those whose studies had been delayed, and those who were trying to get into university while supporting their families—all of them were older than 21.
Whitaker Rosalie was 20 years old when she got into university, and Walter Janson, the educated youth she was dating, was 25 when he got into university.
Whitaker Scarlett finishing high school and then taking the university entrance exam wasn’t late at all.
The siblings wouldn’t say these things to Whitaker Scarlett, afraid of adding pressure to her. William secretly visited Uncle Daniel several times. Things coincidentally happened on the same day. William went to HarborfieldCity to deliver eels for Whitaker Scarlett at 4 a.m. He returned in the morning and went to Larkspur Village with Uncle Daniel.
Uncle Daniel asked someone in the county to help transfer Whitaker Scarlett and Elizabeth’s household registration out of Larkspur Village and register them in Wellwater Village. Albert was going to make trouble, but Whitaker Chris, unusually, supported the transfer of the mother and daughter’s household registration. The divorce made Whitaker Chris feel utterly ashamed, and he completely wanted to sever ties with the mother and daughter.
Whitaker Scarlett finished her exam at County East High School at 2:30 p.m. She went to buy cloth and walked back from Greenfield County, arriving home a little later than William.
William had already told Amanda about the successful household registration transfer, including some details. When transferring the household registration, he didn’t dare reveal Whitaker Scarlett’s desire to go to school, fearing that the Whitaker family would sabotage it.
In 1983, the household registration system encompassed many things. Where Whitaker Scarlett’s household registration was located determined whether she needed a letter of introduction from the village committee to go out, without an “introduction letter,” Whitaker Scarlett couldn’t go to school, get married, or leave her hometown for other places.
This was practically a stranglehold on Whitaker Scarlett’s life; although it wasn’t unsolvable, it was a troublesome matter. But now that they had registered in Wellwater village, she wouldn’t be controlled by the Whitaker family anymore. When Whitaker Scarlett returned from the exam, this good news awaited her.
In return, Whitaker Scarlett immediately shared her good news with her family:
“I think the questions weren’t too difficult, and I think I did pretty well.”
Her aunt took the cloth from her hand, muttering about her being wasteful and not believing her optimistic expectations about the exam at all.
