1588 Free Trade
“It’s not impossible… but don’t tire the children out. They’re still so young and it’s enough for them to just learn a little every day. They don’t even know how to stand up yet…” Xia Wen said with heartache.

“Don’t worry, Eldest Brother. If the children have interest, I’ll let them learn more. If they don’t, we won’t force them. Come and try my braised pork! It’s been a long time since you tasted my cooking!” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

The children living in the vicinity had never smelled such delicious food before. Even the food in the restaurants was not half as delicious as what Qiao Mei made. Most people had lived here for a long time and they knew very well which family was cooking from the smells coming from the houses. The children gathered at Qiao Mei’s main door and looked inside.

However, they all had a sense of propriety. Their parents had instructed them not to eat at other people’s houses for no reason. After looking in for a while, they rushed back to their own homes to ask their mothers to cook delicious food for them.

Qiao Mei took a deep breath in relief. If the neighbors around here were like those in the apartment building, then they might as well return to the capital! That kind of living environment was not good for the two children’s growth and development.

From the looks of it, everyone in this area was quite nice. In the future, she should try and get along better with these neighbors. The next time she made pickled vegetables, she would go and share some with everyone.

“Eldest Brother, where are you going on your next business trip?” Qiao Mei asked.

“I’m going to the south on a research trip and probably won’t be back for half a month. That’s why I have come by to see the children before I leave. I’ll bring you guys something nice when I come back!” Xia Wen said happily.

Ever since Xia Wen divorced Tan Jing, he smiled a lot more. He was happiest when he spent time with the two children.

“Is free trade going to start in the south soon?” Qiao Mei asked mildly.

“How… how do you know?” Xia Wen said after being stunned for a long while. These documents were all confidential and they were only conducting a test run in the south now. It was not made known to the public yet. How did Qiao Mei know about this?

Qiao Mei did not know how to explain it to Xia Wen. Was she supposed to explain that she had come from the future?

“It’s just a guess. Free trade is the next big thing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have started a factory at this time,” Qiao Mei said as she lowered her head to eat the braised pork.

“Impressive!” Xia Wen looked at Qiao Mei and Xia Zhe proudly.

The Xia family was really lucky to have a daughter-in-law like Qiao Mei. Although she had grown up in the countryside and did not really go to school, she was still very knowledgeable. It was obvious that Qiao Qiang must have nurtured her carefully for so many years.

He would consider Qiao Mei a genius. It was no wonder that the two children were so smart.

If Qiao Mei had been born in the Xia family or one of the wealthy families in the capital, she would definitely have achieved even more than this. Then again, Qiao Mei was only 18 years old and it was not too late yet.

“In that case, you have to bring me some rare items. We still won’t be able to buy them here anytime soon!” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

“Sure! No problem!” Xia Wen continued, “Qiao Mei, do you still want to continue with your studies? I heard your conversation with Father the other day and it seems to me that you have some plans in mind.”

“I definitely want to go to university. It’s just that the children are still young now and it’s not the right time. We can talk about this next year,” Qiao Mei said.

The two children would be able to walk next year. By then, she could leave them to play by themselves or with the helper. She would not have to keep an eye on them all the time.

The college entrance examination was going to resume next year. She must become one of the first batch of students to take the college entrance examination and go to university! It would be such a great loss not to go to school in this era.

Xia Wen worked in government services currently and he was previously a teacher, so he paid special attention to these things. However, everything was still under discussion and it was not clear to him if the government would reinstate the college entrance examination. He decided to discuss it with Qiao Mei in detail only after he received confirmation.

“Among the stack of books, there are also some from junior and senior high school. Read them whenever you’re free. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask Xia Zhe. If there’s really no other way, circle out those that you don’t understand and I’ll teach you when I’m back,” Xia Wen said.

“Come on. I entered the military academy as the top student of my year. How can there be things I don’t understand!” Xia Zhe said unhappily.

“I was the overall top student for 10 years and no one has beaten my record yet,” Xia Wen said breezily.

“Wow… top student! Eldest Brother, you’re amazing!” Qiao Mei said excitedly.