Chapter 80: Mama～It’s a Puppy～

Chapter 80: Mama～It's a Puppy～

Su Taotao used her free afternoon to start writing the proposal.

The base offered free education from elementary to middle school, but Su Taotao planned to charge five yuan per semester for the Yu Hong Class.

The nine-year compulsory education policy was only implemented in the mid-1980s, and education outside the island still required fees.

Primary school tuition was around six yuan per semester, while middle school was about twelve yuan. Many rural families couldn't afford to send their children to school, especially girls, most of whom had never attended.

Su Taotao thought of Xiao Meizi, an orphan whose grandmother worked hard to send her to school.

In contrast, most girls like her stayed home to care for younger siblings and missed out on schooling.

Compared to that, the base’s free education system seemed like a dream come true.

For the Yu Hong Class, Su Taotao wanted to minimize resource usage. Families with elderly members to help with childcare should do so themselves. However, able-bodied adults should ideally have jobs, and with a salary, they would naturally be willing to spend a few yuan.

Currently, Su Taotao faced two major challenges:

1. How to address the employment issue for family members.

Without jobs, families wouldn’t need the Yu Hong Class. Employment and childcare were interconnected.

2. The location selection for the Yu Hong Class.

The base’s elementary and middle schools were pre-planned and built alongside the family housing.

Additional facilities included hospitals, post offices, a large canteen, auditoriums, supply and marketing cooperatives, and more.

Unlike typical state-owned enterprises, where family members could easily find factory jobs, the base required even logistical staff to undergo thorough screening and vetting before working in the research center.

Base school teachers required a high school diploma, and positions were limited.

Generally, accompanying family members, especially those of senior employees like Auntie Zhong, lacked education and skills, leaving them to seek only grassroots jobs.

However, there were only so many positions available in the supply and marketing cooperative and the canteen, and these were already fully staffed.

Therefore, the base concluded that it wasn’t necessary to waste resources on a free Yu Hong Class. Families could take care of children under six at home.

Even without family responsibilities, there wasn’t much else to do. Thus, no space had been reserved for the Yu Hong Class.

The probability of approval would be higher for a proposal that bundled the factory and Yu Hong Class together.

Su Taotao proposed setting up a small workshop on the island to address the employment needs of some family members.

While establishing the workshop, they could also create an affiliated Yu Hong Class, similar to the kindergarten in state-owned enterprises.

They could hire two responsible and patient family members as caregivers to look after the children.

Additionally, one or two teachers with some educational background could teach the basics and rules to the children.

The scale of the Yu Hong Class in the early stages would be roughly like this.

After much thought, Su Taotao decided against investing heavily in a canning production line.

Her ambitions were unrealistic and overly idealistic. After all, this was the backward 1970s, and many of the pressing realities couldn't be solved simply with money—especially since she didn’t have any to begin with. Launching a canned coconut juice business right off the bat was a big leap.

Her first priority was to consider the feasibility of the proposal she put forward and the likelihood of the leadership agreeing to it, rather than indulging in unrealistic fantasies.

After much consideration, she decided to start with a small workshop of ten to twenty people.

In this era, private factories weren't allowed, so the small workshop would naturally be affiliated with the base. The initial costs would also be covered by the base. Su Taotao was confident it could be profitable.

The primary goal was to achieve financial stability and provide jobs for some family members. As the business grew stronger, she would present the leadership with the grand vision of providing funding for scientific research.

As for what to produce, she had already figured it out. The initial investment wouldn’t be large, and the feasibility was high, depending on what the leadership thought.

As for Mr. Tang, Su Taotao hadn’t mentioned it yet. She would wait and see how the Yu Hong Class enrollment turned out. For this week, she would take Fu Yuanhang to class, and everything would need time to adjust.

The entire afternoon, Su Taotao had been writing furiously, producing several pages.

Little Chenchen couldn’t sit still any longer. After playing with all his favorite toys, he came in to check on Mom several times.

Noticing she hadn’t seen him, he quietly went back to playing with the spinning top Dongdong had given him.

He didn’t know how to use the string yet, so he just spun the top on the floor using his chubby little hands. Even so, he was having a great time.

He also adored the tiny tank Dad had given him. He had already touched it countless times and made engine noises—“ton ton ton”—while “driving” it on the table several times.

Chenchen moved a small stool to the window on the second floor that overlooked the lighthouse. He climbed onto the stool to try and spot the lighthouse keeper.

But it was too far away, and no matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t see it.

He rested his small, chubby hand under his chin and looked disappointed.

When Su Taotao came out of the room, she saw the little guy gazing sadly out at the sea.

She couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of her nose, feeling guilty. She felt like such an inattentive mother, having completely forgotten about her son.

Afraid of startling him, Su Taotao gently knocked on the door.

Chenchen tilted his little head to look over, and the moment he saw her, his big, desolate eyes immediately filled with starlight and bent into a beautiful curve. "Mama, you're done writing?"

Su Taotao then walked over and hugged the little guy, kissing his forehead. "Sorry, sweetie. I got really into my writing just now. Next time, feel free to remind me."

Chenchen hugged Su Taotao's neck and rubbed against her. "Mama busy, Chenchen play by self."

Su Taotao’s heart melted like a spring breeze. She touched her forehead to his. "Let’s go, I’ll get you some seaweed and mung bean soup with extra sugar. For dinner, I’ll make your favorite tomato scrambled eggs, okay?"

Chenchen’s eyes smiled, nodding repeatedly. "Okay."

After having mung bean soup with Chenchen, Su Taotao went to prepare dinner.

For dinner, Su Taotao kept it simple: coarse grain rice, tomato scrambled eggs, and a dried scallop winter melon soup.

Fu Yuanhang came home earlier than usual today. When he returned, he was holding a fluffy little thing in his hands.

Chenchen’s big eyes lit up, immediately putting down the paper airplane and running over quickly. "Mama, it's a puppy."