Back to 1984: Let's Work Hard Together to Raise The Kids!-Chapter 181: Opening a Kindergarten

Hearing what Lin Qin said, Chen Yongding and Zhou Shuifang had a sudden realization, smiles appearing on their faces.

Zhou Shuifang casually asked, "What’s the good news at your place? The firecrackers were so loud that people in Nanxi all heard it!"

Lin Qin suppressed her inner joy and replied modestly, "It’s nothing really, just that my job assignment came through, so I’m quite happy!"

The couple suddenly understood, "Oh right! You graduated from college this year! Time flies so fast! Your little one is almost in primary school, right? You still look like a young woman in your early twenties!"

"Auntie, you’re making me shy! It’s rare for you to come by, take some fruit back with you to try. There are also watermelons; my dad grew a bunch. I’ll take you to see them. Later, if you have some land, you can plant whatever you like."

Lin Qin took them to the fields.

The couple knew that Nanyu was vast, and they also knew Lin Yi had planted many things, so they didn’t stand on ceremony with Lin Qin.

After sending them off, Lin Qin casually walked around the fields, picked some vegetables nearing their age, and grabbed a few tomatoes, intending to wash them and store them in the fridge for when she wanted to eat them. She planned to dip them in sugar, which would make them taste delightfully sweet and sour.

In the evening, when Chen Wenjun returned, Lin Qin mentioned the visit of Chen Yongding and his wife, and also brought up the matter of the Dang people’s relocation.

Chen Wenjun remained indifferent, "As long as we have Nanyu in this lifetime, we won’t join in the commotion."

This relocation of the Dang people wasn’t a trivial matter. It involved resource allocation and wasn’t a simple task. Strictly speaking, their family had already changed their household registration long ago, so it was best not to get involved.

Lin Qin thought the same.

The couple didn’t pay further attention to the relocation.

Just as Lin Qin was about to report to the TV station, news came from the caregiving center at the senior university. They were closing down and wouldn’t hold classes the next semester.

Lin Qin felt a jolt in her heart and quickly went to the caregiving center to find Ye Wenwen.

It had been a while since she last visited, and the place looked the same, except there were far fewer children. From two classes in the beginning, then adding another, now there was only one class left.

Both older and younger children were mixed together, and only Ye Wenwen and Teacher Xu remained.

The cook was still Zhao Xiaohong.

Lin Qin was somewhat surprised.

Ye Wenwen smiled bitterly, "Sister Qin, we’re old friends, so I’ll be honest. The caregiving center was originally established because textile factory workers couldn’t balance work and childcare. These past years, the textile factory’s performance has declined annually. It’s fair to say it started going downhill the year the center opened.

However, an emaciated camel is still larger than a horse, and we’ve managed to persist. But this year, the textile factory truly can’t continue operating and has declared bankruptcy. Those workers’ kids are either in primary school or were taken home if they were too young. Without the funding and students from the textile factory, all the other teachers resigned, leaving only Xu and me holding on.

Xiaohong could have left too, as her salary was from the textile factory, and they aren’t paying anymore. I can’t afford her salary either. But she has a soft heart and said if she left, we wouldn’t manage, and she worried the kids wouldn’t have meals, so she’s stayed on.

But we can’t just keep holding her here, so after careful consideration, Xu and I decided it’s best to close the center!"

Lin Qin furrowed her brows, "Where will you go after the center closes? Find a job at another kindergarten?"

Ye Wenwen was somewhat helpless, "I’m not sure at the moment. For now, we have to resolve the current issues first."

Hearing Lin Qin’s voice, Zhao Xiaohong came from the kitchen and chimed in, "Sister Qin, these two months, Teacher Ye and Teacher Xu have been nearly subsidizing the center by themselves. Although we’re reluctant to leave the kids, keeping it open isn’t feasible."

Lin Qin shook her head and patted Ye Wenwen’s shoulder, "You should’ve told me when things got this hard. I could’ve helped brainstorm some solutions. If you want to keep the center running, I’ll figure something out.

At worst, I’ll take over the center and start recruiting students again. Previously, we mainly took in kids of textile factory workers. Next, we can open it up to the public, set new tuition fees, even choose a new location if necessary."

The senior university is out of the way, hidden in a deep alley with few nearby residents, a location chosen by the textile factory in the past.

If Sister Fang were still here, I could consider continuing to rent this building for the center. But she retired last year, and the senior university has a new administrator now. The new guy is an old hand, neither causing trouble nor solving any, just biding his time until retirement.

There’s no reason to keep the center here."

Ye Wenwen and Zhao Xiaohong’s eyes lit up, excitedly grabbing Lin Qin’s hand.

"Sister Qin, are you really willing to take over the caregiving center?" Ye Wenwen was teary-eyed. Truthfully, she had developed emotions for the kids and couldn’t easily let go, especially since some kids were sent there because no one at home could care for them. If the center closed, what would happen to these kids?

Lin Qin nodded firmly, pondering, "I need to report to my workplace in the next couple of days. Well, since I’m free today, I’ll take a look around the nearby residential areas to find a suitable site. If I can’t find one, I’ll just buy some land from Resources and apply to open a caregiving center. This way, it will be more formal."

Ye Wenwen and Zhao Xiaohong nodded eagerly.

Seeing their hopeful gazes, Lin Qin didn’t dare delay and immediately headed to the education bureau to have tea with Huang Weixiong.

After leaving the education bureau, she went straight to the land resources department to catch up with some familiar faces.

In less than two days, the plot of land she wanted for the caregiving center was approved.

The land spanned twenty acres in a bustling area near the senior university, costing a total of twenty thousand.

With the land approved, the next step was to build the facility, create playfields, and activity areas.

Lin Qin paid professionals to handle all of this, only handling the financial aspects herself.

When construction began on the new caregiving center, Lin Qin went to the senior university again and told Ye Wenwen and the others, "The new kindergarten is under construction. If everything goes well, it should be completed by September, and it could open by National Day. During this transition, I’ll provide the food supplies needed. Once everything’s ready, you all can move over there."

Ye Wenwen and Teacher Xu were overjoyed and surprised, repeatedly expressing their gratitude, wanting to dote on little Chen Ruiming.

Having resolved the caregiving center crisis, Lin Qin was at ease to report to her workplace.

Although her job was at the TV station, her work involved editing and planning. Initially, she could only do trivial tasks, nowhere near core responsibilities.

But even so, Lin Qin was content because, in her past life, she didn’t even know which way the TV station doors opened.

The seasoned employees initially maintained a stand-offish demeanor, trying to temper the newcomer’s enthusiasm and affirm their own status.

But they found that Lin Qin had no temper at all. No matter what she was asked to do, she smiled. Even when scolded, she didn’t get upset, like punching into cotton, having no effect whatsoever.