Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

Song Xianglan didn't beat around the bush; she simply placed her bag on the desk and unzipped it.

Five brand-new bundles of "Great Unity" were revealed.

"Principal, I'm here today to help impoverished students at our school." Song Xianglan pushed the money over, "I'll donate all five thousand yuan to the school."

The principal and Teacher Wang exchanged a glance and stood up in surprise.

Five thousand dollars was an astronomical figure in those days.

"Comrade Song, this..." The principal's hands were trembling.

"The money isn't given away for free; there's a condition." Song Xianglan pressed down the money. "This money can only be used to support impoverished students. And it can only be used to support female students."

The principal was stunned. "All for the girls?"

"Yes." Song Xianglan pulled up a chair and sat down. "In elementary school, there were more girls than boys in the class. By junior high, half of the girls had left. By the time we were in the third year of junior high, how many were left? A lot of promising girls were called back home to work or to find husbands."

Song Xianglan pointed to Song Tingting next to her.

"Tingting almost got sold back then too. A girl's life is her life too, why shouldn't she have the opportunity to pursue her ideals and ambitions?"

The principal nodded repeatedly and sighed.

"That makes sense. Many girls have excellent grades, but their parents absolutely refuse to let them continue their studies. Even our home visits don't help."

"Girls are just as good at studying as boys. More than half of the top students in schools are girls."

"So we need to try a different approach." Song Xianglan tapped the table. "This money is just bait. Money alone isn't enough; we also need to show parents real-life examples."

Song Xianglan turned to look at the principal.

"I suggest the school hold a parent mobilization meeting. Call all the students and parents in, and have Tingting speak. Let those parents calculate the returns on their investment in their daughter."

The principal slammed his hand on the table in excitement.

"Good idea. If this is done, it will save a lot of children. Time is short, so let's set it for tomorrow morning."

The principal and teachers all hope that every student can have the opportunity to study.

I tried my best, but whether I passed the exam is another matter.

What I fear most is not even having the opportunity to study.

The morning of the third day.

The earthen playground of the town's middle school was packed with people.

The entire school, including teachers and students, as well as parents who had been notified to come, was packed with people.

Song Tingting, wearing a white shirt and with her hair in a ponytail, stood on the podium with great spirit.

Her clear voice came through the loudspeaker.

She didn't preach any grand principles or shout any slogans.

They got straight to the point right away.

"Dear uncles and aunts, I am Song Tingting. Just a few years ago, I was standing on this playground. At that time, I was almost sold by my family to a bald man in his thirties to be his wife."

The audience fell silent instantly.

Some people in the town know about this story, and hearing it from the person involved is still shocking.

Song Tingting pointed to Song Xianglan in the front row below the stage.

"My mom fought with my dad and older brother to get me into school; she even brought pork to block the teacher's door. Everyone in the village laughed at her, saying she was stupid. 'A daughter will belong to someone else's family sooner or later, why waste money like that?'"

Song Tingting raised her voice, "I got into Peking University. After graduation, I'll be guaranteed a job as a cadre or a scientist, and I'll have government-provided housing."

A commotion broke out in the audience.

That would be a momentous event, bringing glory to one's ancestors.

"You might not understand what this means," Song Tingting said, throwing out a rosy picture. "My future salary will be equivalent to what my family earns from farming for three to five years. Moreover, everyone I'll be able to meet will be educated and have a certain social standing."

Her gaze swept over the hesitant parents in the audience.

"I wouldn't even consider men from ordinary families. If I'm going to find a partner, it will be someone from the city, someone of equal social standing. If anything happens to my family, wouldn't a son-in-law from the city lend a hand?"

These words are extremely realistic, even somewhat utilitarian.

But it struck a chord with these rural parents.

"Everyone always thinks that supporting their son is useful, but when their son gets married and builds a house, they still have to empty their savings to help. If he marries a city girl, she might even look down on her rural in-laws."

Song Tingting continued, "Supporting a daughter is different. Even if she doesn't get into university, she can go to a vocational school. After three years, the government guarantees her a job—a secure job. Boys and girls have the same education."

"Wearing uniforms, sitting in offices, and eating government-supplied food every day. When her younger brother needs to find a job and asks for favors, this older sister, who only graduated from a vocational school, can easily get things done by saying, 'It's easier to get things done if you have connections in the government.'"

"If you ask me, as long as they can get into vocational school or high school, we should support their education. You parents may suffer for a few years, but you'll enjoy a comfortable life for the next few decades."

The parents in the audience all lit up.

The abacus beads started clicking and clattering in everyone's hearts.

Several old men squatting in the front row, smoking dry cigarettes, bumped elbows with each other.

"That girl has a point. If he wears a government uniform, wouldn't it give the second son a better chance of becoming an apprentice in the city?"

"The bride price is only a few dollars; nothing beats a secure job. This is a good deal."

"I'm just worried that my daughter will get into a wild school."

"No matter how wild your heart is, won't your family lend a hand?"

In the crowd, a thin, dark-skinned man wearing a coarse cloth jacket and with a wrinkled face stood up.

He originally planned to withdraw his eldest daughter, who was in the second year of junior high school, from school after the meeting today, so that she could work at home for two years and then go on blind dates to get married.

Now he ripped off his tattered straw hat and shouted towards the class formation in front of him:

"Hongying, as long as you can get into that vocational school and earn a stable job for our family, I'll support your studies even if I have to work in a quarry. But if you don't get in, then you'd better come back to work as soon as possible."

These words were like pouring a ladle of water into a frying pan.

The surrounding parents couldn't sit still any longer, afraid of falling behind, and they all stood up and shouted to their daughters.

"Sanya, you need to get into a vocational high school. If you do, you'll be eligible for government-subsidized food rations."

"My family can afford it too, even if we have to tighten our belts."

The atmosphere at the scene was instantly pushed to its peak.

There are no lofty sentiments, only the most pragmatic calculations of self-interest.

But it was precisely this kind of scheming that tore open a path to survival for those girls whose lives were almost ruined.

Song Tingting looked at the excited crowd below the stage and smiled.

The time is right.

She raised her hand and pressed down hard.

"Dear parents, I know it's not easy for you all to support a student. So today, I have something else to announce!"

The sound from the loudspeaker drowned out the noise on the playground.

"My mother, Comrade Song Xianglan, donated five thousand yuan to the town's middle school on behalf of Song's Food Factory."

The audience gasped in shock.

Five thousand yuan.

Many people have never seen so much money in their lives.

Song Tingting's gaze swept across the room, and she spoke slowly and deliberately. "But this five thousand yuan isn't something just anyone can receive. It's called the Song Family Girls' Scholarship, and it's only for female students at our school."

The parents are getting anxious.

"Why should only girls get it? That's not fair."

"This money was earned by my mother, so we can give it to whomever we want," Song Tingting said firmly, her voice clear and crisp. "As long as the school assesses that a female student's family is indeed in financial difficulty and who is academically excellent, she will have the opportunity to receive the scholarship."

"Students with excellent grades will receive scholarships."

There was an eerie silence on the playground for three seconds.

Then a deafening roar of cheers erupted.

Parents who just moments ago felt they were being taken advantage of by supporting their daughters now have no more reservations.

Where else in the world can you find such a good thing?

In the class formation, all the girls raised their heads.

They stared at Song Tingting on the stage, tears welling up in their eyes.

It was the first time I realized that a girl could be so confident and flamboyant, dazzling as if she were surrounded by a halo.

They remembered Song Tingting's name.

I am proud of my senior and I take her as my role model.

The principal, sitting in the first row, felt tears welling up in his eyes. He turned to look at Song Xianglan next to him and gave her a thumbs up.

His voice trembled as he said, "Boss Song, your clever strategy is more effective than any home visit we could make. It has truly changed the fate of these kids."

Song Xianglan looked at her shining daughter on the stage, her back ramrod straight. "I don't care what their parents are after. As long as these girls can sit in the classroom, get their diplomas, and go out into the world, they will have the opportunity to change their destiny in the future."