Chapter 13

As night falls, the lights come on.

In the Yu family’s small house, the warm yellow light makes people feel warm.

The aroma of the food permeates the air, making you salivate.

Yu Shiying came home from school. Before she could even put down her schoolbag, she was attracted to the dining table by the tempting aroma.

The table was filled with steaming hot food.

The braised pork has an attractive color, the fried bacon with spring bamboo shoots is salty and delicious, the steamed sea bass is tender and juicy, and there is a plate of green stir-fried vegetables that exudes a refreshing aroma.

“Shiying is back, hurry up and wash your hands and have dinner. Your dad went to the market today and bought some pork belly to make your favorite braised pork.”

Yu Shiying walked to the dining table and sat down. Looking at the sumptuous dinner her parents had prepared for her, a warm feeling surged in her heart.

“Go wash your hands, dinner will be served soon.”

Yu Qianlin also urged with a smile.

“My daughter, you have worked hard in studying. Come, eat more.” Yu Qianlin picked up a large piece of braised pork and put it into Yu Shiying’s bowl.

The pieces of meat are trembling, with fat and lean parts alternating, which greatly increases one’s appetite.

“Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom. You guys should eat quickly too.”

“Oh, silly child, what’s the point of thanking your family?” Sun Xiangping looked at her daughter lovingly.

The family is having a meal together happily, the scene is warm and beautiful.

Yu Shiying discovered that she had a problem. She wanted to say everything at the dinner table and couldn’t hold it in at all.

Yu Shiying thought about what happened with Du Feibai just now. She put down her chopsticks halfway through her meal and said to Sun Xiangping, “Mom, I want to get some pocket money in advance.”

“What’s wrong? Are you short of money?”

“No, Mom. I’m not short of money, but I remember that when I went to Sanping Village, a girl named Qiaomei sent me back. She was a kind-hearted girl, but her family was in financial difficulty.”

She recounted the situation at Qiaomei’s home in detail, including that Qiaomei’s father was paralyzed in bed, her mother worked in a garment factory but had an eye disease and could no longer see clearly, and she also had a hearing-impaired younger brother.

“…So, I want to help her.”

“This child is truly pitiful.”

“How do you want to help her?” Yu Qianlin asked.

“I want to give her some money so she can get through this difficult time first.”

Yu Shiying only had the initial plan of starting a business with Qiaomei in mind, but the business hadn’t even started yet, so it was inconvenient to tell her parents for fear of worrying them.

“Well, I have 50 yuan here, you can give it to Qiaomei.”

Yu Shiying looked at the money given by Sun Xiangping and finally stopped talking.

50 yuan is actually a lot, but if Yu Shiying wants to earn more, she needs more capital.

Returning to the room, Yu Shiying opened her piggy bank and took out some banknotes and coins.

Alas, it’s still not enough.

If it weren’t for Hu Shudan, she would have asked the original owner to buy her meals and snacks, which cost her a lot of savings.

Maybe she could scrape together another 20 bucks.

Just when Yu Shiying was at a loss for how to raise money, Yu Qianlin knocked on her door.

“Shiying, didn’t you tell the truth at the dinner table just now?”

“Ah, Dad, you see.”

After all, Yu Qianlin has worked in the system for many years, so he has some ability to read people’s expressions.

He noticed that Yu Shiying was hiding something while they were having dinner, so he wanted to ask his daughter her true thoughts in private.

Yu Shiying confessed honestly, “I want to give her family some money so that she can start a small business and take care of the family without having to go out to work.”

Yu Shiying expressed her thoughts. She felt that giving money to Qiaomei’s family was actually not of much use. It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. She wanted Qiaomei to be an individual business owner and buy and sell some things, but now she was worried about the capital.

“I see…”

Yu Qianlin, who works in a government department, knows very well that China’s economy is still in its infancy.

Although there are fewer cases of people being poorly clothed and hungry, there are still many poor families struggling to make a living.

Life is definitely not easy for a family like Qiaomei’s, where two family members are sick and the main labor force is unable to earn money to support the family.

At present, there is no concept of minimum living security, but there is temporary social assistance, and the civil affairs department will audit the qualifications and distribute assistance funds.

Yu Qianlin thought for a moment, “You mentioned Qiaomei, she only has a junior high school education. Why do you want her to start a business instead of working in a garment factory like her mother?”

Yu Shiying shared her thoughts. Qiaomei wanted to send her brother to a special school, which would require tuition. Furthermore, starting a business as an individual business owner isn’t as difficult as it was 10 years ago, when reform and opening up first began.

“I have confidence in Qiaomei. She is warm, generous, and simple. You can tell she’s sincere. I believe she can do a good job in small business.”

Looking at his daughter, Yu Qianlin felt relieved. Shiying had truly grown up, not only wanting to improve herself but also wanting to help others.

“So, has she decided what to sell?”

“This… is still being planned…”

Yu Shiying still had her own agenda. She actually had some ideas about what to sell, but she still needed to confirm with Du Feibai. Furthermore, Yu Shiying only told Yu Qianlin that she was supporting Qiaomei’s business and didn’t dare to mention her desire to partner with her.

“Shiying, Dad supports you. I have 50 yuan here, give it to Qiaomei.”

Yu Qianlin took out money from his pocket and handed it to Yu Shiying.

“Dad, thank you!”

Now the total capital is 100 yuan, and it is easier to get things done with more money.

“My dear daughter, if you do good things, Dad will support you.”

Yu Qianlin warned, “If you encounter any problems, be sure to tell me. Business isn’t easy, so you should help Qiaomei with her advice. It’ll be more comprehensive if we can think things through together.”

“I see, Dad. But is this your private money?”

Yu Qianlin gave all his salary to Sun Xiangping for safekeeping as household expenses, and only kept a portion of his bonuses for occasional meals and mahjong games with colleagues and friends.

He saved this 50 yuan of private money for quite a long time.

“Don’t tell your mother about the money.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yu Shiying’s eyes curved with brows as she looked at the cute middle-aged man in his fifties in front of her, and she felt a dose of heartwarming medicine again.

The two smiled at each other, and this became their little secret between father and daughter.