Qin Xiangnuan put down the English test paper in her hand, "Teacher, is your wife still at home?"
"Yes," Teacher Wang smiled, "The child is still young, can’t do without someone."
Qin Xiangming could only sigh, children these days are really easy to take care of, it’s actually just a matter of not being able to leave Xie Yonghong, Wang’s wife. If it were in the future, an entire family would care for one child, and by then, even the children would become pampered.
"Teacher Wang, have you ever thought about letting your wife start a business?" Qin Xiangnuan pondered and said.
She had always had this idea, but couldn’t find the right person, and also didn’t want to randomly pick someone, because the shop was her hard work over the past six months, and she at least wanted to keep the shop running for a few years.
"Start a business?" Teacher Wang was surprised, what business to start, although he had some ideas, he was not daring to try anything recklessly, as they couldn’t afford to lose.
These days, it’s like everywhere has gold, but they just lack connections. Last New Year they made a fortune selling Spring Festival couplets; it doesn’t have to be much, if they could earn an extra person’s salary per month, the family’s burden would be much lighter, and life could be better.
What business, do you have a connection?
Teacher Wang asked anxiously, but then thought that he seemed too eager, and his face turned red. After all, being an intellectual, it seems hard to break some airs of superiority.
Qin Xiangnuan flipped through a few pages of tests on the desk before finally sharing her thoughts.
"Teacher, do you know that I sell scallion pancakes in the park?"
Teacher Wang nodded, he knew this a long time ago, it isn’t easy for a young girl who still has to go to school and earn money to support herself.
"My store there has grown a bit," Qin Xiangnuan continued, "and it sells only pancakes. In the morning, people can only eat pancakes, but if we added some porridge and congee, it would be great. I’m only one person and can’t handle it alone, and I don’t want to just hire anyone."
She had suffered from making the wrong hires before, so now she does not take any overt or covert losses.
If possible, she wanted to help Teacher Wang. There are many people who are in even harder situations than Teacher Wang, but she hasn’t encountered them. This idea could benefit both others and herself, at least then the family could have porridge, and with porridge, the pancakes might sell even better.
She had tried this sales combination.
With only pancakes, indeed, they could only be eaten with boiled water. But if there’s an additional bowl of porridge, it truly makes a perfect breakfast, porridge nourishes the stomach, pancakes fill the stomach.
"This... are you suggesting?"
Teacher Wang is a very smart and adaptable person, certainly a lot more adaptable than Aunt Hua.
"Are you suggesting that Yonghong should sell porridge at your place?"
"Yes," Qin Xiangnuan nodded, the teacher felt a bit uneasy, she smiled casually, "Although it does not earn much, it is enough to supplement some household expenses."
"I’ll go back and discuss this with my wife," and at this point, Teacher Wang became somewhat restless. Qin Xiangnuan knew he was considering this aspect; she hadn’t mentioned how much one could earn, nor did she know how much one might earn later, yet it was indeed much better than a regular job.
As for the children, there are many ways, as long as they are willing to think and endure the hardship to earn that money.
Teacher Wang patiently continued the lesson for Qin Xiangnuan for a while, assigned some homework, and then hurried back.
"Yonghong, I have something to tell you," as soon as he got back, he quickly sat down with Xie Yonghong and recounted word-for-word what Qin Xiangnuan had told him.
Upon hearing this, Xie Yonghong was also startled.
"I think it is," Teacher Wang said, having contemplated on his bicycle ride home, "Doing business is quite profitable, especially selling food. My student, I reckon she earns quite a bit, even though I don’t know how much she makes in a month, but I feel she isn’t short of money."
Xie Yonghong bit her lip, also having her own plans.
"Li Ye, I want to give it a try."
"But, the child..." Teacher Wang worried about the child; the child was still young and needed care, but this was a great opportunity. Without this opportunity, they didn’t know how many years it would take to recover financially. By then, the child would have grown up, and Xie Yonghong might not be able to return to teach at school.
Xie Yonghong understood this, so she clenched her teeth; regardless, they had to try.
"The child, I’ll ask my sister to come over and help," Xie Yonghong had made up her mind, seeing her determined demeanor, Teacher Wang knew she had made her decision. Xie Yonghong appeared gentle and easygoing, but in reality, she was incredibly resilient, reluctant to have her child looked after by her family, fearing her siblings-in-law’s disdain and her parents’ discomfort.
If her sister could come, that would be great. Although Xie Yonghong’s sister was only fifteen, having one less mouth to feed at home was better for Xie Yonghong’s siblings-in-law.
"You should have let Yonglan come over sooner," Teacher Wang knew his wife’s thoughts, always afraid that the naive and weak sister would be bullied by the siblings-in-law, "Having her help with our child would also save her from going hungry. Whatever we eat, she eats, and later when our situation improves, we could even send her to a vocational school."
Xie Yonghong’s lips trembled slightly, but she said nothing.
Everything stemmed from poverty.
Opening one’s mouth was not just about eating a meal; she knew their family situation all too well. But now, she wanted to strive for something better.
Xie Yonghong decided to act; she was never one to procrastinate, and immediately wrote to her family, asking her sister Xie Yonglan to come. If they truly earned money later, perhaps Wei Lan could continue her education. Before her brother’s wife entered the family, their situation was relatively good, all children could attend school. But since the sister-in-law arrived, everything seemed incorrect. Her sister-in-law was definitely not easy-going, tightly controlling the family finances, preventing Yonglan from studying at merely thirteen. Was she to end up like their parents, bound to the fields for life?
She had luckily married and become a teacher before her sister-in-law arrived, but giving birth to this child left her with no choice but to quit her job. The principal had said she could return anytime, but she knew those were merely courteous words. By the time she returned, the school would be fully staffed and, having not taught for years, would competitively tough to stay. Even if the principal did not mind, she would feel too ashamed to remain.