I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 642 - 604: Do Not Despise the Young for Being Poor!

Chapter 642: Chapter 604: Do Not Despise the Young for Being Poor!

Chen Sheng pulled out a wad of money from his pocket, some bills and some coins, without counting it, and stuffed it into the boy’s hand. He said to him earnestly, "Xiang Yang, even though the waste recycling station didn’t spend much on the books, the seller did spend money on them. Reselling them would definitely differ from the purchasing price. You buy back the books from last time and this time. When your job is stable, you can send your sister to school. But such behavior absolutely, absolutely must not happen again. You’re a child of the Tenghai Research Base; you cannot tarnish its reputation."

Xiang Yang’s face turned red, and his heart pounded.

He had once been a child of the research base, he knew that, but he also knew that from the day they left its gates, the research base and their family were no longer connected.

Xiang Yang’s heart raced, "Uncle, I... I..."

He didn’t know what to say.

"All right, don’t stand on ceremony with your uncle. When I first went to the research base, your dad helped me a lot. This money isn’t given to you, consider it a loan. You’re about to start work, right? You’ll be making several hundred a month, so you’ll definitely be able to pay it back. Now listen to your uncle and go give back the money for these books. We can’t have people talking behind our backs, you hear?"

Hearing this, Xiang Yang’s eyes reddened again.

"Go on, we should head back to the unit," Qiao Qingyu said gently. "The pig farm has dorms, and the unit provides a shuttle bus. If you want to take care of your family, you can take the shuttle bus; if you want to live in the dorms, you don’t need to bring any luggage."

After giving further instructions, Xiang Yang, wiping away tears, returned to the recycling station. The two stood on the roadside without leaving, watching him hand over the money to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was clearly embarrassed. These books were ones that others didn’t want, sold by weight. Even the few textbooks Xiang Yang held were worth less than fifty cents.

His hard stance was because the boy’s family was so poor—desperately poor. Getting a meal was a struggle. Each time, he barely made ten yuan or eight selling scrap, then hurried to the pharmacy to buy medicine for his dad and grandma.

He was worried that the boy would get used to stealing, and not just books but other things as well—that would be really annoying.

But seeing this scene unfold, what his father had said at home was right: always leave room for maneuver so you can face others in the future.

There was another saying, too: never scorn the young for being poor!

Thus, the middle-aged man changed his attitude. He firmly refused to accept the money and even walked Xiang Yang to the main road, apologetically explaining his original intention to Qiao Qingyu and Chen Sheng. He was holding a bag full of books and stuffed them all into Xiang Yang’s arms.

But his words were addressed to Qiao Qingyu and Chen Sheng, "I’ve heard that Xiang Yang’s sister is very smart. She studies at home and can score a hundred percent on school papers. My son, despite the teachers’ efforts, only just passes. Xiang Yang, next time you need any books, just come to Uncle."

However, this time Xiang Yang didn’t accept the offer so readily. In his heart, he felt that these two uncles and aunties, claiming to be his father’s colleagues, definitely didn’t want to see him taking others’ books for free. So, he would owe them the favor instead.

Xiang Yang insisted on paying for the books at the price the recycling station sold them for. It wasn’t much, only three yuan, but to Xiang Yang, whose pockets were empty, it was a significant amount. At the very least, it could buy a pile of steamed buns to feed his family for several days.

Chen Sheng gave Xiang Yang some more advice, mainly trying to gauge Mr. Xiang’s attitude. If Mr. Xiang didn’t want them to visit, there was nothing they could do.

The boy, holding a pile of books, walked briskly towards the shanty area in the Northeast.

Qiao Qingyu and Chen Sheng prepared to return to Tenghai Research Base.

Chen Sheng sighed, "I didn’t expect Mr. Xiang to be so unlucky, sigh..."

Qiao Qingyu replied, "I hope he agrees to let Xiang Yang work with us." She continued without waiting for Chen Sheng to respond, "And we have to figure something out about Xiang Yang’s sister. She can’t drop out of school."

Chen Sheng nodded, exchanged a few more words with Qiao Qingyu, and they each got into their cars, heading towards the base.

...

And Xiang Yang, holding a heap of books, blissfully as if treading on clouds, returned to the shanty area where they now lived.

Although it was in the city, it was somewhat disordered because it was located in the suburbs and also because the houses were decades old.

Rumors of possible demolition circulated, but the official documents hadn’t arrived yet. Many people here rented their homes, and there wasn’t much concern among them.

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