Chapter Fifty-Four: Dividing the Money

  By August 30th, Qiu Ye and their small business were officially over. The next day, they had to go to elementary school for registration, so Qiu's mother asked them to end it a day in advance, leaving a day to prepare carefully.

  Qiu Ye also listened to her mother's opinion and took a rest at home on the last day of August. She also sat down with her brother to calculate their accounts. For this month, Qiu Ye was in charge of keeping the money they earned from selling vegetables, while Qiu Feng was responsible for keeping track of the daily expenses. Now that the business has ended, it's time to divide the money.

  Qiu Feng leaned on the table, adding up the accounts of these days with a pen, Qiu Ye counted the money beside him, and finally they both reported a number, which matched, then divided all the money into three parts.

  Qiu Feng took out over a hundred yuan he had earned and thought for a moment before pulling out two one-yuan bills, putting the rest back into Qiu Ye's hands. Qiu Ye looked at him strangely, and he said somewhat embarrassedly: "Old sister, you hold onto it for me first, if I keep it here, I'll just end up buying toys with it all, that would be a waste. This is what I earned from working hard for a month, I have to save some of it." It seemed like he didn't trust himself, so he was treating Qiu Ye as his bank.

  Qiu Ye stretched out his hand and pulled all the money that his brother was reluctant to let go of in front of him, writing on a small notebook: "Qiu Feng **year** **month** **day** deposited **money**". Then he said: "Alright, next time you need money, just tell me and I'll record it here."

  Qiu Ye was very supportive of her brother's decision, thinking that his education had been successful, and with just one vacation, he would know the hardship of making money. Such education should continue in the future, and when her brother grew up, he would become a man who could hold up the family gate, and then she could hide behind him and enjoy a happy life, haha.

  In the evening, Qiu Ye gave her mother two portions of money in front of her parents. "Mom, this is the money from selling vegetables in our family's vegetable field this month. I divided it into three portions: one for you and Dad, one for my brother, and one for me." Qiu Ye also gave her mother 500 yuan as the tofu money. This amount was just enough to cover the cost, but she had earned more herself. Adding this to the unexpected profit from selling tea eggs this month, another substantial deposit was added to her savings account.

  Qiu's mother looked at the dozen dollars in her hand, wondering what was going on inside. For more than a month now, the girl had sold how many pieces of tofu, she knew it clearly.

  She and Old Qiu calculated it again last night, the girl's earnings this month are really not small, more than theirs. She wanted to take all the money the child earned over. The child having 10 or 20 yuan was already unbelievable, now that they've earned so much, she can't keep it under wraps, going around talking nonsense, that would be a big problem, for now it's better to keep a low profile about their wealth.

  And with so much money, the kids can't even spend it all, it's better for her to put it in a bank and earn some interest (Qiu Ye angrily raises her small fist and shouts "I can also put my own money in the bank"), save it for when they go to school.

  But Old Qiu still wouldn't let her take it, saying that as adults they had to keep their promises. He said the kids had worked hard for a month and the money was theirs by right. If they took the money back, it would crush the kids' enthusiasm. As parents, they would lose their authority in the eyes of the children, and it would be impossible to educate them again. The children wouldn't trust them anymore.

  Lao Qiu said meaningfully to her, "At first, we all agreed that the child would earn money and save for their own tuition. But as soon as this child earns some money, parents start eyeing it covetously. Is that right?"

  Cut it out, you're talking about her as if she's a stepmother or something. If you don't want to, then just forget it, and consider the money for buying meat at home all given to your sister in advance. In the future, when buying meat and things like that, she won't have to worry about it either.

  The girl earned a lot of money this month, but she also spent a lot. She often buys meat to increase nutrition and cooks pork knuckle for no reason. The girl only eats pig skin, saying that eating it can supplement her body. Mrs. Qiu doesn't believe the girl's words. If eating something can really supplement the corresponding part of the body, then what about the bone soup and pig trotter soup she makes? Is she trying to supplement her bones and feet? Humph, she's just making excuses for her gluttony.

  Although Qiu's mother and father had agreed that no matter how much money the child had, they would let the child keep it for themselves, but at this time, seeing the girl hand over the money, she was still overwhelmed with emotions.

  "I'm telling you, you may have some money in your hands now, but don't go splurging it around. If I find out you're wasting it, that money will be confiscated immediately."

  Qiu Ye looked at her mother's face and didn't dare say anything else, she just nodded after listening to her mother's words, then hurriedly said that she was going to sleep, she needed to rest well, tomorrow was school day. But in her heart, she thought, tomorrow when she had time, she would definitely put all the cash on hand into her savings account, and then hide it well, resolutely not letting her mother find it.

  Qiu's mother saw the girl fleeing in a panic and silently cursed, "This old Qiu is too good at spoiling children. Whose child has over a thousand yuan in savings?"

  The next morning, Qiu Ye's little friend was taken to school by her godfather and godmother, not because Qiu's father and mother didn't want to go, but one had to go to work and the other had to do business, so they handed over the task of sending their daughter to school to the child's godfather and godmother.

  Qiu Ye got up early in the morning, tidied herself up neatly, and although she didn't have new clothes to wear, she found the most beautiful ones in her closet and put them on. Looking at the white shirt and black pants in the mirror, she muttered to herself that she must make a few more beautiful clothes to wear soon. Her figure was good now, not too fat, and if she didn't take advantage of it, she would end up like last time, unable to fit into skirts for the rest of her life.

  Fang Haibo took Qiu Ye directly to the principal's office, where they received a warm welcome from Principal Ma. It turned out that Principal Ma of the Normal University Affiliated Primary School was once Fang Haibo's student. At graduation, thanks to Fang Haibo's help, he was assigned to this school and became the principal, so he was both grateful and respectful towards Fang Haibo.

  Qiu Ye looked at the middle-aged uncle in front of him, who was about the same age as his godfather, and thought to himself, "How old must he have been when he took the university entrance exam?" It's no wonder that he became the principal as soon as he graduated. At this age, if he hadn't become the principal directly, like others do, working at the grassroots level for a few years before being promoted, he would have retired by now.

  The rest is easy. Students of the Normal University originally didn't have to pay tuition fees, and today's visit was just for registration and class assignment. From tomorrow on, you can come directly to attend classes.

  So Qiu Ye and the three of them finished all the formalities before 9 o'clock and went home. It's just that in the campus, looking at these little kids who came to report, either giggling and laughing foolishly or wailing and crying loudly, really made me have a bit of doubt about my decision to attend school step by step.