Chapter 360: "You're Saying I'm Shallow?!

Shen Lu was stunned, and so were the three children and Wang Daguo.

Sang Yue took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress a volcanic eruption of fury.

“They’re still so little. How can you make them work for you? Then again, you’re so cold even to your own family. Why would I expect you to be kind to children? I really misjudged you.”

Shen Lu: ‘???’

‘Are you okay, miss?’

‘Why is she suddenly losing her mind?’

Wang Xiaoci, who had never met Sang Yue before, heard what she said about Shen Lu and immediately came to her defense.

“We want to do it! We want to work for Sister Shen!”

Sang Yue was heartbroken. “This is wrong. You should be in school, not working at such a young age.”

Fang Ming shot her a cold glance. “School? Are you paying for it?”

Sang Yue frowned. “Of course, your parents should be the ones paying for your school.”

‘What does that have to do with me?’

Shen Lu put a hand to her forehead. Sang Yue’s compassion was really getting out of hand. The moment she saw something that didn’t align with her values, she had to step in and play the hero.

Just then, the Light Brains Shen Lu had ordered were delivered. She had bought ten in total. Even though the shop didn’t have ten employees yet, she figured it was better to buy them in advance. That way, she could give them to new hires immediately, saving her the trouble of another purchase.

After all, the delivery fee was quite expensive.

Shen Lu immediately handed one to Wang Daguo. “Here, take this. Register it and add me as a contact.”

“Boss, this is…”

Wang Daguo cradled the Light Brain, unable to quite process what was happening. ‘What’s the special occasion?’

‘Why would the boss suddenly give me a Light Brain?’

“Everyone gets one.” Shen Lu spotted Shu Meng coming out of the kitchen and waved her over. “Sister Meng, come here for a second.”

“Boss, what’s up?”

“This Light Brain is for you. Get it registered and add me.”

“Huh?”

Shu Meng wore the exact same bewildered expression as Wang Daguo.

“I’ve been thinking. None of you have Light Brains, which makes communication difficult. With these, we can stay in touch directly whenever something comes up. It’ll be much more convenient.”

“Oh…”

Wang Daguo and Shu Meng nodded blankly. They fumbled a bit as they unwrapped the packaging, followed the prompts to register, and then added each other as friends.

“Alright, your shift is over. You can head home now.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow, Boss.”

“Mhm.”

Shen Lu settled the wages for the three kids, then found Xin Yu and Deng Ying. After handing out their Light Brains and adding them as contacts, Xin Yu also clocked out and left.

Shen Lu created a work group chat with them. From now on, she would arrange any work-related matters there.

Sang Yue, who had been ignored for a long time, was about to explode. She ran up to Shen Lu and said with dead seriousness, “Shen Lu, don’t you think what you’re doing is inhumane?! Just how old are they?!”

“You think I’m inhumane, Miss Sang?” Shen Lu almost laughed. “Just because I had the Wang sisters and Fang Ming collect materials from the junkyard?”

“That’s only part of it.”

“Oh? What else is there?”

“That woman who moved into the dorm today, she’s your mother, isn’t she? And if I’m not mistaken, the people in the tin shack are your family too.”

“Yes. My father and brother, by blood.”

“They’re your immediate family! How can you let them live in a place like that?!”

Sang Yue was incredulous. “And you’re making your mother do farm work! It’s exhausting, difficult, and so dirty!”

“Miss Sang, do you only ever see the surface of things?” Shen Lu’s smile vanished. “How shallow.”

“You’re calling me shallow?!”

“Am I wrong? Do you think this is some kind and friendly world? Children in the Lower City District who can’t afford school are everywhere. You think it’s cruel of me to hire child laborers, but have you ever considered that if I don’t hire them, their lives will be even harder?”

“We don’t need to go into the details of the Wang family’s situation; the two little girls are just earning pocket money. But Fang Ming? He lost his father, his mother is sick and frail, and he’s just a child supporting them both. If he doesn’t find a way to earn money, his only option is to wait for government relief rations. Do you know what those are, Miss Sang? Do you know how often they’re handed out?”

“You don’t, but Fang Ming does. He knows his mother can’t survive on government rations alone. That’s why he came to me on his own and asked for this job.”

Shen Lu stared directly at Sang Yue. “And as for my family’s affairs, you have even less right to meddle. I have my reasons for doing what I do. Miss Sang, you’re kindhearted, a truly rare quality. But I hope you can be a good person who is clear-headed and perceptive, not one who hands out kindness indiscriminately.”

Sang Yue almost lost her composure. Having grown up pampered and sheltered, she had never been scolded so bluntly before.

Especially not by a girl her own age. It was humiliating and difficult for her to accept.

She really didn’t have a deep enough understanding of this world; she kept unconsciously applying the worldview from her old one.

“W-well, you could just give them money,” Sang Yue said, still unconvinced. “Wouldn’t giving them money solve the problem more directly?”

“Yes, giving money is certainly the fastest way. In that case, I’ll leave the opportunity to be the good Samaritan to you, Miss Sang.”

It was like talking to a brick wall. Shen Lu suddenly felt she had completely wasted her breath.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have someone take you to Fang Ming’s home. You can go and spread your charity then.”

“Fine, I’ll go!” Sang Yue straightened her back. “I will not let a child continue to struggle for his livelihood!”

Shen Lu just gave a small smile and went back to the kitchen to cook.

When Xue Can came by for dinner that evening, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere in the shop was off.

Xiao Lang sidled up to him and wiggled a finger, beckoning him to lean in.

Xue Can simply lifted the boy up. Xiao Lang immediately wrapped his arms around his neck and whispered in his ear.

“Sister Shen and Sister Xiao Yue had a fight today!”

“Sister Xiao Yue got mad at Sister Shen for letting Sister Xiaoci and the others collect junk. She said something about child labor.”

Xiao Lang had heard the whole thing, but he didn’t remember the parts he couldn’t understand.

But from those two sentences, Xue Can already understood the full picture.

Jiang Gong had once told him that Sang Yue was an incredibly caring girl. He said she possessed a gentle, all-encompassing compassion, unlike most girls he had ever met.

‘She was caring, to be sure, but that gentle, all-encompassing compassion…’

Xue Can’s eyes darkened. ‘It seems more like a kind of foolishness.’

“Mr. Xue, you’re here.” Sang Yue came out of the dorm and happened to run right into Xue Can. For a moment, she just stood there biting her lip, then walked over. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“What is it?”

“I’d like… to borrow some money from you.”

Xue Can’s gaze swept over her wrist. “Don’t you have Jiang Gong’s contact info? Why not borrow from him?”

It wasn’t that Sang Yue hadn’t considered borrowing from Jiang Gong. In fact, she was certain he would lend her the money the moment she asked.

But for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to send the message.

And yet, with Xue Can, she could ask without any sense of burden.