Chapter 330 - 328: Laying the Foundation

Oh, the only person he was generous with was Yun Jiao.

He was even stingy with Wang Mei.

"If you stop going to school, your dad will definitely break your legs. I’m not kidding."

Yun Xiaoqi sighed. "I just don’t get it. Isn’t the whole point of studying to make money? I’m already starting to make money at such a young age. Isn’t that taking a huge shortcut? Why force me to study instead of letting me earn money?"

A middle-aged man in a suit who was passing by happened to overhear him and laughed.

Yun Xiaoqi looked over.

"Who are you? Were you just laughing at me? Was I wrong?"

Seeing the boy talk back, the middle-aged man stopped and spoke with him.

"What makes you think that the point of studying is to make money?"

"Isn’t it? Don’t people study to make it easier to find a job later? And don’t you find a job to make money?"

"Of course, I know some people have loftier ideals, like those who become national researchers, soldiers, or police officers. They’re all amazing, but I’m not interested in that stuff, and I’m definitely not cut out for it. I just like making money."

The middle-aged man was surprised. For such a young child, his words had their own logic, and he wasn’t just looking at it from one angle.

In this respect alone, his thinking had already surpassed most kids his age.

"Mm, you’re not wrong."

A smug look appeared on Yun Xiaoqi’s face.

"However, the way you’re talking about can only make you small money."

"The subjects you’re learning now might not teach you how to make money, but they serve to lay a foundation. You know how to build a house, right? You have to dig a foundation before you can start building."

Yun Xiaoqi knew about that. Their village was currently building a temple and an ancestral hall.

"After you finish high school and get into college, you can go and see other places. It’s not just about seeing the world, but also about seeing society."

"The world and society you see now are just the tip of the iceberg. When you stand on higher and more distant ground, you’ll realize just how ridiculous your current ideas are.

"To put it simply, if you don’t study, will you know how to read a contract? The world of business isn’t just what you see on the surface, where all you need is a shop and someone who can make milk tea."

Apparently, the man had also heard what Yun Xiaoqi said earlier about wanting to open a milk tea shop.

"Having a sharp nose for business opportunities is your talent. But if you don’t build upon that talent, how will you ever build a beautiful house of your own?"

"If you don’t study, you won’t even be able to understand contracts in the future. How would you know if someone is trying to scam you in the fine print?"

"If you don’t study and don’t go see the bigger world out there, how will you understand how the world is changing? How will you know what to do at what stage of the world’s evolution?"

"Little one, you say that making money now is a shortcut, but from my perspective, your current worldview is preventing you from seeing the much curvier, more difficult roads ahead."

After speaking, he patted the shoulder of a pensive-looking Yun Xiaoqi.

"If you study hard now, get into college, and choose a major you like—if you like making money, then study something related to business—you’ll be paving your road with smooth concrete. That way, even if you encounter a winding path later, you can still drive through it comfortably and safely!"

With that, he laughed heartily and walked past Yun Xiaoqi.

By the time Yun Xiaoqi snapped out of it, the man was gone.

He excitedly grabbed his little sister’s small shoulders and shook them.

"Where’d he go? Where’s that man from before?"

Yun Xiaoqi had figured some things out thanks to the man’s advice, but he still had many more questions to ask. The man, however, had already disappeared.

Yun Jiao said, "He left."

"Stop shaking me, Brother."

"Sorry about that. Your brother just got a little too excited."

He rubbed Yun Jiao’s little face apologetically. "I’ll buy you a snack in a bit."

Yun Jiao nodded. "You promised! I want a spicy stick."

Yun Xiaoqi said, "...How about something else? I’m afraid I’ll get a beating when we get home."

Ever since Yun Jiao had started eating snacks instead of her actual meals, the two women of the house had strictly forbidden her from eating snacks outside. If anyone was caught secretly feeding her, they’d get a beating when they got back.

Yun Jiao said, "It’ll be fine as long as we don’t tell Mom and the others."

"I don’t care. I want one anyway."

She immediately exercised her childish right to be unreasonable.

Yun Xiaoqi felt a massive headache coming on. "Fine, fine, fine... I’ll buy you one in a bit."

He craned his neck, looking around everywhere, but couldn’t find the man from before. Disappointment washed over his face.

However, he was only disappointed for a moment before taking his sister to buy a snack.

Then, Fifth Brother and his two younger brothers pestered him until he coughed up some money to buy them things too.

It pained Yun Xiaoqi’s heart to no end.

"Little Eight, didn’t you just buy paints? Why are you buying more!"

"I don’t have these two colors."

"But isn’t your master teaching you ink wash painting? What do you need all these colored paints for?!"

Yun Xiao Ba said righteously, "I’ll have to learn it in the future! Only a fool would pass up the chance to get some money from you now to buy them!"

’This is so frustrating,’ Yun Xiaoqi thought.

Yun Xiaowu said, "You’ve been mooching food and drinks off us for a while. It’s not easy to get a little money out of you, so of course we’re not going to pass up a rare opportunity like this."

Yun Xiaojiu nodded. "Right!"

Seeing Brother Qi’s grumpy face, Yun Jiao cackled with laughter.

In response, a frustrated Yun Xiaoqi pinched her cheeks.

「The next day.」

Yun Jiao’s older brothers had to go back to school as usual.

Yun Xiaoqi was no longer clamoring about making money instead of going to school. In fact, he was even more enthusiastic than before.

This actually made Wang Mei a little unused to it.

She had been worried that the little rascal would cause trouble today.

After all, before registration, he had been making a fuss about wanting to earn money.

"Is this still my son?"

Yun Xiaoqi had just started to roll his eyes when Yun Linhe slapped him.

"What are you up to, you little rascal!"

Yun Xiaoqi said, "Dad, I told you not to hit me on the head! What if you hit my smart brain and make me stupid?"

"What, am I not allowed to be a little ambitious?"

"Agh, I’m done talking to you guys. I’m off to lay the foundation for my future mansion!"

After spouting some nonsense that Yun Linhe and his wife couldn’t make heads or tails of, Yun Xiaoqi scurried off in a flash.

Yun Jiao walked her brothers to the village entrance.

"Jiaojiao, go on back now. Wait for us here after school, okay?"

Yun Jiao obediently said, "Okay," then added, "Brother Qi, you have to bring me back some milk tea."

Yun Xiaoqi clutched his chest, the thought of the expense paining him. "I know, I know."

After they left, Yun Jiao strolled back with two dogs and a cat in tow.

But instead of going home, she took the dogs and cat for a stroll over to the pier. It was market day, so the pier was especially lively.

Many fishermen had set up stalls to sell their seafood.

Selling it piece by piece fetched a slightly higher price than wholesaling it directly to fishmongers, and plenty of people were willing to go through the trouble of setting up a stall for that extra bit of money.

"Do you have any fish maw at this pier?"

"Preferably Golden Thread Cod fish maw."

The voice sounded a bit familiar.

Yun Jiao looked over and saw a middle-aged man in a suit and a black fedora appear in her line of sight.

It was the same man who had spoken with Yun Xiaoqi yesterday.