CHAPTER 633: CHAPTER 632: WISDOM BORN OF DESPERATION

"Sigh!" Zhen Yu let out a heavy sigh, "What I mean is, it’s time for you to grow up! No matter how serious your mom’s injuries are, you can’t be crying like this in front of her! Even if you have to pretend, you’ve got to act more calm and independent for me! Hurry up and think about how to handle your family’s affairs next! Don’t let your aunt suffer from serious injuries while still having to worry about you and your brother!!"

"...I, I understand! I definitely won’t let my mom worry!" Bai Xue responded with resolve, though her voice trailed into a sigh.

Zhen Yu’s heartfelt advice was met with Bai Xue’s stiff acceptance.

But she still felt utterly unsettled! Her concern for her mother’s injuries didn’t diminish at all, and Zhen Yu’s words only added to her burden instead! So, she exuded an aura of panic, obviously devoid of any sense of security inside.

In just a short time, the two had already reached the school gate.

After greeting Grandpa Wang, Zhen Yu led Bai Xue out of school and quickly hailed a taxi.

Zhen Yu ushered Bai Xue into the back seat first before following suit.

"Driver! To the Beidajie Bus Station!"

"Okay!"

Seeing that Bai Xue still hadn’t figured out how to handle her family’s situation, Zhen Yu decided to clarify: "Don’t worry too much! Your grandpa and your uncle won’t ignore your family’s troubles! If nothing else, at least until your summer vacation, your brother will definitely have someone to take care of him! As for the long-term... we’ll have to wait until your aunt’s injuries heal before deciding."

---

"If my mum, if she really can’t stand up again, how will our family live?!"

Bai Xue finally stopped crying. Now that she was thinking rationally, she actually considered the long term!

Zhen Yu thought for a moment but didn’t offer any guarantees to Bai Xue. Nevertheless, she subtly hinted: "If she can’t stand, she still has her hands! As long as your mom is willing, there are plenty of ways she can be self-sufficient!"

"Really?!" Bai Xue looked at Zhen Yu incredulously, hope flickering uncertainly in her eyes, "If, I mean if! My mom can’t earn money to support me and my brother anymore, then can I... can I work at your internet café to earn money?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Zhen Yu without a second thought playfully flicked Bai Xue’s forehead.

"Your aunt just hurt her leg, why would you need to start earning money to support the family! Things haven’t gotten as bad as you’re saying! Look, let’s find a time to discuss this together with her! I’ll help come up with ideas, see if we can find a steady way to earn money... You need to go to school, and you need to keep on studying! Don’t think about giving up on school for some misguided reasons!"

"But my mum, even if she can still work and earn money, she won’t make as much as before! How could she possibly afford both me and my brother’s education at the same time? Plus, I’ve heard that college tuition is really expensive! My grades aren’t good either, instead of..." Bai Xue’s voice got lower as she spoke until it seemed that quitting school to work was the only option for their family.

"Stop! You stop right there, Xiao Xue!" Zhen Yu grabbed Bai Xue’s arm and shook her vigorously.

"That kind of thinking is absolutely wrong! Even if your aunt alone can’t afford to send you and your brother to school, there are other ways to solve the problem! Do you know what I did in my past life,"

"Uh!" Zhen Yu, who nearly misspoke, broke out in a cold sweat!

Bai Xue, the simple girl, might be easy to fool, but there was also a driver in the car listening to their conversation!

Thinking quickly on her feet, Zhen Yu sought a way to backtrack.

"Do you know how I get my money?"

Bai Xue blinked her big eyes, confused. Now that you ask, why do I suddenly feel a little less confident...

"Your money..."

Isn’t it earned from running an internet cafe?!

Fortunately, Zhen Yu wasn’t really expecting to hear how Bai Xue would answer her; she quickly went on to say the next line herself!

"My money is earned, not saved!"

"???"

Bai Xue felt that she probably didn’t quite understand...

Xiao Yu had just criticized her for considering dropping out of school, and now in the blink of an eye, she was told—money is earned!

So should she drop out of school to earn money, or should she not go out to earn money?

"Bai Xue, you need to quickly change your mindset! Don’t always think about saving a bit of money for your younger brother to spend! You should first be thinking about how to do everything possible to get into university and complete it! That way, you can earn more money in the future to support your brother’s education and provide a better and more comfortable life for your mother! And there’s a very important point here, you must first set a good example with the correct values for your brother! Only then can he become as excellent as you! And the same is true in reverse! Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Bai Xue shook her head decidedly and said, "No!"

"..." Zhen Yu held her forehead with her hand, about to explain in detail to Bai Xue, but they had arrived at Beidajie.

Zhen Yu quickly took out money to pay for the ride, pulled Bai Xue towards the ticket hall!

"Let’s buy the tickets first! I will explain more on the bus later!"

Bai Xue nodded and hurriedly took out her money!

"I’ll buy the tickets! Our family’s matters shouldn’t cost you money!"

Zhen Yu’s hasty steps paused for a moment, then she slowed down to walk behind Bai Xue and followed her, "...Okay!"

——

After the bus heading to Laha started moving slowly, Zhen Yu brought up the topic she had just discussed with Bai Xue again.

"Bai Xue! Have you understood what I just said to you? And remember—never! Never give up your future easily for anyone or anything!"

Bai Xue looked at Zhen Yu blankly, too embarrassed to say that she hadn’t really understood any of the profound principles she had talked about from beginning to end.

Seeing this, Zhen Yu sighed deeply; Bai Xue had been too well protected by her mother! Way too well!

She was like a little flower that had grown in a greenhouse...

"Let me put it this way for you! Do you know what ’better a short pain than a long one’ means?! If you stop attending school before graduating from high school, you can alleviate your family’s current burden! But have you thought about the future? For the rest of your life, you’ll probably just be getting by with odd jobs! That’s the long pain! It’ll hurt for a lifetime!"

"But if your family of three can grit your teeth and get through this difficult period, once you get into university, you can work and study at the same time! Will a high school graduate and a university student earn the same amount of money? As long as you can support yourself, your mother will still have the ability to support your brother to complete the nine-year compulsory education on her own! Once your family perseveres until you graduate from university, that short pain will also be completely over! That’s when the real reprieve after hardship begins..."