005 A Truly Virtuous Man Appears

“What, is this really the accommodation they arranged?”
A dormitory for four. For a student like Li Jie, it was just a place to sleep, but for Tiger Mom Hu Wenjing and She Mom She Qingchun, who had come from another city to volunteer, and both being fifty years old, the organizers seemed rather inconsiderate.
At least they could have arranged a proper hotel.
“As long as we have somewhere to stay, what’s the point in fussing?”
Hu Wenjing, broad-shouldered and sturdy, said, “We’re here to work, not to enjoy ourselves.”
“But we don’t have to suffer for nothing. There’s an air conditioner, but it’s not even turned on? It’s thirty-five, thirty-six degrees outside, and all we get is a fan? Where’s the remote? I want some air conditioning.”
“…”
“…”
The two mothers fell silent. Li Jie was dumbfounded. “Damn, what kind of organization is this? I’ll go talk to them!”
“No, no, darling, let it be, the fan is fine—saves energy and is low-carbon.”
She Qingchun said this, but quietly pulled Li Jie over to the window, whispering, “They’re just making things difficult for us, hoping we’ll agree to move ‘Little Red Star,’ and not cause any trouble… Just like ten years ago.”
Ten years ago, She Qingchun had just turned thirty. Now, retirement was only a few years away.
In the blink of an eye, the once rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed “adorable baby” and “pretty baby” had grown into… well, whatever he was now.
Of course, her baby was still a good baby.
She Qingchun clung to Li Jie’s arm and murmured, “Don’t think your mother is disadvantaged, I’m clever, you know. I’ve got a few extra welfare vouchers. When we’re back in Pingjiang, I can exchange them at the ‘Hengqiang Charity Foundation’ for several boxes of laundry detergent and disposable tableware.”
“…”
Li Jie, utterly speechless, grumbled, “She Mom, that’s barely worth anything. These bastards do nothing important, just mess around with all these pointless things.”
“Oh, as long as we’re healthy and safe, that’s enough. If everyone was as fiery as you every day, how would your Shu Mom manage as deputy director? As long as ‘Little Red Star’ is safe, and everyone’s well, that’s good enough. Darling, be good, don’t stir up trouble, just stay well.”
With a head full of curls, She Qingchun spoke with the gentlest words.
Once she’d soothed her “baby,” she quickly changed the subject. “We saw several kids this time, smart and pretty, just like you were when you were little, and so sweet-mouthed. I took some pictures on my phone, let me show you. Here, isn’t this one cute? Look at those big eyes…”

“What’s the theme this time?”
“Oh, ‘Caring for Children of Migrant Workers,’ initiated by the ‘Hengqiang Charity Foundation.’ That city councilman Xu Wenqiang, his brother Xu Wenheng is a big boss… so that’s the story.”
She Qingchun’s words were muddled, everything concealed, afraid her “baby” would get angry and make trouble.
Ten years ago, “Red Star Welfare Home” was saved thanks to the “Child Star” aura. For the next few years, Li Jie could still stir things up, but in the last three years, he’d only appeared on one variety show, performing “Breaking Stone on Chest”—his media presence was gone.
Even those twenty-thousand-plus trolls on “Houlang” Weibo, if they all had mouths from head to toe and got their accounts banned, would it matter?
Curiously, the “Hengqiang Charity Foundation” was founded by “Hengqiang Real Estate,” whose chairman Xu Wenheng was hailed as “Pingjiang’s Greatest Philanthropist.”
Because of his charity, he intended to move “Red Star Welfare Home” to a bigger, airier place. After all, apart from Tomb Sweeping Day, the graveyard next door was always deserted.
She Qingchun was just an ordinary middle-aged woman, but not without sense. No matter how talented her “baby” was, what could he do?
Two fists are no match for four hands, and these were not just four hands—hundreds, thousands of hands.
So, she knew little else, but as long as her “baby” was safe, everyone would be fine.
Li Jie wasn’t foolish either, so after hearing She Mom’s words, he could only mutter, “This place is cramped. I’ll book a hotel.”
“What’s the point?”
Tiger Mom unpacked the salted goose and roast chicken, opened several portions of cold noodles, mixed the sauce, and handed a stainless steel lunch tray to Li Jie. “We know you worry about us suffering, but what’s this really?”
“Tiger Mom, when I make thirty million, I’ll buy up everything around ‘Little Red Star.’”
“Start by making three hundred thousand to make me proud.”
With that, the broad-shouldered Hu Wenjing plopped down on the lower bunk, the bed frame creaking under her weight.
“You’re the only one in our family who’s gotten into university and made some money. Don’t be like your brother, always dreaming of riches. Work steadily and listen to your She Mom. Being decent is better than anything.”
Hu Wenjing’s son was already thirty, still chasing get-rich-quick schemes, which annoyed her. She wouldn’t let him hang around “Red Star Welfare Home,” since every visit meant borrowing money from Li Jie.
“Tiger Mom, I’m not boasting, but I really have skills now.”
“If you’re so idle, there’s a show tonight for the migrant workers’ children. Didn’t you perform ‘Breaking Stone on Chest’? Go do it.”

“Oh Wenjing, what are you saying? Darling’s a college student, how could he perform ‘Breaking Stone on Chest’? Educated people sing and recite poetry, that’s enough. Don’t joke like that anymore.”
“He’s grown up like this, does he look like a scholar?”
“…”
Li Jie was speechless. What did she mean by “grown up like this”?
“Oh Wenjing, you don’t know. Confucius’s father was very strong. Let me tell you, Confucius’s dad could carry the old city gate’s bolt. That was a real city gate, very heavy. Babies like ours are just what ancient scholars looked like.”
“She Mom, you’re too good to me.”
“Of course, come, darling, have a drumstick…”
Hu Wenjing rolled her eyes and said, “So will you help out tonight?”
“Of course, why not? Better than sitting idle.”
Li Jie slurped up a third of the cold noodles, then said, “After dinner, let’s take a walk. I’ll see what tricks these bastards are up to.”
“Don’t cause trouble for me.”
Hu Wenjing reminded Li Jie, then added a thick slice of goose neck to his bowl.
“Come on, Tiger Mom, when have I ever not listened to you?”
“Well… that’s true.”
Thinking it over, the kid was mischievous, but he’d never given them any real trouble.
Far better than her own.
Whenever she thought about her thirty-year-old son borrowing money from her eighteen-year-old son, Hu Wenjing felt ill; she wished she’d given birth to a braised pork belly instead.