Chapter 351: Grandpa Xie
Chapter 351: Grandpa Xie
Lowering her voice, Xiao Qiu said, "I heard that Qiangqiang's mother is pregnant. Little aunt, why can the ligation surgery be reversed?"
Lu Jiaxin was truly stumped by this question. "I don't know much about this. Lu Ping studies medicine; if you want to know, you can ask him."
Xiao Qiu dared not ask Lu Ping. "Lu Ping rarely smiles. I'm afraid to talk to him."
"You're not afraid of dealing with so many customers every day, but you're scared of Lu Ping?"
Xiao Qiu wasn't afraid of her eldest brother, Lu Shan. Sometimes, when he was in the wrong, she would point it out directly. The siblings would occasionally argue over trivial matters, but they never held grudges. They would always make up the next day.
Lu Jiaxin smiled silently.
Xiao Qiu continued with news from their hometown, "Third Aunt heard that we're making money, and she insisted on coming here. My mother suggested that they set up a stall in the county first, and we would cover the cost of the equipment. As long as they work for three months, they can then come to Si Jiu City to set up a stall."
"And then?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
Xiao Qiu huffed, "It's only been five days, and they've already gotten into a fight. Third Aunt intended to use the leftover ingredients from the day before, and the customers who ate it got diarrhea. When they confronted her, she refused to admit it, so they not only destroyed their stall but also beat them up."
Lu Jiaxin was unaware of this incident, as no one had informed her.
Xiao Qiu felt they deserved it. "When selling food, the ingredients must be fresh—that's common sense. They're lucky it only resulted in diarrhea. What if someone had died?"
"Uncle San accompanied Grandma to Si Jiu City to see a doctor. When they were about to return, Uncle San told my father and Big Uncle that he also wanted to come to Si Jiu City to work."
"My father didn't dare keep them, but Big Uncle said he would think of something. However, Big Aunt disagreed. She felt that if Uncle San couldn't even manage a stall properly, he wouldn't last long even if they found him a job. Moreover, given his age, it would be better to find a job for Lu Cheng instead."
Lu Jiaxin agreed with Wang Xiaojie. "Uncle San isn't reliable. It's better for him to stay in the village. If something happens after he comes to the city, you'll still have to clean up the mess."
Lu Er Sao shared the same sentiment, hence her strict order to Lu Jia Zong not to agree to it.
"Big Uncle arranged for my third brother to work for the Railway Bureau, and now they're arranging for Lu Cheng to do the same. This way, Uncle San and Third Aunt won't have any more complaints," Xiao Qiu said.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "If they don't change their attitude of being content with their current situation, you will only get better, while they remain stagnant. Their resentment will only grow. However, don't pay too much attention to them. Focus on improving yourself and becoming stronger, and they won't dare to spout nonsense in front of you anymore."
Xiao Qiu nodded vigorously.
Lu Jiaxin asked about Zaohua, "The college entrance examination is coming up in July. How is she doing?"
Xiao Qiu proudly gave a thumbs up. "Zaohua is amazing! In the simulation exam before the vacation, she ranked second in the entire city. When I called her, she said it wasn't enough and that she had to keep working hard, or she wouldn't be able to get into Jing University's finance program."
Lu Jiaxin was surprised. "Zaohua's goal is the finance program at Jing University?"
"Yes," Xiao Qiu confirmed. "She asked her teacher, and the teacher said that Jing University's finance program is the best in the country. So, Zaohua has set her sights on Jing University."
Lu Jiaxin frowned. "That's nonsense! The best finance program in the country is at Renmin University. Their finance department is their ace program, officially recognized as the best."
"Oh, I thought it was Jing University," Xiao Qiu said.
This was a classic case of information asymmetry. Sigh, the current situation is really not friendly to rural children.
"No," Lu Jiaxin corrected. "The top finance programs are at Renmin University, followed by Southwest University, and then Hua University. However, the choice of which university to apply to depends on her scores. In Zaohua's case, she needs to aim for stability and not take risks."
Little Qiu looked at her with admiration and said, "Cousin, how is it that you know so much? You're so amazing."
Even the usually stoic Lu Ping sought her guidance!
Lu Jiaxin attributed her knowledge to reading newspapers and interacting with people: "Go out, observe, learn, and take action. You can do the same."
Little Qiu was excited and kept talking, while Lu Jiaxin initially engaged enthusiastically but eventually dozed off, unaware of when she entered dreamland.
Having slept late, Lu Jiaxin woke up at half-past eight. As she had planned to visit the Xies that day, she quickly freshened up, had breakfast, and then went to the department store to buy some things.
By the time she arrived at the Xies' residence, it was already past ten o'clock.
As soon as she entered, Lu Jiaxin noticed not only Xie Kai Xiao and his wife but also an elderly man with a head full of white hair. Without any introduction, she knew who he was and respectfully said, "Grandpa Xie, it's nice to meet you."
It was people like Grandpa Xie who had sacrificed and fought for the country, and she felt nothing but admiration and respect for him. However, she hadn't had the opportunity to meet him during her previous visits.
Grandpa Xie stood up and extended his hand to her, saying, "Little Lu, on behalf of those children, I want to thank you."
The donation of two million yuan had made a significant impact, allowing many orphanages to renovate their facilities and improve the children's meals. Lu Jiaxin's donation, made without expecting anything in return, was a rare gesture.
Lu Jiaxin quickly walked over and shook his hand, saying, "Grandpa Xie, I've only done a little. It's nothing compared to your contributions and those of your comrades, who shed blood and sacrificed for this country."
Grandpa Xie was impressed by her sincerity: "We old folks are already half-buried in the soil. The future of our country lies in the hands of young people like you."
Lu Jiaxin felt humbled by his words and expressed her own sense of duty: "The future still depends on people like Uncle Xie. My priority right now is to focus on my studies and gain knowledge so that I can serve our country better in the future."
Grandpa Xie was pleased with her response and proceeded to ask about her academic pursuits and her thoughts on the policies recently implemented in the country.
Lu Jiaxin's palms began to sweat as the topic was beyond her knowledge, and she wished Xie Kai Xiao and Su Hongying, sitting beside them, would chime in. But as they remained silent, she had no choice but to share her rudimentary views, which, of course, were all praises.
However, as she spoke, she suddenly remembered something: "Grandpa Xie, Western countries and island nations attach great importance to patents. Our country's patent law was only implemented last year, and many people don't pay attention to it."
Although the patent law had been established, it hadn't caught the attention of the Chinese people, and many even considered it irrelevant to them.
Grandpa Xie nodded, acknowledging the current situation, and asked for her thoughts on addressing this issue.
Lu Jiaxin did have an idea—offering monetary incentives. She suggested providing rewards or bonuses to applicants or inventors who met certain requirements. The criteria for evaluation would need to be discussed, but she believed that offering money would motivate people to register their inventions. After all, everyone was motivated by financial gain.
Grandpa Xie thought her idea was excellent, but he knew that implementing it would be challenging.
Lu Jiaxin understood that the most difficult part of her suggestion was the lack of funds. However, she assured him, "Grandpa Xie, I can provide the funds, but I hope that this matter can be kept confidential."
"Why the need for secrecy?" Grandpa Xie asked.
Lu Jiaxin expressed her concern about the safety of having large sums of cash in Hong Kong. She feared that if the news got out, bandits might target her.
Grandpa Xie immediately assured her that the matter would be kept strictly confidential.
(End of Chapter)
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