Chapter 358 - 356 Yue Tingting is Attacked (2nd Update!)
The house, built before the 1960s, had cracks that were startlingly apparent, making one worry that it could collapse at any moment. The roof leaked everywhere, and the family’s only modern electrical appliance was a decades-old black-and-white television. Their mother, who had been bedridden for years, worked from dawn to dusk in the fields to provide for her two sons’ education, hoping they could make something of themselves and escape this poor ravine. Though she was only in her forties, she looked as though she were in her sixties or seventies, gaunt and withered, similarly bedridden from overexertion, no longer able to work the fields, relying solely on her sons to care for her.
This scene was somewhat shocking and stirred an urge to cry.
Yue Tingting had never imagined such poverty could exist in Modu. Although her own family was not wealthy, they were not poor either, their table always featuring meat, and they were not lacking in money. This scene struck her heart, firming her resolve to help these two students return to school and change their fates.
But changing the fates of these two students was easier said than done. Her own family was just an ordinary working-class household; they could not spare any extra money to help the students, and her salary was merely a few thousand. She tried to have the school waive their tuition, fees, and living expenses, but the cost of their parents’ daily medical treatments was no small sum, and her salary was hardly sufficient to make a significant impact.
She had tried to find help through various channels, but the ultimate outcome was either buck-passing or finger-pointing, which was disheartening.
By chance, she heard a headteacher at the school mention that a charity gala would be held at the Dynasty Club. Seizing this opportunity, she persuaded the vice-principal to take her to the banquet, hoping to find someone willing to help.
Standing there, Yue Tingting’s pure and delicate appearance made her seem out of place in the surrounding world. Her innocent face was still exquisite, prompting an involuntary exclamation of admiration for the beautiful girl.
"Yue Tingting, think this through, if you go now, you’ll completely lose the chance at funding, and those two students of yours may end up as farmers for the rest of their lives. Mr. Hou told me, as long as you can keep him company and he’s happy today, money is no object."
The balding, pot-bellied middle-aged man beside her advised Yue Tingting, his gaze lingering on her with a hint of greed.