From then on, Grandma Chen developed a habit.

She leaves the door slightly ajar every day and keeps a close eye on any activity in the hallway.

She would hide behind the door and observe Ning Wan and Ning Yanshu until she heard them return.

Grandma Chen listened to Ning Yanshu share funny stories from kindergarten with Ning Wan until they went upstairs and returned home, and after the door was closed and she could hear nothing more, she slowly closed the door herself.

One day, there was a lot of noise in the hallway.

Ning Yanshu's cries were so loud that the entire building could hear them.

Thinking her child had been abused again, Grandma Chen rushed out to go upstairs to check.

Halfway there, Grandma Chen was stunned when she saw the huge figure huddled in the corner.

She retreated little by little, returning to her room.

Only after closing the door did Grandma Chen cover her eyes with her trembling hands.

Tears slid down her palms, one by one. After a long while, she finally cried out, "Aman, Aman..."

...

Shen Fu returned, and Grandma Chen also distanced herself from them.

But sometimes, she also greedily wanted to get closer to them, even closer.

Finally, one day, she found this opportunity.

That day, Grandma Chen went downstairs as usual to collect bottles, only to find Shen Fu sitting alone by the flower bed.

She looked around and, finding no one, hesitated for a long time before finally stepping forward to ask, "Aman, what's wrong? Why didn't you go to work at the boxed lunch shop today?"

Grandma Chen knew that Ning Wan had opened a boxed lunch shop nearby.

Shen Fu looked up at the old man in front of him, then lowered his head again.

She pouted pitifully, like an abandoned puppy: "Aman is useless, Aman can't help Wanwan with anything."

“Aman can’t fight off the bad guys who are bullying Wanwan, and he doesn’t have money to open a boxed lunch restaurant for Wanwan…Aman is completely useless.”

That pitiful little puppy really did look so wronged.

Grandma Chen thought to herself.

She sat down next to Shen Fu and comforted him, saying, "Actually, Aman doesn't need to do anything. Just having you by Wanwan's side is the happiest thing for her."

Grandma Chen's words brought a glimmer of light to Shen Fu's eyes.

But soon, it was extinguished again: "But Aman still wants to make money, to make lots and lots of money... Aman wants Wanwan to have an easier time, to not have to work so hard."

Grandma Chen looked at the distraught Shen Fu, then at the woven bag in her hand.

I made a decision in my heart.

She grabbed Shen Fu's wrist: "Come on! I'll teach you how to make money!..."

...

Shen Fu rode his tricycle and followed Grandma Chen's directions to a garbage recycling plant.

The place is filled with all sorts of cardboard boxes and plastic bottles, as well as piles of scrap iron and steel as high as small mountains.

There were many workers busy at the recycling plant.

Upon seeing Grandma Chen, everyone greeted her warmly: "Hello, Grandma!"

"Grandma's here again."

"Grandma must have found a lot of good stuff today, look at this whole carriage full of stuff..."

...

Grandma Chen waved to them with a big smile.

She instructed Aman to unload the items from the tricycle, and then opened one of the bags.

With a crash, countless bottles were dumped on the ground.

“Aman can’t find a suitable job right now, so he can try collecting recyclables first.” Grandma Chen picked up one of the mineral water bottles and said, “A plastic bottle like this can sell for 4 to 8 cents, and a slightly thicker one can sell for 10 cents.”

Shen Fu nodded, listening attentively.

“Aluminum cans are more valuable, some can sell for 20 cents.” Grandma Chen put down the bottle and picked up a cardboard box from the side: “This kind of cardboard can sell for 1.2 yuan per kilogram. The owner of this recycling station is kind and I know him quite well. He buys it for 1.4 yuan per kilogram. But if I bring in a lot each time, he is willing to buy it for 1.5 yuan.”

Fearing that Shen Fu might not understand, Grandma Chen paused for a moment.

Grandma Chen smiled and continued only when she saw that he didn't have a puzzled expression on his face, but rather looked eager to learn.

"Scrap iron and copper fetch the highest prices, but they're not always available. If you're lucky, you can find some computer motherboards or other electronic components that can sell for a good price."

"Don't underestimate these things. A little bit of coal or a piece of charcoal adds up to a lot. By accumulating little by little through your own efforts, you can eventually reap a considerable fortune."

Come to think of it, these were all things that Shen Fu taught her when she was a child.

I never imagined that after going around in circles, I would end up teaching him all over again...

...

After working for an hour, the two of them unloaded the waste from the tricycle and sorted it out.

The owner of the recycling center weighed the items and settled the accounts; in the end, he sold them for a total of 300 yuan.

Grandma Chen took out one of the 100-yuan bills and handed it to Shen Fu: "Here, this is Aman's wages for today."

Shen Fu didn't rush to collect the money; he just stared blankly at Grandma Chen.

"What's wrong?" Grandma Chen softened her tone and asked gently, "Is there anything you didn't understand or didn't get?"

Shen Fu shook his head, then smiled brightly: "Because I feel that Grandma is so gentle and kind to Aman, just like Wanwan."

Grandma Chen smiled knowingly: "Does Aman like Wanwan?"

"I love her!" Shen Fu nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling. "Aman loves Wanwan, she loves Wanwan the most!"

Grandma Chen's smile grew even brighter.

She then teased Shen Fu, saying, "If Xiao Shu hears this, he'll get jealous again."

Upon hearing this, Shen Fu was startled.

He covered his mouth and nervously looked around. Then he put his index finger to his lips and whispered a shushing sound: "Grandma, please keep this a secret for Aman. Don't tell Xiaoshu."

Seeing how close they were, Grandma Chen was genuinely happy for them.

From that day on, Shen Fu would come to find Grandma Chen every few days to collect scraps together.

Shen Fu is highly motivated to make money and has a very strong understanding of the subject.

Each time, he could collect a whole tricycle full of scrap, and he always returned home with a full load.

However, after Ning Wan's boxed lunch shop reopened, Shen Fu spent less time collecting bottles.