"If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world."

Zhou Jiao knew she wasn't yet capable of helping the world, and reality wouldn't allow her to make even the slightest mistake. But this time, for these lovely children, she wanted to do her bit.

After finishing the chores, that night, the kang in the living room of the Zhang family courtyard in Zhangjia Village was filled with Mao Zedong's banknotes and one, two, five, and ten yuan bills.

"You've killed too many lives over the years, and my father has too... I don't know if there's karma in this world, but doing more good deeds is always a good thing. Do you think it's feasible?"

Zhang Guoqing raised his hand in agreement with his wife's decision. Doing more good deeds and accumulating more virtue in one's life, regardless of whether or not there will be great rewards, will at least bring peace of mind.

"This is what I think. Just listen to it first and then I'll perfect it for you later."

Zhang Guoqing handed her a glass of water and said gently, "Okay. Don't be impatient. Talk slowly. I support you in whatever decision you make."

Zhou Jiao smiled brightly upon hearing this. "We have over 5,000 yuan in cash here, donated anonymously. If we take it out all at once, it will not only arouse suspicion among the people in the fishing village, but will also cause internal disputes."

Zhang Guoqing nodded. That's for sure!

"So I thought of Grandma Song. On the surface, your and your parents' salaries, after deducting expenses and the monthly support for the families of the martyrs' orphans, leave us with about a thousand yuan more a year.

"We just donated the last half of our gold two years ago, so that means it's been over a year and a half since last year. Giving away two thousand yuan shouldn't be a big deal. If I donate it to the Grandma Song Foundation and let her help the children in the fishing village, wouldn't that give me peace of mind?"

Zhang Guoqing glanced at her, was silent for a moment, and shook his head.

His wife fell into the trap again, otherwise he would not have ignored human nature.

Sometimes, after a series of measures, you feel that you are a proletarian, but there are many smart people around you, who will make people think that your family is not short of money, and therefore you are wealthy.

Some people even wonder if their family has already taken control of the Gu family's inheritance, so they have no worries and don't need to save money for Ping An.

Another point: wouldn't the continuous donations from their family be a slap in the face of those old men? Before, the gold could be considered Gu Ruyi's, and their family was noble. But donating even their salaries now is too ostentatious!

After hearing Zhang Guoqing express his concerns, Zhou Jiao slapped herself on the forehead fiercely—when excited, one becomes foolish! It's true! Wearing ragged clothes is considered an honor these days, but I've never heard of those local tycoons who donated all their wealth being called heroes!

Damn the hatred of the rich! There are always people like this in every era. Maybe after she made such a scene, someone would hold her hostage in the future and force her family to explain the source of the money!

Zhang Guoqing grabbed her hand distressedly, frowned and rubbed her forehead in disapproval. In just a moment, it turned red!

Zhou Jiao sighed heavily! It's so difficult. Why is it so difficult to do something?

"Do you think this will work?"

Zhou Jiao immediately looked up at him.

Zhang Guoqing smiled and patted her head. "You've been wrong from the start. When it comes to survival, having a full stomach is more important than anything else. Besides fishing, children in fishing villages can also earn money peeling shrimp. We subsidize their tuition, but for them, having enough to eat is their top priority."

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Guoqing patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. The Ministry of Education stipulates that if the per capita income is less than 10 yuan per month, children do not have to pay tuition and miscellaneous fees. We will directly send 500 yuan anonymously, indicating that we are supporting the children's tuition and miscellaneous fees. 2.5 yuan per person for 400 children, which is exactly 1,000 yuan. This 500 yuan is the touchstone."

Zhou Jiao understood his meaning. A touchstone? That was fine. Just because children were innocent didn't mean adults didn't have their own agendas. If they could actually waive some of the tuition, these five hundred yuan would be enough to support these children.

"This money cannot be remitted immediately, let alone in Northeast China or Beijing. I plan to ask Uncle Huang Dong in Hai City to help transfer it anonymously."

"Okay, let's do it." Zhou Jiao couldn't think of a better way than this.

Zhang Guoqing couldn't bear to see her suddenly lose her composure and lethargy. He knew the kids had hit a soft spot; otherwise, she wouldn't have lost her usual rationality so excitedly. Of course, she must also be worried about the future and wanted to do more good deeds to accumulate virtue and pray for her family.

He felt bad for his wife, so he could only coax her a little and not let her get stuck in a rut. Don't let these trivial matters affect his wife's health.

"In fact, you have been doing good deeds all the time. Let's not talk about those children in Beijing, just look at the welfare home in the provincial capital, the elderly home in the county, and the Fifth Master in the village. They are all doing good deeds."

Zhang Guoqing observed her expression as he spoke, then continued, "We have to go to the south at the end of the year. The conditions there are even worse than in the north. Can we do more charity?"

Zhou Jiao nodded when she heard this, "That's the only way!"

Zhang Guoqing nudged her and joked, "How about we throw money into every yard in the village tonight? Then we won't have to worry about it anymore."

Zhou Jiao smiled at his amusement and rolled her eyes at him.

"Hehe...you know what, this is quite interesting. Tomorrow we must go to the ancestral hall to worship our ancestors. I look forward to coming again."

Zhou Jiao quickly put away the money and said, "Oh, I'm so sleepy."

Zhang Guoqing could see she was trying to change the subject. Seeing her relaxed, he was secretly pleased. One day, he would cure his wife of her soft-heartedness towards her children.

Before going to bed, Zhou Jiao suddenly said, "I forgot I still need to reserve the payment for Old Wu's shipment of mountain products."

Zhang Guoqing hugged the person in his arms and said softly, "How much is that? Jiaojiao, look, every family in the village has mountain products. How about we buy them at a higher price than the purchasing station? There are also many families in the village who are anxious to raise money for their children's tuition."

Zhou Jiao smiled. This was also a disguised subsidy, and she had no objection.

She joked, "This is more meaningful than throwing money. But you have to deal with your mother first. If she knew, she would be furious."

Zhang Guoqing paused, then smiled smugly, "The mountain man has his own clever plan. I'll just tell him which friends in the provincial capital need my help, and leave it to Third Grandpa to handle it."

"Just keep this in mind. It doesn't matter how much effort you put in for the village, but the prerequisite is that you don't make Mother unhappy. If you really want to contribute to the village, there's a way. Third Grandpa might have considered this as well. Have you noticed the circle of fruit tree seedlings halfway up the mountain?"

Zhang Guoqing's eyes lit up, and he asked in a low voice, "You mean, the canned beverage factory?"

"Yes! The village will first report to the township and set up a simple production team cannery. Now that the harvest is starting to improve, there's no shortage of hawthorns and wild grapes in the mountains. After the busy farming season, we can produce canned hawthorns, hawthorn preserves, and wild grape juice. There's no shortage of market for these. Besides increasing profits, we can also exchange supplies with other factories."

The more Zhang Guoqing thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Previously, he'd been so focused on the fact that every blade of grass and every tree was public property that he hadn't considered this aspect. But if the production team took a collective approach, then there would be no problem at all.

"I'll go discuss it with Third Grandpa."

Seeing him rushing out, Zhou Jiao quickly ordered, "Don't show up in person."

"I understand this principle. Besides, we'll be back in Beijing in a few days. Even if I wanted to take care of it myself, I wouldn't have the time or the position. Let me see what the old fox has to say first."

Zhou Jiao looked at the background where he walked out and sighed secretly.

It is really not easy to do anything more. I hope this can work. Then the lives of thousands of people in Zhangjia Village will be improved and they will no longer have to starve for cornmeal.