The early winter morning light, carrying a thin layer of frost, streamed through the window lattice into the main room, casting warm dappled patterns on the blue brick floor. Lin Wanqiu sat at the table, holding a palm-sized wooden box in her hand. The box was carved with simple intertwined floral patterns, its edges rounded and smooth—it was specially made by a carpenter a few days ago by Shen Tingzhou, who said it was for Nian'an to use as pocket money. Her fingertips caressed the wooden box, her gaze falling on Shen Nian'an, who was feeding the chicks in the yard, and a smile unconsciously curved her lips.
Shen Nian'an wore a newly made blue cotton-padded jacket with light gray piping on the cuffs and collar, sewn together from leftover fabric by Lin Wanqiu—both durable and stylish. He held a handful of millet, squatting beside the chicken coop, carefully scattering it into the feed trough, muttering softly, "Little Yellow, Little Luhua, eat more, lay eggs quickly, then Mommy can make steamed eggs." Several hens clucked around him, occasionally nuzzling his hand with their heads; the scene was as warm and inviting as a painting.
"Nian'an, come here." Lin Wanqiu beckoned to her son and placed the wooden box on the table. Hearing the voice, Shen Nian'an immediately clapped the millet in his hands and skipped in, his little leather shoes making a crisp sound on the bluestone slab: "Mom, what's wrong? Are you going to teach me how to manage money?"
Looking at her son's expectant eyes, Lin Wanqiu's heart softened. She opened the wooden box, inside were a few crumpled bills and coins, a small brown paper notebook, and a short pencil. "Here's one yuan and twenty cents, your allowance for this month." She pushed the wooden box in front of Nian'an and picked up the brown paper notebook. "This notebook is for keeping track of your expenses. Every time you spend money, you have to write down the time, what you bought, and how much it cost. At the end of the month, we'll do the math together and see which expenses were worthwhile and which shouldn't have been spent."
Shen Nian'an moved closer to the table, curiously picking up a five-cent coin, which gleamed in his palm. He remembered how, back in the village, he could only watch from afar as other children had pocket money to buy candy. Now, holding his own money, he felt both excited and nervous: "Mom, can I buy things with this money? Like fruit candy, or the little clay figurines sold outside the school?"
“Of course you can.” Lin Wanqiu nodded with a smile, picked up the kraft paper notebook, and wrote “Chen Nian’an’s Pocket Money Account” on the first page. “However, you need to think carefully. If you buy fruit candy, it’ll be gone once you’ve eaten it; if you buy a clay figurine, you can play with it for a long time, but your sister might break it. You need to learn to weigh things and know what is ‘need’ and what is ‘want’—things you need are things you must buy, like pencils and erasers; things you want are things you can do without, like fruit candy and clay figurines.”
Chen Nian'an blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite. He picked up a short pencil and wrote in his notebook, albeit crookedly, "November 1st, Mom gave me 1 yuan and 2 jiao in pocket money." His handwriting wasn't beautiful, but he wrote each stroke with exceptional care, even omitting punctuation. "Mom, I remember. Buy what you need first, and think about what you want later." He put the notebook into the wooden box, carefully closed the lid, and hugged it to his chest as if it were a precious treasure.
For the next few days, the first thing Shen Nian'an did after school was to take out the wooden box and study the account book for a long time. One day, he saw a string of candied hawthorns on a stall outside the school; the bright red hawthorns were coated in glistening sugar, making his mouth water. He touched the two cents in his pocket, remembered Lin Wanqiu's words about "needs" and "wants," hesitated for a long time, and then turned and left—his pencil was already very short, and he needed to save the money to buy a new one.
During dinner that evening, Shen Nian'an told Lin Wanqiu about it. Lin Wanqiu was filled with relief after hearing it. She took out a string of candied hawthorns from her spatial storage and placed them in front of Shen Nian'an: "This is your mother's reward for you, a reward for learning to control your desires. You must remember that managing money is not about not spending money, but about not spending money recklessly. Only by spending money where it's needed can you make the most of your money."
Shen Nian'an picked up the candied hawthorn with delight, took a bite, and the sweet sugar frosting melted in his mouth, carrying the slight tartness of the hawthorn. It was so delicious that he squinted his eyes. "Thank you, Mom!" he said between bites. "I will keep a good record of my expenses in the future and save money to buy what I need."
Lin Wanqiu smiled and patted her son's head. She took out a piece of paper from the drawer, on which was drawn a simple table with three columns: "Income," "Expenditure," and "Surplus." "This is an income and expenditure statement," she said to Nian'an, pointing to the table. "Each month, you record your allowance in the 'Income' column and the money you spend in the 'Expenditure' column. At the end of the month, subtract your expenses from your income, and that's your 'Surplus.' If the surplus is positive, it means you've saved money; if the surplus is negative, it means you've overspent, and you'll have to be more careful next month."
Shen Nian'an leaned closer to the table, carefully examining the form. Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "Mom, if I could earn money myself, could I write more money in the 'income' column?"
Lin Wanqiu was taken aback by her son's question, then smiled and said, "Of course you can. Think about it, what do you have that you can sell for money, or that you can do things for others to earn money?"
Shen Nian'an tilted her head and thought for a long time, then suddenly clapped her hands: "I know! I can help Grandma Wang feed the chickens. Grandma Wang said her legs are bad and it's very difficult for her to feed the chickens every day. If I help her feed the chickens, will she give me money?"
“That’s a good idea.” Lin Wanqiu nodded. “However, you have to ask Grandma Wang if she’s willing first, and you also have to discuss the payment with her. For example, you can give her five cents for feeding the chickens for a day. Also, you can’t let earning money interfere with your studies. You can only feed the chickens once a day after school, and you can only do so after you finish your homework.”
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