Shen Nian'an nodded vigorously, and the next day after school, she ran to Grandma Wang's house with her schoolbag on her back. Grandma Wang was sitting at the door picking vegetables. When she saw Nian'an, she smiled and said, "Nian'an, you're here. Are you asking Grandma for candy?"
“No, Grandma Wang.” Shen Nian’an walked to Grandma Wang’s side and said earnestly, “I heard that your legs are not good, and I would like to help you feed the chickens. Can you give me five cents a day?”
Grandma Wang paused for a moment, then smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed: "Great! Grandma was just worried about not having anyone to help! You're such a sensible child at such a young age, you'll definitely amount to something in the future." She took out five cents from her pocket and handed it to Nian'an, "Here's your money for today. If you feed her well, Grandma can give you a few more cents."
Shen Nian'an took the five cents, feeling sweeter than if he had eaten honey. He ran to the chicken coop, picked up the corn that Grandma Wang had prepared, and evenly scattered it in the feeding trough. He also cleaned the chicken coop spotlessly. When he got home that evening, he excitedly put the five cents into the wooden box and wrote in his ledger, "November 5th, helped Grandma Wang feed the chickens, income 5 cents," his words brimming with pride.
From then on, Shen Nian'an would help Grandma Wang feed the chickens every day after school. Sometimes he would also help Grandpa Liu next door fetch water or help Aunt Zhang take care of her children. He earned more and more money, and the number in the "income" column of his ledger grew larger and larger. At the end of the month, he not only did not spend more than he should have, but he also had a surplus of eight cents.
Looking at the numbers in the ledger, Lin Wanqiu felt a sense of satisfaction. She took out a book called "Children's Financial Management Stories" from her spatial storage and handed it to Shen Nian'an: "This is a book that Mom bought for you. It tells many stories about children managing money. You can take a look and learn how they make and manage money."
Shen Nian'an took the book and eagerly opened it. The illustrations were colorful, and the story was very interesting. He saw a little boy selling vegetables he had grown himself and learning how to bargain. Suddenly, he said to Lin Wanqiu, "Mom, the baby food in our workshop is so delicious. Can I take it to school to sell and earn some money?"
Lin Wanqiu was surprised that her son had such an idea, and her eyes lit up: "Of course! But you have to figure out how to sell it so that the students will be willing to buy it. For example, you can let the students try a little first so that they know that the complementary food is delicious; you can also offer discounts, such as buying two bags and getting a fruit candy for free, which will attract more students to buy it."
Shen Nian'an listened attentively, remembering Lin Wanqiu's words. The next day, he brought five bags of pumpkin rice cereal puree to school. He first let his deskmate, Li Xiaoming, try a bite. Li Xiaoming's eyes lit up: "Nian'an, this complementary food is so delicious! It's much better than my mom's corn porridge! I want to buy a bag, how much is it?"
“Five cents a bag,” Shen Nian’an said with a smile. “If you buy another bag, I’ll give you a fruit candy.”
Li Xiaoming immediately took out a dime from his pocket, bought two bags of baby food, and even showed them off to the class. When the classmates saw how much Li Xiaoming was enjoying his food, they all gathered around and asked Shen Nian'an to buy baby food. The five bags of baby food were quickly sold out, and Shen Nian'an even made a profit of two dime.
When she got home that evening, Shen Nian'an excitedly told Lin Wanqiu about selling baby food and gave her the two cents she had earned: "Mom, this is the money I earned from selling baby food. I want to save it so I can buy new clothes for my little sister in the future."
Lin Wanqiu took the money, her heart filled with gratitude. She returned the money to Nian'an, smiling as she said, "This is money you earned yourself, so you can decide how to spend it. However, Mom wants to teach you a new way to manage your finances—the 'three-part method,' which is to divide your earnings into three parts: one part for spending, one part for saving, and one part for helping others. For example, if you earn two cents, you can use five cents to buy something you want, save one cent, and donate five cents to Grandpa Zhang, the village's elderly person living alone. He has no children and his life is very difficult."
Shen Nian'an nodded, divided the two cents into three parts, and donated five cents to Grandpa Zhang early the next morning. Grandpa Zhang took the money and was so moved that tears streamed down his face: "Nian'an, you are such a good child, even better than my own grandson."
Looking at Grandpa Zhang's smile, Shen Nian'an felt a warmth in his heart. He finally understood that financial management is not just about managing money and making money, but also about helping others and making their lives better.
As the days went by, Shen Nian'an's financial management skills improved, and his business acumen became more flexible. He not only learned to keep accounts, save money, and make money, but also learned to analyze market demand. For example, he discovered that his classmates liked to eat hot food in winter, so he discussed with Lin Wanqiu about making baby food into hot rice cereal, packing it in insulated containers, and taking it to school to sell. They could sell more than a dozen bags every day. He also discovered that his female classmates liked pretty trinkets, so he used the money he earned to buy some colorful hair ties and sold them along with the baby food, and his business became more and more prosperous.
Shen Tingzhou was filled with pride as he watched his son's transformation. One evening, as he sat in the courtyard smoking, watching Shen Nian'an diligently keeping accounts under the lamp, he said to Lin Wanqiu, "Wanqiu, you've taught him so well. Nian'an is not only doing well in his studies now, but he also knows how to manage money and make money. He's much better than I was when I was a child."
Lin Wanqiu leaned against Shen Tingzhou, watching her son's figure, her heart filled with happiness: "This child is sensible and understands things very quickly. I just want him to understand early on that money is not everything, but learning to manage money can help him better control his life and help more people."
Just then, Shen Nian'an came over with her account book and said excitedly, "Dad, Mom, I earned a total of three yuan and fifty cents this month, saved two yuan, spent one yuan on pencils and erasers, and donated fifty cents to Grandpa Zhang. See, aren't I amazing?"
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