Yu Yin worked for six or seven days straight, visiting the breeding farm, dried goods store, cooked food processing plant and stores.
Although I've always wanted to relax and take it easy, I can't really do nothing about my career; at the very least, I need to keep track of things.
So far, sales at ham sausage and deli stores have been very promising, especially at the deli stores. Although the summer weather is hot and deli foods can be a bit greasy, they can be paired with many seasonal vegetables, such as cucumber salad with pig's ear or cold pig's head salad. You can also add some of your favorite vegetables...
Most importantly, Uncle Hu's braising sauce is excellent; the flavor is amazing, incredibly fragrant without being overpowering. He uses more than ten ingredients, yet you can't taste an overpowering seasoning. A major reason why many people don't like cooked food is that they dislike overly strong seasonings.
At least Yu Yin's family doesn't really like strong seasonings. When it comes to food, as soon as Kuai Kuai came back, she told Uncle Hu about the Northeastern stew she had at her uncle's house, and she kept craving the sweet and sour pork and the braised pork slices. Uncle Hu loves his children, so he's very attentive. He tried making them a few times himself, and they tasted pretty good.
"Grandpa Hu, you should exercise more and try to live past a hundred. When I grow up, I'll earn lots of money, and then we'll eat our way around the world." Kuai Kuai was the most indulgent of the four children; she loved delicious food and drinks, and insisted on wearing comfortable clothes…
When Uncle Hu heard this, his eyes crinkled with laughter, and he said repeatedly, "Okay, I'll work hard to stay healthy and try to live past a hundred so I can still cook delicious food for you."
"We made a promise, you can't go back on your word. When the time comes, we'll eat, drink, and have fun, and no one can compare." Kuai Kuai and the others really treated Uncle Hu and Aunt Hu like their own grandparents, even though they weren't related by blood.
In relationships, blood ties aren't necessarily the most important factor; the quality of a relationship depends on how much effort each person puts in. Children, in particular, are innocent and sincere, and they can easily distinguish who is truly sincere.
Yu Yin looked at Kuai Kuai chatting and laughing with Uncle Hu, Ping Ping reading a book, Man Man embroidering with needle and thread, and An An hitting a sandbag. The aroma of food was also coming from the kitchen... Wasn't this the perfect home in her heart?
Yu Yin was in a great mood today, not only because of the warmth of her home, but also because they had made money. Although the loan for the ham sausage factory hadn't been paid off yet, they were making profits in other areas as well, and quite a lot of money at that. She could finally do what she wanted.
The next day, Yu Yin contacted A Xiang to learn about the situation of some orphanages in Yunnan Province.
“Yinyin, I was going to call you even if you didn’t call. The situation here isn’t good. A lot of children left behind by educated youth have been sent to orphanages. Some of them have both parents who were educated youth, and some have one parent who was an educated youth.”
They leave, but rarely take their children or spouses with them. As you know, locals don't usually register their marriages, especially ethnic minorities who largely adhere to their own customs. So much so that when he (or she) returns to the city, they leave without hesitation, and there's no way to stop them.
Some of the children's parents live in different cities, and neither wanted the children. As a result, the parents left, leaving the children behind. The local government can't take the children to their parents because it's too far. The children are all quite young, the oldest being only twelve or thirteen, and the rest are mostly seven or eight.
Another group consists of women whose spouses are local. When they leave, their partners are abandoned, and the children are left behind. The men are in a slightly better position, as they can manage to support themselves and their children. However, the women suffer greatly, having to bear the burden of life alone, facing gossip and rumors. Many cannot cope and either leave on their own or become despondent, leaving their children in orphanages.
There are too many children, and the local government is also strapped for cash; they can only guarantee basic food and clothing, nothing more. I was thinking, didn't you say you wanted to help these children? Right now, they urgently need bedding, clothes, and ideally, some school supplies.”
Ah Xiang had no choice. Although she earned some money, it was only enough to support her own family and occasionally improve the meals for the children in the orphanage. She really couldn't afford anything else.
"Okay, I understand. I'll discuss this with the factory staff tomorrow and see what's the best course of action. I'll give you an answer as soon as possible." Yu Yin hung up the phone and began to plan.
Yunnan Province is vast, and the whole country is even larger. Her individual strength is limited, and there's not much she can do. She won't blindly engage in charity; doing so could easily end up pleasing neither side.
The next day, Yu Yin went to the factory. She needed to discuss with Zhong Liang and Brother Liang how to proceed more reasonably.
"An orphanage in Yunnan Province? Why an orphanage in Yunnan Province?" Zhong Liang knew that Yu Yin wanted to do charity, but he didn't understand why it had to be an orphanage in Yunnan Province. There are many orphanages in Shanghai too!
"One reason is that I lived there for more than ten years, so it's like my second hometown. Another reason is that the conditions there are so bad now that the locals are barely making ends meet and have no time to think about anything else."
The conditions at the orphanage are even worse. The children there can only barely meet their basic needs for survival; nothing else is being provided. I want to do my best to help as many children as possible, at least to ensure they have food to eat, clothes to wear, and some opportunity to learn.
Yu Yin thought that if they learned some skills, they would have a means of making a living after entering society and wouldn't starve to death.
“Your idea is good. Children in remote areas suffer a lot and don’t receive much help from society. So how do you plan to help them? Will you donate money directly?” Liang Chao had been on missions to some remote areas before, and they were truly suffering.
“We can’t donate money directly. If Sister Yu Yin really wants to do something for those children, then we shouldn’t donate money directly. There’s too much room for maneuver in those years, and we can’t track it down.” Although Zhong Liang had no experience with charity, some things are universally understood.
“I don’t plan to donate money either. Ah Xiang said that some orphanages urgently need a batch of bedding and clean clothes. What I’m thinking about now is whether we should go to the local area to buy supplies or buy them here and then transport them over.” Yu Yin knows that supplies are cheaper locally, but the supply is limited and many things are unavailable.
“Yu Yin, the climate in Yunnan Province is warm, so the clothes don’t need to be too thick. Could we buy a batch of suitable fabrics and some cotton and ship them over there, ask the local people to make them into finished products, and then donate them to the orphanage? This way, our costs will be reduced a lot, and the children will benefit from them.”
Liang Chao, as expected of someone in charge of logistics, offered very pertinent suggestions. Ready-made garments are quite expensive these days, but cotton fabric is still reasonably priced, creating a significant price difference.
“Brother Liang’s idea is good. Sister Yu Yin, your donations are not just this once, but you plan to do this for a long time, so we should also make long-term plans. Moreover, by making them ourselves, we can print our logo in inconspicuous places, which can help promote our brand.”
Zhong Liang thought about many things; he believed that doing good deeds should also leave a mark.
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