Chapter 60
Cheng Man's tears seeped through her collar and wet Tao Zhi's heart.
Tao Zhi touched Cheng Man's thin shoulders and hugged her to give her strength.
When Cheng Man started sobbing, Tao Zhi lifted her little face and gently wiped her tears.
Cheng Man's eyes and nose were red, and she looked like a naive little rabbit, so innocent.
Cheng Man saw the pity in her mother's eyes. She sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "Dad, Mom, I'm fine."
The old man blew his beard and glared: "It's easy for you to say that, but look at how thin you are."
Cheng Man took his arm and said, "Dad, don't worry. That was all in the past. We already agreed that we would live a good life." Her voice gradually lowered, "Because only in this way can we be worthy of those heroes who are always willing to risk their lives for the people."
The old man was moved, distressed and relieved. He began to realize that his little daughter had grown up quietly in a place where they could not see.
He originally wanted to spend two more days with his daughter, but unfortunately Cheng Man was busy with her studies and had no time.
Before Tao Zhi bought her return ticket, Cheng Xiangqian suggested, "Since we're out for a rare trip, why don't we just play along the way back home?"
Tao Zhi had the same idea, and the two hit it off immediately. The old man gave Cheng Xing the task, and Tao Zhi entrusted it to Teacher Gao, who had been promoted to deputy director.
They started their journey by taking the green train, traveling light, from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, strolling along the way. Whenever they came across a city they liked, they got off the train at their destination. With no plans, they simply followed their own path, and just like that, they journeyed from autumn to winter.
When they got home, Cheng Man had already returned and every household had started preparing for the New Year.
Cheng Jun said sourly: "You two finally decided to come back."
Tao Zhi laughed heartily: "You'll get used to it."
Cheng Xing's expression changed: "You guys still want to go out?"
The old man smiled and said: "The world is so big, I want to go and see it."
"What about the machinery factory?"
Tao Zhi glanced at him and asked, "Where's my daughter-in-law?"
Cheng Jun replied: "I went back to my parents' home."
"Why don't you come along?" Tao Zhi was really surprised.
Cheng Jun said with a stern face: "I have my own family."
Tao Zhi just asked casually, not really looking for an answer. After hearing this, she just let it go, which made Cheng Jun's expression more interesting.
Over there, the old man replied to Cheng Xing: "I'll leave the factory to you. I've taught you everything I can."
Tao Zhi took the opportunity to announce, "Now that we've come to this, your father and I have already made our wills. You all know we don't have much money at home right now. So, we only have two properties left: the land and factory back home, and the building in the city that we rent out. We won't be dividing these, and we'll keep them for your father and me to live on in our old age."
"Since the machinery factory has been given to Cheng Xing, the previous profits will be divided first, and then the transfer will be made. Cheng Hui and Cheng Jun, your father and I will make up for the extra portion given to Cheng Xing."
"As for the house, the eldest brother sold it to the third brother, so I will give Cheng Jun the money for the house, and I will not be responsible for Cheng Hui."
"Cheng Man..."
Cheng Man interrupted, "Mom, I don't need it. The government will take care of it."
Tao Zhi pressed her down: "Listen to me first."
"Times have changed. Living together for several generations is no longer important. Since Cheng Man doesn't want it, then she can continue to live with us. Cheng Mingcheng can also stay with us, but Cheng Hui, you have to deal with it yourself."
Cheng Hui agreed: "Then I'll buy one nearby."
Tao Zhi nodded: "That's fine."
"Mom, aren't you going to build a villa?" Cheng Jun asked.
"We won't build it for now. We'll talk about it when we need it. I still own this piece of land. Do you have any other questions?"
Cheng Xing reminded her: "Last time you talked about retirement..."
"Speaking of alimony, each of you must pay according to the national standards. Pay it on time on the 1st of every month. I won't accept any delays. Of course, if you want to give more, I will definitely accept it. Any other comments?"
"No." Everyone said in unison.
Tao Zhi added, "Manman, you can give it to me after you graduate."
Cheng Man was unhappy: "I have money too."
"Be good, your parents don't need your money."
Cheng Xiangqian took Cheng Xing with him and went to the study to reconcile the accounts, and they didn't stop until late at night.
The next day, after everyone had left, the old man called Tao Zhi over and said to her happily, "I have some good news. Guess what?"
Tao Zhi's mind raced, and he immediately thought of last night: "Did you make money?"
The old man took out the account book and said, "Let me show you."
Tao Zhi took it and flipped to the end. When he saw the surplus amount, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Is this the profit in recent months?”
"Yes, after the donation."
"More than half of the money we donated has been returned to you alone." Tao Zhi found it incredible.
"I heard from Cheng Xing that when our customers found out about our donations, they all rushed to place orders. She was signing contracts until her hands were tired, but production couldn't keep up, so she rejected a wave of them, and the orders gradually decreased."
"Those who help others will always be helped by others. The ancients were not deceiving me." Tao Zhi murmured to himself.
"Why don't you check the kindergarten? Maybe they're making money there too?"
Tao Zhi smiled. "I can understand that a machinery factory can make money, but that's impossible with a kindergarten. From the time the kindergarten opened until now, I've been spending money on the site, wages, meals, and equipment upgrades. There's no way I can make money."
The old man advised her: "Even if you want to be a hands-off boss, you still have to look after the accounts. Especially since you have reduced the tuition, I am even more curious about the situation."
Seeing his genuine curiosity, Tao Zhi invited him to go to the kindergarten. It was already closed for the holidays, and the kindergarten was deserted. Tao Zhi opened the office, then the safe, and took out the account book. She flipped straight to the end and looked up, her face filled with disbelief.
The old man leaned over and took a look. "Not bad, there's a surplus."
Tao Zhi was flipping through the account book, page by page, making a rustling sound.
"Found it. Here it is. Government subsidies, per-capita subsidies, and construction subsidies for expansion." Tao Zhi's mouth curled up uncontrollably. "So, I got a new kindergarten without spending a penny?"
The old man congratulated her: "Congratulations, your kindergarten has finally become famous."
Tao Zhi cried with joy: "This reward came too quickly and it's so good."
Cheng Xiangqian patted her and said, "Now you can show your skills."
Tao Zhi went back and started planning. Since the government supported it, they decided to add two more teaching buildings. All the facilities in the kindergarten would be the best, and everything would be based on the safety and comfort of the children.
She plans to reduce tuition fees again so that all children from a ten-mile radius whose families are not so well off can go to kindergarten.
Since her children no longer need her to take care of her, she can spend the money on things that need it more.
As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. The three children all followed Tao Zhi's example and did business with an honest heart.
Cheng Hui developed environmentally friendly bricks, which are lighter and more suitable for high-rise buildings. Due to raw material issues, he lowered the price of the bricks on his own initiative, offering the most affordable price without disrupting the market.
The builders he worked with were impressed by his personality and received a large number of orders. Cheng Hui expanded the factory several times, hired a large number of workers, and paid a considerable amount of taxes.
It can be said that as long as he does not make any mistakes, as Cheng Jun said, he can earn money for at least ten or twenty years.
Cheng Xing discovered a new market for the agricultural machinery designed by the old man. She led the machinery factory's transformation, employing retired engineers through high-salary policies and recruiting talented individuals who had returned from overseas studies. She reduced the factory's processing focus and increased investment in research and development, transitioning it to a technology-based manufacturing enterprise and moving toward "national intelligent manufacturing."
During the difficult early stages of the transition, Cheng Xing used the profits from processing to support his R&D team. Later, as more patents emerged, the R&D team began to benefit the entire factory, further expanding Cheng Xing's business portfolio.
Cheng Jun insisted on using high-quality materials and the best construction teams for his real estate projects, resolutely refusing to profit from dishonesty. The quality of his developments became a hallmark of the city. And just as Tao Zhi had witnessed, Cheng Jun's career soared, reaching heights far greater than his previous life's.
He was still the richest person in the family. But so what? His brothers and sisters no longer needed his support, and this was what made Tao Zhi happiest.
After graduation, Cheng Man joined the army as she had hoped. She didn't elaborate on her specific duties, but her beaming expression revealed a natural rapture in the work environment. The organization also provided assistance with her marriage, which reassured her family.
After his first trip, the old man seemed to have opened Pandora's box and became crazy about traveling. He would spend half a year out of the year traveling and exploring.
Tao Zhi advised him: "While we are still young, let's go to distant places first, and then visit our hometown when we are old."
“Which ones are far and which ones are near?”
"Where you're going by plane."
Cheng Xiangqian suddenly understood. "You mean going abroad? Why didn't I think of that?"
Tao Zhi reminded him, and from then on, the two of them began to travel around the world. If it happened to be a winter or summer vacation, they would also bring Cheng Mingcheng and Cheng Jin along. The young people in the family were so envious that they drooled.
After a few years, the kindergarten ran out of space to expand. Tao Zhi used the land Cheng Jun had given her to build a public welfare kindergarten. As the construction progressed, Tao Zhi felt the land was too small, so she contacted the government. The government officials were generous and granted her a plot of land next door.
Her kindergarten became famous, and even many people from other cities came to learn from it.
When asked about Tao Zhitou, she said, "The children's future is our future. It is a cause worth fighting for all our lives."
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