"How about boiled fish fillet?"
"It's spicy. I haven't used up the base that your grandma Cao Xiu gave me last time. It's perfect for making fish."
Qin Yanyan's eyes lit up as she listened. She loved fish, and boiled fish fillets were her favorite.
It seems that she will also benefit from this dinner.
"Mom, this is good, this is good."
Qin Zhichu smiled and tapped Yanyan's forehead: "You little greedy cat."
"Those two uncles have big appetites. In addition to boiled fish fillets, Mom will make two more home-cooked dishes. How about that?"
While the mother and daughter were discussing this, Qin Zhiya and Tao Man were also on their first business trip since the establishment of the Wuyou Charity Foundation.
Due to the lack of information nowadays, even though there are many places that need funding, non-locals generally don’t know about it.
They learned about the small mountain village they were going to this time through a newspaper reporter.
Because this mountain village is too isolated and inconvenient to enter and exit, few people go out to work. However, as time goes by, the population has increased.
There are now nearly 100 households and more than 300 people.
Here, people rely solely on farming for a living, and lack education. Boys are better off, enjoying a high status, but girls have a harder time.
Many families, due to their financial difficulties, bring their daughters up early to take care of the household, do the laundry, cook, and take care of their younger siblings.
When they reach a certain age, they marry in exchange for food.
They walked through each house, seeing some young girls doing housework, some doing farm work, and some carrying their younger siblings on their backs to pick grass for pigs.
Qin Zhiya said: "The girls here have no light in their eyes."
Tao Man said: "This situation should exist in many mountain villages. We can only provide as much assistance as possible."
"I'm afraid that even if we help pay for their tuition, people here won't be willing to send their children to school. After all, these girls are considered part of the workforce."
It's not that they can't handle the housework, but because many people think that their daughters will get married anyway, so why bother with all that knowledge? It won't bring prosperity to their own family.
Near noon, Qin Zhiya and Tao Man did not go to the village branch, but found a family to have dinner.
The family's surname is Liu. The couple has two daughters and a son.
Old Lady Liu greeted them warmly, "The eggs are still warm. Come on, eat them."
The two of them had given a dollar for the meal, but they didn't really spend that much on a single meal. They were from the countryside, but they knew their limits.
Qin Zhiya and Tao Man each had an egg in their bowls of porridge. The Liu family, on the other hand, only had cornmeal porridge. As for the side dish, everyone had the same thing: pickled radish strips.
Qin Zhiya said, "Grandma, what are your main meals?"
Old Lady Liu said, "We're poor in this village, so just having enough to eat is enough. We usually eat sweet potatoes, dried sweet potatoes, cornmeal porridge, sorghum cakes, pickled radish strips, and in winter, stewed cabbage."
Tao Man pointed at the two girls and said, "Aren't Dahua and Erhua going to school?"
Old Lady Liu said, "We can't afford it. Three children have to pay three tuition fees. Given our financial situation, we can only let Goudan go alone."
“What if the school is tuition-free?”
"Free tuition? Is there such a good thing? If it's free tuition, then Dahua will stay and Erhua will go too."
When Dahua, who was standing next to her, heard this, she bit her chopsticks and lowered her head.
Qin Zhichu and Tao Man exchanged a glance. This was the true sentiment of most people here.
Qin Zhichu asked, "Grandma, are you too busy with the housework? Why did you leave Dahua behind?"
Old Lady Liu said, "It's not that we can't do it. But this girl will eventually get married, and what can she learn? Let Erhua study for a year or two. Let them stay at home and do some work, so that her mother and I can have some relief."
Qin Zhiya thought about it for a long time and asked, "What if there are rewards for children to go to school? For example, if the children who persist in attending school will be given a multi-grain steamed bun?"
Old Lady Liu said, "How can such a good thing happen? We can't bear to eat multi-grain steamed buns for half a year."
"If that's the case, forget about them, I'm going to school too!"
Qin Zhiya, Tao Man...you have to be of the right age.
The two of them ate a few mouthfuls of food quickly and left the Liu family.
Qin Zhiya said, "Given the current living standards of this village, an incentive method would be better. Why don't we subsidize the students with a multi-grain steamed bun every day at noon under the guise of providing lunch?"
Tao Man said, "There are over a hundred children in this village right now. If you add the tuition and a hundred whole-grain steamed buns a day, it doesn't exceed the funding budget we made before we came here."
"but……"
Qin Zhiya asked, "But what?"
Tao Man said, "If we give these buns to the children, I guess at least the girls won't be able to eat them. The adults will definitely let us take them home and give them to the elderly or strong laborers in the family."
Qin Zhiya sighed and said, "I thought of that, too. But we're not here to take care of their meals."
"I imagine myself as a girl from this village. If there is a free school like this that I can go to, I would be willing to give the steamed buns I receive every day to my family."
"After all, I have the opportunity to study. As for what to eat, it is not that important in comparison."
Tao Man nodded, as if suddenly understanding: "I understand. These steamed buns are not originally for these children. In fact, they are for these families."
"As for how they distribute it, that's their own business."
Qin Zhiya nodded and said, "Yes!"
"It's meant to be given to these families, but we can't give it directly. If we give it directly to these families, they will feel that this is what they deserve for sending their children to school."
"But if we give it to children under the guise of lunch, these families will feel that they are taking it from their children. They will feel a little embarrassed towards their children, and will be more willing to let them go to school."
Tao Man then smiled: "Zhiya, I find that you are really suitable for this job."
"You can think from the perspective of these funded people. I want to learn from you."
Qin Zhiya and Tao Man then found the village party committee and confirmed the list of children of school age in the village. They then checked the list from house to house.
They don't want to leave any child behind.
For one or two children who might be left behind because of this mistake, it would be a devastating blow.
Qin Zhiya and Tao Man counted the number of people with and without household registration, and then told the village chief the purpose of their visit.
The village chief was very excited. After all, he knew more and knew the importance of learning.
Unexpectedly, there was such an organization, so a village meeting was immediately convened.
Even if the villagers don't want to send this child to school, he can't get through this hurdle. He must be sent to school.
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