Xu Jinwu came along to the food stall this time. He was purely there to provide backup, afraid that Tan You would get bullied bringing six students out on her own.

You can’t always assume the best of people. Having been a police officer for so many years, Xu Jinwu understood this principle all too well. Once they got to the food street, he just watched from the side and helped maintain order.

The food street was undeniably bustling. The snacks Tan You brought—waffle ice cream and red bean cakes—were a novel sight. Coupled with the wide variety of sushi she had prepared, a long line quickly formed in front of the food cart.

The six students, who had been thrown in at the deep end, no longer had any time for jokes. They became complete work machines, wishing they could grow eight more arms. They were swamped. They simply couldn’t keep up.

The two girls making red bean cakes, in particular, were completely absorbed in their work, with no time to even speak.

They stayed busy until ten o’clock, by which time all their ingredients had sold out. Tan You looked at the remaining line. "We only have enough for ten more servings. For everyone behind that, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come back tomorrow. We’ll be sure to prepare more ingredients."

Jin Li and Zheng Xue could barely lift their arms, yet they still watched the dispersing customers with reluctance. ’That’s all money... just flying away from right under our noses?’

The other four boys weren’t in much better shape. They were all exhausted, but their eyes were shining. ’Teacher said we get to split the money equally. That means we actually made money!’

Tan You knew what they were thinking just by the look in their eyes. "Let’s pack up and head back."

Xu Jinwu was already in the food cart. "Let’s go."

Xu Yanxi had a driver’s license, and Tan You was a competent driver herself. But with Xu Jinwu around, it wasn’t her turn to drive. The two girls sat in the food cart, while of the four boys, two rode their own bicycles and the other two squeezed onto Tan You’s electric scooter.

Every one of them was beaming. Being able to earn their own money at such a young age gave them an incredible sense of accomplishment.

In Tan You’s living room, she and Xu Jinwu sat on the sofa, watching the six students sitting cross-legged on the floor. Between them was a large metal box, which held the night’s earnings.

Of course, some people had paid online instead of with cash. Tan You had set up a separate account for that, and she would tally those payments later.

The six students spent half an hour counting the cash. When they saw the final total from Tan You, their jaws dropped. "Is this really nine hundred thousand? That’s so much money!"

Tan You covered her mouth with a yawn. "Is nine hundred thousand really that much? It’s less than 5,000 renminbi. And split between the six of you, that’s less than one hundred fifty thousand per person."

"We also have to deduct the cost of ingredients, which you’re responsible for. The food cart is mine, so there’s no charge for that. Your take-home pay will be less than one hundred thousand each."

"That’s still a lot," said Song Yuan. He may have looked like the biggest troublemaker of the group, but he wasn’t ignorant of life’s hardships. "My dad has a stall too, and he doesn’t even make thirty thousand a day."

Tan You didn’t argue with him. "So, is this part-time job worth doing?"

"Of course it is!" Zheng Xue’s eyes sparkled. "If we set up the stall three times a week, even if we only make a hundred thousand each time, that’s one million two hundred thousand a month."

"A lot of office workers don’t necessarily make that much, and their jobs are exhausting."

Tan You smiled. "If you want to keep doing this, then go ahead. You can consider the food cart on loan from me. But I have one condition: you can’t let this interfere with your studies."

"You can do the prep work here, or you can go home and talk it over with your parents. It’s not out of the question for them to take over the business if they’re interested."

Tan You had only said it casually, but the students had a strong reaction. "Teacher, this is your idea! You’ve already done so much by teaching us how to make money, how could we... We can’t be that greedy..."

Tan You laughed. "It’s not a particularly high-skill job. If your families don’t do it, someone else will soon. Anyone can figure out how to make these snacks just by watching. There’s really not much technical skill involved."

"And you wouldn’t be able to handle anything more technical anyway. Alright, go home and have a good talk with your parents. If they want to do it, the setup costs aren’t high."

"Oh, right. Take Jin Li and Little Snow home first."

The four boys answered in unison, "Don’t worry, Teacher. We’ll make sure they both get home safely. We’ll go talk to our parents."

They had come to a decision. It was better for their families to take over the business than to let someone else swoop in. ’We already owe Teacher so much, what’s a little more? We’ll remember her kindness for the rest of our lives anyway.’

When the six students got home, their parents were all still awake, waiting for them. They had assumed their children were at Tan You’s for tutoring and never expected she would actually take them out to make money.

Seeing the money their children brought home and hearing what they had to say, all six families were inevitably tempted. Poverty breeds a desire for change. When an opportunity this good was served up on a platter, they had to at least take a bite.

’Besides, this is Teacher Xu we’re talking about. A person as good as her... would she ever do anything to harm us?’

Tan You had already seen each family’s decision through the Beauty System, so she wasn’t the least bit surprised when she saw the six pairs of parents the next day.

However, Tan You made her position clear from the start. "I’m all for you starting this business, but it cannot come at the expense of the students’ study time. Their main job is to learn. I still hope they can get into public universities and pursue higher education."

The parents knew how much Tan You valued education, and they all made their promises. "Rest assured, Teacher Xu. As long as they have the drive to keep learning, we will support their education no matter what."

"Aren’t you the best example of that? It’s because of education that so many things are possible."

Tan You raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then follow me into the kitchen. It’s all quite simple, really. You’ll pick it up just by watching."

The six students helped out as well. They were busy until the afternoon, at which point Tan You had finally handed off the entire operation.

As for Tan You’s own food cart, even though the cooking equipment had been divided among the families, she could always use it for something else. ’Small cakes and pastries, for example?’

She led the six students in making seven or eight different types of pastries. Seeing the parents watching eagerly from the side, Tan You couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Mastering one business is more than enough."

"If you want to learn in the future, we can talk about it when the time comes. These little pastries require a bit more skill to make." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Everyone understood the principle, but seeing Tan You come up with another new idea in an instant only strengthened their resolve to make their children study hard. ’So it’s true... a good education really can help you make money.’

Xu Jinwu didn’t accompany them to the stall that evening. He was a police officer, after all; how could he get time off so often? So, tonight, it was Tan You leading the six families out to the stall.