892 Respecting the Children’s Views
“Then… then do you have any other wishes? Or why is it that you want to earn money?” Zheng Peng asked.
“Because having money makes me feel at ease,” Zhang Qin said.
Zheng Peng could not believe that this was something a child could say. Children should be carefree at this age, should they not?
After Zheng Peng finished questioning the children, he let them go back to their rooms to rest. He even asked them to write an essay titled “My Dream” and told them that he would check it the next time he came.
Zheng Peng walked into the house and looked at Qiao Mei without saying anything. His eyes were filled with anger. He felt that the reason why children could have such thoughts was because of how they were educated by their elders at home.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Mei looked at Zheng Peng curiously.
“How do you educate your younger sister? Why does a child only care about the stench of money? She actually told me that she wants to earn money?” Zheng Peng questioned Qiao Mei without caring if it made her look bad.
Qiao Mei smiled and placed the tea bowl on the table. She had thought that it was something major.
She had already asked these children what they wanted to do in the future and Zhang Qin had also been frank with her. She could understand Zhang Qin’s thoughts very well. Ever since Zhang Qin was young, she felt displaced and despised. She had lived a life under someone else’s roof, so she yearned for a sense of security even more.
Zhang Qin was different from Zhang Miao. Zhang Qin was meticulous and attentive and could always sense the abnormalities in others, so she was especially sensitive to how others viewed her. Zhang Qin would probably have new hobbies and interests when she grew up, but it was not a big deal for her to want to be a merchant now.
“I guess you’re talking about Zhang Qin. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her liking to earn money. My mother has also spoken to me about this matter. I think it’s not a bad thing that she likes to earn money,” Qiao Mei said.
“Not a bad thing? Do you think it’s good for a child to only have eyes for money! Merchants only care about profits. If you teach such things to such a young child, what will happen to her when she grows up in the future?” Zheng Peng said angrily.
“Is it bad to be a merchant?” Qiao Mei asked.
“Of course it’s bad! If a girl runs a business on her own, she may get cheated. Aren’t those people running businesses all very cunning?” Zheng Peng said.
“Zhang Qin is a very business-minded child. Mr. Zheng, you also know what our family does for a living. We’re not like you, someone born into a wealthy family and probably with a golden spoon. When they were young, these four children suffered a lot and had to follow my mother around to sell vegetables and stuff to make a living. Among these children, only Zhang Qin is good at doing business. What’s so bad about her wanting to make a living and being self-sufficient in the future,” Qiao Mei said as she looked at Zheng Peng.
It was true that he did not know these children well enough, but he felt that if their family was doing better now, then the children should study hard so that they could at least have a marketable skill and be able to do well in society in the future.
It was not easy to be a merchant now and it was not so easy to earn money. Being a merchant meant that she would not be able to lead a stable life and she would have a much more tiring life than others. He just hoped that Zhang Qin could be a girl who could live a simple life.
“I know that Young Master Zheng is doing this for the good of my sister, but I think it would be a good thing if my sister goes into business in the future. After all, that’s what she likes to do the most. I understand what you’re saying, but I think it’s also very important to let the children do what they like and are most interested in. Every trade has its master, right?” Qiao Mei asked.
Zheng Peng immediately came to a realization. His original intention of asking these children about their dreams and aspirations was to let them walk the path they liked and teach them according to what they wanted to do so that their lives could be improved.
However, he did not expect himself to be like most people, viewing this matter with his own entrenched way of thinking and subjectively concluding that the child’s wish was not conducive to her growing up well.
In reality, whether an environment was good enough for a child to grow up, or if it was suitable for the child to develop, or whether the child could be successful in the future should be left up to the child. It was not right for outsiders to interfere casually.
“I’m sorry, I’m being too one-sided,” Zheng Peng said.
“It’s fine. After all, you’re doing this for the good of the children,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
Zheng Peng looked at Qiao Mei with some respect and admiration. Qiao Mei was not just a pretty face. She was someone with wisdom, great wisdom that exceeded her current level of education.
