Ye Zi, City Wage Earner

Ye Zi lost her mother at three, her father at eight, and before she turned twelve, the grandfather she depended on died of a heart attack. Her neighbor, Lao Wang, had no sons, only a daughter named A Lan, who was three years older than Ye Zi. He took Ye Zi in, and the whole family doted on her. One day, Lao Wang and his wife went on a trip. Their car went off the road and into a ditch, and both of them drowned. When Ye Zi wanted to start a business, A Lan did everything she could to help. Unfortunately, Ye Zi just wasn’t cut out for business. She not only lost all the money both families had, but also wound up owing a mountain of debt. She had no choice but to work to pay it off. A Lan kept comforting Ye Zi. “It’s okay. I’ll help you pay it back.” Ye Zi patted A Lan on the shoulder and said, “It’s fine. Money spent can always be earned back. I’ll work hard and won’t let you down.”