Told To Sell Snacks As 'Punishment' For Poor Grades, Boy Earns Over Rs 1 Lakh In 10 Days, Quits School

A Chinese mother's plan to teach her struggling son the value of hard work took an unexpected turn when he earned 10,000 yuan in 10 days from a food stall, leading him to drop out of school.

Representational Image | A Chinese mother made her son start a food stall to teach him the value of hard work after his grades fell. However, things took an unexpected turn.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

China News: A mother in China wanted to give her son a lesson in the importance of hard work after his grades fell, and made him start a food stall so he understands the challenges of life and take his studies more seriously. The trick, however, backfired on her, and in a way that she hadn't expected. The boy ended up earning 10,000 yuan (Rs 1.18 lakh) in just 10 days, and decided to quit studies altogether, the South China Morning Post reported.

The 17-year-old boy, Shen, studied in a culinary arts and vocation school in Zhejiang province. His grades were falling, and when his mother asked him about it, Shen reportedly told her that he found studying "meaningless”, and that he did not "want to go to school anymore”, the report said.

The woman, identified by her surname Deng, works at a street food stall selling fried chicken in Jiaxing. She told SCMP that she had thought if she exposed Shen to the "realities of a challenging work environment" like hers would motivate him to pursue education.

“I wanted him to tackle the challenges of real life... Making money isn’t easy,” she said.

Shen, however, took the challenge head-on and immediately started work after setting up a snack stall by modifying an electric bike. 

Not A 'Tiger Mum'

Speaking to SCMP, Deng said her son was able to earned 10,000 yuan in the first 10 days. She praised her son for the hard work he put in but also gave credit of his success to the support of loyal customers she had been serving for three years.

Deng said Shen would wake up early to start preparing food, and would set up his stall a 13-km ride away by 4 pm. He returned home only at 3 am, after selling chicken fries all night.

Shen now wants to make enough money so he could buy an electric tricycle.

While Deng is happy that her "diligent " son is "addicted to the work" now, and is putting in all the hard work, what came as a surprise to her was his decision to drop out of school.

She said she tried to persuade Shen not to discontinue studies, but he wouldn't listen.

Deng, however, has decided to support her son's decision.

“My priority is for my son to be healthy and happy. I only need to guide him to not do anything illegal,” she added.

The mother-son duo's story is now viral in social media in China, according to the SCMP report.

It has also earned praise for Deng, with social media users hailing her for respecting her son's decision, unlike a “tiger mum”.

In China, strict parents are referred to as “tiger mums” and “wolf dads” as they are known to use harsh methods for their children to make them study hard.