The labor lesson was not as effective as expected.

A boy in eastern China dropped out of school after earning 10,000 yuan (about 35 million VND) in 10 days. His mother was very surprised by this decision. Initially, she encouraged her son to sell food to understand the hardships of work and life.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post , the boy's mother, Deng, said she came up with the plan when she saw her son Shen, 17,'s academic performance begin to decline. He was studying at a vocational and culinary arts school at the time.

When she asked her son why he was doing poorly in school, he said that he “didn’t want to go to school anymore because studying was meaningless.” Having worked as a fried chicken vendor at a stall in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province (China) for more than 3 years, Ms. Deng believed that exposing her son to hardships in work would help him realize the importance of education.

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After earning money from selling food, the boy decided to drop out of school to go to work. Photo: QQ.com

Hard work but not easy

“He doesn’t want to face difficulties at school, so I want him to experience real life challenges. Earning money is not easy,” she said.

Under his mother's guidance, Shen used a modified electric bicycle to set up a snack stall. What surprised his mother was that her son started working very quickly and efficiently.

In just 10 days, Shen earned 10,000 yuan, and Ms. Deng attributed this success to the enthusiastic support of customers and her son's hard work.

Ms Deng said Shen usually wakes up early every morning and starts preparing food at 9am. He will travel 13km to the selling point at 4pm and sell fried chicken until late at night. Shen usually returns home at 3am the next day. Now, his goal is to earn enough money to buy an electric tricycle.

The decision to drop out of school and mother's support

“He was very diligent. I didn’t expect him to be so addicted to this job,” Deng said. However, this early success made Shen decide to drop out of school. Although his mother tried many times to persuade him to continue going to school, Shen remained adamant in his decision.

“A 17-year-old child has independent thinking. As parents, we can only support him. If he cannot live the life he wants, he will not be happy. My priority is that my son is healthy and happy. I just need to guide him not to do anything illegal,” she said.

The incident quickly became a hot topic on Chinese social media. One Weibo user commented: “School is not the only path in life. If someone is not interested in learning, mastering a skill to earn a living is also a worthy choice.”

“Shen’s mother respects her son’s thoughts instead of forcing him to study, which is different from traditional ‘tiger’ mothers,” another commented. In China, the terms “tiger mother” and “wolf father” are used to describe strict parents who use harsh measures to force their children to study hard.

Xiao Baiyou, known as the “wolf father” in China, has set strict rules for his four children. He will use a rattan cane and a feather duster to beat them if they do not complete their homework.

In recent years, many young parents in China have turned to raising their children from a Buddhist perspective, prioritizing their children's physical and mental health over academic performance.

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