Chapter 20
“N-Nini isn’t scared. She’s just a little uncomfortable.”
“Yes. It will be less uncomfortable.”
“…….”
Nibellia stared intently at the outstretched hand and then grabbed it firmly.
In front of her was her older brother’s back.
At her side was Arep’s hand.
Summoning her courage, Nibellia took a step forward.
The staff, seeing Nibellia, widened their eyes in amazement.
It was their first time meeting the little lady with the white-silver hair they had only heard about in stories, and they waited for Seletina to introduce her.
“These are my children,”
Seletina introduced them one by one.
“This here is the eldest, Soles, and this child is Arep, who has done great favors for our family. Lastly….”
“Nini!”
Nibellia introduced herself first.
“Nibellia Dayamor, 4 years old!”
The staff smiled warmly at her spirited introduction.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Welcome to Rubeo. Ah, chief, should we gather the children at the venue where today’s ‘Bring Your Children to Work’ event is being held?”
“I will take them later. I have to discuss some important business now.”
“Nini isn’t here to play. She’s here to work.”
“Ha ha, I see.”
Seletina moved to her office along with the children.
Nibellia, having learned the importance of greetings in kindergarten, waved at the staff.
The staff waved back.
“They waved back!”
Nibellia smiled proudly at her own hand.
“Saying hello means they greeted me back.”
“Greetings are very important manners. They’re a promise to respect and care for others.”
Seletina emphasized that manners were essential when earning money.
The Rubeo headquarters was very spacious and tall, though not as much as the Mage Tower. There were five elevators just like the ones seen there.
Nibellia took one of them up to the very top floor, the Chief’s office.
“Brother, Arep.”
Nibellia entered the office with a serious expression and called the two in front of her.
Soles and Arep obeyed her commands for now.
Nibellia said,
“Nini will now earn money. Mom and I are going to make very difficult and important investments. So don’t get in the way, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Yes.”
Soles swallowed his laughter, and Arep answered seriously.
But Seletina called all three children together.
Nibellia asked anxiously,
“Why brother and Arep? The investment is only mine, right? I’m the only one earning money?”
“You honest and cute little materialist.”
Seletina lightly pinched Nibellia’s soft cheek.
“Of course Nini will invest. But shouldn’t brother and Arep study economics as well?”
“But brother’s smart, so what if he invests secretly and makes money alone….”
Soles burst out laughing at Nibellia’s worried face.
“Hahaha! Nini, I promise I won’t invest.”
“I won’t either.”
Arep, who didn’t even know what investing meant, joined in reassuring her.
Only then did Nibellia smile brightly in relief.
Seletina worried if she should just let it pass like that.
Her enthusiasm to earn money was commendable, but it wasn’t right to block others’ efforts because of that greed.
If not careful, that could become an unjust exercise of power that harms others.
Just as Seletina pondered how to teach this lesson,
“But you know,”
Nibellia suddenly said,
“If you want to, you can.”
Oh my!
Seletina looked at Nibellia with surprised eyes.
“Good kids shouldn’t bother or block others. That’s what we learned in kindergarten.”
Oh my, goodness!
Seletina was so touched she covered her mouth with both hands.
Nibellia, who never hid her greed before, had shown concession and fairness for the first time.
‘Sending her to kindergarten really works!’
Soles was also as surprised as his mother.
“Really, can I invest? And Arep too?”
“Yes. But, umm, it’d be nice if Nini earned just a little more….”
Though still a bit greedy, Seletina felt this was good enough.
She was deeply moved by how much her daughter had grown inside.
“Then shall we talk about investments?”
Seletina gathered the children and showed them a prepared list of investment opportunities.
“Economics means things related to money and earning money. To earn money, you must understand the flow of the world.”
“Is it because money is closely related to life?”
Soles answered, and Seletina smiled approvingly.
“Yes. People now maintain their lives with money. So to earn money, you must understand people’s lives. That’s what it means to understand the flow of the world.”
Seletina explained carefully.
Soles nodded and listened attentively.
“…….”
“…….”
On the other hand, Nibellia and Arep looked a bit overwhelmed.
Still, Nibellia did not complain and tried hard to remember as much as she could understand.
‘To earn money, you have to understand people.’
In other words, to make money, you must know what people need.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“To earn money, you have to sell what people need, right?”
“That’s right. You understood well.”
Praised, Nibellia smiled brightly.
“How about you, Arep?”
“I….”
“Was what auntie said a bit hard?”
Arep hesitated and honestly answered yes.
Just beginning to learn letters and start gaining knowledge, it was hard for Arep to catch up.
Seletina thanked him for being honest.
“It’s natural not to know at first. It’s not shameful, so if you don’t understand something, always ask.”
Arep blushed and nodded slowly.
He wasn’t embarrassed because he didn’t know.
He was blushing because he was happy to fill a little bit of his ignorance with new knowledge.
“Learning something you didn’t know before is fun.”
Arep now understood why Soles was happy.
Each child focused on Seletina’s teaching for their own reasons.
Seletina, impressed by their attention, taught them even more.
And then,
“Hmm, then….”
Nibellia carefully chose her first investment.
“Here!”
Her chubby finger pointed at one place on the list.
“A flower shop!”
“The flower shop is here.”
“Oh.”
Nibellia, who still couldn’t read well, quickly moved her finger.
Anyway, Nibellia’s first investment was decided.
A floriculture farm.
Back at the mansion, the children excitedly chatted about their experiences in Rubeo during dinner.
“Mom was so cool! She’s the boss, the boss!”
“All the staff moved according to Mother’s decisions, and you could really feel how much they trusted her skills.”
Not only Nibellia and Soles,
“She was amazing….”
Even shy Arep mustered courage to compliment her.
Seletina had left a very strong impression on the children.
“That’s enough now. Mom’s embarrassed and can’t eat.”
Seletina blushed and fanned herself as if she had caught a fever.
Kaleo looked at his wife proudly.
“Now you finally understand how amazing my wife is. I’ve known it for a long time.”
“Why do you have to be like that?”
“No, our daughter-in-law really is amazing.”
“Then shall we raise a glass for Selly?”
Muniel and Ardoris joined in praising Seletina.
“To the hero of our family, Seletina Dayamor!”
“To her!”
“To her!”
“Mom, you’re so cool!”
Nibellia raised her hand higher than anyone else, but held her glass the lowest as she shouted loudly.
“Everyone really….”
Seletina grumbled to stop the teasing but smiled happily.
In the warm atmosphere, Muniel asked,
“By the way, did our cat decide where to invest?”
“Yes!”
Nibellia, sharing a piece of meat with Arep, said,
“A flower shop!”
“More precisely, a floriculture farm.”
Seletina explained in more detail. Nearby, Kaleo gently cooled her still warm cheek with the back of his hand.
“They haven’t published the article yet, but they invented a new technology. They made a nutrient that keeps pruned flowers fresh longer.”
“Oh my.”
Muniel stopped chopping his knife in admiration.
“That’s really good news.”
“They plan to start issuing certificates after the technology announcement. I think it’s perfect for Nini’s first attempt.”
“That’s how you start your first attempt.”
“Grandma!”
Nibellia grinned with sauce smeared on her mouth.
“Nini, will you earn lots of money?”
“Ahaha! Yes, I’ll earn a lot.”
“Earn lots of money and buy gifts for grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, and brother, and Arep too!”
Nibellia’s fingers, like little maple leaves, folded six times.
“Oh, Deter too!”
She hurriedly folded one more finger.
“I’ll buy gifts! Nice ones!”
“Really? What gifts will you buy?”
Kaleo asked in an exaggerated voice.
Humming thoughtfully and crossing her arms, Nibellia said,
“Rats!”
“…Rats?”
“Rats taste good!”
“…….”
Kaleo laughed weakly, thinking there’s still a lot to teach.
Nibellia had no rest after choosing her new investment.
She immediately jumped into the workforce. She had to earn funds to invest in the floriculture farm.
This time, Arep joined her.
The two kids wore aprons Deter prepared for them, wide-brimmed straw hats, and stood solemnly in the garden flower beds.
They wore thick gloves on their hands.
“Arep.”
As a senior worker, Nibellia said,
“Earning money is difficult.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t be lazy. You have to sweat to make money.”
“Yes.”
“And no gambling. Dad lost Nini’s money on cards. Nini is broke.”
