The After-School Program That Changed Everything

I ran an after-school care program in my neighborhood.

A thousand dollars a month, including dinner and homework help.

The parents who were too busy with work to pick up their kids were very satisfied with it.

Until a new mom joined the homeowners' SnapChat group.

Are you kidding me? The after-school programs back in my hometown only charge six hundred a month.

She sent a shocked emoji.

"Tell you what, I'll pick up and drop off your kids for you. Five hundred a month."

"I'm not doing this for money. I just love children."

I thought about those little tyrants who'd started picking apart even premium wagyu beef and asking increasingly demanding questions, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, these days of running myself ragged while losing money would come to an end.

I was getting ready to pick up the kids when messages started popping up in the group.

The messages were from a new mom who'd just joined the group.

Her SnapChat name was "Content and Happy," with a cartoon family portrait as her profile picture and an American flag in the corner.

I didn't pay much attention to these two messages.

After all, my monthly rate of a thousand dollars was already below market price.

Every day for dinner, I used premium ingredients like imported wagyu beef.

The fruit after meals was also top-tier stuff like golden pillow durian.

Not only that, I drove them in my SUV for pickup and dropoff, and helped with homework every day.

And the next morning, I would promptly summarize each child's progress and areas for improvement and post it in the group.

So parents could adjust their parenting approach accordingly.

Anyone with half a brain could see that my price was an absolute bargain.

I was about to close SnapChat when I saw Ethan's mom mention Content and Happy.

[Are you serious? You're really willing to run an after-school program at half price? You do know it's not just about picking kids up and bringing them home, right?]

Content and Happy replied instantly.

[Of course, it's just picking them up after school and having them stay at my place until 8:30, plus providing dinner and study time.]

[My husband has advanced degrees. Tutoring kindergarten and elementary homework is a piece of cake for him.]

[I already make nutritious meals for my two sons every day. How much can a dozen kids eat? It's nothing extra. I feel guilty even charging you five hundred.]

[I don't know how some people can be so heartless.]

The other parents in the group started wavering.

[Yeah, I heard from people in the neighboring community that someone there runs a program for only eight hundred a month.]

[But it's still more convenient being in the same community. It would be great if Grace's mom could lower the price a bit.]

Content and Happy pressed her advantage.

[Everyone can think it over. I'm not forcing anyone.]

[Anyway, my rate is twenty-five per day or five hundred per month. Everyone saves five hundred a month to buy clothes or take the kids to an amusement park. Everyone's happy!]

[Don't underestimate that five hundred. Five hundred a month is six thousand a year. Back home, that could buy four whole pigs.]

[Make them into bacon, and the whole family couldn't finish it in a year.]

The group fell silent for a few seconds before Ethan's mom continued trying to negotiate with me.

[@Grace's mom, none of us are wealthy. If you're willing to charge a little less, we'd still prefer to stay with you. After all, the kids are used to it.]

[We'd rather give you this money. We know it's not easy being a single mom. Please think about it.]

Haggling with me while acting like they're doing me a favorhow disgusting!

Last year, I helped Ethan's mom pick up her kid for free a few times.

After she found out how I treated her son, she excitedly said even two hundred per pickup wouldn't be excessive.

But it was all talk.

Not once did she actually show appreciation.

Later, when I stopped helping her with pickups, she got upset and complained in various group chats.

Said that as neighbors, I was being too harsh.

The other parents didn't think I'd done anything wrong, but they begged me to open an after-school program to benefit everyone.

When I first switched from free pickups to a thousand dollars a month, Ethan's mom already had some complaints.

Now she'd finally found an opportunity to pressure me on price.

I was tired anyway. Let them do as they pleased.

I started typing my response.

[No need to think about it. Anyone who wants to withdraw from the program, contact me and I'll refund the remaining days of this month.]

As soon as I said this, everyone stopped holding back and started responding.

[@Content and Happy, I'm the first to sign up. I'll send you my daughter's information in a bit.]

[School's almost out today, so Grace's mom should still pick up the kids. You get prepared and take over starting tomorrow.]

[Count me in, count me in!]

[I just realized we live in the same building. That's even more convenient. Count me in too!]

This time, Ethan's mom's message came last.

Looking at the uniform responses, I felt somewhat hurt.

But soon, that tiny bit of negative emotion faded.

I just felt completely relieved.

These days of being overwhelmed with work while losing moneyI'd had enough.

Content and Happy sent me a friend request.

I accepted it.

She first sent an apologetic emoji.

[Sorry, sorry. I'm new here. I was just looking for an after-school program for my son. I didn't mean to steal your business.]

[But everyone's been praising what a good person you are, so I'm sure you won't hold it against me!]

I only sent two words.

[Sure.]

Content and Happy continued shamelessly.

[I knew you were a good person. So send me the kids' school information and parents' phone numbers. Ethan's mom said you have a spreadsheet, so I won't bother making my own.]

[Since you're not running the program anymore, how about I help you dispose of the tables and chairs for free? And send me a copy of your daily menus.]

Finally, she sent an emoji covered in flowers with "Grateful for You" written in the middle.

My temples throbbed.

She'd just stolen my business, yet she had the nerve to ask me for help.

Acting like she was doing me a favor.

I wanted to block her.

But then I thought there was no point arguing with someone like this.

In the end, I sent her those things anyway.

[Come get the tables and chairs tomorrow.]

On my way to pick up the kids, Content and Happy called me on FaceTime.

"Your monthly food expenses alone are twenty thousand dollars. Are you running a charity or what!"

"Girl, tell me the truth. Are you using synthetic meat or premade meals or something?"

"You're just trying to make it look good on the surface to attract more customers, right?"

Hearing her voice inexplicably irritated me.

"I don't do shady things like that."

Before I hung up, I heard her mutter.

"My husband, two sons, and Ifour peopleonly spend three hundred fifty on food."

"Twenty thousand a month in food expenses? Who are you kidding!"

I felt worried for those parents.

No wonder she was willing to do it for five hundred a month.

She'd probably still make a killing!

Fortunately, I'd saved all the receipts and payment records from buying ingredients over the past six months. I wasn't afraid of her causing trouble.

After thinking it over, I opened my phone's video recording function and started documenting the entire process from picking up the kids to making dinner.

I didn't show the children's faces.

When asking the kids how they liked the food at dinner, I also used a voice changer.

The kids kept saying it was delicious.

Some picky eaters gave serious reviews.

"Not as good as yesterday's cod."

"I think it's not as good as the wagyu from the day before."

While waiting for parents to pick up their kids, I opened TikTok and posted the video to my account.

The title was: "What the Meal Standard Looks Like for a Fifty-One Day After-School Program"

No one knew I was a food blogger with millions of followers.

That was my main source of income.

I'd intended to preserve evidence, but unexpectedly, once the video was posted, its popularity kept soaring.

[Such premium ingredients for only a thousand a month? Where, where? I'd pay four thousand.]

[I don't even care about the food. What I really care about is that the blogger has a master teaching certificate and summarizes progress and shortcomings every day. I'm so jealous! The three-thousand-a-month program I enrolled my son in isn't this good.]

[Which lucky people get to experience this amazing deal? I'm crying with envy.]

I felt dazed for a moment.

Those lucky people had personally thrown away their good fortune.

What awaited them might be karma.

I put my phone back in my pocket without looking at the continuously increasing comments.

Because parents were arriving to pick up their kids.

Most parents were still polite to me in person.

They each said a few pleasantries. We parted on good terms.

Ethan's mom was the last to pick up her child.

She held her son's hand but stood at the door, unwilling to leave.

"Grace's mom, it's not easy for you raising your daughter alone. Don't make decisions out of spite and throw away a good money-making opportunity. Your daughter's five years oldeverything costs money at this age."

"Whatever they think, as long as you're willing to give a discount, even if you can't get down to five hundred, I'm still willing to send my kid to you."

Ethan's mom was panicking.

She knew better than anyone what the quality of my program was like.

She'd just wanted to use this opportunity to pressure me on price.

She never expected me to actually quit.

Before I could say anything, my daughter came running over.

She put her hands on her hips and looked up at Ethan's mom.

"We wouldn't give you a discount even if we wanted to. Even if you paid five hundred a day, my mom wouldn't take your business. Hmph!"

I smiled and patted my daughter's head. "Such a little smarty-pants."

Ethan's mom was so angry her breathing became uneven.

"No good deed goes unpunished. Son, let's go!"

But Ethan kept looking back reluctantly.

"Mom, are we really not coming to Grace's house tomorrow?"

Ethan's mom got even angrier, her face turning pale.

Early the next morning, Content and Happy came to my house to move the tables and chairs.

Soon, she started posting pictures in the group.

[The little classroom is all set up, ingredients are ready. Just waiting to pick up the kids after school this afternoon.]

I opened the pictures one by one.

The first picture was the final result of Content and Happy turning her living room into a classroom.

Judging from the dcor, the house must be rented.

And it was the smallest floor plan in the entire community.

The orientation wasn't good eitherby two in the afternoon, the living room was pitch black.

The small tables and chairs crammed into the living room made it incredibly crowded.

Two small tables and chairs really wouldn't fit, so they'd been moved to the balcony.

The second picture showed the food Content and Happy had prepared.

The kitchen counter was piled with leafy greens that didn't look fresh at all.

In the very center, she'd lovingly placed a fatty slab of pork belly.

The group fell into a long silence.

After a while, someone posted an ellipsis.

Ethan's mom couldn't help but speak up.

[@Content and Happy, is this all the food for the kids' dinner? Isn't it a bit too vegetarian?]

[And you didn't mention you rented the smallest floor plan. When you took on this business, didn't you consider whether fifteen kids could even fit?]

[In the middle of winter, those two kids sitting on the balcony will freeze!]

Content and Happy replied to the group messages instantly.

[Kids sitting close together keeps them warm and helps them bond.]

[As for the balcony, I'll just close the window. It's no different from being inside.]

[Children should eat more leafy greens. It's good for their health.]

[Plus it's not all vegetarian. That pork belly alone could feed my family for a month. Isn't that good enough?]

[If you feed them too well now, they'll be picky eaters when they grow up, with weak stomachs. You'll regret it.]

[My cousin is a senior nutritionist. I consulted with her about all this. You can all rest easy.]

This explanation convinced no one.

[If they get malnourished eating this and can't grow properly, that'll be a real problem. Grace's mom always used top-quality ingredients and none of the kids had any issues.]

[You should say less. Grace's mom already left the group. If you offend her now, will you take time off work and lose your perfect attendance bonus tomorrow, or will your husband?]

Both messages were immediately recalled.

They must have been meant as private messages but were accidentally sent to the group.

The group went quiet. No one raised any more objections.

Content and Happy messaged me privately.

[You saw the photos in the group, right? I bought all those vegetables for just thirty bucks. That means I net three hundred twenty-five a day.]

[I had no idea until I did the math. You must have made so much dirty money before. No wonder you can afford gold jewelry now.]

I ignored her, which made her even more smug.

[But I'm not the kind of person who kicks someone when they're down. Your husband ran off with someone, you don't have a job yourselfyou must be desperate to find work but worried about who'll watch your kid, right?]

[Why don't you send your daughter over too? I can give you a discount.]

[Don't be too proud to accept help. When you can't even afford food, don't come crying to me.]

From shameless provocation to outright slander.

I couldn't take it anymore and blocked her.

At dismissal time, I went to pick up my daughter.

I actually saw Content and Happy walking to pick up the kids.

The kids from the earliest-dismissing kindergarten must have already walked quite a distance with her.

Their little faces were all scrunched up, looking completely listless.

You have to understand, walking from the first kindergarten to the last elementary school and then back to the community was a total of four or five miles.

I felt sorry for those little ones.

But I didn't say anything.

I quietly thought to myself that her business wouldn't last long.

But I never imagined it would blow up that very evening.

I'd just finished washing up and gotten into bed when the group started blowing up with messages.

Everyone was mentioning me, all saying the same thing.

[@Grace's mom, help us!]