China girl, 12, uses lai see money to buy shop, paying mum US$440 salary to run it for her

2026.03.17 01:20 A 12-year-old girl in China used her lai see money and savings to buy a stationery shop and then hired her mother to run it for her. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin A 12-year-old girl from central China showed her business acumen by using her savings to buy a stationery shop and hiring her mother for 3,000 yuan (US$440) a month. Li Yue, who lived in Jiangxi province and received over 44,000 yuan (US$6,400) in lai see during the Spring Festival, decided to invest the money in a business. She believed that depositing the money in the bank would offer an interest rate too low to keep up with inflation. Li Yue pulls up the shutters of her shop at the start of another busy day. Photo: YouTube While on her way to the bank, Li spotted a stationery shop for sale and decided to seize the opportunity. Despite her mother’s caution about potential risks of loss, Li remained determined and used her lai see money to buy the store. During the holiday, she took responsibility for stocking up on products and managing the business. When school resumed in March, Li hired her mother with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. Li handled supplier negotiations, set prices and adjusted the business strategy, while her mother managed daily operations. Li pictured sitting behind the payment counter of her well-stocked shop. Photo: YouTube Each morning, Li opened the store, checked the inventory and then headed to class. After school, she did her homework at the shop before helping her mother until 8.30pm. She also taught herself artificial intelligence (AI) tools to manage bookkeeping and created a visual ledger. When the shop’s revenue plummeted last week, Li took decisive action. She slashed prices and explained to her mother: “If we worry too much about sunk costs, the products will not sell and we could face a cash flow problem.” School girl Li makes sure a transaction with a customer goes smoothly. Photo: YouTube Li sold small items for just one yuan to attract young students an

原文链接: 南华早报