Under the bright lights, the porcelain-white dinner plates faintly reflected an oily sheen. Scattered utensils lay on the wooden dining table, some neatly arranged, others in disarray. Larkspur leaned against the back of her chair with her arms folded, the fingers of her right hand slowly tapping against her elbow.
Across the table, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang sat primly.
Several plates of still-warm home-cooked dishes sat between them. They looked like they should have tasted quite good, but much of the food remained untouched. Everyone around the table looked tense. Even Nini sat stiffly upright, while only Moko at the corner of the table continued to eat with complete abandon.
After dinner, Larkspur had the two girls recount the entire matter in front of everyone. Upon learning that all the money she had given them for study materials had been diverted elsewhere, she pressed her lips together and remained silent for a long while.
This made the already guilty Lin Xiaolu even more nervous. Though she sat properly, her eyes remained fixed on her knees as if there were some treasure on the floor. Xia Liang was not as frightened as Lin Xiaolu, but she clearly knew she had truly done something wrong. She wore a placating smile, her eyes full of pleading as she looked at Larkspur.
Larkspur's gaze moved back and forth across their faces. After a while, she closed her eyes and sighed helplessly. "So, both of you spent the money I gave you for study materials, but didn't buy any books."
The two girls neither moved nor spoke, clearly admitting it by default.
"What more can I say? You're both old enough now. I don't need to teach you such basic principles as spending money responsibly."
She narrowed her eyes, her tone gradually softening. "I'm