Treating Money Like Dirt

Lu Zhou was slightly taken aback. Then he took out his phone and, sure enough, saw the message Madam Yang had sent him.

[Teacher Lu, I'm terribly sorry. There's a company meeting, and I really can't make it back in time. I may not return until ten tonight. To compensate you for wasting your time, I'm willing to pay double your hourly rate. I hope you can forgive me.]

Double the hourly rate...

That meant four hundred an hour?

Lu Zhou sucked in a breath. Ma'am, please don't be so polite. It'd be fine even if you didn't come back tonight!

Though he knew that was unlikely.

"Do you want chicken or beef?" Han Mengqi poked her head out of the kitchen and asked Lu Zhou, who was sitting in the living room. "There are only sandwiches in the fridge. That woman locked the door, so even delivery can't get in."

Looking at the frozen sandwich in her hand, Lu Zhou couldn't help asking, "Is this what you eat for dinner?"

Han Mengqi asked indifferently, "What's wrong with it?"

Everything was wrong with it.

Lu Zhou sighed, rose from the sofa, and walked toward the kitchen.

"What... are you doing?" Han Mengqi took half a step back and asked suspiciously.

"I'll cook."

"You know how to cook?" Han Mengqi stared wide-eyed at Lu Zhou, looking utterly incredulous.

Lu Zhou put the wok in the sink and rinsed it out. Smiling, he said, "Heh, did you think I was like you?"

Han Mengqi lifted her chin unhappily. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. If you've got nothing to do, go to the living room and read what I wrote. It'll help you." Lu Zhou washed the wok without looking back.

This family apparently hadn't cooked in ages. Even the cooking pot had a layer of dust on it, and Lu Zhou had to rinse it several times before it was completely clean.

Besides the sandwiches, there were surprisingly some fresh ingredients in the fridge. According to Han Mengqi, they were for "that woman" to make salads with.

"Stir-fried cabbage, shredded chicken breast with peppers... Two dishes should be enough. I'll cook two cups of rice first. At worst, I'll eat more myself."

After placing the cutting board on the counter, Lu Zhou washed his hands and skillfully began chopping the ingredients. The chicken breast was more troublesome; it had to be blanched, but the water couldn't be too hot, or the meat would turn tough. That made for a pretty unpleasant texture.

But that wasn't much of a problem for Lu Zhou.

During the period when his mother had been in poor health, he had cooked for the family almost every day. Although he hadn't touched a kitchen in over two years, things he had learned weren't so easily forgotten.

Sitting on the living room sofa and listening to the chopping sounds coming from the kitchen, Han Mengqi stared at the outline Lu Zhou had spent the afternoon writing for her. Her thoughts were restless, and she couldn't focus at all.

Who knew how much time passed before the kitchen door opened, followed by a wisp of food fragrance reaching her nose.

Han Mengqi's nose twitched slightly. Then she swallowed, and her stomach let out an embarrassing growl all on its own.

Then Lu Zhou's voice came over.

"If you're hungry, come eat. Serve yourself some rice."

Han Mengqi had wanted to say something cutting, but after looking at the study materials on the coffee table and then at the food on the dining table, she ultimately swallowed those inappropriate words. Lowering her head, she quietly said, "Oh," then slipped into the bathroom.

People could tell kindness from malice, after all. They naturally responded differently to goodwill and hostility.

After washing her hands, Han Mengqi picked up a bowl, served herself less than half a bowl of rice, and sat across from Lu Zhou.

Looking at the two ordinary home-cooked dishes on the table, she hesitated before picking up a small slice of cabbage with her chopsticks. Then she suddenly shot Lu Zhou a wary look. "You didn't put anything weird in this, did you?"

Lu Zhou nearly choked on a grain of rice. He looked up and glared fiercely at the little girl. "Is something wrong with your brain? What do you think I'm eating right now?"

Han Mengqi's face reddened. She realized her question had been idiotic, but she refused to admit it and stubbornly argued, "Isn't there stuff where you take the antidote beforehand and then nothing happens...?"

"Too many TV dramas have fried your brain." Lu Zhou was merciless. "If you don't want to eat, then forget it. Go back and chew on your sandwiches."

Han Mengqi stuck out her tongue, said nothing else, and continued eating.

The two of them didn't exchange a single word during the meal.

After slowly finishing his bowl of rice, Lu Zhou was about to get up when he suddenly noticed in surprise that Han Mengqi had taken her bowl back into the kitchen and returned with another serving.

That seemed to be her third bowl.

Could this girl really eat that much?

Lu Zhou gave her small, slender frame a doubtful glance. She didn't look like the type who could eat much at all.

Maybe she only served herself a little each time?

Thinking that, Lu Zhou walked over to the rice cooker and opened it. He instantly froze.

It was gone?

Lu Zhou turned around and looked at Han Mengqi, who was wolfing down her food with her head lowered.

"Why... are you looking at me?" Noticing his gaze and feeling a little embarrassed, Han Mengqi barely swallowed the food in her mouth and said softly, "Want me to share some with you?"

"No need... You're still growing. You should eat more." Lu Zhou shook his head and carried the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen sink.

By the time he had more or less finished cleaning up the kitchen, Han Mengqi silently walked in carrying her empty plate and bowl. Looking somewhat embarrassed, she said to Lu Zhou, "How about... I wash them?"

This tutor was so diligent that she felt a little embarrassed herself.

"No need. Just leave them there. You'd be better off spending the time doing two more problems in the living room." Lu Zhou continued washing the cutting board without looking back.

Studying again!

Han Mengqi stuck out her tongue at Lu Zhou's back and made a face. Ignoring him, she turned and went back to the living room.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Lu Zhou returned to the living room. Seeing the little girl lying beside the coffee table and reading what he had written, he smiled knowingly. He walked over, sat beside her, and asked, "So? Can you understand it?"

"Hmph... It's too easy."

"Easy? You got quite a few of these easy questions wrong." Lu Zhou casually pulled out a test paper. "For example, this one. Determine the positional relationship between a line and a circle based on their equations. As far as I'm concerned, it's a free point."

Han Mengqi pouted and argued, "...You're already in college, of course you think it's easy."

"Really? You don't learn this stuff in college. Besides, I haven't touched this kind of problem in over a year. I only reviewed it this afternoon." Lu Zhou smiled.

"...Anyway, this is just how I am at math. Say whatever you want." Han Mengqi simply gave up, leaned back against the sofa, and crossed one leg over the other.

"Giving up? I think you can still be saved," Lu Zhou said.

"You don't need to comfort me. I know exactly what my situation is. I barely studied at all last semester." Han Mengqi crossed her arms, her expression blank.

"You don't even have the courage to give it a try?" Lu Zhou said with a smile.

"...Reverse psychology won't work on me."

Ah...

He hadn't expected her to see through him.

The atmosphere turned cold again. Han Mengqi lowered her head and played with her phone. Though he didn't know why she hadn't gone back to shut herself in her room, she didn't say another word to Lu Zhou.

The sky outside gradually darkened, and Lu Zhou went over to switch on the living room lights.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that a house being too large wasn't necessarily a good thing.

It was fine when there were more people around, but if you were alone, it was genuinely a little creepy. Those empty, pitch-black doorways seemed capable of sucking out a person's soul.

Lu Zhou took a book from the study bookshelf, returned to the living room sofa, and quietly began reading.

Han Mengqi, who had been playing with her phone, suddenly sneaked a glance at him and softly said something.

"Thank you."

"Hm?" Lu Zhou turned his face slightly and looked at her in confusion.

"The food you made... was delicious." Han Mengqi stared straight at her phone screen and spoke stiffly.

"It was just something simple... Hasn't your mom ever cooked for you?" Lu Zhou asked.

Han Mengqi's expression instantly turned cold. "Her? She can't cook... And forget cooking. I hardly see her at all in a day."

No wonder she had eaten so eagerly. It turned out she hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.

Lu Zhou had thought his cooking had improved again. Turns out it had just been an illusion.

"What about your father?"

The moment he asked that question, Lu Zhou regretted it, because the answer was obvious.

"He's in court with my mom. It's probably almost over." Sitting on the sofa with her knees hugged to her chest, Han Mengqi said it expressionlessly.

His Adam's apple shifted slightly. For some reason, seeing that expression on her face made Lu Zhou feel a little sorry for her.

Staring straight ahead, Han Mengqi suddenly spoke.

"...Will you cook for me again someday?"

Lu Zhou thought for a moment. "If you study seriously, I'll consider it."

"...What? So there are conditions. How boring." Han Mengqi clicked her tongue and turned her head away.

"After all, my job has performance evaluations too. If your mother thinks I'm taking her money without doing any work, she might fire me in a few days, right?"

"...Then there's nothing I can do. That woman is always like this, always forcing people to do things." Han Mengqi lowered her head and tightened her arms around her knees. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I'll try to work hard, but I can't promise anything."

"Mm." Lu Zhou smiled. "Then it's a deal."

The two of them chatted on and off about studying. The atmosphere had been somewhat stiff at first, but later it became much smoother.

It was almost eleven when the sound of a car finally came from downstairs.

Before long, the front door opened, and Madam Yang finally returned home.

Han Mengqi silently glanced at her mother. They didn't exchange a single word. She only gave a light, defiant snort before returning to her room.

The strong businesswoman's expression remained unchanged. After glancing at the study materials and outline on the coffee table, her brows relaxed slightly. She lowered her head toward Lu Zhou, and her tired voice carried deep apology. "I'm truly sorry for taking up so much of your time. Shall I drive you home?"

"There's no need to trouble yourself. I can just call a Didi." Lu Zhou hurriedly waved his hand and smiled. "You should spend more time with your daughter at home. Her math foundation still needs more work. I made a study outline for her. As long as she's willing to put in the time, I believe catching up won't be too difficult with her ability."

"Thank you, Teacher Lu. I'll make sure she follows through." Madam Yang nodded slightly.

"...No need to be so polite. I'll be leaving now. Oh, and you two should communicate more... I mean regarding her studies. After all, this isn't something that can be rushed. Pushing her too hard will only backfire. It's better to let the child take charge and find a pace that suits her for solving her problems."

After once again declining Madam Yang's offer to drive him home, Lu Zhou took the elevator downstairs and pulled out his phone to call a Didi.

After he got in the car, Madam Yang transferred the tutoring payment directly to his phone through WeChat.

The first five hours were calculated at two hundred per hour, and the latter five at four hundred per hour, for a total of exactly three thousand.

Looking at the three thousand yuan tutoring fee, he couldn't help but sigh.

Rich people really did treat money like dirt.

He only had a little over three thousand in his bank account in total. Now his total assets had directly doubled.

If not for the school-organized summer tutoring sessions from Monday to Friday, he would have loved to come here every day...