Xie Xinghan extended her fair wrist and adjusted the Purple Glazed Glass Hairpin in her hair, saying casually:
"Not much. Just a few tens of thousands."
"How much??????????"
Wang Yang was dumbstruck.
Xie Xinghan covered her mouth with her slender hand, her starry eyes curving with laughter.
Realizing he had been tricked, Wang Yang played along, patting his chest as though still shaken:
"You know I'm fainthearted, yet you still scare me like that..."
Xie Xinghan wrinkled her nose and gave a girlish huff:
"You, fainthearted? You've got more nerve than anyone!"
Wang Yang sighed mournfully:
"All the nerve in the world can't make up for being poor..."
Xie Xinghan grew curious. "Just how poor are you?"
Wang Yang changed the subject. "Don't distract me. I'm asking about their monthly wages."
"They'll be paid out of my family's accounts anyway. You needn't worry!"
"That won't do," Wang Yang said firmly. "You've given them to me, so naturally I should pay their wages."
Xie Xinghan turned her head away, refusing to look at him:
"I'm giving you a present, not asking you to spend money..."
"By that logic, giving me Big Black Steed wasn't enough either. You'd have to supply his fodder every month too!" At this, Wang Yang sucked in a breath and muttered to himself, "No, I'd better hurry and ask for those Red Scales I gave Le Pang back. Otherwise their fish food will be my responsibility too..."
Xie Xinghan could not help giggling. "Oh, why are you so annoying!"
"But that's exactly how it works," Wang Yang said solemnly.
Xie Xinghan knew that, amusing as his words were, Wang Yang had his own firm intentions, so she stopped insisting:
"All right, all right. Since you refuse my kindness, I'll tell you. The leader gets two thousand, and