Just as Zhang Xiaohua's patience was about to be worn away, Ma Jing finally finished his compulsory ritual before going out.
Only then did he unhurriedly gather the things he needed for the trip. From a small cabinet beside the kang bed, he took out some silver, weighed it in his hand, and revealed an evil smile at the corner of his mouth.
Watching from the side, Zhang Xiaohua shook his head and thought, That smile really looks like a weasel paying New Year's calls to a chicken.
But then he froze. Looking at the silver in Ma Jing's hand, he seemed to realize what he had forgotten. When he had left Guo Village, all their money had been kept by Zhang Xiaohu. When he had parted from his second brother at the Lotus Escort Agency, he had brought only that small bundle with him, and there had not been a single coin inside. He had spent more than a month at the villa without any need for money, so naturally it had slipped his mind. But now that he was going out, having no money at all would be troublesome.
Of course, Zhang Xiaohua immediately remembered that when he had arrived at the villa, Sister Qiutong seemed to have said that working there earned three qian of silver each month. But he did not know how one collected it. He could not exactly go looking for Qiutong now. After being at the villa for so long, Zhang Xiaohua knew that Qiutong stayed in the Inner Courtyard, where mostly women lived. Servants from elsewhere could not simply go in. Besides, Qiutong seemed to hold no low position in the villa. To go looking for her so rashly over such a small matter would make him seem lacking in judgment. With