Zuo Xiaonian's beautiful eyes shone, her face radiant as she nodded repeatedly.
Zuo Xiaoduo rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "Dad, now that I'm already a powerhouse, I'm afraid two jars of wine won't be enough."
Wu Yuting scoffed. "Not enough? Last New Year, who drank just two cups and then monopolized the toilet for half the night? Who was it again? My memory really is failing me."
Zuo Xiaoduo flushed scarlet. "Mom! I'm a Martial Warrior now! A Martial Warrior!"
"A Martial Warrior? How impressive! How lofty and grand!"
Wu Yuting curled her lips. "Why do I seem to remember that Nian Nian Cat sitting next to you is already a Grandmaster? I wonder what rank of peerless powerhouse a Martial Warrior might be?"
Zuo Xiaoduo pouted, pretending to be angry.
"Let's eat!"
Zuo Changlu gave the order as though smoothing things over.
Zuo Xiaoduo, who had still been putting on an act a moment ago, simply reached out and seized a Phoenix Chicken drumstick, then stuffed it into his mouth with the speed of wind and lightning. His cheeks instantly bulged as he chewed in great mouthfuls. "Delicious, delicious!"
The whole family could not help laughing.
"Oh, right, Doggy," Wu Yuting said, remembering something. "Didn't you say there was some bad news too? What was it?"
Zuo Xiaoduo immediately remembered his sorrow. "Ah, don't even mention it. That school I go to is downright crooked... You have to pay for the Martial Warrior Class. A lot of money. Tuition..."
His face was full of melancholy. "So crooked..."
Zuo Changlu, Wu Yuting, and Zuo Xiaonian all looked speechless.
Wasn't paying tuition to attend school only natural? How was that crooked, let alone so crooked?!
"Just tell us how much."
Zuo Changlu sipped his wine. "Money, we have. In this family, anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem. Out with it."
"A hundred thousand! A hundred thousand! And another fifty pieces of low-grade Star Soul Jade on top of that! Tell me, tell me that isn't crooked!"
Zuo Xiaoduo spoke in bitter anguish. "All that money, and it's only for one semester!"
"Tell me, isn't that crooked?!"
Zuo Xiaoduo let out a long sigh.
"Crooked? That's quite normal," Zuo Changlu said unconcernedly. His casual tone left Zuo Xiaoduo so astonished that it even felt unreal.
He had thought his dad would at least be shocked for a good while, feel the pinch for a good while, and struggle with it for a while. But instead...
"A hundred thousand in tuition isn't too outrageous. Several months of cultivation for a Martial Warrior should cost about that much."
Looking perfectly relaxed, Zuo Changlu slapped down a card and said mildly, "There's eighty thousand on this."
Then he reached into his pocket again. "I'll give you another twenty thousand in cash."
"Dad!"
Zuo Xiaoduo and Zuo Xiaonian spoke at the same time.
Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting turned to look at them.
"You first."
"You first."
The sister and brother spoke simultaneously.
In the end, Zuo Xiaonian bit her lip and bravely said, "I have some money... Let me pay Doggy's tuition."
Zuo Changlu narrowed his eyes. "You have money? How much money do you have?"
It was quite obvious that Zuo Xiaonian regretted speaking as soon as the words were out. Now that he pressed her, her face filled with fear, and she shrank back. "About... two hundred... a little over two hundred thousand... I think?"
"Hmm?" Wu Yuting immediately put down her chopsticks and turned toward her. "Where did it come from?"
Zuo Xiaonian stammered, "Th-this... this, this... My master gave it to me... Ahem, yes, my master gave it to me."
Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting stared fixedly at Zuo Xiaonian, all four eyes on her, without saying a word for a long while.
"My master really gave it to me." Zuo Xiaonian plucked up her courage.
The two of them continued to stare at her silently.
After a long time, Zuo Xiaonian conceded defeat and hung her head dejectedly. "I... I carried out a few... missions..."
Still, no one spoke.
The atmosphere grew heavier than ever before.
Zuo Xiaonian spoke faster and faster. "I wasn't trying to hide it from the family on purpose... But I'm grown up now too. I'm grown up, right? I should do something for this family too. Mom, you just said I'm a Grandmaster. If I still don't do anything, wouldn't I just be an ornament...? Those missions I took were all very simple... Very simple, easy!!"
She stressed her words, emphasizing how easy the missions were.
Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting still said nothing.
Even Zuo Xiaonian's eyes reddened. "They r-really were easy."
Zuo Changlu turned his head expressionlessly and looked at Zuo Xiaoduo. "What were you going to say?"
Zuo Xiaoduo immediately began to stammer. "I... Huh? I... I, um, I, er, oh, I meant... I-I-I... The little bit of secret money I've saved over the years... I can help chip in..."
"Secret money?" Wu Yuting narrowed her eyes and sighed. "What could that little bit of money of yours do, my silly Doggy?"
Zuo Xiaoduo immediately bristled. "I have over ten thousand..."
"Hmm? What?!"
Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting both exclaimed at once. Even Zuo Xiaonian turned to look at him in surprise.
Wu Yuting frowned. "Even if you emptied out all the money hidden in that copy of Mainland Chronicles, there was only five thousand in total. Where did over ten thousand come from?"
Zuo Xiaonian nodded frantically, desperately steering the conversation toward Zuo Xiaoduo. "Exactly, Mom. I secretly counted it the day before yesterday. It was exactly five thousand, not a cent more or less. Now he's saying over ten thousand. Something's definitely wrong. Mom, you need to interrogate him thoroughly."
"????"
Zuo Xiaoduo looked utterly bewildered.
His eyes instantly widened. If his eye sockets had not held them back, his eyeballs might have burst right out.
His mouth opened so wide that the drumstick in it fell out with a plop. Fortunately, his greatly improved cultivation meant his reaction was quick enough. He ducked his head sharply and sucked all the meat into his mouth with a slurp, swallowing it in a great mouthful. What landed on the floor was nothing but a dry, bare bone.
Only after another unconscious chew did he ask in shock, "My money... I... My secret stash... How do you all know so much about it?"