Eyes only for money

What an utterly irrefutable argument.

Su Yuhe thought for 0.01 seconds before reacting.

She threw herself into Xubai's arms. "Is it that easy to earn? Then let me do it instead."

Young as this boy was, his view of things was sharp and thorough. To stop her from running off once she had raked in enough money, he actually gave her neither too much nor too little.

Enough to feed her, and feed her well, enough to get by, a little better than an ordinary farming household, but not enough to save much. Once she stopped living off him, she would have no steady income.

Most sugar daddies would never think that far ahead, yet he had. Not only did he bluntly point out her lack of ambition, he even threatened her: if she dared leave, he would have her hacked into ten thousand pieces.

Daring to say such a thing was truly outrageous defiance in this society.

Even an ordinary wealthy household could not have raised someone so wild and reckless.

Anyway, no matter what, he was better off than a refugee like her, with no father, no mother, and no land. Back then, she had considered throwing away her rice bowl and running away, but she really could not think of anywhere to go, so she could only keep living off him.

Now, this ferocious youth pinched her cheek. "No."

Su Yuhe wrapped her arms around his waist. The youth's waist was slim, and his chest was not broad either, but his arms were quite strong as he held her tightly.

She tipped her face up. "Really?"

"Did you come to see me for money?"

She silently answered in her heart, Yes, I came for money.

She did not dare say that aloud and tugged at his sleeve. "Why can they do it, but I can't? You're playing favorites."

"I'm not."

"Then why are you helping them earn money but not me?"

Xubai bent a finger and flicked her forehead. "All you can think of is me helping them earn money. Is money the only thing in that head of yours?"

Su Yuhe clenched both fists and thumped his chest. "When they're at my place, they earn money for me. When they come here, they're still earning money for me. The difference is that you're willing to give them silver but not me. You are playing favorites."

After all his overt and covert probing, he saw only her yearning for money, without the slightest attachment to matters between men and women. His lips curved into a pleased smile.

"Aren't you going to look at the gift I brought back for you?"

She immediately stopped what she was doing and looked around, but saw nothing that resembled a gift. "What gift? Where is it?"

Xubai gestured with his chin toward the floor beside them. "Over there."

"Why is my gift on the floor?"

She went over to pick up the wooden box, but it was much heavier than she had expected.

She failed to lift it on her first try, so she simply gave up on picking it up and opened it on her legs instead.

The moment she opened it, the contents stunned her. Everything was golden and looked like gold.

Su Yuhe's complaints died on her lips. Her eyes widened, her mouth hung open in shock, and the corners of her lips kept rising wildly.

She turned to look at Xubai. "Th-this is all for me?"

Xubai leaned against the table, his eyes and brows smiling. "Do you like it?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes. I love it."

"Do you like the gold, or do you like it because it's from me?"

"Both. Both."

Su Yuhe hugged the heavy wooden box, already having decided where she would buy a grand residence, how it would be laid out, and how much spending money she would give the husbands at home each month.

"As long as you like it. But it's only for you to use. If I discover anything missing, or see it on someone else..."

She understood his unspoken meaning perfectly and nodded vigorously without a second thought. "You gave it to me. Why would I give it to anyone else? Don't worry."

Xubai said nothing more. Having just received something nice, Su Yuhe was in no hurry to go back to copying books, and poured out sweet words as though they cost nothing.

By dusk, the small kitchen delivered another meal carrying the smell of medicine. Su Yuhe decisively rose to leave, not even intending to say goodbye.

Xubai spotted her at once and raised a handsome brow. "Come back."

She stopped without turning around. "I suddenly remembered I have something to do. I'll be going."

"What could be more urgent than eating? Sit down and finish before you go back."

Since he had said that, Su Yuhe could only stay and drink another two bowls of chicken soup sweetened with red dates.

"Come earlier tomorrow, and bring those books you keep going on about."

"Oh, all right." She put all the dishes into the food carrier in a few quick movements. "I'm leaving, then."

The sun had been blazing when Su Yuhe came out; she returned cloaked in stars and moonlight.

Lu Mingyi was waiting at the gate with a lantern. Seeing her return, he said nothing and followed her into the courtyard.

She handed him the food carrier. "Have you eaten? If not, have some."

Although they were leftovers, not much of any dish had been eaten.

She did not like them, while Xubai seemed to have some sort of compulsion: he took only two bites of each dish, never a third. A plate of leftovers looked as though no chopsticks had touched it.

"Wife!"

Hearing the sounds outside, Lu Mingxi hurried toward her and stopped three steps away. "Wife, come eat."

She stepped forward and pinched Lu Mingxi's cheek. "I've eaten. You all go ahead. I have something to tell you later."

Lu Mingyi carried the food carrier toward the kitchen and gave his younger brother a light kick with the tip of his foot as he passed.