Jin Shanyao, with her eyes closed, said, "No... if he manages things well, he can even make a fortune."
"Oh... how so?" Meng Anci stared at her with a pale face and wide, unblinking black eyes.
Jin Shanyao and said, "This severe drought will affect three prefectures... At that time, food prices will rise, and if our prefecture has surplus grain..."
"I understand..." Meng Anci said, "Buy low and sell high... make a killing, that's called profiting from national disaster!"
Jin Shanyao her eyes and glanced at him sideways, "You want to profit from the national crisis? To drive ordinary people to their deaths???"
Seeing that his aunt's eyes were not right, Meng Anci quickly waved his hands, "No, no... I aspire to be an official like a teacher, thinking of the people and serving the court. How could I profit from the national crisis? Aunt, you're overthinking it."
Jin Shanyao him over suspiciously. To prevent the children from going astray, she decided to scare the siblings.
So he cleared his throat and began spouting nonsense, "Little kid... you'd better behave, or I'll be struck by lightning."
Startled, Meng Anci quickly covered Jin Shanyao's mouth, spitting out two "Pui pui pui..." sounds, before clasping his hands together and bowing to the sky.
"You misheard me, Thunder God and Lightning Mother. My aunt didn't say she was struck by lightning... She didn't say anything..."
After saying that, she looked down at Jin Shanyao and said helplessly, "Auntie, you're already prone to being struck by lightning, so you shouldn't talk nonsense in the future."
"Besides, I'm the one who gets punished for doing bad things... why should I punish you?"
"Because..." Jin Shanyao pointed at Meng Anzhi, "I taught her her skills, and I paid for yours, so if either of you does anything bad, the root cause is me."
Every cause has its effect; the first person God punished was me.
The siblings exchanged a glance. According to their aunt's logic, shouldn't all the tutors have been punished? Why was she singled out?
Seeing that the two children were silent, Jin Shanyao assumed they were frightened and felt smug, thinking that children were easy to fool.
"Listen to me, you two. I've built up this fortune so that you won't be bullied. If one day you use this fortune to cheat the people and profit from the national crisis, I, your aunt... won't escape this calamity."
The siblings understood; what did "being struck by lightning" mean? It meant they were afraid the children would do bad things.
Meng Anzhi feigned nervousness and said, "Auntie... don't worry, I will never do anything bad."
Meng Anci quickly assured her, "Auntie, I won't do anything bad."
Seeing their serious expressions, Jin Shanyao, fearing she might overreact, quickly tried to smooth things over, "What's bad, what's good... that depends on whose perspective you're looking at it from. I just hope you don't bully others, and if you're bullied, you should fight back."
The siblings laughed and said, "Okay... we'll do whatever Auntie says."
Just a few days after people switched to light clothing, there were many more vendors selling palm-leaf fans and cooling mats on the streets.
Shopkeeper Wang bought two palm-leaf fans and stood under the shop's awning, fanning himself vigorously. As he pulled at his thin shirt, he complained, "This June weather is abnormally hot."
"Hey... Shopkeeper Jin, why are you putting more and more chairs under your window?" Shopkeeper Wang stood by the window of the Anzhi Hall, leaning against the window frame and chatting with Jin Shanyao.
Jin Shanyao through the book in her hand and said, "This is for everyone to rest."
Shopkeeper Wang paused in his fanning, feeling a cool breeze wash over him. "Did you put ice in your shop? It's so cool here..."
He craned his neck to look into the shop, but there was nothing there. Shopkeeper Wang scratched his head in confusion, then plopped down on a chair outside.
"I'm just wondering, our houses are next to each other, how come yours is the cooler one?"
Jin Shanyao raised her head and smiled, "Twenty Cooling Talisman Paper... how about it?"
Shopkeeper Wang turned away, "No way, I'll just sit under your window, it'll be cool and free..." he said, then turned back around.
He said mysteriously, "Don't think I don't know, isn't that chair under your window for those women to sit on?"
"What woman??"
"I've observed all the victims of domestic violence... and those who are afraid to go home always come to sit with you for five or six days, and then their abusive husbands become obedient."
Shopkeeper Wang, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, asked curiously, "Tell me... if Xiaohua is ever bullied, I can stand up for her."
Jin Shanyao glanced at him indifferently, "Afraid of ghosts? If not... when Xiaohua is bullied someday, go to the mass grave and tell her everything about Xiao Xiaohua, and the ghosts will avenge you."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang broke out in a cold sweat and stiffened his neck, saying, "Ghosts... what's there to be afraid of? If my Xiaohua is bullied, I'm scarier than a ghost."
As the two were talking, Wang Jinlian came running over in a panic, carrying Xiao Huzi in her arms, shouting, " Shopkeeper Jin... Shopkeeper Jin, please look at Xiao Huzi! He's fainted!"
Shopkeeper Wang jumped up, rushed to her in a few steps, snatched the Xiao Huzi, and ran towards the Anzhi Hall.
Jin Shanyao as he placed Xiao Huzi on the soft couch, and the moment his hand touched Xiao Huzi's wrist, he felt an astonishing heat.
" Xiao Huzi... Xiao Huzi," Jin Shanyao called out twice, but there was no response. She then picked him up and ran to the backyard.
" Anzhi... place the recliner by the well, Qing He, come and draw water..."
"Hey..." Qing He hurriedly put down what she was doing and ran to the well.
Jin Shanyao undressed Xiao Huzi in a few quick movements, then placed him on a recliner.
She picked up a water ladle and splashed it on him. The first bucket of water wasn't cold; it was even a little warm. Jin Shan Yao saw Qing He Jin Shanyao in surprise.
"Keep hitting it, let the water cool down."
Qing He sighed, and just as her hand touched the well Shopkeeper Wang pushed her away. "I'll do it..." He was strong and shook the well quickly, and in a few strokes, he had a bucket of water up.
As Jin Shanyao her fan, splashing water under Xiao Huzi and thighs, she instructed Meng Anzhi, "This is a typical case of heatstroke."
Upon hearing the word "drunkenness," Wang Jinlian's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground. "Drunkenness is fatal... I've never heard of anyone ever being saved," she thought, covering her mouth tightly, afraid to utter a sound.
Tears streamed down her face as she stared intently at Xiao Huzi, watching him being doused with buckets of water...
Anzhi turned Xiao Huzi's head to the side and kept wiping his head with a cool cloth.
The ginkgo trees in the courtyard rustled, and a chill swept through, making Wang Jinlian shiver all over.
Qing He kept fanning Xiao Huzi until Xiao Huzi slowly opened his eyes, then she let her arms hang down as if relieved.
Wang Jinlian could no longer hold back and burst into tears. She wanted to hug Xiao Huzi but didn't dare, so she could only stand aside and scold him, "You stubborn mule... don't you know to hide in the shade?"
Xiao Huzi felt unwell all over, unable to muster any strength... He only felt a cool and comfortable sensation all over his body, but wait... why did it feel like a breeze was blowing on his skin?
Xiao Huzi looked down and, oh my god... he was naked... Looking around, he saw people everywhere... all eyes were on him. Xiao Huzi struggled to raise his hands and cover his private parts.
She silently closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them wide, "Stop looking! If you keep looking... I'll charge you if you keep looking!???"
Jin Shanyao a laugh, "Now you're shy... too late..."
She took the clothes Meng Anzhi handed her and draped them over Xiao Huzi, then said to Wang Jinlian, "Let him stay at the Anzhi Hall for the night, and go back once the situation stabilizes."
Wang Jinlian said gratefully, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Jin, thank you, Shopkeeper Jin..." Then she gritted her teeth and cursed, "This damn weather... how can it be this hot in June... Damn heavens, I wonder if they'll send a few more rain showers."