“Dream of Red Mansions” had stopped updating a long time ago, but Wan Qiu didn’t know about it.

Therefore, it was important to obtain information and updates from the outside world in a timely manner. If Wan Qiu did not stay so indoors and went out more, he would know how badly he was deceived by Lian Zhou.

.

The spring was bright in March, with plum blossoms and hundreds of flowers blooming.

In the room, two adults and one child were sitting around the window. After Lian Zhou’s reading was able to put the little bun to sleep, Wan Qiu could no longer hold on any longer.

His eyelids were twitching, and he was becoming less and less interested in the stories Lian Zhou told. He just wanted to finish listening for this month’s money and stop coming.

Lian Zhou had two panda eyes from working on the manuscript all night, and he got angry when he saw Wan Qiu’s sleepy look.

He felt that his talent and dedication had not received the respect they deserved. In anger, he slammed the table and said, “I’m talking! Are you listening?”

“Ah!” Wan Qiu was shocked by Lian Zhou’s voice. He quickly wiped the corners of his mouth and sat up straight, like a student who was caught taking a nap during class. He nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes, yes, I’m listening.”

“Then tell me, what part I was speaking about?”

“Speaking of…” What was it again?

“Tch! If you don’t want to hear it, I’m not willing to say it anymore!” Lian Zhou snorted, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and stretched out his hand toward Wan Qiu, “Today is the last day, it’s time to renew, two hundred taels, bring it.”

“Ah? So fast?” Wan Qiu whispered his doubts: “Isn’t there still more than ten days?”

“What more than ten days?” Lian Zhou settled the accounts for Wan Qiu: “Today is the beginning of the month, and last month has already passed. Please pay me quickly.”

“But I only listened to it for fifteen days, not even a month…”

“Who asked you to pay the money in the middle of the month? It will be cleared automatically at the end of the month. You have to pay again to enjoy this month’s services, otherwise I won’t tell you.”

Wan Qiu was stupid and could only suffer the consequences. He nodded and said, “Okay, I won’t listen anymore.” After saying that, he picked up the sleeping little bun and left.

Lian Zhou was stunned and hurriedly grabbed this stupidly rich meal ticket: “The story is not over yet. Are you sure you don’t want to hear it anymore? You don’t want to know the follow-up?”

Wan Qiu felt that the author failed the book and had no desire to renew the deal, so he shook his head.

“Forget it, I’ll give you a discount, one hundred and eighty taels.”

“No.”

“One hundred and fifty taels!”

“I really don’t want to hear it anymore.”

“One hundred taels?”

Wan Qiu walked toward the courtyard gate.

“Is fifty taels enough?” Lian Zhou snatched the little bun from Wan Qiu’s arms and gritted his teeth: “Don’t push me too far, it won’t even be able to pay back my labor. Fifty taels, it can’t be any less.”

Wan Qiu frowned a little hesitantly: “But…”

“It’s so cheap, if you don’t want to…” Lian Zhou rolled his eyes, turned around and ran away while holding the little bun who woke up, “I won’t give you the baby.”

“…!”

Wan Qiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When he went back to the house to get money, he happened to bump into Shan Yu and asked strangely: “Husband, why are you back so early?”

“Didn’t you agree to celebrate the child’s first birthday tomorrow and go shopping today? Did you forget?”

“Oh yes!”

“Where’s the child?”

“At Lian Zhou…” Wan Qiu told Shan Yu what happened, a little surprised, “He actually lowered the price to fifty taels for me all of a sudden. Husband, do you think it’s strange?”

Shan Yu laughed and said to himself that ‘you are so easy to deceive, it would be strange if he failed to cheat you.’ He pulled Wan Qiu out and said, “Then just let him watch the child. Let’s take Grandpa Yaba out for a walk and buy something back.”

.

The other side……

Lian Zhou looked at the getting darker sky and fell into deep thought: ‘Is this right? You don’t even want to take out fifty taels for the sake of your own child?’

He looked down at the little bun in his arms who was silently brewing his emotions, and warned him a little nervously: “Don’t cry!”

“~~~Woo~”

“If you dare to cry, I will throw you out to feed the wolves!”

“Woo~” the little bun clenched his little fists to hold back, two hot tears welled up in his eyes. The moment he couldn’t help but fall, he couldn’t bear it anymore and just closed his eyes and started crying: “Woooooo~~~ Wow~”

.

When Wan Qiu and Shan Yu were bringing money and food to buy back their son, Lian Zhou was coaxing the little bun to talk.

There were no lights in the house, and two people, one big and one small, were lying on the windowsill to bask in the moonlight. Shan Yu stood under the eaves and listened to Lian Zhou talking to himself. He knew that he was homesick and lonely.

These days, Lian Zhou read to Wan Qiu, it was true that he was doing it for money, and it was also true it was to relieve his loneliness, just like when he promised to be with Er Zhu, it was just to replace Shan Yu’s company.

Shan Yu thought about how he slapped Lian Zhou not long ago, and sighed in his heart. He walked over, but before he could speak, the window was slammed shut by Lian Zhou from the inside, and his nose was slapped with dust.

“Lian Zhou, I brought you the new pastries from Daohua Village.” Shan Yu opened the window and put the things in his hands on the low table. He took out a few banknotes from his sleeves and looked at Lian Zhou’s back: “I saw the clothing store has new spring clothes, and there are red ones you like. You…”

Lian Zhou waved his sleeves and threw everything on the table to the ground, without giving Shan Yu a chance to continue talking.

The two of them grew up together and know each other well.

Shan Yu knew that Lian Zhou would never forget if he didn’t take serious action against Lian Zhou, so he set up rules for the sake of Wan Qiu. Lian Zhou also understood that the moment Shan Yu attacked him, he was already separated from each other, so he simply stayed alone and away from him.

The relationship between them was very deep, and now there was a rift, it was really difficult to repair it.

Shan Yu had no choice but to hold the little bun into his arms through the window and left. Wan Qiu stayed behind and asked Lian Zhou cautiously: “The child will be one year old tomorrow, will you come?”

Lian Zhou didn’t say anything and slammed the window shut with his backhand. Just like Shan Yu, Wan Qiu was slapped with the dust from the window.

.

Lian Zhou didn’t show up the next day. They knew from Grandpa Yaba that he had gone out early in the morning.

“Forget it, don’t wait for him anymore, let’s eat after the catch ceremony.”

Shan Yu put the little bun wearing new clothes on the matted table and watched the little guy look around at the things on the table, and finally crawled toward the direction where Wan Qiu was standing.

What was placed there was pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

Parents in this world always wanted their children to be famous and dignified as scholar.

The same with Wan Qiu, the expectation for the little bun was that he could study well and practice calligraphy when he grew up, and in the future, he would be a scholar and win the first prize, and raise their family’s status.

He deliberately stood in front of pen, ink, paper and inkstone, bringing a guidance for the little bun.

And the little bun did as Wan Qiu wished, crawling towards him with a smile and a wet mouth, with his butt shaking. Seeing that he was about to reach Wan Qiu, the little bun suddenly turned his little head and looked at Shan Yu.

What was placed in front of him was an abacus.