"Father said studying makes you wise. The more you learn, the more money you can earn. He told me before, when he carried sacks, he sweated buckets for a whole month just to earn one tael of silver. Now, he just uses his brain and easily makes three taels a month. Knowledge is money, the more you know, the more you earn."
Guaizai sat on a stool, his short legs dangling in the air, swinging back and forth. "I can do simple math now, but the hard stuff is still too much." He pouted, rubbing his head with a troubled expression.
"Father said I’m too small. He’ll only teach me this much for now. If he teaches me too much, my little head will explode from remembering."
It was clearly Fang Zichen teasing him, but Aunt Liu and Zhou Ger laughed.
"Our Guaizai is so smart," Aunt Liu said, then thought for a moment. "Let Auntie test you, okay?"
Guaizai placed his hands on his knees, looking well-behaved. "Okay~"
Aunt Liu recalled her last trip to town to sell vegetables. "I went to sell veggies—six bunches for two coins, eight bunches for three coins. And ten eggs—three eggs for two coins. How much did I earn in total?"
Zhou Ger and Uncle Liu frowned.
They thought Aunt Liu’s question was too hard—they couldn’t even solve it themselves.
Zhou Ger turned around, counting on his fingers, but Guaizai’s crisp voice rang out first.
"Forty-two coins! And one egg left."
Aunt Liu was speechless.
Zhou Ger, impatient, asked, "Is Guaizai’s answer right?"
"It’s right," Aunt Liu said, her throat dry.
She’d been selling vegetables for over a decade and still couldn’t calculate that much at once. Counting one by one, she could manage.
But Guaizai, so young, had figured it out so quickly. It seemed Fang Zichen had taught him well!
Aunt Liu patted his head. "Our Guaizai is so clever. When you have time, can you teach Liuliu a little too?"
"Okay~"
____
Meanwhile, Liu Laizi and He Ergou had just returned from town. As they walked, He Ergou suddenly stopped and pulled Liu Laizi behind a tree.
"What are you—?"
"Shh." He Ergou pointed. "Look over there, isn’t that Zhao Ger and Ma Wen?"
The moment Liu Laizi heard Zhao Ger’s name, his whole body ached reflexively.
Fang Zichen hadn’t held back when beating him last time. Even after half a month, his leg hadn’t fully healed, and he was still missing a tooth.
He Ergou peeked out from behind the tree, watching as Zhao Ger and Ma Wen stood close together. He clicked his tongue. "What do you think they’re doing? This place is so remote, could it be…?"
"Shut up," Liu Laizi said.
They weren’t too far away, and with no one else around, though Zhao Ger and Ma Wen weren’t speaking loudly, their words were still audible.
"Zhao Ger, can’t you give me a chance? I know I wasn’t good before. You hate my parents too. But if you’d just agree, I’ll separate from them. We’ll move out, far away. Please?"
Zhao Ger moved to the left, clearly trying to avoid answering and walk past, but Ma Wen stepped in his way.
"Zhao Ger~"
Country men weren’t good with words. They didn’t know how to sweet-talk or beg eloquently. Ma Wen’s pleas for forgiveness were always the same few phrases.
After that time by the river, Ma Wen had cornered him several more times. Each time, Zhao Ger refused outright, but the man was stubborn and wouldn’t listen.
"Can you stop bothering me?" Zhao Ger gave him a cold look, enunciating clearly. "Like your parents said, I’m just a lowly person. With your status, you could have any girl you want."
Ma Wen worked loading cargo on boats. Though it was hard labor and kept him away from home most of the year, the pay was good—over six hundred coins a month. Most villagers were illiterate and struggled to find decent work, so Ma Wen was considered one of the most promising men in the village.
"But I’ve always liked you. Since we were kids," Ma Wen said.
Hearing this again, Zhao Ger found it almost laughable.
What exactly did Ma Wen mean by "like"?
If he liked him, why had he stood by and watched him get beaten and cursed at, never once speaking up for him?
The thought amused him, and he actually laughed.
"Stop saying that. You don’t even deserve to use the word ‘like.’"
His voice wasn’t loud, but his tone was icy, making his words especially cutting.
Ma Wen lowered his head. When Zhao Ger tried to leave, he grabbed his arm again.
"You’ve fallen for Fang Zichen, haven’t you? That’s why no matter what I say or how I beg, you won’t be with me, right?"
"Yes!"
"…Answering so bluntly," Ma Wen looked up, lips trembling. "Zhao Ger, do you think your words don’t hurt me at all? We were together for so long, I was the one by your side first. He’s only been with you for two months, and you already like him this much? Is that fair to me?"
Zhao Ger didn’t answer directly. He just shook off Ma Wen’s hand and said irritably, "I never liked you."
"I know. You never liked me," Ma Wen said. "I wasn’t good to you before, so you didn’t like me. I’ve always known. You’ve said it many times, it was just me liking you. I was the one telling everyone you were my fulang. It was all me…"
The wind blew against his face, turning Ma Wen’s eyes red.
"Give me one more chance. I’m begging you. I’ll—I’ll even kneel for you."
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