Li Laizi didn’t take the money. “I told you, I’m not taking payment.”
“Then don’t come tomorrow.”
Without hesitation, Li Laizi stuffed the twenty copper coins into his robe and asked pitifully: “Can I still come tomorrow? Since you stopped going to the gambling house, it’s no fun for me alone. I don’t even want to keep collecting gambling debts anymore. Mingzhu, we grew up together. You can’t just leave me to starve, can you?”
Over the past few days, the braised-meat business had become much busier than before. Xu Mingzhu had already been thinking about hiring someone to help, even before her eldest brother returned. Remembering Li Laizi’s tragic fate in the original story, she couldn’t bring herself to ignore him.
“You can come if you’re here to work. As for anything else, forget it.”
“Alright. Then I’ll just work.”
With Li Laizi running around helping with everything, Xu Mingzhu genuinely felt much less burdened.
After they finished packing up, Li Laizi returned with four bowls of sweet soup he had bought somewhere. “Auntie, Mingzhu, come have some sweet soup!”
Xu Ming’an accepted his bowl with a grin.
Mother Xu declined several times, but eventually relented. Speaking earnestly, she said: “Laizi, you’re on your own now. When you earn money, you should save it for the future, for when it’s time to take a wife. Why spend money on things like this?”
Li Laizi obediently nodded. His gaze drifted briefly toward Xu Mingzhu. “Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ve saved my money. Buying a few treats for all of you just makes me happy.”
His words made Mother Xu burst into laughter. “What a good child. Seeing that both you and Mingzhu are finally occupied with proper work puts my mind at ease. Come visit our home often in the future. Auntie will cook delicious food for you.”
Li Laizi quickly agreed. “Thank you, Auntie. I’ll definitely come.”
After speaking, he handed Xu Mingzhu a bowl. “Mingzhu, you’ve been busy all morning. Hurry and drink this.”
Xu Mingzhu glanced at him and accepted it. “Thank you.” After taking a sip, a cool sweetness spread through her body, instantly washing away her fatigue.
Xu Mingzhu took out ten wen and handed them to Li Laizi. “Hey, this is really good. You’re helping me out. How can I let you pay for the sweet drink yourself? Take this.”
Having already accepted money once before, Li Laizi didn’t refuse this time. He sat down beside her and drank his own bowl as well. “Mingzhu, it’d be nice if life could go on like this forever.”
Xu Mingzhu shook her head. “That won’t do. We still don’t have enough money. We need lots and lots more.”
Li Laizi grinned, revealing two tiger teeth. “Alright then. From now on, I’ll help you make money.”
“Sure.” Xu Mingzhu agreed without a second thought. If he could make enough money, perhaps he could avoid that tragic fate in the future. “But I do have one small suggestion. You should change your name. Being called ‘Laizi’ all the time doesn’t exactly sound nice.”
Li Laizi refused with a cheerful smile. “No way. Li is my mother’s surname, and ‘Laizi’ was the name you gave me when I first came to Xinghua Village. I really like this name.”
Speechless, Xu Mingzhu waved her hand and let the matter drop.
After a long silence, Li Laizi asked, “What about you? What’s your plan with Song Ci?”
Xu Mingzhu glanced at Mother Xu, who was sitting some distance away, and answered casually, “What plan could there be? He doesn’t want to live with me, and I can’t force him to. We’ll just let things take their natural course.”
Li Laizi’s smile widened even further.
At that moment, a man by the moat quietly watched the two of them chat happily.
The young woman wore a light yellow ruqun that accentuated her slender waist. Her almond-shaped eyes curved warmly with every smile, bright and radiant beneath the sunlight.
Sensing the intense gaze upon her, Xu Mingzhu lifted her eyes and caught sight of the person standing diagonally across from her. She nearly choked.
Song Ci? What was he doing here?
Dressed in a simple blue scholar’s robe, Song Ci stood tall and lean. His black hair fluttered in the breeze, giving him an air that was both cool and refined. Passersby occasionally turned to look at him, yet his phoenix-shaped eyes remained fixed on the braised-meat stall.
Their eyes met. Those striking features revealed little emotion, calm and unreadable. As expected of the male lead. Even before entering officialdom, he already carried himself with remarkable composure.
Xu Mingzhu politely nodded in greeting. To her surprise, he started walking toward her.
Xu Mingzhu stood up somewhat awkwardly and greeted him politely. “Song Ci, what are you doing here?”
“I was just passing by. I came to see if there was anything I could help with.”
The more Xu Mingzhu saw of this, the more convinced she became that she was on the right track. At the very least, the male lead didn’t dislike her. He had even offered to help of his own accord. As long as she kept her distance from the male and female leads, stopped drawing attention to herself, and never harmed the male lead’s family again, her little life would definitely be safe. Maybe she could even enjoy some protection under the shelter of a powerful figure.
Xu Mingzhu flashed Song Ci a grateful smile.
Li Laizi curled his lips and snorted. “Why don’t you come even later? We’re practically packing up to leave by now, and only then do you show up. Just like a scholar, always calculating.”
Xu Mingzhu hurriedly tugged at Li Laizi, signaling him to shut up. Was he trying to die by provoking the male lead?
Li Laizi grabbed Xu Mingzhu’s arm and stepped between them. “Mingzhu, why are you stopping me? Did I say anything wrong?”
Xu Mingzhu covered his mouth and whispered, “Li Laizi, listen to me. If you want to stay alive, don’t say things like that.”
The spot where her hand covered his mouth felt burning hot. Stunned, Li Laizi stood motionless and finally shut up.
Seeing that he was no longer causing trouble, Xu Mingzhu turned to Song Ci. “We’ve already finished our work. If you don’t have anything else to do, you can head back.”
Song Ci didn’t leave. Instead, he suddenly said, “I was copying books this morning. I’ll come earlier to help next time.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Xu Mingzhu hurriedly shook her head. “No need. There are four of us, and we can handle it ourselves. We don’t need any help.”
What a joke. She had finally managed to steer herself away from the doomed villainess route. How could she possibly order the male lead around now? Did she have a death wish?
“As you wish,” he said—just two cold, indifferent words.
Silence fell between them once again.
Song Ci still didn’t leave. His entire body seemed to radiate a chilly aura. Maybe it was her imagination, but Xu Mingzhu had a distinct feeling he was angry. Well, whatever. Who knew where he’d gotten upset and decided to take it out on her? Then again, he was the male lead.
After thinking it over, Xu Mingzhu patiently explained anyway. “Song Ci, first of all, thank you for wanting to help us even though you’re so busy. But honestly, it’s not necessary. As you can see, the four of us sold out by noon. We really don’t need extra help. Before, I was immature and interfered with your studies. I won’t do that ever again. Just focus on your education, spend more time exchanging ideas with your classmates at the academy, and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you.”
She felt that should be enough.
What the male lead hated most was how Xu Mingzhu constantly disrupted his studies. Now that she had openly addressed the issue herself, he should calm down, right?
After listening, Song Ci merely said, “Mhm.” Then he turned and walked away.
Xu Mingzhu pouted. Just “Mhm”? Couldn’t he at least say something like, What’s past is past?
He hadn’t even made it clear whether he still held a grudge against her. Still, she’d already said what needed to be said. If he wasn’t ready to let bygones be bygones, then she’d just have to take it slowly.
Just then, Manager Yu from the bookstore came hurrying over, completely lacking his usual scholarly composure. “Miss Xu, wonderful news!”
Seeing his excited expression, Xu Mingzhu immediately knew the books had sold well. She shot Xu Ming’an a meaningful glance, and the two of them found an excuse to head to the bookstore across the street.
The moment they stepped through the door, they found the shop bustling. Several scholars in long robes crowded around the bookstall, jostling one another as lively chatter filled the air.
When everyone spotted Manager Yu entering, they immediately swarmed around him.
“How can this supernatural tale have so little content? I was just getting to the good part!”
“Exactly! When will the rest of the story be released? I’ve got plenty of silver and am willing to pay whatever it costs.”
“Please continue writing it as soon as possible! A strange and fascinating supernatural story like this is incredibly rare. You absolutely mustn’t leave it unfinished!”
A bookstore clerk led Xu Mingzhu and Xu Ming’an upstairs to the second floor, where tea and refreshments were served.
Unlike the first time, Xu Ming’an was no longer so nervous. The siblings ate and drank while waiting for Manager Yu to come upstairs.
Manager Yu practically took the stairs three at a time. He clutched the booklet to his chest like a priceless treasure and couldn’t suppress the grin on his face.
“Miss Xu, did you see that?” He set the booklet on the table, his voice still carrying traces of the commotion downstairs. “It’s only been on sale in the neighboring cities for a single day. Nine hundred copies! Every last one of them sold out!”