Gu Huo was young but had a strong presence. The scrap collector uncle said awkwardly, “Are you still selling the scrap? If not, I’ll leave first.”
Qiao Sheng: “Sell, sell, sell!”
As she spoke, she looked at Gu Huo and instinctively asked for his opinion: “Right?”
Gu Huo: “…”
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, he nodded: “Of course, useless things can be sold.”
Only after he spoke did the scrap collector dare to move, smiling as he dragged the full, heavy bag downstairs.
Qiao Sheng lifted her leg to follow.
Gu Huo grabbed her: “Where are you going?”
Qiao Sheng replied matter-of-factly: “Going down to watch the weighing.”
Gu Huo quickly released her hand and glanced discreetly at her thin clothing: “Don’t go down, it’s cold outside. I’ll watch from downstairs.”
Qiao Sheng didn’t want to trouble him: “No need, I—”
“I’ll give you the money from selling the scrap later.”
“…”
Qiao Sheng watched the tall, slender figure disappear down the stairwell and blinked.
No way.
Did he think she was worried that the paltry sum from selling scrap wouldn’t end up in her pocket??
He even handed over scholarships and wages as the original owner demanded—how could he possibly pocket this small amount, barely enough to buy two pounds of sunflower seeds?
Gu Huo quickly returned. In the meantime, Qiao Sheng hadn’t been idle—she found a floor-cleaning rag from the balcony and crouched down to wipe the floor.
Through the slightly ajar front door, Gu Huo saw the girl in her beige loungewear facing away from him. Her crouching, bent posture caused her top to ride up slightly, while the elastic waistband of her pants slipped down a bit, revealing a small section of waist about the size of a thumb. The skin there was fair and delicate, like mutton-fat jade.
The old residential complex had no heating, and the indoor temperature wasn’t high. She probably felt cold, as she reached down to tug her hem lower, and that glimpse of delicate scenery was immediately concealed beneath the pilled fabric.
He calmly withdrew his gaze, but his inner thoughts were anything but calm.
He was astonished and uncertain.
Had being lectured by Grandma in the dream really brought about such a big change in her?
Gu Huo vaguely remembered that when Grandma was alive, although she occasionally got upset and secretly told him to get lost behind Grandma’s back, overall, they got along quite harmoniously.
An absurd thought surfaced in Gu Huo’s mind: If only she could have been scolded by Grandma in the dream earlier.
But it seemed it wasn’t too late now.
Compared to her previous muddled, drifting days, she seemed much better now.
No, she was a lot better.
Hopefully, it would last a while longer…
At the same time, Gu Huo felt a bit sentimental.
In the period right after Grandma passed away, he dreamed of that dear, respectable old lady almost every night. Sadly, now he hardly ever dreamed of her anymore.
Hearing movement behind her, Qiao Sheng turned her head and gave him a bright smile: “You’re back?”
Her eyes curved into crescents, as if holding thousands of stars, sparkling brightly.
Gu Huo was momentarily stunned, then replied with an “Mm.” After changing his shoes, he walked over to her and extended his hand: “Here.”
Qiao Sheng glanced at his long, slender fingers and palm, both amused and exasperated.
It was the money from selling the scrap.
Rolled into a small bundle, the outermost layer was a twenty-yuan bill.
He had clenched it while bringing it upstairs. Now, with his palm open, the bill unfurled slightly, and two coins peeked out from within.
“It sold for forty-six yuan and fifty cents in total. The uncle rounded it up—here’s forty-seven yuan altogether.”
Qiao Sheng remained crouched in place: “You don’t need to give me this money. Keep it.”
Gu Huo was surprised. “Why not?”
The original host had full control over the household finances.
Every penny Gu Huo earned had to be handed over to her immediately.
If he failed to do so, the original host would throw a fit and cause chaos.
But the original host was a hedonist who never bothered with daily necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar. If Gu Huo had no money, how could he buy rice or vegetables to cook?
The original host didn’t mind the trouble either. Every day, she would “generously” give Gu Huo a little money. If she spent all the money, she would calmly say, “No money left, figure it out yourself.”
Now that Qiao Sheng had suddenly changed her ways and refused to take the money, Gu Huo felt uneasy instead.
Qiao Sheng stood up and said seriously, “After being scolded by Grandma, I’ve had a sudden awakening and realized many of my mistakes. For example, I can’t control my spending and always want to buy all sorts of unnecessary things. That’s a bad habit, and I’ve decided to change. The best way to do that is to keep as little money on hand as possible.”
At this point, she looked up at Gu Huo, her face full of solemnity. “Gu Huo, from now on, I don’t want control over the household finances anymore. You keep the money. Only this way can I break my bad habit of overspending.”
Gu Huo quietly met her gaze, a faint hint of scrutiny in his eyes, as if trying to gauge how serious her decision was.
His eyes were so beautiful.
Narrow phoenix eyes with slightly upturned outer corners, delicate double eyelids, and deep, dark pupils. In his eyes, Qiao Sheng saw her own reflection and felt as if her soul was about to be drawn in.
The male lead truly lived up to his title. Even with just a pair of eyes like these, he could captivate countless people.
Qiao Sheng sighed inwardly.
She was grateful that she had transmigrated into this world and knew that the male lead had no romantic feelings for her. This prevented any unrealistic fantasies she might have had and allowed her to maintain a calm mindset, appreciating him as an observer without letting her thoughts wander.
Gu Huo’s thick, long lashes, like a crow’s tail, lowered slightly. He curled his hand, gripping the banknotes in his palm again. “Then I’ll keep it for now. Whenever you need it, just let me know.”
He walked into the kitchen. “Is noodles okay for dinner?”
Only then did Qiao Sheng remember that he was working, and the convenience store provided meals during his shift.
Even so, Gu Huo would still make time to come back just to cook for the original host.
If he didn’t come back to cook, the original host would go hungry, and if she went hungry, she would cause trouble for him.
As for expecting the original host to cook for herself—that was absolutely impossible.
She was like a parasite clinging to Gu Huo, surviving by relentlessly draining his meager resources, never caring whether he lived or died.
Qiao Sheng followed him into the kitchen. “No need.”
Gu Huo paused for a moment. “You don’t want noodles? Then what would you like to eat?”
As he said this, there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Apart from half a bundle of noodles, two eggs, and a few small greens, there was no other food left in the house…
During the two days she had gone on a hunger strike and refused to give him money, he had survived on whatever was left at home.
The last bit of rice had been steamed for her at noon, while he had eaten dry, hard steamed buns with salted beans. Now, the house was completely out of supplies. Aside from noodles, he couldn’t prepare any other meal.
Even this half bundle of noodles and two eggs were what he had saved from his own meals, specifically set aside for her.
Gu Huo silently pondered. If she really didn’t want noodles, the scrap he sold for over forty yuan would barely be enough to make her a decent meal. But going downstairs to buy groceries would take a lot of time, and he would definitely be late getting back to work…