Chapter 30

"Plop... plop..."

The sound of ink dripping onto the floor.

While the eldest young master lay bored on the table, he had casually pushed the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to the edge of the table. When he was startled awake by Shunzi, the expensive inkstone worth hundreds of taels of silver was knocked over, and the ink inside dripped down drop by drop.

In the dead silence of the study, the sound was deafening.

Zong Wenxiu was the first to act. Calmly, he walked over, flipped the inkstone back, and skillfully found a cloth to wipe the ink stains off the floor.

This wasn't the first time his younger brother had knocked over the inkstone.

Zong Wenxiu always felt heartache for those precious items wasted for no reason. Sometimes, even in the middle of the night, he would wake up, crying and asking his mother why everyone here was like this. Those wasted items could have saved so many people.

His mother would tell him that this was another world, and he only needed to accept it as a great blessing. He must never make any reckless moves, or else they would lose everything and return to that dark, damp, hopeless place.

Zong Wenxiu didn't want to go back to such a life. He wanted to stay here and live well, study well. So, he began to learn how to hide his emotions, hiding them so well that no one could notice.

But just now, when talking to his younger brother, his emotions couldn't help but rise, affecting Jingzhe... He wanted to see how his spoiled younger brother would react to this.

Zong Jincheng stood frozen in place, unable to believe it.

"You're lying to me!" He was very certain that the twenty taels of silver in his understanding couldn't be so different from the normal price.

Zong Jincheng looked at Shunzi, who was also nodding, but he still felt it was impossible!

Zong Wenxiu said again, "If everyone were as rich as the Marquis Manor, then why don't Zhai Yao and the others buy the five-hundred-tael blood-red horses themselves? Why can't any of the three of them afford one?"

"If even the direct sons of the noble family can't afford a blood-red horse, then what kind of life are ordinary people outside living? Have you ever understood that?"

Zong Wenxiu tried to keep his voice emotionless. His younger brother wasn't a bad-hearted child; he was just a privileged young master born and raised in wealth. He didn't know he was enjoying a life of rare luxury in this world.

Zong Jincheng backed out of the room.

After just a few steps, he felt something bump into him. Turning back, he saw that woman, along with the familiar Cui Zhi and Cui Liu.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Xu Wan was about to come in and tell the little troublemaker that the three blood-red horses had been retrieved. But just as she reached the courtyard, she heard Zong Wenxiu's calculations and couldn't help but smile brightly.

This little helper was really not a bad choice.

Zong Jincheng saw her smile and felt even more incredulous. "You must have bribed them to lie to me! I knew it! It must be fake!"

Xu Wan looked at the little troublemaker, whose forehead was throbbing, and felt even more amused. Oh dear, she was becoming more and more fond of seeing this little devil get angry. This bad habit... she needed to control it.

She cleared her throat and restrained her smile, saying, "If you don't believe me, then go out of the Marquis Manor and take a look. See what the world outside is like, and see if everyone in the Capital City has been bribed by me."

"Of course, I will! I'll expose your lies! Liars! What four thousand catties of grain? If grain is so cheap, then why do I have to pay dozens of taels for a meal!"

Zong Jincheng ran off while saying this, his little legs stomping on the corridor. The clean ground didn't raise a single speck of dust. It was made of Yushan stone, meticulously crafted by skilled artisans to be smooth and flat, and then cleaned three times a day by the servants, so there was no chance of dust.

Xu Wan watched his retreating figure and said to Zong Wenxiu, "Look at this child, living a carefree life. The old lady dotes on him like a treasure. His life is more comfortable than even that of princes and nobles."

Zong Wenxiu nodded, "Actually, this is pretty good. He can live a happy life all his life."

Xu Wan smiled, "This might be the consideration of the old marquis and old lady for the past eight years. I wonder why they've changed their minds now."

At lunchtime, the little troublemaker still hadn't returned. Xu Wan called Zong Wenxiu to eat first.

He scratched his head a bit shyly, "I'll wait a bit longer for my younger brother."

"Don't wait. Look at that kid's defiant expression, he's bound to ask around every street. He won't be back until evening." Xu Wan had already sat down and started eating.

Zong Wenxiu also sat down and asked, "Do we really not need someone to follow him?"

Xu Wan raised an eyebrow, "Are you worried about his mental resilience?"

"My younger brother is still two years younger than me..."

Xu Wan laughed without restraint, teasing, "You're overthinking it. He may be spoiled, but he's thick-skinned. Otherwise, how could he have always been thinking of causing trouble for others? Speaking of which, if it weren't for your grandparents' disapproval, that little devil would actually be quite suitable for martial arts. He'd definitely be tough and resilient."

Zong Wenxiu quietly kept silent.

In the evening, the little troublemaker indeed returned, fuming, his voice filled with disbelief:

"How could grain really be so cheap? Five coins? I've never heard of such a small amount of money in my life!"

"And those coarse cloth clothes, how could they cost only a dozen coins? Then why do my clothes cost dozens or even hundreds of taels?"

"And Zuixiang House! Why do they charge me dozens of taels for every meal? Aren't their chickens hatched from eggs? Aren't their dishes cooked in pots?"

"What kind of location? Even the most prosperous area in the Capital City can't sell me a roasted goose for two taels! A live goose only costs a few dozen coins!!!"

"They're robbing me! I've been cheated by them!!!"

"..."

Xu Wan sat leisurely in the courtyard, reading a book of stories. Hearing these complaints, she laughed so hard she couldn't focus on the content of the book.

She closed the book and looked at the little rascal coming through the gate, smiling brightly, "How was it? Have all the people on the streets outside been bribed by me?"

A direct hit.

The insult was strong, and the damage was even stronger.

Little troublemaker: "!!!"

This woman is too much!

She's actually mocking me in my own courtyard!!!

Believe it or not, I'm going to run away from home right now!!!

Zong Jincheng's face was puffed up with anger, his cheeks red, almost like a red-hot iron.

Xu Wan thought that if she continued to laugh, the kid might explode on the spot and try to take her down with him.

Feeling charitable, the stepmother spoke up, "Steward Liu has already retrieved your three blood-red horses for you, but it seems your friends reacted quite strongly, saying you're going back on your word by taking back what you gave.

"Especially that Zhai Yao. He said if you don't go to his place to apologize, then there's no more friendship between you."