Chang Lian pinched the money pouch at his waist. There were only one hundred wen in the pouch, which was the hundred wen his father gave him during their last trip to Pingzhou, plus the leftover New Year’s red envelope. In the past few months, he had only spent a few dozen wen, most of which he lent to struggling classmates. He learned a lot from his father, not in the ability to benefit the family, but in helping some promising but impoverished people of other surnames. Otherwise, he wouldn’t spend a single penny.

Zhulan waited for a long time without waiting for Chang Lian to speak. She watched Chang Lian’s fingers pinching his purse constantly, and she could still hear the sound of coins clanking, “Do you want money?”

Chang Lian didn’t dare to ask his father for money, and he didn’t want to borrow from Rong Chuan. He wasn’t foolish; borrowed money had to be repaid sooner or later. After much thought, the only option left was to ask his mother.

“Mother, it’s only a month until the Mid-Autumn Festival. This will be the first festival after my engagement to Chu Chu. I want to give her a gift, but I don’t have enough money. Could you give me two hundred wen?”

Zhulan felt that Chang Lian was not telling the truth, and she always felt that this boy was not just giving a Mid-Autumn Festival gift to his fiancée.

Looking at Changlian’s bulging wallet, she was speechless. Last time, the boy didn’t spend a penny of the money Zhou Shuren gave him. He even found a wallet to hang on his waist and put all the money in it. She didn’t see the wallet. After all, this kid has the potential to be a miser.

When Chang Lian saw that his mother didn’t reply, he no longer despised her. Now in his heart, her mother was the smartest person in the family besides his father. “Mom, why do you look at me like that?”

Zhulan withdrew her gaze and said to Chang Lian: “Mother’s purse is on the kang cabinet in the room. Go and get it.”

As soon as Chang Lian left, Li Shi dropped the vegetables in her hands and walked over quickly, “Mother, the vegetables are all picked.”

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Zhu Lan disdainfully said, “Don’t think I didn’t see you eavesdropping with your ears perked up. With your simple-minded thoughts, even Mingteng won’t be fooled by you. Do you think you can deceive me?”

Mrs. Li said, “Mother, Mingteng is not as good as me.”

Zhulan was speechless, “You are not embarrassed to compare with Mingteng. How old are you and how big is Ming Teng? Okay, call your dìmèi over.”

Li Shi couldn’t bear to part with the money. Two hundred wen was not a small amount, and it felt unpleasant. They had already given nearly three hundred taels for the engagement gift, and the head of the family said it was for the entire family, which was acceptable. However, spending two hundred wen on gifts for each festival, not as part of the family gift, was not acceptable. With so many upcoming festivals, they would end up at a loss every time.

Chang Lian held his mother’s purse and watched his dàsǎo leave silently. He never thought about asking for money secretly, otherwise, there would be many opportunities to ask for money when no one was there. He always thought that his dàsǎo had changed. A few days ago, he even comforted her, but when he touched his dàsǎo’s interests, his dàsǎo didn’t change at all, it was very good, and the warmth was given away for nothing.

Zhulan took the purse. Her purse didn’t contain dozens of copper coins, but a lot of broken silver. They were all the size of one or two cents. She didn’t want to put too many copper coins. It was too heavy and she was tired. She poured out two coins and handed them to Chang Lian, “Here’s this is for you.”

Chang Lian pinched the small silver pieces. His mother was really easy to talk to. If it were his father, he wouldn’t be so accommodating. He was genuinely afraid of his father. He always felt that if his mother weren’t around, he and his brothers would be dispensable. He prayed in his heart for his mother to live a long and healthy life, determined to outlive his father.

Chang Lian packed up the silver and said, “Thank you, Mother, I will not spend money carelessly.”

Zhulan poured out two more two pieces of silver, raised her head, and looked at Chang Lian, “In this family, you will not spend money carelessly. You know how to spend money indiscriminately, mother trusts you.”

Chang Lian was moved, only mother would trust him, “Mom, why do you trust me so much? I didn’t do well.”

As the family changed, he silently observed. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he realized that his character was not as good as his two older brothers. As for his carefree younger brother, he surprisingly had a sincere heart. Looking at himself, he saw selfishness and self-centeredness. He never expected that his mother would trust him so much. His nose tingled with emotion.

Zhulan tied her purse and said, “Because you have the potential to be a miser and are not willing to spend even a penny. Mother naturally believes that you will not spend money carelessly.”

Chang Lian said, “.”

He was heartbroken and moved no more!

There was a smile in Zhulan’s eyes. This kid started pretending to be an adult after he got engaged. If he pretended too much, he would lose his authenticity. After all, he was still a child. Look at how vivid his expression was now.

Chang Lian saw the smile on his mother’s lips, and the frustration in his heart disappeared. He understood that his mother was teasing him, and a different kind of emotion surrounded him, “Mother.”

It was rare for Zhulan to see the admiration in Chang Lian’s eyes. Zhou Shuren has been here for a year. From the moment he realized that the family was fair, he thought most about fighting for his own interests. Later, he found out that she and Zhou Shuren were powerful. He began to be afraid of learning to change himself. Now he is constantly imitating Zhou Shuren, and he has indeed become more and more mature. It was getting better, but this boy had always been distant from her and Zhou Shuren. Rather than treating her and Zhou Shuren as parents, he regarded her and Zhou Shuren as people who wanted to surpass him.

Zhulan felt a sense of relief. After all, he was just a child, and his temperament wasn’t formed in a day. If the child hadn’t been properly educated since childhood, it was the fault of the original couple. Now that she and Zhou Shuren were here, Chang Lian was changing day by day. The child could be educated well. Rarely expressing his emotions, Chang Lian seemed to need both paternal and maternal love. After a little teasing, he craved maternal love. Zhulan was touched and reflected on the fact that she and Zhou Shuren hadn’t shown enough care for Chang Lian.

Zhulan raised her hand and touched Chang Lian’s head, “You’re growing up so fast this year. Waiting for the Mid-Autumn Festival, my mother will make you new clothes. My third son will definitely be no worse than the young masters in the county when he wears them. Isn’t it said that the young master is like jade? Chang Lian will also be a young master like Jade.”

Chang Lian’s eyes reddened. He was the fourth child in the family, and with many siblings, his parents paid less attention to him. He had longed for attention and yearned for his mother to hold and comfort him when he was younger. As he grew older, he stopped expecting it, thinking he didn’t care anymore. But the truth was, deep down, he had always longed for it. His voice became a bit nasal as he responded, “Hmm.”

Zhulan sighed inwardly, realizing that even in the modern world, he would only be a junior high school student, and despite his mature appearance, he was still a child at heart.

A soft “puff” sound echoed in the quiet courtyard.

Li Shi’s face turned red, “Mom, I, I couldn’t hold it back, I didn’t mean it.”

Chang Lian’s face turned red, he was shy, and his two dàsǎo saw what he just looked like, so he turned around and ran away quickly. Oh, that was embarrassing.

Li Shi’s face turned even redder. She was embarrassed now. She didn’t expect the fart to be so loud. “Mom, I’m going back to the house.”

Zhao Shi came back to her senses. This development was a bit beyond her expectations. She wanted to laugh, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to burst into laughter with her mother-in-law present. Suppressing her amusement, her shoulders shook a bit, making it quite a challenge to contain her laughter.

Zhulan didn’t have any scruples and laughed out loud. The embarrassed Li Shi ran away with shame. She ran as fast as she could on her short legs and closed the door with a bang.

Zhulan held back a smile and handed the two silver coins in her hand to Zhao Shi, “This is the money for the Mid-Autumn Festival for your two houses. One coin for each house. Take it and give it to your dàsǎo!”

Zhao Shi happily took the silver coins. She understood her mother’s intention – this money was specifically for the two households, and she wouldn’t interfere in how they spent it. This unexpected windfall dispelled the discontent she had felt towards the third son just moments ago. “Thank you, Mother.”

Zhulan waved to Zhao Shi to go to Li Shi. When Zhao Shi left, Zhulan touched her chin. The money at home was still small. If there was more, she could also learn to give monthly money. She touched her purse and sighed faintly. They still had to buy land with money and save for future expenses, so it was better to save some money.

In the evening, everyone knew that Zhulan had given money for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Originally, Zhulan wanted to explain that she gave it to Chang Lian because he had a fiancée, and the two eldest sons because they were married. But in the end, Zhulan didn’t need to explain it, and Changzhi didn’t react at all. No, he went back to study after dinner.

Zhulan, “.”

She felt a little sympathy for her future fourth daughter-in-law.

The next day, Zhulan looked at Li Shi who felt a little guilty, and asked, “Are you going to the county?”

(End of Chapter)