Young Masters of Wuling East of the Gold Market, Silver Saddles and White Horses Riding the Spring Breeze Chapter 109: Original Family (2)

Seeing the girl’s stubborn expression at that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. “It’s nothing. Just consider this an advance on your wages. It’s better than having to read people’s faces all the time.” With that, he pulled out his wallet, which still held three thousand yuan, and took out two thousand to hand over. “Here, you gave your mother two thousand earlier. This is to make up for it.”

Xia Churan refused to accept it, and as they tussled, Xia’s mother entered the room.

“Xiao Fang, come eat now, or it’ll get cold. Oh? What’s this?” Xia’s mother’s eyes lit up as she looked at the small stack of bills.

“Uh, hehe, it’s for buying clothes for Churan. She didn’t want it,” Fang Yu could only make up an excuse.

“You stubborn girl, don’t you know how hard things are at home? Your boyfriend treats you well, and you don’t appreciate it, pushing the money away like that. Give it to me; I’ll keep it safe for you,” Xia’s mother shamelessly reached out her hand.

Seeing the two thousand yuan about to fall into Xia’s mother’s pocket again, Fang Yu withdrew his hand and spoke slowly, “Auntie, I already know about Churan’s family situation, and she still owes her uncle over ten thousand, right? I’m the one providing this money. I’ll transfer it to her later. You can’t touch this two thousand; it’s for her.”

Fang Yu’s imposing presence made even Xia’s mother hesitate. She couldn’t quite understand this young man—he looked like a mere boy but carried an aura that commanded respect.

“Oh, alright, alright, I won’t touch it. Churan, your boyfriend is so rich, why haven’t you mentioned him before? Come on, let Xiao Fang come in and eat!” Xia’s mother forced a fake smile.

Fang Yu sighed. Xia Churan had no dignity at all in front of her mother. He took her hand and followed Xia’s mother into the kitchen.

On the table were a few dark, burnt pancakes, uglier than those sold at the snack street. He frowned as he swallowed them down, forcing himself to eat two before pretending to be full.

“Hehe, I’m full,” he said.

Xia’s mother sat beside Xia Churan, holding her hand and nagging, “Churan, I think you should quit school and marry Xiao Fang soon. I won’t ask for much bride price—just two hundred thousand yuan. That way, we can even build a new house for your little brother.”

“Mom, what are you talking about? I want to continue studying!” Xia Churan finally snapped.

Seeing Xia’s mother’s greedy face, Fang Yu frowned. Two hundred thousand yuan in 2006 was no small amount. “Auntie, I have to go. I still have business at school, so I won’t disturb you. Churan, when the semester starts, I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

Xia’s mother quickly stood up. “Oh, you’re leaving so early? Why not stay the night here? You can meet Churan’s little brother too.”

Fang Yu waved his hand. “No, I’ll come by again later.” Without giving Xia’s mother a chance to respond, he turned and left the kitchen, opening the door to his 640.

Before leaving, he gently ruffled the girl’s hair and whispered in her ear, “Young lady, compromising yourself won’t help; it only makes others take more liberties.” Without waiting to see if she understood, he pressed the accelerator and vanished down the road.

The girl stood at the door, dazed, until Xia’s mother stormed over and slapped her.

“Stubborn girl, you can’t even keep a man—what use are you! Give me the money! I’ll pay your uncle back!”

Xia Churan shrank back. “No, that money was given to me by Fang Yu. He said he’d send the rest to pay my uncle later!”

Xia’s mother grabbed a rolling pin, furious and ready to strike. “You won’t even listen to me, huh? Your little brother needs nutrition for school. Give me the money now, and I’ll buy some old hens for him!”

Whether Xia’s mother actually took the two thousand yuan, Fang Yu did not know. He drove into the city of Mudong, found a bank, and transferred eleven thousand yuan to Xia Churan.

Then he counted his savings. Zhang Hao faithfully transferred his salary every month, plus the income from “Qinglu,” so he rarely had less than a hundred thousand yuan in his pocket. That was enough for him to live comfortably in this small corner of Xianjiang until he rose to prominence.

With the winter break approaching, Fang Yu decided to close the internet café temporarily. Who doesn’t go home to eat a warm meal during the New Year? He couldn’t very well expect his friends to stay and keep watch.

Among the four young men, Fang Yu, Zhao Bin, and Lu Zhen lived close to each other, so they shared a car. Lu Zhen felt a bit wronged, squeezing into the cramped back seat of the 640 and complaining all the way about how such a fancy car could have such a small backseat.

Cheng Chen, on the other hand, proudly drove his Santana 2000 home. In his words, “A wealthy man who doesn’t return home is like wearing fine clothes to wander the streets unnoticed.” No one really knew how he talked his family into it.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” he said, taking a deep breath as he pulled out the keys and opened the door.

His parents were watching TV and looked genuinely happy to see him.

“Oh, Xiao Yu’s back! Is school tiring? How’s your studies?”

He pulled out two thousand yuan and handed it to his father.

“Here, this is my scholarship.”

His father beamed and nodded repeatedly. “Good, good. Our son is making progress. Tonight, let’s invite Grandma out with your scholarship money to have a nice dinner.”

The family feasted at a small restaurant. Fang Yu let out a satisfied burp, thinking the food was indeed better than the greasy fare from the snack street.

When he arrived at Zhao Bin’s place, Zhao was lying on his small bed playing poker with Lu Zhen.

“Hey, Boss Fang’s here! Here, have a smoke,” Lu Zhen said with a grin, handing over a pack of rather expensive cigarettes.

“Tsk, Lu Zhen, you’re living the high life now, huh? Smoking this kind?”

“It’s all because Boss Fang gives us good money. There’s no good smokes at the internet café, so of course I buy good ones at home.”

Lu Zhen also came back with quite a bit of money. If the winter break were longer, he’d surely sign up for driving school; otherwise, he wouldn’t have to squeeze into that backseat.

The three of them played poker in Zhao Bin’s small room. By midnight, they inevitably got some late-night snacks.

“Phew~ this is way better than the snack street,” Zhao Bin said, enjoying his food.

“If only we could open a restaurant at the snack street, if only the chef could be found,” someone mused.

“Come on, with that environment, no one’d make money without using gutter oil,” another scoffed.

Back home that night, Fang Yu quickly showered and crawled into his room. Shivering, he unlocked his phone and saw a message from Xia Churan:

“Fang Yu, thank you so much for today. A girl like me shouldn’t have gotten close to you, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to your kindness. I’m sorry; just think of it as my greed. By the way, I received the money you sent. I’ll repay it with my future salary—I don’t want you to give it to me for nothing. Hehe, alright, I have to help out at home now. Remember to think of me.”

He clicked his tongue, lit a cigarette quietly, and read the message over and over. Only when dawn tinged the sky did he drift off to sleep.

He dreamed of returning to a high school classroom, fully aware that he had already graduated from university. In the seat where Qin Lu once sat, now sat Xia Churan.