Chapter 177 Wrong Choice
Xu Huaining returned to his rented house, pushed open the old, musty-smelling gate, and looked at the narrow yard filled with withered branches and fallen leaves. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Hearing the commotion, Liu Huazhi quickly came out, palm up, and stretched out her hand in front of him: "The landlord is here to collect next month's rent, give me the money."
Upon hearing this, Xu Huaining's gaze fell on her face, which was clearly covered in makeup, and his brows furrowed even more: "Have you spent all the two taels of silver I gave you a few days ago?"
Liu Huazhi glared at him, her tone particularly harsh: "What do you mean? You suspect I embezzled your money? Xu Huaining, do you have any conscience at all? I even miscarried a child for you, and you still suspect me like this!"
Xu Huaining rubbed his temples, feeling that this woman had become increasingly unreasonable since returning from the countryside: "I have no suspicion of you. Do you think I have no right to ask where the money goes after I've handed it over?"
Liu Huazhi sneered: "Firewood, rice, oil, and salt all cost money. What can two coins buy? Do you expect me to spend money like gold? I don't have that ability!"
Xu Huaining's ears hurt from her shrill voice. Not wanting to argue with an unreasonable person, he went back into the house, took out 120 coins, and handed them to Liu Huazhi: "Remember to give them to the landlord tomorrow."
This small courtyard is in a remote location, small and dilapidated, with only two rooms that can be lived in, so the rent is very cheap, only one hundred and twenty coins per month.
Originally, the rent was to be paid annually, but Xu Huaining couldn't afford it when he rented the house. He had to plead with the landlord to agree to pay monthly.
Xu Laosan and his wife were struggling to pay off their debts and were unable to support Xu Huaining's expenses in the city.
Previously, with Liu Huazhi selling wontons at her stall, Xu Huaining didn't have to worry about making a living. But when the wonton stall could no longer operate, he could only squeeze out time every day to copy books or write letters for others.
The money earned this way was very limited, and the two of them lived hand to mouth. A lot of the five taels of silver that Liu Huazhi had received as compensation was still being used to pay off their debts.
In front of Xu Huaining, Liu Huazhi counted the strung-up copper coins one by one: "One, two, three..."
Xu Huaining felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, and his gaze toward Liu Huazhi grew colder and colder.
Once it was confirmed to be 120 coins, Liu Huazhi smiled slightly: "You should take on more book copying jobs. Xu Jinnian was able to get married and pay for his father's medical treatment by copying books. You can't be inferior to him."
These words were like adding fuel to the fire. The anger that Xu Huaining had been suppressing at the Zhao family's house instantly erupted. Xu Huaining raised his hand and slapped Liu Huazhi hard across the face.
"ah--"
Liu Huazhi was caught off guard by Xu Huaining's attack, lost her balance and fell to the ground, her face burning with pain.
Looking at Xu Huaining's icy expression, her face was full of disbelief: "You actually hit me!"
She had schemed against him and slept in the same bed with him. Even though he was furious when he woke up, he never laid a hand on her. Now, just because of a single sentence, he actually slapped himself.
Xu Huaining didn't even glance at Liu Huazhi, but his tone remained as gentle as ever: "Don't compare me to Xu Jinnian anymore, understand?"
Liu Huazhi suddenly shivered, her gaze towards him filled with fear.
This man is two-faced; he's not at all like the outsider sees him!
Did she make the wrong choice again?
No, she didn't make the wrong choice. She didn't make the wrong choice. It was because she said the wrong thing that he attacked her.
He so hates being compared to Xu Jinnian, which probably means he's already dissatisfied with Xu Jinnian. She can't be so outspoken anymore.
Thinking of this, Liu Huazhi swallowed hard, watching Xu Huaining enter the house as if nothing had happened, and dared not rush up to argue with him.
As the weather grew colder, it was time for Xu Jinnian, Master Jiang, and others to travel to Jinling.
After finishing her work, Sheng An returned to the small building and packed her bags with Xu Jinnian. She casually stuffed a few small silver notes into the bundle: "We'll be gone for half a month. I put some quilted clothes in the bundle. Remember to take them out and wear them when it gets cold."
Seeing this, Xu Jinnian reached out and took out the silver notes: "One hundred taels of silver is enough. These few silver notes are unnecessary."
Sheng An snatched the silver note and stuffed it into his bundle: "One hundred taels is for your own expenses. If you see any nice little trinkets in Jinling, buy them and let me see them. Don't forget to bring gifts for Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad."
Xu Jinnian gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and whispered in her ear, "Don't you want any gifts for Grandpa and Grandma?"
Sheng An thought for a moment and shook his head: "I don't want anything. If there are any new stories in Jinling, you can bring me a few."
Xu Jinnian thought of the various storybooks in the study, and a helpless look appeared on his face: "Most of those storybooks are just old wine in new bottles. You've read dozens of them and you're still not tired of them?"
Sheng An blinked and honestly replied, "No, why don't you write two for me to see?"
The storybook is comparable to online novels from the past. The "domineering CEO falls in love with me" theme from the past has been popular for a long time. Even if veteran bookworms can guess the ending from the beginning, it still can't stop them from wanting to read it.
That's the charm of words.
She has rather high standards for notebooks; otherwise, there would be more than just a few dozen piled up in her study.
Some stories and erotica are well-written, some erotica are beautifully written, while others are too explicit and seem greasy. It's really not easy to pick out a few that you like.
She was glad that Xu Jinnian wasn't interested in the storybooks; otherwise, if he had discovered the erotic content, he might have confiscated them and burned them as firewood.
Hearing his wife's request, Xu Jinnian patted her head and said, "Writing a storybook isn't difficult. I'll write one for you when I'm on vacation."
Sheng An thought he was bragging: "You make writing a storybook sound as easy as drinking water. I bet even a dog wouldn't read it."
Xu Jin smiled and lowered his head to kiss her ear: "The dog doesn't look, An An does."
Sheng An: "..."
Why does this sound like an insult?
Sheng An gritted her teeth and twisted her arm around the man's lean waist:
"You call me worse than a dog? Humph, you write it, you write it for me. If it's not good, don't blame me for taking it out into the street and reading it aloud so everyone can admire the literary talent of the top scholar!"
Xu Jinnian's eyes darkened, and without saying a word, he picked her up and carried her to the bedside: "The spring night is too short, let your husband keep An'an company while she sleeps."
Sheng An realized something was wrong and struggled with her hands and feet: "My luggage isn't packed yet, what's wrong with you? Put me down right now!"
She got her period a few days ago, and this guy held back for several days. He finally got his way tonight. Will she still be able to get out of bed and walk tomorrow?
No, absolutely not!
Sheng An was like a fish that had just been caught and pulled ashore. The moment the man put her on the bed, she scrambled out of bed and threw the half-packed bundle into his arms: "You pack it yourself, I'm going downstairs to find Grandma!"
As he spoke, he opened the door in a few quick steps and ran faster than a rabbit.
Behind me was a man's hearty laughter.
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