Chapter 142 My Brother's Story

The little devil, who had seen through the ending, still tried to make a last-ditch effort without giving up.

It must be said that this time the point of entry really touched the couple's heart. The old lady immediately felt a pain in her heart, and a feeling of guilt surged in her heart.

The old marquis felt very sad when he thought of Zong Yan.

Now the old couple stopped coughing and fell into silence.

The little devil continued, "My brother will definitely not spend money recklessly. If you want Xu Wan to control me, then control me. I will listen to you. But, can you be nicer to my brother?"

This last sentence almost broke the old lady's heart.

How could they not want to be nice to Wen Xiu? How could they bear to do that?

The old lady's tears were rolling in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment. The old marquis clearly saw the purpose of the little brat, but he was stabbed so hard that he had no strength to reach out and stop him.

For some reason, the most sentimental old lady suddenly became firm. With red eyes, she said seriously: "Jincheng, we have heard what you said, but this matter is of great importance. Your grandfather and I need to think about it for two days. You should go back and have a good sleep first, and we can talk about it after this birthday, okay?"

Seeing that his grandmother's eyes were red, the little devil thought that she must have been convinced, so he obediently said goodbye and left.

As soon as the kid left, the old lady's tears started to flow, followed by sobbing.

The old marquis put his arm around her shoulders, sighed, and consoled her: "Jincheng is such a good kid, he knows how to get into people's hearts. It's a good thing that someone can control him now. If it weren't for Wan'er, I really don't know what he would have become in the future."

The old lady wiped her tears and said, "Fortunately, we woke up in time. So, we must not let this go on. We cannot interfere in this matter. We can only let my little Wenxiu suffer for the time being. Only by letting Jincheng grow up on the right path can we be worthy of Zhaoer's trust."

The old marquis suggested: "Then after Jincheng's birthday tomorrow, let's go back to the other manor. Otherwise, I'm really afraid that the two of us can't stand his soft and hard persuasion. This kid is getting more and more advanced."

"Alas, I just met Wen Xiu. I wanted to stay with them for a few more days..." The old lady sighed worriedly, "But their health and growth are more important. Let's leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, I'll ask someone to pack up."

The little devil didn't realize that this powerful move of his not only failed to convince the old couple, but instead made them more determined to run away.

During the holidays, when the teachers all went home, Zong Jincheng found excuses to sneak into his brother's room and sleep with him.

"It's just that it's a bit crowded for two people to sleep in the small bed."

Zong Wenxiu smiled and said, "Then if you insist on squeezing me, I'll go sleep on Master Zhao's bed, and I'll leave this bed for you."

The little devil grabbed him and said, "Then forget it. I just want to sleep with you. And a smaller bed is also good. I can't kick the quilt, haha."

Zong Wenxiu also chuckled and asked, "Where did you go just now? I haven't seen you for a while."

Zong Jincheng said: "I went to Xu Wan to ask for money, but she refused to give it to me. Then I went to my grandparents, and I think they have been persuaded to give you the money in two days."

"Give me money?" Zong Wenxiu was surprised. "Are you asking for money for me? No, there's no need for that. I don't need money."

The little devil said casually: "You are short of money, you definitely are short of money, you just aren't used to spending money yet, you don't know how nice it is to spend money freely. You don't know how happy I was before, I could buy whatever I wanted, I was free."

Zong Wenxiu smiled faintly and said, "I don't have any special preference for spending money. As long as the people around me can live well, my wish is that simple."

In the slums, he saw too much birth, aging, sickness and death, and only then did he realize how lucky and blessed it was to have relatives still alive in this world.

The little devil next to him didn't understand at all, and he was still chattering about the joy of spending a lot of money.

Zong Wenxiu was very happy when he heard this. He smiled and said, "Shall I tell you a story?"

"Huh? Okay, okay, you tell me and I'll listen." The little devil loved listening to stories. He immediately lay down on the bed and listened attentively.

Zong Wenxiu said calmly, "When I was seven, I saw a boy, about thirteen years old. He knelt in the alley and begged for a bowl of brown rice porridge. He kowtowed to everyone he saw, until his head was broken and bleeding. But the people in the slums were busy with their own affairs, so naturally no one cared about him. People there couldn't be merciful even if they wanted to, because once they were merciful, disaster would befall them. That very night, his mother died of starvation. He watched his mother die with his own eyes, but was powerless to do anything. A few days later, the boy went crazy. In the middle of winter, he ran outside in tattered clothes, shouting, 'Please give me a bowl of brown rice porridge, please give me a bowl of brown rice porridge'."

"Ah... He's so pitiful..." The little devil's heart ached. He asked, "What happened next?"

"I never saw him again after that. Maybe he was dead, or maybe he was still shouting for brown rice porridge everywhere," said Zong Wenxiu.

In places like slums, people die every day, and no one cares if one or two people die.

Zong Wenxiu turned to his brother and asked him a question: "Do you know how much a bowl of brown rice porridge costs?"

Zong Jincheng thought that a bowl of porridge would cost him several taels, but now he knew the difference in prices. The cheapest porridge might be...

Zong Wenxiu said: "One penny can buy three taels of brown rice."

"One penny? Three ounces!" The little devil was shocked. "Wouldn't that be enough to cook many bowls of brown rice porridge..."

Zong Wenxiu smiled and said, "Yes, brown rice porridge is so cheap, but some people can't get it no matter how hard they try."

Tears flashed in the little devil's eyes, and he felt heartbroken.

Zong Wenxiu said: "So when I first returned home, I was always afraid to spend money recklessly. I liked to wear linen clothes, and I didn't dare to waste my writing. Even when I sent food to my aunt and her family, I always bought the cheapest sorghum flour. It's not that I didn't have money, I just didn't dare to spend it because I always thought of that bowl of brown rice porridge that I couldn't get."

"Brother..." the little devil called him.

Zong Wenxiu turned his head and smiled patiently at him, "So you don't have to ask for money for me. I don't need money. I think everything I have now is good enough. I wouldn't even dream of doing something this good."