"Scared... scared away?"
Cai Lihua's eyes flickered, and she raised the oil lamp in her hand higher.
Looking at the scar across his nose, she seemed unable to bear it: "You... no wonder children are scared away by you. Right, take off your clothes first. You can't just wear these. If they get dirty, you won't have anything to wear for important matters when you go out."
"Oh, oh!" Meng Shaode was obedient. He hadn't even entered the house before he took off his outer shirt, standing in his patched inner garment, not knowing what to do.
"What should we do, wife?" Meng Shaode felt stifled after being driven away by someone in the middle of the night. He clearly had a belly full of knowledge.
But it was all ruined by this appearance: "Do you despise me?"
"Despise you? Nonsense. You're already this old and still saying such things. I haven't even said you despise me yet. Otherwise, why would you have gotten involved with Qian Shi?"
"Look at you, keep your voice down. Haven't you been punished? And I've made it clear. If our daughter hears this in the middle of the night, how bad would that be!"
A Jiu covered her mouth on the roof ridge, pinching her stomach to keep it from moving.
"You can see spiritual energy?" Wang Shi drew circles with her hands, her eyes slightly open.
"Huh?" A Jiu scratched her head. "Is that color spiritual energy?"
"It's blue, right?" Wang Shi snorted. "I didn't expect your eyes to be truly different from ordinary people. When purple energy appears, my Ziheche will officially start to operate. By then..."
"Then you can make it rain, and your cooperation with Steward Li can be realized, right? Grandma, I still advise you to save your energy and keep a low profile. If it weren't for the war, and Prince Nanming could transport water from Lingnan, he would have sent troops to search for you everywhere. You'll be caught sooner or later."
As A Jiu spoke, she walked along the eaves towards the courtyard wall, sliding down directly and stepping on the wall to reach the firewood pile in the courtyard.
"It's Zi Teng Yuan, isn't it? I'll go there tomorrow."
"Don't! I'm already scary enough, and you're still going!" Meng Shaode's gaze in the courtyard unconsciously fell on the cleaver in the woman's hand.
"I'm going. Such a good teacher, it would be a shame for those children to miss out."
Cai Lihua entered the house first, and Meng Shaode followed closely behind.
A Jiu was perched on the courtyard wall, feeling relieved when she found her parents had closed the door.
"Wife, we can't be tough. Those children are all from wealthy families."
"At this time, who can afford to study if not from wealthy families? Precisely because of this, you must let them know that your Meng Shaode has read the Four Books and Five Classics, and you are also knowledgeable in astronomy and geography. Just telling them would scare them to death."
"Lihua, why are you angrier than I am?"
"How can I not be angry!"
"If I'm not angry, why are you angry?" Meng Shaode.
"This is what the book calls 'unrecognized talent.' We've finally entered the city and settled down. If you don't earn some money, we'll run out of savings. How will we raise our daughter?" Cai Lihua.
Meng Shaode scratched his head. He thought about it. It was true. They didn't have much money at home, and now with the scarcity of supplies, everything was outrageously expensive.
However: "Oh, you even know about 'unrecognized talent.' Do you know what 'jian nei' means?" Meng Shaode suddenly changed the subject. He really didn't want his wife to go to Zi Teng Yuan and cause trouble.
"What did you say? Jian nei? How am I 'jian'?"
"It's late. Let's go to sleep." Meng Shaode's forehead was instantly covered in dark lines.
A Jiu covered her face and carefully slid down from the wall. With a rustle, the dry cracking sound of the straw pile was exceptionally clear when her feet touched it.
"Who?"
If A Jiu were discovered, she wouldn't know how to explain. If she said she climbed onto the roof to chat with her grandma, her mother would say she was corrupting her.
A Jiu suddenly retracted her foot and lay on the wall, not daring to move.
Creak, the door closed again: "Explain clearly, who is 'jian'."
"I'm 'jian', I'm 'jian', okay?"
Her father's humble plea for help seeped through the door and window.
A Jiu bent low and slipped into the room.
"Whoa, you scared me to death."
Unexpectedly, Liu Cai'er was eavesdropping at the door. Both of them were startled by each other.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here instead of sleeping?"
Liu Cai'er pulled A Jiu in, carefully closing the door. Her startled eyes were particularly bright in the night, and she pointed outside:
"Is that... is that our father?"
"Yes, it is."
"My goodness, then... then the one speaking is Mother? How could Mother make Father not dare to utter a single word?"