Three Lives and Three Worlds [16]

However, she still furrowed her brows and said, “Why are there so many? How could I have collected five to six million?” She didn’t have that much money. Those men must have thought her family was an easy target and intentionally tried to extort her.

An Jun chuckled bitterly, “Each person gave more than a million, so with five of them, it adds up to five to six million, right?” He had also taken a substantial amount of this money because he was the son of the family and had future responsibilities to support his parents. Every time they received money, they made sure to give him a portion, so he felt involved in spending this several million. However, they usually kept such matters a secret from An Meijun.

He mumbled, “Those young masters are used to bullying others. They casually ask for five to six million, and we can’t retort at all. If we do, the bodyguards will beat my dad and me up. They almost beat my dad half to death.”

An Meijun was angry and said, “Why would they resort to violence? We’re not incapable of repaying the money!”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” An Jun rubbed his sore shoulder, which had turned purple, and said with bitterness, “Because of this, Little Mei broke up with me. Sister, please ask your husband to help us pay off the money! Otherwise, my parents and I will have to work in nightclubs!” In reality, An Meijun was also involved, but they had chosen to keep her in the dark.

An Meijun felt heartbroken and said, “I understand. You’re all affected because of me. If I had known those men had no manners, I wouldn’t have associated with them.”

As for the money, she had initially planned to keep the New Year’s money for this year from her son, Yumin, and spend it slowly. However, things didn’t go as planned, and those men forced her to pay the debt, which would affect her family if she couldn’t. So, she had to find a way to get her hands on her son’s money for this year and use it to repay the debt. She would figure out how to replace it later.

Taking money from a child’s hands, what’s the big deal? She slept soundly without any burdens that night.

The next morning, Yin Jiyu came to knock on his little brother’s door.

As soon as he knocked a few times, he saw his brother’s pair of dewy black eyes, his young face still tender, and his small red mouth slightly pouted. He was dressed in animal-print pajamas, looking cute and obedient. Yin Jiyu sighed inwardly and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Minglu, I didn’t know you were still asleep.”

Indeed, he was just a child who knew how to sleep.

“I’m awake,” the child rubbed his eyes and said, “I’m not going back to sleep.”

“Brother will take you downstairs for breakfast, okay?” Yin Jiyu continued to coax him, “Brother has something to show you.”

The little one nodded obediently, dressed himself without needing any help, tidied up his bed, and was then led downstairs by Yin Jiyu. He ate a hot breakfast and his little white belly was sticking out.

Yin Jiyu noticed the child patting his round belly regretfully, and he picked up a spoonful of sweet corn and asked, “Minglu, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t eat anymore. If I eat more, I’ll get fat,” the child said and then stood on a household weight scale, looking at his weight with his small brain. It seemed that the number was still within an acceptable range, so he returned to his seat and picked up the sweet corn, taking a bite.

The child’s concern about his figure and weight, combined with his innocent and adorable appearance, made Yin Jiyu burst into laughter. The child gave him a stern look, but with his round, innocent eyes, he had no intimidating power. Yin Jiyu said, “You’re not fat at all.”

The child was naturally a bit chubby.

“It’s not about being fat or not. A good figure should be maintained throughout life, starting from a young age. How can someone who can’t even control their own weight control their life?” The three-foot-tall child explained. He had no intention of acting silly in front of Yin Jiyu, and ever since he took over the original owner’s body and separated from An Meijun, he seemed to have gained a few extra inches around his waist, which made him feel guilty.

It seemed that he needed to incorporate physical exercise and weight control into his prodigy development plan. Since it was winter and he couldn’t swim, he might as well replace it with running.

The child, deep in thought with his chin propped up, was completely unaware of how comical his chubby face looked. Yin Jiyu couldn’t help but burst into laughter early in the morning, and he was afraid the child would get angry because of it. So, he took out a one-cent coin and said, “Minglu, look at this. What is it?”

“It’s a one-cent coin,” Yin Minglu replied with a cold, indifferent look, taking out the one he had from his pocket. “I have one too.” Thanks to Yin Jiyu, he had spent the night suffering from a toothache and the fear of losing a tooth.

Yin Jiyu said, “How about I give you this one as well? Then you’ll have two.” He placed the coin in front of the child with a smile. In fact, this particular coin was not something he had eaten; it was something another child had eaten, who was trying to please him by eating until he vomited.

He readily accepted it and planned to use it to please his little brother. Was this a way of apologizing for him or trying to buy him off? Yin Minglu didn’t like it; he didn’t care about this small one million. Since his fishing game had gone online and was tied to his phone, he was earning money hand over fist. With his foresight, he knew the game would cool down in two or three years, but for now, it was one of the Yin family’s cash cows. Therefore, he had no shortage of money.

An Meijun added, “Money carries a lot of germs, so you can’t keep touching it. Mom will hold onto it for you.” There even seemed to be an element of claiming it for herself.

She had just slipped into the other person’s room when the child wasn’t around. She meticulously searched through every possible place where money could be hidden, including the pillows, blankets, drawers, and even the pockets of clothes discarded from yesterday. But she couldn’t find a single banknote, let alone a colored piece of paper. She was so frustrated that she almost questioned the purpose of life. She couldn’t believe that this child was so cautious about hiding money. Whom was he guarding against? It was as if he was guarding against thieves. She secretly cursed, thinking that he must come from a small and unprivileged background, and his inherent greediness showed as if he had never seen money before.

She had thought it was a sure thing, but it turned into a complete failure. As she watched time ticking away, the driver urged her, and her parents’ phone calls were relentless, she had no choice but to panic and rush downstairs to find the main character.

As soon as she descended the stairs, she saw Yin Jiyu giving the child another lucky coin. Her heart trembled, and she recalculated Yin Minglu’s total assets, the calculation was ringing loudly in her mind. She was imagining how to get her hands on the money, fill the hole at home, and calculate how much she would have left.

She sat down at the dining table, not caring that Yin Jiyu was present, and asked with concern, “Baby, what about the red envelopes you received last night? You won’t need this money now. Mom will deposit it in the bank for you. When you’re of age and can manage your finances, Mom will give it back to you. This way, you won’t spend it all recklessly.”

She had the appearance of a concerned mother, and the child almost burst into laughter. In her previous life, An Meijun had said the same to the original owner, and then… there was no “and then.” It wasn’t until he became an adult that the original owner was completely kicked out of the house.

From the age of three to eighteen, how much money could accumulate during these fifteen years, he wouldn’t even mention it. The loopholes were obvious to anyone with discerning eyes. It was just a matter of whether they would be held accountable or not. Moreover, he wondered if An Meijun’s words were calculated. When would she return the money? Waiting until he was “of age” and “able to manage finances” before giving it back implied that simply reaching the age of majority wouldn’t be enough. In her capacity as a mother, she probably believed that he would never be able to manage his finances, so he would never get the money back.

The reason the original owner trusted her was that he treated An Meijun as his own mother, and even if he was deceived by his own mother, he accepted it willingly, thinking that he was providing for her retirement. If he wasn’t his real mother, then so be it.

But the original owner was young and kept in the dark for so long. At first, he couldn’t bear to give away all his secret money. However, the greedy An family repeatedly brainwashed him, telling him how hard his mother had worked for Yin Yunqiu, raising her children and fulfilling her duties as a wife, but never receiving any recognition. They made him believe that even his own mother couldn’t be trusted with money, causing him great pain.

So, the original owner eventually gave in and handed over all his private funds. He fed the An family, making them fat and satisfied, but when it came to his turn, there was hardly any money in his pocket. He didn’t even have a gold card. When he went out with friends of the same age to treat them, he always felt embarrassed, as he never had any money, and he was often ridiculed as the “poorest rich second-generation.”

This life, Yin Minglu had arrived, and he wasn’t the same naive original owner who trusted An Meijun as his pseudo-mother. He didn’t believe her sweet talk for a second.

Seeing his little brother’s reluctance, Yin Jiyu’s smile disappeared as well. He tried to mediate, “Auntie, there’s no need to deposit it in the bank. Minglu is very well-behaved and sensible. He won’t spend money recklessly.” After all, a three-year-old child was always carried by his father when going out, and wherever he went, his father gave him money. How much red envelope money could he spend? These words were just to reassure the child who didn’t understand the situation.

An Meijun persisted, “Jiyu, if it were you, Auntie wouldn’t worry. You’re older than Minglu, smart, and responsible. Minglu is just over three years old now and doesn’t understand the concept of money. He sees things on TV and wants to buy them. He’s very easy to spend all his money. Moreover, it’s dangerous for a child to carry money with them. It could easily get lost. It’s for his own good that adults hold onto it for him. We’ll keep it safe for him until he matures, and then we’ll give it back. It’s not that we won’t give it back; it’s just that this money can be used for his education in the future.”

Her phone in her pocket kept ringing, and each ring felt like a debt collector’s call. An Meijun felt increasingly irritated. In the end, she didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. When she snapped out of it, she saw suspicious looks from both Yin Minglu and Yin Jiyu. Her heart sank, but she couldn’t muster any more patience. She stood up to embrace Yin Minglu.

However, as soon as she reached out, she received a not-so-light slap from the child. She instinctively pulled her hand back and saw Yin Minglu, the little rascal, jumping off his chair and scurrying upstairs in his slippers. She knew exactly who he was going to find. She muttered a curse to herself, realizing it was not a good sign.

Without thinking, she chased after him, but the child ran as fast as if he had been practicing track and field. Despite wearing plush slippers and having short little legs, he disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving her fuming with frustration.

Arriving at Yin Yunqiu’s study, Yin Minglu didn’t even bother to knock on the door but directly reached for the handle.

Inside, he saw the tall and handsome figure at the black long table, broad-shouldered and well-built, but he was dressed in black loungewear instead of a suit. When he saw the child come in and smelled the sweet corn scent, Yin Yunqiu’s eyes filled with a trace of a smile. There was only one person in the Yin family who would barge into his study without knocking, and that was this child.

He lifted the child onto his lap and asked, “Are you full?” He had heard the pitter-patter of footsteps from afar. This child was so lively early in the morning; he wasn’t afraid of getting a stomachache.

“I’m full,” Yin Minglu nodded, grabbing the man’s large hand and placing something in his palm. He said, “Dad, this is something new I got. Along with the New Year’s money I gave you yesterday, can you help me keep them safe? When I grow up, you can give them back to me.”

If you’re still willing to give it when the truth comes out.

This money was given by the Yin family, and he had no intention of embezzling it. Even if someone wanted to take it back, it should be their right to do so. He believed that Yin Yunqiu’s character was superior to that of An Meijun, the treacherous woman.

Yin Yunqiu was momentarily stunned. He felt that what he held in his hand was not just a coin but the child’s wholehearted trust.

After a moment, he couldn’t help but smile, holding the tender little hand. “Alright, Dad will keep it for you. Should I put it in a safe?”

“No,” the child’s face showed a different kind of distress, shaking his small head. “Putting it in a safe will depreciate it. You should put it in the bank.” This way, the depreciation would be slower. Nowadays, the depreciation rate of paper money could never match the rise in property prices. If he could manage it, whether it was buying gold or selling houses, he would definitely not want to waste this money.

Seeing his son’s distressed expression, Yin Yunqiu’s heart ached. He didn’t understand why his son, who was reluctant to give up the money, would specifically entrust it to him, his father.

But he quickly understood the reason when An Meijun, panting, appeared at the door of the study. She looked at him with a gentle yet anxious expression. “Yunqiu, have you seen the child?” That damn driver had just stopped her in the hallway and urged her for the second time about when they would depart, causing her to stall for a while. After she snapped out of it, she couldn’t see the child anywhere.

In such a large Yin family, she had only set foot here this year and had no idea where the study was. It took her a lot of effort to find it.

Seeing An Meijun’s appearance, Yin Yunqiu immediately understood. She must be demanding the child to hand over the money, making the clever child feel uneasy, so he hurriedly came to him, his father. So he immediately turned cold, tightened the round little body that had just trembled slightly in his arms, and said coldly, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

The man’s indifferent tone made An Meijun’s delicate figure tremble. She didn’t dare to say that she hadn’t received the child’s money yet. She couldn’t leave. If she did, her family would be in trouble.

When she saw the familiar coin in the man’s hand, she widened her eyes. She also saw Yin Minglu’s expression of glee. It seemed that someone was supporting him, and even his little tail was about to rise up. Realizing that this little rascal must have spilled the beans, she felt like she had been hit on the head with an iron hammer, leaving her completely speechless.

—

The author has something to say: It’s a bit short, I’ll work hard tomorrow.

 

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