OFTLHFRO C87

Chapter 87 So Many Pearls

After the meal, everyone tactfully headed home. Even Huo Xiang said sensibly, “Little Daddy, we’ll bathe little sister tonight.”

Thinking of the sea clams in storage, Luo Mingchen said, “No rush on the bath—let’s open the clams first.”

The only question was how many pearls were inside…

Huo Xiang blinked. “Little Daddy, what are those?”

“They’re sea clams—might have pearls. I grabbed quite a few.”

Even with poor luck, at least one pearl should turn up, right?

The three children waited with bright eyes.

Luo Mingchen took out all the clams, suspended them midair with water spheres, and casually opened one.

Huo Yan glanced over and picked up a large clam of his own.

Holding Huo Xinyue, Huo Yuhui stood with Huo Xiang to watch.

They each opened one; from his clam, Luo Mingchen dug out three black pearls and looked over at Huo Yan in delight. “Any in yours?”

“Two,” Huo Yan said, showing him two golden pearls.

“Eh? How are they gold?”

Looking closely, Luo Mingchen noticed subtle differences in the shells—likely from different areas.

That didn’t dent his cheer; rolling the three black pearls in his palm, he grinned. “Yours aren’t as big, and you’ve got fewer than me.”

Huo Yan gave him a look. “Keep going.”

“Deal!”

By the light of a few oil lamps, the two set out to open every clam.

Seeing so many big pearls, little Huo Xinyue reached up to grab at the air. “Daddy, want beads!”

Though tempted, Huo Xiang knew pearls were costly, so he held her hand. “Those can be sold for money; let’s not.”

At that, Huo Xinyue immediately pulled her little hands back.

Amused, Luo Mingchen said, “No need to sell. Once we’re done and they’re washed, I’ll pick a few big ones for you to play with.”

The siblings chirped in unison, “Okay~”

Huo Yuhui could only look on helplessly, though he was excited too.

They made a game of it—one pile of clams each—and in no time had pried open dozens.

With pearls of all sizes laid out on the table, Luo Mingchen eyed the slightly larger heap by Huo Yan, then, while the latter rinsed his hands with a water sphere, he sneakily swiped three pearls and signaled the three children to hush.

When Huo Yan turned back, he noticed the obvious shortfall, glanced at the picture of innocence across from him, and chose not to expose him. “Count now?”

“Ahem… sure!”

Smiling, Luo Mingchen counted his pile as the children sat silent.

Huo Xiang couldn’t understand—how could Daddy not see such a clear difference?

In the end, they counted sixty-three pearls for Luo Mingchen and fifty-eight for Huo Yan.

In other words, without the pilfering, Huo Yan had one more.

Still, Huo Yan said calmly, “I lost.”

Such straightforward grace made a flicker of guilt pass through Luo Mingchen. “Well… I did take three from you.”

“Oh,” Huo Yan said with a slight smile. “Then you lost. You’ll do as I say tonight.”

“Huh?”

Stunned, Luo Mingchen protested, “We never agreed to that before we started!”

“It’s a competition,” Huo Yan said evenly. “If there’s no penalty, there should at least be a prize.”

“…”

Could it be counted like that?

Even if he didn’t follow the logic, Luo Mingchen was impressed.

“If it’s a contest, then size and luster should count too, right?” he argued. “So what if you had one more? Mine are bigger and prettier.”

“I’ve got thirty-eight large pearls, twenty medium, and three extra-large,” Huo Yan replied.

At that, the corner of Luo Mingchen’s mouth twitched—so he’d kept exact tally, and still let those three get swiped.

They moved from quantity to size, then to color and luster.

Truth be told, quality was similar, but Huo Yan did have one more, fair and square.

The three children watched quietly as the debate dragged on.

When neither would yield, Huo Yuhui ventured, “How about a tie?”

Both pairs of eyes landed on him.

“In terms of luster, Little Daddy has a slight edge,” he analyzed. “In count, Daddy has a slight edge. Price-wise, both black and gold pearls are valuable, and final value depends on the artisan’s craftsmanship. So, a draw?”

“I can live with that,” said Luo Mingchen, blinking.

“Then a draw,” Huo Yan agreed.

Hearing that, Huo Yuhui exhaled in secret relief.

After washing the pearls clean, Luo Mingchen selected a few of the largest.

Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang each chose a black pearl, while Huo Xinyue picked a gold one—probably because it looked like gold…

In the brothers’ hands, the pearls looked merely large.

But seeing that the pearl was barely smaller than his daughter’s tiny palm gave Luo Mingchen a peculiar sense of humor.

Still, she held it steady and beamed. “Daddy, pretty bead.”

Smiling, he said, “When you grow up, Daddy will make you a pearl necklace, alright?”

“Okay~”

She hugged his neck and planted a smacking kiss.

Three big pearls were easy to misplace if carried loose.

After they’d played a while, he gathered them up again, planning to take them to a jeweler tomorrow to be set into pieces that were easier to wear.

Thankfully, all three children were well behaved. Though reluctant, Huo Xinyue didn’t fuss—just watched with pleading eyes as the pearls were put away.

Her pitiful look made him helpless. “Yueyue, once they’re made into a collar, you’ll have them back.”

Not fully understanding “collar,” she still nodded, though her little hands betrayed the truth, snatching at the air unconsciously.

Chuckling, he clasped her hands and gave them a shake before taking her off for a bath.

Back in the room, he found Huo Yan waiting, and a sense of foreboding crept in.

“What?” he asked, sitting on the bed. He yawned, lay down, and said, “Up early for tofu tomorrow; Xiaohui and Xiaoxiang have school.”

Settling in beside him, Huo Yan was quiet for a while, then asked, “May I kiss you?”

Feigning sleep, Luo Mingchen: “…”

With no reply, Huo Yan simply drew him into his arms and brushed a gentle kiss on his soft earlobe.

Unable to keep up the act, Luo Mingchen turned over. “Just one kiss?”

“Mm.”

“…Alright then.”

Satisfied, Huo Yan pressed his lips to his spouse’s.

Men were easily stirred; a few more strokes, and meat at the lips wouldn’t be left to fly away.

Having been duped more times than he could count, Luo Mingchen: “…”

And so, the next morning, it was Huo Yan alone who went out to deliver tofu.