OFTLHFRO C13
by NininiaChapter 13: Lots and Lots of Money
“Me, sleep with him?”
Luo Mingchen looked at Huo Yan, “Aren’t there three rooms?”
But Huo Yuhui answered seriously, “Little daddy, I plan to use that room as a study. Father promised us that before.”
Huo Xiang was puzzled, “Does Little daddy not want to live with father?”
“Uh…”
Before Luo Mingchen could speak, Huo Xiang continued, “But in other families, husbands and wives or even male couples all sleep together. Does Little daddy really dislike father that much? Will he leave us someday?”
Hearing this half-spoken thought, the almost speechless Huo Xinyue panicked, hugging Luo Mingchen’s calf, “Duoduo! No, Jiu…”
This was a plea for him not to leave, right?
Luo Mingchen held her with a helpless smile, “Alright, daddy won’t leave. Okay?”
The thoughts of these two kids were just too obvious.
“I don’t mind sleeping with Huo Yan. He probably doesn’t want to sleep with me either.”
Luo Mingchen said, winking at Huo Yan, signaling him to play the “bad guy.”
Unexpectedly, Huo Yan replied, “Then let’s sleep together.”
Luo Mingchen: “…!!!”
Was he teasing him?
“Yay! Once Little daddy and father get along, Little daddy won’t leave anymore!”
Huo Xiang blurted out the truth in excitement.
Huo Yuhui couldn’t bear to look.
Realizing what she’d said, Huo Xiang shrank his neck and stuck out his tongue.
At this point, Luo Mingchen could only accept reality.
After washing up, Luo Mingchen deliberately changed his robe to pajamas—sleep shirt and pants. If it weren’t for the heat, he would have chosen long-sleeved ones.
He originally planned to sleep before Huo Yan returned to avoid awkwardness.
But the more he tried to sleep early, the more awake his mind became. Hearing the door open, Luo Mingchen reluctantly opened his eyes and saw Huo Yan looking at him, asking, “Where do you want to sleep?”
Huo Yan sat on the bed, saying, “Come over.”
“Oh.”
Luo Mingchen took a pillow and moved in, handing him the pillow inside.
Seeing the kitchen knife in his hand, Huo Yan’s eyelid twitched, “It’s very safe here.”
Hearing this, Luo Mingchen felt puzzled, then looked down at the knife and understood the meaning.
“I’m used to sleeping with a knife. Without it, I can’t sleep. Don’t worry, you’ve used my shower gel before, it smells familiar, I won’t cut you.”
“Oh.”
Huo Yan casually brushed his loose hair and took a cloth bundle from the cabinet.
Luo Mingchen curiously stretched his neck to look, “What’s that?”
“Money.”
After hearing that, Luo Mingchen’s eyes lit up and he leaned in to ask, “How much?”
“A few thousand taels, I haven’t counted yet.”
“A few thousand taels!”
Luo Mingchen was shocked, “Where did you get so much money?”
Also, why was he so calm facing a few thousand taels of silver?
Huo Yan took out a stack of silver notes from a large wooden box and said, “Reward for catching bandits, payment for this escort trip, and some money saved up from the guild before.”
“You just keep so much money directly in the cabinet?!”
Luo Mingchen couldn’t believe it.
Huo Yan showed him the wooden box, “It has a mechanism, can’t be opened.”
“Won’t people just cut open the box?”
Luo Mingchen unknowingly leaned a bit closer, honestly feeling tempted looking at the silver notes.
Huo Yan turned to look at him, “This wood is very hard, and there are hidden weapons. If it’s not opened with a key, it will shoot poisonous darts.”
“Is that the same one you used to hit me with?” Luo Mingchen, with black hair dripping water on the back of his hand, moved away and said, “Wipe your hair first, it’s all wet.”
Huo Yan said, “Help me wipe it.”
“…You’re really shameless.”
Though he said that, Luo Mingchen took a cloth from Huo Yan’s shoulder and wiped his hair.
“I’m too lazy to move.”
Huo Yan counted the silver notes as he spoke.
Luo Mingchen frowned, “What about before?”
“Sleep directly in summer, wait in winter.”
“This is a bamboo pillow. Aren’t you afraid it will get moldy sleeping directly on it?”
Huo Yan replied calmly, “If it molds, throw it away and buy another.”
Luo Mingchen: “…You’re really wasteful.”
Hearing this, Huo Yan thought for a moment, tilted his head and said, “Then I’ll take it out to dry in the sun next time?”
“Don’t go to bed with wet hair! You don’t feel pain now, but when you’re old, you’ll know it was wrong.”
Luo Mingchen wiped him hard in annoyance.
However, Huo Yan didn’t react and let him rub freely.
Seeing him so obedient, Luo Mingchen’s motions became gentler and stopped only when Huo Yan’s hair stopped dripping, “Not done counting yet?”
“Later.”
Huo Yan finished counting the remaining notes. Seeing Luo Mingchen’s eager small eyes looking at him, he slightly curved his lips and said, “A total of six thousand taels of silver notes, one hundred taels of gold notes, plus ten taels of silver coins and two hundred thirty-five copper coins.”
Luo Mingchen had thought there were at most two thousand taels of silver notes, but there were so many; his eyes sparkled, “Big brother! Give me one, please!”
“Alright.”
Huo Yan smiled lightly, taking out a hundred-tael silver note and handing it to him.
Luo Mingchen was stunned. He only said it casually. His gaze awkwardly moved away from the note, chuckling nervously, “I was just joking.”
“I wasn’t. It’s a gift. Want it?”
Huo Yan waved the note in front of Luo Mingchen’s eyes.
Squinting, Luo Mingchen said, “You’re testing my self-control.”
Huo Yan laughed, “To help with household expenses. You’ve spent quite a bit these days when I wasn’t here.”
“…Are you reminding me to pay you back?”
“No. I mean if it’s not enough, you can come find me. This is for now.”
With that, Huo Yan gave the hundred-tael silver note to Luo Mingchen.
Holding the note, Luo Mingchen couldn’t refuse, “Fine, consider it your investment.”
“Hm?”
“I plan to grow vegetables, then open a shop. I’ll sell tofu for a while first, then sell spicy hot pot when the weather cools.”
Huo Yan nodded slightly after hearing Luo Mingchen’s plan, “Good.”
“Don’t you want to ask how I’ll run the shop? If I lose money, it’s your money.”
Huo Yan said, “Making money has gains and losses. Losing is normal. Just analyze what went wrong and be more careful next time.”
After hearing this, Luo Mingchen had only one thought: “Your attitude is really great.”
After chatting for a while, Luo Mingchen felt more relaxed around Huo Yan. Suddenly recalling something, he asked, “Is your injury really healed?”
“Mm.”
Huo Yan rolled up his sleeve to show him. The bandage was undone, and the area was only marked by a healed scar, “The medicine worked well.”
Luo Mingchen was shocked. But he understood—this medicine was specifically for those with abilities, as ordinary medicine was less effective on them. It contained some mutated herbs for bleeding control. He had grown quite a few in his space, in case of emergencies.
He hadn’t expected it would work so well here…
After Huo Yan lay down, Luo Mingchen still felt a faint sense of pressure.
Mainly because Huo Yan’s frame was too big; he was about 1.75 meters tall, but Huo Yan was around 1.9 meters.