CH 83.3

No Money (3)

Ruan Qingmu smiled. “I’ve probably used up all my fortunes in the previous life. Uncle, I won’t keep it from you, but my family is poor in this life.”

The old man was a bit confused by him and waved his hand in exasperation. “Fine. Since I hit it off with you, I’ll take the material money only, 500 yuan. This is the last business before the new year to make money before closing the shop.”

Ruan Qingmu smiled and his peach blossom eyes narrowed. “Thank you then. I want it before the Lunar New Year’s Eve. I’m in a hurry to send it to someone. Can you guarantee to finish it by then?”

The old man raised his head. “I’ll give you a guarantee! My house is at the back of this street. Even if it’s closed, you can give me a call and I’ll send it over to you.”

Ruan Qingmu asked happily, “That’s good. How much is the down payment?”

The old man rolled his eyes at him. “My shop always takes full payment. It’s a twenty-year-old shop. Are you afraid I’ll ruin your painting?”

Ruan Qingmu’s face became bitter again. “Boss, I really don’t have money now. I still have to work a temporary job these next few days to pay for it. If you want full payment, I really can’t give it to you. How about this? Can I give you one hundred yuan for a down payment first?”

He was a good-looking man, with a delicate, handsome face and a tall, slim, straight figure, standing in front of the small shop where business was slow, like an ancient painting. The old man’s heart became soft, saying, “Fine. Fine!”

Ruan Qingmu left the shop and stood in the winter street for a while, feeling slightly downcast.

Mu Wanli gave him eight hundred yuan a month for living expenses and his mother took care of his clothes and shoes, so the leftover money wasn’t much; it was just enough for food expenses.

If it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t have a plan at the beginning of the school year and spent it carelessly a few times, he wouldn’t have to be so miserable for a month or two with only vegetables and bean sprouts to eat every day.

After all, he didn’t earn any money now and he saw how hard it was for Mu Wanli to support the family by herself, so he couldn’t open his mouth to ask Mu Wanli to fork up the money for this big expense.

The money spent on a casual pot of fine wine in his previous life could probably cover a month’s food expenses for the whole family now and the random jade pendant bought for the little mute to wear could probably cover a hundred sets of clothes for the little mute’s current body.

He also used the best Anhui ink, Xuan paper, Huzhou sheep’s brush, and Shexian ink stone for his paintings. Unlike now, when he secretly bought a set and spent only three hundred and eighty yuan, using all sorts of subpar tools, which happened to be a waste of his good painting style.

During the semester, he saved a few hundred yuan, which he spent on a set of cheap brushes, ink, paper, and ink stone. Who would have thought it would cost 500 yuan to make a proper mounting?

That was really too much!

After standing in the unfamiliar street for a while, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a number. “Class monitor Tang, do the things you mentioned last time still have a shortage of people?”

Tang Tiantian sounded extremely surprised on the other line. “Yes, there should still be a shortage. My cousin said she’s been looking, but there aren’t many photogenic boys. She wasn’t satisfied with the few she found.”

Ruan Qingmu thought it over for a moment. “Is it 100 yuan for an hour? I’ll do it for five hours.”

Tang Tiantian didn’t know whether she should cry or laugh. “Only doing it for five hours? Could it look like you’re playing…”

Ruan Qingmu reasoned, “I still need to study, ah.”

Tang Tiantian also hesitated. “That’s right. There’s so much homework for this semester’s winter break. T-Then, I’ll ask my cousin again. Wait for me for a few minutes.”

Ruan Qingmu leaned against the railing at the side of the road and as he was walking toward the end of the street, he suddenly saw a mobile vendor selling tanghulu not far away.

He dashed over, bought one, snapped a photo, and sent it over.

“Are you craving it?” He rubbed his hands in the cold wind and typed with stiff fingers.

Sure enough, Qin Yuan’s reply arrived soon after.

“Want to eat it…” It was accompanied by a moving emoji of a small dog lying on the ground with its belly bared, begging to be fed.

Ruan Qingmu was so amused that he desperately tried to hold back his laughter in the cold street.

Aiya, he had just realized something. When they were face to face, this boy had a cold, expressionless, deadpan face, but when he was messaging or talking on the phone, he became all kinds of lively!

He slowly bit off half of a hawthorn, revealing the yellowish-orange flesh inside, with a layer of crystal clear icing sugar, and proudly took a picture of it.

“Who told you not to come back? I’ll eat it myself.”

In Y City, the weather outside was cold and depressing, but the Qin family had a large greenhouse outdoor room, with sunlight coming in through the transparent glass ceiling. The greenhouse effect made the whole room as warm as spring, with all kinds of flowers in full bloom.

Qin Yuan sat at the coffee table in the greenhouse, a smile rising at the corners of his lips.

“It’s okay. Just give me the rest of that.”

Ruan Qingmu stood at the roadside and the cold wind blew along the empty cultural street, piercingly cold. He shivered and hurried to put his collar up high, but his cheeks were suddenly so hot that they burned a little.

Student Qin-shaoxia was getting more and more casual. He was the one who robbed him of his leftover grilled squid last time, wasn’t he?

He suddenly took a bite and ate the remaining half of the hawthorn, then furiously took a picture of it for Qin Yuan. “It’s gone! If you dare, come here to grab it!”

Qin Yuan held a cup of black tea and looked at the unpleasant photo. “…”

“Is this an invitation?” He slowly typed the words. “Fine. I accept it.”

Ruan Qingmu stared blankly at the words for a long time before reacting.

Fuck! … Who invited him to come and grab it out of his mouth???