"No worries, I'm giving it all to you—think of it as your study fund! When you ace the imperial exams and rake in the cash, just pay me back with interest!"
"But... my mom says I can't just take other people's stuff," the little boy mumbled, looking all torn up inside.
The little girl tilted her head and flashed a grin. "It’s not taking—it's just a deposit, like stashing treasure at a pawnshop! I’m parking it with you for now. When you ace the exams, you can pay me back!"
"But..."
"Come on, enough with the 'buts'! I believe in you, so you gotta believe in yourself too." With that, she shoved the pouch into his hands.
The little boy nodded furiously, his big pretty eyes sparkling. "Deal! I’ll totally become top scholar and pay you back!"
"Now that's what I call a good kid!"
"Miss Ivy, it's time to go," Steward Liu said with a gentle smile, urging her along.
"Oh, got it!" The little girl dashed over to Steward Liu and grabbed his hand.
"Hey, what's your name?" As she was about to leave, the little boy suddenly realized he hadn't asked.
"You’ve seen what I looked like before?" Shen Bingxin was a little stunned.
Seeing Shen Bingxin’s wary look, Liam Willow quickly grinned. He was so thin it made his smile look awkward, but he still showed his teeth, smiling happily. "Wife, you really don’t remember?" As he spoke, he pulled a money pouch out from inside his shirt and handed it to her.
Seeing this, Shen Bingxin took the pouch from his hand and glanced down. On the red pouch was a beautifully embroidered little green sprout, and next to it, the character for 'Heart.' Instantly, a familiar scene flooded her mind.
"Waaa..." Under a locust tree, a pretty little boy sat on the ground hugging his knees, crying, while a few other boys stuck out their tongues at him and jeered, "Fatherless wild child! Fatherless wild child!"
"I do have a daddy! I do have a daddy!" The pretty little boy blinked his big eyes, anxiously trying to defend himself.
"Then where is your daddy? How come we’ve never seen him? My mom says you’re just a little bastard!" sneered a chubby boy in slightly nicer clothes. As soon as he finished, the other kids all burst out laughing.
"No, it’s not true... it’s not true..."
"Kids without dads can’t go to school! Kids without dads can’t go to school!" A crowd of children giggled and started hurling literacy blocks at the boy.
"Stop!" Suddenly, a small figure appeared, and beside her stood an older man.
"Who... who are you?" the chubby boy stammered, staring at her without blinking.
"Why are you bullying him?" The little girl pointed at the chubby boy, clearly unhappy.
"I... I was just playing with him," the chubby boy said, trying to laugh it off. Inside, he was screaming—this little girl is so pretty, so pretty!
"Playing, huh?" The little girl said, then swung her fist and, standing on tiptoe, whacked him hard on the top of his head. The chubby boy yelped and fell to the ground, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Listen up! He’s my person. If you bully him again, I’ll flatten you!" The little girl waved her fist, threatening him.
"Waaah, you’re a bad guy... waaaah!" The chubby boy burst into tears and ran off, with the rest of the kids scrambling after him.
Meanwhile, the little boy under the locust tree blinked his pretty eyes, staring at the little girl who was even prettier than him.
"Hey, don’t cry. Xin’er doesn’t have a daddy either, but Xin’er doesn’t cry. Only if you get strong will they stop picking on you," the little girl said seriously, looking at him.
"Uh..."
"Here, take this." The little girl pulled out a money pouch from her pocket. "My mom made this for my birthday. Even though it just has a little green sprout embroidered on it, it means a lot. I’m giving it to you today, so you have to be like the sprout on the pouch—don’t be afraid of getting knocked down, just keep growing bravely. That way, you’ll have a chance to protect the people you want to protect." With that, the little girl gave him a big, bright smile.
"But... this is your birthday present, and there’s even silver inside." The little boy wiped his tears, stood up, and looked at her. The silver in the pouch was clearly visible.
"It’s fine, I’m giving it all to you. Just use it for school, okay? If you become the top scholar and make tons of money, you can pay me back with interest!"
"But... but my mom says I shouldn’t take other people’s stuff," the little boy said, looking conflicted.
The little girl tilted her head and smiled at him. "It’s not taking—it’s just safekeeping, like leaving a treasure at a pawnshop. I’m just storing it with you for now. When you become the top scholar, you can give it back to me!"
"But..."
"Aiya, enough with the buts! I believe in you, so you have to believe in yourself too." With that, she pressed the pouch into his hands.
Hearing this, the little boy quickly nodded, his pretty eyes shining. "Okay! I’ll definitely become the top scholar and repay you!"
"That’s more like it!"
"Miss, it’s time to go," Uncle Liu said with a gentle smile.
"Oh, okay!" The little girl hurried over to Uncle Liu and held out her hand to him.
"Hey, what’s your name?" Watching her about to leave, the little boy suddenly realized he hadn’t asked her name yet.
“I’m Ivy Shen! You better study hard and pay me back someday!” Her voice rang out, bright and clear, landing right in his heart. Clutching that pouch, he swore to himself: One day, I’ll ace the exams and pay her back for sure!
The memory faded and Ivy Shen finally realized—this little boy was the same crybaby she’d helped all those years ago! No wonder he didn’t care about her looks; she’d been a total standout even as a kid, so he’d already seen her at her prettiest. That explains why he’s so chill about it now!
But seriously, she wasn’t the same Ivy Shen who’d handed over that pouch and pocket money. How was she supposed to deal with feelings like this?!
“Wife... I made it—I really became the top scholar. But... but the Crown Prince...” He didn’t need to finish; Ivy Shen already knew what he meant. He barely had time to serve the court before the Crown Prince threw him straight into hell.
Back then, Ivy Shen hadn’t really gotten why the Crown Prince did that. Now, thinking it over, it was obvious—he just wanted to keep Colin Kerr from getting suspicious. Colin wasn’t dumb; everyone knew Poison Peach Valley was a death trap full of tricks. You needed brains, not just martial arts, to survive that place.
She figured: Liam Willow was so honest and kind, he’d never suck up to those big-shot ministers. And for guys like that? The ministers definitely didn’t want him hanging around. So, he ended up as the perfect sacrificial lamb.
“But it’s fine—I don’t have any cash to pay you back, but I can give you myself!” With that, he grabbed Ivy Shen’s hand and kept going, all hyped: “I’m smart, I’ve read tons! In the future, I’ll teach our kids, and they’ll be awesome. Adrian Night should have one, Lucian Vane should have one, and Blue should have one too... So that’s four kids, and if we get twins, that’s eight! I’ll be their super teacher!” Liam Willow rattled off, totally fired up.
Ivy Shen just started sweating—was Liam Willow’s imagination always this wild?
Eight kids? Who said she was gonna have kids with any of them?!