Guan Guan held the bun but didn’t eat, his round face drooping. “Brother, did Guan Guan do something wrong?”

“No,” Wei Cheng said, puzzled. “Why do you say that?”

Guan Guan whispered, “Guan Guan had five cash, but bought many buns, Guan Guan did wrong.”

Wei Cheng thought for a moment, understanding.

Guan Guan thought that using five cash to buy more than five cash worth of buns would get him kept and separated from his brother. The child felt he’d done something wrong.

But Guan Guan couldn’t count, how would he know how much five cash could buy?

“I gave you five cash because we worked hard catching frogs and sold them for a good price. It’s for you to play with. Brother told you to buy a few, not to use all five cash.” Wei Cheng patted his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s good to try your best, Brother is proud of you.”

Guan Guan looked at him blankly.

“The vendor gave you a bun, and you didn’t take it, that’s right. We’re poor, but we don’t take advantage of others.” Wei Cheng smiled. “But my father taught me not to take advantage of others, and not to let others take advantage of us. Neighbors should be fair.”

Wei Da Nian died because he wouldn’t take advantage of others, but others took advantage of him.

Guan Guan was too young to understand, but he was happy to be praised.

Wei Cheng said, “Eat, it’ll get cold.”

He took a bun, it was delicious.

He saw Guan Guan also had a scallion pork bun, so he didn’t give him his.

Guan Guan ate quickly.

The bun was soft and chewy, with a strong scallion and pork flavor.

It was Guan Guan’s first time eating meat. His eyes widened with each bite, the candied hawthorn forgotten.

His eyes were still wet from crying, but his face was full of surprise and joy. “Brother, bun, delicious.”

A child’s face is like the May sky.

Sunny and happy, carefree.

Especially Guan Guan’s adorable round face.

Wei Cheng smiled, putting the paper bag in Guan Guan’s lap. “Eat more.”

They’d only had half a bowl of porridge for breakfast. They ate heartily now.

Wei Cheng ate one meat bun and two vegetable buns, Guan Guan ate two meat buns.

It was the first time Wei Cheng felt full in years. He looked at Guan Guan, whose round belly was visible even under his clothes. “Guan Guan, does your stomach hurt?”

Guan Guan burped, shaking his head. “No, no.”

Wei Cheng was relieved.

They passed the cake and figurine stalls, Guan Guan ignoring them, pulling Wei Cheng.

Wei Cheng was curious, “Didn’t Brother promise to buy you these after selling the frogs?”

“Brother,”

Guan Guan looked at him seriously, “Bought candied hawthorn and buns, can’t be greedy.”

“Okay, we’ll buy them next time.”

Wei Cheng knew they needed to be careful with their money. They needed to buy cotton, rice, and cloth. But Guan Guan was small and adorable, and he couldn’t deceive him.

They went to a cloth shop. The clerk didn’t look down on them, greeting them warmly.

Wei Cheng said, “A bolt of coarse cloth and some cotton for winter clothes.”

The clerk asked, “For how many people?”

Wei Cheng said, “Me and my brother.”

The clerk estimated their size and used an abacus. “The cheapest coarse cloth is one hundred and fifty cash, cotton is thirty-five cash per tael. You’re from the mountain, it’s cold, you need warm clothes. Two sets of clothes and two pairs of shoes need at least four catties of cotton, that’s two taels and two liang, two hundred and forty cash.”

He looked around and whispered, “Don’t make clothes here, it’s expensive. You can make shoes with the extra money.”

Cotton was expensive. The price wasn’t high.

Wei Cheng said, “Okay.”

He asked, “What fabric is good for underclothes?”

The clerk enthusiastically introduced underclothes fabrics, finally choosing slightly more expensive cotton cloth.

They chose a bolt of black coarse cloth (one hundred and fifty cash), four catties of cotton (two hundred and forty cash), and some soft white cotton cloth (seventy cash) for Guan Guan’s underclothes.

They went to a grocery store and bought toothbrushes and toothpaste (one hundred cash), and a small jar of peach blossom cream (fifty cash) for Guan Guan.

They couldn’t buy rice today. Seeing the wind pick up, Wei Cheng and Guan Guan waited for a cart to Jiangshui Village. They gave the cart driver extra cash, and the cart dropped them off at the village entrance.

The children walked up the mountain, only to see Qin Shi and Song Tian anxiously waiting outside their hut.

“Brother.”

Guan Guan’s face lost its smile, his small fists clenching Wei Cheng’s clothes.

Not only Qin Shi and Song Tian were there, but also the dark-faced worker, Village Head Li Maode, and a thin, white-haired old man standing in the center, looking respected.

“Don’t be afraid,” Wei Cheng said, pulling Guan Guan forward.

“Master, this is Wei Cheng, my wife’s former son. The child with him is cursed,” Song Tian said eagerly to the old man.

Wei Cheng ignored Qin Shi and her companions, greeting Li Maode, “Village Head Uncle.”

He patted Guan Guan, “Guan Guan, greet him.”

Guan Guan, a little scared, whispered, “Uncle.”

Li Maode smiled, “Guan Guan’s face is rounder, and he’s bolder.”

“Thank you for the food,” Wei Cheng said, looking at his firewood, feigning a bitter smile, “Guan Guan and I don’t have the strength to go to town to sell firewood…”

Li Maode sighed, about to speak, when Qin Shi exclaimed, “Master, quickly treat that cursed child! My Bao’er is crying and has a fever because of him…”

“That child is cursed! I heard he brings bad luck wherever he goes. That day, he shamelessly came to my house with Wei Cheng, we treated them well, but he offended us, causing misfortune to the Song family…” Song Tian began to describe the strange events after Wei Cheng and Guan Guan left.

The Song family had been unwell.

Song Tian disliked Bao’er’s crying, so he sent Qin Shi and Ma Shi to take him to the room. He felt hungry and drank and ate at the gambling house, spending nearly two hundred cash! He felt angry, so he made the worker heat wine, drinking and eating peanuts, humming happily. He then lost his memory.

According to Qin Shi, he took off his clothes and tried to sleep in the pigsty, getting covered in manure and catching a cold. The worker couldn’t stop him. Qin Shi and Ma Shi tried to stop him, only to be slapped… Song Tian was furious when he woke up. He was known for his pride, and now he was the laughingstock of Jianghe Village!

Worse, Bao’er cried all night, acting terrified, frightening Qin Shi and Ma Shi, who were exhausted and fell ill.

The village and town doctors found nothing wrong with Bao’er. A neighbor suggested finding a fortune teller.