The next week was very busy for Li Wenshui.

He woke up every day before dawn, cleaned the ancestral hall, cooked for Liang Jin, and then rushed home to quickly prepare desserts to sell at the night market. Tiramisu doesn’t keep well, so he switched to selling pork floss bread and small cookies. When everything was ready, it was exactly 8 o’clock. He rode his tricycle, pedaling hard to reach the hotpot restaurant right on time. After finishing at the hotpot restaurant, it was already evening. He sold while riding his bike back home, and then had to rush to the ancestral hall. When he returned to the ancestral hall, he collapsed straight into bed, barely having time to think.

Today, for the first time, the hotpot restaurant was closed, and Li Wenshui woke up feeling sore all over. Last night, Liang Jin had come over, and he had fallen asleep halfway through. In his sleep, he vaguely felt Liang Jin slap his bottom, scold him for sleeping in, and then sigh helplessly.

Li Wenshui felt faint due to low blood sugar and realized that he couldn’t continue like this—it was too much for his body to handle. He dressed quickly, picking up the dirty clothes from last night, both his and Liang Jin’s, and threw them into the washing machine. As he cooked, he thought about how he could save more time. He couldn’t abandon looking after the ancestral hall or the hotpot restaurant; they were his main sources of income. But he didn’t want to give up baking cakes either—he loved it, and every little bit of extra money added up. Over the course of a month, he could make quite a bit.

After thinking about it, he realized he wasted four hours a day commuting. If he could shorten the commute time, life would be much easier. He wished he had a car.

At the entrance to the ancestral hall, three pots of green orchids swayed gently in the wind. Li Wenshui walked out of the hall. Recently, he had taken on an extra job taking care of the flowers for Grandfather Liang, and his pay had increased. After paying off his debt this month, he had more leftover money than before. Things seemed to be moving in a positive direction, but Li Wenshui still felt a sense of crisis. After all, even paying the minimum amount on the debt, it would take him twenty years to pay it all off. And the interest rate was within the legal limit, so calling the police or suing wouldn’t help.

When Li Wenshui arrived at Grandfather Liang’s estate to water the flowers, he overheard the old man talking with the butler about a test. Just then, someone entered through the gate. The person’s footsteps were heavy, and they walked with confidence. Li Wenshui didn’t look at him, but his body tensed uncontrollably. As the person passed by, he suddenly stopped and looked him over in an unrestrained manner. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before.”

Li Wenshui took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and faced Liang Xuxing’s arrogant and rebellious face. “I’m here to take care of the flowers for Mr. Liang,” Li Wenshui said, trying to maintain a composed demeanor.

The two locked eyes for a moment, and Liang Xuxing showed a look of disdain. “Oh,” he said, then turned and walked away without a second glance.

Li Wenshui’s hand tightened around the watering can, his fingers turning white. Liang Xuxing didn’t recognize him. The bully who had tormented him, hurt him, and laughed at him didn’t even recognize him. He just casually said “oh” and walked away. Blood rushed to Li Wenshui’s head. He had never forgotten the name Liang Xuxing.

When Liang Jin arrived, he found Li Wenshui standing motionless, staring at the house like a cat on high alert, teetering on the edge of a stress response. He leaned down to Li Wenshui’s side and followed his gaze. “What are you looking at? Did someone get flowers on their face?”

Li Wenshui snapped out of it and, upon seeing Liang Jin, his tense emotions began to ease. He took a deep breath, then asked, “What’s your relationship with Liang Xuxing?”

“You know Liang Xuxing?” Liang Jin straightened up, his nonchalant gaze now holding a hint of curiosity. “He’s my second uncle’s son, my cousin.”