Gu Nian didn’t really have any reaction to Lin Sanshui’s stinginess.
Reluctance to spend money ultimately comes down to having too little of it.
If he had a few thousand or eight hundred taels in hand, how could he not be willing to buy fine cotton cloth for the family?
So, the key is still to make money,
to have enough to spend freely.
After leaving the cloth shop and sending Dahu to the entrance of the Qinglin Restaurant, Gu Nian glanced into a corner and her eyes instantly lit up upon seeing something.
"Dad, can you give me some money?" Gu Nian turned and charmingly grabbed Lin Sanshui’s hand, acting spoiled.
Lin Sanshui couldn’t overlook the sparkle in Gu Nian’s eyes when she saw the sugar figure vendor over there.
He smiled as he counted out a few copper coins and generously handed them over, "Want a sugar figure, right? Here, go buy one."
Gu Nian blinked, "Dad, don’t be so stingy, give a few more!"
Lin Sanshui wasn’t angry; instead, he counted out a few more, "Alright, here are a few more."
He quickly counted out ten copper coins and handed them to Gu Nian, then asked, "Is that enough?"
"Yes, thank you, Dad." Gu Nian took the money and ran off, "Dad, I’m going to buy a sugar figure."
"Run slowly, be careful, come back quickly after buying it." Lin Sanshui watched Gu Nian’s back with concern, giving a worried reminder.
When he saw her reach the sugar figure stall, he then said to Dahu, "Hurry up then. When you arrive at the restaurant, learn diligently from your master, work hard and don’t slack off. I’ll come to see you in a few days..."
Lin Sanshui gave detailed and concerned instructions.
A mother worries as her son travels far, and a father’s worries are no less than a mother’s.
Especially after what happened with Erhu being bullied, Lin Sanshui became even more uneasy about Dahu.
He had never been an apprentice himself, but had heard from others that being an apprentice was not easy.
But he had no choice, he didn’t have much skill; if his son wanted to be successful, he had to work hard himself. To learn others’ skills, he had to withstand their difficulties.
Close to parting, Dahu originally wanted to smile nonchalantly and not make Lin Sanshui worry, but when he tried to smile, he found he couldn’t.
"I’ll learn the skills well, Dad, you and Mom too, take care of your health, don’t work too hard." After saying this, Dahu turned and left, afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold back his sobs. Thɪs chapter is updated by novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
Lin Sanshui watched his son walk into the restaurant, only retracting his gaze when he was completely out of sight.
Gu Nian had been observing their situation all along, and as soon as they parted, she quickly ran to a spot not far from the sugar figure vendor, where there was a chick vendor, which was Gu Nian’s ultimate goal.
Chicks were three copper coins each, five copper coins for two.
Gu Nian asked the vendor to help pick out one male and one female, quickly paid, and then returned to the area next to the sugar figure stall.
She spent another two copper coins to buy a sugar figure, and while turning around, used her body as a cover to place the chicks into a space, then headed back to Lin Sanshui.
"Dad, I’ve bought it, shall we return home?" Gu Nian asked.
"Yes, let’s go home." Lin Sanshui picked up Gu Nian and placed her on the donkey cart, lightly whipping the donkey’s back, making the cart move.
On the way, Lin Sanshui saw Gu Nian was holding the sugar figure but not eating it, so he asked a question.
Gu Nian smiled sweetly, "I’m not used to eating sugar; this is to take home for Big Brother and Third Brother to eat."
Lin Sanshui affectionately rubbed Gu Nian’s head.
What child doesn’t like eating sugar?
This child is just too sensible, so sensible that it breaks one’s heart.
While driving the cart, Lin Sanshui took out five taels of silver from his chest and handed it to Gu Nian, "Niannian, this is your share. Dad was going to save it for you, but I thought it’s still better for you to keep it yourself. But you must take care of it, if you lose it, it’ll be gone."