Chapter 270 - 268: Borrowing Money (Part 1)

Chapter 270: Chapter 268: Borrowing Money (Part 1)

Suddenly, the way Lin Qiao looked at Gu Nuan Nuan was completely different. She couldn’t help but swallow. "You’re so lucky! You mean besides your mom, your dad, grandpa, grandma, and your uncle and aunt all give you an allowance? So how much do you usually get each month?"

"Besides the fixed fifty yuan each month, the others just give me money whenever they feel like it. The amount isn’t set; sometimes they give a little more, sometimes a little less, or sometimes nothing at all," Gu Nuan Nuan said with a smile. "But my mom and my aunt always give me extra every month. My aunt actually gives me more than my mom does. That’s because my uncle has two sons—my cousins—and their allowance is fixed. They don’t get a single cent more, so they often secretly ask me to help them out when they’re short on cash."

At the mention of Zhang Su and Zhang Kai, a warm smile spread across Gu Nuan Nuan’s face. The corners of her mouth curved up even higher, making Lin Qiao look over with more curiosity. Gu Nuan Nuan collected herself and smiled. "But they don’t just take my money for nothing. In fact, they spend most of it on me. No matter where they go, if they see anything new and fun or something good to eat, they always remember to bring something back for me. They’ll make do for themselves, but they always buy me the very best. That’s why their spending can get a little out of hand sometimes."

"Huh? Your family is so strange. Aren’t boys supposed to get more allowance? Why is it the other way around for you guys?" Lin Qiao exclaimed in surprise.

"Because my uncle says boys should be raised with less. Getting fifty yuan a month is already a luxury they should be secretly celebrating. As for getting anything extra? Not a chance. So when he declared that my grandparents, my aunt, and my parents were forbidden from secretly giving them any more money, nobody dared to."

Gu Nuan Nuan snickered. "My uncle is the head of the family. Everyone in our house has to listen to what he says, even my grandparents. But he never mentioned my name when he made that rule, so I’m the loophole. Besides, I don’t just hand over the money. My two cousins always come to ’borrow’ it from me, and then my aunt helps ’pay me back.’ Of course, my aunt always ’repays’ me with a little extra, so it turns out she gives me the most every month."

"Aren’t you guys afraid your uncle will get angry if he finds out?" Lin Qiao was dumbfounded. ’Fifty yuan a month for each kid is already unbelievable, but from the sound of it, they get way more than that! Just how much money do you have to make to cover what these kids spend in a month?’

"He won’t. My uncle knows," Gu Nuan Nuan said matter-of-factly. "He’s the head of the family; how could anything that happens in the house escape his notice? He just turns a blind eye because he knows my two cousins aren’t wasting the money."

"What?! Fifty yuan a month isn’t enough for them, and you call that ’not wasting money’?" Lin Qiao looked at Gu Nuan Nuan, her expression a mix of anguish and indignation, as if her heart was breaking. "Do you have any idea how much you can buy with fifty yuan? My entire family’s monthly expenses don’t even add up to fifty yuan... Nuannuan, why couldn’t I have met you before we were born? If I’d known you were going to land in such a great family, I would’ve cut in line ahead of you! WAHH! We really met too late. Otherwise, it would’ve been great just to be born with your face."

As she spoke, she stared intently at Gu Nuan Nuan, dropped her hoe and bag, and let out a playful "ROWR!" as she pounced forward to hug her. "Tell me, why don’t we look alike? If we did, we could switch places like in *The Prince and the Pauper*. It would be amazing to enjoy your princess-like life, even just for a little while."

"You’re thinking too small~ I think you can aim way higher~ For instance, what about marrying one of my two cousins? Then you’d become part of our family for real," Gu Nuan Nuan suggested with a straight face, trying to suppress her laughter. In return, she received a wounded, accusing glare from Lin Qiao. "You’re just setting me up."

"Hey, I’m giving you good advice. How is that setting you up?" Gu Nuan Nuan asked, feigning confusion.

"If I really married one of your cousins, then someday it would be my turn to give kids an allowance, right? Fifty yuan a month? Oof, are you trying to kill me with heartache?" Lin Qiao took a step back. "Hmph. I’m not talking to you anymore. I’ve clearly befriended a bad influence."

Watching from the side, Cao Cao burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Master, this Lin Qiao is so entertaining!"

Gu Nuan Nuan laughed too, but she ignored Cao Cao and said to Lin Qiao, "In that case, you’ll just have to find a way for your parents to get rich so they can give you and your younger siblings a monthly allowance, too."

"..."

Lin Qiao’s laughter died down, and her expression suddenly grew serious. She looked at Gu Nuan Nuan earnestly. "Nuannuan, thank you. Thank you for giving my family this idea, and thank you for being willing to lend us your allowance. But even if it’s your money, it’s still a huge sum. I think you should go home and ask your family about it first, just to be safe."

"I can make my own decisions about my allowance. And I need to correct you about something—I’m willing to lend it to *you*, not to ’you guys’," Gu Nuan Nuan replied, her tone just as serious.

"...Okay, just me then. But what’s the difference between ’you guys’ and just ’me’?" Lin Qiao blinked in confusion.

"There’s a huge difference," Gu Nuan Nuan said with a smile. "You’ve already sold yourself to me, remember? Why else would I be giving you ideas *and* lending you money?"

Torn between laughter and tears, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Gu Nuan Nuan and say reproachfully, "You..." Before she could finish, her eyes welled up. She subtly blinked the moisture away, a little flustered, then puffed out her cheeks and mumbled, "Okay, okay, can you stop bringing that up all the time? Fine. I’ve decided to stick with you from now on. I’m determined to latch onto a wealthy family and live the good life, so even if you try to shake me off, I’m sticking to you."

"Heh, I’m just worried you’ll regret it later. Latching onto a wealthy family isn’t so easy, you know. Don’t come crying to me and trying to go on strike when things get tough." Gu Nuan Nuan pretended not to notice Lin Qiao’s discomfort and grinned. "Why don’t we start with some training? You can begin by taking over all my future homework, how about it?"

"In your dreams! Do you want to fail your exams and not get into college?" Lin Qiao shot her down without a second thought.

Gu Nuan Nuan just smiled at her. "I’m not worried. It’s fine if I don’t go to college."

"No. I’m saying this for your own good." Lin Qiao blushed but remained firm. "Anyway, that’s non-negotiable."

"Fine." Gu Nuan Nuan had only been joking, so she didn’t press the issue. This made Lin Qiao let out a huge sigh of relief; she didn’t want to agree only to end up harming her friend.