Love Fund

Summer cicadas chirped in the shade of the trees by the fish pond.

"You... confess right now, did you rob a bank?"

His expression was a mix of nervousness and seriousness, as if he would drag Lin Mo to the police station the very next second if Lin Mo dared to nod.

Lin Mo was amused by him.

"Would I only grab this much if I robbed a bank? There's only ten thousand here." His tone was as casual as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."

"Only? Ten thousand?!"

Feng Binbin's voice instantly pitched up, then he abruptly lowered it, looking around guiltily like a thief. "I've grown up this big and have never even touched ten thousand yuan in cash!"

"Well, aren't you touching it now?"

Feng Binbin's face turned pale and then green, as if he were experiencing an intense internal struggle.

A few seconds later, he suddenly shoved the envelope back into Lin Mo's arms.

"No, no, I can't take this money."

Lin Mo didn't take it, letting the envelope drop onto the wooden boards of the boat between them.

"What's given to you is yours, stop dawdling."

He looked at Feng Binbin with an undeniable look in his eyes. "I also prepared a share for Second Great-Aunt. You can't possibly expect me to take it back, can you?"

With that, he picked up the envelope, didn't even look at it, and directly flipped open the nearby tackle box containing fishhooks and fishing lines. He stuffed the ten thousand yuan inside, squishing it together with the assorted little gadgets.

As if it wasn't a stack of cash that would excite an ordinary student for half a day, but rather a freshly bought bag of fish food.

"Don't worry, this money is completely clean."

Lin Mo closed the box and explained, "It's all prize money from competitions I participated in, plus subsidies from the school. Other people spend money to go to school; I make money."

Lin Mo wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.

Just the various subsidies Shen Zhongping gave him to keep him at Guangba were not a small sum.

Not to mention the prize money he won from participating in various Math Olympiad competitions—every cent of it was legitimate.

There were even internal bonuses issued by Yanhuang Awakening.

As long as he asked, Chu Lintian would also give him a lot of money, and might even transfer Jiang Beihe's previous shares to him.

As for unclean money, he had plenty of that too, such as from the Poison Heart Assassin and the vampire Albert.

These people all had numerous overseas accounts, and Lin Mo knew their account numbers and passwords.

Therefore, he would never be short of money in this lifetime.

However, one must eat their meals one bite at a time. Giving Feng Binbin too much directly wouldn't be helping him; it would be harming him.

Ten thousand was just right. It could improve his life without completely shattering his current values.

Feng Binbin stared blankly at the envelope casually stuffed into the tackle box. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time.

He looked at Lin Mo, then at the box, his mind a jumbled mess.

After a long while, as if finally digesting this fact, he cautiously leaned over and asked in a whisper:

"Moyuzai, maybe you should take it back. I'm worried I'll spend it recklessly."

"If you spend it recklessly, then so be it. Once the ten thousand is gone, I won't give you any more even if you ask."

Lin Mo leaned diagonally against the side of the boat, his gaze sweeping over the sparkling surface of the water and landing on a stationary aerator in the distance.

"This money isn't just to make your life a little easier; consider it a dating fund. Think about Lu Nian'en. One of you is in this province, and the other is in Sanxiang. The back-and-forth train tickets, accommodation—which of those isn't an expense? Without some capital, how are you going to woo her into becoming my sister-in-law?"

The three words "Lu Nian'en" acted like a switch. Two clouds of red instantly flared up on Feng Binbin's sun-tanned face, and even the roots of his ears burned hot.

His lips moved, wanting to retort, but he didn't know where to start. He could only lower his head further, his eyes evasively staring at the deck beneath his feet.

Lu Nian'en was attending a normal university in their home province.

Meanwhile, Feng Binbin was studying civil engineering in Sanxiang. Traveling back and forth between the two places naturally cost a lot, but he didn't have much spare cash.

The two universities, separated by a province, were indeed a hurdle in his heart.

Seeing his embarrassed and innocent look, Lin Mo found it funny. Without stopping his movements, he slapped a heavy hand onto Feng Binbin's thick shoulder.

"Puff your chest out! Don't say your little brother isn't loyal enough. You need to hold onto this money properly, grip it tight, and go fight for your own happiness!"

Feng Binbin snapped his head up, his eyes a little moist and hot, and nodded heavily.

The two looked at each other and smiled, saying no more.

Together, they lifted the large black carp, which was almost half a person tall, off the boat and walked toward Ah Ka's house in the village.

Ah Ka was Feng Binbin's childhood friend; their houses were only a few hundred meters apart.

The lingering glow of the setting sun stretched their shadows out long, and the heavy, massive fish in their arms attracted the attention of quite a few villagers.

"Oi! Binbin, not bad, kid! Where did you go to steal the Dragon King's mount?" An uncle holding a water pipe stopped in his tracks, squinting at the fish with a face full of amazement.

Feng Binbin, holding the fish's head, was amused. He grinned and shouted back, "Uncle, what do you mean steal? I caught it fair and square! Right in the fish pond at Ah Ka's place."

"Oh, that pond of theirs..." The uncle suddenly realized, then curled his lips. "That pond hasn't been cleaned out for years. It's no surprise it bred a fish tyrant like this. You boys are doing a public service!"

With that, he waved his hand, put his hands behind his back, and slowly strolled off toward Shuangqiao.

Before they even reached Ah Ka's door, Feng Binbin opened his mouth wide and shouted, "Ka! Hey, Ka!"

The courtyard door creaked open. The first to run out wasn't Ah Ka, but his mother, wearing an apron.

"Oh my heavens, Binbin, what are you... where did you get such a big fish!" Ah Ka's mother's eyes widened when she saw the large black carp.

"Auntie, caught it in your fish pond," Feng Binbin thrust the fish forward as if presenting a treasure.

Hearing this, Ah Ka's mother slapped her thigh. The expression on her face changed from shock to annoyance, and then from annoyance to pleasant surprise.

"Oh my! I knew it! I was wondering why the fish fry we scattered in the pond these past few years never seemed to grow. Turns out they were eaten by this old thing! No wonder there are fewer and fewer fish in the pond!"

She walked around the big fish twice, clicking her tongue in wonder. "I'll have to get your uncle to find someone to clean the pond immediately. Heaven knows what else is hiding down there."

As they spoke, Feng Binbin moved to hand the fish over to her.

But Ah Ka's mother waved her hands repeatedly and took two steps back. "No, no, you boys take this fish back to eat. We should be thanking you two for helping us clear out this menace."

"That won't do, Auntie. Such a big fish, the two of us plus Second Great-Aunt couldn't finish eating it even by next year."

Feng Binbin became anxious. "How about this: we cut it in half, and we'll take half. Otherwise, we won't agree."

"You child..." Seeing his resolute face, Ah Ka's mother could only smile and compromise. "Alright, alright, we'll do as you say. You wait here, I'll go inside and gut the fish."

Without another word, she bent down, scooped up the big black carp that weighed dozens of pounds in one go, turned around, and bustled into the kitchen.

Her posture didn't look like she was carrying a fish; it looked more like she was carrying a chubby baby.