Ch92 - The Crown Prince is a Relative

Jian Mei had never imagined he’d ever have so much pocket money.

The Jian family had always followed a tradition of teaching children to live frugally, so both Jian Mei and his older brother had their pocket money carefully limited from a young age. That said, they were never short of food or clothing—Jian Mei wasn’t unfamiliar with money, he just didn’t expect to ever see this much.

Jian Mei said softly, “I can’t possibly spend that much.”

It’s not like I’m raising a pig or something.

Lu Xingwang didn’t think it was too much. He knew the kids in SA’s class were likely well-off, with strong financial support from their families. He wanted his little one to never have to envy anyone, nor feel inferior just because he couldn’t afford something. True, he didn’t want Jian Mei’s school life to be disrupted because of their relationship—but as long as it was within his means, he didn’t want Jian Mei to suffer any unfairness.

Lu Xingwang said, “I’m not telling you to spend it all at once, but don’t hold back when it’s something worth spending on.”

Jian Mei set the aloe vera gel aside, wiped his slightly sticky hands, and replied softly, “I know. I don’t really spend much anyway.”

“There’s no need to scrimp on purpose.” As he flipped through a memorial, Lu Xingwang’s pen strokes remained sharp and decisive. He could handle matters of state without blinking an eye, yet still find time to gently reason with a child. “Remember—money is meant to be earned, not just saved.”

Jian Mei felt like he had understood something.

Thinking it over, it really did make sense. Back at the estate, if he and Xiao Ban had only relied on saving their wages, it never would’ve been enough for tuition in the Imperial Capital. But through selling medicine and other services, they had managed to earn what they needed.

With that in mind, Jian Mei asked tentatively, “I was thinking about selling some homemade skincare products to my classmates. Do you think that’s okay?”

Lu Xingwang thought for a moment and nodded. “That’s fine.”

He would never dampen the child’s enthusiasm.

But there was something he needed to say in advance: “Just don’t sell them at a low price to the students in this class.”

Jian Mei paused, “Why?”

“No reason.” Lu Xingwang simply reminded him, “Also, don’t tell them anything about your background or where you come from—just sell the products.”

Jian Mei vaguely guessed what he meant, but he took the advice to heart. He trusted that Dazhuang-ge wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, so after carefully committing the warning to memory, they said goodnight and hung up.

The next day.

The aloe vera gel Jian Mei had left to cool overnight had slowly set.

When he came downstairs that morning, Ying was still complaining that her skin looked worse than the day before and felt a bit sensitive.

Jian Mei walked over and handed her a small clear container he’d prepared. “Try this.”

Ying glanced at the transparent box in his hand. It didn’t look like the usual skincare products they used—it had a slightly sticky texture, and she hesitated. “Meimei, where did you get this?”

“I made it myself,” Jian Mei said honestly. “It has a calming effect. If your skin’s acting up, give it a try.”

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Then he lifted his fair little face and stared at Ying without blinking, eyes full of quiet anticipation—secretly hoping she’d offer to pay.

Ying, however, just said, “Don’t worry! I’ll use it properly!”

“…Okay.”

Jian Mei lowered his head, a little disappointed.

That morning’s class was potion-making, taught by an elderly gentleman—the same one who’d appeared during their second exam. He was warm and kind, but took teaching seriously. Every time he started talking about medical management, Jian Mei would listen with full attention.

Old Professor Lu had once asked him, “Your divine power doesn’t fall under the healing category, and yet you’re still this interested?”

Jian Mei had answered, “Mm. I want to become a doctor.”

At this school, there’s an unspoken rule: everyone instinctively chooses their profession based on their divine power. For instance, healers with healing abilities naturally pursue careers in medicine, while those with wind powers are more likely to go into mechanical industries, as they tend to be more meticulous, detail-oriented, and intelligent.

People with fire powers, due to their naturally strong physiques, often join the military or local organizations. Meanwhile, those with earth powers, who are calm and wise by nature, tend to gravitate toward civil service, with most of them ending up as government officials.

The distribution of divine powers might seem trivial, but in reality, it represents distinct factions.

Just like the conflict between Ying and Nanfeng, which seems like a simple clash of personalities, it is, in fact, a confrontation between the factions of civil and military official families—forces that couldn’t be resisted.

“Becoming a doctor without healing powers is very difficult,” Lu Xi warned him. “You could always choose an easier path.”

Feeling puzzled, Jian Mei asked, “But if it’s not a career I enjoy, wouldn’t life be really hard?”

Lu Xi was taken aback by the question.

Though he was much older, he found himself stumped by a question from a child.

Frozen in place, he thought for a long time, then smiled faintly, looking down at Jian Mei and saying, “You’re right.”

The reason he paid attention to this child was because of this. While most people followed the rules, he stood out like a tall, elegant pine tree in the wind. His thoughts and ideas were so decisive and pure, as if they were a light that didn’t belong to this world. How bright that light would eventually become and how far it would shine was something he was most eager to see.

The next day.

When Jian Mei got up in the morning, preparing to tend to his plot of land in the little forest, he saw Ying rushing downstairs, calling, “Meimei!”

Jian Mei’s hand shook, almost dropping the shovel.

As Ying ran over, her voice was loud enough to attract the attention of everyone in the building, making them look over in surprise to see what kind of madness she was up to today.

“My skin redness has faded,” Ying exclaimed, excitement radiating from her like heat. “And it’s amazing! This gel doesn’t sting at all. When I applied it, there was no discomfort. It absorbs so well, and my skin isn’t dry at all today!”

Because Ying had fire-elemental powers, even slight emotional excitement would cause her skin to dry out. However, the moisturizing effect of this aloe gel was incredibly effective, and it pleasantly surprised her.

Jian Mei smiled and said, “I’m glad it helped.”

Seeing him holding a shovel and preparing to go tend to his plot in the little forest, Ying quickly said, “Meimei, this jar is almost empty. Can you make me another one? It’s really not enough!”

Jian Mei hesitated and replied, “I can, but I need to…”

Worried that he might not sell it to her, Ying hurriedly added, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it this time!”

Jian Mei still hadn’t decided on the price. He had sold medicine before for just five copper coins per portion, and with Lu Xingwang advising him not to price things too high, Jian Mei thought five gold coins would be a bit much. So, he hesitated and said, “Well, I’ll sell it for five…”

“500 gold coins?” Ying asked, her eyes wide with shock.

Jian Mei was taken aback and quickly shook his head. “No, no…”

“50 gold coins?” Ying exclaimed, a big smile spreading across her face. “Is it really that cheap? Alright, alright, give me two boxes.”

“……”

Jian Mei fell silent, as he hadn’t yet finished speaking.

Ying quickly asked, “When will I be able to get them?”

Jian Mei, who had just scattered the seeds, replied, “I need Nanfeng to help me with plant propagation, but I’m not sure if he’s free today.”

Without hesitation, Ying answered, “He is.”

Of course, Ying didn’t care about Nanfeng’s time. She was simply eager to get her skincare products as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Jian Mei had never received such a large sum of money before. In the blink of an eye, he had enough to pay off the debt he owed to Dazhuang-ge, all for just a bottle of aloe vera gel. This made him feel a bit guilty, and he couldn’t help but wonder how Dazhuang-ge had known that the gel was expensive enough to sell so well.

In the afternoon, Jian Mei had a class to attend, but when he returned, he found Ying waiting for him in the living room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Ying rushed over and said, “I recommended this to my other sisters who are allergic to those chemical lotions, and they all want some. Jian Mei, could you make more? I’ll need about five bottles.”

Jian Mei hadn’t expected there to be more business. He hesitated and said, “I can, but it’ll take two days.”

Ying was very generous. “That’s fine!”

Jian Mei had just wanted to test if it would work, but he didn’t expect it to become so popular. Ying wanted to transfer the money directly to him, but he only accepted a small deposit.

Nanfeng came downstairs and asked, “Jian Mei, do you have time to make more of these in the next couple of days?”

Jian Mei looked up and replied, “Why wouldn’t I have time?”

“This semester’s already halfway through, and the school festival is coming up!” Nanfeng said with a smile. “In a couple of days, the first round of festival activities will begin.”

Ying added, “Yes, yes! All the divisions will participate, and it’ll be very lively!”

Jian Mei, who had never experienced anything like this before, asked, “What kind of activities are there?”

“The school festival is when every division holds activities and booths. Before the festival kicks off, there will be an opening ceremony and a sports competition. I think it’s in about three days,” Ying poked Jian Mei lightly. “On the second day of the sports competition, there’s an interactive event with family members. It’s similar to a parent-teacher meeting, so you can contact your family in advance.”

In simpler terms, it was time for a “parent showdown.”

After hearing this, Jian Mei hesitated for a moment and then quietly said, “I don’t have anyone in my family.”

Ying and Nanfeng immediately recalled that Jian Mei’s family was from a humble background, and they figured that the travel costs might be a problem. Ying, being the more generous one, said, “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. It’s been a while since you’ve seen them, right? I can cover the transportation costs. You could invite them to come visit the capital!”

Jian Mei bluntly replied, “They’re probably all deceased.”

It seemed that the parents of this body had indeed passed away when he was very young.

Ying and Nanfeng were both stunned by this information, and both felt a bit awkward. Especially Ying, she stammered, “I’m so sorry, Meimei.”

Jian Mei shook his head, “It’s fine.”

Nanfeng asked, “So what will you do then? Won’t you be alone? Do you have any older siblings or maybe distant relatives, like cousins?”

Jian Mei was about to say that he had no one, but then he suddenly remembered what Lu Xingwang had said the night before on the balcony. If he considered family, then Lu Xingwang could be considered his older brother.

However…

Should he really ask the crown prince to be his family for the sports event?

Jian Mei fell into deep thought, considering how realistic that idea might be.

Translator’s Notes:

Sorry, I forgot to schedule the updates. Now, I’m manually posting the updates for this week!