A tribunal of three.

The court was called to order with a drum roll.

Jasper Lee was led into the living room.

Pascal Lee handed over the metal hanger.

"Speak!" Cherry Adams took the hanger and slammed it down on the coffee table. "Where have you been all this time?"

Jasper Lee was shocked that Pascal Lee was doing as he was told. "I was...working."

　　"You went to work, but what about leaving your brother with me?" There was still a pile of thick envelopes on the coffee table. Cherry Adams picked them up and counted them. She was surprised and said, "What kind of work can earn 4,000 yuan a month? You're not..."

　　Cherry Adams' face fell as she realized something. "Jasper Lee, I'm telling you, if you think of those crooked ways again..."

Pascal Lee was also shocked and grabbed his brother's sleeve. "Brother, we must never touch anything illegal!"

"No," Jasper Lee said helplessly. "I'm going to be a tutor in Xiangyang and teach the elementary school math Olympiad."

　　Cherry Adams sneered again, "What qualifications do you have? You haven't even graduated from junior high school, and you went out there to make a fool of yourself. Do the students' parents trust you?"

Jasper Lee saw that Cherry Adams had put down the coat hanger, so he sat down next to her and pulled his award certificates out of his pocket: "These are the proofs that I have participated in math competitions since I was young. Although I lost the originals, there are still copies on the official website, which I have printed out."

　　Cherry Adams stared at the certificates spread out on the table, including the Mathematical Olympiad and Hua Luogeng Cup certificates. It was then that she remembered Jasper Lee of the Lee family. He was quiet, dark, and sharp, and was disciplined by Lee's mother just like Pascal Lee, but he was even more outstanding than his younger brother.

Cherry Adams thought to herself that she had also been driving like crazy.

In fact, she had forgotten that Jasper Lee was a true academic.

　　As the saying goes, knowledge is power. A person with true ability will shine wherever he goes.

Cherry Adams was a little embarrassed. She only earned 7,000 yuan a month as a driver, and this boy Jasper Lee had only taken a few classes and already earned 4,000 yuan. She couldn't hide her jealousy and said in a sarcastic tone, "You go away and come back with that money. What's the point?"

Jasper Lee bowed deeply, "This is for you.

　　That's very thoughtful. Cherry Adams asked, "Thoughtful of me?"

"Thank you for taking care of my brother for me," Jasper Lee said, "I'm going to work away from home alone, and it's not appropriate to bring him with me. He's not feeling well and needs to rest. I want to discuss something with you. I'll send you money every month, and you can take care of my brother.

"Don't I work? Don't I earn money? It's as if I can't take care of him."

　　"You have seen this month, Pascal is very obedient, he can take care of himself and he listens to you. You're usually busy at work, so you don't have to worry about him."

"He's very obedient," Cherry Adams scoffed, crossing her arms. I'm sure his foster parents will like him very much too.

Pascal Lee immediately became restless, "Sister, no, didn't you say you wouldn't send me away?

That useless guy can't even tell when someone is being sarcastic!

　　Cherry Adams' face immediately turned dark.

Jasper Lee said, "You see, now Pascal has feelings for you, too, and he doesn't want to leave this family.

After all this, and with the money already paid, Cherry Adams really couldn't make a fuss. "Fine, just remember to send the money every month on time. Dare to be late for one day, or if you lose contact with me again, I'll throw your brother out."

　　The deal was done, and Jasper Lee felt a great weight lifted. It was a cold December day and he was sweating.

Pascal Lee walked over and said pitifully, "Brother, I thought you were never coming back.

　　Jasper Lee had missed Pascal Lee, of course, and understood how helpless his younger brother would be without him. But some things just couldn't be done if you hesitated. To be honest, Jasper Lee wasn't sure if Cherry Adams would let him stay, but luckily Pascal Lee was a good boy.

"No," Jasper Lee touched his forehead, "from now on you just stay home and don't cause any trouble for your sister, okay?"

　　"Brother, you're not going to leave again, are you?"

Jasper Lee nodded and said he would come back to see him next month.

Pascal Lee's eyes filled with tears, but Jasper Lee stopped his younger brother with a look. Be good,' he said, looking at Cherry Adams. If he doesn't behave, you can hit him.

"I've hit him plenty. I'm not his mother, I can't bring myself to do that. I believe in a firm hand here... Are you going now? It's dark outside."

　　Jasper Lee looked at the sky, "Tomorrow, it's too late today... I'll find a place to stay."

"You're a minor, you have no ID, where will you stay?" Cherry Adams asked again, "By the way, how did you stay in Xiangyang?"

　　"There are black Internet cafes near the bus station. You can stay there for 15 yuan a night, and you don't need any ID."

"You..." Cherry Adams frowned. I've got you figured out, Jasper Lee. You're always full of ideas. Can't you just do something the law allows?

Jasper Lee said he had no choice. He even hitchhiked to Xiangyang without an ID and as a minor. He was also asked where the SIM card in his phone came from, and he said he bought it from someone in a black Internet cafe.

　　"Do you know what kind of people are in those Internet cafes? It's a mixed bag," Cherry Adams said, slapping the table. "Don't ever live there again!

Jasper Lee lowered his eyes and explained, "I thought it wouldn't be expensive to live there, I could save more money, and it's also close to where I usually go for tutoring, so it's not a hassle to travel."

　　"No hassle, no hassle! When the time comes, if someone else snatches you away, it won't be any trouble to pay for a kidney or a cornea!" Cherry Adams glared at him, her lecturing posture very full. I'm too old to live in a place like this, and you're still going to get yourself killed!

"I know, I'm not going to live there anymore," Jasper Lee hesitated for a moment, "then where am I going to live?

"You don't have to rush to leave in the next few days."

Pascal Lee's eyes lit up at this news.

　　"To change from temporary guardian to appointed guardian, we need to register you at the street office." Cherry Adams was most concerned about the orphans' basic living expenses. Children under the age of 18 receive a monthly pension of 1,800 yuan, or 3,600 yuan for two people.

Jasper Lee said yes with a smile that was neither deep nor shallow. Cherry Adams looked at him and said, "Always trying to be clever...are you so happy to get what you want?"

　　Jasper Lee immediately suppressed his smile and whispered an apology.

Unexpectedly, Cherry Adams couldn't help but laugh and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't be serious, I was praising you."

"Come on," she said as she took out the car keys, "let's go to the supermarket and buy some necessities for you and your brother."

Jasper Lee got up in his thin clothes, and Pascal Lee went to his room to put on his new white down jacket.

　　Jasper Lee noticed: "You bought him that down jacket? How much did it cost? I'll pay for it."

"No need, we'll just take it out of your pension," Cherry Adams said indifferently.

Jasper Lee quickly agreed: "We don't have a bank account, so you can just administer our pension."

"Okay. We'll go to Hanzheng Street later and buy you some thick clothes, too. You'll wear them like paper."

　　Pascal Lee was so excited to go out that he couldn't stop jumping up and down and talking. Cherry Adams put on a scarf and gloves, and then some fluffy bear earmuffs.

Jasper Lee said sternly, "Pascal Lee, be quiet.

Pascal Lee paused for a moment.

Cherry Adams wasn't dressed warmly herself, but she was used to the cold, so she took out another mohair scarf and handed it to Jasper Lee:

　　"You wear it, you won't catch cold."

Jasper Lee took it and put it on using the method he had learned before. Cherry Adams snorted, "It's strange that he doesn't let the wind in when he's wrapped up like that. She reached out and in three quick moves wrapped him up like a dumpling, just like Pascal Lee.

"The way you wear it looks good but is not practical. It's all show and no go."

The words were crude, but the reasoning was not.

　　Cherry Adams took them to Zhongbai Shangchu and bought all the slippers, sheets, and bedding they would need.

　　When they reached the corner of Hanzheng Street, Cherry Adams said, "It's going to be cold in Wuhan this year, so you need to buy a down jacket, fall clothes, fall pants, and cotton pants. Oh, and do you need underwear?"

Jasper Lee's face flushed with embarrassment, but he said he already had some. Cherry Adams told him to buy a few more pairs to take turns wearing, and led him into a men's clothing store. "Take whatever you need. The wholesale prices here are pretty cheap, and the quality is good."

　　The clerk asked Jasper Lee what he needed, but Jasper Lee was so shy that he stood in front of the shelves without moving. Cherry Adams couldn't understand why he was so shy, because he was so small, she wasn't even sure if he was growing. If he hadn't been so big, Cherry Adams would have taken him to the children's clothing store.

　　Jasper Lee picked out his clothes, and Cherry Adams paid for them, letting the two children carry them themselves. After buying warm cotton boots, Pascal Lee crouched in front of a street stall selling pets.

"Sister, look!" Pascal Lee held up a small puppy, "So cute."

The Samoyed in his hands had a pink nose, dark sparkling eyes, and fluffy beige fur.

　　The salesman was also persuasive, "How cute, kids like them too, it's the New Year, buy one to take home."

Cherry Adams knew this routine and pulled the corners of her mouth, "Yeah, buy a sick dog to take home."

"Hey, don't talk nonsense, all our stores have medical examination reports, this dog is definitely not sick!"

"What if it gets sick after being fed, will you take responsibility?" Cherry Adams sneered repeatedly.

　　The salesman didn't say anything. Cherry Adams called to Pascal Lee, "Let's go, what's there to see in a dog?"

Pascal Lee was reluctant to leave, looking back every step of the way, but Jasper Lee tugged at his arm and dragged him away.

"I told you, don't make trouble for people," Jasper Lee scolded in a low voice, "don't waste money."

"I was just looking, I wasn't going to buy it..."

　　"It's not a waste of money, and I didn't say I wasn't going to buy it," Cherry Adams didn't turn around, "I've bought these kinds of street kittens and puppies before, and they were all alive and healthy when I bought them. But they all died within two days, and when I took them to the vet, they were all diagnosed with parvovirus.

"......And then what happened?" Pascal Lee held his breath.

"They died. It cost more than 4,000 yuan, but they couldn't be cured."

Pascal Lee said nothing.

　　"I took the sick dog to the merchant to ask for an explanation, but they said it was my own fault for not taking good care of it, and it had nothing to do with them. They just sold it and didn't compensate me." Cherry Adams pointed blankly down the street, "It was that peddler, the same person. He didn't recognize me, but I still remembered him.

Cherry Adams' hands naturally hung down as she told the story.

Pascal Lee trotted a few steps and came up to hold her hand.

　　Cherry Adams did not resist and let him hold her hand as they walked on. Jasper Lee was half a step behind, feeling a little smothered, as if his heart had been covered with cotton wool.

For Cherry Adams, for this person who was nominally her sister but not really related by blood.

She had her own place where she had lived for many years and her own emotional past. They did not understand her.

This feeling of distance always remained.

　　Fine white snow falls from the sky.

Some people shout, some look up, some shake hands, all with smiles on their faces. This is the first snowfall in Wuhan.

Wuhan usually doesn't get snow in December every year, which means that this winter will be very cold.

　　Cherry Adams holds Pascal Lee, who is wearing a white down jacket and is also a snow-white chubby mass.

The fine snow falls on Jasper Lee's red nose, which is completely numb, and he belatedly realizes.

This is his first winter in Wuhan.