Some say: Women are trouble.

  Others say: Without women, life is lonely; with women, there′s no peace.

  These words are, of course, spoken by men. Yet, despite what men might express, women are indispensable in this world. Out of ten thousand men, at least nine thousand nine hundred and ninety would rather lose ten years of their lives than live without women.

  Some say: Money can move the gods.

  Others say: Money is the root of all evil.

  --------

  Regardless of what anyone says, money is something no one can do without. A person without money is like an empty sack—it can never stand upright on its own.

  These two things—money and women—can turn the smartest person into a fool and the closest friends into enemies.

  If a woman suddenly appears among four single men, the situation becomes like sticking a chopstick into a bowl of four raw eggs. Chaos is inevitable.

  Wang Dong, Guo Dalu, Yan Qi, and Lin Taiping had indeed been living a carefree and unrestrained life because they had neither money nor women.

  Every morning when they woke up, they felt happy because the troublesome "yesterday" was finally over, and today was full of hope.

  But suddenly, these two things arrived. Isn′t that just fate?

  ---

  Wang Dong might have been awake for a long time, but he still y on the ground, not moving a muscle.

  He had rolled up a tattered quilt into a cylinder and then slowly slid himself inside, sealing it tightly so no wind could get in.

  Mice ran around him, initially cautious and not daring to climb over him, but eventually they began to treat him like a dead man, even crawling over his head.

  Wang Dong still didn′t move.

  Lin Taiping had been watching him for a while and finally couldn′t resist. He quietly walked over, reached out his hand, and held it in front of Wang Dong′s nose to check if he was still breathing.

  Wang Dong suddenly said, "I′m not dead yet."

  Lin Taiping was startled and quickly pulled his hand back, saying, "Mice are crawling all over you, and you don′t even care?"

  Wang Dong replied, "I never deal with mice, nor do I stoop to their level—only cats bother with mice."

  Lin Taiping was taken aback and said, "We really should get a cat here."

  Wang Dong said, "There was a cat here before. Yan Qi brought it."

  Lin Taiping asked, "Where is the cat now?"

  Wang Dong answered, "It ran off with a tomcat from the foot of the mountain."

  Lin Taiping stared at him, wide-eyed, for a long time.

  The snow had stopped, and the stars and moon rose in the sky.

  Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a glow on his face. His features were strikingly well-defined—a broad forehead and a high, straight nose. Though he wasn′t exactly handsome, he had a strong and distinct presence.

  "This man doesn′t look like a lunatic, nor does he seem like an idiot... so why does he act a little crazy?"

  Lin Taiping sighed, gnced around, and asked, “Where are your two friends?”

  He just wanted to find someone sane to talk to.

  Wang Dong replied, “They went down the mountain to hunt.”

  Lin Taiping frowned. “Hunting? In this weather?”

  Wang Dong nodded. “Mm.”

  Lin Taiping was speechless. At that moment, he realized a fundamental truth—

  A madman′s friends must also be madmen.

  A while passed in silence. Then, suddenly, in the darkness, came a soft gurgle.

  Another gurgle followed.

  Wang Dong mumbled, "Strange. Even the sound of mice is different tonight.”

  Lin Taiping′s face turned red. Stammering, he said, “It′s not... not a mouse, it's... it′s...

  Wang Dong asked, “What is it?”

  Unable to hold it in, Lin Taiping finally blurted out, “It′s my stomach growling! Do you people never eat?”

  Wang Dong chuckled and said, “Of course we eat when there′s food. But when there isn′t, we just listen to our stomachs growl.”

  Lin Taiping was stunned again. He truly couldn′t understand—how could someone be so happy when they didn′t even have food to eat?

  Wang Dong suddenly said, “Well, today, you′re actually in luck.”

  Lin Taiping forced a bitter smile. “Me? Lucky?”

  Wang Dong nodded. “I have a feeling that their hunting trip was successful. They might bring back something that′ll let you eat to your heart′s content—”

  He had meant to say “eat to your heart′s content,” but before he could finish, he was suddenly shocked.

  Guo Dalu had already returned. He stepped through the door, and sure enough, he had brought something back.

  Something that could run, jump, climb trees, and was now chattering noisily—

  A monkey.

  If there was ever a moment when Wang Dong′s face could turn pale, this was it.

  Seeing Wang Dong's expression, Guo Dalu almost ughed himself to tears, gasping for breath as he said, "You don′t need to be afraid. This is a male monkey, not a female one."

  A delicate voice chimed in from behind him, "Your friend is afraid of female monkeys."

  Guo Dalu ughed even harder, "Well, he′s a little scared. After all, how many men in this world aren′t afraid of their wives?"

  Wang Dong kept a straight face and said, "How amusing, truly hirious. It′s a wonder how someone so witty exists in this world."