Chapter 422 - 409: Part 2
Seeing how happily the master and apprentice were chatting, Su Nian couldn’t help but feel jealous.
"Grandpa Xu, why did you take her as your apprentice?"
Her mother had always told her that if she could become Grandpa Xu’s apprentice, everyone would respect and adore her.
That was why she had been working hard since she was three.
But despite being brought to the Xu family so many times, she rarely saw Grandpa Xu, and he showed no intention of taking her as his apprentice.
Instead, he had taken a fisherman’s daughter from some small town as his apprentice.
And for some reason, Su Nian had felt uncomfortable and disliked Yun Jiao from the very first glance.
Elder Xu took a sip of tea. "Oh, that? It’s because she’s incredibly talented."
Su Nian was indignant. "But you said I was talented too."
’I was just being polite!’ Elder Xu thought. ’Seriously, can’t a man even make polite conversation these days?’
"Jiaojiao has a photographic memory, and her senses of smell and taste are exceptionally sharp. She’s already memorized nearly all the medical texts I’ve given her. She also has a clear memory of the body’s meridians and circulation, and she can identify any herb she’s encountered before just by its scent or taste, even while blindfolded..."
Once Elder Xu started, he couldn’t seem to stop. He went on and on with his praise, his face and eyes filled with satisfaction.
His own grandsons, Xu Rong and Xu Qing, were a little stunned.
Their grandfather was always very strict when it came to Chinese medicine. The two brothers were learning it as well but had never received a single word of praise from him.
Was this man, who was now heaping praise on Yun Jiao, really their grandfather?
It wasn’t just the two brothers; Elder Xu’s son and daughter-in-law were equally shocked.
Meanwhile, the color drained from Su Nian’s face.
’How is that possible...? I... I haven’t even memorized half of the body’s acupoints.’
"Ahem..."
Yun Jiao let out a couple of coughs and gently tugged on her master’s sleeve.
’That’s enough, Master.’
"Ahem... Everything I mentioned is just the basics. Don’t you get too proud, now."
Elder Xu, realizing he had laid on the praise a bit thick, quickly changed the subject and began to admonish Yun Jiao.
Yun Jiao mentally rolled her eyes. "I know, Master."
"Nini."
An unfamiliar female voice called from the doorway.
Yun Jiao looked over and her gaze met that of an elegantly dressed woman, whose eyes held a hint of resentment.
But it vanished in a flash, as if Yun Jiao had imagined it.
Yun Jiao stroked her small chin. ’Heh, I don’t think I was mistaken.’
"Mama!"
Seeing the woman, Su Nian threw herself into her arms as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"Mama, WAHHH..."
Mrs. Xu felt a headache coming on. ’Here we go again.’
Though she kept a smile on her face, her fingers found the soft flesh of Mr. Xu’s waist and pinched.
Mr. Xu winced in pain instantly.
"Oh, Shuzhen, you’re here."
Sun Shuzhen offered a gentle smile, nodding as she hugged her crying daughter.
"Sister Yu, if I’d known you were having guests, I wouldn’t have let Nini come and bother you."
Mrs. Xu smiled. "Nonsense. That’s my father-in-law’s little apprentice. She’s hardly a stranger."
The smile on Sun Shuzhen’s face froze for an instant.
"WAHHH, Mama, she..."
Sun Shuzhen crouched down, cutting her off. "That young lady is indeed very impressive. Nini, don’t cry. Let’s say goodbye to Uncle Xu and the others. It’s time to go home."
Su Nian was reluctant, but she obediently said her goodbyes to the Xu family.
After leaving the Xu family’s home, Sun Shuzhen’s expression darkened.
A calculating glint flashed in her eyes.
’No matter what, I must get Elder Xu to accept Nini as his apprentice. With Elder Xu’s current standing in the medical world, his connections are invaluable. The more Nini excels in the future, the more respect she’ll command from people in their circle.’
"Mama, I hate that Yun Jiao."
Sun Shuzhen stroked her daughter’s head. Thinking of Yun Jiao’s face, she felt it was somehow familiar but couldn’t quite place it.
’Still, I hate her too,’ she thought. ’For no particular reason, I just do.’
"If you hate her, then you must surpass her."
"But... But Grandpa Xu said she has a photographic memory and has already learned more than I have."
"Nini, remember this: she is nothing but the daughter of a lowly fisherman."
"You are a daughter of the Su family. You have a natural advantage in terms of status. Furthermore, your behavior today was a great disappointment to me. Remember, no matter the circumstances, you must never give people the impression that you are spoiled and willful. People naturally sympathize with the underdog. We must learn to use our advantages, to leverage every situation..."
Never mind the mother and daughter’s discussion. Back in the house, after the Xu family saw the pair off, they all tacitly changed the subject.
The first thing they discussed was the old master’s birthday, which was the day after tomorrow.
Mr. Xu mentioned that he had already booked a hotel.
Elder Xu had no patience for social functions. If it were up to him, a simple family dinner would suffice.
"Dad, a lot of people want to see you."
"What’s there to see? It’s not like I’m dead. I’m still alive and kicking. If they want to see me, they can come by anytime."
"Dad..."
Mr. Xu’s voice was tinged with exasperation. ’Who talks about themselves like that?’
"Alright, alright, you all can just arrange it. I’m taking my little apprentice out for a stroll."
"Grandpa, we’ll go too!"
Full of energy, Xu Rong and Xu Qing followed them out the door, offering to take Yun Jiao to play around the neighborhood.
Elder Xu went off to play Chinese chess with a group of old men, while the two brothers took Yun Jiao to a friend’s house.
Yun Jiao was very likable, and with her easygoing personality, she quickly made friends. She shared some of her snacks upon meeting the other children, and soon they were all playing together boisterously.
Especially when they played with an indoor basketball hoop, Yun Jiao’s shots were very accurate, and she was surprisingly strong.
Soon, all the other kids were looking at her with eyes full of admiration.
"Let’s go play outside. It’s boring just staying in the house. I want to go buy some roast duck."
"But it’s so cold outside. I don’t want to go."
"We can just bundle up!"
The majority ruled. Besides, most kids are at an age where they love to run and jump around.
Since most of the kids wanted to go out for a snack, the rest naturally agreed to go along.
And so, the group of eight children, bundled up in thick, padded jackets, waddled outside like little balls.
"I have ten yuan of allowance. What about you guys?"
"I have twenty."
"I have ten yuan too."
"I only have five left."
The kids huddled together, pooling their allowance money.
"I have New Year’s money at home, but my mom’s guarding my piggy bank and won’t let me touch it."
The other kids all chimed in that it was the same for them.
They grumbled indignantly. It was their New Year’s money, so why weren’t they allowed to spend it?
Yun Jiao went with the flow and took out twenty yuan of her own allowance.
All told, it was enough to buy a good amount of food.
"Come on, I know a barbecue place that’s super good. I’ll take you there."
"Don’t forget to buy the roast duck!"
"I know, I know. We’ll definitely have enough money."
Xu Qing took Yun Jiao’s hand. "Jiaojiao, the ground is slippery. Walk slowly so you don’t fall."
Yun Jiao nodded to show that she understood.
The group of children left the alley and made a beeline for the barbecue place.
None of them were short on cash, so they ordered quite a lot of barbecue.
Barbecue wasn’t expensive back then anyway.
Kids couldn’t drink alcohol, so Xu Rong went and bought everyone a can of Wang Zai Milk.
While the children were happily eating their barbecue, a few men were watching them from the mouth of a nearby alley.
"Is that the little chubby one?"
"Yeah, that’s him. The Chen family’s son. They’re loaded. If we grab him, we can definitely demand a huge ransom."
"But with so many kids around, it’ll be hard to snatch him."
"Maybe we should wait and grab him on his way to school."
"No way. That little fatty has a private driver pick him up from school every day. An adult would be tough to handle, but dealing with a few kids should be a piece of cake."
"Besides, those other kids look like they’re from rich families too. Damn it, they’re so young and already throwing around that much allowance money on food and drinks. They’ve got it better than we do."