Chapter 25 Defining the Teacher-Student Relationship

"Hey, are you done investigating? Standing in the wind in the dead of winter, you're going to freeze to death."

The boy snorted coldly, closed his cloth bag, stepped aside to make way, and went inside. With a gloomy face, he poured them hot tea.

"Where is An'an? Where is my future little apprentice?"

The young man hadn't even settled in his seat before he was already thinking about seeing his apprentice.

"Wait!"

A moment later, she emerged from the side bedroom, pulling the baby by the back of his collar.

"Oh my, what a fair-skinned baby! Whiter than the snow on a car! Let your big brother give you a kiss."

Jiang Chao suddenly exerted his strength, hugged the baby in his arms, and turned to dodge someone's attack.

"Feng Jingling, put away your philandering nature, or else... get out of my house."

Feng Jingling smiled awkwardly, about to explain, when the little girl suddenly turned her head and said, "Shy face, is 'kiss' a word you can say all the time? Shy!"

"Jiang Chao, I was wrong, I won't do it again. An'an, how about your brother teaches you to draw?"

The little child blinked her grape-like eyes, broke free from the ground, and walked up to Feng Jingling with her short legs. "You...can you draw?"

Well, they really are brothers; they can come up with insults so easily, the only difference being that one is a cold knife and the other is a soft, sweet one.

When her professional skills were questioned, Feng Jingling instantly lost her temper, found some white paper and a pencil, and drew a cartoon version of Xiao Jiang'an on the spot.

The adorable little boy with big eyes, dressed in a little suit, is very cute and has a resemblance to Jiang An. The little boy holds the painting with great affection.

"It's beautiful, big brother! I want one drawn too!"

The drawing paper was placed on the stool, and little Jiang An, with his bottom sticking out, pinched the pencil stub and scribbled away. For a moment, the sound of the pencil lead rubbing against the white paper echoed throughout the main room.

The little boy was so focused on his drawing that the three people present dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing his creation.

Half an hour later, Jiang An put down his pencil, rubbed his numb legs, stood up, and held the drawing paper high in front of Feng Jingling.

"Big brother, An'an has finished drawing! Take a look!"

The boy in the white coat smiled gently, took the drawing paper, and looked down to examine it. The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

“My brother’s painting is so bad that it makes you look like this.”

Seeing that he had misunderstood, Feng Jingling quickly explained, "No, it's just that the painting is too good. It really doesn't look like someone who hasn't received systematic training."

Upon hearing this, Yunxia tiptoed closer out of curiosity. When she saw the contents of the drawing, a look of amazement flashed across her clear eyes.

Adopting the same comic style, the young man, dressed in ancient robes, stands on a sea reef. His sleeves flutter in the wind, and waves wet the hem of his clothes. The young man's expression is resolute, calm in the face of danger, and composed in the face of change, which truly makes the viewer admire him.

"You two...who taught whom?"

Whether in terms of realism or theme, Xiao Jiang'an seems to have a slight edge.

"Ha, a city-level gold medal? It can't even beat a little kid. This award... is really worthless."

Faced with Jiang Chao's sarcastic remarks, Feng Jingling didn't utter a single word in rebuttal, after all... she was truly inferior in skill.

"An'an, I'm sorry, you have a great talent for drawing, I'm afraid... I can't teach you!"

The boy lowered his head, his voice was hoarse, and he looked dejected. It seemed that losing to Jiang An had been a big blow to him.

"Big brother, An'an wants to learn from you. Will you be my teacher?"

Staring at those wet, grape-like eyes, no one could resist refusing, but Feng Jingling nodded blankly.

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I'm not carrying much, so be prepared!"

"Okay, big brother, teach me to draw flowers. Draw one and give it to Sister Yunxia."

"Jiang An, what about me?" The strong smell of vinegar was enough to dip dumplings in.

"Hmm~ Draw a big black cat and give it to your brother. Hehe, An'an is so smart. Your brother sleeps with the black cat doll every day, so he'll definitely love this gift."

"Jiang An, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Children don't lie. It seems someone may not like it on the surface, but they're secretly clinging to it."

Yunxia nudged someone lightly with her elbow, unable to suppress the smile on her face.

"What...are you talking about?"

Unaware of the situation, Feng Jingling tried to join the chat group.

"What's it to you? Just focus on teaching Jiang An how to paint!"

After being rebuked by Jiang Chao, the boy became dejected again, pursed his lips, and winked at Jiang An.

"Hey, don't you have any food restrictions?"

"ah?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'? I'm asking you a question!"

"Hehe, it seems you still care about me. Oh, I have a sensitive stomach and can't eat spicy food, but everything else is fine."

"Wow, at such a young age, you already have a stomach problem. That's quite something. Yunxia, ​​come with me to the kitchen."

He was provided with food, and any sarcastic remark was like heavenly music to his ears. It wasn't until someone poked his wrist that he snapped out of his daze, grabbed some paper and pen, and excitedly began explaining the techniques for painting roses.

...

"Wow, Little Butterfly, did you make all of this? It's so... amazing! Hmm, it tastes even better than my nanny's cooking."

Stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, crispy pork soup, braised chicken legs, and steamed rice were all common home-style dishes, but Feng Jingling ate them as if she had never eaten them before, stuffing her stomach with food. Jiang Chao's eyes were practically overflowing with disgust.

"The most important thing about stir-frying is controlling the heat. We use an earthen wok at home, and the fire that Brother Jiang Chao tends is the key to making the food taste good."

The young man, chewing on crispy pork, turned to look at Jiang Chao and showered him with praise, using the phrase "a celestial being descended to earth."

The more he talked, the more outrageous it became. He was so angry he almost broke his chopsticks. He turned his head and said in a sinister tone, "Don't talk while eating or sleeping. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

Feng Jingling paused for a moment, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes, and said listlessly:

"They really didn't teach me. I haven't seen them for a year and 58 days. Humph, all they care about is making money. They don't even want their own son."

Jiang Chao poked at the rice with his chopsticks, refusing to put a single grain into his mouth. His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward. Yun Xia sighed inwardly, picked up a chicken leg, and put it in his bowl.

"Big brother, Jiang Chao may have a sharp tongue, but he doesn't mean it. If you want to eat home-cooked meals in the future, you're welcome to come over. Look, this big chicken leg, he picked it out especially for you!"

"Really?" the boy asked uncertainly.

"It's real, even more real than pearls. If you don't believe me... ask him yourself!"

Feng Jingling: ...No thanks, I'm afraid I'll get a heart attack from being roasted!

"The temple is small, but we've invited a great Buddha. The ingredients for the apprenticeship banquet are limited, so we have to give him a big chicken leg!"

The young man's dejected mood came and went quickly. Upon hearing this, he grinned from ear to ear until a heavy snort came from beside him. Only then did he lower his head and slowly gnaw on his chicken leg, a smile still on his lips.

After lunch, Jiang Chao went to the kitchen to wash the pots and dishes, Feng Jingling taught Jiang An to paint, and Yun Xia yawned and went into the bedroom, ostensibly to take a nap, but actually to enter the space's fertile fields to harvest.

The little girl, her face flushed, was focused on picking tomatoes, not even bothering to wipe the large beads of sweat dripping from her forehead.

After a long while, Yunxia, ​​exhausted, lay sprawled in the space, turning her head to look at the mountain of fruits and vegetables, her delicate brows furrowing even more deeply.