Qiu Xu said eloquently, "Grandpa, in my opinion, you should follow your heart."

At this point, Elder Mu nodded in agreement, but Headmaster Du's face darkened.

However, he did not leave, but waited for Qiu Xu to continue.

"Every cloud has a silver lining. Grandpa, you have lost something, but you have also gained something."

Old Master Mu pressed on, “Oh, what is loss, and what is gain?” He only saw loss, not gain.

Qiu Xu nodded: "The so-called loss, if you retire to the countryside, what you will lose is endless distractions, which will undoubtedly be beneficial to you."

As for what you've gained, there are several academies of varying sizes in Baiyang Academy. After you retire from the world, you will no longer compete for power, thus returning to your true self.

Spring brings a hundred flowers, autumn a bright moon, summer a cool breeze, and winter snow. Every day is spent writing poetry and painting, watching fish and appreciating flowers, and discussing literature with one's students. Such a life is something ordinary people can only dream of.

At fifty, one is supposed to know one's destiny. At this age, one should step out of the chaotic vortex and listen quietly to everything around them.

Not everyone can live a comfortable life.

Qiu Yan glanced at Qiu Xu with admiration. She had just been worried for her younger brother, but he handled the situation with ease.

Du Shanchang raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled, and nodded. This student's analysis was very logical and insightful.

What Qiu Xu just said is exactly what he wanted to say.

Old Mu's expression turned serious. "You brat, you're just saying that. You think I'm old and useless, only fit to stay at home and grow flowers and watch fish."

Qiu Xu paused slightly. "Grandpa, what I meant was that I wanted you to live a more comfortable life."

"Do I need comfort? I'm not old yet."

After saying this, Old Master Mu snorted coldly and left.

"Don't be late for the exam tomorrow." Headmaster Du left with those words, leaving behind only a stiff-faced Qiu Xu and a smiling Qiu Yan.

Qiu Xu asked Qiu Yan, "Sister, did I say something wrong?"

“Ah Xu, didn’t you just say that we should follow our hearts? Everyone has different ideas, so there’s no need to dwell on it.” Qiu Yan didn’t think her brother had said anything wrong; on the contrary, she thought he was right.

Wasn't that headmaster quite happy?

Qiu Xu replied, "Yes, sister is right."

"Miss Qiu!" Manager Gao had not left. After seeing Headmaster Du and Elder Mu leave, he reappeared.

He glanced at Qiu Xu, surprised that this country bumpkin was actually quite learned.

The annoying person has appeared again. Faced with Qiu Xu's questioning gaze, Qiu Yan couldn't explain herself to him for the time being. Right now, she just wanted to pull him away as quickly as possible and get away from this person.

Unexpectedly, Manager Gao blocked her way.

“Miss Qiu, I just heard that you are looking to rent a house. I am willing to help you.”

"Manager Gao, are we that familiar with each other?"

After Qiu Yan finished speaking, she grabbed her younger brother and left.

Manager Gao's smile suddenly changed. "Hmph, what great ability does a mere girl have?" It's just a lunchbox. This time, Shuangxi Restaurant will definitely beat Xingyue Restaurant to it.

This was all thanks to them having spoken to the carpenter beforehand.

With nowhere else to go and covered in wounds, Tian Xiu stayed in the backyard of the wonton shop.

She knew that Qiu Yan only let her stay for one night because of Qiu Yumei.

She didn't want to cause trouble for Qiu Yan, and she didn't have much money on her. She was distressed and didn't know what to do.

Tian Xiu's family: Tian Xiu's mother went to the government office yesterday, and after returning from the government office, Master Zhang sent someone to take back the betrothal money.

Not only were the betrothal gifts confiscated, but their entire household was also ransacked by Master Zhang.

Tian Xiu's father was severely injured and lay on the bed, barely alive.

Tian Xiuniang was heartbroken over the loss of her money, crying and wailing, becoming angrier the more she thought about it.

She thought that when she met Tian Xiu, she would definitely sell her off.

Realizing that this terrible idea came from Lady Guan, she was filled with rage and, in a fit of anger, went to seek revenge.

Soon, Tian Xiuniang stormed off alone to Guan Niangzi's shop to cause trouble.

Because Guan Niangzi also followed Qiu Yan's example and opened the shop all day, she is now also in the shop.

Since January, Guan Niangzi's shop has been struggling to keep up with Qiu Yan's Baiyang Wonton Shop, with daily profits being pitifully low.

Therefore, she was filled with anger and had nowhere to vent it, so she spent her days thinking of dirty tricks to make Qiu Yan's wonton shop close down.

Just as she was pondering how to drive Qiu Yan out of Baiyang, Tian Xiuniang stormed into their shop.

Upon seeing Lady Guan, Tian Xiuniang began to hysterically scream and cry:

"It was all your terrible idea! You owe me money! You owe me money! You old hag..."

Lady Guan squinted at the uninvited guest. She was equally angry because of Tian Xiuniang, she had thoroughly offended Master Zhang, and her cousin had almost fallen out of favor.

This wonton shop belongs to Master Zhang. If his cousin falls out of favor and the shop is taken back, they won't be able to make any money in the future.

"Who are you calling names? Say it again! I haven't even started any trouble for you yet, and you've already delivered yourself to my doorstep..."

"You old hag, I'm talking to you! What can you do to me? You old hag, you owe me money!"

"I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"..."

The two women started arguing and fighting.

The few customers in the shop were all startled by the two women's actions and turned their eyes to them.

The workers in the shop wanted to break up the fight, but after one of them had his hand scratched by Tian Xiuniang, they stopped interfering.

Guan Niangzi was only good at talking; compared to Tian Xiuniang, who was used to doing heavy work, she was clearly at a disadvantage.

They fought from inside the shop to outside, pulling each other's hair and scratching each other's faces, locked in a fierce and unending struggle.

It's the same in every era; people always love a good show.

The fight between the two quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers.

Zhu Juan was strolling down the street with Gu Xiaoran when she was startled by the fight ahead. After seeing the two people clearly, she quickly pulled Gu Xiaoran back.

Gao Yuan stood at the door to greet the guests, but instead of going to eat, the guests all went to watch the excitement.

Out of curiosity, he kept looking into the distance.

As soon as Qiu Yan and her younger brother returned, they saw a disturbance in front of them.

Qiu Yan asked Gao Yuan, "What happened up ahead?"

Gao Yuan said, "It seems that two women are fighting."

Gao Yuan's words prompted Qiu Yumei and others to go outside and observe.

Qiu Yumei left the shop and followed Gao Yuan's gaze. The pedestrians were crowded together, and she couldn't see them clearly.

Zhang Ming, along with Zhu Silang and his wife, also came out and all looked into the distance.

At that moment, Zhu Juan pulled Gu Xiaoran along and ran over from the front, saying to Qiu Yan, "Master, it's Lady Guan and Tian Xiuniang fighting."

Upon hearing this, everyone reacted with varying expressions.

Qiu Yan had anticipated that the two would have a conflict.

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiu, who had just arrived at the shop in front, hurriedly ran out.

She had just run out when she saw Butcher Lai carrying a pig-slaughtering knife, walking into the crowd.