Chapter 48: Hoax

As for the claim that he was 'mentally ill' being made by his grandfather, Li Zhen had long been misled by his grandfather and no longer remembered that.

Li Zhen was led back by Tieguai Li Shun, and after grumbling for a while, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Grandpa, I didn't buy the meat back." Then he emphasized, "I could have bought it back, but I was a step too late, and someone else bought it. I wanted to buy it back from that person, and I even offered to pay two extra yuan, but they wouldn't agree." He sounded aggrieved as he said this.

He's Li Zhen!

Such an extraordinary person!

He wanted the meat in the other person's hand as a gesture of respect, but the other person didn't care about his feelings at all, so he felt wronged, extremely wronged!

"Really? That's really outrageous."

"Absolutely! If I weren't so magnanimous, I would have given them a terrible order long ago." It's true, nobody understands him.

"My grandson is so generous!" Tieguai Li gave a thumbs up.

"Hmph, I don't bother with women and children."

"Are you taking meat from women and children?"

"It wasn't robbery, I paid them!"

"Oh, it wasn't robbery, they offered money. My grandson is so capable, he wouldn't even take the money. That family must be ungrateful."

"That's right. But Grandpa, I didn't buy any meat." The boy slumped his head; he was truly dejected.

He was a little upset because he hadn't been able to complete the task that his grandfather had entrusted to him.

"It's alright, the guests aren't important anyway, so no meat is fine."

Li Zhen glanced outside furtively: "But I saw he brought a lot of gifts." Li Zhen understood the importance of reciprocity.

Tieguai Li waved his hand dismissively: "They come to us seeking help; we'd be happy to give them even a bowl of plain water."

"real?"

"Really!" Tieguai Li was certain.

Li Zhen was happy again: "As expected of Grandpa. But Grandpa, when will I be able to graduate from my apprenticeship?"

"Didn't I tell you? You can only become a master when you're twenty, the age of coming of age." Tieguai Li calculated that his grandson was twelve years old now, and there were still eight years until he was twenty. He was fine now, still young and innocent. In another eight years, he would definitely know everything he needed to know, and he wouldn't need to be coaxed like this anymore. He was really too smart.

The self-assured Tieguai Li continued to deceive his grandson, only making the grandson even more overconfident, believing that he was unique in the world, and that some of his magic spells could not be used indefinitely, as it would affect his future.

"As expected of me," Li Zhen thought smugly.

Having managed to fool—or rather, coax—his grandson, Tieguai Li wiped non-existent sweat from his face and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong? What does your grandson want?"

"Hehe, it's nothing, I just suffered a little grievance outside."

"Hey, all kids are like that."

Tieguai Li nodded.

"Have you found a successor for your medical skills yet?" the visitor continued to ask.

"No, I didn't like any of them."

"You have very high standards."

"Do you have something suitable?"

"Do you think it's possible?"

"Why is it impossible!" Tieguai Li didn't like hearing this.

The other person didn't like listening either, and snorted coldly: "Back then, I tried my best to find so many smart kids for you, but what did you do? You met them once and then chased them away. You keep sending them away one batch after another. Do you think smart kids are like cabbages? Even cabbages can't withstand your destruction."

Tieguai Li said awkwardly, "I was just looking for the smartest one."

"Heh, so did you find it?"

"No."

"I just don't understand. If you can't find it, why not pass it on to your grandson? Isn't it said that medical skills are passed down in families? If it's a family tradition, wouldn't it be perfect to pass it on to your grandson?"

Tieguai Li said irritably, "Do you think I don't want to? But my grandson doesn't even have this kind of thread." Just thinking about how his grandson gets a headache whenever he sees words makes his heart ache.

The Li family was once a scholarly family, but alas...

"Can't you force me to learn? Who do you think you are? You're Tieguai Li (a legendary Chinese monk known for his unyielding spirit)."

Tieguai Li was speechless: "Do you think I'm heartless?"

The other person thought about how much Tieguai Li usually doted on his grandson, even giving him magical abilities and coaxing him day after day for years. Suddenly, he felt that he really couldn't bring himself to be ruthless.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. We haven't seen each other for many years. Come on, let me tell you about my experiences over the years."

Tieguai Li listened with great interest.

There was only a slight hiccup when buying meat at Xiaotaohua's place; everything else was fine.

They bought what they wanted and shopped where they wanted, finally making Xiao Taohua forget about her father's departure.

When they returned to the production team, a group of people naturally surrounded Xiao Taohua. Yin Qing glanced at her but didn't pay much attention; she needed to go back to her room to write a report.

"Little Peach Blossom, did you have fun in town today?" Lin Jianshe held a sweet potato, wanting Little Peach Blossom to have a bite, but Little Peach Blossom refused and happily ate it herself.

"It was fun, there were so many things. But we met a big brother on the way, and he was a bad brother."

"What happened? Did he bully you? Don't be afraid, tell us, and we'll get revenge for you!" They were all eager to fight, wishing they could have been there right then and there.

"Yeah, he bullied me and my mom. He wants to buy meat from us."

"Huh?" The children were a little confused, but! If Little Peach Blossom said she was being bullied, then she definitely was: "That's so unfair! How could they bully Little Peach Blossom!"

"Yes, that's too much!"

Little Peach Blossom nodded in agreement: "I don't want to sell it to him. I want to eat meat too, and I want to eat braised pork."

Slurp...

All the children drooled in unison; they wanted to eat it too.

"Little Peach Blossom, can I have a sip of the soup when you're eating meat?" Lin Jianshe shamelessly snuggled up to her.

"Don't even think about it!" Lin Yuqing slapped Lin Jianshe's face away.

"Yes, Lin Jianshe, you're shameless! It's clearly Xiao Taohua's meat, and even the soup is Xiao Taohua's soup! How could you eat it!"

"I... I'm just a little greedy," Lin Jianshe grinned sheepishly.

"No matter how much you crave something, you can't tempt Little Peach Blossom to eat it, not even meat soup."

"Yes, if you keep doing this, I won't play with you anymore!"

"I understand, I won't do it again," Lin Jianshe assured.

"Hmph, there can't be a next time! Little Peach Blossom, you absolutely mustn't give him meat soup."

Little Peach Blossom nodded: "No, Mom bought the meat for Little Peach Blossom, she won't share it with anyone else."

"That's how it should be. In our family, we eat together as a family and don't share with outsiders."

"It's the same in our family."

"Me too."

"Mom said that we all have our own difficulties, and we can't worry about what others do if we just eat well ourselves."

"Yes, yes, but Little Peach Blossom is very generous. She gave us so much meat, as well as candy and snacks."

Little Peach Blossom said with a smile, "Dad said that everything on the mountain belongs to everyone, and anyone can eat it." As for candy and snacks, Mom said that she could share them with her friends, so Little Peach Blossom was very generous.

(End of this chapter)