After that heavy rain, the sky cleared and the whole village was busy with the autumn harvest.

The school also had a five-day break for the busy farming season, and children could be seen running around everywhere, making the village suddenly lively.

"Man'er, let's go." Xu Yi carried a bamboo basket on his back and called out towards the house.

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"Coming, coming!" Fu Man'er, with a water pouch hanging from her waist, ran out with a clattering sound. Xu Yi saw her running closer and quickly reached out to block her, afraid that she would trip and fall if she ran too fast.

Today, the Xu family is going to dig potatoes. The two elderly people are bringing their grandchildren, and Grandpa Hu and Lu Sheng are also helping out.

Because of Xu Yi's apprenticeship, Old Master Hu's relationship with the Xu family became much closer. Even though he only has one left hand, he is very good at work with his left hand.

When people reach a certain age, they become like old children. While digging potatoes, Grandpa Hu joked with Fu Man'er behind him, "Man'er, curl up into a ball and see who can roll faster than this potato."

The land was on a slope. They dug from the lower part, with the adults digging in front and the children picking up the scraps behind. Several of the children grew quite a bit taller, including Fuman'er.

He's still quite round and chubby, especially when he's arching his back with his head on the ground and his buttocks in the air; he looks like a complete ball.

The lingering heat of late summer should not be underestimated. Although there was no blazing sun overhead, it was still quite hot. Fu Man'er was picking things up very diligently, and only when she heard what Grandpa Hu said did she raise her face.

“A potato can’t roll as fast as me, it won’t even move.” As she spoke, Fu Man’er looked back at the slope behind her, as if examining what would happen if she really rolled down it.

Xu Yi, who was picking potatoes at the very edge, twitched upon hearing this and walked over with his bag. "Grandpa Hu, can't you say something nice?"

Old Master Hu is a tiger, and Fu Man'er is even more of a tiger. Xu Yi always felt that these two would cause some trouble if they got together.

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"You little brat, you dare come up to me like that? Tell me, where did you hide my wine?" Old Master Hu was furious the moment he saw Xu Yi.

This guy is no good. He has no love in his life, except for a couple of sips of Shaoxing wine, which he has somehow managed to hide.

Facing the glaring old man, Xu Yi showed no fear whatsoever.

"I told you, if you get completely drunk, I won't let you drink anymore." The implication is that you disobeyed me first.

Look at the way he's talking, who's really the master here? "Old Xu, look at your grandson, look at him."

Xu Yi was both stubborn and shrewd, and Old Master Hu didn't get any favors. He started looking for help, and as the family's life improved, Old Master Xu also became addicted to alcohol.

Old Master Hu has someone taking care of him, and Old Master Xu is no exception.

"Grandpa, you said you wouldn't drink alcohol." Before Old Man Xu could speak, Fu Man'er looked over with wide eyes.

"No, no, Grandpa didn't say I had to drink." Old Xu didn't dare to take the bait; unlike Old Master Hu, he couldn't hold his liquor.

He simply loves to drink, but he's actually a lightweight; he gets drunk after just one drink and becomes quite talkative. Grandma Xu almost scratched him because of this. qqxδnew

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She would only have a few drinks with Grandpa Hu in secret, and she didn't dare let Grandma Xu know.

Having lost his ally, Old Master Hu's momentum was clearly greatly diminished, and he could only sigh and lament, "Alas, how could I have taken in such a disciple as you? You rebellious disciple!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Yi's expression, but Xu Yi didn't react at all. When he looked away, he caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of his eye. "Lu Sheng, Lu Sheng."

Lu Sheng was picking things up carefully when she heard the shout. She looked up but didn't say anything, though everyone could tell she was asking, "What is it?"

Old Master Hu walked over a bit with his hoe, saying, "Why don't you become my apprentice? I'll expel Xu Yi from the school."

Boys just don't know how to be considerate, but girls are wonderful; they're like warm, comforting little cotton-padded jackets.

Of course, besides Lu Sheng, there is also Fu Man'er here. Why not look for Fu Man'er? Because this coat is drafty.

Xu Yi hid the wine for him one minute, and Fu Man'er found it the next, feeding it to the sheep or geese the next. Look at the mess she's making.

Lu Sheng knew, of course, that he was saying this on purpose for Xu Yi to hear, and then she lowered her head again, indicating that she did not want to pay attention to them.

"Hehe, I, Sister Lu Sheng, will never be your apprentice." Fu Man'er made a face at the old man, looking very smug.

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Unexpectedly, Grandpa Hu got excited and said, "What's wrong with being my apprentice? Learning martial arts will help me protect myself, isn't that great?"

In all these years in Dashi Village, he has only ever taken on one apprentice, Xu Yi. This is the second time he has asked for one.

He was no stranger to Lu Sheng. He had seen her several times when she taught Xu Yi martial arts in the back mountain. This girl was quite ruthless, with a fierce spirit in her body. She was a good prospect for martial arts.

If we really take her in as an apprentice, she might be able to rival Xu Yi. In the future, when Xu Yi hides wine, Lu Sheng can find the wine while he drinks it. How great would that be?

"I can, I can." Fu Man'er squeezed past Xu Yi. "I can protect Sister Lu Sheng." She was very strong.

Grandpa Hu gave her a disapproving once-over. "How are you going to protect her? Just curl up into a ball and run over to bump into people?" Just thinking about it made him laugh.

The sound of that loud laughter was really infuriating. Fu Man'er was puffing up her cheeks, and she was indirectly saying that Fu Man'er was fat.

"You really want to take me as your apprentice?" Lu Sheng's voice was as cold as ever, and even when he asked a question, it was completely flat.

Grandpa Hu tried to keep a serious face. "Do you think I'm joking?" He would win Lu Sheng over and have him work together to deal with that kid Xu Yi.

"I don't have the money to teach the apprenticeship ceremony." She had seen Xu Yi prepare quite a lot when he became an apprentice, and now she was repaying the Xu family for the money they had given her.

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"Do you think your master cares about those kinds of people?" Old Master Hu puffed out his chest, trying to show Lu Sheng that he was acting like a noble and virtuous man, and even called himself his master.

After a moment's thought, Lu Sheng put down his work and knelt down before the old man, saying, "Master."

"Oh my, look at him, how sensible this new apprentice is! He's truly a good apprentice of mine." Old Master Hu said, helping the man up while glancing sideways at Xu Yi.

Xu Yi was initially surprised, but quickly recovered. When Grandpa Hu looked over, he didn't try to dodge, but instead laughed, which was definitely a provocation.

Grandpa Hu felt deeply that taking on this apprentice today was a worthwhile decision.

"Lu Sheng, your master will be counting on you from now on," Old Master Hu said earnestly, patting Lu Sheng on the shoulder.

But Lu Sheng misunderstood. “Master, don’t worry. I am also all alone. I will take good care of you while you are alive, and I will make sure you are laid to rest after you pass away.”

She understood the principle that "a teacher for a day is a father for life." Anyway, she was alone, and her master was also alone, so relying on her shouldn't be a big problem.

"Also?" Old Master Hu's voice rose considerably. "Who's all alone? I'm not. Before you, I had apprentices." At this moment, he no longer looked down on Xu Yi.

Lu Sheng nodded to indicate that he understood, and then continued to bend down to pick up potatoes, as if what had just happened was just Old Master Hu's imagination.

The original text comes from Ta&Read Novels app. More free and good books are available for download on Ta&Read Novels app.

"Grandpa Hu, my grandparents and the others have already dug up there, but you're the only one lagging behind." Fu Man'er was following behind him picking up potatoes, but now he was already far behind.

"It's no big deal, we'll dig so much you won't be able to pick it all up later." Old Master Hu picked up his hoe and started swinging it again.

While picking up potatoes, Fu Man'er talked to Lu Sheng, or rather, she was advising him, saying that practicing martial arts was too hard, and that Old Master Hu was fierce. In short, she told him not to practice martial arts.

Lu Sheng had never seen Old Master Hu teach martial arts, but she was not afraid of hardship. Now that she was all alone, as Old Master Hu had said, she had some ability to protect herself.

Moreover, she has to go up the mountain from time to time. Perhaps after learning martial arts, she will have another way out, which is to go up the mountain to hunt. In that case, she can earn more money.

“Alright, then I’ll accompany you when you’re learning martial arts. If Grandpa Hu bullies you, I’ll stand up for him.” Fu Man’er puffed out her cheeks, looking every bit the protective officer for Lu Sheng.

Lu Sheng smiled and agreed, thinking it best to let the little girl be happy.

(The two characters "Hu" and "Lao" were rejected as soon as they were sent out, so I added a slash in the middle.)