Chen Jinhua, Chen Meihua, Chen Xiuhua, and Chen Baohua all wore expressions of distrust: Who are you trying to fool! Don't think they can't see through you just because your older sister doesn't say anything!
Chen Xihua spread her hands, blinked, and made a 'believe it or not' expression.
After lunch was ready, Mr. and Mrs. Chen returned. Just as they were about to eat, a commotion came from downstairs. "Li Yumei's family lives on the second floor upstairs!"
"Chen Xihua? She's from Li Yumei's family!"
"So they were looking for the Chen family's daughter who came back from the countryside!"
"Yes, it's the one on the right-hand side of the second floor!"
A moment later, bang bang bang, the Chen family's door was pounded on!
The Chen family had just heard the noise downstairs and looked at Chen Xihua with puzzled expressions!
Chen Xihua vaguely heard that it was someone looking for her. Her heart skipped a beat. Could something have happened to the workshop? She had just told her older sister that everything was fine, and now they were coming to her door?
But in an instant, she calmed down, smiled faintly, and walked straight to open the door. As soon as she opened the door…
"Chen Xiaowu, you little liar, you broke your promise, are you planning to give up halfway..." A irritable yet familiar voice came in, followed by an old man with gray hair and glasses, the former principal.
"Principal..." Chen Xihua was about to call for help when the old principal pushed her to the door, not even glancing at her before walking inside as if someone owed him money!
"Old Principal, what brings you here?" Upon seeing the newcomer, Chen Lao Er immediately stood up, strode forward, leaned slightly forward, and greeted him respectfully and warmly!
"Old Principal!" Li Yumei also stood up, forcing a smile!
"Hello, former headmaster..." The Chen sisters also stood up to greet him!
"Jianshe, Yumei, I hope I didn't disturb your meal!" The old principal felt a moment of awkwardness when he saw the Chen family preparing to eat, but quickly regained his composure and said to himself, "I'm fine, it's just that your fifth daughter went back before the New Year and said she wanted to become my student and learn calligraphy from me. I thought I was retiring this year, so I readily agreed. But I've been waiting at home for more than half a month and haven't seen her. The summer vacation has been going on for more than ten or twenty days now... Is it because you don't want her to learn from me?"
"No..." Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Chen were extremely embarrassed and blurted out a denial!
"Isn't that Chen Xiaowu, going back on his word and lying to this old man? Xi girl, if you really look down on me and don't want to become my disciple, that's fine! Well, I'm just a stinking old man, and I used to be a stinking ninth grader..." The old headmaster kept talking to himself, his face bitter, pretending to be pitiful and playing the victim, and he didn't repeat himself, giving no one a chance to refute him.
Chen Xihua, who goes back on her word: Is this old man being a scoundrel? When did she ever say she wanted to become a student of calligraphy? It's not that she didn't want to become a student; she never mentioned it before. How is she a little liar? She's innocent!
“Old Principal, why don’t you sit down and rest for a while…” Chen Lao Er winked at his eldest daughter, Chen Chunhua, signaling her to bring over a stool, and then helped the old man sit down!
"My surname is Qin, you can call me Old Man Qin. I'm not the principal anymore!" The old principal was pretending to be pitiful, but he still had a sullen face.
"Chen Xihua, get over here right now! Come see the old principal and apologize to him!" Li Yumei's face turned ashen. This wasn't just a matter of her parents being called in; the principal himself had come to her door. Her family lived in the residential area, and she had completely lost face!
"Yes, Fifth Sister, that's not right of you! If you want to learn calligraphy from the principal, then learn it properly! Since you've already become his apprentice, you didn't even tell us!" Chen Lao Er also scolded Chen Xihua from the side, his face full of disapproval!
The five siblings of the Chen family watched her with expressions of amusement: Chen Xihua was a little dazed, helpless and unable to refute, wanting to come over and explain but hesitating to speak!
"Children of the Chen family, does your fifth sister not practice calligraphy anymore?" The old principal suddenly changed his expression and asked the Chen siblings standing in a row with a kind and gentle tone!
"Let's practice once every month or two!" Chen Jinhua said casually.
"Two months?!" the old man exclaimed, raising his voice.
"No, sometimes it's every week or two!" Chen Xiuhua quickly added, explaining that her fifth sister had indeed been quite busy during this time.
"No, Fifth Sister, I sometimes practice calligraphy every day or two!" Chen Baohua still sided with his Fifth Sister! He used to practice every day, but he's been busy lately. Anyway, Fifth Sister will catch up later. Fifth Sister also requires him to make up for the missed calligraphy practice!
"Principal, I know I was wrong. I will definitely study calligraphy with you diligently from now on, okay?" Chen Xihua had no other choice but to bend over and smile obsequiously.
Now her whole family is condemning her, as if she were a heartless woman, and the old principal has come to her door, how could she refuse his kindness?
"You must have come all the way from Shanghe Village, right? Have some water first, then eat!" Chen Xihua walked over and tried to help the person to the dining table.
"Then you have to promise me that you'll come to learn calligraphy with me every weekend!" The old principal still wouldn't budge, turning his head away and acting like a child, trying to negotiate.
Xi is getting smarter and smarter. She seems like a carefree, lively and innocent little girl, but she is actually confident from the bottom of her heart, with a firm yearning in her eyes and a calm temperament!
When he saw her before the New Year, he thought he was seeing things. She had become even more outstanding than when she was a child. Before, she was just an unpolished piece of jade, or even just a rough stone with a faint glow.
Now, he has been working on his own improvement, and he doesn't want to miss this student! So after considering and hesitating for a long time, he couldn't stay in Shanghe Village any longer after completing his retirement procedures, so he came directly here. He was really afraid that she would say what she said and throw the calligraphy copybook he gave him back!
He's just using some tricks, what can she do about it? First, she needs to get her to acknowledge the master-disciple relationship. Before, she was too young to know if she really liked calligraphy, so she didn't bring it up.
“Every weekend? That’s a bit difficult, isn’t it? We have to go back to Shanghe Village…” Chen Xihua looked troubled. What was this old man up to? She insisted on practicing, couldn’t she just let him check on her once every six months or so? Did he have to keep an eye on her all the time?
“Yes, Mr. Qin, go back once a week…” Chen Lao Er hesitated a bit!
“No need, I have a house in the faculty and staff residential area near the county’s No. 1 Middle School! I’ll live there from now on!” The old principal looked a little proud; thankfully, he hadn’t refused back then.
After he decided not to return to Nansheng University, the county leaders originally offered him a teaching position at the county's No. 1 High School and even allocated him a one-bedroom apartment. However, they also said that as long as he stayed in the county, regardless of whether he taught at the No. 1 High School, he would still have the apartment, because he already had a staff apartment in the provincial capital, and he would lose it if he didn't go back!
"That's good! Fifth Sister will definitely be able to learn calligraphy from you every weekend. As her teacher, you can discipline or scold her if she does anything wrong!" Chen Lao Er was relieved and smiled as he agreed on behalf of Chen Xihua!
"Yes, yes, Teacher Qin, please make the arrangements. Only you can handle her!" Li Yumei suddenly felt a little smug. It turned out that there was someone who could make this fifth girl not dare to object!
Then she'll go find the old headmaster and ask him to discipline this brat! That's true, only people like her mother and the old headmaster can control this wild child!
After lunch and a short rest, Chen Xihua and Chen Baohua accompanied the old principal to the county's No. 1 Middle School to see the house that the old principal had been allocated in the county.
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