"Please, General, take a look at whether my granddaughter is qualified! I'm inviting you to dinner tonight, so please do so!"
He quickly added this sentence afterward, as if afraid that others would misunderstand.
Wang Yan burst out laughing upon hearing this.
"Fine!"
As he spoke, he strode towards Xiao Muxing and Xiao Muyue, and under the expectant and nervous gazes of the two little ones, he conducted a bone-touching test.
After a long while, Wang Yan's expression grew increasingly solemn, and even Qin Qing couldn't help but feel nervous, her heart pounding in her throat.
Wang Yan finally let the two little ones go...
"How about it?"
Qin Qing quickly spoke up. She naturally hoped that the little guy would have good aptitude, but if he had good aptitude, he would have to learn martial arts with this guy... Just thinking about it made her feel heartbroken.
Wang Yan turned to look at her, pursing his lips slightly and looking very serious.
"Mu Yue has no talent! Her physical constitution is average, and she won't amount to much even if she studies martial arts."
Qin Qing felt relieved upon hearing this, thinking that it made sense! Mu Yue had been in poor health since childhood, and was the most prone to illness among the three children, which was within her expectations.
Xiao Muyue looked disappointed upon hearing this, and Xiao Muxing quickly comforted her, acting like a very caring older sister.
At this moment, Wang Yan spoke again, looking at Xiao Muxing with a furrowed brow.
"And the other one... your name is Mu Xing, right?"
When Xiao Muxing heard him mention her, she nodded nervously, and all six of her eyes turned to look at him.
"Top-notch qualifications!"
The man parted his thin lips slightly and uttered four words, which made Xiao Muxing extremely excited. Xiao Muyue also smiled foolishly. The two little ones were overjoyed. Qin Qing looked disappointed, but when she saw Xiao Muxing's smiling face, she relaxed slightly. Oh well, as long as she's happy.
"master!"
The little girl's clear voice rang out, her eyes fixed intently on Wang Yan, only to be rejected.
"Your aptitude is fine, but as I just said, there are other requirements! Endurance, willpower, and physical strength—if you lack any of these, even if you learn martial arts, you'll only have a smattering of skills!"
Xiao Muxing nodded firmly, looking like she was ready to go all out. This persistence finally moved Wang Yan a little.
However, he looked at Qin Qing and just stared at her without saying a word.
Qin Qing was stunned for a moment, and inexplicably felt that the man was... asking her for something in return?!
This thought made her face darken instantly. She really didn't understand. Was a relationship between an older woman and a younger man really that appealing?
"General, why don't you just agree? I'll do my best to meet your demands, whether it's for compensation or anything else... as long as it doesn't go against your will!"
She added a sentence afterward, as if afraid the man in front of her would misunderstand!
Upon hearing this, Wang Yan's face immediately broke into his second genuine smile of the day.
"That's for the best! I'll come here tomorrow to train you. Tonight will be the last good dream you'll have for the next ten years or so! Farewell!"
The first two words were addressed to Xiao Muxing, but the last two were spoken to Qin Qing.
Having said that, the man suddenly leaped onto the wall and quickly disappeared into the night…
What was clearly a cool scene, Qin Qing saw as: "Is he crazy? Why jump over the wall when there's a front door?!"
However, the two little ones beside her were even more excited and thrilled, looking like little fangirls, so Qin Qing could only keep quiet!
In the darkness, the man's footsteps became lighter and lighter, clearly indicating that he was in a very pleasant mood.
The next morning, Qin Qing arrived at the rice shop early. Shortly after opening the door, he saw several people standing at the entrance whispering among themselves.
"Is this the owner of the rice shop? No way, I heard she's almost forty, while General Wang is only in his early thirties!"
"It's absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. Our General Wang personally escorted the proprietress home, and it's said that he didn't even leave that night!"
"..."
They described it as if they actually saw it!
Qin Qing's ears were extremely sharp; she could hear everything they were whispering to! However, she ignored it, having anticipated that someone would talk nonsense last night.
"But speaking of which, this proprietress is really beautiful. She doesn't look like a woman who's almost forty at all. Look at her skin, wow! So white and smooth. I would believe you if you told me she's not even thirty!"
"Tch... You men only care about appearances! A woman should be virtuous, kind, beautiful, and intelligent, and most importantly, she should uphold her chastity! This woman lets a man into her house in the middle of the night; she's obviously not virtuous!"
A woman, upon hearing their words, looked at them with a hint of jealousy and disdain. She immediately retorted, her tone full of disgust!
When the men heard someone interrupt, they all looked up and saw that it was the owner of the steamed bun shop next to the rice shop, known as the "Steamed Bun Beauty"! She was twenty years old and very beautiful.
Seeing this, they were immediately embarrassed.
"Ahem... It's Lady Bao!"
She was beautiful, but her temper was exceptionally bad. I heard that her husband was beaten into submission by her and became obedient until he died a couple of years ago.
That's right, that woman was also a widow, but she was sharp-tongued and never forgiving when she was right! Coupled with her narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes, she looked even more ruthless.
Immediately, the crowd dispersed and dared not utter another word.
Seeing this, Bao Niangzi snorted coldly, glanced at Qin Qing disdainfully, and said in a cool tone.
"These days, some women are really shameless. They're so old and still so promiscuous. I think the women in brothels are better than her!"
After saying that, she turned around and pretended to go back to her shop! In reality, she wanted to have a fight with Qin Qing in the street and then ruin her reputation!
However, Qin Qing, who was lost in thought, had his brows furrowed and seemed to be pondering something, and did not hear her words at all!
Enraged, Bao Niangzi's face darkened. Just as she was about to go upstairs, a customer arrived at her family's breakfast shop, so she had to go back to her own business. She thought to herself that she would teach this person a lesson later!
After all, since her steamed bun shop opened on this street, she has been the most beautiful of all the shop owners, and her business is booming as a result.
But after she went to her parents' home a few days ago and came back, the shop next door suddenly became a rice shop. When she heard that the owner was a woman who was almost forty years old, she didn't think anything of it!
Besides, their rice shop opens in the morning and closes before noon, so it's rare to wait until the rice shop opens. Who knew that yesterday afternoon when she came back to knead dough, she heard rumors all over the streets that a dignified general was escorting a nearly forty-year-old woman home...
It's outrageous! She became a widow in her early twenties, and although she's had suitors, she hasn't been interested in any of them! What has that forty-year-old woman done to deserve this?
It just so happens that Qin Qing arrived early this morning and was caught red-handed. She wanted to see just how capable the rice shop owner, who had become famous in the street in just a few days, really was!
Qin Qing, however, fell into deep thought...
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