With the opening of the jewelry shop, Wanjia Restaurant's business also boomed, and its reputation quickly spread. Wanwan's name repeatedly entered people's ears during their leisure time.
The news that the Wan family had a bright and intelligent baby spread like wildfire and quickly reached the surrounding villages.
On this day, Wan Yuechi, who was always well-read and loved to bury himself in the classics, brought Wanwan to the Xiao family.
Upon seeing Xiao Qi, Wan Yuechi went up to him and blocked his way, pleading earnestly but somewhat awkwardly, "Young Master Xiao, I've heard that you are skilled in martial arts. I've been so busy studying that I'm almost becoming the weak scholar that people talk about. I wonder if Young Master Xiao could teach me a couple of moves so that I can have the strength to protect Wanwan."
Xiao Qi was somewhat surprised.
If it were a straightforward and stubborn brute like Xie Yongnian, he really wouldn't be willing to teach him, but today it's the usually refined Wan Yuechi, and he hesitates instead.
Seeing the two locked in a stalemate, Wanwan walked over, munching on a green apple. She took a bite, looked at one apple, then the other, and finally grabbed Xiao Qi's hand, pleading along with her second brother, "Brother Xiao, please teach Second Brother!"
As she spoke, Wanwan was still chewing on an apple, her voice muffled.
Just as Xiao Qi was in a dilemma, the guard who had just gotten up was carrying his sword and preparing to go out. A bright light flashed before Xiao Qi's eyes, and he called out to him, in order to teach Wan Yuechi martial arts in his capacity as a young master.
The guard was helpless. His martial arts skills were originally meant to protect Xiao Qi, but after arriving in Hailan Village, he was frequently summoned by Xiao Qi to be the children's martial arts instructor.
To avoid being punished by having to clean the latrine, the guard obediently came over carrying his sword.
"Has Young Master Wan ever used a knife?" the guard asked bluntly, scrutinizing Wan Yuechi from head to toe. Although he was a temporary teacher, the basic procedures still had to be followed.
For someone like Wan Yuechi, who lacks basic skills but wants to learn a move that can subdue people in a short time, the best course of action is to immediately find a weapon that he is proficient in and then quickly train in basic moves.
Seeing that the guard was still focused, Xiao Qi went to the side to observe.
With his hands behind his back, dressed in black, he appeared refined and elegant. The wisps of hair on his forehead were blown by the wind, and his upright posture, like a jade tree, gave him the air of an emperor.
Wanwan was still crunching on an apple, one arm crossed over her chest, looking like a little adult inspecting work.
Wan Yuechi felt a little uneasy looking at the heavy sword in the guard's hand.
A few days ago, during the bandit kidnapping incident, he had heard that the guards were beheading people without blinking an eye, and that the blades were full of nicks. The news from the village was mostly exaggerated, and Wan Yuechi was somewhat skeptical at first, but now that he saw the scabbard, he was convinced.
"I've never tried it before," Wan Yuechi answered honestly.
The guard then raised his hand and drew the knife. The blade slid through the scabbard, producing a crisp, cold sound of steel. The knife was fully drawn, but there was no nick or nick.
The guards had personally repaired it a few days ago.
"Try it, I'll correct your posture." The guard strode in and handed the hilt of the sword to Wan Yuechi.
The clear, bright blade reflected half of Wan Yuechi's face. The blade was long and wide, making it ideal for chopping and slashing. Just looking at the blade, Wan Yuechi could imagine it covered in crimson blood when it cut someone, and a chill ran down his spine.
He tried his best to banish the terrifying thoughts from his mind and solemnly took the knife.
But the knife was much heavier than he had imagined. When he took it, his shoulders suddenly felt heavy, and he almost fell to the ground.
The guard immediately reached out to support him, and said, "How about this, Young Master Wan, let me perform a little something first?"
Wan Yuechi nodded blankly.
The guard took back his knife and retreated to the center of the courtyard, while the other three instinctively took a step back.
The guard gripped the hilt of his sword, gently brushing the blade with one hand before smoothly twirling it in his hand. The blade reflected the intense sunlight, causing the guard to squint.
Then, the guard did a somersault, slashed horizontally in mid-air, landed and immediately spun around, flicked his wrist and slashed out with a beautiful dagger, a dazzling silver blade trail flashed around him and before it disappeared, he had already gracefully sheathed the sword.
Wan Yuechi's eyes widened.
Wanwan stopped biting into the apple.
I didn't have time to take a closer look when we fought the bandits last time, I didn't expect the guard to be so amazing!
"Guard Brother!" Wanwan stretched out her little arms and bounced up and down like a bouncy glutinous rice ball. "Guard Brother! Wanwan wants to learn too!"
Xiao Qi's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, and his lips tightened. "I can do that too."
"But Wanwan thinks the guard brother is even more amazing! Wanwan wants to learn from the guard brother!" Wanwan was overjoyed and had already forgotten that she had come with her second brother to become his apprentice.
The guard caught a glimpse of Xiao Qi's gaze and knew that he was jealous again. He was at a loss for words and could only go over and rub Wanwan's head, saying somewhat guiltily, "Wanwan, you can't. I have to teach your brother now, so I can't teach you for the time being."
Wanwan tilted her head, her bright eyes filled with confusion, "Can a teacher only teach one student at a time?"
The guard's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head and saw Xiao Qi looking at him with an inscrutable expression. Although there was no expression on his face, the guard took it as a threat and quickly said with a forced smile, "That's right."
"Oh..." Wanwan lowered her head in disappointment, but cheered up a moment later and naturally hugged Xiao Qi's arm. "Then Wanwan will learn from Brother Xiao. Brother Xiao will be Wanwan's little master, Master~"
Wanwan called out sweetly and coquettishly, and Xiao Qi felt as if his heart had been pricked by a small needle. He turned his face away awkwardly.
While the group was busy with the apprenticeship ceremony, Zhang Xiu suddenly walked into the courtyard. Upon seeing Wanwan, she called out to her. The women in the countryside all had loud voices, and when she spoke, the whole courtyard could hear her.
"Wanwan, Yuechi, I've finally found you two! Come with me to buy New Year's goods, we're just missing you two."
Wanwan clung to Xiao Qi's arm, refusing to let go, "Wanwan wants to take Little Master along too."
Zhang Xiu paused for a moment, then waved her hand, "Anyway, let's all go together."
Just as Xiao Qi was about to refuse, Wanwan jumped up and down with joy, forcefully pulling Xiao Qi to follow behind her aunt.
During the New Year, the county town was bustling with activity, crowded with people, and the streets were ablaze with red decorations: red couplets, red candles, red firecrackers...
Wanwan was quickly caught up in the lively atmosphere. She stopped clinging to Xiao Qi's arm and started weaving through the crowd, but accidentally bumped into someone.
Wanwan rubbed her sore forehead and glanced around, only to find it was Wan Qiufeng and his wife.
Wan Qiufeng's wife had a swollen belly, like a large pillow, which Wanwan had never seen before, and she looked at it curiously.
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