“My father had no talent for martial arts. He only loved the classics and wanted to turn our family of martial arts into a family of officials. The old patriarch of the Fu family was so angry that he expelled him from the family and had no contact with him for many years.”
At this point, Fu Qiyuan sighed with a touch of melancholy. If it weren't for this, how could he have been forced into such a predicament by those people?
Jiang Shan squeezed Fu Qiyuan's fingers and asked, "Then why did the Fu family send secret guards to your father again? Have they made up now?"
Fu Qiyuan chuckled, “How could that be! For years, my father has been ashamed to face the old patriarch of the Fu family. It wasn’t until I returned to the Minister’s Mansion that my father wrote to the Fu family, hoping they would lend a helping hand.”
Jiang Shan nodded knowingly. He could no longer count on his son, but he could still look forward to his grandson.
"But you also embarked on an official career, and wasn't the old patriarch just as disappointed?" Jiang Shan asked again.
Fu Qiyuan's eyes flickered, and he gave a vague "hmm," saying, "That's why I was sent to me. My descendants are still very promising."
As Jiang Shan pondered the meaning of those words, Fu Qiyuan pulled her into a courtyard.
Fu Qiyuan's descendants... His wife doesn't even have any descendants yet... Wow, what a beautiful yard!
Jiang Shan's attention was successfully diverted by Fu Qiyuan.
Jiang Shan took a nap and woke up to find the room quiet; Liang Chen and Xi'er were not there.
The water for washing her face was already prepared. She washed her face and went out feeling refreshed.
Hearing a faint cheer, Jiang Shan, with his hands behind his back, went to investigate.
A large crowd had gathered in the courtyard, including several maids and servants who were holding basins and unable to move.
There were two seesaw-like platforms in the yard. An Yi stood at one end, and a round ball was placed at the other end. An Yi jumped twice at his end, and the round ball at the other end flew high into the air before landing heavily on the ground. Then An Er was also bounced up into the air.
Each time An Yi sprang up, a gasp of surprise would ripple through the crowd; that's how Jiang Shan heard the cheers.
An Yi bounced for a while and then came down, and the seesaw came to a stop.
Jiang Shan saw that An had picked up Jiang Huai and put him on the same kind of seesaw next to him.
Before he could even get his footing, Jiang Huai jumped up impatiently. He wasn't strong enough, so the ball on the other end remained motionless.
Then An Er bent down and tied a small lead weight to Jiang Huai's foot.
"Lift your foot forcefully and try it!"
Jiang Huai struggled to lift one foot, glanced at An Er, and then struggled to lift the other foot. He tried with each foot alternately, and seemed to have found his rhythm.
Next, An Yi adjusted Jiang Huai's stance, slowly stepped aside, and said, "Jump hard!"
The little figure bent down, clenched his fists, and with a "hey!" jumped out... his feet barely left the ground.
The ball only wobbled slightly and did not bounce.
Jiang Huai let out a disappointed "Ah!" while keeping his bent-over posture, his little head turned towards An Yi.
An Yi shook his head, crossed his arms, and said, "Keep jumping!"
Jiang Huai scratched his head, spun around in place, looked at the small ball in front of him, then looked at his own feet, and reached out to untie the lead weight.
He even knows that the weight on his feet is in the way!
An Yi stopped him, "You're not strong enough. You need the weight of the lead weight to help you jump. Try again!"
Jiang Huai didn't understand what An Yi said, but he knew that An Yi didn't want him to remove the lead weights from his feet.
So he took a deep breath, stuck out his belly, bent over, and jumped suddenly!
The ball finally bounced out!
Jiang Huai exclaimed "Wow!" and a broad smile spread across his face.
Before his smile could fully bloom, the ball fell back, and Jiang Huai was bounced away.
Jiang Shan watched as Jiang Huai's face turned deathly pale in an instant, the shock and fear on his face seemingly frozen in time, striking Jiang Shan's heart directly.
"Jiang Huai!" Jiang Shan's face turned pale, and she rushed forward, lifting her skirt.
Jiang Huai was launched to a height of just one person. After his small feet were level with An Yi's line of sight, he began to fall.
In the blink of an eye, the little figure landed steadily on the seesaw.
He kept his knees slightly bent, and after landing, his eyes brightened, and he grinned and laughed.
Jiang Shan's heart was still pounding, but he withdrew his outstretched hand.
The ball has been caught by An Yi.
"Jump! Jump!" Jiang Huai clapped his hands and shouted!
Jiang Shan patted his chest and stepped forward to Jiang Huai, saying, "Call me Master, not Yi Yi."
An Yi put down the ball in his hand, clasped his hands and said to Jiang Shan, "Greetings, Miss. I am just a guard and am not worthy to be your master."
Jiang Shan raised an eyebrow and said, "We can't be without rules. A master is a master. Once someone has taught you a skill, that person is your master! Jiang Huai, call him master!"
Jiang Huai got off the seesaw, went up to hug An Yi's feet, and looked up with a grin, saying, "Xi Hu, jump!"
An Yi pointed to one end of the seesaw, and Jiang Huai trotted over and stood there. After An Yi placed the ball on it, he took a breath and jumped with all his might.
This time, he jumped up, flew out, screamed, and laughed out loud.
Jiang Shan smiled, ignored the little guy, and prepared to go to the shop.
Liangchen, Xier, and Meijing followed closely behind.
Jiang Shan said without turning his head, "There's no need to go to the scenic spot. Stay here and take care of Huai'er!"
Meijing rushed forward two steps, her face contorted with distress, and said, "Miss, that Fu Li won't let me follow the young master. He said he'll serve the young master from now on, and the young master doesn't need me by his side!"
Jiang Shan's beautiful eyes widened slightly as she turned to ask, "Which Fu Li?"
Meijing pointed to the side and said, "Look, it's that one in the blue robe."
A seven or eight-year-old boy, dressed in a light blue outfit, had his hands folded and hanging down over his stomach. He had a delicate face and particularly bright, dark eyes, making him look unlike a child.
Jiang Shan assumed the child was a servant Fu Qiyuan had found for Jiang Huai, and said dismissively, "Then come with us to the shop!"
More than a month later, as soon as Jiang Shan returned, the shop assistants immediately came out to greet her, vying to say hello.
"How's everyone doing? Any customer complaints? Anyone received a letter of commendation? Three letters of commendation... You must be the outstanding employee of the month! Congratulations!" Jiang Shan greeted the staff as he went upstairs with a smile.
Before long, Aunt Hong and Manager Li arrived together.
Seeing the two of them, Jiang Shan smiled, stood up, and took two steps to greet them, saying, "How much did you miss me? You came over in such a hurry, without even giving me a moment to drink some water!"
Aunt Hong glared at her and said, "Shouldn't you be at home preparing to have dinner with Lord Fu and Huai'er right now? Why are you here? Don't you miss us more?"
Jiang Shan chuckled, helped Aunt Hong sit down, and then invited Manager Li to sit down before resuming his serious tone.
"But what happened?"
It's almost lunchtime, and customers are starting to come into the shop. Business should be alright; it can't be too bad, even at its worst.
Aunt Hong got straight to the point: "We have a competitor now, right here on Flower Street!"
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