"Dog, puppy, you're so amazing!"
After his initial shock, Xia Chenhao bowed to him with great admiration and praised, "Like father, like son!"
He didn't feel disappointed at being defeated; on the contrary, he was very excited. Before, at home, the martial arts master and servants would go easy on him when he sparred with them because of his status, which made him win every time and think he was very great.
Fortunately, he understood the reasoning behind it and was not proud of it. He just felt that he had achieved some success. Although he was disappointed to be defeated by Gou'er, he was not furious.
This time, he realized that he couldn't even beat a four or five-year-old child. He knew that his skills were all show and no substance. If he wanted to join the Fire Cloud Division, he would have to practice martial arts even harder!
Everyone was somewhat surprised to see him like this; they hadn't expected him to accept it so quickly.
The dog grinned and said, "Brother Chenhao, you're really good too. Even Brother Leizi and the others can't beat me. Your strength is about the same as Brother Leizi's."
Gou'er spoke very modestly, because his mother had told him that he was still young and needed to learn to play dumb to outsmart others. He should try not to reveal his abilities when he was not in real danger and let his older brothers take the lead first, so as not to arouse suspicion. Otherwise, if outsiders saw him, they would definitely try to take advantage of him.
That's why he can only show his true abilities when competing with his older brothers; otherwise, he's just an ordinary four-year-old child.
Lei Zi and the others chimed in, "Yeah, you're pretty strong, you just ran into Gou'er. He's young, but he's smart and fast, it's normal that you can't beat him!"
Xia Chenhao clenched his fist and nodded, saying, "Yes! I will definitely train harder from now on, and I will definitely get into the Fire Cloud Division based on my own abilities!"
"Brother Chenhao, don't forget to study hard too. You need to be good at both literature and martial arts to get into the Fire Cloud Division. We also study both literature and martial arts. We practice martial arts in the morning and then go to class after we finish dancing."
Gou'er was worried that he would neglect his studies if he wanted to learn martial arts, so he kindly reminded him.
Xia Chenhao nodded solemnly, indicating that he definitely would.
Just then, Lu Baichuan returned. The adults invited him to eat, and during the meal, they told him about Xia Chenhao's desire to join the Fire Cloud Division. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Xia Chenhao say, "Sir, I just had a fight with my brother Gou'er and found that I am no match for him. I know I am not qualified to participate in the selection, so I want to wait until I am stronger before I go."
As he spoke, he stood up and respectfully bowed to Lu Baichuan, showing him great respect.
He was very excited to meet his idol and have dinner with him, but he also knew that his current abilities were insufficient and he was too embarrassed to mention it to Lu Baichuan, so he wanted to wait until he was more capable before talking about it.
Lu Baichuan smiled and said, "It's good that you think this way. It doesn't matter if you lack ability. The important thing is that you know how to improve. No one is born great. We all got to where we are today through continuous efforts. It's good to have ideals. You're a good kid. If you need any help in the future, just come to my house."
"Yes, thank you, sir!"
Encouraged, Xia Chenhao's smile widened, and Xia Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her son was still so young, and she really couldn't bear to send him to such a dangerous place. She should raise him for a few more years.
The dog said, "Brother Chenhao, would you like to practice martial arts with us? We practice every morning, eat after practice, and then go to school together!"
"Is...is it okay?"
He naturally wanted to come, after all, so many of them were practicing, and they would receive personal guidance from Lord Lu, so they were sure to improve very quickly.
Xia was somewhat troubled. It would be good for her child to interact with the Lu family's children, but this was just what Gou'er had said. Without the adults' approval, she couldn't say much, since her family had caused the Lu family far too much trouble.
At this moment, Old Man Lu spoke up: "It's good to know how to improve yourself. Anyway, whether you herd one sheep or two sheep, it's all the same. Come over tomorrow morning and practice together."
Since the old master of the Lu family had spoken, there was naturally nothing more to say. Xia Chenhao thanked him excitedly, feeling that he had taken another step closer to the Fire Cloud Division.
At this moment, Xia Yulan also stood up and said somewhat nervously, "I...I also want to practice martial arts together..."
Her voice trailed off, clearly lacking confidence.
When Xia heard a young girl say such things, she thought she was just fooling around, so she quickly pulled her away and scolded her in a low voice, "Stop fooling around, quickly apologize to everyone!"
Xia Yulan bit her lip and said, "Mother, I really want to practice. Lianhua and Youyou are also practicing martial arts. I don't want to be a weak woman who can't even kill a chicken!"
"Haha, well said!"
Old Lu laughed heartily and said, "This girl is good! Who in this world says that women can only stay at home and embroider? All my children, boys and girls, are raised the same. If there were girls' schools, I would send these girls to school. But even so, the boys who go to school are responsible for teaching their sisters at home until they learn!"
Xia seemed surprised that Old Man Lu, a farmer by birth, had such a broad perspective. She secretly admired him and smiled happily, saying, "In that case, we'll trouble you! It's an honor for Yulan and Haochen to have such a friend."
The guests enjoyed the meal to the fullest. When Xia and the others were about to leave, Xia pulled He Jiu Niang aside and whispered, "Madam Lu, my two children will be bothering the family from now on. What do you think I should do?"
She didn't put it too bluntly, but He Jiuniang still understood what she meant.
She had offered him benefits before, but He Jiuniang refused; now she didn't know how to offer them.
He Jiuniang said, "Madam Xia, let's keep things separate. If the two children eat at my house regularly, you only need to pay for their meals. If they only eat breakfast at my house, then it will be twenty taels per person per month. If they eat both breakfast and dinner at my house, then it will be fifty taels per person per month. Do you think that's acceptable?"
He Jiuniang was still giving a friendly price, considering that they were eating well at home and their dinners were more nutritious, so fifty taels was still a low price.
Xia also felt it was a bit too little and wanted to object, but didn't know how to say it. She then had an idea and planned to use it the next morning.
"Then let's do it this way. The two children will be coming to your house to study every morning and evening, so it will be fifty taels each, right?"
She repeated it again, and He Jiuniang didn't think there was anything wrong with it, so she nodded in agreement.
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