The time spent together passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Jiang Shuyun was about to leave home to study at the academy.
From the moment she woke up in the morning, Mu Yi'an was busy non-stop.
"Sister Fang, find the clothes and shoes you made for the old man."
Sister-in-law Li, please make more food that can be stored for a long time. The food that Master and Li Li are eating over there is not as good as what they eat at home.
"Cotton, and take a few more of the handkerchiefs you made last time..."
Mu Yi'an wondered what else she needed to bring.
Jiang Shuyun played with the two little ones in the yard, her ears filled with Yi'an's voice. It felt really nice.
"Father, are you leaving again?"
Shao Yun also heard what his mother said, but unlike his sister, he didn't understand what was going on.
"Yes, Dad is going to study hard and pass the imperial examinations to become a Juren and then a Jinshi, so that your mother and you can all live a good life."
"But we're doing just fine now, aren't we?"
Four-year-old Shao Yun didn't understand what a good life was. He was happy as long as there was good food at home, nice clothes to wear, and the opportunity to play on the farm.
Jiang Shuyun was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to answer Shao Yun's question.
"Shao Yun, everyone has their own responsibilities. My responsibility is to study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and ensure that you are not bullied."
Your mother's responsibility was to grow all sorts of things, sell them, and make money so the family could have some to spend.
Your and your brother's task is to study hard and strive to be even better than Dad.
Jiang Shuyun mentally rehearsed her words several times before finally uttering them.
Thinking to myself, raising children is really not easy; it's like reading a book full of "100,000 Whys".
"Father, you still haven't told me what my sister wants to do?"
What are you doing?
Chuyue knew her sister was talking about her, but she didn't understand what it meant. She parroted what her sister said, but only learned half of it.
"Your younger sister is responsible for growing up healthy, learning how to be a good person from your mother, and learning some life skills."
Like many fathers, Jiang Shuyun hoped his son would learn skills and become a pillar of society. As for his daughter, of course, he wanted to spoil her, but he also wanted her to understand the principles of being a good person.
When she was at home, she had her father and brothers to protect her, but after she got married, she would have to rely on herself.
In ancient times, women were expected to marry around the age of sixteen.
Shao Yun seemed to understand, but he knew that his father was leaving home and they needed to study hard.
"Dad, I want to learn martial arts. Talk to Mom and ask Uncle Zhao to teach me."
Shao Yun suddenly remembered this matter. He had seen Zhao Wu practice martial arts and he looked very powerful.
"Learn martial arts, with Zhao Wu?"
"Yes, I've seen him practice martial arts; he's very skilled."
Shao Yun looked on with longing, his eyes filled with an admiration he himself didn't understand.
"Okay, I'll discuss it with your mother in a bit."
"Thank you, Dad. You're so kind. I love you!"
Shao Yun told his father what his mother always talked about and what she often said to him and his two siblings.
"Hehe... Daddy loves you too!"
Jiang Shuyun stroked her son's pigtails, a warm feeling welling up inside her.
"Love you!"
Chuyue also knew this word; her mother often said it.
"Daddy loves Chuyue too!"
Jiang Shuyun picked up her chubby little girl and spun her around.
"Giggle..."
Chuyue was happy and kept giggling.
"Dad, candy, have some candy."
After thinking it over, Jiang Shuyun realized that this little girl said she loved him just so she could get candy!
"Your mother won't allow it, so what?"
"I love you! I love you, I love you..."
Chu Yue ignored her father's excuses and kept saying "I love you" to Jiang Shuyun, who then gave the two children candy.
"One piece per person, rinse your mouth after eating, understand?"
"Know."
"Know."
The two little ones, having received candy, were as happy as little mice, squeaking around Jiang Shuyun.
In the afternoon, the child went to take a nap.
"Yi An, Shao Yun wants to learn martial arts."
“He told you that I asked my second brother to help me find out if there were any suitable martial arts instructors, but there's still no news.”
Mu Yi'an knew that Shao Yun liked swordsmanship and was much more lively than Shao Ming.
"Shao Yun said that Zhao Wu is a skilled martial artist, and he has seen him. Do you know anything about his background?"
“Zhao Wu? Butler Li said he was an orphan who grew up on the mountain with the old man who found him. After the old man passed away, he went down the mountain and became a bodyguard.”
Thinking about the information that Butler Li had mentioned, Mu Yi'an wondered if Zhao Wu was perhaps the closed-door disciple of some reclusive master.
"Shall we ask him?"
"That works too. If he can really teach, that would be great."
Mu Yi'an actually hoped that Zhao Wu could teach a few children, which would be much more convenient. If he taught them well, it would also free Zhao Wu from slavery and restore his freedom.
Mu Yi'an had someone find Zhao Wu; whether it was suitable or not, both sides needed to understand each other.
"Master, Madam, you were looking for me?"
Zhao Wu is not short; he looks to be nearly 1.8 meters tall.
He had a square face with a noticeable scar. Around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, his expression was somewhat wooden, and he wasn't very talkative.
"Zhao Wu, I heard from Steward Li that you know some martial arts. Did you learn them on your own or did you receive formal training?"
“Replying to Madam, I studied with my master on the mountain before. He was a lay disciple of Shaolin.”
Zhao Wu didn't know why his master and mistress were asking him about martial arts, but he answered honestly anyway.
"A Shaolin lay disciple, that's quite impressive! Shao Yun said he saw you practicing martial arts and thought you were very skilled, so he wants to learn from you. That's why we wanted to ask for your opinion?"
Mu Yi'an read novels and watched TV shows, didn't he say that some martial arts schools don't pass on their skills to outsiders?
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