The other child retorted, "My dad is the bravest person; he even dared to hit my mom."
Ming Laosan: "My dad is the bravest. He dared to hit my uncle."
The kid across the street said, "My dad would dare to jump from the fifteenth floor."
Ming Laosan: "My dad not only dared to jump from the fifteenth floor, but he also dared to eat shit."
The kid across from me said, "My dad not only dares to eat shit, he dares to eat ten pounds of it."
Ming Laosan: "My dad can eat 20 jin (10 kg)."
The kid across from me said, "My dad can eat 30 pounds."
Before Ming Laosan could even speak, his father covered his mouth and said, "I dare not, I admit defeat. Your father is good at eating shit, I admire him."
After receiving the acknowledgment of defeat from Ming Laosan's father, the kid on the other side, like a victorious general, went home triumphantly.
After listening, Zhu Fanfan looked at Ming Laosan, who was still wailing and howling, with a complicated expression. Her godfather had held back; he hadn't killed him even after beating him for so long.
Ming Yunshu stopped when he was tired of hitting Zhu Fanfan. He greeted her warmly, "Fanfan, what brings you here? Your godfather was just about to visit you. I brought you a lot of little trinkets, all new things that a friend brought back from his trip."
He tossed Ming Laosan aside and ignored him, then grabbed Zhu Fanfan and started looking at the things, which made Ming Laosan mutter, "Who is your real son anyway?"
Ming Jianguo and Ming Jianye quickly covered his mouth. This unlucky little brother knew that Fanfan was his parents' darling, yet he still said something nonsense. They were afraid that they would get a beating.
Ming Yunshu, with her sharp ears, replied, "If it weren't for the fact that you and Fanfan are a year apart in age, I would have suspected that you and Fanfan were switched at birth."
Of the three children, only Fanfan fit his temperament. All three children had their own shortcomings, none of which were fatal, but none of them were outstanding either.
Zhu Fanfan hurriedly introduced, "This is Elder Dan. I'm here to have a free meal at my godmother's house today."
Lin Damei was displeased: "What do you mean by 'mooching meals'? My godmother's house is just like my own home. Do you think I'd let you go hungry? If you bring food again next time, you don't need to come. What do you take my godmother for?"
Zhu Fanfan quickly reassured her, "Okay, okay, I'll be more careful next time."
Let's talk about it next time. Grain is extremely expensive right now, and no one is rich, especially here in the compound. They may have money, but they may not have grain. Their supply is based on demand, not unlimited.
Everyone treated Elder Dan with great respect, but remained polite and distant. Elder Dan was not as relaxed and at ease as he was at the Zhu family, and instead adopted an air of superiority.
After finishing their meal, Zhu Fanfan left with Elder Dan. After they left, Ming Yunshu said, "Mother, I have to go to work too. Things have been quite busy there lately."
Lin Damei complained, "When aren't you busy?"
She wondered if he wouldn't come if Elder Dan wasn't teaching Fanfan, fearing Fanfan would be mistreated. She felt that only the Zhu family's affairs mattered to him, and even she, his own mother, had to take a backseat.
Ming Yunshu explained, "I couldn't get leave today; I only got three hours. I have to go back now."
Lin Damei couldn't say anything; work was the priority.
Yan Xiaoxiao then said that she was going back too. She had to tell Aunt Yumin that Elder Dan took good care of Fanfan. Although Elder Dan was not enthusiastic towards them, he was very considerate towards Fanfan. His attitude was exactly the same as Uncle Zhu's protectiveness towards Fanfan.
When Zhu Fanfan arrived home, he wanted to take a nap. Elder Dan happily agreed, as he was getting old and needed a nap too, so he rested in the guest room for a while.
Zhu Fanfan didn't forget her grand plan of harvesting. In no time, she had harvested several plots of land. Looking at the wild boars trapped in one place in the distance, they were leisurely grazing in groups, which perfectly illustrated what it means to live a peaceful and serene life.
A group of snakes were practicing their moves not far away. The sight of them tangled together in battle was chilling. She had time to talk to her grandmother about it, so that she could use it to make medicine and avoid wasting it.
Fortunately, they each have their own world and don't interfere with each other, otherwise her space would be too lively. Those chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits don't have fighting power, only reproductive power, and her space would soon be overrun with them.
The fish and shrimp in the river were also in trouble. They reproduced quickly and had never been sold. The Xu family's supply line had been cut off. Was she supposed to bravely venture into the black market? They had to find a way to use up some of these things.
After tidying up the space, Zhu Fanfan rested for a while before waking up. She went straight to the pharmacy, cleaned up the room, prepared the medicinal herbs, and began to examine the medicine cauldron. Before this, even though she had been learning formations from Grandpa Ji, she had never imagined that the medicine cauldron contained formations. She just hadn't triggered them yet, and she wanted to see what kind of formations they were.
When Elder Dan woke up, she went straight to the pharmacy and saw Zhu Fanfan still studying the medicine. She went up to her and explained everything to her.
Zhu Fanfan suddenly understood and asked curiously, "Don't you all love using cinnabar to make elixirs? Do you know that it's poisonous?"
Elder Dan naturally replied, "Of course I know, but cinnabar is a medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine. It depends on how it is used. It only produces toxins when heated. Once the toxins are broken down, it has great uses. Besides, who says that cinnabar must be used in alchemy? Didn't you not use cinnabar in your alchemy?"
Zhu Fanfan asked curiously, "I've heard that cinnabar is used to refine the elixir of immortality. I'm just curious!"
Elder Dan chuckled: "Curiosity killed the cat. Even Qin Shi Huang, who was so powerful, couldn't find the elixir of immortality back then. Where in the world does it exist? It's just fooling yourself."
That's quite insightful. I admire Fanfan's perspective; no one stops fantasizing about immortality as they get older.
Elder Dan continued, “Child, of the more than one hundred fellow disciples in our Taoist temple, only I am left. I have lived long enough to live. I only have one year left. During the time I teach you, learn as much as you can. If you don’t understand something, you will have to figure it out on your own later. Also, if you have the means in the future, could you establish a Taoist temple and spread Taoism?”
Zhu Fanfan agreed, after all, Taoism suited her well, and spreading this concept would reduce anxiety and increase composure, which would be good for her life.
Elder Dan was delighted: "You can refine pills first, and I will give you guidance. I will go home today, and I will bring all my belongings with me tomorrow. You have great talent, and a year is enough time for you to learn all my skills."
Zhu Fanfan chuckled dryly: "Don't have too high hopes for me. I can't even guarantee how far I can go."
Elder Dan simply said, "Everything is ready, let's refine the pills! Only one batch will be refined this afternoon. Remember not to rush things, but to proceed step by step and be down-to-earth."
Zhu Fanfan began refining pills. This time, she activated all the available formations, which also greatly depleted her mental energy. After refining one batch, her head began to ache slightly, even more so than in the morning.
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