CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 186: IN THE KNOW

Tian Sisi didn’t know how Tian Xinhua found out, but she understood that it was for her own good, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought it up intentionally. Besides, this cousin had always been the most protective of her. Although he loved to tease her normally, every time there was trouble, the first one to stand up for her was always Brother Xinhua!

Thinking that she wouldn’t have such a good brother to protect her anymore, Tian Sisi’s eyes turned red, and tears flowed down, startling Tian Xinhua and leaving him at a loss what to do.

"Ah Nan, don’t cry! I wasn’t saying what you did was wrong; I’m just worried that you’ll get yourself into trouble in the future. Stop crying now, or your eyes will swell up!"

Tian Xinhua thought he had spoken too harshly just now and deeply regretted it. He wanted to wipe Tian Sisi’s tears but remembered he didn’t have a handkerchief with him, so he used the back of his hand instead.

"Brother Xinhua, I can’t bear to leave you, sob, I don’t want to be separated from you."

Tian Sisi let Tian Xinhua wipe her eyes, but the tears kept coming more and more, and she felt extremely aggrieved. She hated partings the most.

Tian Xinhua also felt terribly uncomfortable. Seeing Tian Sisi crying so sadly, his heart wavered, and finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Ah Nan, how about I don’t stay here and go back with you?"

Tian Sisi was startled and quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, Brother Xinhua, you should stay and learn your skills properly. I’m just upset, hence the crying; I’ll be alright in a bit. Don’t worry about it."

Seeing that Tian Xinhua was still hesitant, she hurriedly added, "Brother Xinhua, didn’t you say you’d earn lots and lots of money for me to spend in the future? If you don’t learn the skills, how are you going to earn money for me to spend? Brother Xinhua, my pocket money in the future depends entirely on you!"

Tian Sisi had already stopped her tears and whispered softly, acting coquettishly with Tian Xinhua. Actually, Tian Xinhua wasn’t really planning to stay; he was just momentarily scared by Tian Sisi’s tears and said that on purpose. It has to be said, Tian Xinhua already had a bit of Mr. Yun’s cunning.

"Ah Nan, rest assured, Brother Xinhua will definitely study hard and become Ah Nan’s strongest support."

He had heard about the He Family’s situation from Mr. Yun, and that’s how he knew the real reason why He Xuewen did not acknowledge Ah Nan. This was also the fundamental reason why Tian Xinhua wanted to become stronger; he didn’t want the tragedy that befell Uncle He’s family to possibly happen to Ah Nan in the future.

Tian Sisi turned her tears into laughter and asked Tian Xinhua what he had learned from Mr. Yun these days. Tian Xinhua grinned and said, "Nothing much, the teacher just made me read books every day, like ’Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ ’The Art of War by Sun Tzu,’ ’The Book of Changes,’ ’Records of the Grand Historian,’ and so on. He also asks me questions every day, but I haven’t finished ’Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ yet. The teacher said I have a poor memory, much worse than his."

Tian Xinhua felt embarrassed; he truly admired Mr. Yun. There were so many books in the study room, and the teacher had actually read them all and remembered them very well, knowing exactly what was said on which page, truly having a photographic memory. If he could have half the ability of the teacher, that would be great.

"Brother Xinhua, don’t worry, someone as talented as Mr. Yun doesn’t come by even once in a hundred years, we can’t compare to him. You are very capable too, Brother Xinhua. If we can’t remember something at once, we’ll just memorize it a few more times and eventually, we will surely remember it."

Tian Sisi comforted the slightly hurt young man. In her eyes, Tian Xinhua was very smart already. It was unexpected that the cunning Cloud Fox would find him slow, which just showed how eerily talented Cloud Fox was. Truly, great intelligence can verge on the demonic!

"I’m not in a hurry. If my memory isn’t as good as the teacher’s, I’ll just take more time to learn. Ah Nan, rest assured, Brother Xinhua will definitely become very powerful."

Tian Xinhua wasn’t disheartened. Despite not having the teacher’s demonic memory, he was willing to put in ten times, a hundred times the effort to learn.

"I believe Brother Xinhua will definitely become the most formidable!"

Tian Sisi said without hesitation, even in her previous life when Tian Xinhua had not studied with Mr. Yun, he was a remarkable figure!

Tian Xinhua laughed happily. He originally had some fears about the future, worried he couldn’t do well and meet his teacher’s expectations. Now that he heard what Sisi said, his confidence multiplied. Ah Nan’s words always proved to be effective; he certainly would become formidable in the future.

Study Room

"That little girl stopped crying?" Mr. Yun took a small bite of the eggplant dish that Tian Sisi had made and sipped his liquor with relish.

"Xinhua that lad calmed her down. I didn’t notice before, but it turns out that Xinhua is quite skilled at comforting girls." Luo Datou too grabbed a big mouthful of the eggplant dish, followed by a hearty swig of liquor.

The liquor was brewed by Tian Xinhua during this period. When Mr. Yun learned that Tian Xinhua knew how to brew, he had Luo Datou bring several hundred pounds of sorghum for Tian Xinhua to produce a batch of liquor.

Mr. Yun gave Luo Datou a disdainful glance and nudged the eggplant dish towards himself. Such a delicate dish shouldn’t be devoured so crudely, like a cow eating grass—Datu was really wasting good food.

Luo Datou chuckled and didn’t reach for the eggplant dish anymore. He started eating the twice-cooked pork that Tian Sisi had stir-fried; the meat was more to his taste anyway. He didn’t particularly favor the eggplant dish, but he teased Mr. Yun on purpose. Ever since that little girl Sisi arrived, Mr. Yun had become much more lively and interesting.

"Xue Wen thanks the teacher deeply for his care and love for my daughter. If there’s ever a need for Xue Wen in the future, I will go through water and tread fire without hesitation."

He Xuewen raised his glass and drank the wine in one gulp. He truly did not expect that Ah Nan could gain favor from Mr. Yun. He understood very well that Mr. Yun’s reason for keeping Tian Xinhua and Chengsi was to cultivate two powerful backers for Ah Nan!

Mr. Tian was indeed right; Ah Nan was a blessed person. No matter when and where, there would be benefactors to help, which had sounded unbelievable to He Xuewen at first. But his daughter’s experiences truly made him grasp the profound truth of the saying: a blessed person need not hurry.

"I’ve taken an interest in the little girl; that’s all. If you are truly grateful, bring Ah Nan to stay with me for a few days each year and cook some delicious food for this old man," said Mr. Yun nonchalantly as he took another bite of the eggplant dish.

"Rest assured, teacher, Xue Wen will definitely make it happen." He Xuewen responded immediately. He couldn’t wish for more than for his daughter to grow close to a person like Mr. Yun.

"Right, when you go back, make that little girl learn more about the four arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Don’t let her grow up like a peasant girl, it would be embarrassing to bring her out. The teacher for her is already arranged, that Zhang Mingliu will go to the Tian Family next month. Although this old fellow’s skills are much poorer than mine, he’s qualified enough to enlighten the little girl."

Mr. Yun spoke with a dismissive look; anyone unaware would think Mr. Zhang’s skills were truly poor. He Xuewen secretly found it amusing. Mr. Zhang was genuinely learned and more than qualified to teach university students, yet to Mr. Yun, he was merely good enough to be a primer teacher.

"Teacher is correct, I will make sure to supervise her daily studies," He Xuewen quickly agreed.

"There’s no need for every day. I see that Ah Nan doesn’t have the patience for that. Just a few lessons a week will do. I don’t expect her to become a great master, but at least she should develop some semblance of refinement," Mr. Yun added, his tone seemingly dismissive but, to anyone listening, it was clear he was concerned about the little girl getting tired.

He Xuewen responded with a smile, feeling intensely proud inside. His daughter was truly beloved by everyone, bringing joy to each and every one.