A Familiar Face

As Sue Chenyu listened to their conversation, he glanced at Cui Cancan several times. He suddenly realized that Cui Cancan had lost weight, and no longer clung to him as much. Still, whenever she saw him, she would call out: "Brother Chenyu."

Qibao asked Kui Wu to remove the sheepskin and open it up to dry. She planned to make a wool blanket to use in winter, which could later be used by Grandpa and Grandma to cover their legs.

By the time all the sheep were dealt with, the sun had begun to set.

Mrs. Qian found Mrs. Wang and said: "Aunt, can you ask someone to help me find out if there is a suitable store in town? I plan to buy it."

Mrs. Wang was surprised and asked: "Yue Ru, are you planning to start a business?"

"Yes, like this." Madam Qian explained: "The girls in the village who've learned embroidery from me are getting pretty good at it now. So, I thought, why not open a small shop to sell their work? The money they earn can be theirs to keep. That way, they'll have some income when it's time to find a husband."

"That sounds great." Mrs. Wang replied warmly: "Yue Ru, thank you for looking out for these children. I never expected you'd not only teach them embroidery but also plan their future career path for them."

"Spending so much time with these girls has grown on me." Said Mrs. Qian, laughing: "They're all clever and well-behaved, and I'm their teacher. It's only natural to look out for them."

Mrs. Wang spoke up: "In a couple of days, I'll send my eldest son to town to check things out. If he finds a suitable storefront, we'll buy it."

"That sounds good." Replied Mrs. Qian: "Thank you very much, Aunt."

Qibao smiled: "Aunt Ru, since that's the case, I'll give you some embroidery patterns as a gift for your new store's opening. I hope you don't mind."

Madame Qian chuckled softly: "Wonderful. Aunt Ru looks forward to it."

Qibao nodded, thinking about some modern cartoon patterns and meaningful anecdotes she could adapt. If embroidered, they would surely look stunning.

"I'm back! Is the mutton stew ready? I can smell it even before I enter the house—it smells amazing!"

"You're always thinking about food, boy. Look at that wobbly belly of yours." the old man teased.

Xiaoliu, grinning, gave his tummy a hearty slap: "Grandpa, this isn't all fat. I'm all muscle here. My sister says I look strong and sturdy, not fat!"

"Chicken?" The old man shook his head as he said: "If you want chicken, we're having braised chicken tonight. But that belly of yours looks like all it holds is fat!"

Xiaoliu felt speechless: "Grandpa," he muttered, "you wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain! My sister says this is baby fat. Once I grow up, I'll look just like my big brother."

The old man gave Xiaoliu a sidelong glance, shook his head slowly, and sighed: "Hard to believe sometimes!" Then he turned and headed towards the dinner table.

Xiaoliu stamped his foot and chased after him: "Grandpa! Who are you looking down on?!"

That night, a large pot of noodle soup was set on the table. Everyone received a generous bowl, which they slurped up eagerly.

"Mm, that's good! This is how meals should be." Su Chenyu said, throwing his usual dining etiquette to the wind as he ate, not even looking up.

Mrs. Wang spoke up: "Those rich families sure have a lot of rules. I heard they even have sayings like 'don't talk while eating, don't speak while sleeping.' Can you imagine trying to enjoy a big family meal without being able to talk? How stuffy that must be!"

The old man said: "Old woman, you don't understand this! This is called etiquette. We can do whatever we want behind closed doors at home, but when we go out, we must not behave like we do at home. Wenwu will pursue a career in government in the future, so there are some rules that we should learn, so as not to embarrass Wenwu in the future!"

Everyone nodded, agreeing with the old man.

The old man exclaimed: "Especially Xiaoliu. He said our food is delicious. He thought we were abusing him. Look at how he eats. He's not even as good as the big flower in the village chief's house."

Xu Laosan knocked on his son's head and said: "Your grandfather is talking to you! Why are you still eating? When will you change this habit? We won't stop you from eating as much as you want, but the noise you make while eating is really loud!"

Xiaoliu said: "Grandpa always scolds me, I'm used to it, but you have to give me some time to change slowly!"

The old man said firmly: "You have two weeks. I don't want to see these bad habits anymore. Especially the way you eat, all slurping and smacking like you're eating pig slop. Honestly, I wonder who you inherited this manner from."

Mrs. Wang chimed in: "It's not that Xiaoliu is particularly gluttonous, he's just impatient. He rushes everything and wants instant results! We're partly to blame for not teaching him properly. Seeing him eat heartily always satisfied us, but we overlooked these bad habits. Luckily, among all the children, only Xiaoliu has this problem."

Xiaoliu looked sheepish: "Grandma, I know it's not a good habit. I'll try to change!"

"Knowing you were wrong and wanting to change is what makes you a good boy." Mrs. Wang said: "We're all here for you. Once you're out in the world, others will be much harsher."

Xiaoliu nodded: "I'll remember, Grandma."

In truth, Qibao thought, this problem affected many people nowadays. They would eat noisily and tap their chopsticks against their bowls. Most people didn't seem to mind, but it made eating with them unpleasant.

This time, Xiaoliu had been more careful, trying not to make too much noise.

After the meal, Aunt Jin and Aunt Yin cleared the table. The Xu family members went about their usual activities – some took walks while others read.

"Young Master, that Master Bai is here again, but he's brought with him a young man I don't recognize." Uncle Fu said to Xu Wenwu.

Xu Wenwu raised his eyebrows and came to the front yard. He was a little surprised to see the person Bai Zeyu brought. He also knew this person. It was Zheng Yaoyang whom he met in Qingyun City.

"Master Xu, we meet again!" Zheng Yaoyang said with a smile and bowed, his clothes still as simple as before.

Xu Wenwu also cupped his hands and said: "Yes! I didn't expect that we were really destined to meet!"

Zheng Yaoyang said: "This is not fate. Your name is well-known among talented people everywhere. I also came to Xujia Village by asking for your name."

Xu Wenwu was surprised and asked: "Oh? Could it be that Brother Zheng is also visiting our Xujia Village?"

Zheng Yaoyang said: "There is another reason. Of course, I came to get to know Brother Xu. To be honest, I admire your talent very much."

"Brother Zheng, thank you for the compliment. Did you and Bai Xiong know each other before?" Xu Wenwu asked.

Bai Zeyu replied: "We have met twice before in Qingyun City. Brother Xu, you may not have noticed that Brother Zheng's ranking is just below yours."

Xu Wenwu did not show much surprise when he heard this, and said: "Well, I have seen Brother Zheng's talent and knowledge, and he deserves it."

Zheng Yaoyang smiled and said: "Compared to Brother Xu, there is still some gap."

Xu Wenwu said: "You two, let's sit down and talk!"

The two of them bowed and thanked him.

Ding Sheng, the servant, quickly poured tea and brought out snacks for the guests.

Zheng Yaoyang spoke up: "Brother Xu, I have something to tell you. Did anyone come to recruit you some time ago?"