The Foolish Child Comes to Visit

After leaving the yang geng shop, Gu Ning'an went to the market and bought some tiles and bricks to take back to the courtyard.

The walls and roof of the courtyard were damaged to varying degrees, so they needed repairing.

Since Gu Ning'an had bought quite a bit of material, the shopkeeper selling the tiles and bricks kindly offered to deliver the items to his doorstep, which saved Gu Ning'an a lot of trouble.

After seeing off the servant who delivered the tiles, Gu Ning'an looked at the dilapidated courtyard walls and the pile of materials that had become a small mountain. He couldn't help but glance up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky.

"It's late at night. If I keep working now, I'm afraid I'll disturb the neighbors and keep them from sleeping well," Gu Ning'an said to himself, then strode toward the kitchen.

Today, he didn't just buy building materials; he also purchased vegetables and meat, quite a bit of it.

Returning to the small courtyard, he thought it would be good to light a fire in the stove and make some noise to liven things up a bit.

After heating the oil and stir-frying the vegetables, it took Gu Ning'an about half an hour to prepare four dishes and a soup.

Pouring himself a cup of freshly brewed rice wine, Gu Ning'an began eating and drinking, enjoying a long-awaited home-cooked meal.

Just as he was about to get up and clean the dishes, the old wooden door suddenly echoed with a soft knocking sound.

"Who's there?" Gu Ning'an called out, then walked toward the door and pulled it open.

Standing outside was a chubby child with a round face, his right hand tightly clutched around something.

Gu Ning'an, surprised, asked, "Hu Shi, how did you find this place?"

The child outside was none other than the boy who had been trapped on the Ba Zhang River—Hu Chi'er.

Hu Shi opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he still couldn't speak.

Gu Ning'an stepped aside with a smile and said, "No rush, come in and talk."

Upon hearing this, Hu Shi nodded, stepped over the threshold, and entered the courtyard.

After Gu Ning'an motioned for him to sit at the stone table in the courtyard, he asked again, "Take your time, how did you find me at this late hour?"

Hu Shi paused for quite a while before speaking, "Sir, I want to become your disciple!"

Gu Ning'an shook his head and smiled, "I told you last time, I don't take disciples... You're just a bit slow. If you practice your reactions more, you'll eventually be as quick as others, or even faster."

Seeing Hu Shi struggling again, Gu Ning'an wasn't in a hurry. He gathered the dishes on the table and turned to say, "I'm going to wash the dishes now. If, by the time I'm done, you can clearly explain how you found me, then even though I don't take disciples, I'll still teach you a few things."

Upon hearing this, Hu Shi's face turned red. "Ah... alright!"

"Believe in yourself," Gu Ning'an said encouragingly before picking up the dishes and heading toward the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen, he immersed the dishes in a wooden tub of water and poured a jug of rice wine from the jar on the floor, drinking leisurely...

About half an hour later, Gu Ning'an finished the last sip of wine, casually set the jug down, and got up to leave the kitchen.

Seeing Gu Ning'an coming out, Hu Shi, who had been holding his breath, immediately ran up and said, "I overheard my grandfather talking about it. There's a small courtyard in the village where five people have lived for over twenty years, and suddenly, someone new arrived... A young scholar in a green robe, handsome..."

"Some say the scholar is an immortal, living forever and hiding from the world... Others say he's a ghost, returning on the night of the soul's return..."

"I immediately thought that person must be the one who saved the gentleman, so I came to find him..."

Without pausing much, Hu Shi explained clearly how he came to find Gu Ning'an. [Idk who this gentleman is. He might be referring the red tail carp.]

Seeing this, Gu Ning'an clapped his hands and smiled, "Very good... See? You were able to explain the situation clearly and say it all in one breath, you just needed more time to think."

"So, you were never really a foolish child. There's no need for you to insist on coming to me as a disciple."

Upon hearing this, Hu Shi froze for a moment, then spoke again: "Sir, I'll wash the dishes for you. You waited for me to react, and the dishes haven't been washed yet."

"Oh?" Gu Ning'an said with interest. "How did you know that?"

Hu Shi replied, "It's very quiet at night, and I didn't hear any sound of water."

Looking at Hu Shi's determined yet confused expression, Gu Ning'an pointed towards the kitchen, "Go ahead, just don't break the dishes."

"Mm!" Hu Shi nodded vigorously and ran into the kitchen.

Gu Ning'an then turned and walked toward the open gate. "Old sir, please come in."

With a rustling sound, an elderly man with graying hair appeared around the corner.

The old man was frail, and his dull eyes were filled with fatigue.

"Mr. Gu, thank you for saving my grandson the other day," said the old man, bowing towards Gu Ning'an.

Gu Ning'an made a gesture inviting him in, "It was nothing, just a small matter. Please come in and have a chat. Hu Shi will probably take some time with the dishes."

Upon hearing this, the old man sighed and thanked him repeatedly, then entered the courtyard.

Inside the kitchen, Hu Shi carefully held a dish, wiping off the oil stains with a damp cloth.

The small, thin Hu Shi, sitting on a bucket not much shorter than himself, looked quite "pitiful" as he washed the dishes.

However, as he worked, Hu Shi maintained a focused and happy expression on his face.

Outside the courtyard, the old man explained why he was waiting outside instead of entering.

It turned out that since Hu Shi got lost that day, the thing he mentioned most often was meeting a divine teacher... After hearing his grandfather's conversation, he became even more excited.

The old man knew his grandson well, and this child "needed space, not constraints."

After pretending to sleep, Hu Shi had indeed sneaked out again.

Worried, the old man hastily followed him.

He waited outside the courtyard for two reasons: one, to avoid disturbing Gu Ning'an; and two, to prevent Hu Shi from feeling upset if he noticed his grandfather following him.

"Mr. Gu, I came in a hurry today and didn't bring any gifts to thank you," the old man said, somewhat awkwardly patting his clothes. "I'll bring something as thanks tomorrow morning."

Gu Ning'an waved his hand repeatedly, "I didn't save anyone for their thanks."

The old man scratched his head and smiled, "Naturally, but if I don't bring something to you, I'll feel guilty."

"What's there to feel guilty about?" Gu Ning'an pointed toward the kitchen with a smile, "I had your grandson, a little child, wash the dishes. I don't feel guilty about that."

The old man blinked in surprise, "Ah! That's different!"

"There's nothing different about it..." Gu Ning'an laughed as he stood up. "You and your grandson are the first guests I've had since I moved back. Let me go brew some tea... Please wait a moment."

Without waiting for the old man to say anything, Gu Ning'an quickly left. The old man thought for a moment before sitting back down on a stone bench.