Chapter 298: Chapter 300: Solving the Problem
An Ning brought Zhou Yicheng, who was contemplating the meaning of life, back to the An family home.
Jiang Xia returned to the Jiang family home carrying two wild pheasants. The moment he stepped inside, he was met with a resentful look from Da Huang.
He actually felt a little guilty. He held up the pheasants and said, "We’re adding a special dish to the menu tonight. You can have a big drumstick."
Da Huang stared at the pheasants. Under Jiang Xia’s expectant gaze, the dog reluctantly nodded, then lifted a front paw and pointed at Master Tang, who had just walked out. It barked twice.
Jiang Xia understood immediately. "Don’t worry, he’s the one cooking."
As soon as Jiang Xia said that, Da Huang, now reassured, turned and walked away.
Master Tang, who had come out, looked at Da Huang, then back at Jiang Xia.
"You two are becoming more and more alike."
Jiang Xia, on the receiving end of the jab, could only manage a dry, speechless laugh.
’My position in this household is truly precarious.’
"Jiang Xia! Li Chengze! Time for our run!"
An Ning was in the lead, followed by An Guoping, An Guoming, and Zhou Xiaoshan, who was being dragged along by Zhou Yicheng.
Bringing up the rear were Yu the Elder and Yu Zheng, who were out for a stroll.
Jiang Xia covered the two pheasants with a wicker basket. Then he and Li Chengze, who had just come out of the house, ran out of the courtyard one after the other.
As soon as Li Chengze came out, An Ning called him over to talk.
As the temporary leader, Jiang Xia led the group behind him to merge with the army of children up ahead. The sound of their "one, two, one" cadence made Zhou Yicheng feel like he was back in the military barracks.
Of course, the cadence was a little on the immature side.
An Ning fell back to run with Li Chengze, matching his slightly slower pace.
"Li Chengze, did you go home?"
Before she left, An Ning had told Li Chengze he could go home for a visit.
"I did. I stayed for a day."
"Why just one day?"
An Ning had thought he would stay for several days; she had even told him there was no rush.
Li Chengze let out a sheepish laugh as he ran but offered no explanation.
’Was he supposed to admit that his own father, mother, and all his uncles had basically shooed him back here?’
His whole family, the entire Li family from top to bottom, from the elders to the children, had all urged him to return quickly.
They said that even though his Master wasn’t home, her family was, so he should work if there was work to be done and help if he could help.
Besides, Li Chengze wasn’t even a proper disciple yet.
Li Chengze didn’t answer, and An Ning didn’t press him, assuming he had some reason he couldn’t discuss.
She reached out and patted his shoulder. "It’s okay. This is your home, too."
Li Chengze’s mouth opened, then closed again. ’She’s completely misunderstood!’
He was absolutely their biological son. While his parents hadn’t insisted he stay, they had been more than generous with money for his trip.
"Li Chengze, I’m planning to officially accept you as my disciple. Does your family want to come?"
"Ah— THUD."
Li Chengze had fallen flat on his face.
When he lifted his head, his mouth was covered in dust.
"Teacher An, what did you just say?"
The local dialect he’d picked up slipped out.
Just a few days ago, his family had been nagging him about failing to secure an apprenticeship.
But now, it was suddenly happening.
An Ning helped Li Chengze to his feet. Standing in place, she repeated herself. "I said, I’m planning to take you on as my official disciple. Are you ready? Do you need to have your family come?"
"If it’s not convenient—"
"It is! It is! It’s convenient! It’s convenient!"
Li Chengze lost count of how many times he’d said it was convenient. He was so dazed and overjoyed that he was completely tongue-tied, with no idea what to say.
"Take a moment to calm down. We’ll talk more on the next lap."
An Ning took off running again. Li Chengze stood there in a daze for a long moment before he, too, started to run.
And what do you know, the running actually helped.
When An Ning caught up to him again, she explained the situation with Yu the Elder and Zhou Xiaoshan.
"I’ve wanted to take you as my disciple for a while now. You will always be the first, and this has nothing to do with them."
"I want you to remember that."
An Ning’s earnestness made Li Chengze nod solemnly. Deeply moved, he said, "Teacher An, I understand."
"You came back for my sake."
An Ning broke into a smile and nodded at him.
"All right. I’ll have someone pick an auspicious date so we can do this formally. Once the date is set, I’ll let you know, and you can inform everyone else."
Li Chengze just kept nodding and nodding, even after An Ning had run far ahead.
The morning run continued. Li Chengze felt as if he were on cloud nine, light-headed and adrift in a sea of unreality.
He ran slowly, and was soon overtaken by the children reciting their lessons as they ran.
The clear, resonant sound of their voices finally pulled Li Chengze back to reality.
After the morning run, An Ning led the children through their martial arts practice. When the half-hour session was over, she brought out a basket of strawberries and gave two to each child.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to give more; there simply weren’t enough.
Some children ate one eagerly on the spot, some saved theirs for later, and some wanted to take them home to share with their families.
They all had their own ideas, and An Ning didn’t interfere.
She led the An family and their guests back home, where they had a breakfast prepared by Lin Cuihua.
There was coarse corn porridge, pickled vegetables, scrambled eggs with cucumber, and a dish of green beans stewed with meat, topped with steamed flower rolls that had soaked up the savory broth. The aroma was to die for.
After breakfast, An Ning began her lesson for An Guoping and the others. Zhou Xiaoshan was also forced to participate.
Zhou Yicheng listened in from the side, feeling more and more like he was illiterate.
’Are high school problems this difficult now?’
’And my son is only a high school freshman. Can he really solve problems for a senior?’
Under Zhou Yicheng’s doubtful gaze, An Ning simply stared at Zhou Xiaoshan and said two words: "You can."
Zhou Xiaoshan stood opposite An Ning, his expression blank. In a firm voice, he said, "I can’t."
"You can."
"I don’t—"
"You can."
"I—"
"You can."
With each "You can," Zhou Xiaoshan felt his confidence dwindle. ’How on earth does she know?’
Pressured by An Ning’s gaze, Zhou Xiaoshan walked forward, picked up a piece of chalk, and began solving the problem on the small, temporary blackboard.
He went through a series of steps. The one solving the problem wasn’t nervous, but Zhou Yicheng, who was watching, was an absolute wreck.
When Zhou Xiaoshan wrote down the answer and set down the chalk, Zhou Yicheng glanced around, seeking looks of confirmation.
’Is it right or wrong?’
"It’s correct."
Those two words from Yu the Elder were a lifeline for Zhou Yicheng. He met the elder’s gaze and received another affirmative nod.
Zhou Yicheng turned his head back just in time to see An Ning write "6/10" on the blackboard.
"This is a ten-point question. You get six points."
Zhou Xiaoshan shot to his feet, indignant. "Why?"
An Ning didn’t answer him, instead calling on An Guoping.
"An Guoping, explain it to him."
An Guoping stood up, took the chalk, and began writing on the board.
"The answer is correct, but the steps are wrong."
"If you want to take the college entrance exam, you have to follow its rules. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how smart you are; you won’t get a high score."
An Guoping sat down after his explanation, but Zhou Xiaoshan remained standing, unconvinced.
"My method is simpler."
An Ning glanced at Zhou Xiaoshan. "I can tell the answer just by looking at it. That’s even simpler than your method."
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