Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 155 Extra Xiao Mu (4)

Rong Wanyin's face instantly fell, filled with displeasure: "Master, how could you steal my disciple? That's not fair!"

The master was so angry that his beard trembled: "If you utter another word, believe me, I'll punish you by making you copy books!"

The master snorted and muttered, "Tell me, how did I end up with such a disobedient disciple? Look at your senior brother. If you were even half as reliable as him, I'd be content!"

Rong Wanyin shut her mouth in protest and secretly made a face behind her master's back.

The master stroked his beard and carefully examined Xiao Mu. The more he looked at the child, the more pleasing he became. He had rosy lips and white teeth, delicate features, a clever spirit, and a strong sense of righteousness, unlike that girl Yin, who was very unruly! Yin was right about one thing; he was indeed a treasure!

The master said with a smile, "Come, Xiao Mu, serve tea to your master. There's no better time than today, so I'll accept you as my disciple."

Xiao Mu bowed solemnly: "Master, please accept my bow to thank you for saving my life."

……

Thus began the "happy" life of the master taking care of two apprentices.

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At night, Rong Wanyin added some firewood to the fire. A broken iron pot hung above the fire, simmering with meat soup. Rong Wanyin used a stick to dig out a clod of earth from the fire: "I don't know if it's cooked or not, I'll taste it first."

Xiao Mu sat uneasily on a wooden post to the side: "Senior sister, you stole the sweet potatoes that Master planted, and you also stole the spare ribs from the kitchen. If Master finds out, he will punish us."

Rong Wanyin took a bite of the scalding hot sweet potato, wincing from the burn: "Ouch! Call me Master! Remember to call me Master when Master isn't here! ... What do you know? This isn't stealing, it's labor! Master always says that things earned through one's own labor are more precious than sweet potatoes bought at the market. Stealing them yourself... Ah, no, the ones we dug ourselves through our own labor are even more delicious. Master was right after all!"

After Rong Wanyin finished speaking, she scooped a large piece of meat for herself, served Xiao Mu a bowl of soup, and then began to eat heartily.

Xiao Mu looked at the bowl of soup. He had thought that his senior sister's previous statement, "If she gets a bite of meat, I'll get a bowl of soup," was just a metaphor. He hadn't expected it to be reality! Xiao Mu rubbed his temples with his fingers, his expression just like his master's. He was exhausted. He wondered what his master would think if he knew that his senior sister had misinterpreted his words like this.

Rong Wanyin then asked, "You were just chased by a dog, why were you running so slowly? Didn't you eat?"

Xiao Mu looked at Rong Wanyin with a forced smile, as if to say, "What do you think?" Just who was he punished by not being allowed to eat dinner?
Rong Wanyin chuckled twice and handed over a sweet potato: "Good apprentice, here's your dinner!"

Xiao Mu was slowly eating his sweet potato when he suddenly saw several dogs running towards him from a distance—the same dogs that had chased his men when he was stealing the sweet potatoes! Startled, he jumped up and was about to run when Rong Wanyin stopped him, saying calmly, "Don't be afraid, they're our own people... ah, no, our own dogs. Ah Huang, you're here, come sit down!"

The three dogs sat obediently in a row, and Rong Wanyin broke open a roasted sweet potato and gave each dog a large piece. These spineless dogs even wagged their tails, eagerly begging for a reward.

Rong Wanyin smiled and said to Xiao Mu, "Don't worry, I know all the dogs in this village well. If they don't cooperate, I'll stew them all! They're all talk and no action, just putting on a show. We're the most coordinated team, don't you think, Ah Huang?"

The largest and most robust yellow dog in the lead barked in agreement.

This made Rong Wanyin burst into laughter, while Xiao Mu was somewhat speechless: "Then why did you make Ah Huang chase me so fast just now?"

Rong Wanyin was a little embarrassed. She scratched her head and shamelessly said, "It's like Tian Ji's horse race, don't you understand?" Xiao Mu rubbed his knee, which had just hurt from the fall, with tears still on his eyes. He said angrily, "But Senior Sister, you didn't tell me I was the inferior horse!"

Rong Wanyin quickly stuffed a roasted sweet potato into his hand and coaxed, "Call me Master! Good disciple, eat up!"

Xiao Mu: "..."
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Every year, Rong Wanyin spends four months at the Rong family home, her maternal grandfather's place, and her master's place. This year, Rong Wanyin especially wants to go back to her master's place because she hasn't seen her master and her little apprentice for almost a year—her sweet, soft, and adorable little apprentice! Especially his round and soft face, it's so cute to rub!
The carriage was blocked on the official road. It was said that a wealthy merchant was bullying people ahead, and that a handsome young man was upholding justice. Upon hearing this, Rong Wanyin quickly got off the carriage, eager to catch a glimpse of the "beautiful face." After all, who wouldn't be attracted to a handsome young man?
The young man in white stood with his back to her, holding a bamboo fan in his hand and an iron fan tucked into his waistband. The iron fan was sharpened and extremely razor-sharp. Opposite the young man, a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy merchant with a bloated belly sat slumped on the floor.

The boy put away his bamboo fan and said, "I'll let you off the hook today. Senior Sister said that bloodstains are hard to wash off clothes. If your clothes get dirty, Senior Sister will scold you!" The boy's voice was a little hoarse, perhaps because he was going through puberty.

The young man turned around to mount his horse, but immediately spotted Rong Wanyin watching the commotion in the crowd. He waved to her with a bright smile and said, "Senior Sister!"

Rong Wanyin looked surprised, pointed to herself, and looked the boy up and down: "Senior sister? Me? You are... Ah! You are Xiao Mu?"

Xiao Mu smiled and nodded: "Senior Sister, Master asked me to come here to greet you. Was your journey smooth?"

Rong Wanyin was still in shock when she looked up at her junior brother, who was half a head taller than her, stood on tiptoe, and stretched out her hand. But she still couldn't reach him, so she shouted, "Bend down!"

Xiao Mu was puzzled, but still bowed obediently.

Rong Wanyin skillfully reached out and pinched her junior brother's face, then rubbed it. She looked at him in disbelief, her face full of disappointment, and her whole demeanor seemed to darken.

The thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy blushed and said, "Senior sister, I'm so old now, please don't do this all the time, it's not good!"

Rong Wanyin withdrew her hand in disappointment, muttering to herself, "Where's your chubby cheeks? Your face isn't soft anymore! And it's rough on my hand! Where's your sweet, soft voice? Why does it sound like a croaking duck? Where's my adorable little junior brother! Waaaaah..."

Xiao Mu never expected that Rong Wanyin would actually cry! Just because he'd grown up!

Rong Wanyin looked up to the sky and roared, "How did you grow up so much! You're not cute at all anymore!"

Passersby turned their heads in disapproval. Xiao Mu felt embarrassed and helpless, so he tried to persuade her with kind words. However, when he opened his mouth, his voice, which was in the process of puberty, was met with disdain, which made Rong Wanyin even angrier.

Rong Wanyin pouted and said, "Don't talk! You'll be even less cute if you talk!"

Xiao Mu scratched his head and had no choice but to use his trump card: "Senior sister, you can choose any restaurant in this city. I'll treat you to dinner, okay?"

Rong Wanyin immediately stopped crying: "Really?"

Xiao Mu sighed, "Really."

Rong Wanyin wiped her face, beaming with joy, and held up two fingers: "Two meals!"

Xiao Mu nodded helplessly and agreed, "Okay, okay!"

Rong Wanyin walked behind Xiao Mu, looking at this handsome young man. He seemed quite nice, didn't he?
Okay, I forgive him!