Unreasonable Ask
Headache. Headache. Big headache!
Looking at her mother's serious look, Cheng Xiao Xiao just wanted to turn around and run away. She is getting a splitting headache from this!
"Mom, there's no rush. Why don't we discuss this when dad is home?"
"Okay, wait till he is back and I will bring it up to him!" Mrs. Cheng smiled. She thought she had successfully convinced her daughter to listen to her. She didn't know that her daughter was just too lazy to respond.
Cheng Xiao Xiao did not wish to continue the topic. She looked at the steam from the boiling pot and asked, "Mom, do we have more tea leaves in the house? Dad is going to get some villagers to come and help us out. We are going to need to prepare more tea to serve everyone!"
"Asking the villagers to help? Oh yes, I vaguely heard part of your conversation about the bamboo forest. What is going on?"
The mother was not yet looped into this, so Cheng Xiao Xiao had no choice but to explain the whole bamboo forest idea to her. Mrs. Cheng was ecstatic afterward. She nodded in support, "This is great! Okay, we will steep more team. Oh, and we should slaughter a few more chickens and ducks for them!"
"Okay, whatever you like mom!" Cheng Xiao Xiao responded with a smile, "Mom, I will go get more tea leaves."
"Go!' Mrs. Cheng looked on tenderly at the back of her fair daughter and mumbled to herself, "If we were still with the family, we would be able to find her a good husband. Being where we are now, it will be difficult to find someone that Xiao Xiao will be happy with. I will definitely need to have a talk with ye when he gets back. I wonder if the was serious when he talked about the match with the Gu's."
She sighed when she got here, "Aye, even if he was, I'm sure the Gu's have regretted. Our family's current situation..."
"Mom, mom, we don't have a lot of tea leaves left!" shouted Cheng Xiao Xiao from outside of the kitchen. Mrs. Cheng paused for a second and got up.
The two met up just outside of the kitchen. Cheng Xiao Xiao shook the ceramic container in her hand, "Mom, we have maybe enough for two more servings. That's not enough to serve all the guests!"
"No more tea leaves? That's a problem. Even if we collect more from the mountain we will still need to fry them. Unless we go and buy them from the town!"
Collect tea leaves from the mountain?
Cheng Xiao Xiao's eyes brightened, if she can translate tea trees to the dimension...
Thinking of that, Cheng Xiao Xiao was very excited. She handed the ceramic container to her mother and said, "Mom, I am going to collect tea leaves from the mountain. I will have Zheng Yuan come back to help you out!"
Immediately acting upon her thoughts, Cheng Xiao Xiao left the house empty handed.
"This kid, going into the mountain again?" Mrs. Cheng shook her head, she didn't know what was on her daughter's mind. But she wasn't go to stop her either, so she just let her go and do her thing.
When Cheng Xiao Xiao passed by the bamboo forest, she had the younger brothers and sister go home to help out and went into the mountain alone. She had heard her parents mentioned the location of the tea leaves before so she headed straight there.
At the same time, Innkeeper Zhu of Lai Yue Inn was getting worried. The server just saw him walking around in circles and was very confused. It was almost like he was failing on something big.
He certainly had no idea what was going on. Innkeeper Zhu was crazy worried for others. He couldn't imagine how the two deacons, who left in the middle of the night, had never returned.
He had a pretty good idea where they had gone, but, with their skills in martial arts, how was it possible that they have not yet returned? Unless they had left Qing'an Province after the mission was accomplished?
That's impossible!
Innkeeper Zhu shot down that idea. No matter what, they wouldn't have left before the situation with the Cheng's had been resolved. Unless, there was an accident?
Mr. Cheng was but a martial master, he couldn't have been able to fight off two martial masters. So why were they still gone? Were they hurt and they were hiding somewhere to take care of their injuries?
What should he do? Should he go to the Cheng's to check it out? Or keep waiting?
All sorts of crazy ideas popped into his head. Innkeeper Zhu couldn't focus on his business. He kept staring at the front door and hope to see the two familiar silhouettes.
House of Ning!
Young master Ning had finally returned!
Not jus the young master Ning Xunzong had returned. He also brought with him two other students from the School of Divine Condor. From their arrogant manner, one could gathered that they were of high status.
But the Ning's didn't mind that. After all, the Ning's was an insignificant place to them. It was already a great honor for them to accompany Ning Xunzong's return. The Ning's could only do all they can to kiss up to them.
Only old man Ning wasn't too happy about it. However, he didn't make a fuss over it because of his grandson. After all, they were here as guests and there was nothing wrong to be polite to your guests.
After having the butler settle the two proud guests into the guest tower, old man Ning summoned his precious grandson into his study. The two of them have yet to have a real conversation.
Old man Ning asked about his days at the School of Divine Condor and Ning Xunzong described the incidents at the school in a lively manner. He looked of both envious and respect, looking up to those from high status families and had high accomplishments in martial arts.
Old man Ning listened with a smile and did not interrupt but he sighed inwardly. Even though his grandson was a beginner martial master, but it sounded like he was just middle of the pack at the School of Divine Condor. Many of his peers were already advanced martial master. And a few that were older had already achieved martial spiritualist, his grandson was nowhere close in accomplishment.
"Grandpa, your sent words for me to come home right away. What was the matter? I didn't notice anything going on with the family, so why was I summoned?"
Ning Xunzong was puzzled. He thought something had happened with the family so he took time off from the instructor and rushed home. He didn't expect that nothing had happened at home.
After the question, old man Ning took a meaningful look at his grandson and, with a tender smile on his aged face, said, "It's good news. I asked you to come back because I want to match you to a good marriage!"
"What? Matchmaking? No way!" Ning Xunzong jumped up from the chair. His handsome face turned blue and white. Angrily, he said, "Grandpa, that's no joke. I don't want to matchmaking right now! I want to look for a woman of my choice!"
"Zong'er..." Old man Ning had not expected such a strong reaction from his grandson. He frowned and said, "Zong'er, let grandpa finish!"
"No, I am not listening. Grandpa, this is non-negotiable. I already have a lover. I don't want matchmaking!" said Ning Xunzong loudly and looking at his grandfather defiantly.
"Nonsense!" Old man Ning's face dropped. Looking at the defiance and indignant on his grandson's face, he was starting to soften.
After all, who didn't want to marry a woman of their own choice? Even old man Ning was young once, he understand how his grandson was feeling. That being said, he didn't want to give up on what the Cheng's has either.
"Zong'er, you sit down first. Let grandpa tell you something!"