Su Tang's eyes couldn't help but widen. If she remembered correctly, she hadn't wanted to find a teacher for herself, had she?
When Song Yi finished, he looked down at the little girl whose eyes were wide with shock, smiled secretly, and then said to Pengmo, "It's getting late now. Hand over the fabric and send her back."
Pengmo promised, "Yes, my lord!"
After that, Su Tang was politely invited to leave. By the time Su Tang recovered from her shock and looked back at the old man angrily, she saw that Song Yi was already ignoring her in favor of eating happily.
"Young Miss Su, let's go!" Pengmo was also secretly happy as he ushered Su Tang away.
This was the first time he had ever seen his master acting like this. However, he had heard from the servants who served the madam that the master used to tease the madam like this when she was younger. It seemed that maybe Young Miss Su had really caught his master's eye.
Su Tang took one final look back at Song Yi, who was eating very seriously, before sighing and turning to follow Pengmo. They quickly made their way through the three small courtyards and, once they were outside, she burst out: "What kind of noble is that?! He's too black-bellied!"
Pengmo bowed his head to hide his laughter.
Meanwhile, in the house, after Pengmo left to accompany Su Tang out, the serious old man suddenly chuckled to himself and murmured, "Micheivious little girl, you think I can't deal with you?"
As he thought back to that shocked-looking little girl just now, Song Yi laughed more and more happily. At the same time, he used his chopsticks to eat several fish balls, then drank a bowl of the soup herself, and even sampled the chicken. For him to eat so much was actually a very rare thing.
"That devil, that bad guy! Deceiving me into acknowledging him as my teacher! I'm so angry." Pengmo walked Su Tang nearly all the way to Sujia Village before stopping right outside. From there he just watched the little girl disappear inside while carrying the two pieces of fabric, grunting angrily the whole way, and smiled. Then he hurried back to report to his master.
"Did you send her home?" By the time Pengmo came back, Song Yi was already done eating. When Pengmo saw what was left on the table, he was surprised and happy to see that there was so little left. It seemed that his master had a good appetite today, maybe because of Young Miss Su's cooking. He wanted to quickly pack up what was left so he could heat it up later and eat it himself.
But when he heard Song Yi's question about Su Tang, he smiled and replied, "Young Miss Su seemed upset the whole way back. I'm afraid she might not come back tomorrow to cook and make clothes."
It actually made Pengmo a little speechless just to think about. Song Yi, someone who had taught the emperor, actually tricked a little girl into acknowledging him as her master, and he even said he wouldn't charge her the usual few hundred taels for tuition but would instead let her earn the tuition with work. However, in reality, not to mention a few hundred taels, probably not even a few thousand taels would be enough to become Song Yi's disciple. It was clear his master had taken a fancy to that little girl, but he still wanted to pretend otherwise.
When Song Yi heard what Pengmo said, he put down the book in his hand and said sternly. "She's already kowtowed and acknowledged me as her master, will she really dare not to come? Does she think that she can play tricks with me, but I can't do the same to her?"
Pengmo was busily warming the food in the pot and, when he heard Song Yi say this, he replied, "That Young Miss Su seems to be the type who really might dare!"
After all, didn't she spend the whole trip home cursing Song Yi as a black-hearted devil? An ordinary disciple definitely wouldn't dare to say such a thing about their master because then they would be labeled as someone who was disrespectful to both their teachers and their ancestors. However, as far as today's events were concerned, Pengmo privately thought that his master didn't have much of his usual aura of a noble and scholarly gentleman.
"You really think she would dare? Bah, if she doesn't come on her own, I'll go to her house and find her myself." Song Yi spoke so fiercely that his beard trembled.
Pengmo felt speechless. He could only pray that Young Miss Su would come on time tomorrow, or else his master might really go to her door. He couldn't help but feel it was odd, so many people in the capital actively begged Song Yi to teach them, but he didn't like any of them so he turned them down. But when he finally found someone he wanted to take in as a disciple, he actually had to trick them into it.
Probably more capable people were just the type to be very willful, Pengmo came to that conclusion after much thought.
Meanwhile, Su Tang went home and saw the orange cat throwing disdainful barbs at her because not only had she sold herself, she had also sold herself so cheaply. She didn't bother to retort because she was also very depressed about the whole matter, she just threw herself down on the kang bed angrily.