Apprenticeship

Wang Xingle swallowed and continued:

"Around this time last year, Zhang Yue became a Quasi-Martial Artist. They say she was exceptionally talented, and the Extreme Martial Arts Hall recruited her directly, signing her to a contract to enter the Basic Training Camp.

"After word got out, the Wang Family looked into Zhang Yue's background, so they had my good-for-nothing father bring her and her mother back to the family.

"Then, on the day Zhang Yue took the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, my good-for-nothing father went to their place. But Aunt Zhang wasn't willing to go back with him.

"They argued, and you've probably heard about my good-for-nothing father's temper... Aunt Zhang passed away after that."

Su You nodded impassively. The third young master of the Wang Family wasn't much of anything, but he had a vicious disposition. If Old Master Wang hadn't doted on his youngest son most of all, he would probably have been thrown out of the family long ago.

Wang Xingle glanced at Su You and continued, "The Wang Family covered it up afterward. In the end, they just got a bodyguard to take the blame."

Su You frowned and nodded. He had never imagined that Zhang Yue's grudge against the Wang Family ran so deep. It wasn't even just a grudge anymore—it was a blood feud.

"Brother Su, what do you think..." Wang Xingle's expression turned a little ingratiating.

Su You frowned and said, "All right, this ends here. But if I catch you doing this again, you're dead."

"Don't worry, Brother Su. I'll turn over a new leaf from now on."

As he spoke, Wang Xingle bent down to pick up the envelope that had fallen to the ground.

"Hmm?" Su You shot him a cold look.

Wang Xingle flinched and quickly held out the envelope. "Haha, I-I was just picking it up for you, Brother Su."

Su You waved a hand. "All right. Take your men and go."

"Yes, I'll be on my way." Wang Xingle turned and hurried out at once, remembering to usher the two burly men along as he reached the door.

After Wang Xingle left, Su You shut the bun shop's front door and went back to the room behind it.

"It's all right now, Sister Yourong. They definitely won't dare come back."

He Yourong's eyes were still a little red. "Xiaoyou, I'm so glad you were here today. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Su You stepped forward and gathered He Yourong into his arms. "Sister Yourong, I'll take care of you and Yuan Yuan from now on."

He Yourong's body stiffened. Her head, buried against Su You's chest, ducked even lower, and she looked like a quail.

Though she was dressed in thick clothes, Su You could still feel the soft warmth against his ribs. His thoughts instantly began to wander. He kept his right arm around her and let his left hand slide down from her shoulder.

"Brother Xiaoyou!" a clear voice suddenly rang out. He Yourong abruptly pushed Su You away, her pretty face turning bright red.

Su You couldn't help laughing wryly. His moment had been interrupted just like that?

He Wenyuan ran over and tugged at Su You's arm. "Brother Xiaoyou, did you chase those two bad guys away?"

Su You nodded helplessly. He Wenyuan immediately cheered.

"Brother Xiaoyou, will you teach Yuan Yuan martial arts?"

He Wenyuan looked up at Su You, her eyes full of hope.

Su You was taken aback, then smiled. "Of course. You want to learn martial arts so you can protect your mom, right, Yuan Yuan?"

He Wenyuan nodded emphatically. Su You turned to He Yourong and asked, "What do you think, Sister Yourong?"

He Yourong hesitated, then said, "How about sending her to a dojo instead? She's only just starting, so she'd only be learning the basics. You're so busy training at headquarters, and your time is precious..."

The Two Great Dojos set an age limit of sixteen for their students, so many small dojos had sprung up. They only taught martial arts to children under sixteen, though, and their instructors were generally just Advanced Martial Arts Students.

He Yourong also knew that Su You had been sent to train at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall headquarters. She didn't know much about the Basic Training Camp, but if he'd been sent to train at headquarters, he had to be a genius among martial artists. His training time must be precious.

Su You's expression turned serious as he solemnly bluffed, "Sister Yourong, a towering building rises from the ground. If you don't lay a solid foundation, it can seriously affect your future. Look at all those who come out of dojos—how many actually become warriors? So I have to teach Yuan Yuan her fundamentals myself."

He Yourong was startled. She was just an ordinary person and didn't understand any of that. Su You's argument sounded very convincing, but she was still a little hesitant.

"Just make sure it doesn't interfere with your training."

Su You laughed. "Don't worry. It's only the fundamentals. It won't take much time."

Only then did He Yourong relax. She smiled and said,

"All right. You and Yuan Yuan wait here for a bit. I'll go buy some groceries, then we can head to my place. I'll cook, and we'll have a little apprenticeship banquet for Yuan Yuan."

Su You's eyes lit up. He Yourong was an excellent cook, so it looked like he was in for a treat today.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go together!"

After that, Su You and He Yourong took Yuan Yuan to the market to buy groceries, then went together to the little home He Yourong shared with Yuan Yuan. They looked just like a family of three.

He Yourong's home was about sixty square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room. By the standards of the day, it was actually quite decent. Most ordinary people lived in subsidized housing, and their homes were even smaller.

In the kitchen, He Yourong was busy cooking. When she heard her daughter laughing and playing with Su You, she smiled, then let out a quiet sigh.

She wasn't unaware of Su You's feelings, but she was conflicted too. After all, she was much older than him, and she had a daughter.

"If only I'd met him fifteen years ago." He Yourong sighed. Before today, she could still tell herself she only thought of Su You as a younger brother. But the moment he appeared before her today, she understood her own feelings completely.

"Sister Yourong, what are you thinking about? If you don't stir it soon, the food's going to burn!"

Su You suddenly appeared in the kitchen and placed both hands on He Yourong's shoulders.

"Ah!" He Yourong jumped, her pretty face turning slightly red. She hurriedly stirred the food a few times, not daring to look back at Su You.

As he chatted with He Yourong, Su You slowly lowered his hands until they met in front of her stomach. He pressed close behind her, his breath brushing her cheek as he spoke, making her blush even more.

"Xiaoyou, don't do this." He Yourong's voice trembled a little, as though she was debating whether to stop him.

Su You rested his face against the side of her neck and said softly, "Sister Yourong, don't worry. I just want to hold you gently, like I did in the shop. I won't do anything."

He Yourong let out a sigh of relief. She stole a glance at her daughter in the living room, then seemed to accept her fate. She stopped paying attention to Su You's wandering hands and continued cooking.