Teaching Him to Fish

Though Wang Sheng was not very old, he had seen the harsher, more realistic side of this world earlier than many others.

He knew in his heart that ever since his father had gambled away his tuition as stake money, he had set foot on a road of no return, with no possibility of turning back.

Yet he could not bring himself to abandon his father.

Tang San had originally been somewhat reluctant, afraid that the Gold Soul Coins he lent out would be lost for good. After all, borrowing money was easy; getting people to repay it was harder than anything.

But hearing Wang Sheng say that left him feeling troubled. He took five Gold Soul Coins from the Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night at his waist and pressed them into Wang Sheng's hand.

"We'll deal with next year when it comes. Pay your tuition first and continue your studies. Maybe things will take a turn for the better next year, and your father will stop gambling?"

Five Gold Soul Coins were a huge sum even for Tang San now, taking away half his savings.

"Thank you, Sister Xiao Wu and Third Brother!"

Clutching the Gold Soul Coins, Wang Sheng looked gratefully at Tang San and Xiao Wu, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Take this. Once you report to the academy, find a shop in the city with Moonlight at the start of its name. The owner there will arrange a job for you. The pay will definitely be good."

Chu Zhao took off her Soapberry Bracelet and handed it to Wang Sheng. Giving someone a fish was better than teaching them how to fish.

"Huh? Like the Moonlight Grocery Store where you work? They have branches in other cities too?"

Tang San remembered that Chu Zhao had also found a job, stocking goods at a grocery store. Her monthly pay was quite substantial.

If he did not prefer working at the blacksmith shop, he might have wanted to switch jobs himself.

"They do. Notting City has a Moonlight Grocery Store. In other cities, they seem to be restaurants, hotels, and things like that. I've worked there for nearly a year, so I can recommend people for jobs at their other shops. They'll be given priority in hiring. The three of you can go try together."

Chu Zhao said this because Wang Sheng and the other two were all decent people. Besides, they were only ordinary hired hands. Whoever they hired would be the same, so why not use people she knew?

In any case, they had no idea that she owned the dozen or so shops with Moonlight at the start of their names.

She was just an ordinary worker, that was all.

"Boss, thank you, Boss! You're just too good to us!"

The three of them were deeply moved, and Wang Sheng even began to cry.

A well-paying job was actually harder to come by than a place at an academy.

After all, people like them who lacked both talent and background could at most become Soul Grand Masters, even with heaven-defying luck. When that time came, they would still need to find work to support themselves and their families.

Going to a major city and attending a higher-level academy was only meant to add a little shine to their credentials so they could find better jobs later.

If he did not want to let everyone's kindness go to waste, and if he did not want to take one last chance to see how far he could go on the path of a soul master, Wang Sheng would have wanted to drop out and start working right away.

Once Wang Sheng and the others' matters had been settled, it was time to head home.

Tang San was definitely going back to Holy Soul Village to see his drunkard father, though he would not actually get to see him this time.

Chu Zhao also planned to visit Old Jack and bring him some gifts to thank him for all the care he had shown her.

Xiao Wu, who had nowhere else to go and did not want to return to the Star Dou Great Forest, latched onto them instead. She insisted on going to Holy Soul Village with them, and no amount of persuasion worked.

Along the way, Xiao Wu was incredibly excited. One wondered whether she would still be so excited if she knew that Tang San's drunkard father was actually a Titled Douluo.

"Aren't you going to see Grandpa Jack?"

Tang San raised his brows and teased Chu Zhao as he looked at her carrying bags upon bags of things.

"No, I'll go to your house with you first."

Chu Zhao did not mention that she knew the story, nor that Old Jack was currently at Tang San's house.

Tang San merely assumed that Chu Zhao had something to discuss with his father, so he did not ask further.

But when he pushed open the door and saw only Old Jack walking out with a letter in hand, with no sign of Tang Hao, Tang San could no longer smile.

After taking Tang Hao's farewell letter, he still could not accept it. He looked as though his soul had left his body.

After Chu Zhao escorted Old Jack back and left behind her gifts of thanks, she returned to her little wooden cabin, only to find two people sitting side by side outside her door. Who else could they be but Tang San and Xiao Wu?

"Why are you both sulking outside my door?"

Chu Zhao crouched beside them and found the two fake children looking so dejected rather amusing.

Xiao Wu said nothing. She simply pointed at Tang San, signaling for Chu Zhao to hurry up and comfort him.

Tang San, meanwhile, spoke in a low voice.

"Zhao Zhao, why did my father leave without even seeing me? Does he really hate me that much?"

"Why assume it's hatred? Maybe he just isn't used to farewells, and was afraid that if he saw you, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave. If I were leaving, I'd prefer to sneak away quietly too. At least your father left you a letter."

Although Chu Zhao also felt that Tang Hao's departure without a word was terribly irresponsible, since Tang San was only seven years old, she knew even better what Tang San wanted to hear right now.

Sure enough, after hearing her words, Tang San immediately felt a little better, though he still could not help feeling sad and missing his father.

"Father is my only family. Without him at home, it isn't a home anymore."

"Without your father, you still have friends like us. And if you insist on finding family, Zhao Zhao and I can reluctantly be your big sisters. Come on, Xiao San, call us big sisters already! Hahaha!"

Xiao Wu began joking, trying to pull Tang San out of his gloom.

"I could possibly be Tang San's older sister, since I don't know my birthday either. But you're clearly half a year younger than Tang San. How did you become his older sister?"

"Zhao Zhao's right. No matter how you count it, you're my little sister! How did you become an older sister? And Zhao Zhao, stop pretending you've lost your memory again. Didn't we check your bone age a few months ago? Your birthday is in September, a month later than Xiao Wu's."

"Because you can't beat me, Tang San! When you defeat me someday, I'll call you big brother. But for now, you'd better obediently call me Sister Xiao Wu!"

After the three of them fooled around for a while, Tang San finally stopped feeling down. Then Chu Zhao started shooing them away.

"Stop delaying my cultivation. Go play somewhere else."

No matter when or where, she could not abandon her image as a cultivation fanatic.

At this point, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the others still believed that Chu Zhao worked so hard because her talent was insufficient. Only when they could no longer catch up to her, no matter what they did, would they realize what they had all missed.

Right now, they only wanted to pull Chu Zhao away to relax, and they felt somewhat guilty as well.

"You work way too hard. Don't keep yourself so tightly wound all the time. You need to relax sometimes, or your body won't be able to take it."

"Exactly, exactly. Xiao San's right."

"No, cultivating gives me more of a sense of security. In a world where the strong rule, if I don't work hard to grow stronger and protect myself, am I supposed to wait around to die?"