Truly Touched

Quite a few people were coming and going inside the enormous fruit shop.

It was divided into two entrances. The one on the left was for commoners and faced the blacksmith's shop, while the storefront on the right was the entrance for nobles and faced a bustling hotel.

At a rough glance, the connected storefronts covered at least three hundred square meters.

Being able to rent a shop on this bustling street showed that the fruit business was doing quite well. After all, Zhu Zhuqing had just asked Grandma Ruth about the shop's fees.

There were two fees to pay for the storefront, one of which went to the Nuoding City lord's residence.

The other went to the Heaven Dou Empire's administrative department.

Together, these two fees came to a hundred Gold Soul Coins a month. After labor expenses, Douluo Village could earn about twenty Gold Soul Coins a month.

Then that amount was divided among more than a hundred villagers, so their lives were actually only a little more comfortable than those of ordinary commoners.

Seeing villagers arrive to deliver fruit, several aunties happily ran out of the shop. These aunties rotated jobs with the villagers once a week, so it was time to change shifts again.

"Village Chief, you're finally here! Ho ho ho-"

"Oh my, Village Chief, you've finally arrived! The shop's stock is almost sold out, and some of the hotels have already come to hurry us along several times."

Village Chief Ruth hurried forward to meet them, and they began chatting happily.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is my granddaughter from far away. She's the precious darling of our Douluo Village now, and she's a distinguished soul master!" Grandma Ruth happily introduced Zhu Zhuqing to everyone.

"This is my granddaughter too. From now on, she'll be staying here at Douluo Village's fruit shop." She then introduced Zhu Zhulin to everyone as well.

"Wow-our village finally has a soul master! Sisters, come out and greet her!"

Several aunties happily crowded around Zhu Zhuqing, chattering away.

The two sisters soon hit it off with the aunties. They were all women, after all. Three women made a whole theater; a crowd of women was like a flock of sparrows.

Soon, after a little money was spent, quite a few porters arrived, and all the goods on the six horse-drawn carts were unloaded.

After everyone sorted everything out, the fruit shop was once again filled with fresh fruit, and buyers from the nearby hotels flocked over as soon as they heard the news.

Business at the fruit shop boomed again, and Zhu Zhulin followed the aunties, earnestly learning how to buy and sell fruit.

Meanwhile, Grandma Ruth took Zhu Zhuqing to enroll at the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.

The Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy stood in the western part of Nuoding City. A few turns off the bustling street brought them there.

The academy occupied an enormous area. Its surrounding walls were built from hard stone and refined iron, especially that imposing gate.

The large words "Nuoding Academy" stood at the very top of the archway. The lettering swept like soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes, clearly the work of a learned sculptor.

Looking through the refined-iron gate, Zhu Zhuqing saw the buildings inside and the tall trees on either side. There were even quite a few students chasing one another and playing outside the tallest building.

The two young gatekeepers eyed Zhu Zhuqing and Grandma Ruth with ill intent. One of them barked viciously, "Hey, hey, hey! What are you two here for?"

The other kept tugging at the one who had spoken. Leaning closer, he said, "Look, isn't that girl Zhu Zhuqing, the one Tang San and Xiao Wu said would be coming to enroll?"

His voice trembled a little as he spoke. Apparently, he had been given instructions beforehand.

Grandma Ruth stepped forward with a smile. She took out the work-study student certificate, then a small pouch that jingled.

"Gentlemen, this is my granddaughter. I've brought her here to enroll today. Here's a little token of appreciation. Please help us notify someone inside. Thank you."

As she spoke, Grandma Ruth handed over the work-study student certificate and the small pouch.

The young man who had shouted swallowed excitedly. Being a gatekeeper wasn't easy, and there were hardly any perks each month. Now that a little extra money had come right to his doorstep, he immediately reached for it.

However, no sooner had he extended his hand than the young man behind him slapped it away.

The gatekeeper who had shouted was just about to fly into a rage when he spotted a familiar little boy walking toward them. Frightened, he quickly backed away and hurriedly opened the gate.

Tang San rushed over happily from the distance, waving and calling out:

"Zhu Zhuqing, Grandma Ruth, you're here! I worked out when you'd arrive, and sure enough, you came right on time."

Grandma Ruth quickly turned to greet Tang San as well. This boy was sensible, far better behaved than Old Jack, so naturally she doted on him. She took several large peaches from the basket on the ground and handed them to him.

"Tang San, long time no see." Zhu Zhuqing greeted him with a smile too.

Tang San thanked Grandma Ruth, put the large peaches into his Soul Tool, Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, then fixed the two gatekeepers with a hard stare.

Neither gatekeeper dared meet his eyes. They cowered in a corner, too frightened to make a sound.

Zhu Zhuqing found it funny. The ordinary people of the Douluo Continent were rather ridiculous. These were grown men-how could they be so timid?

With a kindly expression, Grandma Ruth said goodbye to Zhu Zhuqing. She handed her the large basket of fruit behind her, along with a heavy little pouch.

Zhu Zhuqing did not refuse. A gift from an elder must not be declined-that was a rule she had always remembered. She would simply repay Grandma Ruth many times over in the future.

"Zhu Zhuqing, once you enter the Soul Master Academy, you must study hard. I hope you'll become a powerful soul master soon. Better still, become a Titled Douluo someday. Then I'll be able to rest easy."

Grandma Ruth's eyes misted over as she hugged Zhu Zhuqing tightly, as though she had some buried grievance she wanted to let out. Some long-sealed memories echoed through her mind.

Zhu Zhuqing gently patted the elderly woman's back with her small hand, wanting to comfort her because she could feel Grandma Ruth's affection for her. "Yes, Grandma, don't worry. Within ten years, I'll definitely become a Titled Douluo. Then I'll turn Douluo Village into Douluo City!"

Those words immediately stunned everyone present.

The two young gatekeepers nearly rolled their eyes. Was this beautiful little girl joking? A Titled Douluo in ten years, and even Douluo City?

Tang San could barely hold it in either. He clutched his stomach, wanting to laugh. Zhu Zhuqing was simply too funny. She liked making grand boasts even more than Xiao Wu did.

Tang Hao, who was hiding in a towering tree several hundred meters away, nearly fell out of it too. How could such a pretty little girl love boasting so much? Back in his day, he had only become a Titled Douluo at forty-four.

A Titled Douluo in ten years? Was this little girl trying to comfort the old lady?

Grandma Ruth was so happy that tears spilled from her eyes. She knew it was a joke, so she did not take it seriously.

Still, she was delighted. She had always believed that this granddaughter of hers would become a Soul Douluo sooner or later, because her judgment had always been good.

"Ho ho ho, you little thing. Grandma believes in you. Come, one last hug, and then I'll go. Remember to find your sister in the city center tonight. I've rented a place for the two of you." Grandma Ruth spoke into Zhu Zhuqing's ear.

This time, Zhu Zhuqing was truly touched. Tears pattered down from her eyes as she hugged the elderly woman before her tightly and choked out, "Thank you, Grandma."

Renting even a small place in Nuoding City cost a great deal of money. Grandma Ruth truly regarded her as a little cotton-padded jacket that warmed her heart.