Master Luo

Master Luo sighed for a moment, then tapped his pipe again.

"Master Luo, what you just did really amazed me."

Mr. Mengfei praised Master Luo.

"It's just a minor path, nothing compared to your grand schemes. Please excuse my poor attempt."

Master Luo didn't seem happy about his amazing ability; Su Ziyang could sense the melancholy in Master Luo's entire being.

You are being modest.

Mr. Mengfei said as he poured water for Master Luo.

"Master Luo, is it alright if I leave this child here to take care of you? If you are, we'll leave. A whole bunch of people here are disturbing your peace and quiet."

Mr. Mengfei's purpose in coming here was to abandon Su Ziyang and let Su Ziyang learn martial arts in this mountain. Every time this happened, Su Ziyang always felt like he was being kidnapped, though this description is not quite accurate.

To put it another way, Mr. Mengfei abandoning his apprenticeship is like the scene where Su Ziyang's father first sent Su Ziyang Su Ziyang to kindergarten and then left.

These two things are not exactly the same, but they feel exactly the same.

"Okay. The child can stay here. You all go about your business. When he's better, have him call you and you can come pick him up!"

Upon seeing that Master Luo had agreed, Mr. Mengfei excitedly slapped his thigh and said, "Alright, then we won't bother you any longer. Let's go."

Fairy Li originally intended to stay here with Su Ziyang to study, but judging from the current situation and Master Luo's living conditions, it was impossible for her to stay with Su Ziyang.

The young couple, deeply in love, were reluctant to part.

At the foot of the mountain, Su Ziyang held onto Fairy Li's Little Hand, reluctant to part.

Fairy Li suddenly leaned close to Su Ziyang and said, "Su Ziyang, remember what I said, and don't tell anyone. If that old man teaches you his skills on May 5th, when you enter the door, if he asks if anyone is behind you, you must answer that someone is! Do you understand?"

Su Ziyang frowned, not quite understanding what was going on. "Huh?"

Su Ziyang hesitated for a moment, and Fairy Li pinched the soft flesh of Su Ziyang's waist with her Little Hand: "Did you remember what I just said?"

Fairy Li pinched Su Ziyang, Su Ziyang dared not dodge, but could only endure it, because Fairy Li's Little Hand was exceptionally strong, and dodging would only hurt more.

Normally, when Fairy Li pinched herself, she would only pinch once and then stop. This time, however, Fairy Li not only didn't let go, but instead pinched even harder. "Did you even remember what I just said?!"

Su Ziyang burst into tears from the pain. "I'll remember. I'll remember."

"Okay. You can keep this to yourself. I'm leaving. It's damp here, take care of yourself!"

Only then did Fairy Li release her grip and pat Su Ziyang's arm.

"Su Ziyang! Why are you crying? Is it really that big of a deal? It'll only be a month at most. Are you reluctant to part with your wife?!"

Mr. Mengfei mocked Su Ziyang, Su Ziyang quickly wiped away his tears.

Su Ziyang really wanted to say that it was Fairy Li who pinched him, but seeing Fairy Li wave her hand at him, Su Ziyang didn't dare to speak.

After the others left, Su Ziyang went back to Master Luo's house alone.

This time, Master Luo brought a small stool and sat in the yard weaving bamboo baskets with bamboo strips.

"Master Luo."

Su Ziyang squatted down next to Master Luo and greeted him softly.

"Hmm. Find a bench to sit on. What's your name?"

Master Luo didn't look at Su Ziyang; he was just focused on winding the bamboo basket in his hands.

My name is Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang didn't know Master Luo's temperament, so he could only speak as little as possible.

"Ziyang, that's a nice name. It sounds cultured. I've heard Mengfei mention you; you're a graduate of a prestigious university, and even a postgraduate."

"Ah, not from a prestigious university, just a student from an ordinary university of traditional Chinese medicine."

"That's good too. The authorities look down on those from the grassroots. We old folks are very happy that you can come and learn."

Master Luo said he was happy, but Master Luo Su Ziyang couldn't sense any happiness in him at all. From the time Su Ziyang arrived until now, in their casual conversation, Master Luo had maintained the same expression, his face showing no change whatsoever.

"Master Luo, is there anything I can do to help you?"

When Su Ziyang asked this, Master Luo had been weaving bamboo baskets with his head down, finally looked up at Su Ziyang and said, "There's nothing to do. You can't do this bamboo weaving work; you're too delicate. Can you cook?"

"Yes." Su Ziyang watched as Master Luo's hands flew up and down weaving the bamboo basket, his eyes still wide with confusion. Su Ziyang felt that he wouldn't be able to learn how to weave this in less than two weeks.

"Then you can help me cook some meals. There are vegetables and such in the kitchen."

As the two were talking, the man who had just kowtowed to Master Luo returned, carrying two pieces of cured meat hanging with red rope.

"Master Luo, this is our heartfelt gift. Thank you for saving my brother's life!"

Master Luo didn't refuse at all, gesturing for Su Ziyang to take the meat. After delivering the meat, the man thanked Master Luo again and then quickly left.

Su Ziyang hung the cured meat in the kitchen shed, and then Su Ziyang noticed that there were about ten pieces of cured meat hanging there.

After hanging up the cured meat, Su Ziyang went to the yard and continued to squat on the ground watching Master Luo weave baskets.

"Master Luo, how did you stop the bleeding just now? Was there any special medicine on that piece of paper?"

"No, it's just regular cigarette paper."

Su Ziyang regretted his words a little. But Master Luo didn't say anything, only offered a soft explanation.

"You're amazing! I've never seen anything like this before. Given that person's condition, even stopping the bleeding at the hospital would be quite difficult."

After a few chats, Su Ziyang gradually became more talkative.

"Hmm. It's almost noon, let's go cook."

Master Luo shut Su Ziyang up with a single sentence.

Southern cuisine is quite different from northern cuisine. For example, Su Ziyang had never cooked with bamboo shoots before. He took out his phone and searched on Baidu before he could barely manage to stir-fry a plate of cured pork with bamboo shoots.

Then I stir-fried some persimmons and eggs.

"Master Luo, would you like noodles or rice for lunch?"

Master Luo's kitchen is full of food, all kinds of vegetables, rice, and noodles.

"Noodle."

Okay.

Su Ziyang cooked a few handfuls of noodles, then brought the dishes into the house before calling Master Luo to eat.

"From now on, add more chili peppers when cooking. The climate here is humid, and we can't stand it without chili peppers."

Even during meals, Master Luo didn't say much. He wasn't talkative, but he ate a lot. After slurping down three bowls of noodles, Master Luo put down his bowl and said, "I'm full. Wash the dishes when you're done. I'm going inside to rest for a while."

None of the three rooms in Master Luo's main house had doors or curtains.

Master Luo entered the east room. Because the room was small, Su Ziyang could see the situation inside as soon as he peeked out.

There was only one bamboo chair in the room, and Master Luo, who was over eighty years old, lay down on it and closed his eyes to rest.