Zhao Rong really wanted to ask Zhu Yourong where she learned words like ’free-loading,’ thinking she must have picked it up from him, so he swallowed his words.
"I... I’m not being presumptuous."
Zhao Rong couldn’t help but glance at Zhu Yourong’s expression and added, "I didn’t want to free-load either."
"Then what do you want?" Zhu Yourong looked at the sun setting in the west.
"I just want to get so clarity on things."
"Then ask away."
Zhao Rong had no choice but to repeat: "The batch of Zhengguan Spring Water the Sacrificial Officer gave —is it really not yours?"
Zhu Yourong shook her head, "No, it’s not."
Zhao Rong frowned slightly, "But..."
"However," Zhu Yourong interjected, "If you insist on thanking , I’m not opposed. I’ve heard about Ziyu giving away wealth generously; maybe I can free-load a bit myself."
"..."
Zhao Rong was speechless... Is she admitting or not? Please, if you’re pretending, make it more convincing.
He suddenly felt exhausted talking to Zhu Yourong today; it seed her words were always filled with hidden anings, but he couldn’t pinpoint them.
Zhu Yourong chuckled, "So how do you plan to thank ?"
Without thinking, Zhao Rong said, "Study hard, improve every day, not let Teacher Zhu’s effort go in vain; later, I’ll repay the favor properly..."
It was just a polite comnt spoken in jest, but Zhao Rong realized that not only did he feel Zhu Yourong’s words carried a hidden edge, she must have felt the sa about his.
"Oh."
The female teacher walked forward, not daring to look back. If one listened closely, a tremor could be heard in her voice, "How do you plan to repay well?"
"Uh." Zhao Rong hesitated, his expression becoming more serious. He carefully picked his words: "Having long been showered with teacher’s grace, naturally I need to... honor and respect the teacher."
The woman’s ears turned red, her white teeth and red lips trembled further, "Then how do you plan to ’improve every day’?"
Faced with this question, Zhao answered fluently, "I have a bit of a plan—it might be bold... but I haven’t kept it from you. The goal is mainly three steps: first, to excel in the Academy; then attempt to rise to the Vast Realm; finally try to beco the much-envied Reading Seed my classmates and seniors talk about..."
As he spoke, Zhao Rong felt a bit emotional, "I have already secured first place once in the Academy, completing a stage goal; next is the second stage. Although I started cultivation late, my ambition won’t falter—I still want to touch the Vast Realm before eighteen!"
Zhao Rong looked up dreamily at the bold promises he had once made to Qing Jun. After waiting for a mont, he didn’t hear a response or encouragent from the woman ahead, so he turned around and asked, "What does Teacher Zhu think?"
What does she think? You’re quite the audacious fellow... The woman took a deep breath.
"Indeed, it’s bold." She softly agreed.
"Right? I also think I’m quite daring; Qing Jun said the sa when she found out." Zhao Rong remarked.
"What? You even told Lingfei?" Zhu Yourong almost turned to glare.
"Yeah, she’s the first person I shared this idea with, I didn’t hide it from her."
"And what was her reaction?" Zhu Yourong held back from turning back.
"She’s supportive."
"Really... really?"
"Lingfei is very virtuous; she supports and encourages nearly everything I do," Zhao Rong sighed, "To have such a wife, what more can a husband ask for?"
Zhu Yourong was also touched, turning back with a serious face, "We must treat her well! We can’t let her down!"
"Of course." Zhao Rong nodded halfway, suddenly stunned, "We?"
Zhu Yourong glanced at the guy always playing dumb and pretending, seriously nodding, "Oh, I an you."
Zhao Rong felt vaguely uncomfortable, but before he could think much, Zhu Yourong had already turned back, and her lowered voice continued:
"Lingfei should know what you’ll do after becoming a Reading Seed, right?" Happiness ca too quickly; she was still a bit uneasy.
"She knows." Zhao Rong nodded.
Then, he and Zhu Yourong tacitly said two words together: "Apprenticeship."
This is the true class leap within the Confucian circle, formally entering the fold from being a common student, granted a Jade, becoming a Confucian scholar, and most importantly, apprenticing to gain a master’s heritage. The outstanding and fortunate have the chance to inherit the esteed literary legacy, which serves as a badge in the Confucian sect and a protective charm and progress stone on the Great Dao...
One must know that Confucianism has five supre kinships: heaven, earth, sovereign, parent, and teacher, where the relationship between teacher and student is only second to parents—it’s no exaggeration to say they’re like second parents.
Of course, Zhao Rong wasn’t looking to find himself a ’patron father,’ but valued the identity leap brought by the Reading Seed title, which could silence so of Qing Jun’s brothers within Taiching Four Mansions. Apprenticeship is rely a ’ans,’ not a ’goal,’ so he already had in mind the general choice of who to apprentice with, not wanting any trouble. At this ti, a certain opportunistic senior sister also felt he had ’sothing in mind,’ with thoughts racing as she didn’t speak up.
"Don’t worry, I know what to do."
Upon hearing his promise, the female teacher looked down, "Mm, as long as you know."
Afterward, the two people, thinking completely unrelated thoughts, both fell silent, continuing to walk one in front of the other, ’tacitly’ not speaking.
One was waiting for the other to bring up the real business, having just chatted a lot about random topics without ntioning why he was called here.
And the other’s real business was already asked, she received an answer that was unimaginable before, her heart seed filled with sweetness, elegantly holding a book, smiling with bright eyes, returning full, enjoying the calm atmosphere of walking with him.
Both walked to the Yilan Pavilion’s entrance, and a small head wearing a blue Attendant Student hat ’darted down’ from a wall a hundred ters away.
Zhu Yourong, one hand holding a book, the other lifting her dress, stepped up the three stairs first, gracefully jumped into the slightly ajar door, quickly turned around, and tossed the book from her arms into the chest of the man halting suddenly in front of her, glaring slightly at the ’sticky dashing junior,’ "Okay, don’t co in any further, go back now!"
After finishing, "Bang!" the door shut.
Left outside, Zhao Rong maintained the position of leaning back, hands holding the forcibly stuffed book, widened his eyes looking at the closed door, lost in thought for a mont.
"Did she take gunpowder? So abrupt... What’s this thing?"
Zhao Rong looked down flipping through the manuscript crushed in the ’future son’s cafeteria’ by the big-chested female teacher, mumbling as he walked away.
Inside the door, Zhu Yourong leaned against it, hands behind supporting, staring at the evening glow above in a daze, calming the ’magnificent terrain’ for a while. Once she heard footsteps outside walking away, she let out a long breath.
"Calling out professor, yet wanting to sneak into the professor’s door... Also still not revealing true intentions... Truly a hypocritical, face-saving guy." She murmured for a while, suddenly chuckling, like the brilliant sunset above.
...
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