Chapter 125 Settling the Brother and Sister

Chapter 125 Settling the Brother and Sister

"Then how did they get into our village? Where are their parents?"

Xie Wanniang glanced at the gossipy aunt and said, "A Yuan and I invited them to stay here for a while."

The woman was about to ask more questions, but Xie Wanniang smiled and waved her hand, "I'm not talking to you anymore, Auntie, I'm a little tired."

After saying that, she closed her eyes and pretended to doze off, leaning against the sacks of grain behind her.

The woman's gossipy nature wasn't satisfied, nor were the others following the oxcart, but Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan didn't want to answer any more of their questions.

One of them pretended to be asleep, while the other was always very taciturn, his mouth tighter than a clam shell. It was obvious that even if the villagers continued to press them, they would never give an answer.

Everyone fell silent with regret, but inwardly they all thought the two of them were really boring.

Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan didn't care. Let the villagers say whatever they wanted in private, as long as they didn't go around telling them.

When they reached the end of the village, Atai and Xiaomei saw the blue brick and tile houses of Hao Yu, Xie Wanniang, and Jiang Yuan, and their eyes widened slightly at the same time.

The area where they lived had plenty of wild animals. The courtyard walls were made of stone and were built very high. The gates were also thick, heavy, and extremely sturdy. However, the houses they lived in were similar to those of the poor families in Mingfu Village.

The houses were low-lying mud-brick structures with simple wooden windows; everything was designed to save money.

“You’ll live in this room from now on,” Jiang Yuan said to Atai, pointing to the south room of his east wing as the oxcart was driven into the yard. “There are bedding, pillows, cabinets, a kang table and stuff in there. If you need anything else, I’ll buy it for you tomorrow.”

Atai was overjoyed. He never expected that coming here to learn martial arts would also allow him to stay in such a spacious and sturdy brick house.

With the help of Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang, they moved most of their belongings to Atai's temporary residence, while Xiaomei only took her personal bag and half of the food they had brought.

The food was Xiaomei's rations, and the small bundle contained a change of clothes, which were even more worn and shorter than what she was currently wearing.

Atai was worried about his sister, so after getting Xie Wanniang's permission, he and Jiang Yuan, who had just sent away the oxcart owner, went to Xiaomei's temporary residence with bags and baskets of food.

Seeing that Xiaomei's room was almost identical to his own, and that it also had bedding, pillows, cabinets, and a kang table, Atai's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, immediately felt half relieved.

The remaining half can only be put down after he successfully becomes an apprentice.

After handing over the food rations prepared for his sister to Xie Wanniang, Atai repeatedly thanked Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang, expressing his gratitude for rescuing him and Xiaomei from a dangerous situation and for taking them in, allowing them to have a hopeful future through their own unremitting efforts.

Xiaomei wasn't as bold as her brother, nor was she very good at speaking, but when Atai spoke, she still mustered the courage to nod, expressing her agreement with her brother's words.

The brother and sister bowed to Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang together, making them both a little embarrassed.

After all, they didn't bring the brother and sister to Mingfu Village simply out of kindness.

"Why don't you two have dinner here tonight?" Xie Wanniang pulled Xiaomei, who was still curtsying, back to her. "I'll make something simple for you. After you eat, you can go back to wash up and rest."

Jiang Yuan didn't stand on ceremony with her. "Alright, then I'll go talk to Uncle Hao about Atai becoming an apprentice."

Upon hearing this, Atai immediately became nervous, "I...I'll go get the apprenticeship gift."

Jiang Yuan shook his head, "You can present the apprenticeship gift on the day of the formal apprenticeship ceremony."

He paused for a moment and then said, "You don't know what to prepare for the apprenticeship ceremony, do you? Tomorrow afternoon, I'll take you to town, and you can buy everything you need."

There are two current models for taking on apprentices. One is like the teachers in academies or schools, who charge money to teach students. The other is like doctors, bodyguards, or carpenters, who accept apprentices' initiation gifts but do not charge them monthly fees.

Although students in the former type need to spend more money on their studies, the teachers are only required to be respected, not to be filial to them.

Although the latter type of apprenticeship requires relatively low financial investment in the early stages, as they do not need to pay tuition fees and the master provides food and lodging, once the apprentices graduate and acquire a skill that enables them to support their families, the master who taught them will feel immense gratitude for providing them with a livelihood. The master will become an important figure whom the apprentices must respect and whose authority is even greater than that of their parents.

Not only do they have to send gifts during the four seasons and eight festivals, but they also have to visit their master's home from time to time to offer their greetings. If their master is in trouble, they must be the first to rush to help. Moreover, for those master masters who have no sons, the disciples who inherit their mantle must also take care of them in their old age and see them off in their final days.

If Atai wants to become Hao Yu's apprentice, then he must treat Hao Yu as an elder who is even more important than his parents, to repay Hao Yu's kindness in teaching him.

Even if the "favor of teaching" was actually given by Jiang Yuan, according to the current rules and customs, when the "senior brother" accepts a disciple on behalf of the master, the disciple should still first show respect to the master.

After the two finished talking, Jiang Yuan was about to take Atai to Hao Yu's house next door when Hao Yu, Chen Shi, and Xiao Yang came to Xie Wanniang's place together.

"I knew I heard some noise in your yard, and sure enough, you two..." Chen was helped by Hao Yu as she walked into the yard with a smile. Halfway through her sentence, she noticed two unfamiliar children standing in the yard. "Oh, who are these two children?"

“It’s Lü Hongtai and Lü Hongmei from Da’ao Village. They are siblings, and their parents have passed away.” Xie Wanniang walked over with a smile, quickly glancing at Chen’s complexion.

Chen is not showing yet, and her morning sickness is not severe. She looks much better now than when she first married into the family.

Xiao Yang, who was standing beside her, rushed over, "Sister!"

Xie Wanniang patted her little head with a smile, "Missed your older sister?"

The little girl nodded vigorously, "I've thought about it."

Xie Wanniang ruffled her still somewhat yellow and sparse hair. "You can move back tonight."

Xiao Yang cheered, then subconsciously looked at Hao Yu and Chen Shi's reactions.

Hao Yu didn't react much, but Chen smiled and said to Xie Wanniang, "You've taught this child very well. After she moved in, she never let me do any of the odd jobs around the house."

It's just that Xiao Yang can't quite reach the stove, and it's not particularly convenient to work while standing on a stool. Otherwise, Chen Shi thinks that she, as the lady of the house, probably wouldn't even need to cook the meals herself.