MMLZ CH14
Xu Yan thought for a moment and said, “There’s not much difference. Just don’t speak loudly or talk nonsense.”
Yelling in a Western restaurant like you would in a traditional Chinese tavern definitely draws attention!
“Oh.”
Wen Cai seemed to ponder it and nodded, though whether he really remembered Xu Yan’s words was anyone’s guess.
The three soon arrived at the Western restaurant in town. When the doorman opened the door, Uncle Jiu instinctively stepped aside and glanced at Xu Yan, who returned a reassuring look and took the lead entering.
Knows how to handle things!!
Xu Yan walking in first made Uncle Jiu very satisfied—this disciple knew how to behave and saved him a lot of trouble!
“Excuse me, do the three of you have a reservation?”
As they walked in, a waiter approached with a smile and asked.
“Reserved under Master Ren.”
“Oh, Master Ren! Please come in. He’s already waiting upstairs.”
The waiter smiled even more broadly upon hearing the name and happily accepted a tip from Xu Yan, then led them upstairs.
This Western restaurant really is something…
Uncle Jiu and Wen Cai followed behind, curiously looking around. As for Xu Yan tipping the waiter, neither of them mentioned it.
“Uncle Jiu, you’re here!”
From a distance, Master Ren stood up with a beaming smile when he saw the trio.
“I heard your daughter has returned from the provincial capital. Why don’t I see her?”
Xu Yan almost laughed when Uncle Jiu opened with that line—it matched the original storyline exactly.
“Oh her! She’s always busy picking out cosmetics and perfumes. I leave her be.”
Mentioning his daughter brought a proud expression to the childless Master Ren’s face. He glanced at Xu Yan and said:
“I heard that Xu Yan, the disciple of Uncle Jiu, is a scholar who returned from abroad?
If there’s a chance, I’d love for him to exchange knowledge with my daughter Tingting. Hope you won’t mind, Uncle Jiu.”
You want me to tutor Ren Tingting?
Xu Yan had a strange expression as he looked at Master Ren—aren’t you worried I’ll end up teaching your daughter a little too well?
“Of course not,”
Uncle Jiu replied quickly. Having Master Ren request Xu Yan as a tutor was a great thing—after all, the Ren family was a major one in town. Making this connection would benefit Xu Yan and reflect well on Uncle Jiu himself.
“It’s just that this child has to study under me, so his time is limited and he can’t always come and go freely. So…”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Jiu! If you agree, I’ll have someone escort Tingting to your residence for her lessons. We won’t trouble Xu Yan at all.”
It was, after all, a matter of asking a favor—Master Ren dared not act arrogantly. He kept his eyes on Xu Yan while promising sincerely.
“Then it’s settled.”
Uncle Jiu nodded with a smile and glanced at Xu Yan, who was speechless—you already agreed, Master, why look at me now?
It was time to show support and not let his master lose face, so Xu Yan spoke up:
“Please don’t worry, Master Ren. As long as your daughter is willing, I’ll teach her wholeheartedly without holding back—whether she wants to learn foreign languages or anything else.”
Xu Yan wasn’t boasting. He had majored in foreign languages in college and had spent time in the U.S. with his professors. Teaching English was child’s play!
No problem at all!
Master Ren’s chubby face wrinkled up like a blooming chrysanthemum, smiling nonstop. In these times, tutors were common, but someone who had studied abroad was rare—especially in a backwater town like Renjia.
“Master Ren, perhaps you should reconsider. Moving ancestral graves is something that should be avoided if possible!”
They finally got to business, with Uncle Jiu and Master Ren discussing the matter. Wen Cai yawned from boredom, but at least he remembered Xu Yan’s advice: speak less, don’t shout. After just a couple of days of scolding, Wen Cai had learned not to act up.
Meanwhile, Xu Yan calmly sipped his warm water, inwardly grumbling about the service—they’d been sitting for quite a while and no one had even brought the menu.
“Ah! Tingting’s here!”
Just as the serious discussion ended and Master Ren was about to call a waiter, he spotted someone at the stairs and broke into a huge smile.
“Daddy.”
Ren Tingting was clearly in high spirits after shopping. Wearing a formal dress, she looked stunning—so much so that Wen Cai nearly drooled. Ironically, the person who’d mentally described others as “like steamed buns” earlier now looked the most like one.
Xu Yan glanced up and gave her high marks in his mind.
She was indeed beautiful.
The dress fit her perfectly, though her makeup was a bit odd—understandable, given that traditional rouge and powder were still the standard of the time.
“Oh my, she’s grown so much in the blink of an eye!!”
Even Uncle Jiu, who had seen her before, was surprised when she appeared. She really had changed—a true swan transformation.
Under the table, Xu Yan gave Wen Cai a swift kick to snap him out of it—just in case he said something outrageous, like staring at a certain part of her and awkwardly commenting, “Yes, quite big.”
“Come, come. This is Uncle Jiu. Say hello.”
As they added a chair to the table, Master Ren eagerly introduced his daughter to Uncle Jiu.
“Uncle Jiu.”
Ren Tingting’s sweet voice left Uncle Jiu a bit flustered. Catching ghosts and demons was his specialty—but dealing with young women? Not so much.
“Please, sit down.”
He gestured and said warmly, “You’ve really grown. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Ren Tingting was delighted by the praise and sat down next to her father. “Thank you, Uncle Jiu.”
After the greeting, Master Ren immediately introduced Xu Yan, who sat on Tingting’s left.
“This is Xu Yan, a disciple of Uncle Jiu. He’s a well-educated man, just back from studying abroad. I’ve just asked him to be your teacher. Didn’t you always want to learn?”
“Really?!”
Ren Tingting turned her head in surprise, gazing at Xu Yan in his neatly tailored suit and cropped hair. She couldn’t believe someone who had studied overseas would become a Taoist priest—let alone settle in a remote place like Renjia Town.