Free Web NovelChapter 291: Chapter 293: Come with Me
An Ning was pleased to see the look of shock and regret on Xiao Shan’s face.
Her good mood prompted a smile, which Xiao Shan immediately caught.
"Ha! I knew it. You were tricking me, weren’t you?"
Stroking his chin with one hand, Xiao Shan circled An Ning, sizing her up.
"So I’ve figured out your cruel sense of humor."
An Ning showed no sign of guilt. She looked Xiao Shan right in the eye and said, "You haven’t even seen a fraction of it."
Her words, combined with her uncanny expression, sent a shiver down Xiao Shan’s spine.
It was at that moment that Xiao Shan realized for the first time: he was no match for this woman.
Xiao Shan wasn’t even afraid of his own tough-as-nails father, but the feeling An Ning gave him was... different.
It was as if she were a higher class of being, and he was just a lamb to the slaughter.
Seeing that she had scared Xiao Shan off, An Ning paid it no mind and went back to consoling An Guoming.
She wanted to take on an apprentice—very much so—but she wouldn’t force the issue.
Still, she would certainly give it her all.
’For the first time, An Ning felt a flicker of anticipation. If I really do get an apprentice, I’ll finally have someone to try my old master’s teaching methods on.’
At the thought, An Ning’s spirits lifted with excitement.
In the courtyard, An Guoming had finally calmed down.
Once calm, he looked around at everyone sheepishly, his gaze finally settling on An Ning.
"Little Sis, I’m thirsty."
An Guoming was mortified. It was so embarrassing. But if he didn’t get some water soon, he felt like he was going to die.
’Thankfully, no one here really knows me,’ he thought. ’Aside from Yu the Elder and my sister, I’ll never have to see these people again.’
The thought made An Guoming feel a lot better.
As soon as An Guoming said he was thirsty, Uncle Feng went to get water.
Uncle Feng handed a water jug to An Guoming. He was so thirsty that he immediately lifted it and began to drink.
"I want to take Xiao Shan as my apprentice."
Her typical, straight-to-the-point declaration made several people in the courtyard turn to look at her.
"PFFT—" An Guoming choked on a mouthful of water and sprayed it everywhere.
"I’m not going to be your apprentice!"
Xiao Shan had just finished his analysis of An Ning. There was no way he was going to offer himself up as a lamb to the slaughter.
"Why not?"
The tough guy didn’t reject the idea outright. Instead, he started asking questions.
"Dad—I don’t want to!"
Xiao Shan puffed out his chest, but after meeting his father’s gaze for a second, he deflated. He squatted down in a corner, sulking, and glared at An Ning.
All eyes turned to An Ning.
The corners of An Ning’s mouth lifted into a confident smile as she said:
"Because I am an even greater genius than Xiao Shan. I can teach him everything others can, and I can teach him what others can’t."
"A genius needs a guide to grow, don’t they?"
The tough guy was tempted.
He knew of too many brilliant people who had gone down the wrong path.
When a brilliant person goes astray, they do it faster than anyone else, and the consequences often had to be paid for with the lives of his brothers-in-arms.
The tough guy stepped forward and formally introduced himself to An Ning.
"My name is Zhou Yicheng."
"I am An Ning."
Zhou Yicheng noted that she had said, "I am An Ning," not "My name is An Ning."
She was truly self-assured.
Even when facing him, she didn’t just hold her own; she faintly held the upper hand.
Zhou Yicheng’s time was precious, so he made his decision in an instant.
"I’d like to see your home. I’ll make my decision after that."
An Ning knew at once that her chances were good.
"No problem. We’ll complete our transaction first. After that, you can come home with me. You can also use your resources to investigate me. I don’t mind."
"By the way, if you know a Director Zhao..."
An Ning mentioned the name in a low voice. The tough man’s eyes narrowed slightly. He clearly knew of him.
"You can ask him about me."
An Ning’s direct and decisive manner was exactly to Zhou Yicheng’s liking.
He only had six days of leave left and couldn’t afford any delays. Xiao Shan, still squatting off to the side, had no time to protest before Zhou Yicheng hauled him up and into the car.
After being tossed into the car, Zhou Xiaoshan was met with a merciless taunt from An Ning in the passenger seat.
"Your physical conditioning could use some work."
Zhou Xiaoshan glared at An Ning, then turned his head away with a huff.
"Hmph!"
An Ning just laughed, completely unbothered. She even turned around with a smug look, her leisurely voice drifting back to him.
"No rush. We have plenty of time."
In the back, Xiao Shan, Yu the Elder, and Zhou Yicheng sat together. Up front, An Guoming drove with An Ning in the passenger seat. They headed for the housing management bureau.
They drove there, completed the paperwork, and drove back.
The house keys and deed were handed over to An Ning. After stowing them safely, she wasted no time and led the group to the train station to head for Sanhe Town.
As for Uncle Feng, he was left behind to look after the house.
However, Uncle Feng told Zhou Yicheng that if Xiao Shan did become her apprentice and stayed, he would be leaving as well.
To repay a debt of gratitude, Uncle Feng had been taking care of Zhou Xiaoshan for a long time and hadn’t returned home.
After the day’s events, the old man was quite moved and decided it was time to return to his hometown. If he could settle some lingering business, he planned to retire in the countryside.
Returning to one’s roots was a sentiment buried deep in his bones.
Zhou Yicheng didn’t try to stop him. In fact, he planned to give all the money from the house sale to Uncle Feng.
Regardless, when one gets old, having some money on hand makes others think twice about causing trouble.
「Beijing, Train Station.」
"WOO WOO—"
The train let out a long whistle as it lurched into motion with a rhythmic clatter.
The six of them had purchased tickets for the soft sleeper car.
An Guoming and An Ning shared a compartment with two strangers.
Yu the Elder, Yu Zheng, and the Zhou father and son pair shared another.
Along the way, Zhou Yicheng learned from Yu the Elder about his and his son’s dealings with An Ning.
Their situation was similar: it started with buying a house and led to talk of an apprenticeship.
The only difference was that Yu the Elder had been the one to actively seek her out, whereas An Ning was the one who wanted to take Zhou Xiaoshan.
On the train, Yu the Elder, with the clear-sighted wisdom of his age, shared his thoughts with the Zhou father and son.
"I may not know much about An Ning’s past, but I can see a thing or two about her character."
"If she says she can do something, it means she can do it—and likely do it even better than she claims."
"There’s no shame in becoming an apprentice to learn a craft. A master is simply someone who lights the path for you."
"This is a rare opportunity. Don’t let it pass you by."
Zhou Yicheng nodded at Yu the Elder. "We will give it serious consideration."
He just wanted to be cautious. Before leaving Beijing, he had already asked someone to look into a few things for him.
As the train traveled on, they ate several meals.
After a day and a night, they finally arrived in Sanhe Town.
The stop was brief, so the group hurried off the train.
The Yu and Zhou father-son pairs, both unfamiliar with Sanhe Town, followed An Ning out of the station.
The moment they stepped outside, they were greeted by low-slung houses and a general state of disrepair. Yet, they didn’t look down on the place; they were simply filled with curiosity.
Just what kind of person was An Ning?
