His Peasant Wife : Yao Ling

"Who is he?" Yao Ying asked curiously.

"Ah... I forgot to introduce him to you. That old man is your soon to be master," Lin Jian introduced the old man with an easygoing manner.

"What?" Yao Ying asked in surprise. This old man was his soon to be master? He knew that this old man was the real deal, but having a drunkard as a teacher? Wasn’t this some kind of a joke?

Lin Jian laughed. "Don’t worry! When he’s sober, he’s a good teacher."

"Really?" Yao Ying was unconvinced. But well... this was the teacher that General Lin had approved, otherwise, how could he become Lin Jian’s Master? He should probably trust General Lin’s judgment.

"If he’s sober long enough though..." Lin Jian mumbled to himself. However, his voice was really small and Yao Ying wasn’t able to hear what he said clearly.

"What?" Yao Ying asked, trying to make Lin Jian repeat his sentence.

"Nothing!" Lin Jian innocently answered Yao Ying.

Yao Ying decided that he shouldn’t ponder over what Lin Jian had said. He knew the brat wouldn’t tell him anything, so instead of being stubborn, he asked another question. "How many disciples do the old man has?" Yao Ying asked curiously.

"Before you become his disciple... there are only two disciples --- including me. Master is a bit picky," Lin Jian answered.

"Do the both of you train together?" Yao Ying asked.

"No. Shi Xiong [1] has traveled all around the world by the time I became Master’s disciple."

"Oh... so you never meet him before?"

"Nope... never."

Yao Ying nodded his head. This old man only received three disciples. Either he was too lazy to have many disciples or he was unpopular. He was probably the latter, in Yao Ying’s opinion. Well... duh... the man was in a bad condition when Yao Ying first met him. It was no wonder that he didn’t think highly of the old man.

*Bang*

*Thud*

*Thump*

Various sounds could be heard inside the room and the fight... it was quite a sight to behold. Both of the burly bodyguards were slammed down on the floor at the same time, while the drunk old man was still standing proudly -- albeit his unkempt appearance and bloodshot eyes. The shopkeeper’s shocked expressions, the bodyguard’s groaning, and the smug drunkard were a particular sight to see. Yao Ying felt the scene was quite funny.

Finally, Lin Jian decided to have mercy on the bodyguards and the shopkeeper. "All of you can go now! I will handle this," Lin Jian said. He reckoned it was already enough to make the old man satisfied.

The three men felt like they were being pardoned. They quickly thanked Lin Jian, bade goodbye, and ran out of the room without a second thought.

The old man squinted his blurry eyes, trying to see the two youngsters in front of him.

*Hic*

*Hic*

The old man couldn’t stop his hiccups and it brought another wave of strong alcohol smell. Yao Ying closed his nose by pinching it and breathing through his mouth. After knowing he was his soon to be Master, he couldn’t afford to offend him.

"Master... are you feeling better now?" Lin Jian helplessly asked, knowing that the answer was no.

After hearing the familiar voice, the old man was finally sure that it was his disciple. His blurry eyes made him fail to recognize the kid, but he still recognized his voice. He had been looking for him for a long time. He pounced onto Lin Jian and laughed heartily, "Smelly kid! You said that you will give this master lots of foods and wines, so this old master disregards everything and comes here! Where is it? Where is it?" He excitedly asked like a little kid while his eyes were darting around.

He smacked the back of Lin Jian’s head and it made Lin Jian feel dizzy. He really didn’t hold back in smacking him! Lin Jian bitterly thought to himself. "Ouch... Please show mercy to this disciple, Master! It hurts!" Lin Jian whined.

The old man looked at him in disbelief. "How long have you become my disciple? *Hic* Only one smack and you already whined like a girl?!"

Lin Jian pursed his lips but said nothing. What was the use of talking to a drunk old man? He would lose the battle anyway. He directed his master’s attention to the table. "I already ordered Master’s favorite food. Please help yourself!"

The old man squinted his eyes once again and he was finally able to see the various selections of amazing foods. Without feeling embarrassed, he quickly dug out and ate the foods heartily. Yao Ying simply watched the whole things without blinking. Would he be able to eat all of that? The big table was full of foods and there were more than twelve main dishes --- not including the side dishes.

And he really successfully ate it all! It was like he hadn’t eaten for weeks! He vacuumed all the foods into his stomach, and in the end, he burped without restrained. Yao Ying winced after listening to that horrible sound. He turned to Lin Jian and finally decided to ask, "Are you sure he is okay? Is he really your master?"

Yao Ying didn’t know that the old master’s hearing was hypersensitive. Even though he was drunk and feeling too full at the moment, but his ears were able to pick up what Yao Ying had said. The old man scowled. "What? Do you doubt this old master?" He asked mockingly.

Yao Ying wanted to say something sarcastically, but he saw Lin Jian’s expression and he held himself back. Lin Jian shook his head, telling him not to offend this Big Buddha. They couldn’t afford to. Yao Ying gulped his words back and smiled, "Of course not! I’m just feeling worried that Master will be too full. It’s not good for the master’s old body. I asked Lin Jian whether you are the master or not because Lin Jian hasn’t officially introduced us yet."

Yao Ying’s smart mouth save them both from the old man’s wrath. He shouldn’t be called Yao Ying if he couldn’t solve the problems with his clever mouth. His smart mouth already successfully took ’Fu Rong’ to another whole new level of success. Appeasing an old man was an easy job for him.

The old man asked in confusion, "Introducing me to you?" Then he turned to Lin Jian, "Why? I don’t like socializing and you know that."

Lin Jian explained slowly, "Master... I already asked you to receive my new friend as your disciple, remember?"

The old man shook his head dejectedly. "I don’t remember."

"But... you already said yes!" Lin Jian cried in frustration.

The old man tried to recall something from his memory but he failed to do so. He wanted to know whether his disciple was tricking him or not. Lin Jian knew that he didn’t like to take in new disciple because he simply thought of them as a hassle. But once he accepted one, he would definitely take it seriously. He would teach the disciple with all the knowledge and skills that he had.

"Really? When?" The old man asked, feeling baffled.

"Why does my mind seem blurry and for some reasons... I can’t remember anything?" He directed the question to himself. "Taking in a disciple? Did I really agree to it?" He mumbled to himself.

---

[1]. Shi Xiong: Senior male fellow student or apprentice.