Chapter 12 – Two Teachers

Yan Jue wasn’t someone who liked owing favors—especially not to the little girl who had once saved his life.

Besides, he’d been wanting to find a quiet, out-of-the-way place to stay, somewhere those people wouldn’t be able to find him.

So he readily agreed.
“Alright, I’ll stay in the village and teach them martial arts.”

No one was more thrilled than Zhao Hu. Just the thought of learning kung fu from a master for a whole year made him so excited he felt he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Xiaojiu arranged for Yan Jue to stay in the empty room next to Elder Xu’s house. Zhao Hu and A’dou eagerly went off to help their new martial arts teacher tidy up his room.

Yan Jue asked Xiaojiu, “Do you know martial arts?”

Xiaojiu shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

Yan Jue figured it must have been Zhao Hu idolizing his little village chief too much when he claimed she was the number one martial artist under heaven.

After all, the kid clearly had no inner strength or any signs of martial arts training. Judging by the way she moved when practicing lightness skills, she had probably never trained in martial arts before.

Xiaojiu then headed over to Auntie Liu’s house to hand over the 600 wen she had earned from selling backpacks. Auntie Liu refused to accept the full amount, and after some firm insistence from Xiaojiu, she finally agreed to take only 30 wen per backpack as a labor fee.

Auntie Liu felt a bit embarrassed about even accepting that much—after all, the designs were all created by the village chief. She had only copied them. Even taking 30 wen per item felt too generous for such simple handiwork.

Xiaojiu handed over all the animal designs from the candy wrappers to Auntie Liu, asking her to make more backpacks. She could also teach other villagers to make them, and they could all earn some labor money that way.

Next, Xiaojiu went to find Liu Dazhu and Zhao Dalang. She intended to entrust the future sale of candies and backpacks to them. They would take the items to the town to sell, and for each one sold, they’d get a corresponding commission.

And so, Xiaojiu’s first money-making venture was officially set. Her job was simply to use her system points to exchange for candies and hand them over to Liu Dazhu and Zhao Dalang to sell in town.

Happily heading home, Xiaojiu had just stepped inside when she spotted Grandpa Xu grinning at her like some shady human trafficker, motioning for her to come over.

Xiaojiu got a little nervous.

What was this old man up to?

Still, upholding the fine virtue of respecting the elderly, Xiaojiu greeted him politely. “Hello, Grandpa Xu.”

Elder Xu looked at her and said, “To repay the favor of you saving my life yesterday, I’ve decided to stay here and teach you to read. How does that sound?”

Yan Jue was not the kind of person who liked to owe others favors—especially not to this little girl who had once saved his life.

Coincidentally, Yan Jue had been looking for a quiet and remote place to lay low, away from those persistent pursuers.

So he readily agreed, “Alright. I’ll stay in the village and teach them martial arts.”

No one was happier than Zhao Hu. The thought of being able to learn martial arts from a true expert for an entire year made him so excited he felt he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

Xiaojiu arranged for Yan Jue to stay in the empty room next to Old Xu’s house. Zhao Hu and A Dou eagerly helped the new martial arts teacher tidy up his room.

Yan Jue turned to Xiaojiu and asked, “Do you know martial arts?”

Xiaojiu shook her head. “Nope, I don’t.”

Yan Jue figured it must’ve been Zhao Hu idolizing his little village chief too much, which was why he claimed her martial arts were unparalleled.

After all, this kid didn’t have any internal energy or martial arts foundation. Judging by how clumsy she’d looked trying to perform lightfoot technique earlier, she had probably never trained a day in her life.

Later, Xiaojiu went to Aunt Liu’s house and handed over the 600 wen she’d earned from selling backpacks. Aunt Liu refused at first, but after Xiaojiu insisted, she reluctantly accepted a fee of 30 wen per bag as compensation for her labor.

Aunt Liu felt that since the designs and ideas all came from Xiaojiu, all she was doing was copying the patterns. Even accepting 30 wen per bag made her feel a bit embarrassed.

Xiaojiu handed Aunt Liu the animal patterns printed on candy wrappers and asked her to make more, suggesting they teach other villagers too—so more people could join and earn some income.

Then Xiaojiu went to talk to Liu Dazhu and Zhao Dalang. She planned to have them sell the candy and backpacks in town going forward. For every item sold, they’d receive a commission.

And with that, Xiaojiu’s very first money-making project was officially up and running. All she had to do was redeem the candy with her points and hand it over to Liu Dazhu and Zhao Dalang to sell.

Feeling satisfied and cheerful, Xiaojiu headed home. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Grandpa Xu grinning at her like a human trafficker and waving her over.

Xiaojiu felt a little nervous.

What’s this old man up to now?

Still, upholding the noble tradition of respecting the elderly, Xiaojiu politely greeted him. “Good day, Grandpa Xu.”

Old Xu looked at her and said, “To repay your life-saving kindness from yesterday, I’ve decided to stay and teach you how to read and write. What do you think?”

“Not interested!”

“That’s how you repay a life-saving favor?!”

Xiaojiu blurted out in horror.

“You don’t want to study?” Old Xu was puzzled.

“Of course not! What kind of decent family actually wants to study, anyway?”

Old Xu patiently coaxed, “But reading helps you broaden your knowledge and understand the world better. Aren’t you the village chief of Taoyuan Village? If you don’t study, how will you be a good chief in the future?”

Xiaojiu immediately felt her confidence falter. She understood the logic behind what Grandpa Xu said. She couldn’t possibly stay hidden with the villagers in this little mountain village forever. Especially after her trip to town today, she realized the world was far bigger than just Taoyuan Village. As a village chief, she needed to know more and be more capable than the others. Only by gaining more knowledge could she lead her village toward a better future.

『Host, being a well-educated and talented individual is one of the essential requirements to become a qualified village chief. Please study diligently.』
The system chimed in right on cue.

“Is there a reward?” Xiaojiu asked.

『Of course. It depends on your performance.』

Old Xu added, “Reading and learning will help you understand the world. And once you’ve learned enough, you can use that knowledge to guide your fellow villagers.”

Xiaojiu thought for a moment. If that’s the case, why not start a village school? That way, all the children in the village could attend and learn to read. In the future, they’d grow up understanding right from wrong and might even sit for the imperial examinations.

Old Xu looked at this girl—who had been so adamantly against studying just moments ago—now sparkling with excitement. He had no idea what kind of mischief she was planning.

Xiaojiu turned to him and asked, “I want to set up a school in the village. Would you be willing to teach the village kids directly?”

Old Xu: “……”

Xiaojiu went on enthusiastically, “I’ve got it all planned. In the mornings, you’ll teach the kids to read and write. In the afternoons, Masked Uncle can teach them martial arts. This way, my villagers will be both educated and strong!”

The more Xiaojiu talked, the more excited she got. Without waiting for Old Xu’s response, she ran off to find the village elders to discuss how to build a school.

Old Xu:
I only wanted to teach Xiaojiu how to read.
When did I become responsible for the whole village’s education?
Have I been overvalued…?

But Xiaojiu didn’t care about Old Xu’s feelings. Right now, all she cared about was building that school.