Chu Xia took the opportunity to analyze the situation with Zhao’s family and Cen Huai’an’s actions, explaining to him what he did right and wrong, how he should handle such situations, and how to be a righteous person who doesn’t get bullied.

“We don’t bully others, but we’re not afraid of them either.”

Jiang Zhida was even more impressed with Chu Xia after hearing this.

From how Chu Xia handled the situation, he realized that his cousin was not just the gentle and kind person she seemed.

Her approach was truly effective. Listening to her teach An’an about dealing with people made him somewhat envious.

His own mother had never been so patient with him, and he had been mostly cared for by his grandparents when he was younger due to his mother’s busy work.

“Cousin, how did you come up with the idea of making them pay for their actions?”

Chu Xia hadn’t mentioned this to him before, so he was surprised when he heard it.

Luckily, he had been quick-witted and had perfectly cooperated with Chu Xia.

“It’s simple. You have to use an even more ruthless method to make people like that back down.”

Jiang Zhida agreed wholeheartedly.

Unlike his brother, he enjoyed mingling with various types of people and had seen many who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

As Chu Xia said, you have to be even more ruthless than them for them to be afraid of you.

Reasoning alone doesn’t work.

“Cousin, have you thought about having An’an learn some self-defense?”

Cen Huai’an was at the right age for it.

He didn’t need to train intensely like professional martial artists; reasonable training that would strengthen him without harming his body would be enough.

Chu Xia had considered having An’an do more physical activities because he wasn’t very fond of running and jumping.

However, she hadn’t thought about self-defense training.

“An’an, would you like to learn?”

Since Jiang Zhida mentioned it, Chu Xia thought that it wouldn’t hurt for An’an to learn a bit.

At least next time he wouldn’t end up injured as he did now.

Cen Huai’an nodded without hesitation: “I want to.”

There was a popular movie called “Shaolin Temple” that was currently a big hit.

When An’an and his friends watched it in Liangzhou, they all wanted to learn Shaolin kung fu.

Even now, walking on the streets, you could still hear kids talking about going to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts, admiring characters like Jueyuan.

But learning kung fu wasn’t easy.

An’an and his friends had only fantasized about it after watching the movie and had never really considered going to Shaolin Temple for training.

They had never thought they could actually learn martial arts.

Moreover, An’an preferred playing chess, and his desire to learn kung fu was strongest during movie time.

Afterward, it faded away.

But now, hearing from his cousin that he could learn martial arts, An’an immediately recalled his previous interest and was eager to agree.

Jiang Zhida smiled and said, “Great, my cousin is a little man!”

Chu Xia, hearing their conversation, was worried and asked Jiang Zhida, “An’an also wants to learn Go. Will learning martial arts be too exhausting for him?”

Jiang Zhida waved his hand and said, “Not really. It won’t be every day, just practice daily for a short time. It won’t affect him.”

Jiang Zhida knew many people from all walks of life, including those who specialized in martial arts and those who only learned self-defense.

He had experience in this and understood the details.

Chu Xia was reassured.

Jiang Zhida’s concern for An’an made Chu Xia think about how to thank him.

She found that he had everything he needed and didn’t seem to need any help, so she decided to give him more food, like beef jerky from the Northwest and Liangzhou specialties.

Jiang Zhida didn’t really care about these gifts; he just liked An’an and his family, and since they were relatives, it was a small effort for him.

But Chu Xia’s gratitude made him happy.

After Jiang Zhida went home, he began looking for a suitable teacher for An’an.

Jiang Grandpa didn’t know about An’an’s injury yet, but he would find out the next day.

Because it was Sunday, An’an was supposed to go to Jiang Grandpa’s house to learn Go.

Chu Xia took him on the bus.

Although the two houses were in different parts of the East District, the bus ride only took about twenty minutes, and they soon arrived at the alley where Jiang Grandpa lived.

Chu Xia helped An’an as he hopped on one foot, and they walked slowly to Jiang Grandpa’s house.

Knowing that Chu Xia and An’an were coming, Jiang Grandpa couldn’t sit still at home.

So, he had been pacing outside since early morning after breakfast.

This alley was home to many scholars of similar standing to Jiang Grandpa, most of whom were his friends.

Seeing him pacing outside early, some friends invited him for tea and Go match.

Jiang Grandpa declined, proudly saying, “My granddaughter-in-law and great-grandson are coming today, so I’m waiting for them. I don’t have time for match or tea.”

Hearing this, the old men became curious and asked if his great-grandson was the one who sent him bookmarks and practiced calligraphy.

“That’s him. His parents brought him to the capital. Although he’s a bit young, he has some talent in Go, so I’ve asked him to come and learn from me every weekend.”

Jiang Grandpa’s tone was not just proud but also carried a teacher’s sternness.

His old friends could clearly hear his pride.

No young person actively sought to learn Go among them; it was usually the elders who required it.

Jiang Zhongmin remained as irritating as ever!

As Jiang Grandpa boasted, he looked up and saw Chu Xia and An’an approaching, with An’an even hopping on one foot.

He immediately lost interest in talking with his friends and rushed over to them, “Chu Xia! An’an!”

“What happened to An’an?”

Although Jiang Grandpa was old, he was in good health and walked faster than Chu Xia and An’an.

He immediately noticed An’an’s injuries and swollen ankle, as even the pants couldn’t cover it completely.

Jiang Grandpa’s concern was genuine, and he wanted to check An’an’s injuries but was afraid of hurting him.

“Why didn’t Da Zi tell me that An’an was injured?”

Chu Xia knew Jiang Grandpa would find out eventually, so she briefly explained what happened the previous day.

Jiang Grandpa frowned, his eyes showing anger, “Have the parents and the kids apologized?”

Chu Xia nodded, “They apologized.”

Jiang Grandpa turned to Cen Huai’an and asked, “An’an, does it hurt?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head, “Great-grandpa, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

His childish and obedient tone only made Jiang Grandpa dislike the children who bullied him even more.

On the first day of school to encounter such a situation, Jiang Grandpa even wondered if the school was not good enough and asked Chu Xia, “Should we transfer An’an to another elementary school?”

Chu Xia was both amused and exasperated, “Grandpa, no need. An’an’s homeroom teacher is quite good and knows right from wrong.”

Jiang Grandpa then said, “Alright. If someone bullies An’an again, have him go to the principal. I know Mr. Qian, the principal’s, he wouldn’t ignore it.”

Chu Xia agreed but subtly signaled Cen Huai’an not to approach the principal too easily.

Issues involving children fighting should be resolved by the homeroom teacher first.

Teacher Fang was not the type to be unreasonable or biased; if she couldn’t handle it, it would be time to involve the principal.

As they reached the entrance with Jiang Grandpa, his friends who had been standing there also saw Cen Huai’an’s injuries and inquired with concern.

Cen Huai’an lowered his head, feeling embarrassed and awkward under their gaze.

Soon everyone would know he got hurt from a fight, which was quite embarrassing.

He looked at the gate of Great-grandpa’s house, wanting to go in quickly.

Jiang Grandpa didn’t want to explain much to his friends and simply said, “It was just an accident,” which made Cen Huai’an’s ears less red from the embarrassment of being known to have fought.

Jiang Grandpa then looked at Cen Huai’an and said, “An’an, standing for a long time must be uncomfortable. Let’s go inside.”

Though Cen Huai’an’s foot was injured, his hands were fine and did not affect his ability to learn Go.

They played chess, and Chu Xia worked on her exercises in the study.

The three of them did not disturb each other, and both she and An’an made good progress in their studies.

After an hour, Chu Xia came out to rest her eyes and noticed that Jiang Grandpa had added several pots of newly sprouted flowers in the garden.

She was drinking tea and admiring the flowers when she heard the familiar voice of Zhang Lu.

“Great-grandpa! Mom and I came to see you!”

Jiang Da-jie’s eldest daughter, Jiang Zhiguan, stood beside her with a smile, looking somewhat helpless, “Lu Lu, slow down!”

Jiang Grandpa heard the noise but was teaching Cen Huai’an chess and did not move.

Chu Xia stood in the yard and spoke to them, “Cousin-in-law, Grandpa is playing chess with An’an.”

Jiang Zhiguan saw Chu Xia and noticed she was different from her mother.

Chu Xia did not look as gentle and kind, with short hair and a neat appearance.

“Cousin-in-law! Oh, Go is great. I also wanted Lu Lu to learn calligraphy, painting, and Go from Grandpa, but she hates all of those and stubbornly refuses to learn.”

Jiang Zhiguan wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She had run with her daughter after getting off the bus and was now sweating all over.

Since she wasn’t gentle herself, she wanted to raise a delicate daughter, but her daughter was even more mischievous than she had been, climbing trees and catching birds, refusing to do anything differently.

“Mom! I don’t want to learn those things; they’re so boring! I want to play ball and swim!”

Zhang Lu had already run into the house and, hearing her mother’s words, stuck her head out the door and shouted.

“Your brother is playing chess. Be quieter!” Jiang Zhiguan told her.

“Got it, got it.” Zhang Lu wriggled back inside.

Chu Xia actually liked the lively Zhang Lu: “I think Lu Lu is great, like a little sun full of energy. I sometimes think An’an is too quiet.”

“That’s perfect. They balance each other out,” Jiang Zhiguan said as she joined Chu Xia in admiring the flowers. “Did Da Zi bring these flowers? He always finds a way to make Grandpa happy after causing trouble, and then he gets into trouble again. I suspect he does it on purpose.”

Chu Xia didn’t know all the details about the Jiang family yet, so she just smiled and didn’t comment.

Jiang Zhiguan didn’t expect an answer; she pulled Chu Xia inside, “The sun is getting higher. It’s more comfortable inside Grandpa’s house, with all the trees, it’s cooler. Chu Xia, I heard you’re still choosing a college. Have you decided on one?”

Chu Xia knew she couldn’t hide her plans to attend college from the Jiang family after mentioning it.

She hadn’t told Jiang Zhiguan that she wanted to study medicine and that the preliminary exams and college admissions quotas weren’t out yet.

It was too early to discuss, so Chu Xia shook her head, “I want to wait until the preliminary exam results come out.”

Jiang Zhiguan drank a cup of tea and said, “That’s right. There’s still the preliminary exam. It’s useless to think too much if you don’t pass it. Back in my day…”

Before Jiang Zhiguan could finish her sentence, they heard Zhang Lu’s surprised voice from the study, “An’an, you actually fought with someone?”

Jiang Zhiguan immediately stood up and went to the study, with Chu Xia following.

Seeing Cen Huai’an’s injuries, Jiang Zhiguan’s anger flared up instantly: “Who did this? How outrageous! Chu Xia, was An’an deliberately bullied? Tell me, and I’ll find friends to help you!”

Jiang Zhiguan’s face was full of anger.

Anyone who bullied her family had to see if they could handle the Jiang family’s response!

Jiang Zhiguan rolled up her sleeves, and Zhang Lu mimicked her actions, angrily saying, “An’an, don’t worry. I have many good friends. Whoever bullies you, I’ll bring them to help you. You don’t have to be afraid!”

Such a well-behaved An’an should not be bullied, and as his sister, she would definitely stand up for him!

Zhang Lu wasn’t wrong; she was like a little sun at school, enthusiastic and righteous, and many children liked playing with her. No one dared to bully her.

“Cousin, it’s not necessary. It’s already been resolved.”

Seeing that both mother and daughter were ready to confront the situation, Chu Xia quickly stopped them and explained the whole story.

Meanwhile, Cen Huai’an remained focused on his chess game, unaffected by the commotion.

Jiang Zhiguan was even more infuriated after hearing the details: “Such people should not be easily let off. You did well!”

Chu Xia looked at Jiang Zhiguan’s fiery temper and her daughter Zhang Lu, who looked just like her, and felt warm inside.

It was hard not to like the Jiang family members.

Zhang Lu was still chattering, “No, I want to help my Brother An’an. Mom, let me and Brother An’an go to the same school, so I can protect him and no one will dare to bully him.”

Seeing Jiang Zhiguan actually considering this possibility, Chu Xia quickly said, “Cousin-in-law, there’s no need for that. An’an has decided to learn martial arts. He won’t be bullied in the future.”

Jiang Grandpa spoke up, “Zhiguan, listen to Chu Xia.”

Zhang Lu’s eyes brightened when she heard about An’an learning martial arts, “Cousin, An’an really going to learn martial arts? Like in ‘Shaolin Temple’?”

Chu Xia replied, “Yes, he’s learning martial arts, but not as intense as in ‘Shaolin Temple’.”

This was still exciting for Zhang Lu.

She hugged Jiang Zhiguan’s arm and said, “Mom, let me and brother An An learn martial arts together. This way, I can better protect him.”

After watching ‘Shaolin Temple,’ Zhang Lu had really wanted to learn martial arts.

She even insisted on going to Shaolin Temple to become a monk, but Jiang Zhiguan had scolded her and refused to let her learn martial arts.

But now Jiang Zhiguan seemed to be genuinely considering it.