In the end, Jiang Zhiguang agreed to Zhang Lu’s request to learn martial arts, which made her extremely happy.

She ran to the courtyard, shouting with excitement so loudly that her joyful voice could be heard from inside the house.

Chuxia looked at Jiang Zhiguang and said, “Cousin, you’ve been so good to me and An’an.”

Everyone in the Jiang family that Chuxia had met had been very attentive to her and An’an, especially towards An’an, to the point that it made her feel pressured.

Jiang Zhiguang appeared carefree and unconcerned as she said, “We’re family. It’s only natural to treat you well.”

She laughed heartily, “Actually, I have a bit of selfishness. Lu Lu has been asking me for so long, so let her have a chance to learn martial arts with An’an.”

Jiang Zhiguang had already given up hope on turning her daughter into a refined lady skilled in all the arts, so she was willing to let her be.

They had lunch at the Jiang family’s home. Aunt Li’s cooking skills were not bad.

Although the dishes were all home-style, they were very tasty.

One dish in particular was stir-fried Chinese toon with tofu.

The toon was fresh and tender, the tofu was soft and smooth, and when combined with a bit of salt and sesame oil, it tasted like spring itself.

Jiang’s grandfather noticed that Chuxia liked the dish and was very pleased. “Spring is the time to eat toon. It’s at its best right now. After a while, it won’t be available. Chuxia and An’an, eat more. Zhiguang and Lu Lu should eat more too.”

Jiang Zhiguang ate everything and enjoyed the toon with gusto, even serving it to Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu wrinkled her nose and leaned back, not liking the toon.

She found the taste too strange.

Cen Huai’an wasn’t picky.

He ate whatever was served, and he didn’t find the stir-fried toon and tofu unpleasant.

He actually thought it was quite fresh and different from other vegetables.

He ate with relish.

Zhang Lu didn’t want to waste food.

Her parents and teachers had always told her not to waste food.

Her mother said that when she was young, she didn’t get to eat these things, so not being hungry was good enough.

She looked around, not wanting to give the dish to her mother, fearing that she would be scolded for being picky.

Her eyes shifted to Cen Huai’an, who was enjoying the dish!

Zhang Lu’s little eyes twinkled.

She leaned close to Cen Huai’an and whispered, “Brother An’an, can I give you the stir-fried toon and tofu?”

Cen Huai’an glanced at her and didn’t speak.

Zhang Lu thought he didn’t want it and frowned, preparing to eat it herself.

Cen Huai’an then reached over with his chopsticks and took the stir-fried toon and tofu from her bowl.

Zhang Lu’s eyes lit up immediately, and she beamed with a big smile. “ Brother An’an, you’re so nice!”

Chuxia noticed their little exchange and smiled, picking up her chopsticks to serve herself, pretending not to see.

Jiang’s grandfather was also very happy and, with a bit of mischief, continued to serve Zhang Lu more stir-fried toon and tofu. “Lu Lu has eaten a lot, so she must really like it. Eat more! An’an, you should eat too. Great-grandpa loves you both, right?”

Zhang Lu looked at Jiang’s grandfather with a serious expression. “Great-grandpa, can you love Brother An’an more now?”

She didn’t want the love associated with stir-fried toon and tofu.

Jiang’s grandfather and Jiang Zhiguang burst into laughter at her words, and Chuxia couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Cen Huai’an focused on eating his meal, looking at his mother and then at his great-grandfather and cousin, not understanding what was so funny.

Seeing Zhang Lu’s bowl of stir-fried toon and tofu, he took it again and ate it, continuing to focus on his meal.

Eating was always the most important thing at the table.

Zhang Lu was relieved not to have to eat stir-fried toon and tofu and was very happy.

She decided to protect An’an in the future and ensure no one bullied him!

The three adults were pleased to see the good relationship between the two children.

Regardless of how the siblings interacted, Jiang’s grandfather was the happiest.

He liked to see harmony among the younger generation.

In the afternoon, Cen Huai’an didn’t study Go. After a nap, Zhang Lu took him out to play.

Zhang Lu was not only familiar with her neighborhood but also well-acquainted with the area around Jiang’s grandfather’s house, where she had many little friends.

She took Cen Huai’an around the alley, playing hide and seek, pretending to fight enemies, and other games.

Because Cen Huai’an was injured and couldn’t participate in many games, Zhang Lu didn’t mind the extra effort.

During hide and seek, she made sure to hide him first.

In the pretend fighting games, he was a captured prisoner, and during the rooster-fighting game, he was the referee.

He was still involved, just in a different capacity.

At first, Cen Huai’an thought it was boring and didn’t want to play, but later he joined in, even as a peripheral participant, and took it very seriously.

When Zhang Lu brought Cen Huai’an back, their faces were both red and their eyes sparkling, clearly having had a great time.

After a joyful weekend, on Monday, Chuxia took Cen Huai’an to school.

Although his ankle was less swollen than before, it was still not fully healed.

Moreover, a sprained ankle could take weeks to recover, and Chuxia couldn’t trust him to go to school alone.

She walked him to his seat and said, “When you go to the bathroom, ask a classmate to help you. Don’t try to be brave or feel embarrassed to ask for help.”

Cen Huai’an nodded, and Chuxia patted his head and left.

As soon as Chuxia left, Cen Huai’an’s deskmate looked at his bruised face and swollen ankle with a look of sympathy.

It looked so painful.

“I told you to run, didn’t I? Why didn’t you run after school? If you had run, Zhao Yin wouldn’t have found you, and you wouldn’t have been beaten.”

His deskmate glanced around cautiously to make sure Zhao Yin wasn’t coming, then spoke to Cen Huai’an.

Cen Huai’an frowned, not remembering his deskmate telling him to run.

He recalled the events of that day carefully and was sure he hadn’t heard that advice.

“When did you tell me to run?”

His deskmate’s eyes widened, “On that note I gave you, I drew a line to tell you to run quickly after school.”

Cen Huai’an took out the note from his desk and looked at it again.

He still couldn’t see where it indicated to run.

He placed the note on the desk and pointed at the two little figures, “Which one is me, and which one is running?”

His deskmate pointed to the figure with a line drawn in front of it, “This one is you. The line means you should run quickly like the wind and not be caught. The fat one is Zhao Yin.”

Cen Huai’an looked at the note: “…”

If his deskmate hadn’t mentioned it, he would have thought the fat little figure was going to capture the skinny one.

He couldn’t figure out the running part at all.

His deskmate continued, “Luckily, I saw you walking too slowly and didn’t leave early. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have seen Zhao Yin and the others beat you. If I hadn’t been smart and called the teacher…”

His deskmate looked at Cen Huai’an with sympathy, “You would have been beaten even worse.”

Cen Huai’an didn’t know that.

He thought Teacher Fang happened to be leaving school and saw what happened.

“Thank you.”

He put the note away and tucked it into his book.

His deskmate continued speaking, “In the future, don’t provoke Zhao…”

Before he could finish, he saw Zhao Yin enter the classroom.

He quickly straightened up, shrank back, and used his book to cover his face, constantly nudging Cen Huai’an to do the same.

Cen Huai’an didn’t move.

He glanced at Zhao Yin, calmly took out a book, and began reading, completely unconcerned about Zhao Yin.

However, Zhao Yin, upon seeing Cen Huai’an, stiffened, remembering the fierceness during their fight and the intimidating presence of Cen Huai’an’s mother and uncle.

Fear appeared in his eyes.

When he got home, his mother had beaten him and his brother, saying that Cen Huai’an’s uncle was a thug and warning them not to provoke Cen Huai’an again or fight at school, or they’d face severe punishment at home.

Zhao Yin awkwardly returned to his seat, lowering his head and resting on the desk, not daring to look at Cen Huai’an.

He wished he could ask the teacher to move his seat.

Cen Huai’an’s deskmate observed this for a while and was astonished to see that Zhao Yin was avoiding Cen Huai’an.

His eyes widened in shock, “Deskmate, Zhao Yin is actually scared of you. How did you do that?”

Cen Huai’an, with his usual few words, replied, “I fought him.”

His deskmate thought about it and realized that Cen Huai’an was indeed very fierce during the fight.

Even he was scared to watch.

Although he couldn’t use this method himself, knowing that Zhao Yin would likely not bully him anymore made him happy.

After the fight, Cen Huai’an’s school life returned to normal.

His classmates greatly admired him and liked to play with him.

Even when he went to the bathroom, many people helped him.

Many classmates competed to play chess with him, though soon, no one did, as they couldn’t beat him.

Chu Xia, who stayed at home except for grocery shopping, knew very few neighbors, only getting acquainted with Teacher Fang’s family.

A few days later, Jiang Zhida arrived at Chu Xia’s home.

This time he wasn’t in a car but came by bicycle.

“Sister-in-law, I found someone willing to teach An’an martial arts!”

Back then, there were no taekwondo or jiu-jitsu classes.

To learn martial arts to strengthen the body, one either needed to know someone with a lineage or find another way.

“Who is it?” Chu Xia was also interested in who Jiang Zhida found.

“Let me have a drink first; the ride made me thirsty.”

Chu Xia quickly poured him some water from the teapot, which was just the right temperature.

After drinking two large cups of water, Jiang Zhida wiped his mouth and said, “It’s a retired soldier, introduced by my little aunt.”

Jiang Zhida awkwardly scratched his head, “I asked my friends, and those they knew who practiced martial arts were mostly just for show and not practical. The really skilled ones were unknown to them. A friend told me that if you want to learn self-defense skills, it’s better to find experienced retired soldiers. Their skills are honed through real combat. So I asked my little aunt.”

Jiang Zhida didn’t hide anything from Chu Xia, explaining how he found the martial arts teacher.

“My little aunt informed my little uncle, and following his advice, I contacted Sun Feng in the capital. He agreed to teach An’an once a week on Sunday afternoons.”

Chu Xia listened to Jiang Zhida, realizing that no one had mentioned Zhang Lu also wanting to learn.

She had thought Jiang Grandpa or Jiang Zhiguan would have told him.

“Dazi, not only An’an but also Lu Lu wants to learn together.”

Jiang Zhida truly didn’t know about this, “My sister didn’t mention it to me.”

“Then ask Cousin if the teacher is willing to take on one more student.”

Jiang Zhida smiled, “Teaching one more means more money. What’s there not to like? I’ll check with my cousin if he wants to send Wei Xian over.”

With only these three kids in the family, if two are learning martial arts, the third one should join as well.

After delivering the message, Jiang Zhida stayed for lunch and then hurriedly left on his bicycle.