Master Tang finally drank the soup from his spoon.

He set down his spoon and met Jiang Xia’s gaze. For a moment, the atmosphere at the dinner table grew tense again.

Li Chengze was scared silent. He stole a glance at Grandpa Jiang, but the old man remained perfectly composed, completely unaffected.

He was weeping internally. ’Why is it always me who suffers?’

"The fox’s tail is finally showing."

"Heh, thanks for the compliment."

Far from finding Jiang Xia’s thick skin and proud defiance annoying, Master Tang actually found it rather endearing.

’This is how a boy should be.’

"Let’s hear it."

"I’d like to ask you to cook a meal for An Ning."

Master Tang, who had his head lowered as he ate, instantly grasped Jiang Xia’s soft spot, but he had no intention of doing anything about it.

"Alright."

He agreed.

"Thank you so much."

This time, Master Tang could hear the genuine sincerity in his voice. ’So it turns out even a clever kid like him has his foolish moments.’

The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant. The sudden harmony at the dinner table made Li Chengze feel like he was dreaming.

Li Chengze sighed to himself. ’If this keeps up, I’m going to have a nervous breakdown.’

After the dinner that Jiang Xia had meticulously prepared, Master Tang made some light congee and side dishes for An Ning. It wasn’t much, but it was a vast improvement over plain millet porridge.

Li Chengze was entrusted with the important mission of delivering the food next door.

When he returned, the bowl and chopsticks were already washed clean.

"She ate it all. I waited for a bit in An Guoping’s room."

Li Chengze’s second sentence was for Jiang Xia’s benefit. As for why, one could only say that Jiang Xia’s lessons on the virtues of a subordinate had been a resounding success.

Master Tang, who was reading an old thread-bound book, felt the corners of his mouth lift in a slight smile. ’It seems everyone is somewhat aware of Jiang Xia’s feelings, though he himself doesn’t seem very sure of them.’

’And as for that Miss Anning, it seems the thought has never even crossed her mind.’

’Most importantly, it turns out An Ning is Li Chengze’s master.’

This piqued Master Tang’s curiosity. ’What could An Ning possibly teach him?’

After eating something, An Ning, in the house next door, finally felt her stomach settle. She would be able to get a peaceful night’s sleep at last.

Back at the Jiang family’s home, however, a small problem had arisen.

Jiangxia’s house was very small.

In the end, Jiang Xia and Li Chengze ended up in one room, while Master Tang shared a room with Mr. Jiang Sr.

That was the arrangement for the time being.

「The next morning」

Master Tang woke to the crowing of a large rooster.

When he opened his eyes, Mr. Jiang Sr. was already dressed.

"Mr. Jiang Sr., up so early?"

"You can sleep in a little longer. I’m just going out for a walk."

Of course, Master Tang didn’t go back to sleep. He also enjoyed rising early and practicing his morning wellness exercises.

After getting up, Master Tang stood in the courtyard and took a deep breath.

The crisp air, a gift from the mountains, filled his lungs and invigorated his spirit.

"What a wonderful place!"

Master Tang opened his eyes, his mood soaring.

He much preferred this air to what he was used to in the city.

"One-two-one... one-two-one... one-two-one...."

Master Tang followed the sound out of the courtyard and saw a veritable army of people jogging around the village.

At the very front was Jiang Xia with Da Huang. A little behind them was An Guoping, whom he didn’t recognize, followed by some teenagers. At the very back was a troop of little tykes, the youngest three or four years old, the oldest seven or eight.

Bringing up the absolute rear was Li Chengze, whom he’d met last night, and a rooster, strutting along with a valiant air.

Judging by their practiced pace and route, he knew this was not their first time.

Curious, Master Tang followed along, jogging slowly behind them.

Along the way, he saw Jiang Xia and the children continuously greeting the people they passed.

Heading in the opposite direction, many villagers carrying various tools were making their way toward the mountains.

Everyone was smiling and full of spirit, looking as happy as if they were going to pick up free money rather than heading off to work.

And Master Tang’s intuition was right. For the villagers, wasn’t going up the mountain to work just like picking up money?

To keep everyone motivated, An Ning had arranged for wages to be paid out every ten days.

After getting paid, the villagers worked even harder.

Even the handful of villagers who were once known for being lazy worked with great vigor, spurred on by the money. As for slacking off, that was a concept that now seemed to have nothing to do with them.

Master Tang followed them for one lap before stopping at the courtyard of Jiangxia’s house, watching as they continued on their run.

He went into the courtyard and resumed his exercises.

When the children ran past again, they were no longer chanting "one-two-one," but verses from the Three Character Classic.

"Men at their birth, are naturally good."

...

"To raise without teaching is the father’s fault; to teach without rigor is the teacher’s laziness."

The children continued running, and the sound of their cheerful recitation was the most beautiful sound in the village.

After about three laps, the children stopped running.

The only ones still running were Jiang Xia, An Guoping, and Li Chengze.

When they finished their run, Li Chengze, as per his daily routine, was dragged into the house by Jiang Xia.

But even then, he didn’t dare sit down. Instead, he leaned against the courtyard wall and walked slowly, trying to get his breathing and heart rate under control.

Jiang Xia, meanwhile, started preparing breakfast.

"I didn’t expect you to have this kind of influence. Or perhaps I should say, I didn’t expect you’d be willing to do something like this."

Master Tang walked over to Jiang Xia, feeling his understanding of the young man was still incomplete.

"Are you talking about the run?"

"Yes."

Jiang Xia poured the water he’d used to wash the rice into a slop bucket. "It wasn’t my idea," he said. "It was An Ning’s."

"Her health isn’t good, so she started running to recover."

This time, it was Master Tang’s turn to be surprised.

"I’m heading to my lesson."

Li Chengze, who had mostly recovered, went back to his room, grabbed a notebook and pen, and headed next door.

Master Tang watched Li Cheng-ze go, his curiosity piqued.

"They have their lesson just outside. You can hear them from the west corner of the wall."

Jiang Xia casually pointed in that direction. Master Tang shot a doubtful glance.

"I’m telling the truth. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."

In the end, Master Tang still went outside and stood by the west corner of the wall.

When An Ning’s voice rang out, he was taken aback. Jiang Xia really hadn’t been lying.

Then, the smile on Master Tang’s face gradually faded.

He, who had been standing half a meter from the wall, was now pressed right up against it, listening intently to every word An Ning spoke.

After the lesson ended, Master Tang walked back.

By this time, Jiang Xia had already set the food on the table. He looked at the pensive Master Tang and asked:

"You understand mechanics?"

"Not at all."

Jiang Xia paused in the middle of setting out the bowls. "You don’t? Then why were you standing so close and listening for so long?"

"I wanted to see just how much of it I couldn’t understand."

Master Tang chuckled at his own words. He walked over to a washbasin to clean his hands and said, "And as it turns out, from start to finish, I didn’t understand a single word."

After washing and drying his hands, Master Tang asked, "An Ning... just who is she?"

Jiang Xia, who was in the middle of serving rice, hummed in thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with the right words.

He smiled, as if coming to a realization, and said, "An Ning is just... An Ning."