“Dad, one step at a time!” smiled ChengXiao Xiao, she looked around the courtyard and said, “We should upgrade ourhouse if dad is going to have disciples. We can’t keep living in this hut, it’sgetting a little bit embarrassing.”
“What’s so embarrassing about it?Nonsense!” smiled Cheng Biyuan. Taking a look at his own house, he sighed,“Yeah, this house is a bit crude. Sorry to have you guys put up with it for solong.”
“Ye,it’s all in the past. All we need is to re-build another house, then we canlive in a nice place!” smiled Mrs. Cheng tenderly.
The little ones all looked happy, theirbright eyes full of hope. After all, the hut was not only crude, but also a biton the small size. It hasn’t been all that comfortable.
Cheng Xiao Xiao thought for a bit andsaid, “Dad, since Patriarch Liu asked you in person, you will have to accept them no matter what.I say anyone with average talent, you just accept them as your disciples byname; anyone who has exceptional talent, you take them on as formal disciples.After all, we will need disciples sooner or later. This will save us the hassleto recruit from the outside. It might as well be the villagers that we arefamiliar with.”
“Xiao Xiao is right, we are quite shorthanded. Right now we can still handle it on our own, will be tough as time goeson.”
Cheng Biyuan agreed with his daughter’ssuggestion. Thinking about their days in the future, he smile deepened. Then heasked, “Xiao Xiao, Patriarch Liu also said mentioned that the villagers can’treally afford tuition. The best they could do is to send over animals they havehunted in the future.”
“So they are asking us to support theirchildren?” frowned Mrs. Cheng, looking a little unfriendly, “Not only are weteaching them to cultivate and practice martial arts, we have to take care oftheir room and board also? This is a bit…”\nShe was right, Cheng Biyuan didn’t knowwhat to say. He had expected her reaction which was why he chose to discussthis in front of his daughter.
Cheng Xiao Xiao looked at her father andthen glanced at her mother. She found it funny that her father was afraid ofher mother.
“Mom, we no longer need to worry aboutfood on table and roof over head. Feeding another several dozens won’t be anissue at all!”
“But they are just taking advantage ofus!” slipped Mrs. Cheng, letting her true feelings out.
Cheng Xiao Xiao couldn’t help but togiggle at her mother being petty. And so did the three young ones. Cheng Biyuandidn’t dare laughing at his own wife, but one could tell from his look that hewas trying very hard to hold it in.
“Mom, don’t worry. It won’t be easy totake advantage of us. You see how we are planning to build a new house now? Wewill have the villagers over to help out, and all we had to do are to providethem with meals but no pay. As for your disciples and students, once they’vejoined us, they will have to listen to us, much like the structure of a largefamily or a sect. We won’t be taken advantage of, we will only benefit fromthis!”
“Xiao Xiao is right, don’t sweat overthe small stuff. All these are necessary if we want to found our own sect!”
Soon as Cheng Biyuan finished, Mrs.Cheng looked very unhappy, staring at him, she said, “Save it. Xiao Xiao wasthe reason all these are happening, nothing to do with you!”
“You, you are being unreasonable!” ChengBiyuan struggled to find his words.
The young ones started laughing all overagain. Cheng Xiao Xiao didn’t want her parents to keep fighting so she divertedthe subject, “Dad, mom, since we are planning to build a house, we should planit out thoroughly. We should also looked building living quarters for yourdisciples. As for your students, we will just have them come over in the daytime and go home at night. Willow is not that far from us anyway!”\n___
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