Chapter 196: Chapter 178, Practice Whip_1
At 6:00 AM, when it was still pitch dark, Qin Wu got up and started his rounds through the various parts of the Yan Residence.
Ever since they were assigned their duties, the eight of them settled down at the Yan Family estate.
By the end of February, the eldest son, the third son, and the fourth son came home for the holidays and took Qin Xing and the other three back with them to serve when they returned to the Academy. Nearly two months had passed without seeing them, and it was said that the three young masters were busy with their studies at the Academy and would not have a break until the Dragon Boat Festival.
Qin Wu was quite assured about the four of them. Except that the thirteenth was a bit unruly, the other three were very steady. During this period, Madam had not sought him out, suggesting that they hadn’t made any mistakes at the Academy.
The one among them who had fared the best was Xiaoliu.
This lad had an inexplicable stroke of luck, catching the eye of the eldest young lady. After learning from Butler Sun for a while, he now started running between various estates and shops, busy all day to the point of being out of sight.
You can say that a great family knows how to mold a person. Xiaoliu was only slightly more clever than others, but now, in just two or three months, his entire demeanor had undergone a complete transformation. If he were taken back to his hometown, his own parents probably wouldn’t dare recognize him.
As for Qin Wu and the other two, their lives were somewhat more leisurely, spending their days inspecting the estate and training the young servants to strengthen their bodies. Additionally, he would accompany the lord when he went out.
Qin Wu was very content with such a life.
He could eat his fill every day and often had meat and fish, which he had never even dreamed of before.
They used to escort cargo all year round, feeding fully one moment and starving the next. Though they looked strong and robust, they were actually quite feeble inside. After staying at the Yan Residence for two or three months, they had regained quite a bit of flesh on their bodies.
They even received two new sets of clothes each change of season.
Carefully patting non-existent dust from his clothing, Qin Wu cherished it, thinking perhaps he could save a set for his family back home every quarter.
As Qin Wu pondered his life at the Yan Residence, he inspected every nook and cranny meticulously, not missing a single spot.
The Yan Family had granted them such generous treatment, and they must perform their protective duties well.
As he was inspecting the Chuihua Gate, Qin Wu saw the eldest young lady and her maid exchanging blows in the courtyard nearby. While it seemed somewhat skillful, their moves were in complete disarray.
He was not supposed to enter the inner court—that was a rule made very clear by Butler Sun from the start. Qin Wu did not want to meddle, but then he thought that if it weren’t for the eldest young lady, not to mention their current good positions, they might have already been exiled to the frontier.
Rules must not be broken!
After some thought, Qin Wu had a clever idea; he could not go in, but surely the eldest young lady could come out.
“Ahem~”
Qin Wu coughed loudly a few times, and sure enough, the eldest young lady and her maid immediately looked over.
“Uncle Qin Wu!”
Seeing Qin Wu beckoning to them, Daohua quickly came over with Wang Manman.
Upon hearing how Daohua addressed him, the corner of Qin Wu’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
He and Xiaoliu were of the same generation; Xiaoliu was Brother Xiaoliu, but here he was, Uncle Qin Wu.
He really wanted to ask, did he look that old? They had suddenly upgraded his generation.
Despite his internal complaints, upon seeing Daohua and the other girl approach, Qin Wu still asked with a smile, “Eldest young lady, are you practicing martial arts?”
Daohua waved her hand dismissively, “It’s not really martial arts, just moving around a bit, throwing some punches and kicks.” She had some self-awareness, especially after learning about how rigorously her third and fourth brothers were training at the Academy.
The third young master had once sternly told her not to practice indiscriminately. In the Academy, there were specialized martial arts instructors, and many would injure themselves during training. Given that she only had the barely qualified Wang Manman, she dared not practice carelessly.
But in ancient times, with poor security and medical conditions, she still wanted a strong body, so every morning she would exercise with Wang Manman for a while.
Suddenly, Daohua’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Qin Wu in front of her, rolling her eyes before asking with a smile, “Uncle Qin Wu, what do you think of our training?”
Qin Wu was silent for a moment, “Do you want to hear the truth, Miss?”
Daohua immediately nodded, “Of course.”
Qin Wu said, “Then I’ll just be frank, Miss. What you’re practicing is essentially just fancy moves with no real use in an actual fight.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Manman pouted and looked at Daohua; after all, it was she who had taught the Miss these martial arts.
Daohua didn’t mind and laughed, “Uncle Qin Wu, can you give us some guidance? I don’t expect to achieve anything great, just to strengthen the body. And if we encounter any bad guys, to have some ability to defend ourselves, so we won’t be bullied.”
Qin Wu looked at Daohua, “….I do have a set of whip techniques suitable for ladies. They don’t require too much physical training, but of course, after practicing, one won’t become very strong. It will just make the body more flexible and nimble.”
Daohua’s eyebrows curved with joy, and she immediately exclaimed, “That’s perfect! I’m not like my third or fourth brother who need to pass military examinations. As long as I can protect my life in critical moments, I’ll be very content.”
It must be said, the incident with the human traffickers had left a deep shadow in her heart, making her very concerned about personal safety.
Just think, Xiao Yeyang was a Little Prince, surrounded by numerous attendants, and yet he was captured. What’s more, there was her situation.
She loved adventure, so what if one unlucky day she ran into human traffickers?
Qin Wu hesitated, “Miss, I’m willing to teach you if you want to learn, but should we inform the Master and Madam first?”
Daohua nodded, “Yes, I’ll mention it to them at breakfast. If my mother agrees, I’ll send someone to tell you.”
Qin Wu immediately nodded with a smile, “Good! You go ahead with your business, Miss; I’ll continue my rounds.”
Once he had left, Daohua quickly pulled Wang Manman back to the courtyard to change clothes, and then eagerly went to find Madam Li.
As expected, Madam Li couldn’t say no to her own daughter, and since the elder Madam also believed it was very important for young ladies to have a healthy constitution, Daohua began to learn the whip with Qin Wu.
…
Since she started training with the whip, Daohua was even busier each day.
She got up before dawn to practice martial arts, and after breakfast, she would start her lessons. In the morning, she would learn book knowledge and etiquette; in the afternoon, she practiced tracing and needlework.
After completing the homework assigned by Teacher Shen, she still found time to check on the affairs of the estate and stores.
“Thank goodness for Brother Xiaoliu,” she thought.
Seeing that the three estates given by her uncle had completed their spring plowing, Daohua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The three estates were in especially good locations with fertile land. She had visited each one and, based on their actual conditions, had turned them into a tea garden, a flower garden, and a vineyard respectively.
As for the one with barren hills she had bought earlier, Daohua planned to use it specifically for growing medicinal herbs and fruit trees.
With four estates each having its own characteristic and specific produce, the crops not intermingling made management easier.
As for the three stores, one sold vegetables and fruits, one flowers, and the third, she planned to sell rouge and face powder, to be made from the flowers produced in the garden.
She didn’t focus on quantity for the rouge and face powder, like with the flowers, she would sell them only to the wealthy.
When she had some free time, she also wanted to see if she could extract various perfumes from the flowers. This commodity should fetch a higher price.