Chapter 339: Chapter 317: Who Wants to be Siblings with You?_1
On Taohua Mountain, a Goose Warm Stone path over a meter wide and several hundred meters long had been completed.
At this moment, Xiao Yeyang was conducting the final inspection with Daohua.
Watching Xiao Yeyang tapping here with a hoe and patching there, carefully and conscientiously inspecting, Daohua, who followed behind, couldn’t help but glance sideways slightly.
This road construction had deepened her understanding of Xiao Yeyang once again.
When they had spent time together before, it was mostly in leisure—eating, drinking, and playing together, and she had never seen him taking charge and being serious about his work.
At the beginning of the road construction, she was genuinely worried. After all, it was heavy and rough work, and she feared that he, a young master who had grown up in luxury, could not endure such hardship.
But later, she discovered that she had really underestimated Xiao Yeyang.
The man had a resilient nature; even with blisters forming on his shoulders and hands, he would grit his teeth and continue the next day, showing none of the fragility expected of a noble son.
Such perseverance might be too common among farmers to be considered anything special, but when attributed to him, it suddenly made him stand out.
This guy wasn’t just for show; he truly had substantial skills.
From drawing up plans and surveying to the actual implementation of the roadwork, this guy had his own planning and contingencies for each step. When unexpected issues arose, he could respond calmly, impressing her several times.
All in all, he was someone who could bear responsibility and was dependable!
“Do you think I should add a pavilion on the mountain?”
After inspecting the road, Xiao Yeyang stood at the top of the mountain and realized that the area only had a thatched cottage, which seemed too simple, so he thought of building a pavilion.
After asking, he didn’t hear Daohua’s reply for a while, so he turned around and saw, to his amusement, that she was daydreaming again.
“Hey, I’m talking to you. Did you hear me?”
Daohua snapped back to reality, blinked, and asked, “What did you say?”
Xiao Yeyang was somewhat at a loss for words, “What’s been up with you recently, always being so distracted?”
Daohua responded without a second thought, “You’ve dazzled me, you know. Has anyone ever told you that you look really cool when you’re serious about your work?” After speaking, she even gave him a thumbs up, not concealing her admiration at all.
Such candid praise sent a wave of delight through Xiao Yeyang’s heart. He couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased and joyful. Seeing Daohua staring straight at him made his ears feel a bit hot, and he unexpectedly felt a bit embarrassed. He hastily shifted his gaze, needing to change the subject to cover his discomfort.
“Later, I’m thinking of building a pavilion so that Grandma Gu and Master Gu can have a place to drink tea and enjoy the scenery when they have nothing else to do.”
After nearly a month of association, he had found that both Grandma Gu and Master Gu were very kind to him. This kindness felt different from that of others, always leaving him with a sense of care and protection.
He had only experienced this type of feeling with his imperial uncle, uncle, and the person from Meilin Villa.
He didn’t know if this was just his imagination, but he didn’t mind this closeness, in fact, he somewhat enjoyed it.
Daohua quickly agreed, “That sounds great, oh, and can you build me a swing, too? Next year, when the peach blossoms bloom, I’ll be able to swing amidst the ‘rain’ of peach blossoms.”
Xiao Yeyang imagined that scene and couldn’t help but chuckle, “You really know how to enjoy yourself.”
Daohua tossed her head back and proudly affirmed, “Of course!”
…
That evening at dinner, Xiao Yeyang mentioned his plan to build a pavilion and Grandma Gu smiled and nodded in agreement, while Gu Jian just gave a noncommittal ‘hmm’.
Xiao Yeyang didn’t mind either.
He had come to understand Master Gu’s nature; solemn, not prone to laughter or talkative, but actually a pretty decent person.
The next morning, Xiao Yeyang got up early to practice his swordsmanship. He had only been practicing for a short while when he felt someone watching him. He turned around and saw Gu Jian watching him silently.
“Continue, don’t stop!”
Xiao Yeyang had intended to stop and pay his respects, but upon hearing this, he could do nothing but continue practicing his swordsmanship.
“Again!”
After completing one round, Xiao Yeyang wanted to rest for a bit, but Gu Jian spoke up again. He had no choice but to continue.
Just as he extended his sword, ‘bang’, the sword in his hand was knocked down by a tree branch.
“Not fast enough in action, and not decisive enough either. With this kind of performance, if you encounter a real swordsmanship expert, you wouldn’t even have drawn your sword before they took your life.”
Xiao Yeyang looked at Gu Jian in shock, so much that he didn’t even mind the numbness of his arm, and asked astoundedly, “Master Gu, you know martial arts too?”
Gu Jian glanced at Xiao Yeyang emotionlessly: “Pick it up, continue!”
Xiao Yeyang immediately did as he was told and then started a new round of harsh training.
However, with Gu Jian’s guidance, many places where Xiao Yeyang’s practice wasn’t smooth were resolved.
Daohua also got used to practicing with her whip early in the morning, but she didn’t get up as early as Xiao Yeyang did. Today, she came to the yard with her whip as usual and saw her master beating Xiao Yeyang with a tree branch as thick as a thumb.
And Xiao Yeyang, he didn’t manage to dodge even once.
Daohua also had a discerning eye, and she immediately realized that her master was instructing Xiao Yeyang, and what’s more, it seemed that he was quite skilled. Her eyes lit up, and she ran over excitedly.
“Master, you also know martial arts?”
Gu Jian glared at his apprentice: “Go away.”
Daohua: “But no, take a look at how I’ve practiced my whip, and give me some guidance too.”
Upon hearing this, a look of disdain appeared on Gu Jian’s face: “What is a girl like you practicing martial arts for?”
Daohua choked up, arguing unconvincingly, “Of course, it’s to protect myself. If I know kung fu, whoever dares to bully me, I’ll beat them up!”
Gu Jian: “…All you need to do is to master those poisons I taught you to make. Who would dare bully you? Just throwing a few pellets can take down a bunch, why bother practicing martial arts.”
Daohua was taken aback, finding his reasoning sound, she couldn’t refute.
Seeing his apprentice’s pouting lips, Gu Jian softened his tone: “Alright, your whip skills are mediocre even with more practice. When I have time, I’ll teach you a set of footwork, use it in combination, and when you go out, it can at least bluff someone.”
Daohua’s face brightened: “Thank you, Master.”
….
In the days that followed, whenever they had time, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang would follow Gu Jian around, and Gu Jian patiently instructed them both.
In the matter of martial arts, Gu Jian adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Daohua but was exceptionally strict with Xiao Yeyang.
“Do you think your master is being a bit too nice to me?”
After the pavilion was built, Xiao Yeyang began to set up a swing for Daohua and talked to her while he was busy at work.
Upon hearing this, Daohua was somewhat speechless: “You think my master is being nice to you?”
Every time she saw Xiao Yeyang hobbling back to his room with De Fu’s support, she couldn’t help but wonder if her master was settling some personal vendetta.
Xiao Yeyang nodded earnestly: “Of course, strict teachers produce talented students. Especially in martial arts, without suffering a little, how can one improve? Haven’t you noticed that my swordsmanship has improved a lot compared to before?”
Daohua nodded: “That’s true.” She smiled and said, “Xiao Yeyang, maybe my master thinks you are a promising martial arts prospect and wants to take you as his disciple?”
Xiao Yeyang was startled, thought for a moment, and felt that it was indeed possible.
Daohua continued with a smile: “If that’s the case, Xiao Yeyang, our relationship will become even closer, from friends to fellow apprentices.”
Upon hearing the words ‘brother and sister,’ Xiao Yeyang felt an inexplicable displeasure and snorted: “Who wants to be your brother or sister?”