Chapter 292: Nineties: Spring Water Family Chapter 292: Accepting a Disciple, Passing Down the Legacy!

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"I'm also an Inheritor; I have an obligation to take part in public-welfare activities."

Li Ang's face darkened, his mood thoroughly irritable: "If you won't let me come to the Youth Palace, where am I supposed to go? Senior Sister is already a City-level Inheritor; this matter hasn't caused her any substantive harm, so what more do you want? Do you have to drive me out and make a public scandal of it?"

"What kind of talk is that? What do you mean 'we're driving you out'?"

Zhang Jie found it grating and retorted sharply: "Senior Sister becoming a City-level Inheritor doesn't mean you did nothing wrong; your very existence is a thorn stuck in Senior Sister's heart — seeing you makes her think of the past betrayal."

"You go."

Wang Lei shoved him hard, herding him toward the door: "Don't make me give you another fist."

"If you leave now, I can still spare Hu Nainai's reputation and leave you some face."

Lin Xiyu's patience was exhausted, anger surging: "If you persist in being unrepentant and unreasonably troublesome, don't blame me for disregarding our fellow-disciple bond and making all your deeds public."

The classroom fell silent for a moment; Li Ang shuddered all over, startled by her sudden outburst of aura.

"Creak......"

Just at that moment, the classroom door made a faint sound and was pushed open from outside.

Li Ang, guilty as a thief, whipped his head around to look at the doorway.

"What a coincidence, all you fellow disciples are here?"

The Youth Palace director was startled by his ghost-seeing expression, blinked, and forced a laugh as he spoke.

"Hu Jie, is something the matter?"

Lin Xiyu quickly composed herself and went forward with a smile.

"I came to discuss something with you all......"

Seeing her gentle smile, so unlike Li Ang, the Youth Palace director quietly breathed a sigh of relief: "Is anyone willing to go into the community to carry out public-welfare activities, teaching the residents paper-cutting?"

"Does that even need asking?"

Wang Lei thought to himself what a lucky coincidence — Hu Jie's arrival was too timely; Li Ang was using the public-welfare activity as a pretext to make unreasonable trouble, and now he could be kicked off to the community, kept far from Senior Sister, out of sight and out of mind.

"I'll go......"

Lin Xiyu didn't wait for him to finish; she suddenly spoke up, cutting off his words.

"Senior Sister?!"

Wang Lei and Zhang Jie both looked at her with incredulous eyes.

Facing their astonished gazes, Lin Xiyu smiled calmly: "Taking part in the community's public-welfare activities is an Inheritor's bounden duty; it has nothing to do with private grievances."

"It would be best if Xiyu can take part."

The Youth Palace director smiled with relief, his eyes showing approval: "The relevant municipal departments attach great importance to the inheritance of traditional culture; they have specially provided venues in the community free of charge for everyone to carry out public-welfare activities. As for the specific class times, you can negotiate directly with the community staff."

"Understood."

Lin Xiyu thanked her sincerely: "Thank you, Hu Jie, for taking the trouble to make a special trip for this."

"No trouble......"

The Youth Palace director covered her mouth and laughed: "From now on you'll have to work hard too, running between both places — you won't even get a rest on weekends."

Those words were very tactful; anyone with eyes could understand the meaning.

"Running between both places" meant balancing the Youth Palace and the community.

It did not mean that going to the community required giving up teaching at the Youth Palace.

"Only one community?"

Wang Lei, hearing this, suddenly interjected, probing: "

"Not just one."

The Youth Palace director glanced at Li Ang and smiled meaningfully: "Currently there are four communities with conditions to provide venues; you can freely choose according to your own actual circumstances — for example, one closer to home, flexible class times, not limited to weekends, and so on......"

"I'll go to a community too."

Li Ang's mind stirred when he heard the class times were flexible.

He usually did odd jobs and still wanted to free up weekends to accompany his girlfriend; flexible teaching hours suited him perfectly.

"Fine."

The Youth Palace director had been waiting for exactly those words: "Little Li is busy with work; from now on just teach in the community, no need to run between both places."

Li Ang's smile froze.

Facing the Youth Palace director, he didn't dare vent his dissatisfaction as recklessly as before.

"Then it's settled."

The Youth Palace director, her purpose achieved, didn't linger: "You all carry on; I'll leave first. If there's anything else you need to ask, come to my office after class and we'll discuss in detail."

"Hu Jie, I'll see you out."

Li Ang couldn't stay any longer; using the excuse of seeing her off, he also left the classroom.

"Blech......"

Zhang Jie watched his departing back and playfully stuck out her tongue: "The eyesore is finally gone; we can breathe easy now."

"This trip wasn't in vain."

Wang Lei also said with a smile: "Senior Sister won't have to worry over him anymore from now on."

"Don't you think Hu Jie's arrival today was very coincidental?"

Lin Xiyu felt doubtful: "It's as if she calculated it precisely, showing up at just the right moment."

"Senior Sister puts it that way, and it really is a coincidence......."

Zhang Jie giggled: "Could it be that Sister Hu really can divine and calculate?"

"Divine and calculate......"

Hearing these four words, Lin Xiyu suddenly saw a figure flash before her eyes.

She didn't know about others, but in her own family there really was one who claimed to be able to divine and calculate.

With her kid's father's IQ, he could make someone suffer a setback without needing to step forward himself.

Wanting to use someone else's hand to give Li Ang a little lesson, it was effortless.

——

"Teacher Lin, from now on we're your disciples, right?"

A clear and pleasant child's voice rang by her ear, pulling back her thoughts.

Chen Xiang and the other six children had long been unable to wait; seeing Li Ang leave, they eagerly crowded over.

"Yes."

Lin Xiyu couldn't be bothered to think further, smiling and nodding.

"Hooray!"

"We have a master now."

"From now on we're fellow disciples."

"Not just junior brothers, there's a junior sister too."

"Who among us is senior brother, who is junior brother?"

"I'm senior brother."

"Why are you senior brother?"

"I'm the oldest, going by age, of course I should be senior brother."

"Who said you're the oldest, I'm older than you."

"Me me me, I'm the oldest."

"None of you think about fighting me for it, I'm the oldest."

"......."

The children were all excited, like happy little sparrows, chattering non-stop.

"Stop!"

Wang Lei made a pause gesture, stopping the children's clamor: "You haven't even formally become disciples yet, and you're already fighting over who's senior brother. Who said the oldest is senior brother? In my opinion, the one with the best craft can convince the crowd; whoever cuts paper-cutting best has the qualification to be senior brother."

"That makes sense."

Zhang Jie smiled and nodded: "Back when we ten fellow disciples became disciples, Grandma Hu said, craftsmen eat by their craft, no distinction of age, no hierarchy of old and young."

"Heard that?"

Wang Lei quite comfortably put on the airs of a martial uncle: "This is what your founding ancestress said, no one is allowed to go against it."

"Know what the founding ancestress is called?"

Zhang Jie also played along: "Those who don't know have no qualification to become disciples."

"Uh."

The children went quiet; among the seven, six pairs of little eyes trembled as they lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

"I know."

Chen Xiang was the sole exception: "During class Teacher Lin said, Grandma Hu is called Hu Lan, she's one of the first batch of Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors in JN City, an old craftsman."

"Not bad."

Zhang Jie's eyes brightened, she affectionately patted his head: "Little fairy remembers so clearly, shows you put your heart into learning; just with this love of yours for paper-cutting, you're worthy of the title senior brother."

"Since Senior Sister says so, it's you then."

Wang Lei made the decision for Senior Sister: "From now on you're the junior generation's senior brother."

"Hooray, I'm senior brother."

Chen Xiang's little eyes shone, excitedly waving his hands and feet.

"Don't get happy yet, become disciples first."

Wang Lei found it funny, and teased him laughing: "Perform the disciple ceremony, need to offer tea; no tea, then use kowtowing instead. You few all come over, line up properly, each kowtow three times to Master."

"Hehe."

The children didn't know Martial Uncle was teasing them, and actually obediently lined up in a row.

"Don't listen to Martial Uncle fooling you......."

Lin Xiyu feigned displeasure and glared at Wang Lei, smilingly scolding: "It's not feudal society anymore, kowtowing isn't done."

"If not kowtowing then bow."

Wang Lei hehe'd and said: "The proper etiquette still has to be there. Chen Xiang, you're senior brother, you go first."

"Master above, please accept disciple's one bow!"

Chen Xiang obediently stepped forward, looking the part with clasped hands, and performed a bow.

"This kid, has a future."

Wang Lei cheerfully commented.

"Movements quite standard."

Zhang Jie also laughed and teased: "Haven't watched few wuxia dramas."

"Hehe."

Chen Xiang heard the two's teasing, narrowed his eyes and hehe'd happily.

"Get up."

Lin Xiyu smiled with gratification and reached out to help him up.

Chen Xiang straightened his body with utmost respect and stepped back to the side.

"It's your turn now."

Wang Lei put on the airs of a martial uncle and gave orders with a straight face.

The remaining children came forward one by one, imitating Chen Xiang's movements, bowing in salute.

Looking at the seven childish faces, Lin Xiyu's mind involuntarily conjured up the scene from over a decade ago when Grandma Hu accepted disciples.

Back then, Grandma Hu was also smiling with such kindness and amiability, selecting the ten disciples she favored most from a room full of children.

Back then, she never imagined that she would also have a day of accepting disciples.

In the same place, the same classroom, repeating what the previous generation once did.

Perhaps, this is inheritance.

Passing down the craft from generation to generation, continuing endlessly in the long river of cultural inheritance, enduring without cease.

——

Outside the Youth Palace.

After class, Guben waited at the doorway on his electric bike; seeing his wife come out, he patted the rear seat, signaling her to get on.

"How come you're here?"

Lin Xiyu was pleasantly surprised.

"Came to pick you up."

Guben waved his hand and greeted Wang Lei and Zhang Jie.

"Envious, Senior Sister, old married couple and still this sweet."

"You two chat, we won't stay and be third wheels."

Both were very tactful, bantered a few sentences with laughs, and scurried off.

"Good mood, huh......"

Guben withdrew his gaze from the two and teased with a smile: "Looks like I worried for nothing, didn't need me to step in, you could resolve it yourselves."

"You......"

Lin Xiyu's mind stirred, and she probed: "Did you go find Sister Hu?"

"Guessed right."

Guben smiled and flattered: "I knew my wife was smart, could guess without me saying."

"It really was you?"

Lin Xiyu realized: "I was saying, how could Sister Hu go so coincidentally, just like she went specially to help us......"

"Looks like my trip wasn't in vain."

Guben self-deprecatingly joked: "Still had a bit of use."

"What did you say to Sister Hu?"

Lin Xiyu, besides excitement, also had some worry.

As Grandma Hu's disciple, she truly didn't want her master's reputation damaged because of a fellow disciple's backstabbing.

"Sister Hu is obviously more shrewd than you and I imagined."

Guben didn't beat around the bush, saying directly: "I went to find her, hadn't even opened my mouth, and she guessed my purpose."

"Hiss......"

Lin Xiyu sucked in a long breath of cold air.

Sister Hu had guessed long ago, watching the few of them senior and junior disciples jumping around under her eyelids, delusionally thinking to hide it from her.

This isn't just a little embarrassing.

"Don't think about it, the fault isn't yours."

Guben patted her shoulder soothingly and reassured with a smile: "The one truly losing face is right now in Sister Hu's office, rest assured, Sister Hu will definitely handle this well, I can guarantee one hundred percent, Li Ang even if he goes to the community, will stay far away from you, never have a chance to stir up trouble, be an eyesore to you again."

"That would be best......"

Lin Xiyu exhaled in relief.

"Get on, I'll take you home."

Guben took the opportunity to tug her arm.

Lin Xiyu had matters on her mind, her brain reacted a beat slow, and let him press her onto the seat.

"Hold tight, we're off."

The corner of Guben's mouth curved into a successful smile; he finally got his wish, contentedly riding the electric bike taking his wife for a spin, circling Qu Shui Ting Street once.

——

Being selected as a City-level Inheritor is a great happy event; a certain wife-doting maniac, again using the occasion to call relatives and friends, from the babies' own grandpa on down to the newly born little niece, let him harass them all one by one.

Just in time for the Spring Festival, relatives and friends also gave face, hearing the good news they rushed back from all over regardless of distance, to congratulate the couple.

Since the babies' Full Moon Banquet, the whole big family gathered again.

Usually scattered to the ends of the earth, people who might not see each other a few times a year, now that they met with difficulty, naturally were intimate in every way.

A New Year's Eve Dinner, eaten exceptionally lively.

Lin Xiyu livened up the atmosphere at the wine table, on the spot cut a koi-bringing-blessings paper-cut, drawing enthusiastic cheers from relatives and friends.

Guben's interest undiminished, again led a crowd of grandchildren to set off firecrackers.

The four little babies also under the adults' watchful care, happily participated, each holding a sparkler stick, waving it around very happily.

——

The Spring Festival, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

The whole family reunited, safe and joyful.

The midnight bell tolled, and New Year's Eve passed quietly amid a festive and beautiful atmosphere; the whole family was beaming with joy, welcoming the arrival of the new year.

Grandma Gu was filled with delight and proposed taking a family portrait.

Relatives and friends were all very cooperative, responding in unison.

Guben held Xixi and Lele, while Lin Xiyu held Pingping and Anan.

The couple sat close to the old lady, right in the middle of the front row.

Fu Zheng set up the camera, set the timer, and ran back at the speed of a hundred-meter sprint.

"Eggplant!"

Upon hearing the cue, relatives and friends faced the camera and broke into smiles.

"Click."

The instant the flash lit up, the babies' pure and innocent smiles at one and a half years old were frozen in time on this day.

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