Defective Goods

Xiaoguo chuckled and said, “Sit tight.”

“Yes!”

Zhuang Zhuang nodded with a smile and held on to the donkey cart obediently.

It had been a long time since he had seen Qin Anming. Zhuang Zhuang looked very excited.

When he saw Qin Anming, he didn’t care if he was busy or not and pounced on him immediately. His little mouth kept chattering for a long time and no one could get a word in.

“Zhuang Zhuang…”

“Uncle, do you know? Mother made all the clothes that I’m wearing today…”

“… Zhuang Zhuang…”

“By the way, Fatty and Ben Ben at home got into a fight with the black dog next door…”

“Zhuang Zhuang…”

“Also, Mother is making slippers. One pair for you, one for me, one for my father…”

“Zhuang Zhuang…”

“I’m going to be a disciple.”

“Zhuang… Hmm?!”

Qin Anming’s eyes widened as he looked at Zhuang Zhuang in disbelief. After confirming that he was not spouting nonsense, he looked at Xiaoguo in surprise. “Zhuang Zhuang is going to be a disciple?!”

As soon as he said that, everyone’s attention turned towards him. Ruyi put down the teapot and sat beside the boy in disbelief. “Sister Xiaoguo, is that true?”

“Yes, it is.” Xiaoguo nodded, wondering why they were reacting so strongly.

“Zhuang Zhuang is too young.”

Ruyi saw that most other kids were much older than Zhuang Zhuang when they went to school.

Qin Anming nodded in agreement. Zhuang Zhuang was only four years old. There was no hurry.

“He’s not young anymore. Kids should start learning from a young age.”

Xiaoguo didn’t think that he was too young for school. The purpose of going to school was to gain knowledge. Besides, Zhuang Zhuang’s literacy skills and brain development were many times more advanced than his peers.

“After all, his age is obvious. Other kids start schooling at the age of eight. Zhuang Zhuang may have trouble mixing with the other kids.”

Uncle Xu joined in the conversation from behind the counter. He knew about going to school although it was decades ago when he was last in school. He went to school when he was eight years old.

“That’s right, Sister Xiaoguo. What if those older children bully Zhuang Zhuang?”

Ruyi patted Zhuang Zhuang’s head, feeling worried for him.

“Hi, it’s fine. Haha, I didn’t make myself clear.” Xiaoguo smiled. She was wondering why there was such a big reaction from everyone. They were thinking that Zhuang Zhuang was enrolling in a school. “He’s not joining an academy. It’s a one-on-one apprenticeship.”

“Oh…”

As soon as she said that, everyone finally understood. If that was the case, it was still acceptable. Age was not an important factor if the boy was going to learn directly from a teacher. They didn’t have to worry about Zhuang Zhuang getting bullied.

“Who is his teacher?”

Qin Anming carried Zhuang Zhuang to the side and sat down. He looked at Xiaoguo’s mysterious expression and asked curiously.

Xiaoguo held back her laughter. Looking at their curious gazes, she laughed in her heart. However, she did not take the initiative to say it. Instead, she kept them in suspense before saying, “Kong…”

“Teacher Kong?!”

As soon as Xiaoguo said the word Kong, Uncle Xu almost jumped out of the counter in excitement.

Upon hearing the surname, everyone gasped and looked at Xiaoguo for confirmation.

Xiaoguo pursed her lips and smiled. She pretended to be calm and nodded. “That’s right, it’s Mr. Kong.”

“Wow!!”

The few of them cried out in surprise. Xiaoguo, who was in front of them, could feel her ears ringing.

Rubbing her ears, she looked at them helplessly. “I was just given the chance to pay a visit to Teacher Kong. Whether he accepts Zhuang Zhuang will be up to him.”

“Of course he will accept the boy! Our Zhuang Zhuang is so smart!”

When Zhuang Zhuang heard his name, he nodded in agreement. That’s right, he was quite smart.

“That’s hard to say. Don’t flatter him, lest he gets complacent. It’s better to be humble.”

As Xiaoguo spoke, she pressed down on his straight little shoulders a few times before stopping.

Although she enjoyed praising Zhuang Zhuang and also liked to hear people praise him, this kind of praise was a little too much for him at this age. In reality, there was always someone better. There were plenty of outstanding people in this world, so it was better to keep the praises in check.

Xiaoguo also made sure to remind herself constantly. A lot of times, she was also heaping Zhuang Zhuang with endless compliments. This was not good. She’d better learn to do it in moderation.

“By the way, Xiaoguo, is Teacher Kong living here? I’ve never heard of this.”

Qin Anming asked curiously. It was impossible that no one knew about Master Kong living here. Moreover, with his status, how could he live in this small county?

Ruyi and the others nodded repeatedly, showing their curiosity.

“Teacher Kong’s hometown is Yonghai County. Now that he is an emeritus, he has brought his wife back to enjoy their retirement.”

After Xiaoguo finished speaking, they all understood. So that was the reason. They had never known that Mr. Kong’s hometown was here.

“Alright, I won’t talk to you anymore. I have to go with Zhuang Zhuang to check on Teacher Kong’s arrival.”

“Then why are you in such a hurry?”

Ruyi was a little puzzled. If Teacher Kong was not here yet, why was she here so early?

“They’re an old couple on their own. I was thinking of checking with them to see if there’s anything I can help with. After all, I feel so thankful that Mr. Kong was willing to give Zhuang Zhuang an interview.”

“Go ahead, go ahead.”

When they heard this, they agreed with Xiaoguo. They sighed to themselves that Xiaoguo was really capable. They urged her to go quickly and not miss the time.

Xiaoguo held Zhuang Zhuang’s hand and got into the donkey cart before driving towards Teacher Kong’s residence.

From afar, she realized that the house still looked quiet. The lock on the door was still hanging in place.

Xiaoguo stopped the donkey cart and did not move forward. It seemed that they had not arrived yet. That was good. She would use this time to get a carriage for the donkey cart.

She was planning to change it for some time now. The donkey cart she has does not shield one from the wind and rain. In summer, it was scorching hot under the sun. During winter when the wind blew, it was so cold that her bones hurt. The cart should have been replaced long ago.

If Zhuang Zhuang was taken in as Mr. Kong’s disciple, it would be better to have a carriage to ferry him to and fro.

On the way to change the carriage, they happened to pass by the noodle shop. Xiaoguo put Zhuang Zhuang down and asked him to follow Qin Anming while she went to shop for the carriage.

Xiaoguo went to a place which specialized in installing carriages. She had asked around for the price a long time ago and she had already selected a design that was to her liking. The price was in the medium-range and the carriage size was small. Otherwise, the donkey might have difficulty moving it.

Xiaoguo had tried to feel the weight before. She could lift the carriage easily on her own, so the donkey should be able to withstand the weight of pulling it.

“Hi Madam, you are here.”

The boss recognized Xiaoguo at a glance and greeted her.

Xiaoguo nodded in shock. She didn’t expect him to remember her.

“Are you intending to install the carriage today?”

The boss greeted her with a smile. How could he not remember her? She had passed by this place so many times but she just refused to come in every time. Today, she finally stepped into the shop.

“Yes, let’s change it to the one I like.”

Xiaoguo stopped the donkey cart. She thought that he didn’t remember and wanted to point out the design to him. Unexpectedly, the boss quickly nodded and stopped Xiaoguo from entering the shop. He gestured to her that he knew which one it was.

“I’ll change it for you now.”

With that, the boss called out to his shop assistant to pull the carriage out. Without needing Xiaoguo to say anything, the carriage she wanted was pulled out.

Seeing the speed at which they worked, Xiaoguo felt a little puzzled. Why were they moving so quickly? It was as if they were afraid that she would go back on her word.

Xiaoguo watched as they did the replacement in a flurry. She was wary and leaned forward to check the carriage for any flaws.

When the boss saw Xiaoguo approaching the carriage, his heart was in his throat. Cold sweat broke out on his face, seemingly afraid that she would notice something amiss.

At this moment, Xiaoguo seemed to have sensed something and turned around to look in his direction. The shop owner was so shocked that he held his breath. Then, he acted like nothing had happened and looked around the shop nonchalantly. She couldn’t figure out what he was hiding.

Seeing his behavior, Xiaoguo was even more certain that there was something wrong with this carriage. He must have installed a defective product for her!