Hehe, Boy

"Do you want to eat candied haws?" Wang Xiaoer took out the candied haws that he had wrapped in oil paper yesterday from his pocket.

The girl took a look, first showing joy, but then hesitated and said, "Candied haws! But...my mother doesn't allow me to eat things given by others."

Wang Xiaoer immediately patted his chest and said, "Of course you can't eat things from others, because they may be bad people. I, Wang Xiaoer, am definitely a good person. I follow the orthodox school, the one that is really... "

Wang Xiaoer abruptly swallowed the word "black".

First tell the girl I'm a good person, then tell her I'm from the black society?

Although nowadays being part of the black society is a proper occupation, logically it still seems a bit far-fetched.

Seeing Wang Xiaoer suddenly stop speaking, the girl asked, "Black...black what?"

Meeting the girl's gaze, Wang Xiaoer's forehead was beaded with cold sweat...

"Black...I...yes, I paint black and white ink paintings." Wang Xiaoer quickly said.

The girl looked at him suspiciously and said, "Then the 'orthodox' you mentioned just now is..."

Wang Xiaoer explained again, "That's...that's the school of painting I follow. I came here with my master to open an art shop. Our orthodox school is the famous Nan Commandery school of painting."

The girl nodded, seeming to believe Wang Xiaoer, and looked down again at the candied haws in his hand.

Wang Xiaoer vigorously pulled the oil paper off the remaining candied haws and held them out to the girl.

Holding the oil paper, Wang Xiaoer said, "Here, eat them all."

"I shouldn't..." The girl looked like she wanted to eat them but was too shy to take them.

Just then, a woman's voice called from the inner room, "Xiaoyu, can you pour me some water?"

The girl turned her head and called out, "Coming!"

The girl turned back to Wang Xiaoer and said, "My mother is calling me to help make tofu. You should leave quickly, or she'll scold you away if she finds out you jumped into our backyard."

After speaking, the girl ran into the inner room.

Wang Xiaoer looked down at the candied haws in the oil paper, somehow feeling dejected.

But soon after, the girl came bouncing back to Wang Xiaoer.

"You..." Wang Xiaoer had just started to speak.

But the girl picked up a candied haw from the oil paper and said, "Thank you!"

Watching the girl's departing back again, Wang Xiaoer felt drunk with joy.

Until she entered the inner room, it seemed the girl suddenly remembered something. She turned back and waved at Wang Xiaoer, softly saying, "Oh right, you said your name is Wang Xiaoer, right? I'm called Bai Xiaoyu. You can come find me to play in the future, just don't jump into our backyard again."

The girl smiled.

The girl ate Wang Xiaoer's candied haw.

The girl left again.

Standing in the yard, Wang Xiaoer's inner monologue went: She smiled at me! And even ate my candied haw - does she like me!?

Recalling Bai Xiaoyu's smile as she stood among the snowy red plum blossoms just now...

In that instant, Wang Xiaoer had already arranged all the details for his wedding with Bai Xiaoyu in eight years.

In that instant, all those stories about the bandit chief, Bandit A, Wu the Big Guy...

Wang Xiaoer rejected all those stories!

It was all nonsense!

Our love as men, is it so easily defeated!?

"Master, come look at your future daughter-in-law, isn't she pretty?" Wang Xiaoer pointed in the direction Bai Xiaoyu had left in.

Unfortunately, his master wasn't there.

Or rather, luckily, his master wasn't there.

Then Wang Xiaoer hopped and skipped as he left the yard.

Because today, he had found the goal to strive for in life.

From today on, Wang Xiaoer was determined to work even harder at martial arts, to become an outstanding member of the black society in the future - that's the only way to deserve such a lovely girl, right?

Of course if Zhang San saw this, he would only sigh that no matter how much he did, this disciple still went astray!

...

...

What? Wasn't Zhang San's brainwashing extremely successful?

Then why did Wang Xiaoer discard that half month of brainwashing with barely any hesitation?

It has to be said, the only people who can't understand this phenomenon, apart from confirmed bachelors like Zhang San, are...women!

And the reason women can't understand this phenomenon is very simple.

Do you understand men?

(The same goes for boys.)

...

...

When Wang Xiaoer stepped back out onto the street, he realized there was a very important problem that needed solving.

Was his master still waiting for breakfast?

Of course not.

If Bai Xiaoyu hadn't left, Wang Xiaoer would have almost forgotten he even had a master.

The problem that troubled Wang Xiaoer was, for the sake of the lifelong event eight years from now with Bai Xiaoyu when he would be almost ten, it was imperative to be on good terms with her. But they didn't have a place to live yet.

Such a lovely girl, Wang Xiaoer had already reserved her, of course he couldn't let other children have a chance. So...

The saying goes, 'first in first win', so Wang Xiaoer believed finding lodging close to the tofu shop for his master was the most urgent thing right now.

Just as Wang Xiaoer was thinking this, after walking forward a few steps, he heard voices coming from a nearby tavern.

"Ah, old man Li hanged himself just like that?" An elderly voice.

"Don't talk about it dad, his only son is a steward at Black Dragon Hall right? Last night the officials made old Li go identify the body. After old Li came back, he must have been too upset to go on living." The other voice was a middle-aged man's.

The elderly man continued, "Old Li is so pitiful. They just put him in the coffin this morning. Although it hasn't spread yet, our shop probably can't be rented out anymore with a death here - who would dare want an unlucky place like this?"

The middle-aged man also sighed, "You're right dad. Or let's just tidy up a bit and leave it vacant."

But Wang Xiaoer on the street broke into a smile...

Just as the two men in the shop were sighing, Wang Xiaoer strode right in.

His black clothes billowed in the winter wind.

Wang Xiaoer lamented to the two, "Gentlemen, you really don't know how to do business. In this day and age, there's no business that can't be done, only people who can't do business. As long as you're shameless enough, oh no, smart enough, even an unlucky shop has prospects."

The elderly shopkeeper and his middle-aged companion were just about to chase this inexplicable child out.

But somehow, the elderly man felt this boy...had such an imposing manner!

The old man looked doubtfully at the black-clad child and asked, "Then, do you have a way?"

Wang Xiaoer in black smiled, "Elder sir, nowadays business needs a new approach. Shops are like goods - an unlucky shop is like damaged merchandise. You just said the death hasn't spread yet, so don't even think about renting it, hurry up and sell it."

The old man pondered, that made sense!

But then he asked, "Where can I find a buyer on such short notice? Besides, even selling it cheap, it's still a big shop, it would cost two hundred taels at least. Where would an ordinary outsider get that much money?"

Wang Xiaoer shook his head, "Elder sir, that's where your business thinking is too stubborn. You can sell it cheap to an outsider. They don't know the place or people here. As long as the price is low, they'll swarm over. Just pick a pale-faced scholar who looks like he can barely pull a cart, and ideally hasn't registered his residency yet. They wouldn't dare come back to pester established locals like you afterwards."

The old man thought, that was true!

But then he asked again, "Where can I find an outsider like that on short notice? And even selling it cheap, it's still a big shop, it would cost two hundred taels at least. How could an ordinary outsider afford it?"

Wang Xiaoer smiled mysteriously, "Elder sir, what a coincidence. I happen to have just such a person on hand. But...that scholar in white is quite smart, so you'll have to work with me to set him up. And we don't have much time, so we have to move fast!"