Puchi... Bai Xuemei was amused by Lu Fan's words, but a strange warmth bloomed in her heart.
"Not old, but quite the man of the martial world! Heh heh! Ready to go through fire and water!" Bai Xuemei suddenly sighed and said, "Alas! Some things might be beyond your imagination! You have the heart, but you may not be able to help me!
Still, thank you! I don't think I have the appetite for this meal anymore. I'll be going back now!" Bai Xuemei said and prepared to leave.
"Sister Xuemei! Wait a moment!" Lu Fan called out urgently. He then ran into the house and brought out the pheasant that Zhao Rongrong had just killed and hadn't had time to clean.
"Sister Xuemei! Take this back with you. You must try this local specialty dish, 'Chicken Simmered with Mushrooms'! It might just surprise you!" Lu Fan tidied up the pheasant simply and packed it for Bai Xuemei.
Watching Bai Xuemei drive away, Lu Fan turned back to walk home.
"Lu Fan!" A voice suddenly called out, and Liu Ruyan walked over from behind.
"You sold your mushrooms to her?" Liu Ruyan asked.
"Yes! Do you know Bai Xuemei?" Lu Fan asked in surprise.
"I do. However, you might need to find other sales channels." Liu Ruyan said, looking at Bai Xuemei's departing car.
"You... know Sister Xuemei's situation?" Lu Fan was even more astonished.
"In some prominent families, her situation is not a secret. However, these are not matters you should get involved in.
You should focus on finding your own sales channels and becoming the first person in the village to get rich. Lead the villagers to prosperity." Liu Ruyan said, shaking her head slightly.
"Hmph! I'm born a rebel against fate. If heaven oppresses me, I'll slay heaven. If the earth oppresses me, I'll destroy the earth. If man oppresses me... Hmph! I'll make him regret being human!" Lu Fan curled his lip. He didn't understand what these so-called prominent families were about, but he couldn't live against his conscience.
"You really want to help her?" Liu Ruyan suddenly turned back, looking at Lu Fan, her heart stirred by waves of emotion.
"Sister Xuemei is the first person since I entered society who made me full of confidence in life. Regardless of whether she wants it or not, I will help her. Moreover, hmph! Even if it means going through mountains of knives and seas of fire, I will try." Lu Fan said with a slight upward curve of his lips, his voice full of bravado.
"Hmph! You're quite the man. But when you're beaten black and blue, I hope you won't regret it." Liu Ruyan snorted and said coldly.
"Tch! Even if I'm beaten black and blue, I'll make sure my opponents know that if they want to step on me, I'll make their shoes rot." A sharp glint flashed in Lu Fan's eyes, and a cold smile played on his lips.
"Fine! Then I'll tell you about Bai Xuemei's situation. I hope you won't make me regret it then." Liu Ruyan suddenly said to Lu Fan!
...
When Lu Fan returned home, the household was bustling with activity. The greenhouse was nearing completion, and Zhao Rongrong, delighted, broke tradition by slaughtering a male pheasant to reward everyone.
Although he felt a pang of regret for the pheasant Bai Xuemei had taken, thinking of the seventy-five thousand yuan made him want to sing with joy. What was one roast chicken compared to that! Hahaha! His son was doing well, and making money felt like catching pies from the sky.
Lu Fan, however, turned and went into his room. After listening to Bai Xuemei's phone message, his heart was filled with passion. But after Liu Ruyan's words, he truly didn't know what to do.
Ding-a-ling... A phone rang suddenly. He picked up his phone and saw the caller ID was Lin Fang's number.
"Hello!" Lu Fan lazily pressed the answer button.
"Master! I... I'm back!" Lin Fang sounded somewhat excited on the phone, her words a little jumbled.
"Aunt Lin! You've called me the wrong name! Also, your luggage was left at our place. Could you come and pick it up when you have time!" Lu Fan said helplessly.
"Master! I'm returning to the village now. I wasn't planning on leaving?" Lin Fang's voice came from the phone.
"Auntie! But I never said I'd take you as a disciple!" Lu Fan said with a look of helplessness.
"I don't care about that. I must recognize you as my master! Alright, I'm almost there. We can talk more when we get back!" Click... Lin Fang hung up the phone.
"Auntie! You can't do this, can you?" Lu Fan was utterly helpless. How could someone just decide to become your disciple, and whether the master accepts them or not is irrelevant? What kind of logic is that?
Lu Fan felt dejected and had no inclination to do anything else. As expected, poverty limits imagination. There were such things in the world. For family interests, they would sacrifice their closest relatives as a trade. Was that something a human would do?
Scratch! But Liu Ruyan might also be lying to him. What should he do now?
"Master... Master... I'm back!" Just as Lu Fan was frowning, Lin Fang suddenly appeared before him, her face beaming with excitement.
"Auntie! You're not a child anymore. We only separated for three days, why are you so excited?" Lu Fan said helplessly, lying on the bed.
"Master! I have a piece of great news for you! Professor Xu Hongye, the most authoritative old professor from the Provincial College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, wants to meet you." Lin Fang said excitedly.
"Are you sure it's him who wants to see me?" Lu Fan frowned and asked.
"Ahem! Well... it is indeed him who wants to see you! However, we'll need to go to the provincial capital!" Lin Fang coughed awkwardly and said.
"I won't be going to the provincial capital, Aunt Lin! Thank you for your kind offer. Actually, you can go back today! We haven't touched your luggage." Lu Fan pointed at the suitcase beside him.
"Master, don't you want to meet a nationally renowned old Chinese medicine practitioner? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! As long as you get a word of approval from him, you'll be soaring to success." Lin Fang asked with some surprise.
"Aunt Lin! If I'm not mistaken, you must be a highly skilled disciple of that old TCM practitioner, right? When you studied under him, you must have received much praise. But have you achieved soaring success?" Lu Fan suddenly raised his head and asked.
"Uh...?" Lin Fang was stunned for a moment, not expecting Lu Fan to say that.
"If it's really him who wants to see me, then let him come and see me. Although my time is not abundant, I can spare some time to meet him." Before Lin Fang could recover, Lu Fan said again.
"Master! Actually... we can really go and see. Perhaps you'll be recognized by him and recommended to major hospitals! Then, you won't just be a small village doctor!" Lin Fang said, somewhat bewildered.
She couldn't understand why Lu Fan would refuse. This was a golden opportunity. Even if you studied for ten years, without a patron, you might be useless your entire life! But once you meet a patron, your future will be infinitely bright...