Madam Zhao smiled and said, “What we want will come true.”
What Madam Qian thought was also what she thought.
They had to break free from the quagmire and grab everything they wanted in order to not waste their efforts.
They looked at each other and smiled. Without another word, they got to work.
It was dawn. Su Xiaolu and the others were all up.
After Lin Pingsheng woke up, Su Chong fetched water and a new handkerchief for him to wash up.
He and Su Hua already knew why they had such an opportunity.
They cherished this opportunity and were grateful for this. Their sister had pushed such a good opportunity in front of them, so they naturally had to cherish it.
After breakfast, Lin Pingsheng went into town with them.
Regarding inviting relatives and friends to witness the apprenticeship, it was set for August 14th. At that time, a banquet would be held at Su Sanlang’s house for the apprenticeship ceremony.
As soon as Su Xiaolu arrived at the Sun residence, Madam Lian came to ask how she was.
Sun Baoshan and Sun Baoqian were no longer constrained by the stable courtyard. Their bodies were still weak, but they would not fall sick easily.
Su Xiaolu smiled and said to them, “My eldest brother and second brother are going to be Teacher Lin’s disciples. They will hold a banquet at my house on the 14th of August to acknowledge him as their master.”
Madam Lian smiled and said, “That’s great.”
Things were going well. She had a present to prepare, too.
Sun Baoshan and Sun Baoqian were in the courtyard with Su Xiaolu. They liked to stay with her and pass her herbs.
Sun Baoshan and Sun Baoqian were no longer skin and bones.
Su Xiaolu crushed all the herbs she needed and urged Sun Baoshan and Sun Baoqian to practice Tai Chi before going to bed.
She was going to deliver the medicine to Lin Yaoyao.
She arrived at the school with practiced ease and knocked on another door.
Madam Chen opened the door. When she saw Su Xiaolu, she immediately welcomed her with a smile. Seeing the big jar on her back, Madam Chen hurriedly said, “Let me do it. It’s too heavy.”
Su Xiaolu smiled and said, “Auntie, can I talk to Big Sister?”
Madam Chen nodded. “Of course. Yaoyao is doing embroidery in the house. She said she wants to make you a pair of shoes. Go find her.”
Because there was hope, Lin Yaoyao wasn’t discouraged anymore. She seemed to have come back to life.
To Madam Chen, Su Xiaolu was her savior.
She happily led Su Xiaolu in and put down the jar containing the ointment before retreating to make some snacks.
Kids definitely didn’t like tea, but she’d probably like some sweet fruit tea.
Lin Yaoyao was not wearing a veil at home. When she saw Su Xiaolu, she smiled warmly and greeted her. “Xiaolu, you came to see me.”
Su Xiaolu walked over to look at the embroidery frame and praised, “Sister Yaoyao, you’re so amazing. This is a double-sided embroidery.”
Lin Yaoyao was embroidering pear blossoms. From the front, the pear blossoms were pure and white, but from the back, it was the same.
Su Xiaolu’s eyes were very beautiful. She didn’t seem to know how to lie. When she praised her, her eyes would light up. Lin Yaoyao felt embarrassed. She blushed and said, “Do you like it? This is for you.”
Lin Yaoyao was being modest.
Su Xiaolu smiled. “Thank you. I like it very much. Let me see your face.”
Lin Yaoyao nodded and sat upright.
Su Xiaolu held Lin Yaoyao’s hand and took her pulse.
There was nothing wrong with Lin Yaoyao’s body, but she had been depressed for too long. After taking her pulse, Su Xiaolu smiled at Lin Yaoyao and said, “Sister Yaoyao, do you believe me?”
Lin Yaoyao looked at Su Xiaolu’s serious eyes and nodded. “I believe you.”
Su Xiaolu smiled and said, “Sister Yaoyao, from today onwards, go out to buy groceries every day.”
Lin Yaoyao was a little resistant. She couldn’t help but touch her face and didn’t dare to look at Su Xiaolu.
It had been too long since she’d walked out the door openly, so she was gradually shrinking into herself and mentally resisting going out.
Lin Yaoyao was sick. Her psychological illness was worse than her physical illness.
Su Xiaolu looked at Lin Yaoyao and said slowly, “Sister Yaoyao, Teacher said that when you were young, you said that you would read a lot of books. You even said that if there was a female top scorer, the female top scorer would definitely not be inferior to the male top scorer.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Lin Yaoyao was a little dazed. She had once said such ambitious words, but that was a long time ago. Now, she no longer had the courage.
“Sister Yaoyao, do you know what I want to do when I grow up?”
Su Xiaolu revealed a look of longing. She sat beside Lin Yaoyao and held her chin with both hands. “When my master left, he said that a swordsman would come and teach me sword techniques. He said that there are tens of thousands of mountains in this world. I have to walk through all the mountains and rivers. I have to be carefree and free.”
“So when I grow up, I want to see the scenery my master has seen. Whether it’s the uninhabited desert or the peach blossom spring all year round, I want to see it.”
That unsmiling and women-phobic old man had really been to many, many places.
Sometimes, when the old man was drunk, he would sigh. Why did he live in Southern Mountain Village for so many years?
He said that it might be fate arranged by the heavens for this master-disciple relationship.
Thinking of the old man, Su Xiaolu felt like crying. She looked at Lin Yaoyao seriously and said, “Sister Yaoyao, I know you’ve suffered a lot, but you have to always believe that a person has to be tortured first. Teacher said that you are very smart and you shouldn’t be trapped in a mere backyard. You’ve suffered for so many years. It’s time to restart your dream. What do you think?”
Su Xiaolu looked at Lin Yaoyao seriously. She felt that her chicken soup wasn’t cooked well.
She wondered if she could motivate her.
Lin Yaoyao had trapped herself, her face could recover but heart couldn’t.
Therefore, they had to treat her together. They had to encourage her to regain her confidence and walk out. She had to accept a new self and regain her confidence.
Lin Yaoyao looked at Su Xiaolu with tears in her eyes. She sobbed and said, “Xiaolu, you’re right. I shouldn’t be trapped in the backyard. I should pull myself together and realize my dream.”
A woman’s life should not be limited to marriage and childbirth.
She had lived her life for twenty-four years. The best years of her life were trapped in mental demons. Her face had improved and she felt tortured. She was still afraid of facing people. Now that she heard Su Xiaolu say this, she felt a trace of confidence.
If she felt there was something wrong with rigid rules, she would break them.
“Sister Yaoyao, I believe you. You can definitely do it.”
Su Xiaolu clenched her fists with admiration and belief.
Lin Yaoyao felt her heart melt. How could there be such a good girl in this world?
Not long after, Madam Chen sent over fruit tea and snacks.
Su Xiaolu left after eating her fill.
After Su Xiaolu left, Madam Chen told Lin Yaoyao to rest well. She was preparing to go out.
Lin Yaoyao stopped Madam Chen and said, “Mother, I’ll go with you.”