章 32: Chapter 31 Striving for Progress
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As these words were spoken, Shen Xiaohu glanced somewhat curiously at Shen Qing.
He didn't know much about it, but he remembered some things.
His father just wanted the young Shanwa to try martial arts, but when had he ever said that the three of them should enter Linfeng Hall?
How much silver would that cost?
However, seeing Shen Qing's "righteous and confident" demeanor, he was somewhat unsure and wondered if his father had given other instructions at the last minute.
Not confident, he kept his head down and didn't dare to speak up.
Shen Xiu's expression became serious as she looked Shen Qing and Shen Xiaohu up and down, her gaze filled with hesitation.
She knew all too well the character of her family members.
Otherwise, why would her own parents have sold her off back then, leaving her to live under someone else's roof, subjected to others' whims?
She didn't believe that her nephews could achieve anything significant.
But in the back courtyard, she wasn't the only concubine of Hall Master Li Linfeng, and her family members didn't have any foundation at all.
Even though she was pregnant, her status there wasn't high.
Subconsciously, Shen Xiu touched her belly.
She thought that even if she didn't consider herself right now, she should at least think about her unborn child.
As an aunt, if she could support her nephews a little and help them enter Linfeng Hall and settle down,
In the future, they would surely remember her kindness and take care of her yet-to-be-born siblings.
Thinking of this, Shen Xiu couldn't help but look at Shen Qing.
Over all these years, the moment Shen Qing first met her, he was able to speak eloquently and logically.
He was different from the honest Shen Family member in her impression.
He didn't seem like someone born into a lowly hunter's family.
It was worth a try.
Being exposed to the ways of wealthy families for so long, she understood well that it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
Now that her nephews wanted to make progress, whether they succeed or not, as a family member, she should support them.
Once her family members amounted to something, they could help her.
After pondering for a while, Shen Fang spoke, "Master Li does indeed have the intention of recruiting disciples lately."
"Thank you, Auntie," Shen Qing said with a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, expressing his happiness.
"Don't celebrate too soon. I'll inquire first; whether it'll work out is another matter," Shen Fang said with a light smile, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents. "You both stay here and wait for me."
Seeing Shen Fang get up to cross the threshold, Shen Qing quickly moved over to support her.
His smart behavior made Shen Fang glance sideways, feeling more assured that this nephew was quite resourceful.
With such cleverness, even without entering Linfeng Hall, he could surely do well elsewhere.
After sending her out of the room, Shen Qing did not delve further but politely watched as Shen Fang left.
In just that brief moment, he roughly concluded that his aunt's status in Linfeng Hall was probably quite ordinary, as she had no maidservants attending to her despite being pregnant.
Whether he could enter Linfeng Hall to train in martial arts was still uncertain.
"Brother Qingzi, can we really practice martial arts at Linfeng Hall?"
Compared to Shen Qing's calm composure, Shen Xiaohu appeared as if ants were crawling around in his heart, feeling restless.
"I don't know; let's see how things go with Auntie, and wait for now."
Shen Qing knew that this matter couldn't be rushed.
Seeing there was still some time, he simply stood up in the room to train in stance training, advancing the Nine Brocade Technique.
Time passed little by little, and after about a pot of tea, Aunt Shen Xiu entered with a smile on her face.
Shen Qing quickly finished his practice, suppressing the rising Qi-Blood, and looked at Shen Xiu with anticipation.
"The Hall Master wants to meet you," Shen Xiu said straightforwardly, not bothering to keep them guessing.
A burden lifted from Shen Qing's heart, and he hurriedly spoke with gratitude, "Thank you, Aunt."
"Come with me."
With that, Shen Xiu led Shen Qing and Xiao Hu to another courtyard.
As soon as they crossed the courtyard gate, Shen Qing saw a burly man with a face full of flesh, instructing two young lords wearing martial arts uniforms on a spacious area in the courtyard, approximately twelve or thirteen years old.
"Stand firm, all of you! After only a few moments, and you're already like this. How can you ever amount to anything?"
The burly man with a stern face was full of anger, like a dormant volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
Seeing his aunt steadily guiding him towards the burly man, Shen Qing speculated that this person was likely the Hall Master of Linfeng Hall—Li Linfeng.
"You must be the nephews from Lady Qi's house?" Li Linfeng glanced at Shen Qing and the two, his tone indifferent, revealing neither favor nor dislike.
Quickly cupping his fists in salute, Shen Qing replied, "Greetings, Master Li. I am Shen Qing, and he is Shen Xiaohu."
"All of you continue training for another half-hour. If you can't manage that, don't think about going out for the next three days." Hall Master Li Linfeng casually instructed, then proceeded towards a pavilion, "Let's talk over there."
"Yes."
As they left, Shen Qing noticed one of the young lords practicing, his chest muscles unusually well-developed, arousing his curiosity for a second glance.
Sensing his gaze, the young lord turned to glare at him with a menacing look.
Those features were clearly of a young lady.
Shen Qing promptly averted his gaze, refraining from any more looks.
In the pavilion,
As Hall Master Li Linfeng walked over, Aunt Shen Xiu pulled out a tiger-skin-covered chair from under a long table for him to sit on.
"Xu said earlier that you both want to practice martial arts at Linfeng Hall?" Li Linfeng asked, glancing at Shen Qing.
"Yes, Master."
With a thud,
In front of Shen Xiu and Li Linfeng, Shen Qing knelt down directly, gritting his teeth as he took out the entire fifteen taels of silver he had earned today and presented it with both hands.
"I hope Uncle will give your nephew this chance!"
Shen Qing felt that such an opportunity was truly rare.
Outside, numerous people were scrambling to find avenues to learn martial arts.
Meeting Li Linfeng today was already an exception, hence he needed to impress immediately and strive for progress, while also being willing to invest, to leave a deep impression on him.
Losing a bit of face was nothing compared to the gain.
Desiring substantial returns without any cost,
There was no such good fortune under the heavens.
In fact, Shen Qing really made it happen.
His actions left Shen Xiaohu beside him bewildered, unsure of what to do, and they also surprised Li Linfeng and Shen Xiu.
They had imagined Shen Qing being desperate, or flustered and anxious, yet hadn't expected him to act this way.
When pleading with someone, he remarkably had a certain clarity, not causing any resentment.
However, Li Linfeng, having weathered many storms, quickly responded and, observing Shen Qing, said, "Linfeng Hall does indeed have intentions of recruiting disciples lately. But not everyone can enter. Here's the deal, both of you step forward so I can check your bone structure. If it's too poor and you can't handle the demands, you'll just have to return where you came from."
"Yes."
Shen Qing's heart tightened as he slowly walked forward.
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