Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist-Chapter 342 - 107: A Jiang Family Daughter Comes of Age
Through the archway, Zhuang Min emerged from within, her already beautiful face tinged with a blush.
"Mom, what kind of flowers and plants are you tending to, that even your ruqun is creased like this?"
Seeing her mother come out, Jiang Qing curiously stared at the creases on her mother’s ruqun, "Mom, your skirt has green stains on it."
"Really, I hadn’t noticed."
Zhuang Min looked at the green leaf juice on her skirt and gave her husband a reproachful glance, causing Jiang Duanchao, for once, to blush.
"Pei Qingming, who is called the greatest genius since the founding of the country by Liang, your father was just called the greatest genius of the younger generation in Jiangnan Dao back then, there’s quite a difference."
Upon hearing her mother’s words, Jiang Qing’s attention was indeed diverted. Her red sandalwood lips parted slightly, revealing white teeth as she murmured, "Lin Chen is that amazing?"
"Your Junior Brother Lin is indeed impressive, to be able to defeat Pei Qingming. No wonder all the Martial Arts Academies are vying for him."
Zhuang Min understood why the Canglan Martial Arts Academy had written to her husband. A potential youth like this would have fierce competition among several academies. Compared to the other three, Canglan Martial Arts Academy had little advantage.
"The Martial Arts Academies are competing for Junior Brother Lin?"
Jiang Qing’s dimpled cheeks appeared, her red lips curved, "Only Junior Brother Lin could achieve that."
"Ahem, back then, various Martial Arts Academies competed for me too."
Witnessing his wife and daughter chatting about another man, Jiang Duanchao felt quite uncomfortable, "When I was refining the viscera, all four academies came."
"Can it be the same? Qing’Er, don’t be fooled by your father. Back then, when your father was around, the four academies offered conditions and then left. This time, Lin Chen might have all four academies waiting in Poyang County until he makes a decision."
Zhuang Min’s words made Jiang Duanchao’s face darken immediately; how could his wife undermine him in front of their daughter like this.
Could it be that his wife was dissatisfied with him?
But he couldn’t be blamed for this; who could have anticipated their daughter’s sudden return?
Jiang Qing caught a glimpse of her father’s darkened face and immediately took his arm, smiling sweetly, looking at him with admiring eyes, blinking, "In my heart, no one is better than you, Dad."
"Hmm." Seeing the adoring gaze of his daughter, Jiang Duanchao was enraptured, "Though that’s the case, Lin Chen is still a decent kid... I mean, in terms of potential, he’s quite good, but in other aspects, he’s far behind."
"Dad is right, Junior Brother Lin is no match for you." Jiang Qing immediately agreed but then asked, "Dad, which Martial Arts Academy do you think is better for Junior Brother Lin to choose?"
"Which Martial Arts Academy? With his potential, they’re all about the same; it’s just a matter of which academy offers the best conditions."
"I see..."
Jiang Qing had a pensive expression on her face. If it was the same which academy Junior Brother Lin went to, maybe he could go to Canglan Martial Arts Academy?
"Dad, what conditions do you think Canglan Martial Arts Academy will offer Junior Brother Lin?"
"Canglan Martial Arts Academy? Why are you asking about Canglan Martial Arts Academy?"
Jiang Duanchao suddenly became wary, while Zhuang Min covered her mouth and smiled. Her husband really thought Qing’Er admired him; the little girl was trying to get some useful information to provide to Lin Chen later.
However, this little girl miscalculated. It’s not about what conditions Canglan Martial Arts Academy would offer Lin Chen, but whether Lin Chen would be willing to accept them.
"Didn’t daughter want to go to Canglan Martial Arts Academy? I wanted to see how the conditions offered to me compare to those offered to Lin Chen."
Jiang Qing blinked and shook her father’s arm again, showing a coquettish demeanor. But the next moment, another jade hand pulled her away.
"A grown girl acting coquettishly with her father like this."
Zhuang Min pulled her daughter aside, naturally taking her husband’s arm, "No need to ask your father about it. Canglan Martial Arts Academy would agree to whatever conditions Lin Chen named. Just look at the letter on the table."
"Letter?"
Jiang Qing’s gaze fell on the letter on the stone table, and she picked it up to read.
After finishing, Jiang Qing’s eyes lit up, "Dad, the academy wants me to be a spokesperson to persuade Junior Brother Lin to join Canglan Martial Arts Academy too."
"If you don’t want to, then..."
"Just right, I haven’t seen Junior Brother Lin in a long time either."
Jiang Duanchao’s mouth twitched, feeling a bit heartbroken, as his daughter interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.
"Dad, can we go now?"
"Go back to your room and change clothes first. Are you going to see your Junior Brother Lin in these clothes?"
Hearing her mother’s words, Jiang Qing glanced down at her tight attire and realized it might be inappropriate.
"Then I’ll go change clothes."
Watching his daughter’s cheerful steps as she left, Jiang Duanchao grumbled, "What does Madam mean by this? What’s wrong with her outfit?"
In his view, these clothes were best.
To see Lin Chen, did she need to dress up so grandly?
"Alright, just stop worrying about Qing’Er; she’s always been very independent."
"I’m not worried, Qing’Er is still young, I’m afraid she might be deceived by villains."
Zhuang Min chuckled lightly, "Villains," she thought, knowing how much her husband treasured their daughter, but she didn’t expect it to this extent.
"When I was her age, I too was ’deceived’ by ’villains’; why didn’t my father chop that ’villain’ into two back then!"
Upon mentioning this, Jiang Duanchao blushed, "No... that’s different, you and I were deeply in love."
"We were in love, and my father was just a stubborn old man who wanted to break up the lovebirds, right? Then how is your behavior now any different from my father’s?"
Zhuang Min gave her husband a sidelong glance, "Does Jiang Duanchao get all the good things in the world? In any case, let Qing’Er make her own decisions."
"I..." Jiang Duanchao wanted to argue, but seeing his wife’s look, he immediately changed his tone, "I’ll listen to you, dear."
Anyway, it would be me and my daughter going to Linhu Village; I’d still have the say in what to do.
A quarter of an hour later.
Jiang Duanchao grew restless, "Does it take Qing’Er so long to change clothes?"
"What do you know?"
When a girl wants to meet her sweetheart, changing clothes isn’t simple. She needs to wash, dress up, and apply cosmetics; such things can’t be done in less than an hour.
Half an hour later, Jiang Qing appeared elegantly in the backyard.
"Dad, we can go now."
"Qing’Er, your outfit?"
Jiang Duanchao was dumbfounded by his daughter’s outfit.
She had changed into a water-green gauze dress, her neck extending gracefully like a swan, the hem embroidered with silver thread depicting butterflies frolicking in crabapple flowers, her movements gently like rippling waves, and the White Jade Forbidden Step at her waist tinkling with her steps.
The outer robe billowed gently in the autumn breeze, gracefully revealing the luster of her jade bracelets.
Her usual high ponytail for martial arts practice had been replaced with an elegant side bun, with a step-shaking hairpin adorned with pearls tucked into her hair, tassels hanging by her ears, accentuating her already snowy earlobes.
A light red dot graced her forehead, her lips were tinted with pale lipstick, yet it couldn’t hide the subtle dimples on her cheeks.
Is this really his daughter?
"Girl, your hairpin is not placed correctly."
Zhuang Min saw her daughter’s attire and her eyes lit up, stepping lightly forward, "It should be angled a bit more, let mom help you."
"Also, this lipstick is too deep; it doesn’t suit you. You should change to a different color."
...
Watching his wife and daughter leave again, Jiang Duanchao felt the chill.
Heartache.
This autumn wind chilled him to the core.
His daughter had never dressed like this in front of him, and now she dressed this way just to see some boy. At this moment, he truly had murderous thoughts, already planning where to bury Lin Chen.
In Linhu Village, there was a place called Goupo, a spot where the village dogs did their business, perfect for burying Lin Chen.
PS: Is there another voting ticket?
