Chapter 53  

Zhou Cheng Tao had already been in the Principal's Office for 3 hours......3 solid hours. He had armed himself with his coach's certification, the sports school's letter of introduction plus numerous other certificates and the principal's letter of guarantee before he could convince the parents of both Zhen and Jia Families that he was not a liar.

"I really like your children. They are really talented. Allow me to teach them." Four pairs of eyes, four different expressions just looked at him without saying a word, without expressing an opinion and it made him feel really frustrated.

"I guarantee they will be successful and they will win glory for the country." He thumped hard on his chest.

Jia Mama looked at her husband without saying a word.

Zhen Mama's eyes shone with a soft light and sniffed.

Zhen Papa calmly exchanged a glance with Jia Papa and then slowly opened his mouth. "Children should be trained, especially boys."

Zhen Mama began to breathe hard to suppress her rising panic. Zhen Papa patted her hand with an aching heart and looked apologetically at Zhou Cheng Tao. "I'm sorry. Zhen Lang is our only child and my wife doesn't want him to suffer. Sorry for causing you any inconvenience."

Zhen Papa's voice was calm and his decision was firm. Coach Zhou's face showed a trace of disappointment but very quickly, it was hidden. Instead, he pinned his hopes on Jia Papa and Jia Mama. "I see that Jia Shao is a very lively child and instead of letting her run around outside, it's better to let her train with me. It can help to control her unruliness and also curb the chances of her creating trouble and getting into fights. In future, she is able to protect herself with her skills and no one will dare to bully her. At the same time, she can also bring glory to the country. Isn't that good?"

Speaking so much in one breath, it was easy for anyone to see his desire and excitement in recruiting the little doll under him. Both his hands were cold and his words came out in a rush.

When he saw the expression on Zhen Mama's face, he had guessed that the little boy would be out of his reach but between the two children, he will at least get one, won't he?

Such good talents must not be wasted!

He finally understood why the owner of He Shi Jade* was willing to have his legs chopped off and still insisted on offering that piece of uncarved jade. It is because a piece of precious jade cannot remain buried deep in the soil especially when he had discovered it and without polishing it would be a waste. That kind of heart-wrenching grief for wasting a natural talent is something not any normal person can understand.

(This is a brief summary of the legend of He Shi Jade - A man named He Shi found a piece of uncarved jade in a hill and offered it to King Li of Chu State. When the King asked a jade craftsman to appraise it, he was told it was an ordinary stone. King Li got angry and chopped off He Shi's left leg for lying. After King Li died, King Wu became King and He Shi again offered the uncarved jade to him. Again the jade craftsman gave the same answer and He Shi's right leg was cut off. After King Wu died, King Wen succeeded the throne. He Shi holding the piece of jade wept for 3 days and 3 nights at the foot of the hill until his eyes bled. When King Wen heard about this, he sent someone to ask He Shi the reason. He Shi's reply was "I am not weeping for the loss of my legs but I'm heart-broken because the previous Kings had assumed the jade was a piece of ordinary stone and regarded my loyalty as deceit." After King Wen heard this, he ordered a jade craftsman to chisel the uncarved jade and found it to be indeed a piece of genuine jade. Thus King Wen named the jade as 'He Shi Jade'.)

Jia Mama's face showed a hesitant look and apparently, she was greatly moved by his words.

Who knew her daughter better than her? All day long, her daughter would climb and jump all over the place. Her daughter would trap birds, play with the chickens, chase after dogs and catch cats and making her feel annoyed all the time. If someone could make her daughter use up some of her exuberant energy and also help to control her daughter then it could also be considered a good thing.

She was just about to speak when Jia Papa gave her a brief glance and she hesitated for a moment.

"This......" Jia Papa began to speak politely. "Although our daughter is a bit naughty, we can't decide for her. If she is willing, you can have her but if she is not willing then forcing her will be pointless."

Although he did not get an affirmative answer, Zhou Chen Tao could still see a glimmer of hope. Since the female doll likes to fight so much, he is confident his mission will be successful.......it will definitely be successful.

While he was thinking about this, voices of several students drifted in from afar. "It's no good........they're fighting........"

Before she had seen the situation outside, Jia Mama instantly jumped up. "That little brat! Giving trouble to this old lady again! I'll break her bones!"

The four adults, the Coach who was afraid for the safety of his disciple-to-be and the poor Principal, all together they quickly rushed out of the office.

On the playground, little Jia Shao's coat had a large tear and her sleeves were also in shreds hanging on her arms. Her body was covered with mud and there were two streaks of bloodstains under her nose. Stalks of grass were sticking out of her hair as she closely guarded the porcelain doll behind her.

After raising her sleeve to wipe her nose, she looked indifferently at the bloodstains sticking to the sleeve. Facing the group of big boys in front of her, she gestured threateningly at them. "Come on! Since you dare to bully Zhen Lang, you can fight with me! Come, let's continue......."

The seven to eight boys standing in front of her, who were all taller than her by at least a head, were also in a miserable condition. Mud stains were visible all over their bodies and on their faces were footprints and bloody scratch marks left by someone's claws. Every one of the boys looked more miserable than little Jia Shao.

"Little brat!" Jia Mama screamed. Jia Shao shrunk her neck and in her eyes the desire to fight still lingered. She opened her mouth and her voice rang out. "They bullied Zhen Lang!"

When the big boys saw the adults had made an appearance, suddenly they scattered and quickly disappeared from sight. Little Jia Shao lifted her leg to give chase. "Don't go! It was agreed that there should only be one fight. The loser is not allowed to cause any more trouble!"

"Fight your head!" Jia Mama shouted angrily. She grabbed hold of her daughter's collar and dragged the wild monkey back. "Still want to fight? This old lady will skin you alive!"

"Wait! Wait!" Jia Shao nimbly covered her head with her hands and neatly avoided her mother's slap. Unable to escape from her mother's grip, she simply twisted out from her coat. When her whole body slipped out from the torn coat, she flew over to stand in front of Zhen Lang. Cupping the face of the porcelain doll with both her hands, she studied his face carefully. "Are you alright? Did they hit you?"

Zhen Lang shook his head and his fingers gently wiped away the bloodstains under her nose. His big eyes blinked and then suddenly turned misty.

"You promised you won't cry anymore in future!" Jia Shao screamed out at him. Zhen Lang quickly blinked his eyes as little droplets of tears clung to his eyelashes and tried hard to hold back his tears.

"You're bleeding." The long eyelashes fluttered. He knitted his eyebrows in a frown and the steady calmness of the little boy who had first amazed Zhou Cheng Tao, had somehow vanished. He rubbed and then rubbed and very carefully he asked. "Does it hurt?"

Jia Shao shook her head and grinned. "I am used to it. You will definitely feel the pain if you are the one beaten up."

Suddenly, she raised her hand to touch the corner of her mouth and then she licked. She reached her hand into her mouth and shook her hand a bit. Then a small tooth appeared in the center of her palm with traces of blood.

"Mom, I lost my tooth." Very carelessly, she threw the teeth in front of her mother.

"Ah!" Before Jia Mama could say anything, it was the Coach-to-be, whose status had yet to be confirmed by his little disciple-to-be, who felt the intense deadly pain tugged in his heart. Zhou Cheng Tao quickly rushed over to Jia Shao and asked. "Did this happen because you got hit just now? Does it hurt?"

Jia Shao opened her mouth to speak and her words came out a little unclear due to her missing tooth. "Who are you?"

"That......" Zhou Cheng Tao answered in a hurry. "I am an uncle who is good in fighting. Do you want to learn to fight with me?"

Just a word and Jia Shao's eyes instantly brightened up. "Can it protect Zhen Lang?"

"Of course!" Zhou Cheng Tao thumped his chest. "If the situation is the same as today, the next time it will not be a problem for you to beat 10 of them. You will definitely be able to protect him."

"That......" She turned to look sideways at Zhen Lang. Her dirty little claws hooked on to his white tender hand. "I will learn to fight so I can protect you. Then you will not be bullied by others, alright?"

Zhen Lang lowered his head and stared at the bloody tooth lying on the ground without saying a word.

She gave his hand a shake. "You are mine. I won't let others touch the person who belongs to me. I don't care, I have decided. I will learn to fight and I will protect you."

"Don't talk anymore! Hurry up, let's check your teeth!" Carrying Jia Shao and dragging Zhen Lang along, the six adults rushed to the school clinic.

Jia Shao who was carried by Zhou Cheng Tao stretched out her head over his shoulder and completely ignored the doctor's command for her to keep quiet. Her eyes rolled around in search of that little figure and she reached out her hand.

When Zhen Lang silently held her little black hand, Jia Shao then only showed a happy smile but soon her smile turned into a sullen one. "Zhen Lang, I want to learn to fight but if I were to learn then I won't be able to see you. What should I do?"

She started to feel worried and began to wriggle in Zhou Cheng Tao's arms. "Or else, I won't go. Anyway, I am still able to win my fights."

"Ah......." When Zhou Cheng Tao saw the duck that was already near his mouth about to fly away, he held her tightly in his arms and refused to let her go. "He can accompany you while you are learning and he can watch you at the side."

Jia Shao's pitiful eyes rested on Zhen Lang and blinked, waiting for his answer.

Holding tightly to her hand, Zhen Lang nodded his head. "Alright, I will accompany you."

Her smile bloomed like a peony flower that had just blossomed......only that she was a bit dirty and also with one of her front teeth missing.

"It's time for her to change her milk teeth. Actually, it was a bit loose, so it came off." The doctor spoke calmly. "Take good care of it and a new tooth will come out."

The few people let out a long sigh of relief and surrounded Jia Shao, showering her with their concern. No one noticed the expression on the beautiful porcelain doll's face and he was silent in deep thoughts which was inconsistent with his young age.

Jia Shao is a person who will forget about the pain once her injury heals. The moment she could move, she began to think about learning the superb fighting techniques and the quiet boy silently followed by her side. The only thing he did was to watch her quietly while she practiced and when she looked back, he would give her a faint smile. After her practice session ended, he would tear off the wrapping paper on the lollipop and place the lollipop into her hand.

Until one day when Zhou Cheng Tao was about to enter his house, he saw the beautiful boy standing at his door with a glance. The calm expression and the steady posture exhibited by the little boy did not show any trace of the lively behavior of a normal boy of his age.

The two children, like the North and the South poles, were so drastically different, how could they be so intimate?

He really could not understand.

"Where is Jia Shao?" He looked behind the boy and unexpectedly did not see any sign of his wild monkey disciple.

Carrying his schoolbag, Zhen Lang climbed up a few steps and stood at eye-level with him. "Doing her homework. The teacher will scold her if she doesn't complete her homework."

"Then why are you here?" He still felt regretful that he was unable to get this boy to learn from him.

"Uh......" Zhen Lang gave a faint response. "If I learn martial arts from you, is it possible for me to protect others?"

Once his profession was mentioned, Zhou Cheng Tao immediately became high-spirited and pushed up his chest. "Of course! Didn't you observe these few days? All those I taught have top-notch skills."

Still with a calm expression, Zhen Lang nodded at him. "Okay, starting from today, I will learn martial arts from you."

"Really?......" He was overjoyed. He reached out and wanted to hug the beautiful boy in front of him but unexpectedly, Zhen Lang's movements were even faster. He ran up several more steps to escape his bear hug.

"I have conditions!" He stood outside the range of his bear hug. "First, I will not practice with Jia Shao and you are not to tell her I am learning martial arts from you. Second, I will not participate in any children's group competition. I am learning martial arts only because I don't want Jia Shao to be bullied. Third, if you get Jia Shao injured, I will never allow her to learn martial arts from you again."

This........

This is not how a young child should talk and he is actually talking about conditions with him!

Zhen Lang lifted his eyebrows and asked. "Do you agree? If you don't agree, I can leave and look for another master."

"Agree, of course, I agree!" Zhou Cheng Tao nodded hard.

Anyway, the child is his disciple and the words of a young child cannot be taken seriously. Perhaps after the child had tasted the sweetness of victory, even he will be unable to stop him from joining competitions.

"What time will you come for practice?" He tempted the child. "It seems you are always accompanying Jia Shao every day. I don't think you can keep the truth from her. Why don't you learn together?"

"No." Zhen Lang picked up his schoolbag from the ground and patted off the dust. "She takes a long time to do her homework. Every day I have about 2 to 3 hours, so I will come to look for you around this time and everything will be fine."

Huh? This is considered settled?

Zhen Lang waved his hand at him. "It is confirmed. I'm leaving."

"Hey!" Zhou Cheng Tao, who finally gathered his thoughts after a long while, looked at the little figure who had walked to the corner of the stairs. "Was it because you saw Jia Shao being bullied the last time that you finally decided to learn martial arts from me? Why did you hold back for so long?"

His footsteps halted and the figure at the corner of the stairs raised his face to reveal a calm faint smile. "If I don't find out the level of your martial arts skill, how would I know whether you are worthy to become my master?"

Zhou Cheng Tao: "......"