Chapter 16: The Glasses-Wearing Home Tutor
Chapter 16: The Glasses-Wearing Home Tutor
Li Zian arrived at his doorstep and prepared to open the door. Only then did he remember he didn’t know the passcode, nor had his fingerprint been registered—he couldn’t even open his own door. This made him feel very awkward.
“Xiao Tang is at home,” Lin Shengnan said, reaching out to press the doorbell.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
A young girl stood at the door. She had an oval face, wore a pair of black-framed nearsighted glasses, and was dressed in a printed T-shirt with denim shorts. She looked delicate, gentle, and had an excellent figure—36D, A4 waist, and was around 1.7 meters tall. She radiated youthfulness.
Li Zian’s eyes lit up. “You must be Teacher Tang Qing?”
Tang Qing greeted him warmly. “Yes, I’m Tang Qing. And you must be Xiaomei’s father, Mr. Li?”
Li Zian smiled and nodded.
Tang Qing gave a slight bow. “Mr. Li, I’ll be in your care from now on.”
It was a standard butler’s bow. The collar of her T-shirt drooped, revealing a patch of snowy skin.
Without making a move, it was like Snowy Mountain Flying Fox encountering Miao Renfeng—they had already exchanged several moves.
Li Zian froze for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze. “No need to be so polite.”
“Let me take it,” Tang Qing said, taking the shopping bag from Li Zian’s hand and turning to carry it to the kitchen.
The bag contained ingredients for soup. The Old Matriarch wanted to drink Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup, so Li Zian had bought the ingredients on the way back, along with the chocolate that Li Xiaomei had been longing for.
“Daddy!” Li Xiaomei came running over.
That word “Daddy” melted Li Zian’s heart. He walked toward her, crouched down early, and opened his arms.
Li Xiaomei threw herself into Li Zian’s embrace. “Daddy, did you miss me?”
Li Zian said happily, “Yes, Daddy missed our Yaoyao so much!”
Li Xiaomei leaned close to Li Zian’s ear and whispered, “Then turn some chocolate for me.”
Li Zian was already prepared. He smiled and said, “Close your eyes.”
Li Xiaomei obediently closed her eyes.
Li Zian took a piece of chocolate from his pocket and placed it in Li Xiaomei’s palm. “Alright, the magic trick is done. Look.”
Li Xiaomei opened her eyes and saw the chocolate in her hand. She giggled and gave Li Zian a kiss on the cheek.
Li Zian’s heart felt sweeter than if he had drunk honey.
Lin Shengnan closed the door and glanced at the father and daughter with a look of disdain. “The child is still growing her baby teeth, and you’re already spoiling her like this. If her teeth get ruined, let’s see how you explain it to Meilin.”
Li Xiaomei immediately hid her hands behind her back, looking serious. “It’s gone.”
Li Zian smiled wryly. “Grandma, it’s okay for the child to eat one piece.”
Lin Shengnan rolled her eyes. “It’s getting late. Go make me that Phoenix Claw Soup, and I won’t tell on you two.”
Li Zian: “…”
The moment Lin Shengnan left, Li Xiaomei unwrapped the chocolate and stuffed it into her mouth.
Li Zian said, “Xiaomei, Daddy is going to make soup for Grandma. Can you play by yourself for a while?”
“I want to help Daddy,” Li Xiaomei said, her words slightly muffled as she chewed the chocolate.
Li Zian smiled wryly. “You’re still too young—you’re not even as tall as the stove. You can’t help right now. How about helping Daddy when you’re older?”
Li Xiaomei grabbed Li Zian’s pant leg. “I want to help you now, and I also want to learn fortune-telling from you.”
Li Zian was at a loss with his Little Cotton-padded Jacket.
This was only his second day being a father, and he had no experience raising a child. He knew that always giving in to a child wasn’t good for her, but when he saw his Little Cotton-padded Jacket acting cute, he didn’t want to refuse any of her requests.
Just then, Tang Qing came out of the kitchen. “Xiaomei, it’s time for class. Come with me.”
“Oh,” Li Xiaomei replied, reluctantly following Tang Qing.
Li Zian smiled at Tang Qing in thanks.
Tang Qing also smiled back at him—it was a gentle and lovely smile.
This home tutor was really good—well-mannered and with a nice personality.
Li Zian went into the kitchen and got busy. He brought out the clay pot for making soup, filled it halfway with water, and lit the fire to prepare the stock. The stock was Furnace Body Blood. He made cuts on both palms with a knife and then immersed his hands in the water. Blood seeped from the wounds, and the pot of water quickly turned pale red.
“Furnace Body Blood appears in quite a few secret recipes. So, since the Great Sluggish Cauldron is in my body, my blood has become valuable. I need to study this later to uncover even greater value,” Li Zian thought to himself.
The fire burned, and the water temperature rose higher and higher. Li Zian’s palms began to feel uncomfortable, but soon the Great Sluggish Cauldron started absorbing the heat energy from the water and transmitted it throughout his body.
But this heat energy wasn’t ordinary heat—it was heat refined by the Great Sluggish Cauldron.
With this absorption and transmission, Li Zian’s hands, submerged in the clay pot, no longer hurt at all. Even when the water in the pot started boiling vigorously, he felt no discomfort.
Fifteen minutes passed in a flash. Li Zian lifted his hands from the pot.
There were no wounds or scars on his palms.
“This is really strange,” Li Zian muttered, staring at his hands in a daze.
“Mr. Li, is there anything I can help with?” Tang Qing’s voice came from behind.
Li Zian quickly lowered his hands and looked over. He saw Tang Qing standing at the doorway, smiling at him. He smiled back. “Thank you, but no need. Just keep an eye on Xiaomei.”
Tang Qing said, “Xiaomei is drawing right now. I let her draw on her own, and I’ll check on her later.”
“Then can you help me wash the vegetables?” Li Zian said.
“Mm,” Tang Qing replied, entering the kitchen to pick and wash the vegetables.
Li Zian put the ingredients for the soup into the clay pot one by one. He felt secretly relieved that Tang Qing had arrived after he had taken his hands out of the pot. If she had seen him soaking his hands in boiling water, it might have scared her, and she might even have thought he was a monster.
“Mr. Li, I heard from the old lady that you’re from the Shu Region, is that right?” Tang Qing started a conversation.
Li Zian said, “Yes. Xiao Tang, where are you from?”
“I’m from the Gui Region countryside,” Tang Qing said.
“Is that Guilin?”
Tang Qing smiled, pressing her lips together. “My home is by the sea, far from Guilin. I went there once when I was little and haven’t been back in years. If you get the chance, Mr. Li, you should definitely visit—the scenery is beautiful.”
Li Zian smiled. “I’ll definitely go if I have the chance. But don’t call me ‘Mr. Li’—call me ‘Brother Li.’ I also come from the countryside.”
Tang Qing repeated it softly, then shook her head. “Brother Li doesn’t sound right, it feels distant. I’ll call you Brother Zian.”
“Alright.”
“Are you alone in Shanghai?” Li Zian chatted with her.
“Mm, I have a younger brother still in high school. Sister Meilin pays quite well, so I want to work a few more years to support him through university,” Tang Qing said.
“Being alone in Shanghai isn’t easy. If you ever have any difficulties in the future, just let me know, or you can tell your Sister Meilin too.”
“Brother Zian, you and Sister Meilin are both good people.” Tang Qing glanced at Li Zian, her eyes full of gratitude.
Li Zian smiled. “Don’t be so polite.”
Tang Qing smiled back at him, two deep dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth.
Just then, a small head peeked into the kitchen doorway, quietly watching Li Zian and Tang Qing.
Li Zian spotted Li Xiaomei in the reflection on the stainless steel hood of the range hood. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself—was his Little Cotton-padded Jacket secretly observing?
Li Xiaomei maintained her stealthy observation pose.
What was the little one observing?
Li Zian turned to look at her and said with a smile, “Xiaomei, what are you looking at?”
Tang Qing only then noticed Li Xiaomei. She put down the plate in her hand and walked over. “Xiaomei, are you done drawing?”
Li Xiaomei then walked into the kitchen and handed a piece of drawing paper to Tang Qing.
Li Zian also moved closer, eager to see what his daughter had drawn.
There were three people drawn on the paper—two adults and a little girl with pigtails in the middle. The figures were a bit crooked, but for a three-year-old, it was quite impressive.
Li Xiaomei said in her sweet, childish voice, “I drew Daddy, Mommy, and me.”
Li Zian picked up Li Xiaomei and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Xiaomei drew so well!”
Li Xiaomei immediately leaned into Li Zian’s ear and whispered, “Since I drew so well, Daddy, can you turn another chocolate for me?”
Li Zian was speechless. “Why do you want chocolate again?”
Li Xiaomei said, “I drew well, so you should reward me.”
Li Zian: “…”
Tang Qing said, “Xiaomei, you can’t have chocolate today. Besides, your Daddy’s Magical Power is limited. He can only make chocolate tomorrow.”
Li Xiaomei tilted her head, her little eyes suspicious. “Daddy, really?”
Li Zian quickly said, “It’s true. Daddy’s Magical Power is limited—I can only make more tomorrow.”
Li Xiaomei made a face as if she had lost all interest in life. “Sigh, boring. I’m going to watch TV.”
Li Zian set Li Xiaomei down, and the little one listlessly walked out.
Tang Qing reminded her, “Only 15 minutes.”
“Oh,” Li Xiaomei replied, her voice quieter than a mosquito’s hum.
Li Zian smiled. “You really have a way with her. She listens to you.”
Tang Qing said, “I’ve been with her for almost two years. She knows me well, and besides, taking care of children requires skill.”
“Then you’ll have to teach me.”
“Of course, you can ask me anytime.”
Lunch was ready. The main dish was Great Benefit Phoenix Claw Soup, accompanied by millet-steamed ribs, shredded pork with green peppers, vinegar-glazed cabbage, garlic sprouts with pork, mixed three-shred salad, and steamed sole fish. It was a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, nutritious and healthy.
Lin Shengnan came downstairs right on time. Seeing the table full of dishes, she smiled. “Zian, it’s so good to have you here. If you weren’t around, I’d definitely feel uncomfortable.”
Li Zian gave Lin Shengnan a strange look.
What did she mean by “If you weren’t around?”
Lin Shengnan paused slightly, as if realizing she had said something wrong, but she didn’t bother explaining to Li Zian and changed the subject. “Let’s eat.”
Tang Qing said, “Old Matriarch, aren’t we going to wait for Sister Meilin?”
Lin Shengnan said, “No need to wait. I doubt she’ll be back for lunch.”
Li Zian wanted to call Yu Meilin to ask how things were going, but he was worried it might not be a good time to call and disturb her.
Lin Shengnan sat down and picked up her chopsticks.
Tang Qing and Li Xiaomei also took their seats at the table, ready to eat.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
“It might be Meilin,” Li Zian said, quickly heading to the door.
Li Xiaomei said, “Daddy, Mommy doesn’t ring the doorbell.”
Li Zian turned back and smiled, praising her. “Xiaomei is so smart.”
“Giggle, giggle,” Li Xiaomei laughed proudly.
Li Zian opened the door and froze.
The one who had rung the doorbell was Mu Chuntao.