With the arrival of Xiao Tianyun and Xiao Guiyun, the previously awkward and stiff atmosphere vanished. Although Xie Jingyu was unsure whether Yan Aohan’s words were true or false, he dared not say much. After all, it was his father’s sixty-ninth birthday. If things went wrong, it might provoke public anger.
“Are your Little Uncle and Little Aunt doing well?” After dinner, everyone sat in the study chatting. Xie Jingyu had left after finishing his meal.
Xie Zhong smiled and said, “Your Little Uncle and Little Aunt are doing very well. They originally wanted to take leave to come today, but your Little Aunt was just found to be one and a half months pregnant. Your Little Uncle was worried, and I was too, so we didn’t let them come.”
“That’s great! Congratulations to your Little Uncle and Little Aunt.” Zhu Yanyi naturally knew that after her treatment, Wang Xia’s health would have no issues. Pregnancy was only a matter of time.
“Father, now you can rest assured. Brother Cheng is going to be a father too,” Xie Xinyan said with a smile from the side.
“Does that mean I’m going to be a big sister?” Xie Yanqin, Xie Xinyan’s only daughter, asked happily.
“Yes, Little Swallow is going to be a big sister. Are you happy?” Xie Xinyan asked with a smile.
“I am already a big brother. I hope this one is a little brother,” Xiao Tianyun said seriously.
“Why do you hope it’s a little brother?” Zhu Yanyi asked curiously.
“Sigh.” Xiao Tianyun looked at Zhu Yanyi with disappointment. “Sister Ani, why are you so silly? Look, I have three older sisters: Sister An’nan, you, and Sister Shiyun. I have one older brother, Doumiao. I have two younger sisters: Xiao Guiyun and Little Swallow. I’m missing a little brother, so naturally, I hope this one is a boy.”
Xiao Tianyun spoke with great seriousness.
“If that’s the case, I have three older sisters, two older brothers, and one younger sister. I want a little brother too,” Xiao Guiyun said seriously from the side.
Xie Yanqin looked troubled. “I have four older sisters.” She held up four fingers, then two more. “I have two older brothers. I don’t have a younger sister or a younger brother. So, should I want a little brother or a little sister? Sigh, it’s so annoying.”
The way these children spoke like adults made Zhu Yanyi and the others burst into laughter.
Xie Zhong laughed heartily. “Whether it’s a little brother or a little sister, you must love them.” Xie Zhong naturally hoped Xie Chengyu would have a son. It wasn’t because he favored boys over girls, but since they only had one child, and there were already many girls in the family, a boy would be nice. Of course, if it were a girl, he would still be happy.
No one mentioned what Wang Zhaodi had done in the past, and Wang Zhaodi wouldn’t bring it up either. She didn’t understand right from wrong, and she had forgotten quite a bit.
On the way home, Zhu Shun’ao asked Zhu Yanyi, “Little Yan arranged a job change for your Eldest Uncle. Won’t that cause problems?”
Before Zhu Yanyi could answer, Yan Aohan laughed. “Father, you don’t need to worry at all. These small positions are usually unwanted. It’s just a means of competition among subordinates. If there’s an internal decision, those competitors wouldn’t even get a chance to appear. Besides, it’s not an important position.”
The Livestock Section, in plain terms, dealt with poultry and livestock. They distributed preventive and sterilizing medicines for animals every year. Of course, if diseases broke out among the animals, they would be quite busy, going to the countryside to give injections and prescribe medicine. It could be said that it was a very hard job when things got tough. Moreover, there were no more than five people in this section, including the small section chief. So, it didn’t matter who held the position.
The higher-ups didn’t care about such small roles. Instead, when Yan Aohan spoke up, they considered it a privilege to give him face. Thus, the decision was made without any difficulty.
The next day, after Xie Jingyu went to work, he was indeed appointed as the chief of the Livestock Section. The speed of this appointment surprised everyone slightly. However, many were smart enough to realize that since the order came from above, Xie Jingyu likely had backing. Although Xie Jingyu hadn’t revealed his situation, people are smart. Seeing this, regardless of the truth, no one would offend Xie Jingyu on the surface. Therefore, Xie Jingyu’s work proceeded relatively smoothly.
At this moment, Xie Jingyu realized that if Yan Aohan could solve things with a single phone call, his authority must be immense. If she hadn’t made Xie Zhong angry over this position, perhaps Zhu Yanyi would have arranged a better role for her. After all, Zhu Yanyi was Yan Aohan’s fiancée. From then on, what Xie Jingyu could do was respect Xie Zhong particularly well and supervise Xie Shiyun to learn from Xie Zhong, hoping to build more grandparent-grandchild affection, which would benefit her in the future. This, however, is a story for later.
Xie Jingyu’s matter was not mentioned again. It seemed that for them, Xie Jingyu was merely a passerby.
Zhu Yanyi’s family stayed in Sicheng Town for about twenty days before preparing to return to the capital.
Back in the capital, Zhu Yanyi once again devoted her energy to her school.
The teachers were gradually arriving. Among them were flower doctors and descendants of witch doctors whom Zhu Yanyi had specifically invited, as well as some old masters invited by Old Man Yao.
Old Man Yao’s friends had all retired. With nothing to do at home, hearing that the Little Divine Doctor had built such a school, they volunteered to help. Their intention was clear: money didn’t matter; they just wanted their later years to be more fulfilling.
With the teachers mostly in place, the next step was to recruit students. For this, Zhu Yanyi specially invited all the teachers to a meeting to discuss how many students to accept.
“We have many children in Huaxia. Pure interest in traditional Chinese medicine needs to be cultivated in children, because no one knows what a child is naturally interested in. Therefore, cultivation is very important. So, I’m thinking, how many children should we accept, and what age range should we control?” Zhu Yanyi looked at everyone and said.
Old Man Yao pondered and said, “If children start memorizing the Decoction Song from a young age, around five years old is best. At that age, they remember things more clearly.”
Old Man Huang, one of Old Man Yao’s friends, also attended as a representative. “Yes, starting to learn between five and seven years old is actually best. Below five, they are too young. They might not even be able to control their bladder and bowels. At least, to come to our school, they must be able to say they are hungry or need to use the toilet. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be teaching basics; we’d be becoming kindergarten teachers.”