Chapter 3: 3.第3章 学习文化

“Luan'er, this is the gentleman invited by Grandmaster Haihui to teach you reading and writing. This is the gentleman's wife, who will teach you musical arts.” Master Luo spoke to the little Ice Luan with a face full of joy.

Although in the eyes of others, it was too early for the little Ice Luan to learn these things, the little Ice Luan's master had told Master Luo that this little fellow was exceptionally gifted. Naturally, Master Luo was delighted.

“Greetings, teachers.” The little Ice Luan gave her father a sweet smile and then hurriedly performed her salutations to the two teachers in a proper manner.

That adorable little appearance immediately endeared her to the two teachers.

In truth, requesting these two teachers to teach her had also been the little Ice Luan's own idea.

After careful consideration, the little Ice Luan already had a plan in her heart.

That was, to first become a person of this era, she needed to learn the culture and etiquette of this era.

Therefore, a while ago, the little Ice Luan had begun to pester her master, Grandmaster Haihui.

“Master, please eat.” A chubby, pink, meatball-like little bun ran waddling toward Grandmaster Haihui, holding a small bowl of lotus root starch with both hands.

“Hehe, what is it that Luan'er is asking of me this time? Have you been naughty again, and are you afraid your parents will blame you?” Grandmaster Haihui laughed.

“No, Luan'er is very good, not naughty at all,” the little Ice Luan said in a milky voice.

“Oh? Then why are you acting so coy?” Grandmaster Haihui asked with a smile, stroking the little Ice Luan's head.

“Um... Luan'er wants to practice martial arts and learn medicine. She also wants to learn literacy and music,” the little Ice Luan said, tilting her small head and speaking with a very serious expression as she pondered.

“Oh? Then why not go ask your father? Your father dotes on you so much; he won't refuse to let you learn,” Grandmaster Haihui asked with a beaming smile, his eyes sparkling.

“Um... Daddy will definitely say no. Daddy will be afraid I'll get too tired. Besides, Daddy isn't as capable as Master; he can't help Luan'er find the teachers she wants,” the little Ice Luan said solemnly.

“Hehe... Alright, I will go look for them for you. But we must agree on one thing: you cannot be lazy,” Grandmaster Haihui readily agreed.

“Don't worry, Master, Luan'er is a hardworking child!”

That year, the little Ice Luan was two years old.

In the following two years, the little Ice Luan's life was what one could call quite arduous.

Every day, the gentleman would teach the little Ice Luan reading, writing, and the identification of medicinal herbs, while the Mistress taught her how to read musical scores and play the zither.

Originally, the little Ice Luan was also supposed to practice martial arts, but because the little fellow was still too young to learn any profound martial arts, the gentleman only taught her some basic skills, such as grappling, fist techniques, and palm techniques.

Only her own master, Grandmaster Haihui, seemed to spend his free time every day playing with the little Ice Luan and teaching her things. If one were to ask what he taught her, it was to pay attention to the rhythm and breath during respiration. She didn't quite understand what that meant.

Originally, the little Ice Luan was very curious, but later she gradually stopped caring and simply did as her master told her.

One day,

“Luan'er, from this day forward, I shall teach you the method of sleeping.” Master Haihui sat by the bed and spoke with a serious face.

In the little Ice Luan's memory, she had never seen her master look as serious as he did today, so she couldn't help but nod her small head. “Oh!”

That year, the little Ice Luan was four years old. Every day, she had one additional lesson: learning how to sleep! Er... it was learning the method of breathing and practicing internal strength!

From then on, the little Ice Luan moved to live with the gentleman and her master, studying during the day and practicing internal strength at night.

...

However, only a year later, something happened in the Luo family.

The Luo family sent someone to fetch the little Ice Luan back, saying that Master Luo was ill and had lost his appetite day after day.

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Haihui immediately took the little Ice Luan and rushed toward the Luo residence.

As soon as they entered the gates, they saw the entire manor shrouded in a cloud of sorrow.

The little Ice Luan hurried to her parents' room, only to see her father sitting blankly in the outer hall, his eyes staring straight at the account books on the table.

Father had grown thin; his face had shrunk by a full circle.

The little Ice Luan hurried forward and called out, “Daddy, Luan'er is back.”

The Master and the others entered afterward, taking Father's hand to check his pulse.

After a while, Grandmaster Haihui said to Master Luo, “Benefactor Luo, your qi is knotted in your chest. Although it is not a major issue, if this continues, your body will collapse. What exactly happened to cause such anger?”

“Serve tea. Grandmaster, please sit.”

After Master Luo offered a seat and ordered tea to be served, he said slowly, “Sigh, the floods of the Yellow River have submerged the northern trade routes. The cloth cannot be transported out; I fear this year's stock will be stuck in our hands.”

Grandmaster Haihui looked puzzled. “Why not sell it locally? Does the Luo family's cloth only sell to the north?”

Master Luo shook his head. “The Grandmaster may not know, but I previously spent time in the north. Since moving south to return home, my business has mainly been in the north due to my connections.”

As Master Luo spoke, he took a sip of tea and continued, “I also thought about selling locally, but we are in a land of textiles. The one thing we do not lack is textile goods. Moreover, compared to the old established brands here, we have no advantage whatsoever. Although we still have some farmland, this weaving workshop business accounts for more than half of the Luo family's estate. I cannot simply let it go like this.”

The little Ice Luan listened from the side for a long time before she understood.

It turned out that the trade routes were blocked, causing transportation issues, which meant there would be no sales for the second half of the year. This time, it was estimated that the family's weaving workshop wouldn't need to operate for half a year.

“Sigh, and here I thought it was some big matter. This? Maybe I can solve it.” The little Ice Luan's large, watery eyes darted around as an idea formed in her mind.

She immediately tugged on her daddy's sleeve and asked curiously with wide eyes, “Daddy, why can't our workshop compete with the local ones? Is it because our quality isn't as good as theirs?”

“Of course not. Our family's quality is top-tier; otherwise, how could we sell to the north? Those century-old shops have established reputations, and they already have stable sources of goods and buyers. In terms of price alone, we cannot compete with them,” Master Luo said helplessly.

“Um... so that means, as long as we can reduce the cost of the cloth while maintaining quality, and then lower the price, we can seize the local market. Then our family can get through this crisis and even expand the business further?” the little Ice Luan said while thinking seriously.

“My Luan'er is indeed exceptionally gifted!” Master Luo picked up the little Ice Luan with a face full of pleasant surprise and placed her on his lap.

However, he said with some disappointment, “But reducing costs and squeezing out the market is easier said than done. Unless we change the production process.”

“Daddy, daughter has a way to help you. But Daddy must first promise Luan'er three conditions.” The little Ice Luan spoke to her father with utmost seriousness while holding up three small fingers.

“Hahaha...” Seeing his precious daughter like this, Master Luo could not help but be amused. He laughed and said, “Luan'er wants to help Daddy, I know. It's just, you are still so small...”