Chapter 134: Even Dogs Won’t Eat It

In Old Man Mu’s house, Yun Jiao and Yun Chenbei sat in a row in the corner, trying to make themselves as small as possible.

Watching the drama unfold.

The kind of show you watch while snacking, at that.

"Mr. Mu, just look at how sharp our boy is. I heard you’re willing to take on students now. Please teach my son, too. He’ll definitely listen to you and work hard without complaint. He’ll do whatever you ask."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man tried to stuff the gift he was carrying into Old Man Mu’s hands.

"It’s just a small token of our appreciation, please accept it..."

Mr. Mu frowned and refused. "Take your things back. This old man has limited energy. I can’t teach that many people."

"Oh, come on, even with my boy, it’s only two people. That’s not many at all. My son is smart and clever; he’ll be easy to teach."

As he said this, he subtly glanced over at Yun Chenbei.

’That kid looks so wooden and dull,’ he thought. ’He’s definitely not as smart as my son. And he’s just some poor boy from a small fishing village.’

Yun Jiao’s little brow furrowed. ’What’s with that look?’

"Lin, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and greet your master."

The middle-aged man’s tone was sycophantic. "You see, my son’s name is Lin—it’s written with two of the ’Mu’ from your own name. It must be fate!"

The youth walked up to Mr. Mu and reluctantly opened his mouth. "Mas—"

Old Man Mu cut him off directly. "Don’t. I’m not your master."

He really disliked this feeling of being strong-armed.

"I said I’m not taking any more apprentices, don’t you understand? Take your things and go. I won’t be accepting him."

The youth’s expression immediately fell.

"What’s the big deal? He’s just a carpenter. I already said I don’t want to learn this."

His expression and eyes were filled with disdain and contempt; it was obvious he looked down on the carpentry profession.

"What do you know? Apologize to Mr. Mu right now!"

The couple quickly grabbed their son.

But the youth was clearly spoiled by his family and wouldn’t listen to reason.

Mr. Mu’s face darkened. "You don’t want to learn? Well, this old man isn’t willing to teach you anyway. Now all of you, get out."

The youth was incredibly defiant. "You want a beating, old man? How dare you talk to me like that!"

At this, Yun Chenbei and Yun Jiao both came over.

Although Yun Chenbei was socially awkward and didn’t like to talk, he would still bravely stand up to shield those he cared about.

And the youth wasn’t as tall as Yun Chenbei.

"What, you want to fight too?"

Yun Jiao said, "Big Black. Boss."

She was just a little girl and not very intimidating, but Big Black was a different story.

The big black dog and the tabby cat that had been waiting outside shot into the room.

Yun Jiao stood beside Big Black, her little eyes fixed on the youth.

She was short, but her presence was anything but weak.

"You want to fight?"

Now she had thrown the question back at him.

The three of them stared at the big black dog. Big Black was baring its teeth, ready to attack at any moment.

They all took two steps back in unison and gulped.

The youth was even more cowardly, but he still stuck his neck out, all bark and no bite. "You wouldn’t dare let your dog bite us."

Yun Jiao put her little hands on her hips, fuming. "And why are you the only ones allowed to bark!"

’What dog? We don’t—’

The couple realized the insult, their faces flushing red. "You, you..."

The youth hadn’t caught on yet, clamoring that if they were really bitten by the dog, Yun Jiao’s family would have to pay.

Yun Jiao said, "What are you barking about?"

The youth retorted, "You’re the one—"

Soon, he also realized it, his face turning beet red as if he was about to faint from anger.

Mr. Mu’s face was cold. "You’re not welcome here. Now get out!"

He drove them out directly, then threw the gift they had brought out after them.

The couple had lost face and couldn’t bear the humiliation.

"Mr. Mu, don’t you regret this! With that dull look of his, he’s obviously not smart. Your legacy is going to be ruined in his hands!"

Yun Chenbei: ’Huh? Is he talking about me?’

Furious, Yun Jiao picked up a clod of dirt from the ground and threw it at them.

"You’re the dull one! Your whole family is dull! My fourth brother is clearly very smart!"

The protective little cub had emerged.

"The only thing I’d regret is taking on that idiot son of yours," Mr. Mu also sneered sarcastically. "He’s arrogant, dim-witted, and tactless. Not to mention rude and conceited. To raise a son like that, your own upbringing can’t be much to speak of. And you still want *me* to teach him? You’re dreaming!"

Yun Jiao: ’Wow... Grandpa Mu is really good at cussing people out.’

Only after the three of them had left in a sorry, dejected state did Old Man Mu let out a sigh of relief.

He patted Yun Jiao’s head.

"Not bad, little one. Stay and have dinner with your Grandpa Mu today."

Yun Chenbei quickly said, "Master, let me cook."

Old Man Mu waved his hand. "No need. This old man has nothing better to do anyway. You go on with your work."

Yun Chenbei looked like he wanted to say something but held back.

Once Old Man Mu had gone to the kitchen, he quickly said to Yun Jiao,

"Jiaojiao, find an excuse and leave quickly."

Yun Jiao looked baffled. ’What’s wrong?’

Yun Chenbei’s expression was complicated. "Master’s cooking... is a bit hard to eat."

He didn’t say more. After all, that was his master, and he didn’t want to speak ill of him.

But that just made Yun Jiao curious.

"How bad is it? Can it be worse than bitter melon?"

She was curious, and she wanted to find out for herself.

Driven by curiosity, she decided to stay for dinner after all.

And then...

Staring at the three dishes on the table, Yun Jiao’s little face scrunched up.

"Grandpa Mu, what is this?" Yun Jiao asked, pointing at a pitch-black dish.

Mr. Mu: "Scrambled eggs with tomato."

"And this one?"

Mr. Mu: "When did you go blind? Isn’t that steamed fish? You can’t even recognize a fish?"

Yun Jiao muttered, "But when my grandma makes fish, she removes the scales."

"I scaled my fish, too."

Yun Jiao poked the fish, then held up a piece of flesh, still covered in scales, right in front of his face.

"Were you not wearing your glasses when you cleaned the fish?"

Yun Chenbei nodded silently from the side. ’My sister said exactly what I was thinking.’

He had wanted to say it before but was too chicken to speak up.

"My eyesight is just fine. I just missed a spot. If you get some scales, just spit them out."

"Then what about this one?"

The last dish was a soup.

"Kelp and tofu soup."

It was just that the pieces of kelp were a bit too big, and the tofu was a mix of large chunks and tiny crumbs.

"Don’t worry, it’s edible. It won’t kill you. I’ve been eating like this for years, and look at me—I’m perfectly healthy and strong as an ox."

He even patted his own chest.

Yun Jiao took a skeptical bite of the fish.

’It’s barely edible, but definitely not delicious!’

’One-star review!’

She took a bite of the scrambled eggs with tomato and confirmed it: they were truly burnt.

She didn’t even want to try the soup. Just looking at it killed her appetite.

She even picked up a piece of kelp and offered it to Big Black.

Big Black sniffed it, shook its head, and walked away in disgust.

Yun Jiao announced, "The dog won’t even eat it."

Old Man Mu: "...Stop being so picky. Just tell me if you’re going to eat it or not."

Yun Jiao put down her chopsticks, hopped off the stool, and bowed to Mr. Mu.

"Grandpa Mu, my grandma is calling me home to feed the chickens. Goodbye!"

With that, she beat a hasty retreat, not looking back for even a second.