"It's not about that!"
Luo Dazhuang walked out of the meat stall and stood in front of Lin Fan, grinning honestly. "I mean, my son isn't doing well in school. He's already in his second year of junior high, and I was wondering if, after he graduates, he could come help out at your medical hall?"
"If you think he's got potential, maybe teach him some medical skills too."
After Luo Dazhuang finished speaking, his face, eyes, and heart were filled with anticipation.
Li Guifang looked up and said nothing, seemingly having similar thoughts.
"This..."
Lin Fan was a bit bewildered. A thirteen or fourteen-year-old kid, what could he possibly do at a medical hall?
He was already so busy every day, did he have to babysit as well?
"Xiao Fan, I know your skills are precious."
"How about this, just name your price!"
Luo Dazhuang was determined. Even if Lin Fan asked for tens of thousands, he would readily pay it if his son could learn genuine skills.
He had no hope for himself in this life, only able to tend the family's inherited pork stall.
Although he lived more comfortably than most ordinary people, that was about it.
Lin Fan was truly different from common folk!
Look at him, beautiful women picking him up in fancy cars, making money hand over fist, tsk tsk!
Luo Dazhuang had never even dreamed of having any connection with women like Su Yurou or Wang Ying, who clearly weren't ordinary.
Even if he harbored feelings, they wouldn't look his way!
But...
All of this had to stop with his generation.
He could spend his life slaughtering pigs and selling meat, but his son didn't have to.
After all, times had changed!
How many young people nowadays were willing to do dirty, tiring work and still not be able to find a beautiful wife?
But that little brat wasn't good at studying, and it seemed unlikely he'd succeed through education. Learning a respectable and solid trade was the best option.
"Brother Dazhuang, this is a skill passed down in my family."
Although Lin Fan's words were polite, his meaning was clear.
"You really don't teach outsiders?"
"Xiao Fan, I'll give you this much!"
Luo Dazhuang extended a rough, oil-stained hand. "Fifty thousand, Xiao Fan, I'll give you fifty thousand!"
"The child can take any scolding or punishment from you, and I'll cover his food and living expenses myself!"
Lin Fan shook his head.
Putting aside the fact that the purple qi in his dantian couldn't be used by others, even his ordinary medical skills were developed with the aid of the Purple Pole Spiritual Eye.
If he were to teach a disciple, would he teach the divine abilities from the "Supreme Balance Canon"?
He hadn't even fully understood them himself, how could he teach them?
"Brother Dazhuang, I'm leaving now."
Lin Fan finished speaking and took off running.
"Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan!"
"Oh dear!"
Luo Dazhuang sighed heavily, immensely disappointed.
Lin Fan hurried through the crowd, quickly putting the matter out of his mind.
As his reputation grew, more and more people would surely want to apprentice under him.
"It seems I need to speed up my cultivation of those divine abilities."
He walked along the bustling commercial street to the very end and finally found the gold shop he remembered.
"This is it."
Xiao Qi Gold Shop, with its ornate storefront, clearly indicated it could afford to buy good things.
Lin Fan pushed the door open and saw a young couple leaning over the counter, choosing jewelry.
The man heard the door open and instinctively turned to look, then froze, "Xiao Fan!"
Lin Fan also recognized him. This was Zhang Liang, his junior high classmate.
Zhang Liang looked Lin Fan up and down and then asked, "Xiao Fan, your illness... is it gone?"
"Yes, it's been gone for a while."
Lin Fan glanced at the young woman. He didn't recognize her and assumed she must be Zhang Liang's girlfriend.
"You've survived a great ordeal, you must have a bright future!"
Zhang Liang, a burly and sturdy man, stepped forward and clapped Lin Fan on the shoulder forcefully.
"Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Tang Yu. She's from the city and came back to my hometown with me for the New Year."
Zhang Liang spoke with pride, clearly showing off.
As a young man from the countryside, dating a city girl was indeed something to boast about.
"Xiao Yu, this is my junior high classmate, Lin Fan."
After introducing them, Zhang Liang couldn't resist teasing, "I can't believe we ran into him. Isn't that strange?"
Tang Yu blinked, not understanding what Zhang Liang meant.
She looked Lin Fan over and then smiled, "Hello, my name is Tang Yu."
Lin Fan nodded, "Hello, my name is Lin Fan."
Zhang Liang took a deep breath and suddenly asked, "Xiao Fan, my girlfriend and I are here to buy jewelry. What are you here for?"
"I'm... just looking. I want to melt down some old jewelry at home and have it made into new pieces."
Lin Fan vaguely remembered that his relationship with Zhang Liang was decent back in school, but after not seeing each other for so many years, he felt a considerable distance now, with little to say.
"What, you've got a girlfriend that quickly?"
Zhang Liang winked at Lin Fan suggestively.
Lin Fan shook his head, "No, I'm getting something for my sister-in-law."
"Your sister-in-law, huh~"
Zhang Liang's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs-up, teasing, "Your sister-in-law treats you so well, you've got to make an effort, right!"
"Honey, I haven't picked anything yet."
Tang Yu sounded a little impatient seeing Zhang Liang talking endlessly.
"You keep looking. Once you've decided, I'll pay. I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Zhang Liang's tone was generous, clearly indicating he wasn't short of money and had done well for himself over the past few years.
"Okay, then I'll start choosing."
Tang Yu said, and then once again, she happily leaned over the counter, carefully selecting the jewelry she liked.
Zhang Liang took out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes and offered one to Lin Fan.
Lin Fan waved his hand, "I don't smoke."
He just wanted them to leave quickly now, so as not to delay his business.
Zhang Liang glanced back at Tang Yu, who was talking to the shopkeeper, then leaned in and lowered his voice to Lin Fan, "You can't just neglect her. Her background alone is much higher than ours, there's nothing we can do about it."
"Yes, yes, yes," Lin Fan replied perfunctorily.
Sensing Lin Fan's indifference, Zhang Liang became displeased.
He thought for a moment, intending to elaborate on Tang Yu's family background, but at that moment, a sweet voice called out from behind him, "Honey, I've picked it out!"
"Okay, I'm coming right over."
Zhang Liang lit his cigarette and then went to the counter.
"Phew~"
Lin Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been holding the heavy golden compass under his arm the whole time, but he had to act very relaxed. Otherwise, if he was found out, Zhang Liang would run back to the village and spread the word, and his sister-in-law would start asking questions and digging for details.
"Eighteen thousand eight hundred?"
Zhang Liang exclaimed in surprise.
Then, while fiddling with his phone, he asked, "Boss, is Alipay payment okay?"
"Of course, no problem. Any payment method is fine."
The shopkeeper's face lit up with excitement, his heart overflowing with joy.
The profit from just this one gold ornament was enough for him to eat for several months.
And this wasn't even a branded item. If it were something like Clover, selling one item would feed his whole family for a year!