Seeing Li Weili purse her lips and hang up the phone, Han Lushí took the phone from her hand and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Mom criticized me," Li Weili said, resting her head on Han Lushí's chest.
"Mom blames me for wasting your long leave. She thinks I care too much about the company and am too focused on personal gain."
Han Lushí gently stroked Li Weili's long hair.
"Mom is experienced. With her age and wisdom, her priorities are different from yours."
"As long as I can stay by your side, that's all that matters. Don't overthink it."
"No!" Li Weili looked up. "I need to speed things up, to cultivate capable subordinates faster. By the way, where did you assign that shop assistant?"
Han Lushí replied, "Human Resources."
"First, transfer her to the secretarial office to serve tea and water."
"Okay, let's go have some chicken soup. It's been simmering for a long time."
Li Weili sat up straight. "Go call Renzhi to join us for soup."
She hated the layer of oil on chicken soup, but that kid Renzhi actually liked it.
Han Lushí chuckled. "Renzhi and Uncle Ouyang went back to Kushan yesterday."
"Oh my!" Li Weili slapped her forehead hard. "I forgot. I'm so busy I'm losing my mind."
Han Lushí lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Did that hurt?"
Li Weili secretly rolled her eyes. Brother Lu was treating her more and more like a child.
...
Tian Jing finished packing and was about to enter the mountains with Ouyang Meihua when she was stopped by the sudden arrival of Ouyang's father and son.
"Heroine Tian, where are you planning to go?"
Ouyang Leiqing was glad he had arrived in time. He hadn't even returned home, coming directly to find Heroine Tian with his son.
"Aunt Tian," Ouyang Renzhi jumped out of the car. "I'm here."
"Perfect," Tian Jing smiled and waved to Ouyang Renzhi. "Come with me, I'll take you in."
"Okay," Ouyang Renzhi turned and took his suitcase from the car.
Ouyang Leiqing quickly told his son to remember to call him.
Ouyang Renzhi smiled and waved goodbye to his father. "Don't worry, Dad. Once I get familiar with the place inside, I'll call you."
Tian Jing also waved to Ouyang Leiqing. "Renzhi is lucky to catch the special training. It's for half a month, so you can wait."
Special training!
Ouyang Leiqing didn't mind waiting longer. His son had a smooth life in Kyoto, and he had also progressed relatively well in martial arts.
Because he didn't have time to refine his son, he let him advance steadily, which made his son somewhat arrogant.
He was even hesitant to send his son to his own father, fearing that his father would scold him for not knowing how to teach and would ruin a promising talent.
Now that Heroine Tian was taking him for special training, it was simply perfect.
He would go back and tell his father that he had sent his father's grandson to the country.
Ouyang Meihua, carrying her luggage, came out and saw Tian Jing with her young nephew.
She asked in surprise, "Renzhi, where is your father?"
Ouyang Renzhi pointed east. "At the entrance of the courtyard."
Ouyang Meihua chided him. "You scoundrel, you're here and you didn't come to see your elder sister."
"He didn't even go back to see his father, and he sent me straight here."
"Heh heh, he'll get what's coming to him when he goes back. Let's go."
...
Ouyang Renzhi still had the impression of taking cars and subways when it came to traveling.
He thought that to get to the special training team, they would at least take a car. But it turned out to be literal 'walking'.
At first, there was a cable car. He rode it with a group of tourists and wondered why the special training team was in a scenic spot.
After passing the scenic area, they truly had to 'walk'.
Although he considered his internal energy to be profound, walking purely on foot was too much for him.
His suitcase was already in his aunt's hands, yet he still lagged far behind his aunt and Aunt Tian.
Panting, he believed his father's words. Compared to the Ouyang family and Aunt Tian, he was indeed not a master.
Tian Jing looked back, reached out, and took the luggage bag and suitcase from Ouyang Meihua.
"You take Renzhi and keep walking. I'll go in first and tell Yan Yan to wait for you at the main gate."
"Alright." Her nephew's performance made Ouyang Meihua feel ashamed. With this kind of stamina, how could she expect Aunt Tian to send him to the special training team?
Once inside, he would be compared to the other team members and feel completely out of place.
Ouyang Renzhi felt as if Aunt Tian had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Then, his aunt grabbed him and pulled him along, scolding him for embarrassing the Ouyang family as they 'walked'.
After 'walking' until his 'stomach' was empty, his aunt slapped him on the head and then carried him on her back.
When he saw Brother Yan Yan, who only appeared when his father lectured him, he was beaten by Brother Yan Yan before he could even greet him.
He was told that he came here only to embarrass him. Was he really that bad?
They entered a large courtyard without visible walls. He was taken to the administrative building and met Captain Zeng and Deputy Captain Tian.
So, Aunt Tian was the deputy captain?
When filling out the forms, at the rank section, Brother Yan Yan stopped him and forbade him from filling it in.
"You're lucky, kid. You're here and catching the special training. I'm telling you, after the special training ends, I'll give you another month of special training."
"You're so trashy. Don't you dare tell anyone I'm your cousin. You've completely shamed me."
Ouyang Renzhi... Today, he learned an explanation he never learned in school – 'trash' could also be a person.
Completely demoralized, Ouyang Renzhi was led by Brother Yan Yan to be assigned a dormitory.
Ouyang Meihua and Tian Jing went to see Ji Shiyi.
Upon seeing Ji Shiyi's swollen belly, Ouyang Meihua pointed at her. "The tip of your belly is pointing downwards. You've engaged. Why didn't you ask Captain Zeng to call us?"
Ji Shiyi smiled. "I called my mother. She said that labor can only begin after fully engaging, and engagement also takes time. Captain Tian said she'd come on the 10th, so I'm not in a hurry."
Ouyang Meihua shook her head and chuckled. "My impatient nature has met your patient one. I speak quickly and directly, so please don't be offended."
"What are you talking about, Sister-in-law Ouyang?" Ji Shiyi remained unhurried and unruffled.
"You're here to help me, so I can only be grateful. How could I be offended?"
"Besides, if you're anxious, it's for my own good. I also need to ask Sister-in-law Ouyang not to be angry with me. Just say whatever you need to say, and I'll do as you say."
Ouyang Meihua breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that this slow-talking county magistrate's daughter was reasonable.
Jiang Lin had already prepared a room for her next door.
This room was still standard office setup, with a large room containing a lounge and a bathroom.
After settling Ouyang Meihua, Tian Jing went to the open space in front of the cafeteria.
186 martial arts team members, plus one new recruit, were already lined up.
Seeing Tian Jing arrive, Zeng Jingrong waved to all the team members. "Attention, everyone! Depart!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The team members' synchronized response was undermined by one person.
Li Weiyan glared at Ouyang Renzhi, thinking that if you can't keep up, don't answer.
Ouyang Renzhi flinched.
Zeng Jingrong sternly criticized Ouyang Renzhi and Li Weiyan.
He assigned Li Weiyan the responsibility of teaching Ouyang Renzhi the basic content of this special training and ensuring that he didn't delay the progress of other team members at the training site.
Li Weiyan... He felt that the four days of 'prison time' he had stolen from the extraordinary ability team would likely be wasted by this kid.
Ouyang Renzhi... Wasn't the special training team supposed to be more relaxed? Why was he being criticized as soon as he joined?
Upon reaching the main entrance, Zeng Jingrong again instructed each team member to enter the maze using their own abilities.
Li Weiyan was stopped by Captain Zeng, who told him to take the new recruit.
He wondered if it was too late to resign as the vice-squad leader of the martial arts team.
Han Lushí was on extended leave, and Captain Zeng had forcibly appointed him as vice-squad leader.
He thought it was some kind of good opportunity, but who knew that not only did he have to manage the miscellaneous affairs of the martial arts team, but he also had to help Captain Zeng with matters, and now he had to lead new recruits.