"Then go quickly, Mr. Shen is in the room." Fang Xiyuan closed the courtyard door and told Shui Bingyue.
The little girl thanked him and walked towards Shen Dongsheng's room, knocking on the door politely.
"Come in, the door is unlocked. You don't need to be so polite. You, little girl, have come here many times and you are still so polite."
Hearing what the other party said, Shui Bingyue opened the cotton curtain and walked in. She saw Shen Dongsheng sitting by the kang, covering his legs with a quilt.
After all, even if the old house has a kang, it is not as warm as a newly built house. The temperature now is more than 20 degrees below zero. If you can't go out, you won't go out.
Shui Bingyue stood in the middle of the room and explained her purpose: "I want to learn foreign languages from Mr. Shen. I am here to study sincerely today."
Shen Dongsheng looked at her with interest and asked with a smile: "Why are you suddenly interested in foreign languages? I was not willing to be your teacher before."
Shui Bingyue told the truth: "Didn't I go to Beijing to participate in the competition some time ago? I was lucky enough to enter the library of Beijing University and read books that interested me.
But the books covering the main technical content are all foreign books, and I can't understand them. I only learned Russian and English briefly from my brothers. But these are simply not enough. "
"Why didn't your seventh brother come to my place when he returned to the village this time?"
"He was learning some thinking and problem-solving skills from me at home, so he didn't have time to come to your place. It's my fault, and I apologize to you."
Shen Dongsheng waved his hand: "It's not your fault. Next time your seventh brother comes back, it will be a holiday, so let him come over and apologize.
As for you wanting to learn a foreign language from me, what benefits can you bring to me? I turned out to be a businessman, as you know. "
Shui Bingyue smiled slightly: "Then what does Mr. Shen want me to do? I will definitely do it within my ability."
"While you are learning foreign languages with me, you must also learn painting. After all, for the major you want to study, painting is a basic skill. Then promise to give me five pheasants or five pounds of pork belly every month."
"No problem, what foreign languages does Mr. Shen want to teach me?"
"There are five languages: English, French, German, Russian and Japanese. I can only teach you phonetic symbols, grammar and daily communication. As a professional, you need to listen more and practice more. I can't help you with these."
Shui Bingyue bowed respectfully and thanked her seriously: "Thank you, you are the most knowledgeable person I have ever met."
Shen Dongsheng waved to the little girl: "Come closer, why are you standing so far away?"
Shui Bingyue walked up to him and stood still. I don’t know what Mr. Shen plans to do.
Shen Dongsheng took out a red bracelet with a golden unicorn from his pocket and handed it to her: "Since you study with me, you are considered my apprentice. This is my gift to you."
The little girl took it respectfully and promised seriously: "I will not let Master down."
"Then starting today, which language do you want to learn first?"
"English, after all, it is used in many countries."
Shen Dongsheng took out paper and pen and explained to Shui Bingyue bit by bit. The letters and phonetic symbols he wrote were as beautiful as printed ones.
After talking a lot all morning, when it was time to cook, Shui Bingyue went to the kitchen to make Master's lunch and went home to eat by herself.
After all, Shen Dongsheng doesn't earn much food through his labor. It's not good to eat at other people's houses these days.
Shui Bingyue came home and told her parents that she was going to learn foreign languages from Mr. Shen. The whole family was very happy.
She doesn't go to school and is busier than the children who go to school. Forced learning and active learning have completely different efficiencies.
It took a month for me to be able to talk about everything that happened around me in English smoothly, almost like my native language.
After learning the phonetic symbols, when she encounters an unfamiliar word, she can look it up in an English-Chinese dictionary to spell out its pronunciation.
Shen Dongsheng was very satisfied: "You are really smart, obedient, and hardworking. So you deserve all the honors you get."
"Master complimented me, do you want to eat something different today?" Shui Bingyue asked suspiciously.
"I sincerely praise you. But, what are you going to cook for lunch today? You are really an amazing cook at such a young age. I really can't compare to you."
"Then it depends on whether Master wants to eat beggar's chicken or braised fish."
"Can't we all do it?" Shen Dongsheng couldn't stand up cold in front of Shui Bingyue. He has almost starved to death and is now particularly obsessed with food.
The little girl shook her head firmly: "You can only choose one. After all, you will vomit if you eat too much, which is not good for your stomach."
The pheasants and fish she used to cook were very heavy, and each item was enough for Master to eat for a whole day.
"Okay then, let's make it beggar's chicken." After all, the fish is frozen, and the pheasant is freshly caught, so it tastes better.
Shui Bingyue immediately went to work. After all, she had to go home after cooking. The beggar's chicken was the main dish, and she also made other vegetarian dishes as side dishes.
Yaya from Fang Xiyuan's family admires Shui Bingyue and cooks different delicacies every day. As soon as noon arrives, the kitchen is filled with the aroma of food.
Yaya asked Lin Qiaoyun: "Mom, can I learn to cook from Sister Bingyue?"
"You're still young, don't think so much, wait until you're older."
"That will have to wait until you are as tall as Bingyue."
Yaya wrinkled her face: "That will take a long time."
Shui Bingyue finished cooking, sent it to her master's room, and left.
Shen Dongsheng opened the leaves of the beggar's chicken, and a strong aroma hit his face. He kept sighing: "I am so lucky. This little apprentice is more considerate than her seventh brother."
Shui Bingyue returned home and was very happy to see Shui Jianguo and Bai Lu back: "Brother, sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for a long time."
Bai Lu touched the little girl's head: "It wasn't a while ago. The snow was thick and it was freezing. The road was difficult to walk, so I didn't come back.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon. Your eldest brother came back with a lot of beef this time and also bought you a new cotton-padded suit. Your eldest brother cooked the meal for lunch today. Let’s have a good meal together. "
The family sat around the table and ate together. Shui Jianguo said to his sister: "I haven't given you a gift since you won first place. What do you like? I'll buy it for you."
Shui Bingyue shook her head and said with a smile: "Didn't my sister-in-law just buy me a new cotton-padded coat? That's enough. There's no need to buy anything else."
Shui Bokang was very happy to see his parents rarely, and couldn't wait to share his progress with them.
"Dad, my aunt taught me a lot of knowledge. I have already learned the contents of the third grade of elementary school. I can also speak simple English."
"Really? Why are you so good? It's really great." Shui Jianguo did not hesitate to praise him.
The little guy smiled sheepishly: "My aunt taught me well. After all, I learned Pinyin well and how to look it up in a dictionary. When I encounter a word I don't know, I can find the correct pronunciation."
