Volume 1 Chapter 28 Unconventional Educational Methods

  On the third day, before dawn broke, I got out of bed and waited restlessly until 11 am. Feeling that it was about time, I hastily rushed to the Return to Innocence Institute.

  Before entering the hall of Luzi Feng, I heard Hong Gu's laughter coming out: "This thing is quite strange, and I don't know how Ning Xi came up with it."

  "What's so strange, such a simple thing can still stump an old man like me? But I'm quite curious about its function." Lü Zhiyun's confident voice came out, and I could almost imagine him stroking his beard with satisfaction.

  I laughed outside the door: "Old man, try your beard and you'll know." Before I finished speaking, I had already turned around the brocade screen, only to see Hong Gu holding my 'scrolling stick' and playing with it.

  Hong Gu saw me and smiled unexpectedly: "This morning, I originally wanted to go pick up my sister together, but after thinking about it, this is what my sister wants herself, so why would she be in a hurry to come over? As expected, as soon as I arrived, my sister came."

  "Sister really understands me." I smiled and took the finished rolling pin, admiring it with a series of satisfied clicks. It was even more exquisite than I had imagined, with a delicate and slender ceramic shell that fit perfectly over the metal core. The ceramic sleeve was thin and translucent, surpassing the bone china of my previous life in terms of craftsmanship. At the end was a wooden handle, adorned with carved patterns, and at the tip of the handle, the metal core was exposed. I removed the ceramic shell, revealing a gleaming metal surface that fit perfectly in my hand, making it an ideal awl.

  Hong Gu was getting impatient: "Sister, how should I use this stick? I'm really looking forward to it?"

  I smiled and said, "Still missing a charcoal brazier for heating."

  "Ready early." Ruzi Feng proudly took out another exquisite spherical incense burner, which made my eyes light up. This metal ball-like object similar to an incense burner had a small insertion port on top, just the right size for inserting the heating rod upside down. When I opened the lid on top, inside were already burning red-hot small wooden coals.

  I smiled and inserted the heating rod, praising: "Lu Da Shi really has a good memory, I only mentioned it that day, but made such a suitable charcoal stove."

  "That goes without saying." Ruzi Feng hummed discontentedly.

  A moment later. I will take out the red-hot skewers and put on ceramic sleeves. Smiling at Hong Gu, "Sister, undo your bun. Let me help you try it."

  Hongyu's face was full of expectation as she untied her hair. A head of black hair scattered out. I had her sit on the stool. Standing behind her, helping her roll up her hair. There were no hairpins here. I could only pull the unrolled hair to one side and have Luzi hold it in place with his hand. He didn't mind at all. With one hand holding Hongyu's hair, he watched me roll it up with great interest.

  Reheated several times, finally finished styling Hong's hair. Looking at her, I couldn't help but be dazzled myself. What a stunning beauty! Looking at her in red clothes, with curly hair scattered on her shoulders, I felt like I had returned to my original time and space. In front of me was a fashionable and sexy modern woman. My heart was filled with mixed emotions, and for a moment, I was stunned.

  Hong Gu saw that I had no movement and asked tentatively: "Are you okay?"

  I finally came to my senses. While responding, I happily searched the whole house for a mirror. Luzi stroked his beard with an odd expression on his face. Hong Gu anxiously asked: "How is it? Does it look good?"

  I handed her a copper mirror. Hong Gu exclaimed: "Ah, how did my head become like this?"

  It's completely not what I expected, I had a black face and hesitated: "Don't you like it, sister?" It's no wonder, this roll completely broke their aesthetic view, to accept it immediately is probably not that easy.

  Hong Gu stared at the mirror for a while before bursting out laughing: "This is so much fun, this rolling pin can actually turn threads into rolls!"

  Avoiding the heavy and choosing the light! I pouted, unwilling to accept it: "Is it really that hard to accept?"

  "No, no," said Hong Gu hurriedly: "I've seen this before."

  "Huh?" I stared at her in disbelief.

  Hong shook her head at me with a mysterious smile: "I've seen it in my dreams."

  I suddenly realized that the Netherworld Hong Jie had been to was indeed beyond time and space, and all souls would return to one place after leaving their bodies. So what Hong Jie saw must have been the soul from my timeline.

  I blinked my eyes and asked with a expectant face: "So sister, what do you think of this type?"

  Hong curtsied in front of the mirror and looked left and right, nodding: "Although I was startled at first sight, but slowly got used to it and thought it's actually not bad."

  Just comfort me. I gave her a white eye, put down the rolling pin, stretched out my hand and wrapped her head all up, loosely coiled to the top of her head, and hung down a few strands of curly silk, Hong Gu looked like a person, immediately revealing a lazy and sensual flavor.

  I handed the mirror to her again, this time she didn't say a word, but carefully looked at the person in the mirror for a while, and then stretched out her hand to stroke the hanging silk, with a joyful expression on her face.

  "How's that?" I looked at her with pride, this was my specialty, the mysterious and sexy hairstyle should have stunned her.

  Before Hong Gu could speak, Lu Qi Feng nodded and said: "Not bad, not bad, Red Girl has changed a lot all of a sudden."

  Hong Jie exclaimed in surprise: "Really? I like this style very much."

  I smiled proudly: "Let Master Lu make another set for sister, this one I must keep for myself."

  Hong Jie couldn't wait to press me onto the stool, about to take off my head for an experiment. I pulled her and chuckled: "Let's try it on Lu Daishi too." Thinking of curling Lu Qiufeng's beard into a King of Spades shape, I was overjoyed.

  Lu Zhi's face suddenly turned green, and he glared at me with his eyebrows furrowed: "Little girl, don't be ridiculous."

  I and Hong'gu were teasing him, pulling his sleeves, just about to roll up his mustache, Lu Zhiyun hastily dodged around the room in a flurry, causing a temporary commotion that couldn't be settled.

  Just as Lucci was about to fall into our "traps", a clear voice rang out: "What's all the commotion? What are you doing?"

  We turned back together, and Lu Zhiyun faced Fei Qingyun who had just stepped forward and begged for help: "Fei Xiaozi, come quickly to save Lao Fu!"

  I grasped the rolling pin and waved it at Fei Qingyun, threatening: "Don't be in a hurry, I'll roll you up later."

  Fei Qingyun wore a moon-white robe today, the robe was very wide and large, with a jade belt around his waist, and a jade hairpin on his head, paired with his narrow and long phoenix eyes, and a warm and gentle smile, what a handsome young man.

  Hong Gu saw him and her eyes lit up, letting go of Lu Qi Feng and welcoming him over. She chuckled and said: "Qing Yun also come take a look at sister's new toy."

  Fei Qingyun looked at Hong Gu with surprise and said: "Hong Gu is particularly special today."

  "Of course, and don't even look at whose craftsmanship it is." I was quite rude, then beckoned to Fei Qingyun with a serious expression: "Fei Gongzi, come on, let me help you change your style."

  Fei Qingyun walked over cooperatively and saw the scroll in my hand, curiously saying: "Is this the object designed by Master Lu that Madam is testing?"

  I felt extremely uncomfortable with the word 'madam', so I gave him a cold stare and said, "From now on in Guiwu Courtyard, just call me Ning Xi, enough of this 'madam' business."

  Fei Qingyun hastily replied, then smiled and said: "So the Red Maiden's scroll was made by Ning Xi. I wonder how Ning Xi plans to change my style?"

  I didn't expect him to be so cooperative, and I felt a little embarrassed. Who would give a man a perm? But I also had a good impression of his carefree nature. I smiled and said, "I was just joking, these perms are for women, and they don't last long anyway. If you were to get a perm, it would be washed out with water and straighten out. If I gave you a perm, Fee Gongzi, you'd scare people on the streets."

  Hong's sister said with a smile: "So that's how it is. Old Lu, you have to make another pair for me too, or else be careful of your beard."

  Lu Zhi stroked his beard, still feeling a lingering fear as he glared at her and shook his head, saying: "This cane is easy to make, but its effect is quite interesting. I can make another one for you, but you have to promise me that from now on, you won't dare to touch my beard again."

  I smiled and replied, "I have many more interesting things, I'll bring pictures another day to ask for Master Lu's advice."

  Fei Qingyun's face was full of excitement: "Where did these strange ideas of yours come from? Whether it's this stick, or the dice game a few days ago, or the 'magic' that Hong Jie deciphered for us yesterday, they are all things I've never heard of before."

  I was stunned, how could I explain to him? Since arriving in this time and space, because Ling Yi and Jin Niang knew my identity, I had never considered the issue of disguise. The first time was when talking about magic with Hong Gu, and now Fei Qingyun has the same question. It seems that I must be careful to conceal myself, at least for now, I cannot let everyone suspect.

  I smiled as usual: "My father has always believed that education should not be limited to poetry, songs and moral integrity. It should enlighten wisdom from multiple aspects, so since Ning Xi understood things, he sought out famous teachers everywhere to cultivate Ning Xi's thinking and creative abilities, so the things Mr. Fe mentioned were all learned from those erudite and knowledgeable teachers of Ning Xi."

  "It turns out to be so," Fei Qingyun nodded in praise: "Gu Taishi's educational approach is indeed admirable."

  "Yes." Hong Gu chimed in, "That master who knows 'magic' is someone I admire greatly. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to learn from him, but fortunately, there's Ning Xi as his disciple. In the future, little sister can come up with even more new and interesting things to broaden our horizons."

  Time flies when you're having fun at the Gui Wu Institute. For the next two days, I spent most of my time at the Gui Wu Institute, drawing diagrams of the hooks and descenders I wanted and handing them over to Lu Zhi Feng to make. The hooks were easy to explain, just make a few more and string them together, but the descenders weren't so easy to get past. I had to pester Master Lu to make one according to my diagram first, and then tell him how to use it. He couldn't say no to me, but he was also very curious, so he happily went to work on it.

  I spent most of my time in Luzi Feng's small courtyard, where there were too many strange and unusual things. Even as a modern person, I couldn't help but sincerely admire Luzi Feng. However, I knew that his truly good stuff wasn't on display outside. I was always thinking about how to dig out all his treasures later and broaden my horizons.

  Hong Gu and Fei Qingyun also came over almost every day, drinking tea and chatting together. Watching them play chess and argue, I quietly waited for my rock climbing equipment to be ready, looking forward to the day of departure.