Chapter 133: Whether She's Sweet or Not, Just Twist Her Head Off

When Gou Yuniang reappeared before Tang Long, he couldn't help but brighten up. When she wore her work uniform, she was wrapped up so tightly that she looked more like a middle-aged woman; even with her pretty features, she didn't stand out.

Now, dressed in a black long dress, her true temperament was immediately apparent. Not only did she look more than ten years younger, but her entire aura had undergone a complete transformation. Adorned with a few jade accessories, she was nothing short of eye-catching and stunning.

"Does it look okay?" Gou Yuniang asked, looking down at herself with a hint of shyness before raising her eyes to Tang Long.

Tang Long’s eyes gleamed as he chuckled, "More than okay, it's absolutely perfect. Beautiful, stunning! Dress like this from now on; don't bundle yourself up like you used to!"

Gou Yuniang blushed and said, "I bought this dress three years ago and haven't worn it much, but I really like it. I can't wear this at work; there's too much dust, and I’d just get myself and the dress dirty."

A dress from years ago? Tang Long couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Where could you find such a good woman as Gou Yuniang? Her ex-husband was a complete idiot, having such a treasure at home and failing to cherish her, instead chasing after trash. He’d regret it soon enough!

"Let's go!" Tang Long said with a smile, ready to head out.

He looked at his pickup truck. Although it was new, its class was modest. For Tang Long, a car was just a means of transportation. He didn't mind the pickup; he preferred it over the second-hand Land Cruiser he left in the village as an "emergency vehicle."

Gou Yuniang hesitated and whispered, "Shall we take my car?" She felt that for her first formal visit to her "apprentice," she needed to make a good impression. She was the one choosing the student, after all.

"You have a car?" Tang Long asked with curiosity. "Sure, let's take yours!"

Blushing, Gou Yuniang led Tang Long to the villa garage and opened the door. Inside sat a silver Audi A6. It wasn't a luxury car, but it was respectable enough for business.

"Your car?" Tang Long asked.

Gou Yuniang blinked, a smile playing on her lips. "Yes, I bought it a few years ago, but it’s mostly stayed in the garage because I’m not very good at driving. Do you need it? If you do, you can take it."

Tang Long rubbed his nose, silently cursing her ex-husband again: *Idiot!*

"I don't need it!" Tang Long laughed and shook his head. He had his own car, so he wouldn't dream of taking hers.

Once in the car, with Gou Yuniang driving and Tang Long in the passenger seat, he asked with a grin, "Do you like cars, too?"

Gou Yuniang blushed and gave a soft "Mm." She said, "I like luxury cars—Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bugattis. I think their designs are beautiful. I’ve carved many models of them out of stone; I’ll show you later."

Jade car models? Tang Long rubbed his nose and smiled, "One day, I’ll buy you the real ones!"

"No, I don't want them!" Gou Yuniang shook her head with a smile.

Tang Long asked curiously, "Why not? Don't you like them?"

Gou Yuniang blushed, saying, "They’re too expensive. One car costs millions. We’re not in a position to just buy several. I like them, but I don't necessarily have to own them. I can carve their shapes just by looking at pictures!"

*So sensible.* Where could you find another woman like this? She was capable, intelligent, and skilled. She could be passionate in bed but dignified by day; she was someone you could take out in public, yet she could also endure solitude. Sigh, the man who lived with her for so many years without knowing how to appreciate her had truly wasted a "good thing."

Then again, if he had known how to appreciate her, there would be no room for Tang Long. He felt like he had hit the jackpot, stumbling upon such a treasure.

Although Gou Yuniang usually stayed in her carving workshop, she wasn't unfamiliar with the town of Taoyuan. She knew her way around and wouldn't get lost.

"Where does your little apprentice go to school?" Tang Long asked.

"The Third Middle School," Gou Yuniang said. "But... she seems to be a bit of a dunce at her studies!"

"A dunce?" Tang Long was taken aback. He laughed, "Then why do you want a dunce as your successor?"

"Being bad at studies doesn't mean she isn't good at other things. I've seen her hands—they are exceptional. Her bone structure is naturally that of a sculptor. I just don't know if she can endure the loneliness; if she can't, she won't go far in this trade," Gou Yuniang said, speaking with great confidence.

Tang Long chuckled. By the sound of it, was she trying to mold the girl into a homebody?

When they arrived at the Third Middle School, it was still class time. There was a guard at the gate, so Tang Long and Gou Yuniang stayed in the car; they wouldn't be able to enter anyway.

"We have two choices," Tang Long said. "One, we go directly to see your apprentice, explain our intentions, and see if she wants to learn from you."

Gou Yuniang bit her lip. "And the second?"

Tang Long stopped smiling, his expression serious. "Since you like her so much, you must be determined to take her as your apprentice. So, we can't do things the conventional way; we need to use a little leverage. Two, we don't contact her first. We go straight to her parents, get their approval, and then she’ll have to agree whether she wants to or not!"

Gou Yuniang hesitated, then shook her head. "A forced melon isn't sweet."

Tang Long grinned, "I don't care if the forced melon is sweet or not; I just want to pluck it. So, does that mean you want to wait here for the girl and talk to her first?"

To his surprise, Gou Yuniang changed her tune with a smile. "No, let's go see her parents first. I think you're right. I don't care if it's sweet or not—let's just pluck it first!"

"Haha!" Tang Long gave her a thumbs up. It seemed that when it came to things they truly wanted, no one was a pushover!

Gou Yuniang had already done her homework on her "little apprentice," so she knew where the family lived. However, since Tang Long hadn't supported it, she hadn't made contact yet. She might have waited a couple of years—after all, the girl was young and still in school. Even if she was a "dunce" at her studies, getting a junior high diploma shouldn't be a problem.

"What do her parents do?" Tang Long asked.

Gou Yuniang replied while driving, "Her mother doesn't work. Her father used to work at a cannery, but he was laid off. Now the couple runs a vegetable stall in town, barely scraping by."

Tang Long’s eyes glinted. "So the family isn't very well off?"

"No, they're not. She has an older sister and a younger brother, four or five years her junior. She probably isn't the most pampered one in the family," Gou Yuniang nodded.

A family of five, with two daughters and a son, and neither parent with a steady job—supporting three kids through school must be incredibly difficult.

"So, have you figured out how to convince her parents to let you be her master?" Tang Long asked with a smile.

Gou Yuniang shook her head. "Not yet."

"Heh, it's simple. We're here to 'pluck' the melon, so we don't need to worry about sweetness. Just be direct!" Tang Long said.

Gou Yuniang blinked. "How do we be direct?"

"When we get there, leave it to me!" Tang Long said, looking confident.

Gou Yuniang drove the car directly to the vegetable stall. In addition to vegetables, the couple also sold seasonal fruit.

"What would you like to buy?" The middle-aged woman asked with a smile as she saw Tang Long and Gou Yuniang step out of the car, assuming they were customers.

Tang Long looked at her. Her face showed signs of weathering, suggesting she had endured much hardship, but there was no sorrow in her expression, which meant she was optimistic about life. Inside the stall, a middle-aged man was busy working; he looked honest and straightforward.

"Ma'am, are you Ren Yingying's mother?" Tang Long asked with a smile. The "little apprentice" Gou Yuniang had chosen was named Ren Yingying.

The woman froze, looking at Tang Long with confusion. "Yes, I am. And you two are...?"

Tang Long smiled, "Don't misunderstand, this is something we need to discuss slowly." He paused and looked at the man in the stall, who had stopped working to look their way.

"How about this? Why don't you two wrap up for a moment? Let’s go somewhere and talk properly. We'll cover your lost earnings for the day!" Tang Long pulled out five hundred yuan and handed it to the woman. "Please, take this!"

"No, no, we can't take your money!" the woman shook her head. By now, Ren Yingying's father had walked over.

"What is this about?"

Ren Yingying's mother, Zhou Fang, and her father, Ren Qiang, had been running this stall for over a decade and were well-known by their neighbors.

Tang Long didn't force the money. He smiled and said, "It’s hard to explain in a few words. Why don't we find a place to sit and talk?" He added, "Honestly, this is very important for your daughter, Ren Yingying. It might be the beginning of a whole new life for her, and, for you, it should be quite important as well."

The couple exchanged glances. Ren Qiang called a neighbor over to watch the stall, and then he and his wife led Tang Long and Gou Yuniang into a nearby alley. Their home was just around the corner.