Mr. Xu, who was accustomed to teaching students, was quite elderly here.
He habitually walked ahead with his hands behind his back, letting the students and younger ones trail behind.
When he called Luo Ge and her family over, Mr. Xu instinctively walked ahead with his hands behind his back. After a while of not hearing any movement behind him, he couldn't help but turn his head around.
He found the family of four standing obediently behind, as if waiting to be reprimanded. He paused for a moment with a hint of a smile on his face, gesturing towards the tea table nearby.
"Sit, sit, don't be so stiff. The two children are very obedient and adorable. I'm not here to scold anyone."
That's good then, they instantly relaxed.
Aside from other things, Mr. Xu was indeed a strict teacher. His stern expression just now had instantly reminded Luo Ge of memories of being disciplined by the head teacher.
Hearing those words, the two little ones also heaved a sigh of relief.
Gu Jinchen calmly stood by the side, as serene as if he wasn't the one standing stiffly just now.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten how his own father had once forced him to study calligraphy and woodworking, with the same demeanor as Mr. Xu earlier.
"Well then, I don't know what matter Mr. Xu has summoned my wife and I for?"
After they sat down, Luo Ge opened her mouth to ask.
Mr. Xu didn't beat around the bush: "To be honest, the reason I called you two here is that I intend to take these two children as my disciples, so I wanted to seek your opinions first."
After saying that, Mr. Xu looked at the two extraordinarily well-behaved little ones.
Taking them as disciples was different from teaching students at school.
At school, they mainly taught the basic knowledge of various academies, with generalized teaching that couldn't provide individualized guidance.
But taking them as disciples, he would impart all his lifelong learning to them.
These two children, along with the Iron Egg, were rare good seedlings.
Even he himself didn't expect to find a few such intelligent and diligent good seedlings in this remote mountain village after leaving the Capital city.
Although he had retired here, he didn't want to bury the knowledge he had spent most of his life learning.
If he could take them as disciples and pass on what he had learned, it wouldn't be a waste.
The young couple was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, exchanging a glance before turning back to Mr. Xu.
"We have long heard of Mr. Xu's talents. It would be an honor for their two brothers to be accepted as your disciples. As their elders, we have no reason to object."
"However, this matter concerns the major life events of Older Baby and Second Baby, and we cannot make the decision alone. We must see what their own wishes are."
Mr. Xu sighed. After inquiring, they learned that he was the former chair of the No.1 Academy in the Capital city. Many sons of prestigious families in the Capital city wished to become his disciples.
It was said that even the Emperor had invited him to tutor the Princes, an opportunity that no one would refuse.
Although it was for the good of the two little ones, it was still necessary to respect their own wishes.
Even though it was a simple matter of becoming a disciple, it could affect the rest of the little ones' lives.
So although they were the elders, they couldn't make the decision unilaterally.
Hearing Luo Ge's words, Mr. Xu paused, clearly not expecting the couple to respect the two children's opinions to this extent.
But after careful thought, he felt this was indeed the right approach.
"Very well, then." After saying that, the three adults all looked towards the two well-behaved little ones sitting by the side.
"Older Baby, Second Baby, did you hear what Mr. Xu said? If you have any thoughts, you can tell us too."
Looking at the two little ones, Luo Ge said softly.
"Okay." Upon hearing this, the two little ones nodded obediently, and the next moment they stood up together and came before Mr. Xu.
"Disciples pay respects to Master." The two brothers knelt down and performed the teacher-disciple ritual greeting towards Mr. Xu.
Their little aunt had told them about the matter, and had repeatedly reminded them to study diligently under Mr. Xu.
And during the time they had interacted with him, they truly liked Mr. Xu very much. Mr. Xu always spoke to them in a gentle and kind manner.
Whenever they didn't understand something and asked Mr. Xu, he was very patient with them.
He was one of the few elders they had met who treated them so well.
So being able to become Mr. Xu's disciples was something they were very happy about, and they were wholeheartedly willing.
"Good, good children." This action almost left the few adults dumbfounded. Coming to their senses, Mr. Xu hurriedly waved his hands to help the two little ones up.
Taking advantage of this moment, Gu Jinchen poured two cups of tea from the teapot.
"Please have some tea, Master." He handed the cups to the two little ones and instructed them.
One had to drink the tea to complete the ritual of becoming a disciple.
As their Master, he would also become a father figure to them henceforth.
Hearing this, the two little ones obediently took the tea and once again performed the ritual of becoming disciples, offering the tea to Mr. Xu.
"Master, please have some tea."
"Master, please have some tea."
"Alright, alright, good." Mr. Xu responded repeatedly, drinking up the tea offered by Older Baby and Second Baby.
He was contemplating what treasures he had that would be suitable for these two little disciples. If nothing unexpected happened, these few little ones would probably be his last disciples.
He couldn't be careless. Yes, he would have to go back and search carefully.
"Oh, by the way, Young Master Gu, Madam Gu, do Older Baby and Second Baby have their formal names registered yet?"
After successfully taking them as disciples, Mr. Xu suddenly remembered this matter.
Older Baby and Second Baby sounded like nicknames.
It was common at this time for formal names to be registered in household records, while nicknames were used in daily life, due to the saying that having an undignified name helps nourish life.
Upon hearing this, Luo Ge turned to look at Gu Jinchen, as she wasn't too clear about it since the household records were with him.
Ever since she had known the two little ones, they had always been called Older Baby and Second Baby, and she had gotten used to it.
The two little ones also turned their heads to look at Gu Jinchen. They themselves didn't know either, having been called Older Baby and Second Baby since they were young.
"No, they don't have formal names yet. Why don't we ask Mr. Xu to give them names?"
As their Master, Mr. Xu was qualified to name the two children.
However, upon hearing this, the two little ones turned to look at Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen.
While it was good for their Master to give them names, they also wanted their little aunt and little uncle to name them.
To them, Luo Ge was like their own mother, providing the maternal love they had lacked since childhood.
And their little uncle was like a father, protecting their growth and teaching them martial arts and principles.
It was their little aunt and little uncle who had given them the warmth of having parents, even though they were orphans.
They may have lost their parents, but they still had a warm family.
