Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 544 - 545

Chapter 544: 545

Song Xiaodong quickly reached out a hand to help Fang Yiyuan up, saying, "Elder Fang, I really don’t deserve such respect."

Lin Yi hurriedly said, "No, no, you absolutely deserve it. The accomplished are teachers, and Mr. Song’s medical skill is simply magical. If I could follow Mr. Song in the future, it would be the fortune of my life."

"That’s not very appropriate. How about this, let’s regard each other as equals, and we can share and advise each other in our studies. I certainly won’t keep any secrets; feel free to ask me anything."

Lin Yi adamantly replied, "No, no, I want to learn from Mr. Song, and naturally, I must formally acknowledge you as my teacher."

Song Xiaodong let out a wry smile and said, "Actually, there are two others who have learned from me. One is He Wenbai from Tiannan City, and the other is Liu Yajun from the provincial hospital. I have always treated them as equals, so you should do the same."

Upon hearing there was a precedent, Lin Yi immediately said, "Since that’s the case, I’ll presume to do the same. However, in my heart, I will still regard Mr. Song as my teacher."

"Then it’s up to you, but such a ceremonial apprenticeship is absolutely out of the question. Just look at Xiao Shu’s expression," Song Xiaodong joked.

Lin Shu gave a forced laugh, saying, "What does this have to do with me?" But he was secretly relieved. Thankfully, this big bad guy hadn’t agreed. Otherwise, if he became Grandpa’s teacher, wouldn’t he be ranked three generations below him? Besides, Grandpa valued hierarchy the most, and he would never have a chance to turn things around.

"Xiao Shu, even if Mr. Song hasn’t acknowledged me as his disciple, he has treated me as an equal. In the future, when you see Mr. Song, you must call him Grandpa Song."

"Pfft!" Song Xiaodong and Zhong Chuling both burst into laughter at the same time.

At this moment, Lin Shu’s face became incredibly colorful as he stuttered, "This... this... this won’t do, he’s only how old."

Lin Yi said with a stern face, "Does hierarchy have anything to do with age? It doesn’t matter if Mr. Song is older than you. Even if he were younger, you’d still have to call him Grandpa."

Song Xiaodong’s mouth twitched slightly, and he quickly said, "Let it go. Having a young girl of her age call me grandpa truly makes me uncomfortable."

However, Lin Yi was very insistent, saying, "This is a matter of seniority, and it absolutely cannot be messed up, otherwise everything will become disorderly. Our country is lacking this kind of awareness. Do you hear me, Xiao Shu?" His last words carried a noticeable severity.

Lin Shu’s face twisted with distress. Although she was usually naughty and mischievous, she really feared her grandfather. She never dared to ignore his words, at least not to his face.

But asking her to call Song Xiaodong, a young man and her sworn enemy, Grandpa was simply something Lin Shu found impossible to utter, her face flushing with the effort.

"Hm?" Lin Yi’s face grew even more displeased.

"Ah!" Knowing that Lin Yi was on the verge of genuine anger, Lin Shu shuddered with fear and blurted out quickly, "Grandpa... Grandpa!"

Watching Lin Shu’s reluctant and annoyed expression, Song Xiaodong suddenly found the situation amusing. He nodded and put on a deliberatively patronizing air, saying, "Good girl, my granddaughter."

Lin Shu seethed internally. This guy actually agreed! This was utterly preposterous. That bastard, that jerk, she would demand a repayment with interest in the future and make him call her ’grandma’ a hundred times over.

At that moment, Zhong Chuling stuck out her tongue and asked, "So, do I have to call you Grandpa too?"

Lin Shu said irritably, "You still want to take advantage of me?"

Zhong Chuling had no such reservations. Since Song Xiaodong had saved her father, she didn’t mind calling him grandpa at all—in fact, she’d be willing to call him ancestor. She immediately crisply called out, "Hello, Grandpa Song."

When Zhong Chuling called him that, it actually made Song Xiaodong feel awkward. He said, "Having you call me that makes me a bit embarrassed. I can’t let you do it for nothing. How about this, let’s go out to eat later, and then you can pick whatever you like to buy, and I’ll foot the bill."

Zhong Chuling hurriedly said, "No need, no need."

Lin Shu immediately responded, "How can there be no need? If he wants to be our grandpa, he can’t not give us a welcome gift, that just wouldn’t do. Besides, during the holidays, he also has to give us red envelopes, big red envelopes. He thinks it’s so easy to be a grandpa."

Song Xiaodong laughed heartily and said, "That’s absolutely no problem, I’ll make sure you don’t feel like calling me that is in vain."

Watching Lin Shu and Song Xiaodong act so casually with each other, Lin Yi had initially wanted to intervene, but seeing that Song Xiaodong didn’t mind, he decided to not say anything more. After all, acknowledging the familial ties was what mattered.

At that moment, Lin Yi’s phone rang; it turned out there was a patient at the pharmacy and his disciples couldn’t determine the condition. So Lin Yi had to answer the call and head back.

Song Xiaodong said, "You go ahead. There will be plenty of time in the future. Later, I’ll have a word with Liu Yajun. You go find him and get the complete Qi Cultivation technique from him. See if you have the opportunity to learn it."

Lin Yi was overjoyed and respectfully bowed to Song Xiaodong before leaving. Although Song Xiaodong didn’t acknowledge him as his disciple, Lin Yi still treated him with a disciple’s heart.

Once Lin Yi was gone, Lin Shu immediately glared at Song Xiaodong and said through gritted teeth, "You’ve got guts, making me call you grandpa."

Song Xiaodong smiled and said, "It was your grandpa who asked you to call me that, it has nothing to do with me. If you don’t want to acknowledge it, that’s also fine."

Lin Shu clenched her little fists and huffed, "Just you remember this, I will get back at you with interest one day."

Song Xiaodong said with a smile, "Then suit yourself."

"Grandpa Song, is there anything special I need to pay attention to this week for my dad?" Zhong Chuling asked quite naturally.

Song Xiaodong said, "Try to avoid greasy food, drink some porridge, oh, and add some abalone or sea cucumber—that will be more nutritious and help with his recovery."

"Abalone and sea cucumber..." Zhong Chuling’s mouth twitched.

Lin Shu immediately said to Song Xiaodong, "Hey, Xiao Ling doesn’t have money at home, how can she afford those things? As a grandpa, aren’t you just paying lip service? And don’t look at me—my pocket money has long been given to Xiao Ling, I’m really poor now, and I’m counting on you for help."

Song Xiaodong looked at them both, smiling slightly, and said, "Alright, since that’s the case, let it be my treat then. Can’t let you call me grandpa for nothing."

Lin Shu giggled and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go, you said you were buying us a welcome gift."

"Of course," Song Xiaodong said with a slight smile, fully aware that Lin Shu was definitely going to try and fleece him—but he felt no resentment in his heart. This girl was willing to endure such a loss for the sake of her friend, and just for that, her character was proved.