Buck’s house is very large, and given his status and position, he obviously owns a vast estate. A large rose garden stretches out in front of the estate, tended to meticulously by several gardeners every day. This is Buck’s favorite garden. It’s hard to tell from Buck’s rugged appearance that he is someone with such a delicate nature inside.
This is what it means to have the heart of a tiger, yet sniff roses gently.
After taking in Jesse, Buck devoted all his efforts to teaching him. And Jesse never disappointed him; instead, he filled Buck with anticipation and surprise every day. Jesse improved every single day, and his progress was extraordinarily rapid. Besides making Buck satisfied with his martial arts achievements, Jesse’s character also greatly pleased Buck.
Although Jesse came from a small town, he was humble, gentle, polite, and eager to learn. Though gentle, he was not cowardly. When needed, he was mild; when decisiveness was required, he was not at all hesitant.
Buck really felt like he had found a treasure. In this life, having such a disciple was enough.
And this treasure came with another little gem.
That gem was Jesse’s younger sister, Tianmiao.
This child was so adorable, just like a little angel. She looked like an angel, and her heart was that of an angel too.
She was polite, cheerful, courteous, and considerate of others. Whenever there was something delicious, she’d save a portion for him and Jesse.
Buck arranged for people to teach Tianmiao various courses, including etiquette, astronomy, history, geography, and so on...
Yet, after less than two weeks, these teachers resigned, all giving the same reason. They had nothing left to teach this child. She was simply too intelligent, grasping everything instantly, loved reading, and was even more knowledgeable than they were.
Buck felt that these two were truly siblings, possessing such unparalleled talent.
Buck praised the pair to everyone he met, and almost everyone in the Imperial City knew of their renown. In fact, on the very day Buck took them as pupils, the news spread quickly throughout the Imperial City, and even the Imperial Palace was aware. Buck often praised his disciple Jesse and Jesse’s sister Tianmiao in front of the Emperor and Empress, sparking their curiosity about the two and prompting them to insist that Buck bring them to the next palace ball.
Jesse’s daily schedule was even busier than Tianmiao’s. After all, aside from Buck’s martial arts guidance, he also had to attend various cultural and etiquette classes. He was busy like a spinning top, only having a chance to see Tianmiao when they gathered for meals.
Meanwhile, when Jesse was engaged in cultural and etiquette lessons, Buck spent time with Tianmiao playing in the estate. This made Jesse suspect that his teacher intentionally filled his schedule to the brim, perhaps to vie for time with his little treasure.
Buck didn’t care about Jesse’s suspicions. After breakfast that day, Buck, smiling warmly, said to Tianmiao, "Little treasure, after I finish teaching Jesse, how about we go hunting in the woods? We can have a picnic there at noon."
"Okay, Buck is really nice," Tianmiao nodded happily and added, "Buck, I have a gift for you later, something I made myself." Tianmiao didn’t address Buck as grandfather but directly called him Buck, which Buck preferred after hearing Tianmiao refer to Jesse by name; he felt it brought them closer.
"Do I have one?" Jesse quickly asked.
Buck, beaming, said to Tianmiao, "Alright, little treasure, I’ll come find you in the garden once I finish with Jesse’s lessons. I love everything my little treasure gives." Then, he sternly told Jesse, "Jesse, no talking while eating. Finish quickly and go swing your sword five hundred times. A gift would only distract you."
"Yes, teacher," Jesse replied mournfully. His teacher was truly incorrigible, being so blatantly unreasonable, leaving him unable to argue back.