Therefore, he immediately agreed to accept Shi Man as a disciple on Lin Yan's behalf. He even set the date for the apprenticeship ceremony. Naturally, Lin Yan did not refuse.
Once the apprenticeship date was set, Shi Man became half a member of the Lin family, and so did her parents.
Lin's father asked Li Xiu Mei to call Shi Man's father and ask him to come over.
When Shi Ye arrived, Lin's father not only rearranged their living quarters but also found them jobs.
Shi Man's parents wanted to refuse, but Lin's father directly stopped them, explaining that these were the benefits of being a Lin family member. As long as Shi Man's talent was good enough, all these benefits were well-deserved.
The jobs for Shi Man's parents were not particularly good, but they were stable. Shi Ye's job was as a security guard at a company that was part of the Lin family's enterprises.
The job included food and accommodation, as well as social security and a housing fund. The apartment allocated to him, though not large, was enough for their family of three to live in. They would no longer have to live apart.
Li Xiu Mei's job was as a caregiver at a kindergarten, primarily responsible for looking after the children. Shi Man was also enrolled in the nursery class at the same kindergarten.
This way, she could work and look after her daughter simultaneously.
Since their food and accommodation were free, their expenses were minimal. After deducting Shi Man's monthly tuition fees, they had a considerable amount left over from their salaries, and they both worked with enthusiasm.
These two jobs were much easier compared to their previous ones. The calluses and cracks on Shi Ye's hands had significantly improved.
Li Xiu Mei now had her own salary and could finally improve their living standards.
Previously, only Shi Ye worked, and apart from spending generously on Man Man, she and her husband were very frugal.
Now, they could save money each month and no longer had to worry about Shi Man's future tuition fees.
Lin Yan was aware of Lin's father's arrangements for Shi Man's parents and felt they were good.
The jobs they were given were within their capabilities, without any favoritism, which would help them get along with their colleagues without any awkwardness.
Lin Yan had initially considered having Li Xiu Mei stay with her, to look after Man Man and cook for her while receiving a salary. This way, she could send Aunt Zhou back to look after Lin's mother.
The reason she hadn't spoken up was her fear that Li Xiu Mei might refuse. If Lin Yan had proposed this, Li Xiu Mei would likely have come to care for her without any payment.
Lin's father's arrangements were more thoughtful. This way, the family could stay together. Although their jobs didn't offer high salaries, there was potential for future development.
Once Man Man was older, they could be trained in new skills, whether it was for management or learning a trade to open a shop. In any case, it would be easier than their previous physically demanding jobs.
After they were settled, they visited Lin Yan several times, bringing her fruits and tonics, saying she must be working hard with her studies.
Seeing Man Man also say "hard, hard" in agreement, Lin Yan chuckled as she accepted their gifts, then discreetly handed each of them a few talismans.
After explaining how to use the talismans, she let them leave.
However, Man Man had grown quite close to Lin Yan recently and was reluctant to leave her, constantly asking to be held.
"Be good, Man Man. I'll come find you when I'm on holiday," Lin Yan gently coaxed Man Man, not sure if she understood.
"Master has to go to school. Man Man, be good and go home with Mom and Dad first," Li Xiu Mei also persuaded Man Man, then picked her up and left Lin Yan's residence.
After seeing them off, Lin Yan returned to her studies. With only one month left until the college entrance examination, she decided to do more practice questions.
Lin Yan's college entrance examination results were notified by a phone call from the school. When she received the call, Lin Yan was at the Lin family's residence, instructing her junior disciples on drawing talismans.
Lin Yan had only been away from home for a year, yet the gap between her and her junior disciples had widened. It was evident that without her to compare themselves against, they had all become lax.
After a year of not seeing Lin Yan, their senior disciple, and then being examined by her on their assignments, many junior disciples older than Lin Yan felt ashamed.
The Lin family ranked generations based on ability, with this ranking updated every five years. Since Lin Yan became the senior disciple of her generation at the age of ten, she had left everyone in her generation far behind.
It wasn't that others didn't want to catch up. After all, being ranked behind someone younger than oneself was not exactly a point of pride.
They had tried their best, but it hadn't made much difference. Lin Yan stood before them like a towering mountain, and they found the effort to catch up exhausting.
Therefore, during Lin Yan's absence from the Lin family, they had relaxed their pursuit. After all, without directly witnessing Lin Yan's progress, they still held out hope.
Moreover, Lin Yan was in her final year of high school, and the studies were so demanding that she couldn't possibly have dedicated much time or effort to other things.
However, they hadn't anticipated that Lin Yan would utterly surpass them all upon her return after the college entrance examination.
The gap was widening, and their senior disciple was leaving them no room to breathe!
While lamenting inwardly, they diligently corrected the flow of spiritual energy in their talisman drawing.
Then, listening to Senior Disciple Lin Yan's guidance, they understood where their misconceptions lay.
The elders of the Lin family were delighted with this situation. They watched with great satisfaction as Lin Yan instructed the younger generation of the clan, and they were also very grateful that they were not born in the same generation as Lin Yan.
Lin Yan's phone rang at this moment.
The caller ID showed the school's number, and Lin Yan realized that the college entrance examination results should be out. Lin Yan briefed her junior disciples and went aside to take the call.
After Lin Yan left, the junior disciples finally breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged glances and, without surprise, saw the same expression on others' faces, which somehow reassured them.
So it wasn't just me!
While rejoicing inwardly, they also felt a bit embarrassed.
Lin Yan's position as the senior disciple became even more secure.
"Did you hear? The senior disciple took on a young apprentice." someone whispered gossip to the person next to them.
"I heard about that. Apparently, she's a toddler, and the patriarch agreed to it," the person in front turned their head and said.
"I heard that too, so it must be true."
"As expected of the senior disciple, always one step ahead. She already has an apprentice, and we haven't even started yet."
"By the way, did you sign up for this year's Celestial Master certificate?"
"Of course, I did. You can only officially take on missions once you have this certificate. I've been dreaming of financial freedom."
"I didn't sign up. I don't have much confidence in myself. Even if I went, I probably wouldn't pass."
"What are you afraid of? The senior disciple is on summer holiday, and she can tutor you for at least a month. You can ask her anything you don't understand. What's there to be afraid of?"
"That's true. I'll go sign up right away."