Written by- Silver Crown
Ch-21 Nicknames
The breakfast was very delicious and each bite we took is sumptuous. Every member takes another serving after finishing their meal. While I and the doggo( girl with dog ears and tail) take a refill two times. So two of us are still eating while the other members have already finished.
The Elite senior is watching the two of us eating with an amused face. Each portion is quite large enough to fill one stomach. She can understand that someone with a big appetite can eat three or four servings. However, she was quite amazed to see how we eat.
It isn't because we are wolfing down the food at amazing speed. But because of how cooperative I am in helping the doggo to eat. While without disrupting my tempo. Eating the food on my plate at a quick pace. The funny thing is the doggo and I don't know each other. Yet, I am taking care of her like a parent or an elder.
The breakfast started in the normal mode at first. Nothing happened. Everyone was minding their own business. Focusing on eating their food with the method they prefer. No one was caring about what others people did.
Until the doggo girl who was wolfing down her plate choked with meatloaf at her throat. She drummed her chest and searched for the water. Since she didn't get any soup or drink on her plate, her eyes landed on my soup. Understandingly, I gave her my mushrooms and bean sprouts soup. That girl held the soup bowl with her oily hands and gulped it down.
She felt relieved when the big meat church that choked at her throat down to her stomach. Then out of a sudden, she started crying. Her crying resounded inside the cafeteria. Making everyone uncomfortable. Some passersby, people from the counter, and people from other tables checked in our direction where the source of the annoyance came from. Our supervising seniors merely looked at her for a few seconds. Then, she gave me a meaningful glance like the source of the problem is me. She then shook her head and continued her breakfast.
Everyone doesn't know what her problem was. Maybe she cried because she missed her family. Maybe the food is delicious enough to cry. Maybe because of some other reasons. She was wailing like a lost child in a supermarket.
"Hey, you. It is your fault so make her stop," the elite disciple sister said while facing me.
"And you all continue your eating. Have you guys never seen someone cry?"
She yelled at us in a loud voice. Her shout stopped doggo wailing. While everyone resumed their eating, the doggo peeked at me with pitiful puppy eyes. Although I am a dumb person I somehow know why she looked at me with that eye. So, my jammed brain worked and I thought, 'Maybe, She isn't used to eating cooked food or things she brought up on her plate.'
She seems to be still hungry but she is scared that her meal will try to choke her again. The fact that I came to this conclusion is years of experience from my past career. As I once was 'leader of the child'.
Thus why, I'm in this kind of situation. Feeding the doggo while eating myself. I don't know anything about her but she ate like a hungry little child when I fed her. It's more like feeding my younger sibling from my past life. Everyone seems to be waiting for us. So, I quicken my line of work.
My joy is done in a jiffy. The doggo seems to be full. She burped and started licking her oily lips and sucking her fingers. There are only some bones left on her plate. Yet, the doggo seems to be reluctant to part her tray. Her eyes are still fixed on the bones. Understanding her greedy gaze, I pick up a rib bone from her plate and place it into her hand.
"Bang! Bang!" The elite senior lightly knocks the table to get our attention.
"Since most of you have finished eating. I'll start my explanation. As I have an obligation for being your Mentor. You two. Are you done?"
"Yes, we are," I say in a hurry. Then, I push our trays to the center where eaten trays are collected. As for where the leftovers go, I don't know.
"Good! Then, first thing first. I will introduce myself. From now on, I'll be your supervisor as well as a mentor for six years. Address me as 'Senior Xia' or 'Xia Sifu'."
"During six years that start from today, You all will be under my supervision and learn some basics under me."
"Be grateful that I'm your mentor and remember my face and how to address me," She stopped her speech for a few seconds.
"So now you know your mentor. As per custom, I will be giving you a welcome gift." she continued.
"It's your moniker in this group."
'Again? Aren't they addicted to it?' I muttered in my mind.
"Look, I can respect your choice by giving you the freedom of choice with your courtesy name. However, I found it very frustrating when it comes to your naming."
"Most of you guys usually pick ordinary names like a hairy, dick, Xhao bao, woof, or Joe. Then, when others pick up a cool name, you will feel inferior and want to change your name to a cooler one too. I don't want to fuss about a trivial name."
"It is all your right to choose whatever name you came up with. However, in my group, you will be using monikers of my choosing."
"So for all fairness, I will be giving the name. Starting from my right."
"You, with two little bumps on your forehead," She said while facing a girl on her left side.
"Your name will be Jījiǎo(horn). Remember your name."
"Then you, the one biting the bone. Yours will be Quǎn lèi (canine)."
"Then, the boy who is feeding Quan lei. Yours will be..."
She trailed off for a bit thinking about my name.
"You have no teeth. Then it's Guī le (Turtle in their language)"
'Ah Sh*t, here we go again' I muttered in my mind.
Her naming ceremony continued. I'm sure that her naming sense is definitely based on our appearances in her eye. The girl sitting on my left was given the name called Shé yǎn(Snake eye). The youth sitting face-to-face with me was named Dàn tóu (Egghead). Then, the girl adjacent to me was named Liu Shu (Willow). The last girl who was sitting on the left side of the Senior Xia was named Shou zhang(Cane stick).
"Remember your name and others. Then start with you. What's your name?" She pointed toward me.
"It is Gui le(Turtle), senior Xia" I answered.
"Good, then what about you," She pointed her finger toward another person. She questioned everyone. Making sure that we remember our nicknames.
"Since you have memorized your name, I will start explaining what your role is and what my duty is."
"For the first couple of months, you guys will be following me for the whole time with the exemption of time for resting and sleep."
"I wouldn't teach anything significant in those months. Just two things." She showed her two fingers visible to us.
"First, I'll show you around the facility of this place and how things work," she said while folding her middle finger.
"Second, make you guys familiar with sect rules and regulations, customs, and etiquette," she said while placing her hand down.
"After you familiarize yourself with your environment and daily work, I'll start teaching some stuff like basic knowledge of the cultivation world."
"Stuff like history, a little bit about Tao knowledge, geography, and training your body."
"That wasn't the only thing. There will be many other topics you will learn under me in these six years. But for the time being, I'll tell you what I will teach when the time comes. I wouldn't be elaborating on many further complicated things. This way will save my time and wouldn't burden your little brain." She said.
"However, if you want to know something you can make a request."
During her explanation, her hands were not sitting idle. She poured some tea into teacups. With a flick of her fingers, she slid the cups across the table. Where they stopped precisely in front of us without even spilling.
"Don't touch the cup." She stopped the girl aka snake eye from grabbing the teacup.
"Where were we? So, for this entire day, you guys will be following me. I will show you around and put you guys into your job. Unlike your time on the voyage, this time I'll be using a reward and punishment system in this group."
"Learn things well, then I will reward you. Don't make me angry and punish you from the beginning." She said while scanning our faces.
"So is there anything you don't understand," She asked.
"No, senior Xia," I said.
"You aren't bad, have a good head despite your age." She said.
She then looked towards others.
"Don't worry, there is no severe punishment if you did something wrong in this period," Senior Xia emphasized 'this period' in her speech.
"You will find new friends, brothers, sisters, and seniors that will help you to settle down." She said toward others while sipping the tea in her cup.
"If you are clear, you can drink the thing in front of you now." Senior Xia said.
Everyone nodded and picked up their cup. Her long dialog was finished with her sole conversation partner is only me in this group. What awaited was everyone silently sipping or blowing their tea. For a few minutes, we silently slip the tea anticipating where Senior Xia will lead.