"You make it sound easy, but learning that skill is anything but," I said, a tad disheartened. I tend to get a bit emotional, "Besides, even if I wanted to apprentice, who says they would take me in?"
"You're really as dense as they say," Mrs. Tu sighed. "You pay for a massage, but instead of getting massaged, have the master teach you. Why wouldn't he be willing? Oh right, you might be a bit strapped for cash recently. I'll cover the expenses for you, and even throw in a free human model. I'll bring my Beibei along so when you're learning about the human acupuncture points and all that, you can practice directly on him—it'll be more intuitive."
"No, I can't take your money." This is a fundamental principle when socializing with wealthy friends: they need to adjust to my spending level, so I don't feel burdened.
