I was so excited I danced around, shouting, "Brothers, if I draw this girl's lot, nobody can take it from me!" Looking at my fellow contestants, some were napping in their chairs, some were playing cards, and some had already wandered off, completely ignoring me. But they seemed absolutely certain of victory, which was a good sign.
After the beautiful team passed by, I felt a bit sleepy, so I dozed off at the table for a little while. When I woke up, the delegations were still passing by like a revolving lantern. I watched for a while longer and picked out a few dark horses that I thought were promising. Song Qing finally couldn't help but laugh and said, "Brother Xiao, you've been saying 'let this one go' and 'let that one go' to at least 10 teams already. If we let them all go, we won't even make it into the top ten."
I chuckled and said, "Really? So you say 'let' when eating fried dough sticks, but don't say 'let' when drinking soy milk—what about Li Bai?"
Song Qing said, "He drank too much again yesterday, and he can't get up this morning. I'll go back and check on him in a bit."
I said, "Well, it would be best to call him over and have him write a poem to commemorate this grand occasion."
The opening ceremony was drawing to a close, with the host city's delegation passing the podium. Then, the martial arts schools of Tiger, Red Dragon, and Tiger's fellow disciples, all over fifty, arrived one after another. Tiger, of course, didn't appear in person; he had already reserved a VIP seat diagonally opposite us. These days, VIP seats aren't something money can buy, but with Tiger's influence, it was certainly not difficult. He himself wasn't present today. Following these groups was an individual competition team of over 100 people. This competition had many restrictions on individual competitors, so many loyal Sanda fans with some skill preferred to pay to join a small group. Those truly competing individually were mostly professional athletes with formidable strength.
Finally, we arrived at our Yucai Martial Arts School. Led by Xu Delong and Yan Jingsheng, 100 members of the Yue Family Army marched majestically into view. Even the young soldiers holding up the signs held their chests high. Their indomitable spirit ultimately gave them an overwhelming advantage in terms of presence. I glanced at the platform and saw Mayor Liang smiling with satisfaction.
Unfortunately, at that moment I noticed a very discordant element: a pretty girl with almond-shaped eyes was walking lazily in the neat queue, waving to the audience frequently, just like a young female star who came to participate in a solo concert...
I asked in surprise, "When did Third Sister run up there?"
Hearing this, the heroes all crowded to the front and laughed, "Third Sister is really something!"
As soon as Hu Sanniang appeared, the men started whistling and shouting again. The female bandit, of course, didn't care and smiled in return. But this harmonious atmosphere finally soured when they passed the podium. When the commentator announced the words "Yucai Martial Arts School," the audience was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and boos. Hu Sanniang glared angrily, and in the instant her back was turned to the podium, she raised her middle finger towards the loudest source of the noise.
Her move immediately stunned the entire audience and left an indelible impression on them...
I slammed my head on the table, patting it helplessly. I wondered why no one had pinched my scalp for so long.
The next item on the agenda is for the contestants' representatives to leave the stage, followed by the cultural performance.
A short while later, Xu Delong gathered the 300 people. He came up to me alone and told me that since they rarely got to come out, they wanted to wander around the city and go straight back to school that night, so I didn't need to worry about them.
I said, "That's fine. Call me if anything happens—do you know how to use a phone?"
Xu Delong chuckled and said, "Those young people already know how to do it, but I'm still a bit behind."
"Okay, go ahead, don't forget there's an exhibition match tomorrow."
Just as Xu Delong was about to leave, I called him back, stuffed a wad of cash into his hand, and said, “There are so many of you, this money is only enough to treat the soldiers to an ice pop. The 100,000 yuan for buying protective gear is still with your Teacher Yan. Everyone can ask him for whatever they want to eat. It doesn’t matter if you spend it all, it’s your money.”
Xu Delong was clearly moved. He wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to say it. In the end, he straightened up at attention and turned to leave.
Actually, of all these clients, I've treated these soldiers the least. They've been here for quite a while now. At first, they were holed up in the wilderness, then at a school, and I was also responsible for security and the canteen. Apart from providing food and lodging, I've never given them any pocket money—but there are just too many of them. China is a vast country with abundant resources, and if resources were distributed equally among everyone, wouldn't it be a bottom-tier situation? That's why there's a sign at the entrance of our crematorium that reads, "Strive to break records and improve living standards."
Hu Sanniang strolled up slowly, pointed behind her, and said, "Look who's here!" Behind her were Du Xing, Yang Zhi, and Zhang Qing. These three had been staying at the bar and hadn't seen the heroes for a long time, so they were particularly warm and friendly upon meeting again.
Dong Ping asked, "Where is Zhu Gui?"
Hu Sanniang laughed and said, "They're standing at the door. They can't get in without tickets. Old Yang and Zhang Qing jumped in, but that fat Zhu Gui tried to jump for a long time but couldn't get in."
I quickly called the gatekeeper and told them not to stop anyone who mentioned my name. Secretary Liu had already spoken to all departments to provide me with all possible support, so the gatekeeper hurriedly invited Zhu Gui in.
Zhu Gui swaggered in, and the heroes burst into laughter. Zhu Gui bowed deeply and said loudly, "Brothers, I've missed you all so much! Come to my place for a drink tonight!" A chorus of agreement followed.
Just as things were getting lively, a crisp voice called out, "Xiao Qiang!" Then a pretty girl ran in and grabbed my hand, followed by Zhang Shun and the Ruan brothers, who came in smiling. This made things even more lively. Hu Sanniang put her arm around Ni Siyu's shoulder and asked in surprise, "Where did this little sister come from? She's so pretty."
Zhang Shun laughed and said, "It's our good-for-nothing apprentice. We were just watching the opening ceremony at her house. Third Sister is still as charming as ever."
Looking at the stadium from Ni Siyu's house, the view is much wider, and they must have seen Hu Sanniang's international gesture as well.
Although Hu Sanniang was usually very outgoing, she felt a little embarrassed in front of such an innocent young girl, and changed the subject, saying, "When I have time, I'll teach you a few tricks to deal with stinky men."
Duan Jingzhu chuckled, "Third Sister, are you teaching land-based kung fu or..." He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood and chuckled softly. Ni Siyu wasn't stupid, but she was simple-minded and obsessed with swimming, so she looked up and asked, "Does Sister also know underwater kung fu?"
Just then, rousing music began, and a well-known second-rate singer from the city roared onto the makeshift stage: "The great river flows eastward, the stars in the sky point to the Big Dipper..."
Zhang Shun said, "Hey, this song is energetic, what's it called?"
The second-rate singer continued: "Let's go if we want to, we have everything..."
Lin Chong nodded and said, "It has presence."
When the second-rate singer sang, "When you see injustice on the road, roar out loud; when it's time to take action, take action! Bravely roam the land," Li Kui jumped up and said, "Damn it, that's really satisfying! It sounds like the actions of a hero."
Ni Siyu said, "This song is called 'Heroes' Song,' haven't you heard of it?"
Xiao Rang suddenly sighed, "It's a pity we have 108 brothers. If only we could gather them all here. Alas... I'm afraid there's no hope left." His words left the heroes speechless with sorrow. The more they sang "The Song of Heroes," the more heartbroken they became. Li Kui plopped down on the ground and wailed, "I miss Brother Song Jiang, hehehe—" and cried.
Seeing that Hu Sanniang's eyes were wet, Ni Siyu asked curiously, "Sister, what's wrong?"
I said, "I miss my brother-in-law."
Hu Sanniang wiped away her tears and said, "Why am I thinking about him! I was thinking about the chestnut horse I used to ride, which saved me several times on the battlefield."
I sighed, "People always find it hard to forget the things they've ridden."
Almost everyone stared intently at me, trying to decipher the deeper meaning of my words from my eyes. I blinked innocently and said naively, "Isn't that right? Anyway, I really miss my bicycle." The guys all turned their heads, their expressions disdainful.
What a close call! Luckily, I'm a good actor and managed to cover up this ordeal. Otherwise, my third sister would have twisted my head out of an apple-shaped hole.
Ni Siyu suddenly asked me, "Xiaoqiang, didn't big brother come?"
I said, "Big brother is with his sister-in-law, he doesn't have time to come."
The little girl pouted and said, "I have a competition in a few days, do you think he'll be able to come?"
I also pursed my lips and said, "Why is there competition everywhere? Modern people are under so much pressure."
Seeing that all the heroes were gathered together today, I said, "Brothers, let's take this opportunity to decide who will perform the day after tomorrow?" But they were all immersed in the somber atmosphere and no one paid any attention to me. With Ni Siyu present, it wasn't convenient to talk, so I decided not to bring it up for now.
Suddenly, the arena erupted in a frenzy again, filled with familiar whistles and suggestive remarks. I turned around and saw the beautiful members of the Crescent Moon Women's Bodyguard School lined up in two rows and walked onto the stage. They stood facing each other, and the announcer's voice rang out: "The next performance is an impromptu show, presented by a volunteer from the Crescent Moon Women's Bodyguard School." A chorus of lewd comments followed: "Offer yourself up!" "Take off a piece of clothing!" "Give me a pole dance!"...